Veterans Day

[Bruce Day]

6am and waiting for Charlie and we will go north.

In Gulf War I was out of bombers and helping run a C-130 squadron. We had a night offload in Saudi and then we were told we had expedited passengers and return cargo. On came our passengers ( pax). One was a young Marine coming back to Aviano then change planes to Frankfurt. He had been behind the berms in southern Kuwait watching the power and light show, hearing explosions. They had advanced to the Iraqi trenches and wire and mine defenses then the Marine charge order came, lead by the sergeants and Lts. Gunships were firing, explosions all around. The Marine said he felt himself lifted by an explosion but knew he had to advance so he kept running until he felt himself sinking lower and lower on one side and fell over. He looked down and saw that his foot had been blown off by a mine.

So this is Veterans Day, and these young men have risen for our country time and time again, and will carry on.

I hope the late USN Adm. Chester Nimitz will allow me to paraphrase his words, which are inscribed on the base of the USMC Monument in DC, just up river from Arlington National Cemetery. Colonel Day's description of the young Marine who lost a foot in that fire fight rings true- and not just for the USMC but for all forward units in combat, regardless of rank, unit, division or Branch of Military Service. If you read his post carefully would will see that the NCO's and the Platoon Commanders (Lts.) were out in front, as all leaders must be.

I think many, too many indeed, of us who have served, no matter in which time frame or combat theater have lost a close friend to the tragedy that any war or armed conflict brings. My best friend from school days (50 years ago) went to OSU on a football scholarship, did his ROTC and was a 1st. Lt. in the Army, 82nd. Airborne Division, then into the 5th SF- he was "on point" near Pleiku in Feb 1966- hit a trip wire, turned and hit the ground with the next trooper behind him (we called them slack men back then) and covered him to shield him from the frags- Don died doing that, received both the Purple Heart and a Silver Star- I have a tracing of him name from the wall and both his jump wings and one of his Lt. bars in a special place-and I look at those things each year on this day--His sacrifice exemplified the leadership that Colonel Day detailed for us here- He may be gone, but will never be forgotten- never!!