Great Americans

[mazrim]

^
I find war movies hard to watch because of knowing that that stuff actually goes on or went on. A lot to take in how much was done and what happened to a lot of people. That is a type of violence that is very disturbing/saddening to me.

Great men.

[Dos Equis]

10th Mountain soldier’s Silver Star upgraded for shielding Polish soldier from suicide bomber
By: Kyle Rempfer   

Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis was killed Aug. 28, 2013, while defending Forward Operating Base Ghazni in Afghanistan. (Army)

Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis was killed in action while shielding a Polish soldier from a suicide bomber on Aug. 28, 2013, in Ghazni province, Afghanistan.

The 24-year-old soldier, an infantryman with 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, New York, originally received the Silver Star for his actions, which took place during a massive attack beginning with a car bomb that breached the base’s eastern perimeter wall and allowed roughly 10 insurgents in suicide bomber vests to infiltrate the compound.

Nearly six years later, Ollis’ award was upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest military honor that can be awarded to a U.S. soldier.

The attack on Forward Operating Base Ghazni incorporated vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, suicide vests, indirect fire and small arms fire. When it began, Ollis ordered his fellow soldiers to move to bunkers to shield themselves from fire, according to a copy of his citation provided to Army Times.

After accounting for his troops, Ollis checked for any casualties in a building hit by the blast and then moved toward the enemy fighters who had penetrated the perimeter of the base. He managed to locate a fellow coalition soldier, a Polish Army officer, and together they moved toward the point of attack without their personal protection equipment and armed only with their rifles.

The two linked up with other friendlies and worked to repulse the insurgents who had breached their defenses, all while under continuous small arms, indirect and rocket-propelled grenade fires. During the fighting, an insurgent with a suicide bomber vest rounded a corner and began advancing on them while shooting.


Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis, the godfather to the baby in this photo, poses with family members, including his sister and her baby, and his parents Linda and Robert Ollis. (Courtesy of Ollis Family)

Ollis, without body armor, put himself between the insurgent and a Polish Army officer named Lt. Karol Cierpica who had been wounded in both legs and was unable to walk.

“Ollis fired on the insurgent and incapacitated him, but as he approached the insurgent, the insurgent’s suicide vest detonated mortally wounding him,” the citation for the Distinguished Service Cross reads.

Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville presented the upgraded award during a ceremony on Staten Island, New York, on Saturday to the fallen soldier’s father and sister, Robert Ollis and Kimberly Loschiavo, according to a Fort Drum release.

The ceremony took place at a VFW post named in Ollis’ honor.

Polish Army Lt. Karol Cierpica later named his newborn son after Ollis in honor of the sacrifice.

“I was privileged to serve with Michael and Karol when I was the 101st Airborne Division commanding general in Regional Command East while they were deployed,” McConville said at the ceremony, according to the release. “Their actions that day in August against a very determined enemy saved many, many lives.”

The Ollis and Cierpica families have grown close over the years.

Prior to his son’s birth, Cierpica received a teddy bear from Ollis’ family, made using their son’s combat uniform. Ollis also received the Army Gold Medal from Poland, the highest honor a foreign soldier can receive from the NATO ally.


Newborn baby Michael Cierpica lies with a teddy bear made from the Army fatigues of Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, the soldier who sacrificed his life saving the infant's father during an attack in Afghanistan. (Courtesy of Ollis Family)

“Through the tears, we have to tell the story of Karol and Michael,” Robert Ollis said during the ceremony, according to the release. “They just locked arms and followed each other. They didn’t worry about what language or what color it was. It was two battle buddies, and that’s what Karol and Michael did. To help everyone on that FOB they possibly could.”

In the attack, Ollis and one other Polish soldier were killed. Ten Polish soldiers and dozens of Afghans were reportedly wounded, according to an Army account of the Aug. 28 action obtained by Army Times in 2013.

Then-Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, who was second in command of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force at the time, said the attack was part of an aggressive push by insurgents to penetrate fixed targets of political significance using suicide bombers and fighters on foot.

“Unfortunately, we lost a great American there from 10th Mountain Division in that attack, but the defenders did extraordinarily well,” said Milley, who is also a former commander of the 10th Mountain Division.


Robert Ollis, the father of Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, and Kimberly Loschiavo, the soldier's sister, receive the Distinguished Service Cross from Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville on June 8. (Sgt. Jerod Hathaway/Army)

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/06/12/10th-mountain-soldiers-silver-star-upgraded-for-shielding-polish-soldier-from-suicide-bomber/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=Socialflow+ARM&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1Xvm6QaUU5ms8hCPbcllgZbBpT0sIdhg28pHAnoNczcmvh1nltV1hzZH8

[Dos Equis]

President Donald Trump bestows Medal of Honor on David Bellavia, the first living Iraq War recipient
By: Meghann Myers   

President Donald Trump awards Army Staff Sgt. David Bellavia the Medal of Honor at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 25, 2019. Bellavia is a Iraq veteran who cleared an insurgent strongpoint and allowed members of his platoon to move to safety. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

In the most harrowing days of the Iraq War, one Army noncommissioned officer distinguished himself when he rescued an infantry squad pinned down by machine gun fire as they went door-to-door clearing insurgent strongholds.

That battle, on Nov. 10, 2004, made former Staff Sgt. David Bellavia the Iraq War’s first living recipient of the military’s highest award for valor, bestowed by President Trump on Tuesday at a White House ceremony.

“America’s blessed with the heroes and great people, like Staff Sgt. Bellavia, whose intrepid spirit and unwavering resolve defeats our enemies, protects our freedoms and defends our great American flag," Trump said. "David, today we honor your extraordinary courage, we salute your selfless service and we thank you for carrying on the legacy of American valor that has always made our blessed nation the strongest and mightiest anywhere in the world ― and we’re doing better today than we have ever done.”

Bellavia’s A Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, was in the midst of the weeks-long Operation Phantom Fury, also known as the second Battle of Fallujah.

“The first thing you’re thinking about is, I mean, you’re scared,” he told reporters Monday. “Your life is on the line. The second thing you’re thinking about is, you’re angry. How dare anyone try to hurt us? How dare you try to step up against the United States military?”


On Nov. 9, his battalion’s top enlisted leader, Command Sgt. Maj. Steven Faulkenburg, died in a direct-fire attack.

“But the other thing is, you have people that they day before, risked their life to save you,” Bellavia said. “You have people the following two days would risk their lives to save you. And you have people within 24 hours who are killed in direct fire attacks that are your senior leadership.”

On Nov. 13, company commander Capt. Sean Sims was killed by small-arms fire during another mission to clear buildings. Their families joined Bellavia’s at the ceremony Tuesday, along with three others killed during the operation.

All of that pushed him to step up in the moment, he said, when he had the choice to either wait outside the building for back-up, or go in again and take on the half-dozen insurgents he knew were inside.

“What he did, going back into that nightmare, saved all those men’s lives,” journalist Michael Ware, who was embedded with the unit while writing for Time Magazine, told reporters.

Bellavia credited Ware, whom he previously considered a nuisance, with giving him the confidence to take on the house alone.

“Peer pressure might make you smoke cigarettes when you’re 13, but peer pressure might also make you do things you wouldn’t do,” he said. “It’s who your peers are.”

Bellavia was nominated for the Medal of Honor in early 2005, his former company commander told reporters, but it was downgraded to a Silver Star. Then, seven months ago, Trump called him to let him know an upgrade had come through ― the result of a Defense Department-mandated review of Global War on Terror valor awards.

An Army review found their actions merited the nation's second highest award for valor.

“For 15 years, people that heard about Fallujah or heard about Baqubah…now, they look into this unit, they look into what happened, what we did,” he said. “This is a snapshot of our year. And now they look back and say, wow, there were examples every single day of what people are sacrificing for this way of life.”

Reflecting on the recent 75th anniversary of D Day, he made a plug for his own peer group.

“This is an all-volunteer force…college debt repayment, a dental plan, a paycheck? There’s no reason that a rational person is paying off college to clear a road with IEDs. We are not kicking down doors because we want to make sure we get paid on the first and the 15th,” he said. “That is what has kept this country free and it’s why we’re going to be safe for generations to come.

"I think of that generation and the Iraq War and I’m mighty proud to be part of it.”

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/06/25/president-donald-trump-bestows-medal-of-honor-on-david-bellavia-the-first-living-iraq-war-recipient/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=Socialflow+ARM&fbclid=IwAR36yNSHZsXQFyg8UCBEhjE9aSy6dDKiCt_P2QqhdRA-AQZVhsCslEer6jI

[Dos Equis]

Last D-Day Pathfinder pilot flys C-47 aircraft this weekend
By: Kristine Froeba   

D-Day pilot David Hamilton in the cockpit of the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team's "Boogie Lady," the C-47 aircraft he plans to fly on his 97th birthday. (Jacob Stottlemyer, WWII Airborne Demonstration Team)

David Hamilton is going to spend his 97th birthday in an unusual way.

A pilot with the Army Air Corps during World War II, Hamilton will be behind the controls of “Boogie Baby,” a C-47 Skytrain, like the one he flew over Normandy 75 years ago.

Hamilton is going to pilot the plane just as WWII paratrooper re-enactors plan to stage an airdrop over Frederick, Oklahoma. The event is part of a celebration planned for Hamilton by the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team and will depart from World War II-era Frederick Army Air Field from an original wooden hanger.

“I can’t wait,” said Hamilton a day before the event. “You know, I’ve done this before.”

D-Day

Pathfinder flight crews posing before on their C-47 pathfinder aircraft. Lt. Col. David Hamilton, D-Day pilot is front row, bottom, right.

Hamilton, the last living D-Day Pathfinder pilot, remembered being a fat target for German anti-aircraft batteries as he flew airborne troops over France on D-Day.

"After the drop, I pulled my static lines in and we got out of there fast,” said Hamilton in an interview with Military Times.. “I just firewalled the engines, put the throttles up and hit the deck. Then my co-pilot said, you’d better lift your wing, or you’re gonna take the steeple off the church of Sainte-Mère-Eglise.”

The twin-engine propeller-driven cargo plane went as fast as it could, he said.

“We were going about 200 miles an hour, which in a ‘Gooney Bird’ is very fast,” said Hamilton. “We had 200 holes in the plane, as close as we could count anyway. When I got back, I asked my crew-chief to make a survey of my airplane, and they were big holes - 25 caliber machine pistol.”

The plane took a beating, but not the crew or paratroopers.

“There were no injuries sustained on our flight to Normandy, but without the switches required to turn the engines off, I had to starve the engines of gasoline,” said Hamilton.

He said he laughed as he sat in the cockpit filling out the flight forms while the rest of the crew were down on the ground waiting to go to a briefing because there was a guarantee of a little shot of whiskey after the mission.


World War ll C-47's lined up on the 75th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy (Luke Sharrett)

"We lost one airplane, but we saved the crew and the paratroopers,” said Hamilton. “We were hit by German anti-aircraft fire on the island of Sark down in the Channel Islands. It was just before they made their turn to go into Normandy.”

Hamilton said his mission was part of a group of 20 planes tasked with dropping specially trained pathfinder paratroopers at 1:30 a.m. behind the beaches. Those paratroopers set up navigational beacons and lights to mark to direct the later paratroopers to strategic markers for the main force of the airborne troops who would also be brought in by C-47s.

"That night there were 20 aircraft going in - 19 came home, said Hamilton.

Hamilton was only 21 when he became part of that flight crew that left North Witham Airbase in England at 10:30 p.m. - the night before the invasion.

"There were six drop groups that night," said Hamilton. "We flew at night in a straight line, only 50 feet above the water, until we had to climb for the drop. It was a full moon, and you could really see everything."

During the flight, Hamilton said he looked at his radar and saw so many ships in the water, it looked as though he could jump from ship to ship.

“I had every member of my crew come and take a look at that picture on the radar screen because it was very impressive,” said Hamilton. “Our $100,000 Pathfinder planes were outfitted with $500,000 of radar.”

He explained that was only when his crew had returned home for breakfast and were in bed listening to the radio, did they realize the scope of their mission.


A paratrooper drop of the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team at Frederick Army Air Field.

Pathfinders
The mission that was led by Col. Joel “Joe” Crouch, who set up the exclusive and classified “Pathfinder School” in Windham where he required all his pilots to also earn their jump-wings.

Pathfinders were the title given to the planes, the pilots, and the paratroopers on the mission out of England in 1944.

The Pathfinder aircrews were specially trained WWII aircrews that flew top-secret cutting-edge navigational equipment for the time.

Although he already carried a pilot's license when he enlisted in 1941, Hamilton went through flight-training as a C-47 pilot and was then chosen as one of the first groups of elite Pathfinder pilots. The pilots were specially trained to fly crucial missions toward the end of the war, and one of those was his Operation Overlord mission on D-Day.

Hamilton also flew Pathfinder missions in Operation Dragoon in Southern France and Operation Market Garden in Holland. Hamilton says he also led the necessary supply drop to the 101st Airborne when they were surrounded at Bastogne.

On that mission, Hamilton says he led 27 planes into Belgium, but only led out 9 out.


Pathfinder, Lt. Col. David Hamilton (center bottom) at the early morning D-Day drop pre-flight briefing.

Hamilton’s Participation in the 75th Anniversary of D-Day
Hamilton just returned from Normandy where he participated in the 75th Anniversary celebrations and rode in a C-47.

This time he will be flying a C-47 with the ADT. The organization operates a WWII-style jump school out of Frederick Airfield several times a year. The school is as authentic as possible with parachute packing tables, training hangers, mess hall, classroom, and barracks. The uniforms worn on-site are standard GI garb from the era. Five paratrooper jumps must be completed before jump wings are earned.

July 20 is also the organization's "Open Hanger Day" and one of the jump school's graduation ceremonies. After his flight, Hamilton plans to pin the jump wings on the day's graduates.

Hamilton has been invited to participate in another drop of WWII type paratroopers in his hometown of Preston, Arizona later in the year.

Hamilton is scheduled for induction into the San Diego Air and Space Museum Hall of Fame in November and has been invited by the Commemorative Air Force to be in one of the WWII aircraft that will overfly the Mall in Washington D.C. during the 75th celebration of VE day in May 2020.

As for his upcoming flight, Hamilton says he can’t wait.

“I love it,” he said. “You know, I’ve been up there before.”


Jacob Stottlemyer, WWII Airborne Demonstration Team

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/2019/07/19/last-d-day-pathfinder-pilot-flys-c-47-aircraft-this-weekend/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Socialflow+ARM&fbclid=IwAR3Kc0y9qrcGdCIBLlxRECEfhAWBu4-2Xo6C3mREkfnA7rLGGcdL0gc39G4

[Dos Equis]

‘Puerto Rican Rambo’ went on over 200 combat missions in Vietnam
By: J.D. Simkins   

Eloy Otero-Bruno and Crispina Barreto-Torres welcomed a son into the world on April 7, 1937, in the small municipality of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, just west of San Juan.

When they gave him a name inspired by his father’s admiration for America’s first president, the family had no idea that little Jorge would one day be something of an American icon in his own right, a status earned after becoming one of the most decorated soldiers of the Vietnam War.

After pursuing biology studies for three years in college, Jorge Otero-Barreto joined the Army in 1959. One year later, he made history when he became the first Puerto Rican to ever graduate from the Army’s Air Assault School.


Otero

Within a year of completing training, Otero was volunteering to go to Vietnam, the first of five deployments he would make between 1961 and 1970, during which time he would serve with the 101st Airborne, the 82nd Airborne, and the 25th Infantry Division, among others.

Otero would volunteer for approximately 200 combat missions during his five deployments, a lofty number that eventually earned him the moniker, “The Puerto Rican Rambo,” after the fictional death-dealing character made famous by actor Sylvester Stallone.

Over the course of five deployments, Otero-Barreto would earn 38 commendations, including three Silver Stars, five Purple Hearts, five Bronze Stars, five Air Medals and four Army Commendation Medals.

One commendation was earned for actions on May 1, 1968, when the platoon sergeant, along with men from the 101st Air Cavalry Division, was occupying positions designed to pin down a North Vietnamese regiment in a village near the deadly city of Hue.

Early that morning, Otero and his men began getting bombarded by a series of charges by enemy soldiers desperate to rid themselves of their predicament.

Two charges by enemy soldiers were repelled by U.S. troops. Fifty-eight enemies were killed in the charges, and the assailants were forced to limp back to the village.

 Valor Friday: 8 years ago, this Marine buttstroked a Taliban fighter to death with the enemy’s own weapon
Valor Friday: 8 years ago, this Marine buttstroked a Taliban fighter to death with the enemy’s own weapon
The Marine was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions.

By: J.D. Simkins
Rather than wait for another assault, Otero took 1st Platoon, Company A, to the point position to lead an assault on the village.

Quickly into their advance, first platoon began taking machine gun, small arms, and rocket-propelled grenade fire from a scattering of spider holes and bunkers.

The Puerto Rican Rambo wasted no time in going to work.

Otero sprinted to the nearest machine gun bunker and quickly killed the three men manning the position.

Gathering the rest of his squad, Otero then moved through three more fortified enemy bunkers, going from one to the next until all that remained was a trail of destruction.

The assault by Otero, which allowed the rest of Company A’s platoons to maneuver into advantageous positions and overrun the enemy, would earn him one of his three Silver Stars.

While the conclusion of Vietnam would mark the end of his career in combat, it would not be the last of Otero’s many lifetime achievements.

In 2006, he was named the recipient of the National Puerto Rican Coalition’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Since then, he has had veterans homes and museums named for him, and in 2011, was honored in his hometown when the city named the Puerto Rican Rambo its citizen of the year.

https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2019/07/26/puerto-rican-rambo-went-on-over-200-combat-missions-in-vietnam/?utm_campaign=Socialflow+ARM&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR2XkjMBvDo2_1AGcBzlI_CEd3dqJzLYdekijA0aJv_bk6kG7KZbd-kuxk4

[Primemuscle]

Interesting and good post.

[Dos Equis]

Good blood: Machine gunner killed nearly 100 before falling to a banzai charge
By: J.D. Simkins    

Cpl. Clair Goodblood dug into his position, his machine gun scanning a field of fire that before long would be swarming with enemy fighters.

A member of Company D, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, Goodblood had been attached to another outfit — Company B — to fortify defensive positions that held key terrain in Popsu-dong, Korea.

His presence would wind up making all the difference in the world.

By the evening of April 24, 1951, the enemy had arrived, hurtling toward Goodblood’s position in droves.

The 21-year-old corporal from Fort Kent, Maine, wasted no time — and no ammunition — in his response, sending wave after wave of rounds into the approaching wall of human flesh.


Goodblood

Despite his efforts, it quickly became evident the American forces would have to withdraw, and as the night wore on, the order came down to retreat.

Slowly but surely, men from Company B regressed away from the enemy infiltration and the imminent destruction that awaited as a result of being vastly outnumbered.

Recognizing the retreat would be susceptible to heavy fire, Goodblood and his assistant gunner volunteered to remain, staving off their assailants for a while longer while the rest evacuated to safety.

Goodblood held the position, his assistant gunner feeding him belt after belt of ammunition, into the morning hours of April 25.

As the retreat continued, Goodblood’s tireless response never faltered despite being under a constant barrage of enemy fire.

The time was approaching for Goodblood and his assistant to withdraw when the corporal noticed the dull thump of enemy grenade in the dirt next to him.

He reacted instantly, tackling his assistant gunner and covering him with his own body to shield from the blast.

Both men were grievously wounded in the blast, but Goodblood refused medical treatment, insisting instead that another soldier who had brought a resupply of ammunition to their position grab his assistant and get to safety.

His assistant now gone, Goodblood got back in the fight, alone, sweeping his machine gun back and forth across the field of fire as enemy soldiers overran his position.

His men in a safe position finally heard his machine gun go silent after an enemy banzai charge.

Able to regroup, Company B and supporting elements led a successful counterattack to retake the critical ground.

When they arrived to the slain machine gunner’s position, they found his body laying directly next to his gun.


It wasn’t until they advanced beyond Goodblood’s machine gun nest that the damage he inflicted on the enemy became clear.

Scattered across the sector the corporal was responsible for were approximately 100 dead enemy fighters.

For his actions, Goodblood received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

He is buried in Burnham, Maine.

Read his full citation here.

https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2019/08/23/good-blood-machine-gunner-killed-nearly-100-before-falling-to-a-banzai-charge/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=Socialflow+ARM&fbclid=IwAR0kok0C7Xji6ItjCO-7GiFbvX-Gi1I4_JPY78BGG8YzGUvLu3q_qPOhh0s

[Dos Equis]

President Trump awards Medal of Honor to Master Sgt. Matthew Williams
By: Kyle Rempfer  

President Donald Trump places the Medal of Honor on Army Master Sgt. Matthew Williams, currently assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group, during a Medal of Honor Ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald J. Trump awarded the nation’s highest combat medal to Master Sgt. Matthew O. Williams during a ceremony at the White House on Wednesday.

Williams, a Green Beret weapons sergeant from 3rd Special Forces Group, was presented the award for his actions “going above and beyond the call of duty” during an April 6, 2008, mission in Nuristan province, Afghanistan, that came to be known as the Battle of Shok Valley.

“Matt’s heroism ensured that not a single American died in the Battle of Shok Valley,” Trump said during the ceremony. “Matt is without question and without reservation one of the bravest soldiers and people I’ve ever met.”

Trump commended Williams for his “unyielding service” and “unbreakable resolve” during the battle, as well as the five other deployments he made to Afghanistan and the one he made to Africa.

Throughout the 2008 battle, Williams exposed himself to enemy fire multiple times on steep and challenging terrain.

His team was pitted against an overwhelming enemy force that held the high-ground and was able to rain rocket propelled grenades, sniper rounds and small arms fire onto the Green Beret team and their Afghan National Army Commando partners.

Williams carried wounded teammates down the mountainside, including his team sergeant, and “shielded the injured from falling rubble as American warplanes bombed insurgent positions above and rocked the mountain from top to bottom," the president said at the ceremony.

At one point, while dropping casualties off at a collection point, Williams engaged and killed two insurgents he spotted advancing on the position to take advantage of the wounded and disoriented friendly forces.

Over the course of a seven-hour firefight, Williams “valiantly protecting the wounded," Trump said, until the team was able to completely evacuate from the target area inside CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

His Medal of Honor citation states that Williams’ actions helped save the lives of four critically wounded soldiers and prevented the lead element of the assault force from being overrun when they were ambushed at the outset of the mission.

Members of Williams’ Green Beret team from that 2008 operation, as well as one of their Afghan interpreters, were present at the White House ceremony.

Williams will continue to serve in the Army on active-duty after Wednesday’s ceremony, a prospect that he’s looking forward to, he told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday.

The medal, he said, represents something much bigger than himself.

“The Medal itself is more of a story of teamwork, never quitting, trusting in one another and doing what is right, what needs to be done,” Williams said Tuesday.

“As far as the day to day goes, I am hoping to return back to the unit — get back to my team — and continue training and get my current team ready for whatever comes next for us," he added.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/10/30/president-trump-awards-medal-of-honor-to-master-sgt-matthew-williams/?utm_campaign=Socialflow+ARM&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR0uAHUe5wRqQS_sczFA53otK8cv-c7Yu2zLdvdFWQJmK-Pm8iEHhKjFhZ4&fbclid=IwAR32CwMRG4gZ1ttAD7d8wBYNpg0PC9VQi395TAhVWIItOrCs-Xxg5ZwuxLU&fbclid=IwAR0Q6BFYDRPOLaA5LuL_K2QScyEJPYPZxHgyq_vnjax2rLekQ11wVHFR-84

[Dos Equis]

Trump awards Medal of Honor to military hero who freed more than 75 hostages in Iraq
'Today he joins the immortal company of our most revered American heroes,' Trump said
By Marisa Schultz | Fox News

President Trump presented the Congressional Medal of Honor Friday to U.S. Army Sgt. Major Thomas “Patrick” Payne for his heroics in a 2015 daring raid that rescued 75 ISIS hostages from a prison in northern Iraq, with Trump praising him as "one of the bravest men anywhere in the world."

Trump hailed Payne's heroic selfless action that led to 20 ISIS terrorists killed and saving the lives of the 75 captives.


President Donald Trump awards the Medal of Honor to Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas P. Payne in the East Room of the White House on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

"Today he joins the immortal company of our most revered American heroes," Trump said in the White House ceremony. "Pat, you personify the motto: 'Rangers lead the way.'"

Payne, 36, is the first living member of the Delta Force to receive the Medal of Honor, the highest decoration a member of the military can be given.

Payne spoke about the life-or-death urgency of the mission in an interview posted by the Army.

"My team was responsible for one of the buildings that the hostages were being held in," Payne said. "What was significant is that there were freshly dug graves, if we didn't action this target then the hostages will probably be executed."

As soon as Payne's team hit the ground, they came under heavy enemy fire. Master Sgt. Josh Wheeler, another Delta Force operator, was killed after exposing himself to enemy fire. Wheeler's wife joined the ceremony Friday.

After Payne and his team cleared one building – and freed 38 hostages – the sergeant responded to call for assistance in clearing another building.

Working with Kurdish forces, Payne's team pressed on and helped secure one of the largest hostage rescues in history.

"He ran right back into that raging blaze," Trump said of the dangerous rescue. "He sliced the final lock and released the rest of the hostages. As the building began to collapse, he received orders to evacuate but he refused to do so. He didn't want to leave anyone behind.

"Pat ran back into the burning building that was collapsing," the president continued. "Two more times. He saved multiple hostages and he was the last man to leave."


President Donald Trump awards the Medal of Honor to Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas P. Payne in the East Room of the White House on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The ceremony took place on the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Part of the 9/11 generation inspired to serve his country, Payne graduated high school in South Carolina and enlisted in the Army in 2002 as an Infantryman 11B and completed the Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Ga., according to the Army. He completed his Army Ranger program in 2003.

In 2012, Payne stood out in a grueling physical contest among the nation's most elite soldiers. He and his teammate won the Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning.

In all, Payne has deployed 17 times for Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn and Operation Inherent Resolve.

Payne was joined at the ceremony by his wife and son.

"I want you to know that your dad is one of the bravest men anywhere in the world," Trump told the 6-year-old.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-awards-medal-of-freedom-to-military-hero-freed-more-than-75-hostages-in-iraq

[Dos Equis]

WWII veteran celebrates 104th birthday in Virginia
"He's been a model citizen for all of us in this community to follow. If I keep doing what he's doing, maybe I can make it to 104," said Starrie Jordan of Ettrick.


Credit: AP
Retired Lt. Col. Louis Frazier Martin, center, and Sgt. Albert W. Cooks, Vietnam Veteran 69/70, UMES Alumnus, Class of 1967, salute during Martin's 104 birthday celebration in Chesterfield, Va., on July, 3, 2021. Also pictured is Martin's daughter Sheila Martin Brown. (Kristi K. Higgins/The Progress-Index via AP)
Author: Associated Press
Published: July 17, 2021

CHESTERFIELD, Va. — Retired Lt. Col. Louis Frazier Martin's front lawn was packed with well-wishers to help him celebrate the centenarian's 104 birthday.

On July 3, Martin's surprise party kicked off with a car caravan assembly spearheaded by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore National Alumni Association. The procession paraded past Martin's Roosevelt Avenue residence near Virginia State University in Chesterfield County.

Martin who was told that he was going to a restaurant said, "I didn't expect all this."

Sheila Martin Brown, proud being Martin's daughter, shared some words about her father.

"I have been inspired by his example of service to the community," said Brown who resides with her dad. "He's a wonderfully strong family man. He's just always been a believer."

Brown stated that her dad has raised more money from individuals locally than she did while serving as a council member in Atlanta.

"This is a special, special occasion," said friend Starrie Jordan of Ettrick. "He's been a model citizen for all of us in this community to follow. If I keep doing what he's doing, maybe I can make it to 104."

According to Jordan, Martin walks every morning.

"He has a lot of determination," added Jordan.

"I hope I inherited whatever Dad is made out of," said Brown.

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"He has meant so much to our community here as you can see by the turnout." said neighbor and friend Anna Bradley who invited The Progress-Index to attend Martin's celebration. "There are numerous groups here to honor him."

The event was attended by his loving daughter, family, friends, Westminster Presbyterian Church (Petersburg) members, neighbors, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity members, University of Maryland Eastern Shore (formerly Princess Anne College) Alumni, and others.

Betty Berry who has known Martin since 1968 expressed how Martin and his late wife Mariah were like family and always good to her.

"He's like a brother to me," said Berry who gave Martin his first kiss of the day...on the cheek. "I'll be 89 in August; I'm the second oldest woman at our church."

On behalf of the U.S. Army and the Vietnam Veterans who honor all of the WWII veterans, Sgt. Albert W. Cooks (Vietnam Veteran 69/70, UMES Alumnus, Class of 1967) presented Martin with the following Army memorabilia: WWII medallion, face masks, WWII hat, and coffee mug.

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A guest from the crowd shouted, "He likes black coffee...no sugar, no cream."

"We're so proud that he's here at 104," said Cooks who saluted Martin. "Lieutenant Colonels...guess what? In those days, he wasn't respected, but I tell you one thing...he's getting the respect today."

MARTIN RECEIVES A PROCLAMATION

Eastern Region Director of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. J. R. Reeves presented Martin with a proclamation that included the following:

WHEREAS, Retired Lt. Col. Louis F. Martin was born on July 3, 1917, in Princess Anne on Maryland's Eastern Shore, a fraternal twin, were the eldest of 12 siblings, six of whom have since passed away.


Credit: AP
Preparations are underway for WWII U.S. Army veteran Louis F. Martin's 104 birthday celebration in Chesterfield, Va., on July 3, 2021. (Kristi K. Higgins/The Progress-Index via AP)

WHEREAS, the former Army logistician and Colonial Heights resident overcame tough life-changing obstacles like the lack of educational opportunities for African-Americans of the early 20th century, the Great Depression and the segregation of colored troops serving their country during World War II.

WHEREAS, in 1935, Lt. Col. Martin found his way into a five-year work-study program at his parents' alma mater, Virginia's Hampton Institute. Like his father, he chose agriculture - one of the few college majors available to black male students.

WHEREAS, in 1936, Lt. Col. Martin along with his brother Walter decided to transfer to a college near home so they could finish their education and make it possible for their younger siblings to have the same opportunity.

WHEREAS, on May 14, 1939 on the campus of Princess Anne College, in Princess Anne, Maryland, Lt. Col. Martin became a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Mu Chapter.

WHEREAS, in March of 1941, at age 23, was drafted. It started a lineage of military service in his family. All five of his younger brothers eventually joined various branches of the armed forces. His twin sister Lourene completed a 22-year hitch as an Army nurse.

WHEREAS, his career spanned decades, taking him from military service to earning a Master's degree, to marrying the love of his life where they were blessed to birth a lovely daughter.

"This is our oldest living member in the entire fraternity," announced Chris Reyes.

Martin also received an official honorary UMES Southeastern Virginia Alumni Chapter life membership.

Martin overcame tough life-changing obstacles like the lack of educational opportunities for African-Americans of the early 20th century, the Great Depression, and the segregation of colored troops serving their country during World War II.

However, it's not those types of moments he chooses to dwell on. The spry centenarian focuses on the positive things he can do for his community. At 104, Martin continues to provide leadership in Chesterfield County as an election official.

"Negative thinking does not move you forward. I don't feel like anybody owes me anything. Over my lifetime I took advantage of every opportunity I could. I worked hard, slept well, and ate and drank in moderation," Martin stated to Lesley Atkinson with Fort Lee Public Affairs in a 2016 P-I story. "I followed my parents in their religious beliefs. My father built a cubicle under the step for his Bible study. He took the family to church and sang in the choir. He was a leader at home and in his profession. I can't sing, but I never miss church or Bible study. I like to think I'm a reflection of my dad."

After 29 years, Martin retired from the U.S. Army Reserves, and he was employed as an associate professor of horticulture and extension specialist at VSU until he retired in 1982.

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/national/military-news/wwii-veteran-celebrates-104th-birthday-in-virginia/291-c0bf757a-63f1-4db1-80f2-05db8395c675?fbclid=IwAR3BLy0Le7P-tAFETPqiqeLMayXhHZCOTnhQTZtXX4M2XBBS2k5oCTYlijs

[Dos Equis]

In May of 1861, 9 year old John Lincoln “Johnny” Clem ran away from his home in Newark, Ohio, to join the Union Army, but found the Army was not interested in signing on a 9 year old boy when the commander of the 3rd Ohio Regiment told him he “wasn’t enlisting infants,” and turned him down. Clem tried the 22nd Michigan Regiment next, and its commander told him the same. Determined, Clem tagged after the regiment, acted out the role of a drummer boy, and was allowed to remain. Though still not regularly enrolled, he performed camp duties and received a soldier’s pay of $13 a month, a sum collected and donated by the regiment’s officers.

The next April, at Shiloh, Clem’s drum was smashed by an artillery round and he became a minor news item as “Johnny Shiloh, The Smallest Drummer”. A year later, at the Battle Of Chickamauga, he rode an artillery caisson to the front and wielded a musket trimmed to his size. In one of the Union retreats a Confederate officer ran after the cannon Clem rode with, and yelled, “Surrender you damned little Yankee!” Johnny shot him dead. This pluck won for Clem national attention and the name “Drummer Boy of Chickamauga.”

Clem stayed with the Army through the war, served as a courier, and was wounded twice. Between Shiloh and Chickamauga he was regularly enrolled in the service, began receiving his own pay, and was soon-after promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He was only 12 years old. After the Civil War he tried to enter West Point but was turned down because of his slim education. A personal appeal to President Ulysses S. Grant, his commanding general at Shiloh, won him a 2nd Lieutenant’s appointment in the Regular Army on 18 December 1871, and in 1903 he attained the rank of Colonel and served as Assistant Quartermaster General. He retired from the Army as a Major General in 1916, having served an astounding 55 years.

General Clem died in San Antonio, Texas on 13 May 1937, exactly 3 months shy of his 86th birthday, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

And to think…today’s kids.

(Note:  I didn't write this.) 

[Dos Equis]

"Colored image of Sergeant Meredith J. Rogers, who was 30 years old.

He is smiling for being lucky having survived a sniper's bullet that penetrated his helmet during combat in Normandy with the 2nd U.S. Army Infantry Division on 13th July 1944.

The 2nd Infantry Division had been based in the Armagh area prior to moving to Southern England for the Invasion of occupied Europe.

It is very pleasing to say that he survived the war!"

[Moontrane]

"Colored image of Sergeant Meredith J. Rogers, who was 30 years old.

He is smiling for being lucky having survived a sniper's bullet that penetrated his helmet during combat in Normandy with the 2nd U.S. Army Infantry Division on 13th July 1944.

The 2nd Infantry Division had been based in the Armagh area prior to moving to Southern England for the Invasion of occupied Europe.

It is very pleasing to say that he survived the war!"

I've been to Armagh; I have family there.

Good man, that Rogers.

[Soul Crusher]

[Dos Equis]

The most decorated Native American soldier in U.S. history - 4 Silver Stars, 5 Bronze Stars, 3 Purple Hearts. He earned a total of 42 medals and citations. - Pascal Cleatus Poolaw Sr

Died on the battlefield in the Republic of Vietnam on 7 November 1967, while serving with Company C, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. Posthumously awarded his 4th Silver Star on a "Search and Destroy mission" near Loc Ninh. Pascal Cleatus Poolaw Sr. is

Poolaw a full blooded Kiowa, was born on January 22, 1922 in Apache, Oklahoma. Poolaw served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

In 1942, Poolaw, his father, and his two brothers joined the armed forces. While serving with the 8th Infantry Regiment’s M Company near Recogne, Belgium on September 8, 1944, he earned his first Purple Heart and Silver Star. On that day, Poolaw’s unit was engaging fire with the Germans. He pushed his company forward while facing heavy machine gun fire for give minutes as he hurled hand grenades, causing numerous enemy casualties. According to his Silver Star citation, ” Due to Sergeant Poolaw’s actions, many of his comrades’ lives were saved and the company was able to continue the attack and capture strongly defended enemy positions. Sergeant Poolaw’s display of courage, aggressive spirit and complete disregard for personal safety are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service. “

Poolaw’s military career did not end in Belgium or with the Germans. During the Korean War, Poolaw saw combat and was wounded again and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, a second Purple Heart and two more Silver Stars. His first Silver Star for that war was for his heroic actions on September 1950 when his company met still enemy resistance. Poolaw volunteered to lead his squad in an assault, charging up a slop to hit the perimeter of the North Korean’s position. His squad engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat and Poolaw’s persistence encouraged his squad to keep going until they were able to seize their objective.

The second Silver Star during this war came on April 4, 1951 near Chongong-ni where Poolaw and his platoon was pinned down by a automatic weapons and mortar barrage. He exposed himself to the enemy and slowly advanced across the open terrain, firing his weapon as he went. By keeping the North Koreans’ eyes on him, his platoon maneuvered to a better position and were able to carry on the mission at hand.

He returned to the U.S. in 1952 and retired from the Army ten years later. This is not where is story – or military career – ends.

During the Vietnam War, all four of the Poolaws sons were in the military. In February 1967, his son, Pascal Jr., was injured by a landmine in Vietnam. This injury resulted in amputation of his right leg below the knee. Poolaw’s youngest son, Lindy, was drafted. Afraid of what could happen to his sons as the war progressed, Poolaw rejoined the Army at the age of 45. Giving up his rank as a 2nd Lieutenant (a promotion he earned in Korea), with the intentions of serving in direct combat, Poolaw hoped to keep his youngest son away from the front lines by taking his place. Regulations prohibited two members of the same family from serving in combat at the same time without their consent. Unfortunately, by the time he arrived on the West Coast, Lindy had left for Vietnam the day before.

Poolaw was deployed on May 31, 1967 as a first sergeant of the 26th Infantry Regiment’s C Company. His last Silver Star was for an event that occurred a few months later. On November 7, 1967, Poolaw’s unit were part of a search and destroy mission near the village of Loc Ninh. Their unit was ambushed by a Viet Cong force with intensive claymore mine, rocket, small arms, and automatic weapons fire. Through a hail of bullets, Poolaw raced to the lead squad position to lay down a base of fire – saving countless lives. While wounded, he continued moving among his squad making sure everyone was positioned properly while pulling casualties back.

As Poolaw was carrying a wounded soldier to safety, he was struck by a rocket propelled grenade and killed. For his heroic actions Poolaw was awarded a Silver Star and a third Purple Heart posthumously. “He has followed the trail of the great chiefs,” his wife Irene said at Poolaw’s funeral. “His people hold him in honor and highest esteem. He has given his life for the people and the country he loved so much.”

The citation reads as follows; “The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Staff Sergeant Pascal Cleatus Poolaw (ASN: 18131087), United States Army, for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving with Company M, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, near Recogne, Belgium, on 8 September 1944. While attacking in support of a rifle company, Sergeant Poolaw displaced his machine gun squad forward across an open field under heavy mortar and small arms fire in such a manner as to affect a minimum number of casualties among his squad. After reaching his new position, Sergeant Poolaw saw the enemy advance in a strong counterattack. Standing unflinchingly in the face of withering machine gun fire for five minutes, he hurled hand grenades until the enemy force sustained numerous casualties and was dispersed. Due to Sergeant Poolaw’s actions, many of his comrades’ lives were saved and the company was able to continue the attack and capture strongly defended enemy positions. Sergeant Poolaw’s display of courage, aggressive spirit and complete disregard for personal safety are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.”

His 2nd Silver Star was awarded to him for his bravery under fire and his disregard for his own safety while assisting his brothers in arms. The citation for his second Silver Star, earned in Korea, is as follows;

“The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Silver Star to Sergeant First Class Pascal Cleatus Poolaw (ASN: 18131087), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with Company C, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. On 19 September 1950 when the company attack on an enemy position was halted by stiff enemy resistance, Sergeant First Class Poolaw volunteered to lead his squad in an assault. Courageously leading his men in a charge up the slope to penetrate the enemy perimeter and engage the numerically superior enemy in fierce hand-to-hand combat, Sergeant First Class Poolaw inspired his men to hold their position until the remainder of the company was able to seize the objective. Sergeant First Class Poolaw’s outstanding leadership reflects great credit upon himself and is in keeping with the highest traditions of the American Soldier.”

On April 4, 1951, once again, Sergeant Poolaw honored his people and the warriors creed by serving the calling of America. For his actions on that day, Master Sergeant Poolaw received his 3rd Silver Star. The third citation reads as follows:

“The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Third Award of the Silver Star to Master Sergeant Pascal Cleatus Poolaw (ASN: 18131087), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with Company C, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. On 4 April 1951 near Chongong-ni, Korea, while attacking strong hostile positions, one squad of Master Sergeant Poolaw’s platoon was immobilized by a devastating automatic weapons and mortar barrage. Exposing himself to the deadly fire, he slowly advanced across open terrain, firing his rifle as he progressed. By deliberately diverting the attention of the foe to himself, he enabled his men to maneuver to more advantageous positions. Master Sergeant Poolaw’s valorous actions were instrumental in the fulfillment of the unit mission and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the American Soldier.”

The citation for First Sergeant Poolaw’s 4th Silver Star, awarded posthumously for action in Vietnam, reads as follows; “The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting a Third Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Fourth Award of the Silver Star (Posthumously) to First Sergeant Pascal Cleatus Poolaw (ASN: 18131087), United States Army, for gallantry in action against a hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam on 7 November 1967, while serving with Company C, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. On this date, during Operation SHENANDOAH II, First Sergeant Poolaw was accompanying his unit on a two-company search and destroy mission near Loc Ninh. As the patrol was moving through a rubber plantation, they were subjected to sniper fire. Within minutes, the area was raked with intensive claymore mine, rocket, small arms, and automatic weapons fire from a numerically superior Viet Cong force.

First Sergeant Poolaw unhesitatingly ran to the lead squad which was receiving the brunt of the enemy fire. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he exposed himself to assist in deploying the men and establishing an effective base of fire. Although wounded, he continued to move about the area encouraging his men and pulling casualties to cover. He was assisting a wounded man to safety when he was mortally wounded by Viet Cong fire.

His dynamic leadership and exemplary courage contributed significantly to the successful deployment of the lead squad and undoubtedly saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers. First Sergeant Poolaw’s unquestionable valor in close combat against numerically superior hostile forces is in keeping with the finest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army. It should be noted that in the ferocious fighting at the Battle of Loc Ninh where he earned his 4th Silver Star and 3rd Purple Heart, it also resulted in the awards of 1 Medal of Honor, 2 Distinguished Service Crosses and one other Silver Star. 14 other US Army soldiers also lost their lives in that engagement.”

Source History by Zim

[Dos Equis]

Patrick Tadina
2 Silver Stars, 10 Bronze Stars...

Army Ranger Patrick Gavin Tadina is pictured here in an undated photo wearing North Vietnamese Army fatigues and carrying an AK-47. A 30-year Army veteran who was the longest continuously serving Ranger in Vietnam and one of the war's most decorated enlisted soldier.

Patrick Gavin Tadina served in Vietnam for over five years straight between 1965 and 1970, leading long range reconnaissance patrols deep into enemy territory -- often dressed in black pajamas and sandals, and carrying an AK-47.

A native of Hawaii, Tadina earned two Silver Stars, 10 Bronze Stars -- seven with valor -- three Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry, four Army Commendation Medals, including two for valor, and three Purple Hearts.

His small stature and dark complexion helped him pass for a Viet Cong soldier on patrols deep into the Central Highlands, during which he preferred to be in the point position. His citations describe him walking to within feet of enemies he knew to be lying in wait for him and leading a pursuing enemy patrol into an ambush set by his team.

In Vietnam he served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol, 74th Infantry Detachment Long Range Patrol and Company N (Ranger), 75th Infantry. Tadina joined the Army in 1962 and served in the Dominican Republic before going to Southeast Asia. He also served with the 82nd Airborne Division in Grenada during Operation Urgent Fury in 1983 and with the 1st Infantry Division during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

A 1995 inductee into the Ranger Hall of Fame, he served with "extreme valor," never losing a man during his years as a team leader in Vietnam, a hall of fame profile at Fort Benning said.

Some 200 men had served under him without "so much as a scratch," said a newspaper clipping his daughter shared, published while Tadina was serving at Landing Zone English in Vietnam's Binh Dinh province, likely in 1969. Tadina himself was shot three times and his only brother was also killed in combat in Vietnam, Stars and Stripes later reported.

The last time he was shot was during an enemy ambush in which he earned his second Silver Star, and the wounds nearly forced him to be evacuated from the country, the LZ English story said.

As the point man, Tadina was already inside the kill zone when he sensed something was wrong, but the enemy did not fire on him, apparently confused about who he was, the article stated. After spotting the enemy, Tadina opened fire and called out the ambush to his teammates before falling to the ground and being shot in both calves.

He refused medical aid and continued to command until the enemy retreated, stated another clipping, quoting from his Silver Star citation. "When you're out there in the deep stuff, there's an unspoken understanding," he told Tate in 1985. "It's caring about troops."

After retiring from the Army in 1992, he continued working security jobs until 2013, Poeschl said, including stints in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Giant Killer page celebrates the histories of these unique warriors. To learn more please check out the book, The Giant Killer available as a Paperback, eBook, & Audiobook on Amazon and other major retailers.

Story Source Military .com

[Dos Equis]

Lawrence Brooks, oldest living WWII veteran and Louisiana native, celebrates 112th birthday
BY JULIA GUILBEAU | STAFF WRITER SEP 12, 2021

Lawrence Brooks, America's oldest living World War II veteran celebrates his 112th birthday outside of his home on Sept. 12, 2021. Photo courtesy of The National WWII Museum.

The nation's oldest living World War II veteran now has another year under his belt.

Veteran and Louisiana native Lawrence Brooks celebrated his 112th birthday on Sunday at his home in Central City as residents gathered for a drive-by celebration hosted by the National World War II Museum.

The museum typically hosts an annual party for Brooks, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, the party was brought to his front door for the past two years.

This year's festivities included a live performance from the museum’s vocal trio, The Victory Belles, a Jeep parade and more entertainment from a collection of local New Orleans musicians. The City of New Orleans also recognized Brooks’ birthday with an official proclamation.

Brooks grew up in Norwood and served in the Army between 1940 and 1945 with the predominately Black 91st Engineering Battalion, which was stationed during the in New Guinea and then the Philippines.

"Happy Birthday" messages for the veteran continued to pour in on social media, including a message from Gov. John Bel Edwards.

https://www.nola.com/news/article_e716151e-13fa-11ec-b198-ab25f14b6c7f.html

[Dos Equis]

Feel-Good Friday: Chivalry Is Alive and Well in Four Young Men Who Help an Elderly Lady
By Jennifer Oliver O'Connell | Oct 15, 2021

Young men who pushed elderly woman on scooter home in rain. Screenshot. Credit: WKMG/ ClickOrlando.

My colleague Sister Toldjah wrote a sweet story last month about a four-year-old boy enjoying the parade at Walt Disney World. As the Disney Princesses passed by, the little boy tipped his hat to each one, and his delighted mother caught it on video and shared it with the world. It was a beautiful reminder that chivalry is indeed alive and well, and shows up in the most unexpected of ways.

I am thankful there are still parents and grandparents who choose to teach their children the importance of manners and etiquette. It is not only a reflection of the person you are, but of the community you come from, and ultimately of the society in which you exist.

As the British idiom states, “manners maketh man.”

So, this story about four young men helping an elderly woman get home after her scooter broke down in the middle of a rainstorm, is on the mark.

From Fox News:

Lending a helping hand will always be appreciated.

Four young men learned that firsthand after they received praise for escorting a retirement home resident back to her residence when her scooter broke down in the middle of a storm.

Katty Castro, a public relations representative at the Florida Living Independent Community in Seminole County, Florida, witnessed the kind act and snapped pictures of the group who valiantly pushed the resident’s scooter to her planned destination.

“Since this is a very quiet neighborhood I was surprised to hear a commotion, laughs and four gentlemen pushing one of my lady residents under a heavy storm in Florida,” Castro told Fox News. “They were pushing her up the big slope toward her residence. These heroes were so focused on helping regardless of the inclement weather and they were even covering her with an umbrella, which showed more compassion on their part.”

Castro said she went on to thank the men “for their kindness and asked them for a group picture” when they were done with their task and shared the moment with her community on Nextdoor – a hyperlocal social networking app where people can share what’s going on in their neighborhood.

Initially, Castro thought the helpful team of four were local teens from the high school next door, but she later learned the men were employees of Rebounderz Adventure Parks.

What are the odds that a PR rep for the assisted living community would spot this? It’s not only great publicity for the senior center and the adventure park, but the fact that she immediately thought to market this kind act to the community is only something a public relations person would know to do.

The men were passing through the area after a hard day’s work, but noticed the woman just when they were about to turn onto an eight-lane highway.

“[We] noticed the woman was clearly experiencing a malfunction with her mobile scooter,” said John Morgan Massa, a corporate general manager at Rebounderz Adventure Parks, in an interview with Fox News.

“We were tired, dirty and wanted to get back to the hotel; but, knew without a doubt that regardless of our long day, it certainly wasn’t worse than the day this lady was having. She literally had a plastic bag on her head to keep her hair dry,” he added. “We knew we couldn’t leave her in the rain, in the middle of the road, frantically trying to get her scooter to work again.”

Another reflection of chivalry: considering someone else’s situation above your own. These guys could have just looked at the old lady, thought, sucks to be you, and went on to their hotel to get a warm shower and a hot meal. Instead, they chose to step in and offer help.

Massa and his colleagues reportedly made a three-quarter-mile trek as they carefully pushed the resident while she remained on her scooter, according to Castro.

Massa said helping the resident was a no-brainer.

“We just wanted her to get home safely,” he explained. “We never expected recognition, just helping a fellow member of our community.”

I despise the modern idiom about “random acts of kindness,” because kindness is not random: we learn it from the age of that four-year-old, and as it is encouraged and reinforced, it manifests into the kindness of a John Morgan Massa and his colleagues. Just like that sweet little boy at Disney World, Massa was no doubt raised with, and encouraged, to be chivalrous, and help those who cannot help themselves.

Nothing random about that. I definitely encourage parents and grandparents to keep massaging this into your children by word, and by example. Chivalry is a custom that is taught, as well as caught.

https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2021/10/15/feel-good-friday-chivalry-is-alive-and-well-in-four-young-men-who-help-an-elderly-lady-n457252

[Dos Equis]

RIP

Colin Powell, former secretary of state, dead at 84 from COVID-19 complications
Powell played key policy role in Bush administration after 9/11 attacks

Gen. Colin Powell, seen here in New York City in 2017, died from COVID-19 complications, his family announced. (Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage, File)
By Brooke Singman | Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/colin-powell-dead-covid-19-former-secretary-of-state

[Dos Equis]

Toxic masculinity for the win.   

[Dos Equis]

Lawrence Brooks, oldest living WWII veteran and Louisiana native, celebrates 112th birthday
BY JULIA GUILBEAU | STAFF WRITER SEP 12, 2021

Lawrence Brooks, America's oldest living World War II veteran celebrates his 112th birthday outside of his home on Sept. 12, 2021. Photo courtesy of The National WWII Museum.

The nation's oldest living World War II veteran now has another year under his belt.

Veteran and Louisiana native Lawrence Brooks celebrated his 112th birthday on Sunday at his home in Central City as residents gathered for a drive-by celebration hosted by the National World War II Museum.

The museum typically hosts an annual party for Brooks, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, the party was brought to his front door for the past two years.

This year's festivities included a live performance from the museum’s vocal trio, The Victory Belles, a Jeep parade and more entertainment from a collection of local New Orleans musicians. The City of New Orleans also recognized Brooks’ birthday with an official proclamation.

Brooks grew up in Norwood and served in the Army between 1940 and 1945 with the predominately Black 91st Engineering Battalion, which was stationed during the in New Guinea and then the Philippines.

"Happy Birthday" messages for the veteran continued to pour in on social media, including a message from Gov. John Bel Edwards.

https://www.nola.com/news/article_e716151e-13fa-11ec-b198-ab25f14b6c7f.html

Oldest US World War II veteran dies at 112 in New Orleans
By Kristine Froeba
Jan 5, 2022


Lawrence Brooks seeing his replacement summer service uniform and holding his 91st Engineer Battalion badge for the first time at the New Orleans VA hospital on Oct. 29, 2021. (Vanessa Brooks)

Lawrence Brooks, the United States’ oldest living World War II veteran, died Wednesday morning, according to his daughter and caregiver, Vanessa Brooks.

The supercentenarian’s health was winding down, Vanessa Brooks confirmed to Military Times, and he was in and out of the local veterans’ hospital several times in recent months ― but he was still alert, enjoying the holidays and watching his beloved Saints play until the end.

Brooks, a local celebrity in New Orleans, celebrated his birthdays with parties thrown by the nearby National World War II Museum.

He had received numerous gifts and more than 10,000 birthday cards throughout the years in recognition of his service during the war.

For his 112th birthday in September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the celebration was brought to his house in the form of a drive-by party.

Brooks had danced on his porch, serenaded by the museum’s singing trio, the Victory Belles, while a military flyover banked down his Central City New Orleans shotgun house.

The Black Army veteran served at a time of segregation in U.S. history, where white and Black soldiers slept in separate tents and ate separately. But he insisted that in the military he never dealt with any problems of race, and stories from the war were told with positivity and laughter.

He died as he had planned ― in his own bed in his home in New Orleans.

The son of sharecroppers
The son of sharecroppers, Brooks was one of fifteen children.

He was born in 1909 just north of Baton Rouge in Norwood, Louisiana, and was raised just outside of Stephenson, Mississippi, a small sawmill town where his family moved for work during the Depression.


World War II veteran Lawrence Brooks holds a photo of himself taken in 1943, as he celebrates his 110th birthday at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, on Sept. 12, 2019. (Gerald Herbert/The Associated Press)

The supercentenarian was drafted and entered the Army in 1940, serving in both Louisiana and Texas. He participated in the famed Louisiana Maneuvers, where 400,000 soldiers converged on the state for readiness exercises in response to Germany’s invasion of Poland and France.

Brooks completed his obligatory one-year service, he previously told Military Times, was discharged and back at work in New Orleans in November 1941. A few weeks later, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he returned to the Army.

“There was no question,” Brooks told the National World War II Museum in one of his many oral history interviews. “They just came right back and got me again.”

He said he was sent by train at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he joined the 91st Engineer Battalion, a unit comprised of 1,193 Black enlisted soldiers and 25 white officers. He says that he journeyed to Pennsylvania for vaccines and additional training before traveling to the South Pacific theater.

“Indiantown Gap is where I got my inoculations before we left,” Brooks said in an interview with Military Times in late 2021.

In March 1942, Brooks found himself in New York Harbor heading to war aboard a “huge” converted ocean liner. He said he sailed on the Queen Mary, the troop carrier dubbed the “Grey Ghost” due to her agility and speed in outrunning the enemy.

He recounted that the voyage lasted close to a month amid a zig-zag course dodging submarines. His destination was Queensland, Australia, a key defensive area in the war against Japan.

Brooks said his unit arrived in Brisbane, Australia, in early April and ended its journey in Townsville, Australia.

The private first class loved to reminisce about the Australian people’s acceptance of the 9,000 Black soldiers that served there and the lack of Jim Crow laws that he experienced.

“They were nice people, the Australians,” said Brooks recently. “They were wonderful.”

Freedom in Australia
Brooks traveled to Brisbane, Australia, through numerous small coastal towns and islands, and spoke with wonder at the lack of segregation in the places he visited.

He talked about his close relationship with a white woman and her family in Townsville, Australia.

“I had a lady friend there; she had a hotel and a bar,” said Brooks. “I used to go to her father’s place (house) and helped deliver liquor to their hotel.”


Pfc. Lawrence Brooks, in a borrowed uniform used to sneak into the Officers' Club, Queensland, Australia, 1943. (Kristine Froeba)

Brooks said he attended Townsville’s dance halls, hotels and cinemas and mixed freely with the population. This was a freedom unheard of in the southern United States at the time.

Brooks, like most in his battalion, didn’t see combat.

Instead, he was a driver, valet and cook for three officers, two lieutenants and a captain. He no longer remembered their names; only that one was from New York.

He told of chauffeuring his officers around Queensland, Australia, and to the officers’ club in Townsville, Australia, in his weapons carrier, or as he fondly referred to it, “my big ole Army car.”

The numerous war offices were located in town, 40 minutes north of the unit’s various camps, he said. Because of his “batman” position, he had the unusual freedom to explore the area while his commanding officers were in town.

When asked about any racial issues with his officers, he says none occurred.

Only recently, he was gazing at newspaper archives of some of his officers and laughing as he recounted what he termed as “shenanigans.” Brooks spent that day looking at photographs of his old unit, their jazz band, USO parties and his favorite haunts in Townsville, Australia.

“My officers were good to me,” said Brooks. “I never had any problems.”

He cooked their meals at the joint mess hall and delivered them back to camp. The white officers ate separately from the black soldiers.

“We had our tents, and the whites had their tents,” said Brooks. “They were next to each other, like next door.”

The engineer unit built numerous frame buildings, Quonset huts, roads, hospitals, housing, shops and recreation centers. Brooks told of working on Horn Island, Papua-New Guinea and the Philippines.

“We built bridges, roads, and airstrips,” said Brooks in a previous oral history interview describing his unit. “That was our job.”


Lawrence Brooks' original draft card from 1940. His birth year was mistakenly calculated as 1910. (Ancestry.com)

He remembered digging and diving into foxholes on numerous occasions when the Japanese strafed his unit near Townsville, Australia, and New Guinea. One of his favorite anecdotes was about Thursday Island.

“We was on Horns Island, and the Japanese would come and drop bombs on us,” said Brooks. “They had a body of water about the size of the lake (Lake Pontchartrain) between Thursday Island and us.”

Brooks said his unit rowed small boats over to the island just after nightfall to avoid the air raids. His story was that the enemy wouldn’t strafe or bomb the island because it was the location of a sacred Japanese graveyard.

“We was sneaking over there at night,” said Brooks, who couldn’t stop laughing as he told the story. “We rowed pretty fast. They didn’t shoot us … because they couldn’t see us.”

A favorite anecdote occurred while Brooks was island hopping between Australian territories in a C-47. He said they lost an engine and were flying low.

The navigator walked back into the fuselage and started dumping bales of barbed wire to lighten the load. Brooks said that he got up and headed to the cockpit before being told to stop.

“My sergeant wanted to know where I was going,” Brooks had said, always giggling whenever he retold the response he gave his superior. “I said, the only two parachutes on this plane are up there. If they jump out, I’m grabbing onto one of them.”

Brooks said his unit left the South Pacific in 1944 and eventually separated from service in 1945.

‘A good soldier’
Most of his stories rang with laugher.

One would get the impression that there was still much to tell, but Brooks decided long ago to focus only on the positive. If he experienced bad times in the military, he was not inclined to share them.

When asked in late 2021 what he would like his legacy to be, if anything, his thoughts returned to the war.

“I would like to be remembered as a strong man,” said Brooks, “A good soldier.


Lawrence Brooks, then the oldest World War II veteran in the United States, celebrated his 112th birthday on Sept. 12, 2021, with the Mardi Gras Indians. The National WWII Museum arranged a drive-by party at his New Orleans house. (National World War II Museum)

Brooks had recently requested a new U.S. Army uniform to replace the original he’d lost sixteen years ago in Hurricane Katrina.

He was presented with an authentic reproduction World War II uniform and his old unit’s badge during a recent short stay in the New Orleans VA hospital at the beginning of November.

Brooks had immediately recognized the components of the summer service uniform he wore while serving in the Pacific Theater.

Not long after, he was back home at his house in New Orleans, posing in his “khakis.”

He had smiled, turned his new garrison cap over and over in his hands before placing it on his head, then had inspected his unit insignia and badge, the 91st Engineer Battalion.


Lawrence Brooks, aged 112, holding his 91st Engineer Battalion pin and wearing his WWII reproduction summer service uniform, at home in New Orleans, Nov. 4, 2021. (Kristine Froeba)

The unit’s current commanding officer had recently sent him replacement medals and a certificate of appreciation for his service. But, unfortunately, his good conduct medal is still lost, and his daughter was trying to find him a replacement.

His daughter recently gave several interviews lamenting how Black World War II veterans, including her father, were denied GI Bill benefits. She says he often spoke of how much he wanted to go to school after the war.

“My father earned the Good Conduct Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and Presidential Unit Medal, then he was left behind,” said Vanessa Brooks. “He served the same five years. He was bombed and strafed in the South Pacific but was not offered a low-interest bank loan, a reduced down payment for a house, or an education.”

She says she plans to bury her father wearing his new uniform, as he requested.

Kristine Froeba is a freelance writer based in New Orleans. She was involved in helping locate and raise funds for Lawrence Brooks’ new uniform.

https://www.armytimes.com/military-honor/salute-veterans/2022/01/05/oldest-us-world-war-ii-veteran-dies-at-112-in-new-orleans/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Socialflow+ARM&fbclid=IwAR1_UVKrkh6lClaynDEKoj2vexKxO6_EBKw_kNGLEjTkj4B9w69RyMjV7ow

[Dos Equis]

Charles McGee, member of Tuskeegee Airmen and 'American hero', dies at 102
BY OLAFIMIHAN OSHIN - 01/16/22


Charles McGee, member of Tuskeegee Airmen and 'American hero', dies at 102
© Getty Images
Charles McGee, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen who flew 409 fighter combat missions in three wars, has died at the age of 102.

In tweets on Sunday, Vice President Harris and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called McGee an American hero.

“Today, we lost an American hero, Brigadier General Charles McGee," Harris wrote in a tweet. "A member of the Tuskegee Airmen, he completed over 400 missions during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. I had the honor of calling him last month on his 102nd birthday to thank him for his service to our nation.”

McGee was among the 900 men that trained in Alabama from 1940 to 1946 after the Army Air Corps was forced to admit Black pilots, The Associated Press reported.

McGee was one of the few American pilots to fly combat missions during World War II and in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

"Today, we lost an American hero," Austin wrote in a tweet Sunday. "Charles McGee, Brigadier General and one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airman, passed at the age of 102. While I am saddened by his loss, I'm also incredibly grateful for his sacrifice, his legacy, and his character. Rest in peace, General.”

Former President Trump promoted McGee to the rank of brigadier general in an honorary commission shortly after his 100th birthday.

“We shattered all the myths,” McGee said in a biography by his daughter, Charlene E. McGee Smith, published in 1999, according to the New York Times.

“A lot of what we fought for was an opportunity to overcome having someone look at you and, because of your color, close a door on you.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/589980-charles-mcgee-dies?rl=1

[Dos Equis]

Korean War Medal of Honor recipient's remains return to Georgia hometown after 73 years
Army Pfc. Luther Herschel Story died in the Korean War at the age of 18.
By Natalia Mittelstadt
Updated: May 29, 2023

Russian drone attacks claimed at least two lives and caused widespread damage in Kyiv, Ukraine over the weekend. Falling debris ignited fatal fires, leaving casualties and destruction in several districts of the capital city.

The remains of Medal of Honor recipient Army Pfc. Luther Herschel Story, who died in the Korean War, were returned to his family in Georgia after 73 years, and he was given a Memorial Day burial on Monday.

At 18 years old, Story was last seen alive on Sept. 1, 1950, near the village of Agok on the Naktong River in South Korea, The Associated Press reported. His unit came under attack by North Korean troops, and because he feared his wounds would slow down his company, he stayed behind to provide them cover.

Because of his heroism, Story was awarded the Medal of Honor and posthumously promoted to corporal.

However, his family didn’t know where his remains were.

“In my family, we always believed that he would never be found,” said Story’s niece and closest surviving relative, Judy Wade.

The month after Story was last seen, the U.S. military recovered a body that was in the area where he had fought. The unidentified remains were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii with other unknown service members.

In 2021, the remains were disinterred as part of the military’s effort to identify the remains of several hundred Americans who died in the Korean War.

More than 7,500 Americans, about 20% of the nearly 37,000 U.S. service members who died in the war, are either still missing or their remains have yet to be identified.

Wade and her late mother, Story’s older sister Gwendolyn Story Chambliss, had provided DNA samples before Chambliss’s death in 2017, which scientists eventually found matched the DNA from Story’s bones.

“I don’t have to worry about him anymore,” Wade said, who was born four years after Story went missing. “I’m just glad he’s home.”

Story’s casket received a police escort with flashing lights in Story's hometown of Americus, Ga., on Wednesday, before it was buried with military honors on Monday at the Andersonville National Cemetery.

Following the DNA match of Wade with Story’s remains, President Joe Biden made the announcement of the late corporal's return with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol last month.

“Today, we can return him to his family,” Biden said of Story, “and to his rest.”

https://justthenews.com/nation/medal-honor-recipients-remains-return-georgia-hometown-after-73-years

[Dos Equis]

[Dos Equis]

10-year-old’s mission to rescue dogs earns him a TV show
Roman McConn began helping find homes for shelter dogs at age 4. Now he’s got a Disney XD show.
By Andrea Sachs
June 8, 2022


Roman McConn, 10, star of the Disney XD show “Roman to the Rescue,” poses on the set with a shelter dog named Patch, who is deaf. Roman's show profiles shelter dogs in need of adoption, a cause he and his family have been working on for six years. (Family photo)

Asher is a three-legged shepherd who loves splashing in water bowls and chewing on tree branches. Miss Kitty is a black Chihuahua mix who races around the yard at the speed of a cheetah. Layla, who is part pit bull, prefers licking human faces to chasing tennis balls.

All three shelter dogs have very different personalities, but they have one thing — or, more specifically, one person — in common: Roman McConn. The 10-year-old helped them find their forever “kid” on his new Disney XD series, “Roman to the Rescue.”

“I just love working with dogs,” said the rising sixth-grader who lives in Georgia with his mom, dad, four dogs and various fostered animals. “I want to give them a second chance.”

Roman was 4 years old and living in Texas when he learned about the tragic fate of some shelter dogs. During a trip to a pet store, he saw dogs in crates waiting to be adopted. His parents explained to him that, because of overcrowding at shelters, the animals that could not find families quickly enough were at risk of being “put down,” or euthanized (pronounced YU-than-ized). That means they are given medicine that quickly kills them. This heartbreaking reality motivated Roman to act.

“I dove in head first,” he said of his new mission to find every shelter dog in the United States a home.


Roman and family friend Brenda McGarr visit with shelter dog Jack in 2021 before he heads from Georgia to Texas with Project Freedom Ride, an organization Roman's family started to help find homes for shelter dogs. The organization has arranged for more than 4,000 dogs to be adopted. (Family photo)
To accomplish his goal, Roman creates playful videos of individual dogs at local shelters, which his mom shares on social media. When choosing his stars, he doesn’t look for the pups with the fluffiest fur or floppiest ears. He spotlights the underdogs.

“We pick ones that have been there the longest and have the saddest story and are less likely to get adopted, like pit bulls, labs and other big dogs,” said Roman, who hosted a YouTube show about rescues on the Dodo Kids network when he was 8 years old.

About a year after Roman started making the videos, he and his mom founded Project Freedom Ride. The nonprofit organization transports unwanted dogs from Texas, where their survival rate is often low, to northern states, where their chances of adoption are higher. Since 2016, Project Freedom Ride has saved more than 4,200 dogs, including the 17 that appear on “Roman to the Rescue.” (The network released the first seven episodes in February; the other 10 will become available this summer.)

“Roman has had a positive impact on the lives of thousands of animals for over half his life,” said YuJung Kim, group publisher at the Dodo, which produces the series for Disney. “While being just a normal kid at the end of the day — he loves Legos, ‘Star Wars’ and playing with his friends — Roman shows us that it’s possible to channel a passion for animals into meaningful change at any age.”

In each episode, Roman focuses on one dog. First, he determines the pup’s character (athletic, shy or clingy) and favorite activities (belly rubs, swimming or giving kisses). Then he tosses around filmmaking ideas with a creative team of young celebrities, such as Issac Ryan Brown from “Raven’s Home.”

After the video is posted, Roman and Aziza Glass, a veterinarian, sort through the applications and select the best kid for that dog. Before handing the pooch over to its new family, he gives his four-legged friend a final cuddle — a bittersweet experience.

“I feel so happy when the dog gets adopted,” he said, “but sometimes it’s so hard to let the dog go.” However, there was one he was eager to bid farewell to: a terrier named Honey who, Roman said, “would stare at you and poop.”


Roman poses with Roscoe, 4-year-old lab mix, at the Burke County Animal Shelter in Georgia on May 28. Roman doesn't choose the cutest puppies to profile in his show. Instead he picks dogs that might be passed over and highlights their good qualities. (Family photo)

Roman posts photos and videos of Texas and Georgia shelter dogs on Project Freedom Ride’s Instagram account. The organization’s website also includes information about his volunteer work and rescued dog events. Roman said kids of any age can help shelter dogs. He recommends contacting local shelters and asking if they need donations (blankets, toys, treats), help walking or spending time with the dogs, or even creating videos of dogs that could use extra love.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/kidspost/2022/06/08/roman-mcconn-rescues-shelter-dogs/