Great idea but far from new. That is why the Nam Knights did it back in 1989.
In the summer of 1989 a small group of Harley-riding combat vets of the Viet Nam War, who were also police officers, banded together to form the Nam Knights.
The Club was founded in New Jersey by Jack Quigley, now retired Undersheriff of The Bergen County Sheriff's Department. Jack served as a platoon sergeant with the 11th Motor Transport Battalion, First Marine Division.
As Jack has said: "The club was formed to recapture the brotherhood its founding members shared while serving in Southeast Asia, and to help other veterans of all wars who are unable to physically or financially help themselves."
Armor Down looks to connect "warriors" and "healers" through The Honor Brigade Pentagram By Hannah Troyer Editor January 13, 2017
Hannah Troyer At an Armor Down event January 10, a display for meditation and a moment of mindfulness featuring the battlefield cross was available for attendees to use
Memorial Day may not be for months, but Armor Down Founder and Iraq War Army veteran, Ben King, is hard at work to grow his organization and its purpose. King, along with 100 other people, gathered at the Mazza Gallerie in Washington, D.C. Jan 10 to create a new connection – a new community of what he calls “warriors and healers.”
The group came together to watch a screening of “Thank You for Your Service,” a gut-wrenching documentary by Tom Donahue that discusses the failed military mental health policies and their consequences. The documentary follows four Iraq War veterans as they face a new war within themselves and figure out ways to heal.
The mental health crisis facing the military is nothing new, but King believes there is a new way to approach it. By uniting the “warrior” community – active duty military members, first responders, veterans and their family members with the “healer” community – yoga therapists, mindfulness practitioners and friends, King believes a new conversation and form of healing can begin.
“We know warriors recognize the value of honoring the fallen and then there is the healer community and this mindfulness community, and we know they value honoring the fallen,” King said. “So, we figured why not create a conversation around honoring the fallen that both of these communities can totally get behind and feel authentic about. We just needed something to start the conversation and Tom Donahue’s film came up on my radar, and we started there.” read more here
Hundreds pay tribute at traveling Vietnam memorial in Moore Township
The Morning Call
By Tom Shortell
August 15, 2015
"You can pray, you can cry, you can talk to them. It's so much more personal,"
Debra Reagan
Forty-four years ago, Army Specialist Bobby Nickols sent a letter to his family in Bethlehem. The form letter addressed to family, friends and draft-dodgers asked them to be patient with returning soldiers as they adapted to civilian life. It closed with the emphatic announcement that their soldier was coming home from Vietnam. Nickols scribbled in the margins that his tour would end in 16 days.
Richard A. Jones of Easton visits the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall in Moore Township.
(SHARON K. MERKEL / SPECIAL TO THE MORNING CALL)
The 20-year-old never reached the Lehigh Valley. His helicopter crashed at sea, and it was never clear if it was a malfunction or if it was shot down, said his sister Debra Reagan. His body was never recovered.
Reagan dug the letter out of safekeeping Friday night for a ceremony in Moore Township in front of the Vietnam Traveling Wall Memorial, a three-fifth scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. She had never read the letter publicly before, but she knew it was a fitting tribute to the 58,272 Americans named on the wall behind her as well as the veterans present.
"It was the one thing I wanted to do," Reagan said afterward as she smoked a cigarette to calm herself. "This was the perfect time to read it."
About 300 people attended the ceremony to pay their respects to the honored dead listed on the wall. State Sen. Mario Scavello and state Reps. Julie Harhart and Marcia Hahn spoke, followed by a three-volley gun salute by four members of the American Legion.
The wall was set up on a baseball field, but township officials provided benches for passers-by and mulch along the wall where people left roses, military patches and photos of the dead. Many in attendance were veterans with the Nam Knights, a national motorcycle club with a Lehigh Valley chapter that escorted the wall into the region.
Carrie Ball and her husband, Frank, came in lieu of Ronald P. Horsham, her father who served three years in Vietnam. Horsham died six weeks ago, but he would have loved the traveling memorial, she said. Despite suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and dealing with the aftereffects of Agent Orange, he lived and breathed for the Marines. read more here
There was a Pastor a while back talking to the mourners at a memorial service. Everyone seemed to be asking why the veteran died. He told them to shut their eyes for a second. Each of them had been given the power of life or death. Eyes popped open! He asked them how they would decide who lives and who dies. After all, it seemed to be the natural question given the fact so many were searching for why God let it happen. The Pastor let the thought of having that power sink in for a bit. Then he smiled. He told them they already had that power. When they forgot about someone, it was as if they were never here, thus, they died. Yet when they are remembered, when they leave a piece of them with us, they never die.
Yesterday was one more of those days when people wanted to know why Frenchie left us. After all, he served in the Air Force and then the Army. He worked the rest of his life as you'll hear in the video below. He was a family man of many different families and Frenchie left a piece of him with everyone he came in contact with.
The thing I'll remember most about him, aside from the fact he was always there when anyone needed him, was the nickname he gave me of "chicken lady." I am a hugger. So was he. One day I was out at the Orlando Nam Knights Club house eating a chicken wing and he tried to hug me. I said "get away from my chicken" and we laughed so hard he turned red. Every time after that, he made sure I didn't have anything in my hands other than my camera.
Listen to the video and people talking about his life.
If yesterday was any indication, Frenchie will never really die for any of us. The Nam Knights Green Swamp Chapter reminded us how much of an impact he had on many lives.
If you are like most people with a heart for veterans, you want to do something to help them. We've all seen the heartbreaking commercials on TV of the famous group saying send us money and we'll send you a blanket. I won't mention their name simply because they have been banned from Wounded Times. I won't even post a great story if their name shows up anywhere now. The reason is simple. They get enough attention for the wrong reasons.
The commercials have a song about Vietnam and Afghanistan, but what the don't tell you is they do not help Vietnam veterans at all. Hell, when it comes to the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans they do show, they don't mention that the prosthetic limbs are not supplied by them but are in fact from the DOD and the VA, along with the therapy. They never say what they are doing with the money they are asking you to give.
One good part about the commercials is when you hear the words about helping each other. That is yet one more part most people miss. How much does it cost to fund a veteran showing up to spend some time with another veteran? It doesn't cost much at all.
No one is really sure what that group does with the money but you can't call them fakes. The only way they would be a ripoff is if they actually claimed they were doing something they were not really doing. They don't claim to do anything they show in the commercial. If you donated and feel like a fool now, it is your own fault for not paying attention.
Here is what has been working in cities and towns all over the country. Peer support provided to veterans of all generations from veterans of all generations and families to families. We've done it without publicity or huge bank accounts. Unfortunately that also means groups offering peer support are not able to reach as many veterans searching for someone to care about them.
I want to spotlight a story out of Utah. It is about a motorcycle group just starting out to offer their time and love to other veterans.
Southern Utah combat veterans start motorcycle group to offer support
The Spectrum
Tracie Sullivan
December 5, 2014
Chet Botkins and Chuck Triplett talk about each other’s bikes Thursday.
(Photo: Weston Smith / The Spectrum and Daily News)
CEDAR CITY – The Southern Utah Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association started about six months ago and currently has seven members – statewide that number grows to more than 50.
Organizers say the two things that brought the original founders together were a love for motorcycle riding and that all of them were combat veterans.
Its mission is to help and provide support to veterans, said retired Army Sgt. Chet Botkins, who served for three years, two of which were in Vietnam.
"It's about combat veterans talking to combat veterans. If ya ain't walked the walk, you can't talk the talk," he said.
Botkins said he started the Southern Utah group to reach out to those veterans who are struggling.
"As long as I can see young people, young enough to be my sons, and I can say here's my number or let's get a cup of coffee or let's get a beer, let's go get a Coke, whatever, let's sit down and talk about this and perhaps give them an option they didn't have before, that's all this is about and, oh by the way, having to ride motorcycles," he said.
Recent statistics indicating "every day 22 veterans commit suicide" is concerning for Botkins.
"That's almost one an hour," Botkins said. "They (veterans) don't know where to go. They don't know who to talk to. They're sleeping on the streets in some cases."
Retired Maj. Chuck Triplett said he has known at least five local veterans who have died by choice just since he returned home in 2006 after being deployed with the Triple Deuce for two tours in Iraq. One of those deaths was just six weeks ago.
"The suicide thing is still an issue. Hell, we got back from Iraq in 2006, and we've had five confirms that we know of since then with just one happening six weeks ago that was in the Triple Deuce," he said.
read more here
If you think that something like this is not going to do much good, you need to think again. The best therapy is peer-support. If you talk to an expert and they deny it, then you need to find a real expert.
Nam Knights MC
Our mission is to honor the memory of American Veterans and Police Officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, to assist Veterans and Police Officers in their time of need and to promote community awareness through sponsorship and participation in various fundraising events.
The Nam Knights Motorcycle Club continues to grow and thrive today due to the extraordinary dedication of its members, their families and our benevolent supporters.
In the summer of 1989 a small group of Harley-riding combat vets of the Viet Nam War, who were also police officers, banded together to form the Nam Knights.
The Club was founded in New Jersey by Jack Quigley, now retired Undersheriff of The Bergen County Sheriff's Department. Jack served as a platoon sergeant with the 11th Motor Transport Battalion, First Marine Division.
Today, the Nam Knights of America Motorcycle Club has grown to 53 chapters in 12 states and two Canadian provinces, with hundreds of members made up of veteran's of all eras as well as law enforcement personnel plus a few special and dedicated "patriots."
As Jack has said: "The club was formed to recapture the brotherhood its founding members shared while serving in Southeast Asia, and to help other veterans of all wars who are unable to physically financially help themselves."
"The mission of the Nam Knights is to honor the memory of American Veterans and Police Officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, to assist Veterans and Police Officers in their time of need, and to promote community awareness through sponsorship and participation in various community and fund-raising events."
"The Nam Knights Motorcycle Club continues to grow and thrive due to the extraordinary dedication of its members, their families and our benevolent supporters."
Since 1984, when Seattle Police Officer and Vietnam Veteran Bill Landreth noticed he was arresting the same people each night, he discovered most were Vietnam vets like himself that just never seemed to have quite made it home. He began to meet with them in coffee shops and on a regular basis for fellowship and prayer. Soon, Point Man Ministries was conceived and became a staple of the Seattle area.
These groups have been offering what works best before the Internet age and online support. Why? Because it works. They know they don't have to hold a PHD in psychiatry. They just have to hold one in living with the memories of all they endured when no one was paying attention to them and the reporters didn't care.
PTSD is not new to them. It isn't new to their wives (like me) or kids. None of this is new and it is high time for the good work being done across the country on what works gets more attention. We've been fighting against non-sense for decades. There has been far too much of better than nothing "efforts" being funded simply because someone in the press writes the story. In the above case, I am frankly glad they did.
It isn't about raising money or having power. It is about doing things that really matter in lives being lived across the city and letting these veterans know they matter on a personal level.
That kind of support is not expensive.
It is priceless!
UPDATE
What can you expect when you find the help you need to heal? Here's a song that pretty much sums it up.
"I Can See Clearly Now"
I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone.
All of the bad feelings have disappeared.
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
(ooh...) Look all around, there's nothing but blue skies.
Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies.
I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's going to be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
Yeah, hey, it's gonna be a bright (bright) bright (bright)
sunshiny day.
Bikers refurbish disabled veteran's stolen motorcycle
William R. Levesque
Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 16, 2014
TAMPA — Army veteran Paul Rivera said he was planning to sell his $10,000 customized motorcycle before it was stolen from outside his Tampa apartment on June 18. But he's got it back. And he just might keep it forever.
"I'm never going to get rid of it now," Rivera said.
With the help of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and others, the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club Westside Chapter presented Rivera with his newly refurbished 2005 Honda CBR 600 at the Veterans Memorial Park and Museum Saturday.
After thieves stole the Honda, they nearly ruined it by trying to hide its orange and red colors by painting it black. Parts were missing and the bike's body was damaged. Even the seat was missing.
"Of course, it's not their bike," said Hillsborough Deputy Buddy Rudolph. "They stole it. So they don't take the best care of it."
After the bike was recovered on July 3 and thieves arrested, Hillsborough deputies decided to get the Honda repaired for Rivera, who is a disabled Iraq war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. read more here
Yesterday was a day of sharing and remembering. As always I walked around with my camera and observed more than anything else the unity among these veterans, police officers and firefighters. They and their families manage to carry on the tradition of watching out for and caring for one another more than any other group I have spent considerable time with.
While the press is continually focusing on what divides us as a people, the political shenanigans going on in Washington, the truth is, we are really not as divided as they would like people to believe in this country.
Politicians are learning a lesson about messing with the troops, veterans and their families but they fail to learn the most important lesson of all.
Veterans became veterans by being willing to die for the sake of someone else. Politicians can't even manage to get along for the sake of this country and they are willing to let this country suffer because they while they take their careers seriously and worry about being re-elected, they never manage to take their jobs seriously enough to deserve to be.
Published on Oct 13, 2013
Yesterday at the Orlando Nam Knights clubhouse was the annual biketoberfest party and one brother received his 5 year patch while another received his life membership.
After the ceremony to honor the lives of members lost since last year, Amazing Grace was played and there was total silence.
This morning I arrived for the Melbourne Wall Escort late for the first time in years. I didn't get a chance to get the bikes coming in so I am very sorry to the people I always film. I did manage to get some footage of the Orlando Nam Knights riding back toward Orlando and at that Lone Cabbage. As always the fried gator was wonderful!
Here are a couple of pictures to hold you over until I get the footage edited. Working on that right now.
Here is the video
If you know the Nam Knights, they do this kind of thing all the time and I do mean "kind" so it is great to see the New Hampshire Nam Knights get some recognition for how much they really do care about the men and women risking their lives everyday. Jose Pequeno was a police chief and was wounded in Iraq. The Nam Knights are members of law enforcement, firefighters and veterans.
Former police chief Jose Pequeno, injured in Iraq, comes home
By RAY DUCKLER Monitor staff
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Iron Mike and Rhino never saw it coming.
They never figured Jose Pequeno, the former Sugar Hill police chief, would react as he did Friday at the Concord airport. Hadn’t that brain injury Pequeno suffered in Iraq pushed him into a world of darkness? Hadn’t that grenade tossed into his humvee nearly seven years ago wiped clean his memories, his emotions, his very identity?
That’s what people like Iron Mike and Rhino, along with the others with the rugged nicknames and the biker jackets and the barrel chests, thought when they greeted Pequeno on his trip home for Christmas.
Instead, Pequeno cried.
So the tough guys did, too.
“I saw him shortly after he came home from Iraq, and he was still in and out of surgery back then, in real rough shape,” said Iron Mike, whose real name is Mike Dempsey. “It’s very personal, but I feel as if he recognizes who we are now. When we talked to him, you could see his eyes light up and his face light up. To me, that tells me that he recognizes the voice, that he gets excited and makes it known through his own way.”
Dempsey is a 51-year-old former Marine with a gravely voice and a passion for motorcycles. He rode with Pequeno’s father in the Nam Knights of America, a philanthropic organization of retired law enforcement officers and military veterans.
They raise money, and they roll out the red carpet for people like Pequeno.
Four Nam Knights joined hands to lower Pequeno down the stairs, off a plane flown by a volunteer pilot from Land O’ Lakes, Fla., where Pequeno is now being cared for by his mother and sister. His wife and three kids still live here, in the small North Country town of Lisbon. read more here
On Saturday, October 13, the Orlando Nam Knights laid more bricks for fallen members from around the country.
Richard "Digger" Plante, Marvin "Sonny" Minger, Bill "Willy B" Hunnicut, Curtis "Sarge" Fessler, Nelson Heck and Chris "Woody" Woodward. They also laid a brick for Dannis "Wolf" Bish that is on a separate video
Saturday,October 13, the Orlando Nam Knights laid more bricks for fallen members. Dannis "Wolf" Bish, killed when a car hit him and his wife, was remembered with love. Dannis was also an Orlando Firefighter
Yesterday at the Nam Knights clubhouse in Orlando, John and Theresa Murphy, of Semper Fidelis, renewed their wedding vows. The catch is, she didn't know anything about it. This has to be one of the funniest renewals I've ever seen.
Marine reunited with dog tags lost in Vietnam nearly 50 years ago
BY BOB KALINOWSKI
STAFF WRITER
Published: September 16, 2012
GLEN LYON - When Bernie Mihneski returned from Vietnam decades ago, his military dog tags were left behind, lost somewhere in the war-torn country.
The Marine veteran never thought he'd see the metal identification badges again. But nearly a half-century later, Mr. Mihneski has been reunited with the lost war relic.
"We don't leave our dead back there, and it's the same with the dog tags. We want them returned," Mr. Mihneski said recently, proudly holding up one of the dog tags recently delivered to him by a veterans group. "I'm glad it's in my hands now and not in my teeth - because that's where they put them if you die (in combat). I never thought I'd see it again."
Mr. Mihneski's dog tag was among hundreds found years ago being peddled by a street vendor in Vietnam for less than $1 each.
Ray Milligan, a retired police chief and Vietnam veteran who was in Vietnam on a medical mission, purchased all the dog tags and later provided them to the POW/MIA Awareness Committee of New Jersey. For years, the POW/MIA group has been working with the veterans motorcycle group Nam Knights to personally hand-deliver each dog tag to its owner. read more here
Our mission is to honor the memory of American Veterans and Police Officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, to assist Veterans and Police Officers in their time of need and to promote community awareness through sponsorship and participation in various fundraising events.
The Nam Knights Motorcycle Club continues to grow and thrive today due to the extraordinary dedication of its members, their families and our benevolent supporters.
This beautiful video is on the Nam Knights home page.
Veteran's family reunited with long-lost dogtags
Submitted by Cliff Pyron
07/05/2012
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- A piece of military and personal history is back in the hands of a veteran's family. Nearly half a century after he lost them in Vietnam, Richard Wiler's family now has their dad's dog tags back.
Nearly 20 years ago a man named Ray Milligan was on a medical aid mission in Vietnam when he bought about 400 dog tags being sold by a street vendor. One of them was Richard Wiler's.
The Cape Fear Chapter of the Nam Knights made the trip from North Carolina to New Jersey and back, giving families like the Wilers a special moment to honor their father.
"It's kind of surreal," Wiler's son Jeff said. "It's really cool, I'll probably wear them for a few days before I pull them off." read more here
President Barack Obama is reflected in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall as he delivers remarks during the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War commemoration ceremony in Washington, D.C., May 28, 2012.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
These pictures were sent by email of what this ended up looking like for all the people trying to go and honor the fallen on the Wall!
Was he thinking about the people traveling from all across the country to honor the fallen from Vietnam and Vietnam veterans or was he thinking about himself?
For all the good he has done for veterans and should be proud of, he does something like this and fuels the animosity. It is doubtful he understood what Memorial Day weekend in Washington means to our veterans.
Several groups are very upset about this. There is one place where politicians should never turn a time to honor into a time to promote themselves. THE WALL IS A PLACE TO HONOR THE FALLEN AND ALL THE VETERANS OF VIETNAM.
Crystal City Hilton Hotel was taken over again by the Nam Knights!
My husband and I missed it again this year so we were really happy to see this video. I hope we make it there next year because we sure do miss this huge gathering.
Usually the sun is out when the Nam Knights has their Biketoberfest party but yesterday we had heavy rain in Central Florida all day. As you can see, the rain didn't stop these men from coming out to remember their brothers.
Many people do not know how many were not accounted for after Korea.
KOREAN UNACCOUNTED FOR
(Bodies not identified/bodies not recovered) 8,176
Prisoner of War 2,045
Killed in Action 1,794
Missing in Action 4,245
Non-battle 92
Total: 8,176
After over 60 years, Daytona Beach soldier's remains are coming home
By Jason Wheeler, Volusia County Reporter
Last Updated: Friday, April 22, 2011 2:58 PM
DAYTONA BEACH --
The son of a U.S. soldier, killed during the Korean War, is getting ready to lay his father to rest -- 61 years after he died.
Sergeant First Class James Caldwell's remains were were excavated from a mass grave by the North Korean government in the 90's, and turned over to the U.S.
DNA helped identify the remains at the POW-MIA Accountability Center.
Johnston Caldwell was a toddler when his father disappeared in 1950.
For Caldwell, he and his sister said their goodbyes years ago.
"I lost my dad when I was a kid, only 4 1/2 years of age," Johnston Caldwell said. "I never got to know that much about him except what my mother told me, so we kind of buried him a long time ago."
James Caldwell's remains are being flown to Volusia County on Monday. They will be met by a full military honor guard, as well as the president of the local Korean War Veterans Assocation, Robert McGuire.
Here is one more story I came across that will warm your heart a bit more. It is about the Vietnam War and a group of veterans, police and firefighters making a difference.
KIA Man’s Dog Tag Returned to Family by Nam Knights
Biker group returns fallen soldier’s dog tag
By AUDREY PARENTE, Staff writer
March 10, 2011 – DAYTONA BEACH — At 16, Darlene Woodruff looked up to her soldier cousin, Army Sgt. Robert Melvin Fletcher, who wrote letters to her from the jungles of Vietnam.
The thought of him not coming home never crossed her mind. But on Mother’s Day in 1968, she learned of his death.
“I remember thinking — wondering — what kind of things he had faced over there as such a young man,” Woodruff said. “I remember thinking he had done something far greater than I had done or would ever do.”
More than four decades later, as part of an annual Bike Week party Thursday morning, she learned how her cousin died.
At a special ceremony at the Veterans of Foreign War Post 1590, she watched her sister, Sharron Blais, clutch his dog tag and hug the soldier in whose arms he died.
The former soldier, retired steelworker Clifford William Searcy Jr., found his way to Daytona Beach and Fletcher’s family as part of a chain of events that began in 1998 when a Wall Street trader bought a sack of 100 dog tags from a Vietnamese peasant. The journey ended with Searcy telling Woodruff and Blais the story of their cousin’s final moments.
read more here KIA Man’s Dog Tag Returned to Family by Nam Knights
Father and son team stayed with the Nam Knights all weekend and went on the rides Saturday and Sunday. Really nice guys.
wprior1 — June 06, 2010 — Interview with Al Molaf of the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club. Filmed Memorial Day Weekend at the Rolling Thunder R... wprior1 — June 06, 2010 — Interview with Al Molaf of the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club. Filmed Memorial Day Weekend at the Rolling Thunder Rally 5/30/2010 Washington D.C. Al talks about his service in the United States Army and his treatment he experienced after returning home from the war in Vietnam. The producers of the "WE REMEMBER" documentary will continue to post more interviews with the veterans from the Rolling Thunder Rally 2010. View more interviews on you-tube under the tag line Rolling Thunder 2010. Special thanks to all the members of the Nam Knights MC. -William M. Prior, William J. Prior.
Many good friends talked about what they did this weekend. BBQ food, lots of beer, pool parties and having fun. Not many of them really remembered what Memorial Day weekend is for. This is not unusual considering how few have anyone in their families serving today or have served at one time or another. Forgetting what Memorial Day is for used to get me angry but now, I actually feel sorry for them, for what they are missing out on and for the kind of people they will never know. I don't have the ability to ignore Memorial day and I wouldn't trade with them for a second.
Friday I flew into Washington, took a cab to Walter Reed so that I could have a tour and meet some of our wounded. As tired as I was, thinking my legs would never carry me room to room, one after another rejuvenated me with how inspirational they all are. Young men and women healing from wounds and trying to learn to do things all over again at the same time they worry about their brothers and sisters still deployed and not regretting a second of their service.
When I arrived at the hotel, there were the Nam Knight patches everywhere.
One of them became a Prospect Saturday before the ride.
Hundreds of Nam Knights and their wives headed off to the Wall Saturday morning. The local police did a fantastic job making sure the roads were safe for us and no one tried to cut off the huge pack.
We met at the Wall for a ceremony and prayer, heard taps played and everyone walking near us stopped, took off their hats and waited in silence.
From the Wall we went to the Law Enforcement Memorial for another service. The some of the members went to Maryland while some of us from Orlando went to revisit the Wall. We wanted to be able to get a couple of etchings after all these years. Last year we didn't get close to the Wall but this year, we were finally able to touch it. Standing there everything else in our lives left our minds. All the problems, all the things we have to be concerned about vanished and all we could think about were the lives lost. We went to the statue of the three "grunts" but it was enclosed in a box for renovation. We went to the memorial for the women, also called the Nurses monument. From there we went to the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean Memorial and to the WWII Memorial.
Back at the hotel there was time to relax and party. Most of them needed to break the emotional time of the day and they cut loose. Everyone was welcomed to join in and there was dancing in the street, laughing, hugging and just enjoying the company of this extended family.
Sunday came and my husband headed off to Massachusetts giving me time to sit and talk with hotel guests. I had a late flight back home and was not going on the Rolling Thunder Ride without him. There was a couple sitting near me and we began to talk. They are the parents of the Marine who stands saluting the Rolling Thunder parade/pilgrimage.
Staff Sgt. Tim Chambers has been doing this for eight years. His parents told me that he was recovering from having pneumonia just two weeks ago. Today I found out that on Saturday, he traveled to Maryland for the BBQ with the Knights and then even sang a song, reportedly, doing a great job. His parents told me that Tim saves his leave every year. He came from Camp Pendleton to make sure he was there, as he puts it, to honor those who sacrificed for him. Amazing! One generation thanking the other and then being thanked in return.
The Commander of Camp Pendleton must understand how much this means especially to Vietnam veterans. After they were pushed away from everyone, everywhere, to have this kind of tribute means a great deal. The Vietnam veterans came home, treated badly, to say the least, but were determined to make sure no generation of veterans would ever, ever leave another generation behind. Tim understands this and they mean a great deal to him.
The Rolling Thunder Story In the fall of 1987, in a little diner, in Somerville, New Jersey, two Vietnam veterans met to discuss their personal concerns about the prisoners of war (POW) and missing in action (MIA) from the Vietnam War. Having honorably served their country, and having taken an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies..." and to "bear true faith and allegiance to same," they were deeply troubled by the abhorrent neglect of attention given to those who did not make it out with their lives or their freedom. These two veterans discussed the more than 10,000 reported sightings of live Americans living in dismal captivity. Intelligence reports of these sightings were generally ignored by the government and mainstream press. Artie Muller and Ray Manzo were these two veterans.
One more reason why Staff Sgt. Chambers salute means so much to Rolling Thunder as well as the Nam Knights.
There were many stories about tough, leather wearing bikes being brought to tears just seeing him standing there with his salute to them. One young girl who just lost her Dad went over to him with tears in her eyes and told Tim how her Dad died. He pointed to the flowers at his feet and told her they were for her Dad and all the others who died. He talked to her until she was able to smile again. Over the years, there were many stories of how emotionally healing it is for these veterans to see Tim. This year I heard there was a Soldier standing there as well. A wonderful tribute on this very solemn day.
I got back home on Sunday night and then Monday morning headed out to another Memorial service at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Winter Park FL.
Chaplain of the Florida National Guards, Maj. Anthony Clark gave the invocation and then really came the need for tears. Bud Hedinger of 540WFLA introduced the story of Staff Stg. Robert James Miller nominated for the Medal of Honor.
24, of Oviedo, Fla.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Jan. 25 in Barikowt, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when he encountered small-arms fire while conducting combat operations. Former University of Iowa student killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
IOWA CITY, Iowa — A former University of Iowa student was killed during combat operations in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced on Saturday.
Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller died in Barikowt, Afghanistan. He suffered wounds during small-arms fire, according to the Department of Defense press release.
Robert Miller’s mother, Maureen Miller, of Oviedo, Fla., told The Gazette of Cedar Rapids that her son had attended the University of Iowa for one year before leaving school to enlist in the Army Special Forces.
She declined further comment, the newspaper reported. A phone message from The Associated Press was not immediately returned.
Miller worked in Special Forces as a weapons sergeant. He was assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group Airborne, which was based in from Fort Bragg, N.C.
According to the Department of Defense, he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 and awarded with the Army Commendation Medal with Valor for courage in the face of the enemy.
He was awarded eight other medals while in service, including the Army Good Conduct Medal, two Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development ribbons, the Ranger Tab and Special Forces Tab.
During his deployment in Afghanistan, Miller earned a promotion to staff sergeant.
Miller was born Oct. 14, 1983 in Harrisburg, Pa. He enlisted in the Army as a special forces candidate on August 2003, and became a Green Beret in 2005.
Miller is survived by his parents, Philip and Maureen Miller; brothers Thomas, Martin and Edward; and sisters Joanna, Mary, Therese and Patricia, all of Oviedo, Fla.
Fallen Green Beret gets battlefield salute
Staff report
Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, who was killed in action Friday in Afghanistan, was honored by hundreds of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who lined the tarmac and roadway at Bagram Airfield on Sunday to pay their last respects.
Miller was a member of A Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).
According to a press release from U.S. Army Special Operations Command, he was killed by Taliban fighters as he protected his fellow Operational Detachment Alpha soldiers during combat operations near the Pakistan border.
The firefight took place near the village of Barikowt in the Nari district in Afghanistan’s Konar province during a security patrol with Afghan border police in the Chenar Khar Valley, the release said.
On Sunday, Miller’s flag-draped casket was carried in a tactical vehicle to a waiting Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft, and as the vehicle passed the line of his uniformed comrades, each stood at attention and saluted him for the last time.
Soldiers from Special Operations Task Force 33 formed a cordon leading to the ramp as his brothers in arms serving as pallbearers escorted Miller’s remains into the aircraft’s empty cargo area, the release said.
“He was always quick to volunteer and never thought it should be any other way. On numerous occasions when the Detachment was faced with a difficult task, Robby would just stand up and say, ‘I got this one, I’ll do it, send me,’” Capt. John Bishop of Special Operations Task Force 33 and Miller’s former detachment commander, said at the ceremony.
The release stated that on Jan. 25 Miller was leading a team of Afghan security forces and other coalition soldiers during a combat reconnaissance patrol in Konar Province, near the Pakistan border when insurgents hiding in a structure attacked Miller’s team.
A fellow teammate called for close-air support to drop ordnance on the insurgent position, which momentarily disrupted the attack. But when the combined patrol moved toward the structure to check for any remaining enemy threats, the insurgents again fired using heavy weapons.
Miller’s team captain was seriously wounded within the first minutes of the attack, and while he was being moved to safety, Miller returned fire, remaining at the front of the patrol to lay down suppressive fire on several enemy positions.
Even while injured by direct enemy small arms and machine gun fire, Miller continued to fire his M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and grenades to suppress enemy fire and protect his teammates, who gained cover and also returned fire.
Miller, who was one of eight brothers and sisters, enlisted as a Special Forces trainee on Aug. 14, 2003, according to the release.
He graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course on Sept. 26, 2004, and the Special Forces Weapons Sergeant Course Mar. 4, 2005.
During his last deployment to Afghanistan from August 2006 to March 2007, Miller received two Army Commendation Medals for Valor for his courage under fire, the Army release said.
Miller returned to Afghanistan for his second tour in October 2007, where he served as a weapons sergeant for his team.
There were so many reminders of people doing extraordinary things and the others going off to enjoy themselves instead of knowing what and who this day is for, will never know what they were missing. If they think they have problems, they will never know what it is like to see them fade away in front of the Vietnam Memorial Wall. If they think they are tied or sore, they will never know what it's like to shake the hand of a young soldier in a hospital bed recovering at the same time he says he wants to go back or hear a young female MP missing a leg to say how lucky she feels to be alive. They will spend their days thinking of their own lives, their own problems and never once know what it's like to stand near a hero who was unselfish and risked their lives for all the other things we get to enjoy. Like a day to honor the fallen who gave all.
Maybe it will dawn on them as July 4th comes why we get to celebrate that day as well, but I doubt it.
