Wednesday Hero

Spc 4 Donald Sloat  20 years old from Coweta, Oklahoma  3rd Platoon, Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division February 1949 - January 17, 1970
 
On September 15, Spc. 4 Donald Sloat was posthumously awarded the Medal Of Honor for his actions in 1970 in Vietnam: 
 Specialist Four Donald P. Sloat distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving as a machine gunner with 3rd Platoon, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, during combat operations against an armed enemy in the Republic of Vietnam, Jan. 17, 1970. D Company operated out of Fire Support Base Hawk Hill in an area of I Corps. They were located south and southwest of Danang providing security for local villages and conducting regular searches for NVA units. The territory they patrolled stretched from the coastal lowlands to the mountains and jungle. North Vietnamese and Viet Cong activity was common in the area, and D Company suffered regular casualties from snipers and booby traps. On the morning of Jan. 17, 1970, Sloat's squad was conducting a patrol, serving as a blocking element in support of tanks and armored personnel carriers from F Troop in the Que Son valley. As the squad moved through dense up a small hill in file formation, the lead Soldier tripped a wire attached to a hand grenade booby-trap set up by enemy forces. When the grenade rolled down the hill toward Sloat, he had a choice. He could hit the ground and seek cover, or pick up the grenade and throw it away from his fellow Soldiers. After initially attempting to throw the grenade, Sloat realized that detonation was imminent, and that two or three men near him would be killed or seriously injured if he couldn't shield them from the blast. In an instant, Sloat chose to draw the grenade to his body, shielding his squad members from the blast, and saving their lives. Sloat's actions define the ultimate sacrifice of laying down his own life in order to save the lives of his comrades. Specialist Four Donald P. Sloat's extraordinary heroism and selflessness are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service, and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so that we may get to enjoy our freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

 This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Monday Morning Inspiration

I love the blog  Off the Base  and was moved by the Sept.19 post . Check it out.

Army Ranger Cory Remsburg Returns to Haley V.A.

Wednesday Hero

A quick note about this weeks post. Below is all the information that could be found about Airman Second Class Gordon Thayer. Not everyone who has served goes into the history books. The majority simply return home and live their lives.

Airman Second Class Gordon Thayer    
 From Airman Second Class Thayer's Silver Star citation:
 The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Airman Second Class Gordon C. Thayer, United States Air Force, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force near Phouc Vinh, Republic of Vietnam on 25 August 1966. On that date, Airman Thayer was a Pararescueman aboard a Rescue Helicopter, which was shot down and forced to crash-land while attempting to evacuate wounded Army personnel. Shaking off the effects of shock of the extremely hard landing and with complete disregard for personal safety, Airman Thayer tended to the Army wounded while subjecting himself to intense hostile fire. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Airman Thayer has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
 From Airman Second Class Thayer's Distinguished Flying Cross citation:
 The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Airman Gordon C. Thayer, United States Air Force, for heroism involving aerial flight as para-rescueman on an unarmed and unarmored CH-3C helicopter over North Vietnam on 27 July 1965. On that date, Airman Thayer's aircraft penetrated the surface-to-air missile envelope surrounding Hanoi, North Vietnam, to successfully recover a pilot who had abandoned his crippled aircraft in that area. This recovery operation involved flight in excess of 300 miles over hostile territory under marginal weather conditions and without navigational aids. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty demonstrated by Airman Thayer reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so that we may get to enjoy our freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

 This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Remembering on September 11th

September 11th is, for me, a day to remember and honor the lives of people I never met, but whose stories now live in my heart.

I invite you to click on the links below and learn a little about a few of those whom our nation and our world lost on that September day.

Thomas Burnett,Jr.

Rick Rescorla

Jonathan N. Cappello

John Salamone

Jerry Moran

Yuguang Zheng and Shuyin Yang

Catherine C. Gorayeb

Robert Fazio,Jr

Hemanth Kumar Puttur

Adel Agayby Zakhary

My thoughts and prayers today are with the family and friends of all those lost on September 11,2001.

Never Forget.

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Mike


Maj. Kurt Chew-Een Lee  88 years old from Arlington, Virginia  Machine-Gun Platoon of Baker Company,  1st Battalion 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division  January 21, 1926 - March 3, 2014

  Maj. Kurt Chew-Een Lee was the first U.S. Marine Corps officer of Chinese descent. At the time of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Chew-Een Lee was a high school student going by the nickname "Kurt", associated with the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps. In 1944 when he was an 18-year-old student of mining engineering, Lee joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He retired from the Marines in 1968. You can read more about Maj. Kurt Chew-Een Lee  here 

 These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so that we may get to enjoy our freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

 This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Mike

Technician 5th Grade Robert Maxwell  93 years old from Boise, Idaho  3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division  
From Technician 5th Grade Maxwell's Medal Of Honor citation:
 For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 7 September 1944, near Besancon, France. Technician 5th Grade Maxwell and 3 other soldiers, armed only with .45 caliber automatic pistols, defended the battalion observation post against an overwhelming onslaught by enemy infantrymen in approximately platoon strength, supported by 20mm. flak and machinegun fire, who had infiltrated through the battalion's forward companies and were attacking the observation post with machinegun, machine pistol, and grenade fire at ranges as close as 10 yards. Despite a hail of fire from automatic weapons and grenade launchers, Technician 5th Grade Maxwell aggressively fought off advancing enemy elements and, by his calmness, tenacity, and fortitude, inspired his fellows to continue the unequal struggle. When an enemy hand grenade was thrown in the midst of his squad, Technician 5th Grade Maxwell unhesitatingly hurled himself squarely upon it, using his blanket and his unprotected body to absorb the full force of the explosion. This act of instantaneous heroism permanently maimed Technician 5th Grade Maxwell, but saved the lives of his comrades in arms and facilitated maintenance of vital military communications during the temporary withdrawal of the battalion's forward headquarters.
You can read more about Technician 5th Grade Maxwell  here and   here 


 These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

 This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go  here.

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Mike


Ens. John Parle  23 years old from Omaha, Nebraska  USS LST-375  May 26, 1920 - July 10, 1943
 

From Ens. Parle's Medal Of Honor citation:  For valor and courage above and beyond the call of duty as Officer-in-Charge of Small Boats in the USS LST-375 during the amphibious assault on the island of Sicily, 9-10 July 1943. Realizing that a detonation of explosives would prematurely disclose to the enemy the assault about to be carried out, and with full knowledge of the peril involved, Ens. Parle unhesitatingly risked his life to extinguish a smoke pot accidentally ignited in a boat carrying charges of high explosives, detonating fuses and ammunition. Undaunted by fire and blinding smoke, he entered the craft, quickly snuffed out a burning fuse, and after failing in his desperate efforts to extinguish the fire pot, finally seized it with both hands and threw it over the side. Although he succumbed a week later from smoke and fumes inhaled, Ens. Parle's heroic self-sacrifice prevented grave damage to the ship and personnel and insured the security of a vital mission. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.
You can read more about Ens. Parle  here 


 These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

 This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go  here.

                                                       

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Mike

Col. Bruce Sundlun
91 years old from Jamestown, Rhode Island
545th Bombardment Squadron, 384th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force
January 19, 1920 - July 21, 2011 


While still in college, Bruce Sundlun volunteered for service in the U.S. Army Air Forces Aviation Cadet Program on 8 December 1941, at Westover Field. He was trained as a four-engine bomber pilot at MaxwellField in Alabama, after basic flight training at the USAAC SoutheastTraining Center at Orangeburg, South Carolina, the Greenville Army Air Field at Greenville, Mississippi, and George Field in Lawrenceville, Illinois.

During overseas active duty beginning in June 1943, Sundlun served as a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot in the England-based 545th Bombardment Squadron, 384th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force at Grafton-Underwood Air Base. His plane the Damn Yankee[5] was shot down over Nazi-occupied Jabbeke, Belgium on 1 December 1943 after the plane was damaged by flak during the bombing of Solingen, Germany, on his 13th mission.

You can read more about Col. Sundlun here


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.


Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Mike

1st Lt. Vernon Baker  90 years old from St. Maries, Idaho  370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division December 17, 1919- July 13, 2010
 
From Lt. Baker's Medal Of Honor citation:
 For extraordinary heroism in action on 5 and 6 April 1945, near Viareggio, Italy. Then Second Lieutenant Baker demonstrated outstanding courage and leadership in destroying enemy installations, personnel, and equipment during his company's attack against a strongly entrenched enemy in mountainous terrain. When his company was stopped by the concentration of fire from several machine gun emplacements, he crawled to one position and destroyed it, killing three Germans. Continuing forward, he attacked an enemy observation post and killed two occupants. With the aid of one of his men, Lieutenant Baker attacked two more machine gun nests, killing or wounding the four enemy soldiers occupying these positions. He then covered the evacuation of the wounded personnel of his company by occupying an exposed position and drawing the enemy's fire. On the following night Lieutenant Baker voluntarily led a battalion advance through enemy mine fields and heavy fire toward the division objective. Second Lieutenant Baker's fighting spirit and daring leadership were an inspiration to his men and exemplify the highest traditions of the Armed Forces.
You can read more about Lt. Baker  here


 These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

 This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go  here.

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Lisa

Mike Berry  A different post this week. I don't know anything about Mr. Berry's service, all I do know is that he, and his family, need our help. Mike Berry has served in the Army and National Guard for 23 years and in 2012 was experiencing strange smells, shakiness and feeling faint. Then one day, while making dinner, he passed out. He was taken to the ER where they found a brain tumor.
You can find more information about Mr. Berry, and how you can help,here 


 These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

 This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go  here.

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Mike

WASP
 
The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) was a paramilitary aviation organization. In 1943 they were created when the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) were merged together. The female pilots of the WASP ended up numbering 1,074, each freeing a male pilot for combat service and duties. They flew over 60 million miles in every type of military aircraft. The WASP was granted veteran status in 1977, and given the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009. Some 25,000 women applied to join the WASP, but only 1,830 were accepted and took the oath. Only 1,074 of them passed the training and joined. Thirty-eight died flying in the WASP You can read more about WASP  here 

 These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero. 

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

  This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here. 

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By SJ


The Forgotten 14
 Samuel Gerald Dean, Edward Joseph Wolbers, Radamés E. Cáceres, Douglas Laurent Dauphin, Bert Garland Sauls Jr., Kenneth N. Markle, Louis Karp, James Henry Henderson, Douglas Vincent Schmoker, Howard George Sewell, George M. Durrett, Robert H. Watson, Harold Edwin Richards &James Dixon Fore
 December 22nd, 1943   Three days before Christmas in 1943, two hours past midnight, 14 men climbed into an airplane and lifted into the dark sky over the slumbering hamlet of West Palm Beach. Their journey lasted but a few moments, and killed every one of them.
You can read more  here and here


 These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

 This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go  here.

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by Steve


Capt. Linda Bray   53 years old from Clemmons, North Carolina  988th Military Police Company
 
Capt. Linda Bray made national headlines when she became the first woman in U.S. history to lead troops into combat during the 1989 invasion of Panama. As a result she was met with a lot of resistance and anger to what she had accomplished because she was a woman. Bray and 45 soldiers under her command, nearly all of them men, encountered a unit of Panamanian special operations soldiers holed up inside a military barracks and dog kennel. They killed three of the enemy and took one prisoner before the rest were forced to flee.
You can read more about Capt. Bray here


 These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look


 This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go  here.

Visit to National D Day Memorial

After participating in the Patriot Guard riders mission on June 7 (see previous post)
we headed down to Bedford,Virginia to visit the National D Day Memorial

The link to the pics we took is  Here

and here's 2 videos that Tony took

Patriot Guard Rider mission in June

Way late in posting this, but back on June 7 we were finally able to participate in a
Patriot Guard Rider mission..this was a happy one, escorting wounded warriors with
  Project Healing Waters to a fly fishing invitational at Mossy Creek

We got up Way earlier than I would ever normally get up on a Saturday off work,lol, and of course we don't have a bike, we put our car flags on our 'cage' as they call it

                                  and joined the other riders

getting ready to head out

None of the videos I took turned out :(  We ended up bringing up the rear of the caravan, but I do think some of the pictures below show just how awesome it is to see one of these escorts! The town of Bridgewater had up a welcome sign

and flags lining the street

               
  and these pictures are after the escort has ended, when everyone continued to the end of the road after the Project Healing Waters vans had turned off.

It's been too long since we've been able to go on a Patriot Guard mission, and it was so wonderful to be part of this one! :)

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by  SJ


Cpl. Tom Jones, Jr.  89 years old from Hogback, New Mexico  3rd Division, Unit 297, Navajo Code Talkers 767 and Navajo Code Talkers 642 Platoons  1925? - May 12, 2014     
Another Navajo Code Talker has passed away. Tom Jones, Jr. passed away on May 12.
 Be warned, reading the article below will make you angry. The conditions these men, these veterans, live in is just unforgivable. You can read more about Cpl. Jones  here  


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

 This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go  here.

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by  SJ

Stan White  94 years old from Albuquerque, New Mexico    
 Albuquerque veteran Stan E. White, a Pearl Harbor survivor who was injured during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, was awarded the Legion of Honor, France's highest decoration, according to Perry Bendicksen, Honorary French Consul for New Mexico. Although he was raised in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, White was a 19-year-old athlete and cowboy living in New Mexico when he enlisted in the Army. He said he saw it as an opportunity for travel, adventure and education. He ended up with a life he never could have predicted. You can read more about Stan White here


 These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

 This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go  here.

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by Kathi


Pfc. Clarence Wolf Guts  86 years old from South Dakota  1924? - June 16, 2010
 
When the towers of the World Trade Center fell on Sept. 11, 2001, Clarence Wolf Guts asked his son to call the U.S. Department of Defense to see if the country needed his code talking abilities to find Osama Bin Laden. Wolf Guts was in his late 70s at the time, so his son did not make the call, but said the request personified his father's love of country. "He still wanted to help. He was trying to still be patriotic". Pfc. Wolf Guts was the last surviving Oglala Lakota code talker from WWII. You can read more about Pfc. Wolf Guts here

 These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

 Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

 This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go  here.