Category: We Remember

Mick sends us the sad news that Sergeant Major Robert Earl Cleary, the tenth Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps has passed at the age of 86;

Sergeant Major Cleary served his country and the Corps with extraordinary pride and accomplishment for 36 years. He was trained in Demolition, was assigned to multiple Rifle Companies, served with the Military Police, was a Drill Instructor and was assigned to numerous Aviation Units. He served four combat tours to include one in Korea and three in Vietnam. He was and is the absolute epitome of a Marine. As a result, he was selected and served as the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, the highest enlisted position, for his final four years in the uniform.

His awards include the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, three Air Medals, Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V” and a gold star in lieu of a second award, Navy Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with palm, and Combat Aircrew Wings with three stars.

A memorial mass will be held on February 20 at 1:00 PM at St John the Apostle Catholic Church, 1968 Sandbridge Road, Virginia Beach. Cremated remains will be interred at the church and a reception will follow in the Church Commons…In lieu of flowers the Cleary family requests that your donations be made to St John the Apostle for School and Outreach or the Virginia Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.’

The Burn Pit has a post up about some of the African-Americans through our history who were heroes in the time of war. The post is no where near a complete list, but it reminds me of my personal hero; SFC Alwyn Crendall Cashe. He and I were both Bradley Platoon sergeants in the 3rd Infantry Division, I also spent time in the 15th Infantry Regiment. We never met, but I think of him often.

It’s been rumored for years that he might be nominated for Medal of Honor. Here is his Silver Star citation;

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Sergeant First Class Alwyn Crendall Cashe, United States Army, for exceptionally valorous achievement following an improvised explosive device explosion on 17 October 2005, while serving with Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, during combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Sergeant First Class Cashe’s disregard for his own safety proved evident when he saved the lives of six fellow soldiers despite his serious injuries. His bravery is in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, Task Force DRAGON, the SLEDGEHAMMER Brigade, Task Force LIBERTY, and the United States Army.NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD:Sergeant First Class Alwyn Crendall Cashe heroically distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous conduct in the face of the enemy of the United States as a Platoon Sergeant in 1st Platoon, Alpha Company (HARDOCK), 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment stationed at Forward Operating Base MACKENZIE, Iraq, on 17 October 2005. On the evening of 17 October 2005, Sergeant First Class Cashe’s heroic actions saved the lives of six of his fellow soldiers. At approximately 1920 hours, 1st Platoon of Alpha Company, 1-15 Infantry departed FOB MACKENZIE to conduct a route clearance in the city of Daliaya, Iraq. Along Route JAIME, the lead Bradley Fighting Vehicle, of which Sergeant First Class Cashe was gunner having just moved from a NMC vehicle, struck a victim detonated pressure-switch IED at grid MC 25357243. The blast ignited the fuel cell on the vehicle causing fuel to spew everywhere. The vehicle came to a stop and immediately erupted in flames. Sergeant First Class Cashe was initially slightly injured and drenched with fuel. Despite his condition, he bravely managed to get out of the gunner’s hatch, crawl down the BFV and assist the driver out of the driver’s hatch. The driver had been burned and Sergeant First Class Cashe extinguished his flames. The following minutes were crucial. Six soldiers and a translator were in the back of the Bradley. Flames had engulfed the entire vehicle from the bottom and were coming out of every portal. The squad leader inside the vehicle managed to open the troop hatch door to help the soldiers escape. Without regard for his personal safety, Sergeant First Class Cashe rushed to the back of the vehicle, reaching into the hot flames and started pulling out his soldiers. The flames gripped his fuel soaked uniform. Flames quickly spread all over his body. Despite the terrible pain, Sergeant First Class Cashe placed the injured soldier on the ground and returned to the burning vehicle to retrieve another burning soldier; all the while, he was still on fire. A crew from a trail Bradley arrived within moments and assisted with CASEVAC. During all this and with severe burns, Sergeant First Class Cashe bravely continued to take control of the chaos. Within minutes, the company First Sergeant was on the scene and began to evacuate the seriously injured soldiers. One of which was Sergeant First Class Cashe. In the end, the national translator was killed in action, and 10 soldiers were injured. Seven of the ten were very seriously injured. Sergeant First Class Cashe stayed a hero through it all. His injuries were the worst as he suffered form 2d and 3d degree burns over 72% of his body. Sergeant First Class Cashe’s heroic actions saved the lives of six of his beloved soldiers. He is truly deserving of this award. His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, Task Force LIBERTY and the United States Army.
Action Date: October 17, 2005

Devtun sends a link to the sad news that Julio Barela, a 101-year-old Bataan Death March survivor, passed this week due to pneumonia complications.

He tried to join the Navy when he was 16 years old, but they sent him home. He was drafted into the Army instead and stationed in the Philippines just before the Japanese invasion.

“He would always say he’s not a hero, he’s a survivor. The heroes are the ones who died there,” [his daughter, Anita Dawson] said.

And Barela worked hard to survive, even till the end, Dawson said, adding that he had a desire to live.

Dawson said her father taught her many things, telling her to always be honest and a good friend.

“He always said ‘work hard, think independently and always find something to appreciate every day,’” Dawson said.

Devtun sends us the sad news that Navy Lt. Jim Downing, the second-oldest Pearl Harbor survivor, has passed at the tender age of 104.

Armed with a fire hose, Downing sprayed saltwater on ammunition stored on the deck to prevent further explosions.

He also undertook a more personal mission.

Downing was the West Virginia’s mail clerk, and he knew most of the 1,400 sailors aboard.

As he spotted the bodies of some of the 105 men killed on the West Virginia, he committed their names to memory. Some were recognizable. For others, he had to check identification tags.

“I went around memorizing as many as I could with the intention of writing their parents,” he said.

After the attack, Downing wrote to as many families as he could, relaying his belief that the sailors killed in the attack were heroes.

Downing remained on USS West Virginia, a Colorado-class battleship, which participated in the battles of Leyte, Iwo Jima and Okinawa after she was repaired and up-gunned. Downing was commissioned after the war and remained in the Navy through the Korean War.

Bobo sends us the sad news that comedian Marty Allen (born Morton David Alpern) passed at the age of 95 yesterday from pneumonia complications.

He served in Italy during World War II. According to Wiki;

He was stationed in Italy where he attained the rank of sergeant and earned a Soldier’s Medal for his bravery during a fire which happened while a plane was being refueled. His heroism also earned him a full-dress parade.

The Army reports that Specialist Devin James Kuhn was killed January 31, 2018 from wounds he sustained during training at Camp Rilea, Oregon a few days after his 24th birthday.

He was assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, in December 2015, where he served as an automatic rifleman, deploying once in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan.

During his deployment, Kuhn earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge after participating in numerous special operations raids against multiple terrorist networks. Kuhn also participated in multiple home station training events to include live fire training exercises and mountain warfare training among others.

His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, the Parachutist Badge and the Ranger Tab.

Iconic crooner Vic Damone (born Vito Rocco Farinola) passed yesterday at the age of 86. He was discovered by Perry Como in an elevator where Damone worked when he stopped the elevator between floors and gave Como an unsolicited performance.

A few years later, he was drafted into the Army where he served from 1951-1953, spending a year in Germany. According to a 1954 article in the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph, even though he had two movies under his belt, he got no preferential treatment from the Army, claiming that he didn’t even sing for the first five months that he was in Germany;

Mick sends a link to Fox News which tells the story of 5-year-old Cayleigh Hinton, whose father, Sergeant Terrence Hinton, was killed in a training accident last year in Hawaii. Her mother asked the local Illinois National Guard if they could send someone who could take the girl to a Father-daughter dance.

“It wasn’t even really a choice for me. I view it as an honor to be able to do this for her,” [First Sergeant Joseph] Bierbrodt told WLS.

Bierbrodt said he never met the 5-year-old or her father who died, but he felt that taking the girl to the dance “had to be done.” He added that if he was gone, he would want a soldier to step in for one of his four children in the same situation.

Bierbrodt and Cayleigh arrived at the school in a limousine and they were escorted by police, firefighters and the Patriot Guard. The duo danced throughout the night.