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Good Reading About Veterans
These Stories and Articles have come to our attention and thought we should start putting them in one place. Warning: Some of these words can cause redness in the eyes.
Army Civilian Marks 55 Years of Service 090813
Fort Campbell Welcomes Home Vietnam Veterans 090817
Paratrooper Fulfills Dream of Being 'All-American' 090814
Technology Provides Hope For Paralyzed Veterans 090807
The Sack Lunches 090803
Thousands Honor Harry Patch, The Last Tommy 090807
I put my carry-on in the luggage Compartment and sat down in my
Assigned seat. It was going to be a Long flight. 'I'm glad I have a
Good book to read. Perhaps I will get A short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of Soldiers came down the aisle and
Filled all the vacant seats, totally Surrounding me. I decided to
Start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest
to me.
It seemed so little...
By Aleisha
Scott
Royalty, senior military figures and ordinary men and women joined
together yesterday to say farewell to the last Tommy.
Peace and reconciliation was the theme of the service for Harry Patch
at the Wells Cathedral, in Somerset, England, as representatives from
Germany, Belgium and France took part in the memorial. Patch was then buried
in a private service at the Monkton Coombe Church, near Bath.
The 111-year-old was the last British Army Veteran of World War I and the last to have served in the trenches, as an assistant gunner in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry at the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917, where half a million men died. Following the death of Henry Allingham, aged 113, on July 18, Patch was briefly the oldest man in Europe until his death exactly a week later, on July 25. The cortege left the Fletcher House care home, where he has lived for 13 years, amid emotional scenes as carers and residents formed a guard of honor. People lined the streets of the town as his hearse made its way through the lowered flags of the Royal British Legion. The coffin, covered in the Union flag with a wreath of red roses on top, was carried into the cathedral by soldiers of the 1st Battalion, The Rifles, with two soldiers of each of the armed forces of Belgium, France and Germany following. Behind the coffin, Patch's great-nephew, David Tucker, carried his medals and decorations. He said: "I felt I was carrying the medals of all those who fought in the Great War, reflecting the service, dedication and sacrifice they gave to their countries. He is getting his wish and having a private burial, but he fully understood that if he was the last Veteran it had to be marked in some way. He would have been very proud of this, as a culmination of the work he did towards reconciliation." Alongside Patch's family and friends, the cathedral was full to its 1,400-person capacity, while hundreds more watched the service on a big screen outside. The Duchess of Cornwall, the Duchess of Gloucester, Veterans Minister Kevan Jones and General Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the British Army, also attended the service. Marie-France Andre, of the Belgian embassy, read an extract from Patch's book, The Last Fighting Tommy, describing the final moments of a soldier witnessed Patch on the battlefield – a memory that had haunted him. The anti-war song, Where Have All The Flowers Gone, was sung to reflect his feelings on the futility of war. Jim Ross, a friend of Patch, spoke of him as an ordinary man with extraordinary charm and experiences who became a national icon. "He spent 80 years imprisoning the horrors of the trenches. Harry let the demons out and they did their work, emerging in his dreams to torture and terrify him. Harry let it out so we could hear his message of peace and reconciliation. Harry was the extraordinary man, the plumber from Coombe Down who showed us true heroism. Now at long last, Harry can rest in peace." Dr. Eckhard Wilhelm Lubkemeier, from the German embassy, read a passage from Corinthians. The Dean of Wells, John Clarke, spoke of the "end of an era as the last voice with direct experience of combat in the trenches has fallen silent. The trenches marked his years, but it was only a few months of a long life. Harry believed that the world could be repaired, his hope remains a poignant and urgent message for our time as British servicemen once again face death and injury on foreign fields." The service concluded with a bugler sounding the Last Post and a minute's silence. His friend, Nick Fear, recited The Ode of Remembrance, dedicating it to Patch and his three friends who died in battle. Chief of the General Staff Sir Richard Dannatt said after the ceremony: "This sad occasion marks the end of today's link with the generation that fought in the horrors of the trenches." Asked how Patch would feel about the war in Afghanistan, Sir Richard said: "He would recognize there is an inevitability that when relations break down, often fighting ensues."
While he welcomed the chance to promote the bravery and sacrifice of
servicemen and women, both old and young, Harry Patch grew tired of
remembering his time on the battlefield. His public life started when he
reached 100 years old and reporters began to take an interest. In 1998,
Harry had a visit from a television producer and agreed to be interviewed
for the BBC1 documentary, Veterans. Gradually, he opened up, and as
other Veterans died he became a spokesman for his generation.
Patch's autobiography, The Last Fighting Tommy, written with Richard van Emden, was published by Bloomsbury in 2007. In it, he said: "People talk to me about that war. I find it easier to talk about it now, having talked since 1998, but until that birthday I didn't mention it. Now it is usually all people want to talk about, and I'm tired of talking about it. I've been told that I'm the last survivor of the trenches, the last 'Fighting Tommy'; I like that title." After the death of fellow Veteran Henry Allingham on July 18 at age 113, Patch became one of the very last living survivors of World War I and Britain's oldest man. On hearing of Allingham's death, Patch said he was "very sad at losing a friend." In his book, he spoke about his own death and the idea of a state funeral for the last Veteran. He said he wasn't interested, but that the idea was "all right, I suppose, wanting to honor the generation who fought. The honor must be given to a Veteran who saw action on the Western Front, not to anyone who happened to be in uniform when the war ended. They will have written their pieces in the papers for when I finally go; the last trench fighter has to be newsworthy. Then, I can fade away. Isn't that what old soldiers are meant to do?"
The head of the British Army, Sir Richard Dannatt, said yesterday that
Harry Patch's death was the end of "a chapter of living history," adding
that the Veteran would have accepted the need for conflict in Afghanistan.
He insisted Patch, who hated war, would have appreciated the necessity of
warfare when relations between countries broke down. "This sad occasion
marks the end of today's link with the generation that fought in the horrors
of the trenches, in Harry's case, Passchendaele in 1917. Our grandfathers'
and great-grandfathers' generation – that's gone now. Quite rightly people
were here to pay their respects and mark the end of that generation."
Asked how Harry would feel that so many British young men were still dying abroad, Sir Richard said: "He would recognize there is an inevitability that when relations break down, often fighting ensues. Of course in Afghanistan today, the issues are not quite as clear cut as in the trenches or as clear cut as in 1939-45." Veterans Minister Kevan Jones suggested Harry, who was not honored in his lifetime, might not have wanted posthumous recognition. "If you spoke to Harry and people who knew him well, it wasn't about Harry. He wasn't interested in honors. He was about making sure the horrors of war were not forgotten and that the people he left behind at Passchendaele were not forgotten as well."
With
immobility causing degeneration in the bones, joints, heart, lungs and skin of
tens of thousands of disabled Veterans, scientists are developing equipment
that could get them back on their feet.
Ronald Triolo, a senior research scientist with the
Veterans Affairs
Department, discussed the creation of an innovative bracing system to provide
enhanced mobility and improve the quality of life for paraplegics during an
Aug. 5 Web cast of Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the
Modern Military, on Pentagon Web radio.
Hundreds of thousands of people living in the United States have spinal cord injuries, and some 50,000 of those are Veterans, said Triolo, who also is a professor at Case Western Reserve University and director of The Cleveland Advanced Platform Technology Center for Excellence and associate director of the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center. The ultimate goal of his research, Triolo said, is to develop a hybrid neuroprosthesis – a foot-to-chest orthotic with joints that allows users to stand, walk and climb stairs safely and efficiently with minimal effort. Hybrid prostheses would allow the interface of electrical stimulation and flexible bracing of muscles to provide strength and structural support to paraplegics in the hope of allowing them to walk. "With the hybrid approach, we take the best of both worlds and make something that's greater than its individual parts," said the scientist, who holds a doctorate in biomedical engineering. "If we can take a brace and make it flexible and power movement by electrical stimulation, then we can achieve more fluid motion, and maybe achieve such functions as stair climbing." The main goal, he said, is long-distance walking. Currently, braces provide limited speed and motion to walk faster, the user has to take little steps rather than longer strides. The new hybrid device should allow people to adjust the length of their steps and walk at faster speeds, Triolo said. It also would allow one leg to remain rigid while the other bends, making upward and downward steps possible. The biggest advances, Triolo said, have come at the hip and knees. Developments have to start with the hip and move outward to ensure movements are natural and fluid, he explained. The hip device, which Triolo calls his "crowning achievement" thus far, allows for muscle reciprocation: as the left side moves, the right side moves counter to it, as one's hip would normally rotate. "The unique thing about this particular design is it allows that coupling between the left and right sides to vary with the task at hand," he said. "If someone is walking faster, it allows them to take longer steps. If someone wants to keep one leg stiff and flex the other hip and knee to ascend a stair, it allows that to be accomplished." Triolo also is working on replacing traditional rigid torso braces with more flexible ones to allow more torso movement, as well as an ankle device that will allow the leg to push off the ground and pick the foot up so it doesn't drag with each brace-assisted step. As he advances his testing, Triolo said, he wants to recreate a natural walking motion for people suffering from spinal injuries. And for the thousands of people affected by those injuries, it might be a reason - and a method - to stand up and cheer.
By Anthony Ricchiazzi, Tobyhanna Army Depot Public Affairs
George McClure and his wife, Jayne, participate in a ceremony recognizing McClure's 55 years of service to the nation at Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pa., July 15. (U.S. Army photo by Tony Medici)
George McClure has served the nation 10 years longer than the average age of his co-workers at Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pa.
Born in 1936, McClure, who speaks Vietnamese and Spanish, started his
55 years of service on Sept. 1, 1953, in the U.S. Army.
"When I was in my teen years, the military was a very respected profession amongst my age group," he said. "My father, a World War II Navy Veteran, always advocated the military as a career, expressing regret that he had not done so." When he enlisted, he was selected and assigned to Military Police training and leadership. "We were not given the option to request a particular field; although I enlisted, this was in the days of the draft, and they placed us where they deemed fit," he noted. McClure rose in the ranks and served in several posts throughout the country and overseas. "My first duty was in Germany, at the tail end of the occupation period," he said. "Beautiful country, the people were friendly, the beer was delicious, and the girls were lovely. These were major factors in my decision to re-enlist."
Despite that quip, McClure took his duties seriously, evidenced by his
increasing responsibilities, including an assignment at Fort Dix, N.J., where
he served as Military Police operations sergeant in the provost marshal's
office. There, he helped to maintain law and order at a post with a population
of 50,000, and served as the functional supervisor of 144 MP patrolmen -
called "whitecaps" for their distinctive headgear - on three shifts.
Prior to that, he served two tours in Vietnam: the first as squad leader and platoon sergeant with Company C of the 25th Infantry Division's 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Battalion, and the second as first sergeant of the 557th MP Company, 95th MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade. He was wounded twice in firefights.
McClure said his most interesting and rewarding assignment was as the
sergeant major of the 550th Military Police Detachment, 3rd Battalion, 7th
Special Forces, in the Panama Canal Zone. "We traveled throughout Latin
America, teaching police subjects, counter-insurgency, riot control, etc., in
the Spanish language," he said. "Additionally, some of us were on jump status
and training to become Special Forces-qualified, and the camaraderie amongst
the Special Forces is very close."
McClure retired from active duty in 1974. His numerous awards include not only a Purple Heart with one oak leaf cluster, but also the Bronze Star, the Vietnam Service Medal with six major battle stars, the Combat Infantryman's Badge and the Parachutist Qualification Badge with jump wings.
McClure said he would have remained in the Army, but felt he had no
option other than to retire when his wife was diagnosed with cancer in 1974
and needed to return to the United States for treatment. "When she was finally
operated on, they took out a 20-pound ovarian cyst," he said. "At that time,
ovarian cysts were 90 percent fatal."
McClure was hired as a security patrolman at Tobyhanna in 1975. "I came to Tobyhanna Army Depot because I missed the military atmosphere, and Tobyhanna supplemented that, in part," he said. Now a senior security specialist in Tobyhanna's communications security division, McClure said he can't pin down what he likes best about working here, but said he knows his work at the Defense Department's major communications security storage and repair facility - supporting all service branches and other major government agencies - is extremely important to support the warfighter. When asked the inevitable question of why he's worked for 55 years when most people retire at 30 or 35 years, his answer is direct and brief: "Why not? As I said from the podium when I received the 55-year award, I consider it a distinct privilege to work at Tobyhanna Army Depot."
At the July 15 ceremony, McClure received numerous awards and
mementoes, including the Army Superior Civilian award; a coin and a note from
U.S. Army Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, commander of the U.S. Army Materiel Command; a
certificate of appreciation and commander's coin; a framed photo of the depot
signed by members of the command group and co-workers; and a framed front page
of an original July 20, 1954, newspaper in honor of his service entry date.
By PFC Kissta M. Feldner,
USA, 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs
U.S. Army Spc. Claudy Bellanger's experiences with U.S. soldiers as a boy growing up in Haiti led to his joining the Army. (U.S. Army photo by PFC Kissta M. Feldner)
As
an 8-year-old boy sitting on the roof of a friend's house in war-torn Haiti in
1994, Claudy Bellanger saw a sight that captivated his attention: helicopters
speeding past carrying American soldiers.
"I'd never seen them with my own eyes before, only on television," he
said.
Bellanger's boyhood experiences with U.S. troops in his home country set him on a path that eventually led him to join the U.S. Army. Today, Bellanger, 23, is an Army specialist assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Ft. Bragg, N.C. His journey began in Jacmel, Haiti, where he was born and lived for the first 18 years of his life. For much of his childhood, Haiti was a military dictatorship. The government took money from its citizens, who couldn't afford to buy food or go to school, Bellanger said. "As a Third World country, it's pretty rough to live there," he said. Bellanger recalled participating in protests against the government as a young boy, waving tree branches in the air and yelling. At these riots, the government's paramilitary police force would gas the crowds. The larger the crowds became, the more people were hurt or killed, he said. President Bill Clinton sent U.S. forces into Haiti in September 1994 as part of "Operation Restore Democracy." The goal was to end human rights abuses against the people of Haiti and reinstate the democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. On Sept. 18, 1994, Haitian leaders learned that paratroopers with the "All-American" 82nd Airborne Division were on their way to conduct a parachute assault into Haiti. They quickly agreed to give up power, and the aircraft carrying the paratroopers were called back. Later, soldiers from the 82nd's 3rd Battalion, 73rd Armor Regiment, deployed to Haiti to support the peacekeeping operation. Bellanger had several memorable interactions with the soldiers, including eating his first meals, ready-to-eat beef dinner. "I think that was the best meal," he said. "It was good compared to what I was eating." A more significant experience came when Bellanger approached two American soldiers on guard duty and asked how he too could join the U.S. Army. One of the soldiers gave him a recruiting business card, and Bellanger ran home to make the call. He was told that, in addition to being too young, he needed to become a U.S. citizen. And that's what he did. At 18, Bellanger left Haiti to live with his father in Jersey City, N.J., where he spent two years learning English and earned his GED diploma. "I didn't want to waste any time," he said. Bellanger again called the number on that business card that he had kept for 12 years, and joined the Army at last. "I was so focused and determined to make it, that I did everything that I could," he said. "I just wanted to be in the Army. Now I'm in the 82nd. It's a dream come true."
Soldier Finds Calling in the Army
By Sgt. Rick Nelson,
USA, U.S. Central Command Public Affairs
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Megan E. Brunty, an intelligence analyst with U.S. Central Command, is honored with a certificate of promotion at a ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., Aug. 3. Brunty also was awarded the command's Non-commissioned Officer of the Year award earlier in the year. (U.S Army photo by Sgt. Rick Nelson)
People join the military for many reasons, some for college assistance,
some to stay out of trouble and some to fulfill a patriotic need to serve
their country.
For U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Megan E. Brunty, an intelligence analyst
assigned to the U.S. Central Command at MacDill AFB, in Tampa, Fla., her
reasons were simple: after attending college, coaching soccer and waiting
tables, she decided to make a change in her life and join the Army. "I
actually attended college for a year when I began to speak to a recruiter and
enlisted in March of 2005," the Huntsville, Ala., native said. "I had a desire
to serve my country and be a part of something greater."
Another deciding factor for her enlistment was the Army's ability to provide Brunty with the type of job she was looking for. "At first, my family was worried and showed concern when I enlisted, but are now very proud and support whatever I do," she said.
Throughout her enlistment, Brunty said, she always had a desire to be a
non-commissioned officer, and after researching many jobs in the Army, felt
she could be best used in the intelligence community. That proved to be the
right path for her as she earned the U.S. Central Command's NCO of the Year
award in March.
"She is proactive vice reactive," said U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Lavelle L. Council, operation threat networks non-commissioned officer in charge at the Central Command, and Brunty's supervisor. "She takes the initiative to find out what has to be accomplished instead of waiting to be told." Council said Brunty, 24, is an absolute professional who is willing to listen and takes constructive criticism in a positive manner. "She's always asking me how she can help when she notices that I, or anyone for that matter, has a sizable workload," Council said. With the quality of soldier that she is and what she has accomplished, Council believes Brunty will go far in her Army career.
"I really wanted this award and worked hard to achieve it," Brunty
said. "I always strive to be like any NCO I see that rises above their peers
by doing the right thing and living out the Army values."
Brunty says she has a lot more in store for her career, including Airborne and Air Assault school, the Basic Non-commissioned Officers Course, the Staff Non-commissioned Officers Course and being accepted into the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club. Brunty said she can't imagine what life would be like if she didn't join the Army, and has no regrets about her career. "Everyone makes mistakes in life and in their careers, but good NCOs will bounce back with resolve and a stronger character," she said. "To me, it's all about standing alongside of fellow service members that sacrifice to serve this country and to remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for us."
 Tears filled the eyes of some Vietnam Veterans who were warmly greeted with cheers from their family and friends yesterday in an re-enactment of their original return from the war, when they were often met with angry demonstrators and harsh headlines.
The ceremony was a first for the 101st Airborne Division and the Army,
said Maj. Patrick Seiber, an Army spokesman based at Fort Campbell, Ky. "Our
hope is that other units and other posts will follow our lead in having this
type of ceremony," he said.
Mickey Leighton, a 72-year-old Army Veteran from Naples, Fla., said
listening to the applause and praise from the community was very emotional.
Leighton, who started his military career at Fort Campbell in 1956, served two
tours in Vietnam - including during the Tet Offensive. He returned in 1972 in
the midst of angry anti-war protests that often placed blame on the individual
soldiers. "We were treated very shabbily," he said. "In some cases they would
throw eggs at us, they would throw empty beer bottles at us and they would
call us 'baby-killers.'" He said many soldiers would immediately change
clothes because they didn't want to wear their uniforms in public in the late
1960s and early '70s while traveling home after returning from the war.
"Never in the history of the military have I known of any division or
any military installation providing a specific welcome home for Vietnam
Veterans," Leighton said. "This is very touching."
In contrast, Fort Campbell soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
are welcomed back with a ceremony after every deployment, with many completing
three or four tours since the wars began.
Army leaders and the community around Fort Campbell collaborated for
the Vietnam ceremony, Seiber said. The 101st Airborne Division Association, a
group for former soldiers from the division, helped to organize and get the
word out. "I can't think of a better community to do this in than the Fort
Campbell community," Seiber said.
Although many Veterans had ties to Fort Campbell, the ceremonies
included those from almost all the services. Many wore pieces of their old
uniforms such as pins, awards and ribbons. Relatives filled the bleachers
holding up signs that read "Welcome Home" and "Thank you for your service."
Gene Jones, 67, of Louisville, Ky., went to war in 1964 and 1965 with
the 101st Airborne. He spent two years in the hospital recovering after he
lost his leg in the fighting. "The American public didn't support the war," he
said. "I was there because I thought I was doing the right thing," he said.
"Evidently I was doing the right thing because of the turnout like this. We
were long due," he said of the ceremony. "It brings tears to your eyes."
Seiber said he expected more than 1,500 Veterans to participate during
multiple ceremonies.
Maj. Gen. John F. Campbell, commanding general of the 101st Airborne
Division, said the time had come to do the right thing. "We realize that many
of you did not receive the honorable homecoming you deserved as American
heroes," Campbell said. "We wanted to make sure that another day doesn't go by
when you did not have a proper welcome home."
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