Former soldiers of war, today’s soldiers swap stories.
By U.S. Army Sgt. Tara Teel Combined Joint Task Force 76
OPERATING BASE ORGUN-E, Afghanistan, April 7, 2005 — Soldiers pulled up chairs and piled almost on top of each other around tables in the small dining facility to hear the various, animated war stories the visitors had to tell.
Four Medal of Honor recipients from different services visited troops here and at another Coalition forces base in the Paktika province April 5 and 6. Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Leo Thorsness, retired U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Littrell, retired U.S. Army Col. Jack Jacobs and retired U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Thomas Norris, all fought in the Vietnam War where they received the highest award for valor given in the armed services - the Medal of Honor.
"This country’s in good shape and we have sharp, brave, intelligent troops who are trained to do military things here, building a country and a country’s government," retired Air Force Lt. Col. Leo Thorsness.
“The best part about the visit was seeing the expressions on the soldiers’ faces when we visited and knowing that they were really glad that someone cared enough to come see them,” said Littrell.
“It is an honor to have these men here with us,” said 1st Sgt. Mario Cocktrell, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion 508th Infantry (Airborne). “It is very educating for the younger soldiers here to be in the presence of such accomplished gentlemen. Most VIPs wouldn’t visit a place like Orgun-E because it is so remote.”
1st Battalion, 508th Infantry (Airborne) Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffery Hof and the other leaders introduce the Medal of Honor recipients to the animals of Orgun-E during their visit to the forward operating base. The leaders briefed the recipients on the area and what their troops do before heading to the dining facility for an informal talk with the soldiers. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tara Teel
The visitors met with the leaders of Forward Operating Base Orgun-E for a briefing on the area, a summary of what they do, and what they hope to accomplish during their year-long deployment to Afghanistan.
“This country’s in good shape and we have sharp, brave, intelligent troops who are trained to do military things here, building a country and a country’s government,” said Thorsness.
“We really appreciate the job you are doing here with terrorism,” Norris said to the troops. “You are on the front line right here.”
The visitors took turns telling the jam-packed dining facility about the events that led up to them getting their respective Medal of Honor awards.
“This trip was important for morale,” said Sgt. Maj. Bradley Meyers, 508th operations sergeant major. “You see all the soldiers smiling, talking with the (MOH) recipients, listening to their stories, and everyone is really enjoying themselves.”
Thorsness talked to the soldiers about freedom, something that was stolen from him as a prisoner of war for six years after he had to eject from his aircraft on his 93rd mission in Vietnam.
“We are born in the United States with freedom and you never realize how lucky you are until you don’t have it anymore. There are a lot of places where freedom is not guaranteed.”
During the talks at the dining facility, the Medal of Honor recipients were more than eager to listen to the soldiers’ tales and asked plenty of questions about their previous deployments and their time in Afghanistan.
The Medal of Honor recipients receive a brief artillery lesson before they shoot the Howitzer with Delta Battery, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 173rd, during their visit to two bases in Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tara Teel
“It was really great hearing their support and coming from those who did so much more, it made us feel really good and proud,” said Spc. Scott Chamley, Delta Battery, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 173rd.
The second stop on the trip was to another even smaller Coalition forces camp in Paktika province. Again the leaders of the forces there briefed the visitors on their purpose in the area, how they work with the other Coalition troops and interact with the locals.
Here, the Medal of Honor recipients piled into the back of a pick-up truck with some of the troops, drove to a MK-19 grenade machine gun that was mounted on a truck, and given the opportunity to shoot a few rounds. The veterans held a competition to see who was the best shot. They might not have hit the bull’s eye, but they had a blast doing it.
Hopping in the truck again, they visited with each unit in the camp checking out what they do and ended up at asking the artillery gunners, “Can we shoot the Howitzer?” The Delta Battery soldiers accommodated the request and provided each with a round to fire. Two of the honored guests gave their chance to fire to two of the soldier escorts traveling with them saying that the soldiers would probably never have a chance like that again.
As the day came to an end and the helicopter headed to home base, Bagram Airfield, a dust storm picked up and forced the pilots to land once again at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E.
“The most exciting part was hearing that we were going to have to set the chopper down in the middle of an unsecured field because of the sandstorm,” said Littrell. “Fortunately we did not have to do that, however we did get to stay at the Orgun-E base overnight and that was even better. We would rather be out here with the soldiers at the remote bases, getting to know them, hearing their stories and bonding with them.”
The group discussed weapons, technology and equipment the military has today and how it has changed so much from what they used in Vietnam. The 508th’s executive officer said all of the upgrades and new ideas came from gentlemen like the Medal of Honor recipients. After all the weapons talk, the recipients hopped on with a group going on a night patrol and checked out the new gear soldiers use.
The visits to the two bases boosted the morale of both the soldiers and the recipients and left a lasting impression on both. The recipients said they planned on coming back to visit the soldiers as soon as possible.
“People back home love you guys,” said Norris. “Our hats are off to you.”
Medal of Honor recipient Jack Jacobs talks with soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry (Airborne) in the dining facility during their visit to Forward Operating Base Orgun-E April 5. Jacobs and the other recipients went on patrol and stayed the night at the Forward Operating Base. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tara Teel
