Memorial Day - Post Your Heroes

seld | 05/25/2015 | self

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I have the good fortune to live near DC and Arlington cemetery on this Memorial Day. The morning was hot, and Dear Leader's presence blocked some of Arlington Cemetery. I told one of the Army sentries that I underestimated this SOB as he could screw up Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery.

I had the goal to find the graves of three men who were killed in action this Memorial Day.

This first was a man who is familiar to anyone who watched "The Pacific".

John Basilone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Basilone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1-O2QFmy4Y

The second was a the grandson of a controversial figure, who nevertheless died heriocally in the service of our country.

Nathan Bedford Forrest III:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Bedford_Forrest_III

The third was Phil Kearny:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Kearny

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_C._Waybur

Taking on tanks with a machine gun and coming out alive from that always impressed me.

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Wow. The man’s pedigree would presume him to be a dandy, but as it turned out, he had uncommon valor. Love to learn about these men who fought for what we have....

[jmacusa]

Father John Washington was also from my hometown of Kearny , NJ. In St Stephens Church, at the corner of Kearny and Washington Ave., at the rear of the church is a plaque dedicated to “The Four Chaplains.

[CrazyIvan]

My uncle. http://www.ssn583.com/History/Smallwood.htm

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You’re welcome. Happy to be able to visit such a sacred place.

[Textide]

Thanks for sharing. Great men aren’t always honored.

[Fiji Hill]

Some of my heroes:

• General Claire L. Chennault (1893-1958)--Combat aviator who went to China to train pilots for the Chinese air force and later organized the American Volunteer Group, American fliers who fought the Japanese over China and Burma in the early days of World War II. This unit later became the China Air Task Force and eventually the Fourteenth Air Force. After the war, he organized support for the Chinese Nationalists in their war with the Communists and created an air cargo service, Civil Air Transport, which later became Air America, an air service famous for its support for clandestine Cold War operations.

• General Albert C. Wedemeyer (1897-1989)--Wedemeyer saw service in Europe before going to China and taking over as chief of staff for Chinese president Chiang Kai-shek. After the war, he tried unsuccessfully to drum up increased support by the US for the Chinese nationalists in their war with Mao Tse-tung's Communists.

• Gen. Charles A. Lindbergh (1902-1974)--Despite the efforts of President Roosevelt, his longtime enemy, to keep him out of WWII, Charles Lindbergh, who won fame as the pilot of the Spirit of St. Louis, found work as a civilian consultant in the Pacific Theater and brought about improvements in the combat efficiency of our warplanes. In this capacity, he flew several combat missions and shot down at least one Japanese aircraft.

[Baynative]

< a href= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k9Si28k0Fk> 11 year old boy stands vigil at Omaha Beach</a> (You’ll need a hanky for the last part)

[jsanders2001]

Forrest Gump....because he got shot in tha buttocks while carrying all those men to safety...: )

[awelliott]

Captain Ben L. Salomon - MOH recipient who served with my dad at Saipan. He was their regimental dentist who was finally awarded the MOH in 2002. Anybody not familiar with his story needs to read this.

Ben L. Salomon

[eyedigress]

Henry H Arnold. (HAP)

[GreyHoundSailor]

Did you know Audubon, NJ is the hometown of three MOH recipients? On Memorial Day I always take some quiet time alone to walk in our woods and remember Eddie Benfold, forever 21. Had the honor of serving on the Destroyer named in his honor.

[varina davis]

Navy Seal Chris Kyle, General George Patton, my uncle U.S. Marine Sgt., WWII; My dad, Machinist Mate, U.S. Navy, WWII;
my grandson, Sgt. U.S. Army, Kuwait and Irag; General Robert E. Lee, CSA,; “Stonewall” Jackson, CSA; Gen. George Washington, Revolutionary War; All those who served aboard the USS Indianapolis in the Pacific; And the list could never end......

[IronJack]

For pure heroism? Alonzo H. Cushing, 22-year-old commander of Battery A, 4th US Artillery at Gettysburg. Breveted a Major after Chancellorsville. Held the battery on Cemetery Ridge against Pickett's Charge and continued to direct fire against advancing Confederates although grievously wounded (and by "grievously," you would have to read the guy's story to believe how badly).

This is the kind of man you pray you never come up against in a fight, because it's almost as though he simply can't be killed.

[Chainmail]

Lieutenant Bob Trigalet, Lieutenant Spivey, Corporal Jimmy McMurdo, Sergeant King, and so many others. The friends of my youth.

[Auntie Mame]

Here's a hero who never got a chance to serve.

Dr. William A. Phillips
1913 - 2009 | Obituary

Dr. William A. Phillips, 96, passed away at home on Sunday, December 20, 2009. "Doc" was born August 21, 1913 in Meyersdale, PA.

Doc received his education through grade school & high school in Meyersdale. College at Penn State then Doctorate in 1939 from Rochester School of Medicine. He and his wife Helen moved to Tucson, AZ for "Doc" to do residency at Tucson Medical Center. Later they moved to Yuma in 1941, where he began 48 years of active medical practice.

Doc is survived by his second wife, Marinita, they celebrated their 25th Anniversary in Reedsport, OR, on August 18, 2009; sons, Charles (Ann) of Los Angeles, CA, Ritchie (Lucy) of Sitka, AK; step-daughter, Lonna Brazeel of Yuma; three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Doc was preceded in death by his first wife, Helen McKellar; daughter, Sandra Lee Phillips; brothers, James, John, and Bruce.

A memorial in memory of "Doc" will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1550 S. 14th Ave on Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. Officiated by Reverend Bill Krieger.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of Yuma, 1824 S. 8th Ave, or Foundation of Yuma Regional Medical Center, 2400 S. Ave A.

As Doc Phillips told the story to me (and as well as I can remember):

Dr. William Phillips went to Yuma after his residency and became the town's coroner as well as a town doctor. In those days one wore several hats. When WWII started he was gung ho to join up and serve his country. He was awaiting his commission to the Army or maybe it was the Air Force (I think he mentioned something like flight surgeon) when, as the town's coroner, he noticed a curious thing. His morgue was loading up with dead servicemembers.

Yuma was a training area for recruits, toughening them up to withstand the heat of Africa and other hot fighting spots. Of course, there would be some young men who would die in training, but the amount of dead recruits in his morgue was way beyond what it should be. He found out the Army was saying the deaths were caused by a epidemic of menengitis. He found they were clearly dying of heat stroke.

He found the recruits were being run and marched for hours in the Yuma heat without any extra water or salt tablets.

He began trying to get someone, anyone, to listen to him, to get them to start giving the men salt tablets. He distributed salt tablets to any service men he ran across and stressed the importance of taking them in the Yuma heat. He told me that after the war he had many men come to him and tell him he'd saved their lives.

But the military wasn't changing their ways and men kept dying. Remember, he was also on the eve of receiving his commission, and eager to join the fighting. After trying every way he could locally to help these young men, he finally started calling and writing Washington DC.

He made too many waves and his commission was withdrawn and he never got to serve his country.