World War II veteran James Pepe, hero among us

Heroes Among Us: Navy Veteran James Pepe Helped Many Wounded Soldiers During World War II

CBS 4 News
By Marybel Rodriguez
July 12, 2019

U.S. Navy World War II veteran Jimmy Pepe was awarded the bronze star for his service. He was recently honored at a Florida Panthers game.

SUNRISE (CBSMiami) – Now to a weekly segment you will only see right here on CBS4.

Every Friday, in partnership with the Florida Panthers, we put the spotlight on a hero among us men or women who have gone beyond the call of duty for our country.

This week we’re meeting World War II veteran James Pepe.

James Pepe, who goes by Jimmy, served in the United States Navy as a pharmacist from 1943 to 1945. He enlisted and was part of the new Georgia-Rendova-Vanganu Campaign.

Pepe’s job was to take care of the wounded and although he says they were under very stressful conditions he did whatever he had to do save lives.
read it here

Transgender troops testify for the first time before Congress.

Decorated Transgender Troops to Testify Before Congress

Associated Press
BY JULIE WATSON AND JENNIFER McDERMOTT
Feb. 27, 2019

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Lindsey Muller served in the Army as a man for nearly a decade before telling her commanders in 2014 that she identified as a woman and would resign because military policy barred transgender personnel. Her superiors, citing her outstanding performance, urged the decorated attack helicopter pilot to stay so she did.

After then-President Barack Obama changed the policy, she started dressing in uniform as a woman. Muller went on to be recommended for a promotion as the surgery to complete her gender transition was scheduled, but the operation was postponed in 2017 when President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that he was reinstituting the ban.

With the ban now blocked by lawsuits, transgender troops Wednesday will testify for the first time before Congress.

This undated photo provided by her wife Jessica Kibodeaux shows Lindsey Muller and her dog Emma hiking in the Cheyenne Mountains west of Fort Carson, Colo. Muller, a 19-year combat veteran who served multiple tours in Iraq, diligently followed the Pentagon guidelines to transition. In the nearly three years since the U.S. military welcomed transgender people into the armed forces in 2016, they have served without incident. Some, like Muller, have earned prestigious medals or received other forms of recognition. (Jessica Kibodeaux via AP) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In the nearly three years since the U.S. military welcomed transgender people into the armed forces, they have served without incident. Some, like Muller, have earned prestigious medals or received other forms of recognition.

They say they stand as proof against President Donald Trump's argument that their presence is a burden.

"Once you meet transgender people who have served in the different branches ... it's really hard to dismiss the fact that you will find Purple Heart recipients, Bronze Star winners, attack aviators, Navy SEALs," said Muller, who will not be testifying but is a plaintiff in one of four lawsuits challenging the ban. "We've been here, and we will continue to be here regardless. In what capacity is up to the administration."

The hearing will be held by the subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee chaired by Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier. Speier introduced bipartisan legislation in February that would prohibit the Department of Defense from denying the enlistment or continued service of transgender people if Trump's ban takes effect.

Similar legislation was introduced in the Senate. It's unclear whether the legislation would be voted on as a stand-alone bill or be folded into the defense bill, which could be harder for Trump to veto.
read more here

Honored Vietnam Veteran Speaker May Have Lied

Vietnam veterans claim of 9 Purple Hearts raises questions
Times Free Press
December 31, 2017

"I've got 57 medals," Holloway proudly proclaimed, remarking that some were pinned to his chest by President Lyndon B. Johnson himself.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Times Free Press in November 2016 published a story that included information about Vietnam veteran Stephen D. Holloway, who was speaking at a Veterans Day event in Pikeville, Tenn., and claimed to be the most-decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. Holloway's public claims were challenged by veterans of Vietnam and other conflicts, and the Times Free Press has spent more than a year investigating his military record. To date, Holloway maintains his claims are accurate, though few of his medals and awards have convincing documentation. This is part 1 of a two-day series.

Silver Star. Bronze Star.

Prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Nine Purple Hearts.

Sounds extraordinary, but that's what 69-year-old Vietnam veteran Stephen Douglas Holloway claims.

For three of those claims, the Hixson resident's DD-214 — the official document every military veteran who serves is given when discharged from duty — backs it up.

One of Holloway's multiple DD-214s, anyway.

If Holloway's Purple Heart claims are true, veterans who study military awards, documents and records say, he would be the most decorated service member to serve in the Vietnam War.

But so far, the Times Free Press has been unable to verify any of those claims through military channels, or through Holloway himself.

A fake Purple Heart claim flies in the face of the people who have legitimately received them. 

"There's only one person that's been awarded nine Purple Hearts. His name was [Albert L.] Ireland. He was a staff sergeant in the Marine Corps. And he has officially been awarded nine Purple Hearts. No one else in history has," said Kendrick, who received the Purple Heart four times and has the documents to prove it. read more here

Most decorated American soldier in US Military history

The title of most decorated American soldier probably goes to Robert Lewis Howard, a US Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War. Howard was born July 11, 1939 and he died at age 70 on December 23, 2009. Robert L. Howard was wounded 14 times while serving over 54 months of combat. He was awarded 8 Purple Hearts, 4 Bronze Stars, and was nominated for the Medal of Honor in three separate cases.

Robert L. Howard enlisted in the US Army at Montgomery, Alabama and retired in the rank of Colonel. read more here

Ten time a hero, Curry T. Haynes
Having recovered from malaria, he was “good to go” a second time and reported back to his unit. With one Purple Heart to his credit, if Haynes was wounded two more times he would earn a trip back to CONUS, the Continental United States. The rule was: Three Purple Hearts earned a soldier the much-sought-after ticket home on the Freedom Bird. Most likely the architects of the “three-strikes-and-you’re-out of the war” rule had meant the policy should be applied to three separate engagements. Hayes earned nine more Purple Hearts in one engagement.

Texas Veteran of WWII and Korea Receive Awards At Age 90!

90-year-old WWII, Korean War veteran awarded 8 medals during ceremony in San Antonio

News 4 San Antonio 
by SBG San Antonio 
August 2nd 2017

WWII, Korean War veteran Petty Officer Raul de la Garza awarded eight medals during ceremony in San Antonio (SBG San Antonio)

SAN ANTONIO — A 90-year-old man who served in World War II and the Korean War was honored during a ceremony in San Antonio Wednesday. 

Petty Officer De La Garza was awarded eight awards during the ceremony: the Navy Combat Action Ribbon, the China Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Three Bronze Service Stars, the Navy Occupation Service Medal with an Asia clasp, the World War II Victory Medal, the Honorable Service Lapel Button for World War II, and the Navy Honorable Discharge Button. 
read more here

Veteran Navy SEAL Arrested, Press Doesn't Wonder Why?

"Former Navy SEAL arrested for drug smuggling"

James Dennis "JD" Smith Jr. was arrested Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina. He's charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute at least 700 kilograms (over 1,540 pounds) of marijuana, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday. 

Smith, who served 16 years as a Navy SEAL, was awarded a bronze star during his tour in Iraq and a Special Operations Medic of the Year Award, according to the website of a global security and crisis management consulting firm where he was listed as a Principal Associate of Security Operations. A company official told CBS News that the firm had not heard from or employed Smith for the past five years.   read more here

So, you got the headline, now ask yourself what CBS should have asked. How does this happen to a Navy SEAL who served all those years, risked his life to save others, end up doing this? 

WWII Veteran Finally Receives Bronze Star 73 Years Late

WW II vet receives Bronze Star 73 years after it was awarded
The State
BY JEFF WILKINSON
May 20, 2017

AIKEN During World War II, Pfc. James R. “Boots” Beatty of Barney, Ga., served in the 1st Special Service Force, also called The Devil's Brigade, an elite American-Canadian commando unit.

The 1,800 “Force Men,” as they were the called, were the first commando unit, trained in special tactics from mountaineering to skiing to amphibious operations. They were the predecessors of today’s Army Rangers, Green Berets and Navy Seals.

They fought the Japanese in the Aleutian Islands, then the Germans in Italy and southern France, conducting night raids behind enemy lines, killing as many enemy soldiers as possible and capturing the rest. In Italy they would leave cards on the bodies of dead German soldiers with the ominous warning: “Das Dike Ende Kommt Noch!” which translates as “The Worst Is Yet To Come.”
read more here

A Vietnam Hero Finds the Real War Is on the Home Front

PENNDEL: Captain David Christian, most decorated Vietnam War veteran, to keynote ‘The Traveling Wall’ visit to Bucks County
Bucks Local News
Feb 2, 2017

PENNDEL
Captain David A. Christian (Retired), the most decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, will deliver the keynote speech when the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall visits Penndel in July of 2017.

Capt. Christian will headline a roster of distinguished guests and speakers at the opening ceremonies for the Wall at 8:30 a.m. on July 14. Following the opening ceremonies, the wall will be on display through Sunday evening, July 16, at the Penndel Memorial Ball Field on PFC John Dalola Avenue in Penndel.

Capt. Christian has a long and illustrious service history, enlisting in the US Army at age 17. After completing Officers Candidate School at age 18, he went on to complete Airborne and Special Forces training. During his time in country, his reconnaissance unit was known as one of the Army’s best. After receiving significant injuries during an engagement for which he was thrice nominated for the Medal of Honor, he retired from Army service in 1969 at age 21, having been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, the Bronze Star, and seven Purple Hearts.
read more here

This is from PEOPLE in 1981

A Vietnam Hero Finds the Real War Is on the Home Front
PEOPLE
BY DAVID CHRISTIAN

POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 14, 1981

With his blond hair and blue-eyed good looks, David Christian could pass for a movie war hero sent up by central casting. In real life Christian was barely 18 when be became the youngest second lieutenant ever to graduate from the Army’s Officer Candidate School. During an eight-month tour in Vietnam he collected two Congressional Medal of Honor nominations, seven Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars, a Distinguished Service Cross, two Vietnamese Crosses of Galantry and a chestful of other medals. Disabled by napalm burns in 1968, be left the military at 21 and became the Army’s youngest retired captain. Christian’s fighting didn’t stop on the battlefield, however; finding a war-weary and often hostile public back borne, be launched a campaign for veterans’ rights and a barrage of criticism at government policy toward returning GIs. Now 32, be lives in Washington Crossing, Pa., with Peggy, his wife of 14 years, and three children. Last month Christian declined the No. 2 position in the VA to continue as executive director of the United Viet Nam Organization, which be started in 1978. He talked to PEOPLE’s Margot Achterberg about his fights at the front and at home.read more here

David A. Christian Home of record: Turnersville New Jersey
In little more than one month time, from September 23 to October 29, 1968, David Christian earned the Distinguished Service Cross and TWO Silver Stars.

Conscientious Objector To Heroic Action in Vietnam

Vietnam War veteran awarded overdue medals
The Missoulian
MIKE FERGUSON
Jun 2, 2016

BILLINGS – Nearly 50 years after performing the heroic deeds that garnered him medals including the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, Vietnam War medic Gary Booth of Billings finally received what he’d earned Wednesday – with the help of U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.

Tester told a crowd he has awarded overdue medals to more than 900 Montana veterans during his two terms in the senate. Booth’s story – which Tester plans to read into the Congressional Record next week – “is the longest citation I’ve ever done,” he said, “which speaks to what you’ve done in theater.”

Booth, 71, registered as a conscientious objector before being called into army service in 1965. According to the citation, Booth’s unit was ambushed by a battalion four times its size on Feb. 21, 1967.

It was Booth’s job to brave enemy fire and run to wounded American soldiers to stop the bleeding and stabilize them until they could be moved.
read more here

Posthumous Silver Star For Capt. Matthew D. Roland

Airman who died in Afghanistan will posthumously receive Silver Star
Air Force Times
Oriana Pawlyk
March 7, 2016

A special operations airman who died in Afghanistan this summer will posthumously receive the third-highest military combat decoration.

Capt. Matthew D. Roland will posthumously receive the Silver Star Air Force

Secretary Deborah Lee James announced March 7. (Photo: Air Force)

Capt. Matthew D. Roland, 27, and Staff Sgt. Forrest B. Sibley, 31, were honored by Secretary Deborah Lee James at a state of the Air Force briefing Monday.

Roland and Sibley were killed in August after two men wearing Afghan security forces uniforms opened fire at a vehicle checkpoint at Camp Antonik, a forward operating base in Helmand Province.

"In their combined 12 years of service, Matt and Forrest deployed seven times. In addition to the Purple Hearts, Forrest earned five Bronze Stars, including one for Valor, and very, very soon, we will posthumously honor Matt's heroism with the Silver Star," James said.
read more here

WWII Iwo Jima Marine First Lt. John Wells Passed Away

Marine who led WWII charge up Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima dies 
Marine Corps Times 
By Matthew L. Schehl 
February 17, 2016

Wells, meanwhile, persuaded a corpsman to donate morphine to him, escaped from the hospital ship and joined his men shortly after the flag raising.

John Keith Wells of Abilene, Texas, left, chats with then-Gov. Rick Perry during a brunch that Perry hosted in Wells' honor in 2006. A first lieutenant in World War II, Wells commanded 3rd Platoon, Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division, during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The unit became the most decorated platoon to fight in a single engagement in the history of the Marine Corps.
(Photo: Harry Cabluck/AP)

The Marine who led the charge to place the first American flag above Iwo Jima has died.

First Lt. John Wells, 94, died Feb. 11 at the Arvada Care Rehabilitation Center in Arvada, Colorado.

Wells received the Navy Cross, Bronze Star and Purple Heart after leading his Marines in a frontal assault up the slopes of Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.

He didn’t make it to the top after taking multiple enemy rounds, but continued to command, leading his men to victory. His platoon raised the first flag atop the mountain, hours before the iconic photo of the second flag raising was captured.

“He was a very warm, sensitive, spiritual man, all the way to age 94,” Connie Schultz, Well’s daughter, told ABC affiliate Denver 7. “He honored and loved the Marine Corps with all his heart and soul. He loved his family, and his last words were, ‘My family.’ ”
read more here

Texas Ranger Finally Gets Bronze Star Medal After Vietnam War

Medal pinned on Texas Ranger's chest 45 years after he left Vietnam jungle
'This is for the soldiers,' Texas Ranger says of Army medal
Houston Chronicle
By Dane Schiller
December 27, 2015

Photo: Courtesy Of Joe Haralson
This photograph was taken in Vietnam in 1970 of Army soldiers Nicholas Clay Jasper, of Arkansas (left) and Joe Haralson, now a Texas Ranger based in Texas City, who was recently presented with a Bronze Star Medal for his service. The men went on reconnaissance missions together, and their friendship lasted after the war. Haralson is quick to note that he is just one of many who faced similar circumstances in combat.

By the summer of 1971, Joe Haralson had returned from the jungles of Vietnam, married his high school sweetheart and started his career as a Texas state trooper.

An envelope arrived in the mail from the U.S. government. It was larger than the one that came two years earlier telling him he'd been drafted into the Army.

This one held a citation stating he had earned the Bronze Star Medal for his actions in combat. There was no medal enclosed or a follow-up ceremony. That was fine with Haralson, who didn't feel the Army owed him a thing, as he'd returned home alive and unharmed - unlike so many others.

That would be the last he'd hear from the Army, until recently, when a general walked in on a meeting of Texas Rangers.
read more here

WWII Garlin Murl Conner Closer to Medal of Honor

World War II soldier from Kentucky is a step closer to posthumous Medal of Honor 
Kentucky.com
BY GREG KOCHER
November 2, 2015

Conner, a first lieutenant, earned four Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, seven Purple Hearts and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during combat in World War II.

Garlin Murl Conner, a WWII Army officer, died in 1998.

Garlin Murl Conner, a World War II Army officer and a Clinton County native, is one step closer to posthumously receiving the Medal of Honor.

The Army Board for Correction of Military Records, a three-member panel, went against the advice of its staff and voted unanimously in late October that the evidence "was sufficient to warrant a recommendation" that Conner receive the Medal of Honor for the actions he took to save the lives of fellow soldiers.

Dennis Shepherd, an attorney for the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs, learned Monday about the panel's recommendation. Shepherd said it's rare for the panel to go against the advice of its staff, which had said there was "insufficient evidentiary basis" for granting the medal.
read more here

Jim Webb Was Right Last Night About A Lot

Some folks seem to think that Jim Webb had a Miss Rhode Island moment in the debate last night when she was asked what the prefect date was.

Naturally the question was not about a date on the calendar but the kind of date she would want to have with a man.

In Webb's case, they seem to forget, when a veteran like Webb thinks about an enemy, it would only be natural for him to think of a real one that was trying to kill him and the Marines he was risking his life with.

Here’s What Happened to Jim Webb’s ‘Enemy’ in Vietnam
Wall Street Journal
Washington Wire
Daniel Nasaw
October 14, 2015

Toward the end of Tuesday night’s Democratic debate in Las Vegas, CNN moderator Anderson Cooper asked the candidates which enemy they had made of whom they were most proud.

Four candidates listed Washington interest groups, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton threw in “Iranians” and “Republicans.” But Mr. Webb, a decorated Marine veteran of the Vietnam War, said, “I’d have to say the enemy soldier that threw the grenade that wounded me, but he’s not around right now to talk to.”

In July 1969, Mr. Webb was a 23-year-old Marine lieutenant leading a platoon through an area of South Vietnam the Americans called the Arizona Valley, on a search-and-destroy mission in hostile territory.
read more here

Good time to clear up a few other things like the fight Webb had to take on because Senators like McCain said the GI Bill was "too generous" for the troops.

Barack Obama/Jim Webb vs John Mccain - Veteran GI Bill


Female veterans are a bit upset too but here's the real story behind women in combat from Webb. Oh, by the way it is from 2006.


Oct 10, 2006
Jim Webb (D-VA) sets the record straight regarding Women in the military.


I watched as much of the debate as I could but since I get up at 4:30, I didn't see all of it. From what I just got caught up with it is apparent that CNN and the rest of the media have decided who they want to be on the ballot. Too bad for them that the election is a year away and Americans are paying attention.


Webb has also been criticized about complaining for not enough time to talk. Turns out he was right.

Jim Webb’s Complaints About Debate Speaking Time, in 150 Words

Our graphics team did a rundown on how many words each candidate spoke during the event, and Mr. Webb finished fourth of the five, at 2,766 words. For comparison’s sake, Hillary Clinton spoke the most, at 5,452 words.

And if you didn't see the movie Miss Congeniality, Miss Rhode Island won.

Vietnam Veteran Takes Debate Stage Tonight

Jim Webb, wild card candidate, steps into the spotlight
Washington Post
By Rachel Weiner
October 13, 2015

Former Virginia senator Jim Webb launched his presidential campaign in July, but it's understandable if you didn't know that: for the past four months, he's kept a low profile, and the polls have reflected it. Tuesday's debate offers his first, best chance to break out of the very low single digits.

Webb is hoping to appeal to Democrats who may feel alienated by both former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders -- in particular, working-class white male voters; he wrote an entire book about the Scots-Irish roots of rural Appalachia. The former Republican's own background is in the military and the Reagan administration; he is far more focused on foreign policy than many of his Democratic rivals -- and the only Democratic candidate opposing President Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran.

read more here

Jim Webb,
Former Senator from Virginia, has been a combat Marine, a counsel in the Congress, an assistant secretary of defense and Secretary of the Navy, an Emmy-award winning journalist, a film-maker, and the author of ten books.

Mr. Webb graduated from the Naval Academy in 1968, receiving a special commendation for his leadership contributions. First in his class of 243 at the Marine Corps Officer’s Basic School, he served as a rifle platoon and company commander in Vietnam and was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals, and two Purple Hearts. He graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1975.

Mr. Webb served in Congress as counsel to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs from 1977 to 1981. In 1982 he led the fight to include an African American soldier in the Vietnam Veterans memorial on the National Mall. In 1984 he was appointed Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, and in 1987 became Secretary of the Navy.

BOOKS
I Heard My Country Calling (2014)
Fields of Fire (1978)
A Sense of Honor (1981)
A Country Such as This (1983)
Something to Die For (1991)
The Emperor’s General (1999)
Lost Soldiers (2001)
Born Fighting (2004)
A Time to Fight (2008)

Memories Of Vietnam Come Home To Manchester

Memories Of Vietnam Come Home To Manchester With The Wall That Heals
Hartford Courant
Jesse Leavenworth
October 6, 2015

After the start of the Iraq War in 2003, Simmons said he was determined to protect service members from the scorn heaped on veterans of his era.

MANCHESTER — On that indelible winter's day, Ann Marie Krajewski rushed to answer the doorbell with all the innocent enthusiasm of a 5-year-old.

Uniformed men stood outside, and her parents told her to go play, the now 52-year-old Ann Marie Grottke recalled Monday. Moments later, "I could hear my father burst out crying," Grottke said. "I never heard my father cry before."

U.S. Army Spec. 4 Donald Joseph Krajewski, Ann Marie's 19-year-old brother, was killed in Vietnam on Feb. 28, 1969. His remains were returned home on what would have been his 20th birthday, March 13.

Along with other men from Manchester, Krajewski's name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and on the replica that is scheduled to arrive in town Wednesday.

The Wall That Heals, a 250-foot-long traveling monument, is designed to bring the names home, allowing "the souls enshrined on the Memorial to exist once more among family and friends in the peace and comfort of familiar surroundings," according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

The keynote speaker for the opening ceremony is former U.S. Congressman Rob Simmons, a U.S. Army veteran who served 19 months in Vietnam and earned two Bronze Stars. Simmons also was a CIA operations officer in Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
read more here

Decorated Green Beret Getting Kicked Out for Stopping Child Rapist?

Army kicking out decorated Green Beret who stood up for Afghan rape victim
FoxNews.com
By Lucas Tomlinson
Published August 21, 2015

Martland was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor for his actions. According to one evaluation, he also was "praised" by Gen. David Petraeus, then commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan.

EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. Army is kicking out a decorated Green Beret after an 11-year Special Forces career, after he got in trouble for shoving an Afghan police commander accused of raping a boy and beating up his mother when she reported the incident.

The case of Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland now has the attention of Congress, with Rep. Duncan Hunter writing to Defense Secretary Ash Carter challenging the decision.

"I am once again dismayed by the Army's actions in this case," Hunter, R-Calif., wrote in a letter to Carter.

Martland is described by many of his teammates as the finest soldier they have ever served alongside.

But his Army career changed course during his second deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. After learning an Afghan boy was raped and his mother beaten, Martland and his team leader confronted a local police commander they had trained, armed and paid with U.S. taxpayer dollars. When the man laughed off the incident, they physically confronted him.

Martland grew up south of Boston, in Milton, Mass. An all-state football player in high school, he set his sights on playing college football after graduating in 2001. Martland went for the Florida State University team, which just finished a season ranked #4 in the nation.
read more here

Vietnam Veteran Finally Gets Medal Thanks to National Guardsman

Needed recognition: Vietnam veteran finally gets his medals
Winston-Salem Journal
Michael Hewlett
August 16, 2015

Wallace, who served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971, said he got the award for helping to save a fellow soldier’s life.

Bernard Wallace didn’t worry too much about making sure he got his medals, including the Bronze Star Medal, when he left Vietnam. Wallace was remembering what his drill sergeant told him — do whatever you have to do to get out alive and to get home.

“At the time, all my concerns were getting back home to my family,” he said Sunday night.

But a young sergeant in the National Guard named Joey Ireland started digging around in Wallace’s military records and noticed that Wallace had a number of medals he had never received. After serving in the U.S. Army in the 101st Airborne Division, Wallace was with the National Guard for 24 years.
read more here

Air Show Claimed Life of 5 Tour OEF OIF Veteran

U.S. Army Parachutist Who Served Five Tours in Iraq and Afghanistan Dies After Chicago Air Show Accident
The Blaze
Dave Urbanski
Aug. 16, 2015

Hood was a sergeant first class who served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan during his 10 years in the Army, according to his bio. He also received two Bronze Stars and two Meritorious Service Medals and recorded more than 500 freefall jumps since 2010. He hailed from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Sgt. First Class Corey Hood

(Image source: U.S. Army)

CHICAGO (TheBlaze/AP) — A U.S. Army parachutist died Sunday after suffering severe injuries from an accident during a stunt at the Chicago Air and Water Show, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

Corey Hood, 32, was pronounced dead just after 4 p.m. Sunday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said Mario Johnson, a medical examiner’s investigator.

The Army Golden Knights and Navy Leap Frogs parachute teams were performing what is known as a “bomb burst” Saturday when the collision occurred, a Golden Knights spokeswoman Donna Dixon said Saturday. During the stunt, parachutists fall with red smoke trailing from packs and then separate, creating a colorful visual in the sky.
read more here

UPDATE
Army Skydivers Returning to Fort Bragg After Member's Death
CHICAGO — Aug 17, 2015

ABC Latest News | Latest News Videos

Veteran of Korea and Vietnam Laid to Rest At Arlington

Fresno-area veteran lauded at Arlington burial
McClatchy DC
Corinne Kennedy
July 30, 2015

A family man and patriot, friends and family say
Veteran of 329 combat missions in Korea, Vietnam
Inspired loyalty from colleagues

Leué flew 329 combat missions over both Korea and Vietnam during more than three decades of military service. He earned numerous honors, including four Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Navy Commendation medals and a Bronze Star. He also penned two memoirs detailing his service.

The Navy Honor Guard carries the casket of Korean and 

Vietnam war veteran David Leue. Daniel Desrochers McClatchy

WASHINGTON A construction worker removed his hardhat and held it over his heart Thursday morning as the funeral procession wound its way through Arlington National Cemetery.

As the sun broke through the clouds for the first time all morning, tourists put down their cameras to watch as the family of David E. Leué followed his shiny silver casket, draped in an American flag and carried by horse-drawn cart, to its final resting place.

Leué, of Clovis, Calif., died Jan. 25 and was interred with full military honors, including a three-volley rifle salute and the playing of Taps. He was 87.

His burial at Arlington took several months, as is often the case at the revered patch of greenery across the Potomac River from the capital, where the tombstones honor national luminaries and everyday Americans alike.
read more here

Vietnam Veteran Jim Webb Explains What Average Citizen Can Never Understand

To Kill a Man A short story
Politico
By JIM WEBB
July/August 2015

Webb says, that the average civilian can never understand. As he wrote in his 2014 memoir, “I and my fellow combat veterans stand on one side of a great impassable divide, with the rest of the world on the other.”

Long before James Webb became secretary of the Navy or a U.S. senator—or even potentially a 2016 Democratic presidential candidate—he was a 23-year-old Marine fighting in Vietnam’s An Hoa basin, west of the city of Da Nang, as part of the Fifth Marine Regiment.

During his tour as a rifle platoon and company commander, Webb was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, two Bronze Star Medals and two Purple Hearts for his actions in combat.

An enemy grenade left him with shrapnel lodged in his head, arm, leg and back. Recounting his gritty combat tour during some of the war’s darkest days—in one eight-week period, his rifle platoon suffered 51 Purple Hearts among those killed or wounded—he told an interviewer in 1988, “My greatest feeling in Vietnam was that I was a pawn.”

And when he thought of the other things, he could never forget those who had died and those who had suffered more than he had. These were the true moral paragons, whether or not they ever considered it or knew it. Some had taken blasts of shrapnel. Some had been ripped by gut shots from enemy rifles and machine guns. Some had lost limbs. Some had returned with minds pushed so far over the edge by it all that they could not fully come back, even when they were home, and never would.

All these years later, he still regarded them as his people, his friends, indeed his lifelong comrades, but it had not really started out that way.

The bonds that brought them together and kept them close were powerful and permanent and overwhelming, but they were consequential, not intentional. read more here

ABC US News | World News