One side of remembrance is for our heroes who gave their lives defending America and our values.  The other side is for the loved ones left behind, especially the spouses and children. 

Allan Cors and I had the pleasure and honor of lunching with Craig Pirtle, a man who is committed to supporting the families of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He became friends with COL John Folsom (USMC) and an advocate for a program COL Folsom had begun called Wounded Warriors Family Support.  We were very impressed with the vision of this organization.

WWFS mission is to “provide support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured or killed during combat operations. The families of our casualties suffer in many ways: some financially, some psychological.  Wounded Warriors Family Support mitigates their trauma by allowing them to find peace and solace as a family once more in family-friendly resorts that we provide free of charge. The resort condominiums that we own in Orlando, Florida and Galveston, Texas are quiet havens where war torn families can reunite and become stronger.”

Please check out their Web site: www.woundedwarriorhospitalfund.org  You will also have a chance to see a very positive piece CNN’s Anderson Copper 360 did on the organization.

Thank you COL Folsom and Craig Pirtle.

By Carlyn Swaim, History Associates

“How has my life been affected by the Vietnam Era? In many ways I am sure. With the loss of my son in that conflict, even now many do not call it a war, yet he served with pride and honor when his country called.”

In late October of 1969, Mrs. Frances Turley learned of her son’s death in Vietnam.

 Sergeant Francis E. Cortor died on October 21 when his unit came under enemy mortar fire. With several other men from his company, Sgt. Cortor had volunteered to recover the bodies of men killed from an earlier mortar attack. During each recovery attempt, fire rained down on the men and Cortor and three others were mortally wounded.

Mrs. Turley’s son had just returned to Vietnam in June. His first tour had ended only a month before in May and Sergeant Cortor had only a month of leave. He spent some of this time visiting his family in Missouri before returning for his second, fatal tour. Devastated by the loss of her son, Mrs. Turley later reflected that “because he believed in service to his God and his country, his brothers and others did not grow up knowing his love and concern for them- our family was no longer whole.” In response, Turley explained, her priorities changed. She spent increasingly less time with her Garden Club and instead realized her desire to help returning veterans, and the nation, heal. Turley soon became active with the American Gold Star Mothers (AGSM).

The American Gold Star Mothers have a nearly century old history of support for mothers who have lost their children during service in the Armed Forces.  Throughout World War I, mothers hung blue star service flags in their windows for each child in the service. Upon learning of a son’s death, grieving families exchanged blue stars for gold. Recognizable by their white dress and gold star-adorned black arm bands, the American Gold Star Mothers are meant to represent not only sacrifice, but also support, service, and decency. It is an organization whose membership eligibility is unanimously unwanted, but it encourages mothers to redirect their grief towards assistance of servicemen, servicewomen, and veterans.

After joining the organization, Mrs. Turley became active in veterans appreciation and support groups. Since the inception of the Homeless Veterans Burial Program in Missouri, Turley has attended every service. As a registered nurse, she also worked at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center for over 20 years. In 1996, her peers elected her the National President of the AGSM for the year. She continues to attend AGSM conferences and works with veteran’s programs to ensure that no deceased veterans are forgotten.

During a Memorial Day service this year, Frances Turley told a crowd in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, that the death of her son encouraged her to do more for those veterans who are not killed. “We have a responsibility to the living,” Turley said.

 

On this 4^th of July NMAW would like to like to issue a special salute to uniformed service members, veterans and their family members. Your continued sacrifices have made celebrating the Fourth of July possible for 233 years and counting.

While you are enjoying your holiday weekend with family and friends, think of the service men and women who cannot be with their loved ones this time of year. Think of the sacrifices they are making and remember to thank them for that.

This weekend exudes patriotism, celebrates the principles of our great country, and we need to honor our troops who allow us to maintain our freedom.

Again, on behalf of all of us who continue to enjoy our freedom, thank you to those who fight for our liberties and the families that support them.

Happy Independence Day!

By James P. Rife, History Associates

In the aftermath of 9-11, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 became one of the first units to strike back against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the Global War on Terrorism.  Already one of the most storied CB (“Seabee”) units within the U.S. Navy, NMCB 133 is perhaps most famous for its bloody landing on Iwo Jima during WWII, where it sustained a twenty-five percent casualty rate. In late 2001, this unit once again contributed heavily toward the success of an American invasion force.

NMCB 133 swung into action in November 2001, when one of the battalion’s detachments joined Joint Task Force 58 led by USMC Brigadier General James Mattis. The initial plan called for 150 Seabees with over forty pieces of heavy equipment to fly in with the Marines, then build and maintain a forward airfield in remote southern Afghanistan. But the sheer distance of the assault, 441 miles inland from the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu in the Arabian Sea, reduced the force to a “bare bones” of twenty-seven Seabees and only nine pieces of equipment. 

Called Operation SWIFT FREEDOM, the assault took place on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2001.  The first wave of Marines from the 15^th Marine Expeditionary Unit landed by helicopter at an abandoned airstrip located about 55 miles southwest of Kandahar. There they established an initial forward operating base, called Camp Rhino.  Soon four planeloads of additional Marines landed, and the next day the small force of Seabees from NMCB 133, under Lieutenant Commander Len Cooke, arrived in two Air Force C-17s. 

The primitive nature of the unpaved Camp Rhino airstrip called for Seabee ingenuity.  Situated in a dry riverbed, planners feared that it would rapidly deteriorate under the weight of the incoming C-17 and C-130 transports, making it unsafe to land or take off.  Moreover, helicopters attempting to operate at the base created hazardous brown-out conditions as their rotors kicked up dirt and dust that threatened to blind pilots and choke engines. The airstrip’s remoteness also meant that getting the proper materials to stabilize the runway in the required quantities and time was unfeasible. 

In response, the Seabees devised a way to use the more clay-like soil found deeper underground as a stabilizer.  Each day they cleared the spoiled surface dirt generated by the previous night’s air operations, and then replaced it with the dug-up clay-like material, wetting it down with what little water was available and then rolling it to create a temporary hard surface.  This “just-in-time” method allowed the runway to stay operational for nearly two months.  To facilitate helicopter operations, the Seabees imported a spray-applicated soil stabilizer that came to be known as “Rhino snot,” effectively reducing the dust levels.  

The Seabees were also part of the initial security force at Camp Rhino, living up to their motto, “With Compassion for Others, We Build, We Fight.”  Some NMCB 133 personnel and equipment were later moved to Kandahar where, working 24 hours a day, the unit began making the airbase there operational. The non-stop, “can do” attitude of the Seabees proved critical to the combat success of the Afghanistan operations. For its efforts, the unit was later awarded the Naval Battle “E” as well as the Peltier Award, recognizing it as the year’s best Naval Mobile Construction Battalion.

In January 2003, NMCB 133 deployed to Kuwait and took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and also assisted in the clean-up at its home port of Gulfport, Mississippi, following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.  

Marines watch as Navy Seabees level the dirt landing strip used by heavy aircraft outside Kandahar. Photo by Master Chief Photographer’s Mate Terry Cosgrove, USN. Courtesy of defendamerica.mil

A sentry from U.S. Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 133 provides perimeter security for a C-17A Globemaster III aircraft at Camp Rhino. The Seabees' arrival was the first ever successful strategic airlift operation by a C-17 aircraft onto an undeveloped dirt landing strip. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Efrain Gonzalez, USAF. Courtesy of defendamerica.mil