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Colonel Gregory Pappy Boyington was born in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho on December 4, 1912.  He was a United States Marine Corps officer and an American fighter ace during World War II. For his heroic actions, he was awarded both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. Boyington was the author of “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” which later became a successful television program. He died in Fresno, California of cancer on January 11, 1988 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

The following is from www.veteranstoday.com, written by Robert O’Dowd.

(IRVINE, CA) – Like the other Marines who fell out for a rifle inspection in the early 1960s for Colonel Gregory ‘Pappy’ Boyington, I was standing over a TCE plume, spreading off the base into the Orange County aquifer.  We were at “Parade Rest,” awaiting a rifle inspection by Colonel Gregory Pappy Boyington. It was summer and the heat was beginning to melt the wax on our dress shoes. So far, no one had passed out from the heat.  We were alternating between “Attention,” “Parade Rest” and “At Ease.”  The officer in charge knew what he was doing.  Vasovagal syncope (fainting) can happen when standing at “Parade Rest” for too long from the blood pooling in your legs.  We were standing on concrete; anyone passing out would hit the concrete hard; we had been in formation for over an hour, but this was not ordinary rifle inspection.

This was definitely red carpet treatment.  Except for those on duty watches, about 250 Marines from H&HS-37 were in formation for the rifle inspection.  Colonel Gregory Pappy Boyington, a WW II Medal of Honor recipient and the highest Marine fighter ace from the war, would be visiting the Marine Wing Services Group 37 today.  This was a big deal.  Medal of Honor winners did not pay visits every day.  Pappy Boyington was a living legend among Marines.

In 1963, the Vietnam War was yet to explode into a national catastrophe.  John Lennon and the Beatles didn’t leave for their first tour of the United States until February 1964. We were too young to vote for Jack Kennedy or anyone else for that matter but all of us knew that  Pappy Boyington was a Marine Corps fighter pilot and the WW II leader of VMF-214, Black Sheep, one the best fighter squadrons in the Corps.  So, the order to fall out for a rifle inspection by Pappy Boyington got our attention.

Our orders were to fall out in Class B uniform with rifles at 0800. The review and inspection would take place on the MWSG-37 aircraft apron between Hangar 297 and Group Headquarters.  My memory on some of the details is fuzzy.  This took place 50 years ago.  However, I’ll never forget the greeting we got from Colonel Pappy Boyington and his dress.

In 1963, I was a young lance corporal attached to MWSG-37, working in the Wing Supply Support Division in Hangar 296, just off the flight line. MWSG-37 was the most industrialized portion of the airfield.  Hangars 296 and 297 were each over 200,000 square feet in area with three hangar bays and mezzanines for shops and administrative work space.  Both hangars were built in 1944 and were still standing on my last visit to the base in 2009. The bad news was the TCE plume spreading into Orange County would be traced to these hangars in the 1990s. In the 1960s, none of us knew that this sweet smelling degreaser was a deadly carcinogen.

We were quartered in a Quonset hut in the Northwest quadrant of the base on the same street as the base hospital, a short walk to the main gate on Trabuco Road. Our Quonset hut was sectioned off into cubicles with four Marines, individual footlockers, and double racks housed in an area of about 10 ft by 15 feet. A row of double walk lockers served to separate each foursome from the next.

Our Quonset hut was not insulated and cold wasn’t a problem most of the year.  When the Santa Ana winds blew from September to March and the night temperatures dropped, we slept with two blankets and our horse blanket (green wool overcoat).  There were few amenities.  One black and white T.V. set at the other end of the hut.  We never had the time or interest to watch T.V.  This was Southern California, the weather was great most of the year, and for the few of us not from the West Coast, this was paradise.

Since this was a rifle inspection, we would need our M-14s cleaned and ready for inspection.  The night before the inspection, the bolt to the rifle rack running down the center of the hut was unlocked, allowing us to get access to our rifles and their cleaning kits.  Our tropical dress uniforms, recently pressed and cleaned were on hangars in one of our two wall lockers.  Everything we owned was stored in a wooden foot locker and the two medal wall lockers, the kind you see in high schools that kids use to keep their books in. By taps at 2200, our dress shoes were spit shined, rifles cleaned and replaced in the rifle rack.  We were ready for inspection and, when Colonel Pappy Boyington stopped in front of us, we were prepared to execute a sharp inspection arms.

We were wearing diapers when Pappy Boyington flew Marine Corps fighter during WW II.  The TV series “Baa Baa Black Sheep” would not be aired on NBC in 1976-77. In 1964, we knew that Pappy Boyington was the leading Marine Corps ace of WW II. Many of our fathers and family served in the military in WW II as well as many of the officers and senior NCOs we served under.  A WW II Medal of Honor winner was a genuine hero.

After graduating from the University of Washington with a B.S. in aeronautical engineering in 1934, Boyington went to work for Boeing as an engineer.  Now married he was ineligible to become a pilot in the Marine Corps. Ignoring the rules, Boyington, who was raised by his stepfather and used the name Hallenbeck, obtained a copy of his birth certificate and learned the name of his real father, Charles Boyington.  His parents had divorced when he was only an infant.  ‘Stretching the rules,’ Boyington applied as a cadet pilot under the name Gregory Boyington.  There was no record of marriage for Gregory Boyington.  The ruse worked.

By all accounts, Boyington was an excellent pilot.  There were no air-to-air missiles, radar, or electronic gear in those days.  Fighter pilots depended on their eyes and reflexes.  After completing flight training at the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, he was designated a naval aviator on March 11, 1937.  The next four years he saw duty at Quantico with Aircraft One, Fleet Marine Force and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Group in San Diego where he flew off of the USS Lexington and USS Yorktown. In 1940, Boyington returned to Pensacola as an instructor.

In August 1941, Boyington resigned his Marine Corps commission and joined the American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) in the service of the Chinese government.  China was at war with Japan and needed skilled pilots.  The chance to fly in combat plus a salary of $500 a month and a $400 per confirmed kill bonus were all Boyington needed to know.  Here was his chance to get out of debt and fly combat missions, too.  The United States was at peace at the time, but President Roosevelt wanted to help the Chinese government.  No one in our government objected to the Chinese through the ruse of an American company recruiting American pilots to fight the Japanese.

Claire Chennault, a former U.S. Army Air Force officer, had assembled a force of 100 Curtis P-40s and 100 American military pilots to defend the Burma Road.  Now twenty-eight years old, Boyington was eager to join the volunteers.

Boyington definitely learned how to fly the Army’s Curtis P-40.  War had broken out with Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  The entry of the U.S. into the war had a major impact on Flying Tigers.

Pilots with the Flying Tigers were going to be absorbed into the U.S. Army Air Corps.  This didn’t sit well with Boyington. Already on strained relationships with Claire Chennault and his Flying Tiger superiors, Boyington resigned from the Flying Tigers on April 21st.  He returned to New York via Calcutta, Karachi, and Bombay to rejoin the Marines.

With his combat experience, Boyington was able to obtain a Major’s commission in the Corps.   In the Solomon Islands, Major Boyington assumed command of a group of pilots who were not already assigned to a squadron, and they would go on to be known as the “Black Sheep Squadron”. At 31, he was older than the other pilots who would call him “Pappy.”  It stuck.

Flying a Vought F4U Corsairs in VMF-214, he was credited with shooting down 26 enemy aircraft in 1943-44.  In early February 1944, Major Boyington was shot down, but his luck ran out.  He was picked-up by a Japanese submarine, and spent the rest of the war as a POW in Japan.  In 1947, Colonel Boyington was medically retired from the Marine Corps. Now, almost 20 years later, Colonel Pappy Boyington would be visiting El Toro.

The rifle inspection would take place on the aircraft apron between Hangar 297 and Group Headquarters.  I remember the ‘cattle car’ pick-up outside our squadron’s Quonset hut.  The ‘cattle car’ was a cargo trailer converted by adding bus doors to the right side, sealing the back doors and hanging straps from the overhead (ceiling)  for passengers to hang onto.  The ‘cattle car’ was pulled by a truck utilizing a fifth-wheel and it was our normal transport from the Quonset hut to the hangars.  It was a little tight this day since there were not enough straps for everyone to hang onto.  With our rifles slung over the shoulder, we were stacked up like sardines in a can.

It was only a short drive to the MWSG-37 area.  We knew the drill.  Fall in at attention.  We stood in formation—alternating between attention and parade rest—forever or at least it seemed that way to us as we sweated in our tropical uniforms.

A few of the WW II veterans told us about Colonel Boyington.  With his reputation for hard drinking and dislike for regulations, we didn’t know what to expect.  “Just don’t screw-up.  If he stops in front of you, come to a snappy inspection arms.”

I’ll never forget the greeting we got from Pappy Boyington and his dress. We were at parade rest, when Pappy Boyington, in the company of the group commander, came into view.  Pappy was dressed in white from head to toe.  He wore a white tropical suit with matching shoes, and white, wide brim hat. Talk about standing out in a crowd. Now age 51, he looked frail and older than his age; he had the look of someone who was just recovering from a major operation.

Medal of Honor recipients deserve a salute, regardless of their rank.  General grade officers salute privates who wear the Medal of Honor.  We were under arms so the proper salute was “Present Arms.”  The order for “Present, Arms” rang out loud and clear.  Two hundred Marines executed the order in two movements.  We were anticipating “Order Arms” when Pappy looked our way, smiled, waived several times; he shouted something to us as he continued his casual walk across the apron into Hangar 297. I couldn’t hear his exact words but it sounded like, “Thanks. Good to see you, too.”  No walking the ranks. No questions, “Marine, where are you from?  How long have you been in the Corps?” No rifle inspection.

He didn’t look like a Marine hero. Forget the poster images of Marines. This was a man who lived, fought and survived bitter battles with the Japanese over the Pacific.  One mistake in a dog fight and you bought the farm.

In 1963, Pappy Boyington had nothing to prove to the world.  Remembering his frail appearance, I thought “this Marine is not long for the world.”  Boy was I wrong.  Even though he looked sickly, Colonel Pappy Boyington lived another 25 years.

If you should visit Arlington National Cemetery, ask one of the guides for the location of Colonel Gregory Pappy Boyington’s grave.  Stop by, save a prayer for Colonel Boyington and thank him for his service.

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Wreaths Across America (WAA), a nonprofit organization best known for its annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and more than 900 other locations nationwide — with a mission to Remember, Honor and Teach about the service and sacrifices of our veterans — is paying tribute to veterans and their families nationwide on Veterans Day and beyond with their Veteran Remembrance Tree Program.

The Veteran Remembrance Tree program, a new program from Wreaths Across America, consist of special memorial trees that are “tagged” with custom military-style I.D. tags dedicated to a fallen soldier by remaining family members. Each wreath laid at Arlington is tipped from these trees on founder Morrill Worcester’s 4,000-acre forest. The remembrance trees, which are never cut down, act as a living memorial to veterans and their families long after the wreaths are placed at Arlington. “We created the Veteran Remembrance Tree program because we wanted to find a way to recognize the fallen soldiers and their families in a more permanent way,” said Karen Worcester, executive director, Wreaths Across America. “This endless forest is a truly visual representation of our unwavering commitment to our mission to Remember, Honor and Teach and to recognize our fallen soldiers and families this year and for many years to come.”

Wreaths Across America works year round to carry out their mission by coordinating veterans services and recognition through a variety of programs and providing teaching projects to schools throughout the school year. “We strive to remember the fallen and honor those who serve, not just on Veterans Day but every single day of the year,” said Worcester. “It is important we teach our children about the freedoms we enjoy each and every day.”

NOTE: Wreaths Across America will head to Arlington National Cemetery on December 14th for National Wreaths Across America Day for its annual wreath-laying ceremony.

Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman, Morrill Worcester, in 1992. The organization’s mission, Remember, Honor, Teach, is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as hundreds of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond. For more information, to donate or to sign up to volunteer, please visit www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org.

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On November 13, 1982, near the end of a weeklong national salute to Americans who served in the Vietnam War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington after a march to its site by thousands of veterans of the conflict.

The long-awaited memorial was a simple V-shaped black-granite wall inscribed with the names of the 57,939 Americans who died in the conflict, arranged in order of death, not rank, as was common in other memorials. The designer of the memorial was Maya Lin, a Yale University architecture student who entered a nationwide competition to create a design for the monument. Lin, born in Ohio in 1959, was the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Many veterans’ groups were opposed to Lin’s winning design, which lacked a standard memorial’s heroic statues and stirring words. However, a remarkable shift in public opinion occurred in the months after the memorial’s dedication. Veterans and families of the dead walked the black reflective wall, seeking the names of their loved ones killed in the conflict. Once the name was located, visitors often made an etching or left a private offering, from notes and flowers to dog tags and cans of beer.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial soon became one of the most visited memorials in the nation’s capital., it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Washington, D.C., with over 4.2 million estimated visitors so far in 2012 alone. A Smithsonian Institution director called it “a community of feelings, almost a sacred precinct,” and a veteran declared that “it’s the parade we never got.” “The Wall” drew together both those who fought and those who marched against the war and served to promote national healing a decade after the divisive conflict’s end.

A few facts about The Vietnam Wall from the National Park Service:

How many names are on the wall?

As of 2013, there are 58,286 names listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized.

What happens to items left at the memorial?

Items are gathered by park staff. Non-perishable items are archived in a storage facility.

How are the names arranged on the wall?

The names are arranged chronologically by date of casualty. The first names appear at the center of the wall at the top of panel 1E. The panels are filled like pages of a journal listing the men and women’s names as they fell. Upon reaching the farthest east end of the memorial at panel 70E, the pattern continues from the far west end of the memorial at panel 70W, continuing back to the center at panel 1W. In this manner, the memorial evokes a theme of closure or completion; the first are with the last.

Other Facts:

The first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth , Mass. Listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having been killed on June 8, 1956. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7, 1965.

There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Wall.

39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger.

8,283 were just 19 years old.

The largest age group, at 33,103, were 18 years old.

12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old.

5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old.

One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old.

997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam ..

1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam ..

31 sets of brothers are on the Wall.

Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons.

54 soldiers attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia .

8 Women are on the Wall. Nursing the wounded.

244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall.

Beallsville , Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons.

West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall.

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One of the most important ways we can commemorate Veterans Day is to teach our children about the meaning of this day and the men and women it honors. Here are a few ideas to get your children involved in celebrating Veterans Day:

• Have your kids write short articles or essays of how veterans are honored around the world.
• If you have any veterans in your family, suggest that your kids “interview” them about what it was like to serve in the U.S. military.
• Have children draw a picture of Veterans Day, and what this holiday means to them. Military children can draw a picture of a parent who is currently deployed or a relative who has served.
• Take your kids to visit a veterans hospital or encourage them to make a card for one of the veterans who are listed through your local VA medical facility.
• Take part in a flag-raising ceremony.
• Attend a concert featuring patriotic music.
• Participate in a moment of silence in remembrance of those who gave their lives for their country.

Click here for some information about the history of Veterans Day: http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp

Other resources:

The VA Kids page: http://www.va.gov/kids/

Veterans Day Facts and Trivia: http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1022389/veterans-day-facts-and-trivia-for-kids

Activities and a video interview with a Tuskegee Airman: http://www.meetmeatthecorner.org/episode/veterans-day-for-kids-interview-with-tuskegee-airman

Make Veterans Day a meaningful and enjoyable commemoration for your whole family!

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In 1921, Gen. John A. Lejeune issued Marine Corps Order No. 47, Series 1921. Gen. Lejeune’s order summarized the history, mission, and tradition of the Corps.  It further directed that the order be read to all Marines on 10 November of each year to honor the founding of the Marine Corps.  Thereafter, 10 November became a unique day for U.S. Marines throughout the world.

Why November 10?

On November 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia passed a resolution stating that “two Battalions of Marines be raised” for service as landing forces with the fleet. This resolution established the Continental Marines and marked the birth date of the United States Marine Corps. Serving on land and at sea, these first Marines distinguished themselves in a number of important operations, including their first amphibious raid into the Bahamas in March 1776, under the command of Captain (later Major) Samuel Nicholas.

The first commissioned officer in the Continental Marines, Nicholas remained the senior Marine officer throughout the American Revolution and is considered to be the first Marine Commandant. The Treaty of Paris in April 1783 brought an end to the Revolutionary War and as the last of the Navy’s ships were sold, the Continental Navy and Marines went out of existence.

Following the Revolutionary War and the formal re-establishment of the Marine Corps on 11 July 1798, Marines saw action in the quasi-war with France, landed in Santo Domingo, and took part in many operations against the Barbary pirates along the “Shores of Tripoli”.

Marines took part in numerous naval operations during the War of 1812, as well as participating in the defense of Washington at Bladensburg, Maryland, and fought alongside Andrew Jackson in the defeat of the British at New Orleans.

The decades following the War of 1812 saw the Marines protecting American interests around the world, in the Caribbean, at the Falkland Islands, Sumatra and off the coast of West Africa, and also close to home in operations against the Seminole Indians in Florida.

George Washington received his appointment as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army the next day, and formally took command at Boston on July 3, 1775.

Birthday Celebrations

The first formal Birthday Ball was celebrated in 1925, though no records exist that indicate the proceedings of that event.Birthday celebrations took a variety of forms, including dances, though some accounts include mock battles, musical performances, pageants, and sporting events.

The celebrations were formalized and standardized by Commandant Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. in 1952, outlining the cake cutting ceremony, which would enter the Marine Drill Manual in 1956. By tradition, the first slice of cake is given to the oldest Marine present, who in turn hands it off to the youngest Marine present, symbolizing the old and experienced Marines passing their knowledge to the new generation of Marines. The celebration also includes a reading of Marine Corps Order 47, republished every year, as well as a message from the current Commandant, and often includes a banquet and dancing if possible. In many cases, the birthday celebration will also include a pageant of current and historical Marine Corps uniforms, as a reminder of the history of the Corps.

(Sources include www.military.com, wikipedia, and news outlets.)

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November 5th is Election Day in many states and communities across the country. If there is an election where you live, get out and VOTE!

During the 20th century, November 5th election days often proved pivotal, particularly in Presidential elections affecting the direction of wartime America:

1912 – Democrat Woodrow Wilson is elected the 28th president of the United States, with Thomas R. Marshall as vice president. In a landslide Democratic victory, Wilson won 435 electoral votes against the eight won by Republican incumbent William Howard Taft and the 88 won by Progressive Party candidate Theodore Roosevelt. The presidential election was the only one in American history in which two former presidents were defeated by another candidate. Highlights of Wilson’s two terms as president included his leadership during World War I, his 14-point proposal to end the conflict, and his championing of the League of Nations–an international organization formed to prevent future armed conflict.

1940 – President Roosevelt won an unprecedented third term in office, beating Republican challenger Wendell L. Willkie along with Surprise Party challenger Gracie Allen. Roosevelt was elected to a third term with the promise of maintaining American neutrality as far as foreign wars were concerned: “Let no man or woman thoughtlessly or falsely talk of American people sending its armies to European fields.” But as Hitler’s war spread, and the desperation of Britain grew, the president fought for passage of the Lend-Lease Act in Congress, in March 1941, which would commit financial aid to Great Britain and other allies. In August, Roosevelt met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to proclaim the Atlantic Charter, which would become the basis of the United Nations; they also drafted a statement to the effect that the United States “would be compelled to take countermeasures” should Japan further encroach in the southwest Pacific. Despite ongoing negotiations with Japan, that “further encroachment” took the form of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor-”a day that would live in infamy.” The next day Roosevelt requested, and received, a declaration of war against Japan. On December 11, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. Certain wartime decisions by Roosevelt proved controversial, such as the demand of unconditional surrender of the Axis powers, which some claim prolonged the war. Another was the acquiescence to Joseph Stalin of certain territories in the Far East in exchange for his support in the war against Japan. Roosevelt is often accused of being too naive where Stalin was concerned, especially in regard to “Uncle Joe’s” own imperial desires.

1968 – Winning one of the closest elections in U.S. history, Republican challenger Richard Nixon defeats Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Because of the strong showing of third-party candidate George Wallace, neither Nixon nor Humphrey received more than 50 percent of the popular vote; Nixon beat Humphrey by less than 500,000 votes. Nixon campaigned on a platform designed to reach the “silent majority” of middle class and working class Americans. He promised to “bring us together again,” and many Americans, weary after years of antiwar and civil rights protests, were happy to hear of peace returning to their streets. Foreign policy was also a major factor in the election. Humphrey was saddled with a Democratic foreign policy that led to what appeared to be absolute futility and agony in Vietnam. Nixon promised to find a way to “peace with honor” in Vietnam, though he was never entirely clear about how this was to be accomplished. The American people, desperate to find a way out of the Vietnam quagmire, were apparently ready to give the Republican an opportunity to make good on his claim. During his presidency, Nixon oversaw some dramatic changes in U.S. Cold War foreign policy, most notably his policy of detente with the Soviet Union and his 1972 visit to communist China. His promise to bring peace with honor in Vietnam, however, was more difficult to accomplish. American troops were not withdrawn until 1973, and South Vietnam fell to communist forces in 1975.

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The Americans in Wartime Museum is devoted to honoring the service of American men and women who served during wartime from World War I to the present day. Today, October 31, we honor those who were recognized with Medal of Honor citations for valorous actions taken on this day in the modern era. They are American heroes in the truest sense.

PITTS, RILEY L. was a United States Army Captain and the first African-American commissioned officer to receive the Medal of Honor. The medal was presented posthumously by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson on December 10, 1968 for actions in Ap Dong, South Vietnam.Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company C, 2d Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Ap Dong, Republic of Vietnam, 31 October 1967. Entered service at: Wichita, Kans. Born: 15 October 1937, Fallis, Okla. Citation: Distinguishing himself by exceptional heroism while serving as company commander during an airmobile assault. Immediately after his company landed in the area, several Viet Cong opened fire with automatic weapons. Despite the enemy fire, Capt. Pitts forcefully led an assault which overran the enemy positions. Shortly thereafter, Capt. Pitts was ordered to move his unit to the north to reinforce another company heavily engaged against a strong enemy force. As Capt. Pitts’ company moved forward to engage the enemy, intense fire was received from 3 directions, including fire from 4 enemy bunkers, 2 of which were within 15 meters of Capt. Pitts’ position. The severity of the incoming fire prevented Capt. Pitts from maneuvering his company. His rifle fire proving ineffective against the enemy due to the dense jungle foliage, he picked up an M-79 grenade launcher and began pinpointing the targets. Seizing a Chinese Communist grenade which had been taken from a captured Viet Cong’s web gear, Capt. Pitts lobbed the grenade at a bunker to his front, but it hit the dense jungle foliage and rebounded. Without hesitation, Capt. Pitts threw himself on top of the grenade which, fortunately, failed to explode. Capt. Pitts then directed the repositioning of the company to permit friendly artillery to be fired. Upon completion of the artillery fire mission, Capt. Pitts again led his men toward the enemy positions, personally killing at least 1 more Viet Cong. The jungle growth still prevented effective fire to be placed on the enemy bunkers. Capt. Pitts, displaying complete disregard for his life and personal safety, quickly moved to a position which permitted him to place effective fire on the enemy. He maintained a continuous fire, pinpointing the enemy’s fortified positions, while at the same time directing and urging his men forward, until he was mortally wounded. Capt. Pitts’ conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the cost of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the Armed Forces of his country.

BARGER, CHARLES D. Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company L, 354th Infantry, 89th Division. Place and date: Near Bois-deBantheville, France, 31 October 1918. Entered service at: Stotts City, Mo. Birth: Mount Vernon, Mo. G.O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919. Citation: Learning that 2 daylight patrols had been caught out in No Man’s Land and were unable to return, Pfc. Barger and another stretcher bearer upon their own initiative made 2 trips 500 yards beyond our lines, under constant machinegun fire, and rescued 2 wounded officers.

FUNK, JESSE N. Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company L, 354th Infantry, 89th Division. Place and date: Near Bois-deBantheville, France, 31 October 1918. Entered service at. Calhan, Colo. Born: 20 August 1888, New Hampton, Mo. G.O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919. Citation: Learning that 2 daylight patrols had been caught out in No Man’s Land and were unable to return, Pfc. Funk and another stretcher bearer, upon their own initiative, made 2 trips 500 yards beyond our lines, under constant machinegun fire, and rescued 2 wounded officers.

BUTTON, WILLIAM ROBERT Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Entered service at: St. Louis, Mo. Born: 3 December 1895, St. Louis, Mo. G.O. No.: 536, 10 June 1920. Citation: For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in actual conflict with the enemy near Grande Riviere, Republic of Haiti, on the night of 31 October_l November 1919, resulting in the death of Charlemagne Peralte, the supreme bandit chief in the Republic of Haiti, and the killing, capture and dispersal of about 1,200 of his outlaw followers. Cpl. William R. Button not only distinguished himself by his excellent judgment and leadership but also unhesitatingly exposed himself to great personal danger when the slightest error would have forfeited not only his life but the lives of the detachments of Gendarmerie under his command. The successful termination of his mission will undoubtedly prove of untold value to the Republic of Haiti.

HANNEKEN, HERMAN HENRY Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps. Place and date: Near Grande Riviere, Republic of Haiti, 31 October-1 November 1919. Entered service at: St. Louis, Mo. Born: 23 June 1893, St. Louis, Mo. G.O. No.: 536, 10 June 1920. Other Navy awards: Navy Cross with 1 gold star, Silver Star, Legion of Merit. Citation: For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in actual conflict with the enemy near Grande Riviere, Republic of Haiti, on the night of 31 October-1 November 1919, resulting in the death of Charlemagne Peralte, the supreme bandit chief in the Republic of Haiti, and the killing, capture, and dispersal of about 1,200 of his outlaw followers. 2d Lt. Hanneken not only distinguished himself by his excellent judgment and leadership but also unhesitatingly exposed himself to great personal danger when the slightest error would have forfeited not only his life but the lives of the detachments of gendarmerie under his command. The successful termination of his mission will undoubtedly prove of untold value to the Republic of Haiti.

THORNTON, MICHAEL EDWIN Rank and organization: Petty Officer, U.S. Navy, Navy Advisory Group. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 31 October 1972. Entered service at: Spartanburg, S.C. Born: 23 March 1949, Greenville, S.C. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while participating in a daring operation against enemy forces. PO Thornton, as Assistant U.S. Navy Advisor, along with a U.S. Navy lieutenant serving as Senior Advisor, accompanied a 3-man Vietnamese Navy SEAL patrol on an intelligence gathering and prisoner capture operation against an enemy-occupied naval river base. Launched from a Vietnamese Navy junk in a rubber boat, the patrol reached land and was continuing on foot toward its objective when it suddenly came under heavy fire from a numerically superior force. The patrol called in naval gunfire support and then engaged the enemy in a fierce firefight, accounting for many enemy casualties before moving back to the waterline to prevent encirclement. Upon learning that the Senior Advisor had been hit by enemy fire and was believed to be dead, PO Thornton returned through a hail of fire to the lieutenant’s last position; quickly disposed of 2 enemy soldiers about to overrun the position, and succeeded in removing the seriously wounded and unconscious Senior Naval Advisor to the water’s edge. He then inflated the lieutenant’s lifejacket and towed him seaward for approximately 2 hours until picked up by support craft. By his extraordinary courage and perseverance, PO Thornton was directly responsible for saving the life of his superior officer and enabling the safe extraction of all patrol members, thereby upholding the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

WILLIAMS, JAMES E. Rank and organization: Boatswain’s Mate First Class (PO1c.), U.S. Navy, River Section 531, My Tho, RVN, Place and date: Mekong River, Republic of Vietnam, 31 October 1966. Entered service at: Columbia, S.C. Born: 13 June 1930, Rock Hill, S.C. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. PO1c. Williams was serving as Boat Captain and Patrol Officer aboard River Patrol Boat (PBR) 105 accompanied by another patrol boat when the patrol was suddenly taken under fire by 2 enemy sampans. PO1c. Williams immediately ordered the fire returned, killing the crew of 1 enemy boat and causing the other sampan to take refuge in a nearby river inlet. Pursuing the fleeing sampan, the U.S. patrol encountered a heavy volume of small-arms fire from enemy forces, at close range, occupying well-concealed positions along the river bank. Maneuvering through this fire, the patrol confronted a numerically superior enemy force aboard 2 enemy junks and 8 sampans augmented by heavy automatic weapons fire from ashore. In the savage battle that ensued, PO1c. Williams, with utter disregard for his safety exposed himself to the withering hail of enemy fire to direct counter-fire and inspire the actions of his patrol. Recognizing the overwhelming strength of the enemy force, PO1c. Williams deployed his patrol to await the arrival of armed helicopters. In the course of his movement his discovered an even larger concentration of enemy boats. Not waiting for the arrival of the armed helicopters, he displayed great initiative and boldly led the patrol through the intense enemy fire and damaged or destroyed 50 enemy sampans and 7 junks. This phase of the action completed, and with the arrival of the armed helicopters, PO1c. Williams directed the attack on the remaining enemy force. Now virtually dark, and although PO1c. Williams was aware that his boats would become even better targets, he ordered the patrol boats’ search lights turned on to better illuminate the area and moved the patrol perilously close to shore to press the attack. Despite a waning supply of ammunition the patrol successfully engaged the enemy ashore and completed the rout of the enemy force. Under the leadership of PO 1 c. Williams, who demonstrated unusual professional skill and indomitable courage throughout the 3 hour battle, the patrol accounted for the destruction or loss of 65 enemy boats and inflicted numerous casualties on the enemy personnel. His extraordinary heroism and exemplary fighting spirit in the face of grave risks inspired the efforts of his men to defeat a larger enemy force, and are in keeping with the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

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“He believes that surviving the Vietnam War and every day since then has been a gift from above.”

FROM LOU MICHEL, THE BUFFALO NEWS, NY

BUFFALO, N.Y. — At 16, Larry L. Penrod went to war for a buddy caught smoking in the boys room at Tonawanda High School.

“A teacher came in and started giving my friend a hard time for smoking. I said to the teacher, ‘I was smoking, too,’ and that put the attention on me. The teacher started pushing me. I started pushing back. I pulled his tie off, and they suspended me,” Penrod says.

Figuring the school staff would have it in for him, he never returned.

“I enlisted in the Army at 17 with my mother’s permission. My brother Al was already in the Air Force, and my brother Jim was in the Army,” Penrod says.

When he turned 18, he promptly volunteered for service in Vietnam, leaving behind the safety of Germany, where he had been assigned to the 8th Infantry Division.

“I had a lousy childhood. It was very abusive, with an alcoholic father, and we were on welfare most of my life. I wanted to prove that I was not a product of my environment. I like to say Vietnam was easy compared to being a Penrod.”

He served not one, but two voluntary tours in Vietnam and was awarded a Bronze Star and a Combat Infantryman Badge. One of his older brothers, Jim, also served in Vietnam and earned a Bronze Star.

In fact, when Larry arrived in Vietnam, he bumped into Jim, and they had a war zone reunion.

Albert Penrod, another older brother, was serving as a staff sergeant with a ground crew on Guam, keeping bombers headed to Vietnam airworthy. For that, Al received the Air Force Commendation Medal. A fourth Penrod brother, Gary, also served in the Army, assigned to Germany.

In recalling his war experiences, Larry Penrod says, “It’s like deer hunting, only the deer carry weapons in the jungle. It’s also like playing hide-and-go-seek, but the enemy knows all the hiding places.”

Penrod and the other members of his reconnaissance team would do their best to remain hidden as they sought out the enemy. When they were discovered, usually by a Viet Cong sniper, they would be airlifted out and taken to another location, unless it was their turn for three days of rest and recuperation, which occurred every 45 days.

On successful missions, Penrod said they would find hidden food caches, makeshift hospitals in tunnels and enemy graves. “We would have to dig up those graves because weapons would be stashed in them, mostly AK-47 rifles and mortar rounds,” Penrod says, recalling how awful it was to disinter a rotting corpse. “It stunk.”

There were also the monsoons, snakes and leeches, infrequency of hot meals and malaria to contend with, but the biggest worries, he recalls, were snipers.

“When you come under fire,” he says, “it’s like your heart wants to jump out of you.”

Memories of fellow soldiers falling under enemy fire and of him and his comrades going after the enemy, he adds, are best left in the past:

“I don’t want to open those doors. Those doors have been closed.”

By age 20, his two tours of duty in Vietnam were already behind him.

“After two combat tours, I still wasn’t old enough to drink a beer back home,” he says. “I was refused in the airport at Chicago. I told the bartender, ‘Do you realize I could be over there lying in the bottom of a rice paddy? He said to me, ‘Do you realize it is the law that you have to be 21?’ I just walked away.”

At home, the young man who had left high school after defending his buddy in the boys room settled into civilian life, getting married and raising a family. He was employed in a factory and later as a tractor-trailer driver, a job he still works.

Unexpectedly several years ago, Penrod realized he had a gift for poetry.

“Most of my poetry was dark and about my past and my father. When I showed it to people, they’d say, ‘Man, that’s dark.’ But then one day, as I was writing poetry about my father, I put my hands up and said, ‘That’s it, Dad; I’m done beating you up.’ He’d been dead for years.”

When asked to share a poem, he provided this one:

How can a lady bring tears to my eyes When I can fight three of the biggest, baddest, ugliest guys How can I be chained to anything, when I hold the key Memories keep me connected, I’m afraid to be free Love and hate are very good friends, Living and dying the beginning and end In case a mistake was made I’ll keep the lights on. Penrod says he takes no credit for his gift for words: “I believe it is a gift from God.”

He also believes that surviving the Vietnam War and every day since then has been a gift from above.

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Photo: Harold Goettler

… the most soothing thoughts came to mind in the memory of a man I recalled from WWI.
Written November 1968 by Major John Cassell Henderson the day prior to undergoing major surgery. Critically ill and contemplating that the end of his may be near, he wrote this letter to his family reflecting back to a hero named Harold Goettler who gave his life at a young age without a thought. Here is what he wrote:

At one point, the day before the operation, during my recent visit to the hospital, my resistance ebbed to a very low point. Perhaps, my time was up, flashed faintly through my mind. But strangely enough, at the same time, the most soothing thoughts came to mind in the memory of a man I recalled from World War I. Here’s the story.
August 23, 1917. I arrived as an aviation cadet at Champaign, Illinois. I was pleasantly surprised to meet several fellows who I knew from the University of Chicago, reporting for duty in this exciting new adventure the same as I. One in particular was Harold Goettler, a big fine specimen of a man, whose personality and appearance stood out in any group. He was a 3 letter football man at the University and also most popular on the campus in student activities.

Later we proceeded to Canada and Fort Worth with the RFC. Then on the Olympic to England. After arriving in England they split-up the group and sent us to various fields for further flying instructions. Goettler and I were sent to a small field in Norfolk, where we remained together during our entire stay. Except for 5 other American officers, we were thrown in with 100 or so Britishers. Goett and I reported to the Commanding Officer, an Englishman, trim from the tips of his waxed mustache to the toes of his polished boots, who greeted us most cordially and conducted us personally on a tour of the station, before assigning us to the room Goett and I shared during our entire stay. After the austere treatment we had endured, a hot cup of tea, and valet service in the best British style in all our personal needs, convinced us that, although we were still neophytes as military pilots, as officers and gentlemen, we had-it-made.

Strangers, both American and British, immediately accepted and recognized Goett as something special. The red carpet seemed to roll out for him wherever he went. I couldn’t help but notice this, for any favorable attention I got from strangers I had to earn, and that came slowly and gradually.

As I became more closely acquainted with Goett, in spite of his great popularity I found him to be most considerate of his fellow man, and had an inborn instinct of knowing exactly the right thing to do in any situation. When time came to leave this base he had gained the close personal friendship and admiration of all with who he had come in contact.

I saw him several times at brief intervals in France, before we both wound-up on the front in different squadrons. After the Armistice, I was saddened to learn that he had been shot down and killed by ground fire while dropping supplies from a DH4 airplane to some US Infantry, trapped in a valley, and surrounded by the Germans. The US gave him, posthumously, their highest military award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Thus, at the age of 24, life ended for a man who had the physique, education, personality and character that would have carried him to the top in any line of civilian endeavor he might have chosen. And here am I, still here after struggling through 77 years, and still struggling, perhaps not quite so hard lately.

Nature deals life and death in her own way, so when Gabriel blows his horn, I’m ready. Better men than I have gone long before me. But as long as I’m still here, I’ll try to look at it as Jackie Gleason might say, “How Sweet it Is.”

John Cassell Henderson did survive this surgery and lived an active life until his passing in 1984. He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery. (1891-1984)

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President Dwight D. Eisenhower

“The one quality that can be developed by studious reflection and practice is the leadership of men.”

Term – 34th President of the United States (1953–1961)

Born – October 14, 1890, Denison, Texas

Full Name – Dwight David Eisenhower

Nickname – “Ike”

Education – U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York (graduated 1915). President Dwight D. Eisenhower graduated first in his class at the Command and General Staff School at Ft. Leavenworth in 1926.

Religion – Presbyterian

Marriage – July 1, 1916, to Mary “Mamie” Geneva Doud (1896–1979)

Children – Doud Dwight (1917–1921); John Sheldon Doud (1922–)

Career – Soldier

Political Party – Republican

Writings – Crusade in Europe (1948); The White House Years(2 vols.), vol. 1: Mandate for Change (1963), vol. 2: Waging Peace (1965);At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends (1967)

Died – March 28, 1969, Washington, D.C.

 

Dwight D. Eisenhower - From www.whitehouse.gov, www.wikipedia.com and www.eisenhowermemorial.gov

Dwight D. Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army during World War II and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe; he had responsibility for planning and supervising the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942–43 and the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944–45 from the Western Front. In 1951, he became the first supreme commander of NATO. Bringing to the Presidency his prestige as commanding general of the victorious forces in Europe during World War II, Dwight D. Eisenhower obtained a truce in Korea and worked incessantly during his two terms to ease the tensions of the Cold War. He pursued the moderate policies of “Modern Republicanism,” pointing out as he left office, “America is today the strongest, most influential, and most productive nation in the world.”

Born in Texas in 1890, brought up in Abilene, Kansas, Eisenhower was the third of seven sons. He excelled in sports in high school, and received an appointment to West Point. Stationed in Texas as a second lieutenant, he met Mamie Geneva Doud, whom he married in 1916.

In his early Army career, he excelled in staff assignments, serving under Generals John J. Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, and Walter Krueger. After Pearl Harbor, General George C. Marshall called him to Washington for a war plans assignment. He commanded the Allied Forces landing in North Africa in November 1942; on D-Day, 1944, he was Supreme Commander of the troops invading France.

After the war, he became President of Columbia University, then took leave to assume supreme command over the new NATO forces being assembled in 1951. Republican emissaries to his headquarters near Paris persuaded him to run for President in 1952.

“I like Ike” was an irresistible slogan; Eisenhower won a sweeping victory.

Negotiating from military strength, he tried to reduce the strains of the Cold War. In 1953, the signing of a truce brought an armed peace along the border of South Korea. The death of Stalin the same year caused shifts in relations with Russia.

New Russian leaders consented to a peace treaty neutralizing Austria. Meanwhile, both Russia and the United States had developed hydrogen bombs. With the threat of such destructive force hanging over the world, Eisenhower, with the leaders of the British, French, and Russian governments, met at Geneva in July 1955.

The President proposed that the United States and Russia exchange blueprints of each other’s military establishments and “provide within our countries facilities for aerial photography to the other country.” The Russians greeted the proposal with silence, but were so cordial throughout the meetings that tensions relaxed.

Suddenly, in September 1955, Eisenhower suffered a heart attack in Denver, Colorado. After seven weeks he left the hospital, and in February 1956 doctors reported his recovery. In November he was elected for his second term.

In domestic policy the President pursued a middle course, continuing most of the New Deal and Fair Deal programs, emphasizing a balanced budget. As desegregation of schools began, he sent troops into Little Rock, Arkansas, to assure compliance with the orders of a Federal court; he also ordered the complete desegregation of the Armed Forces. “There must be no second class citizens in this country,” he wrote.

Eisenhower concentrated on maintaining world peace. He watched with pleasure the development of his “atoms for peace” program–the loan of American uranium to “have not” nations for peaceful purposes.

Before he left office in January 1961, for his farm in Gettysburg, he urged the necessity of maintaining an adequate military strength, but cautioned that vast, long-continued military expenditures could breed potential dangers to our way of life. He concluded with a prayer for peace “in the goodness of time.” Both themes remained timely and urgent when he died, after a long illness, on March 28, 1969.

Tributes and memorials

Many tributes, memorials and facilities have been named in honor of President Eisenhower. Examples include:

The Interstate Highway System is officially known as the ‘Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways’ in his honor. Commemorative signs reading “Eisenhower Interstate System” and bearing Eisenhower’s permanent 5-star rank insignia were introduced in 1993 and are currently displayed throughout the Interstate System. Several highways are also named for him, including the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290) near Chicago and the Eisenhower Tunnel on Interstate 70 west of Denver.

The British A4 class steam locomotive No. 4496 (renumbered 60008) Golden Shuttle was renamed Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1946. It is preserved at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin. USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the second Nimitz-class supercarrier, was named in his honor.

Eisenhower College was a small, liberal arts college chartered in Seneca Falls, New York in 1965, with classes beginning in 1968. Financial problems forced the school to fall under the management of the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1979. Its last class graduated in 1983.

Eisenhower Hall, the cadet activities building at West Point, was completed in 1974.^] In 1983, the Eisenhower Monument was unveiled at West Point.

The Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California was named after the President in 1971.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center, located at Fort Gordon near Augusta, Georgia, was named in his honor.

In 1983, The Eisenhower Institute was founded in Washington, D.C., as a policy institute to advance Eisenhower’s intellectual and leadership legacies.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial

Congress approved the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Memorial in 1999 with the passage of Public Law 106-79, signed into law by President Clinton. The Memorial will be constructed in the Nation’s Capital to honor the President’s contributions to our nation. The unique design of the Eisenhower National Memorial will be set within a four-acre urban park situated on Independence Avenue, SW, directly across from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and adjacent to the Department of Education to be known as Eisenhower Square, the urban park will serve as a gathering place for memorial visitors and special events.

The Presidential biographies on WhiteHouse.gov are from “The Presidents of the United States of America,” by Frank Freidel and Hugh Sidey. Copyright 2006 by the White House Historical Association.

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