Category: Real Soldiers

It seems that the ladies have been complaining incessantly, as ladies tend to do, in my experience, that we don’t run enough pictures of hot men on TAH. Mainly, that’s because I don’t know what a hot man looks like, but I’m going to take a shot here and guess that these guys who are in the annual Best Ranger competition at Fort Benning, GA are considered hot. But I’m a broken clock in this matter;

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Ken sends us a link to an article about SFC Matthew Loheide who was awarded the Silver Star for his actions in a fire fight in Afghanistan. The Daily Mail;

Loheide and others were injured when a bomb dropped on their position during his platoon’s first big mission in June of 2010.

Despite his injuries and under fire, Loheide marked a landing zone for helicopters to evacuate the wounded and led his soldiers to safety.

‘I remember hearing the jet coming in,’ Loheide recalled to the Leaf Chronicle. ‘I can even remember hearing the bomb come in. And then everything went black.’

When his vision finally returned he saw immediate identified three causalities near him.

But they were still under fire.

Pressing on Loheide led a movement down the mountain to mark a landing zone for helicopters to evacuate the wounded.

SFC Loheide turned from the award ceremony to reenlist because;

‘Being a platoon sergeant is one of those things. I feel after this I can move on and do great things, but I’ll never have that fulfilling feeling of leading a large group of men again.’

I know that feeling – that anything else I accomplish in this life doesn’t compare to leading a platoon in combat.

Andy sends us a link from Army.mil about Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jeanne Y. Pace who is the Army’s longest serving woman in history. She is currently the commander of the 1st Cavalry Division Band. She’s been on active duty since 1972 when it wasn’t the Army but the Women’s Army Corp.

Like many serving today, Pace said she joined the Army to establish her independence as an adult with the guarantee of clothing, food, shelter, and medical benefits while earning her education benefits and trying to figure out what she really wanted to do with her life.

“I had no idea that that three-year year enlistment would turn into more than 40 years. There is just no way I could have imagined it,” continued Pace.

Pace began her career as a private with the 14th Army (WAC) Band at Fort McClellan, Ga., and after 13 years decided to apply to be a warrant officer. It was during this time she was dealt what she perceives was her only real setback during her distinguished career.

“I failed the first time I tried to become a warrant officer,” said Pace.

Sixty-one years is a long time.  People age, and memories fade.  But some things are worth remembering.

On 14 August 1952, a thing worth remembering occurred.  Sadly, it’s not terribly well known today.

On that date, CPL Lester Hammond, Jr., Company A, 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, died.

That in and of itself is nothing unusual.  More than 33,700 US troops were killed in action in Korea.  Thousands more died due to nonbattle injuries or are missing.

However, how and why CPL Hammond died that August day is worth remembering.

CPL Hammond’s unit was conducting patrols near Kumwha, Korea.  CPL Hammond was the radio telephone operator for one of the patrols.

His patrol was engaged by overwhelming Chinese forces.  They were in danger of being overrun.

CPL Hammond was wounded – twice.  He became separated from the rest of his patrol.

Nonetheless, CPL Hammond could observe the enemy.  He made calls for supporting artillery fire.  His last call for fire was on his own position.

These supporting fires were necessary to allow his comrades to escape.  However, CPL Hammond knew full well he couldn’t move from his current position.  He was too seriously wounded.

He made his final call for fire anyway.  His comrades were saved.

He wasn’t.

CPL Hammond’s Medal of Honor citation can be found here.  Search the page for “Hammond, Lester”.

Patton was right.  We should indeed thank God that such men lived.

I can’t really write anything meaningful about this.  You’ll have to read the article yourselves.

If you choose read it – I’d recommend having a tissue or two handy.

Well done, all.  Damn well done.

A 3 1/2 year old injustice has finally been corrected.  Unfortunately, another apparent injustice still remains.

The Army has announced that SFC Kenneth Westbrook will receive the Silver Star – unfortunately, posthumously.  It will be awarded to his next-of-kin sometime this spring.

SFC Westbrook was WIA during the Battle of Ganjgal on September 8, 2009.  He died of complications from his wounds a month later at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  He was on his last deployment prior to retirement.

For those who may have forgotten:  this the same action for which Sgt. Dakota Meyer, USMC, was later awarded the MoH.  The battle also resulted in the award of 2 Navy Crosses and the award of at least 9 BSMs w/V device.

RIP, SFC Westbrook.  This old soldier salutes you.

SFC Westbrook had been recommended for the Silver Star by CPT William Swenson.  Why the award was not approved earlier was not made public.

And speaking of CPT Swenson . . . .

There is still no update on the status of CPT Swenson’s MOH recommendation relating to the Battle of Ganjgal.  The Army reportedly recommended approval some time ago.  One account indicates the recommendation was forwarded to the White House sometime in July of last year.

I guess we’ll have to simply keep waiting.  But eight months does seem to me to be more than enough time to make a decision.

Long overdue, in my opinion, Chaplain Emil J. Kapaun of the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division will be awarded the Medal of Honor at the White House on April 11th, says the Army;

As Chinese Communist forces encircled the battalion, Kapaun moved fearlessly from foxhole to foxhole under direct enemy fire in order to provide comfort and reassurance to the outnumbered Soldiers. He repeatedly crawled to wounded men and either dragged them back to the safety of the American lines, or dug shallow trenches to shield them from enemy fire. As Chinese forces closed in, Kapaun rejected several chances to escape, instead volunteering to stay behind and care for the wounded.

After he was captured, Kapaun and other prisoners marched for several days northward toward prisoner-of-war camps. During the march Kapaun led by example in caring for injured Soldiers, refusing to take a break from carrying the stretchers of the wounded while encouraging others to do their part.

Once inside the dismal prison camps, Kapaun risked his life by sneaking around the camp after dark, foraging for food, caring for the sick, and encouraging his fellow Soldiers to sustain their faith and their humanity. On at least one occasion, he was brutally punished for his disobedience, being forced to sit outside in subzero weather without any garments.

His dying breath was reportedly spent asking God to forgive his captors.