Jim Webb, Vietnam Veteran Runs for President

UPDATE From China
Former senator and Vietnam veteran Jim Webb to run for president in long-shot bid against Clinton
South China Morning Post

Webb’s opposition to the Iraq War – his son Jimmy served in the conflict – played a central role in his surprise Senate election in 2006 against a Republican challenger. While he chose not to seek re-election after one term, his military and foreign policy credentials could allow him to become a debate stage foil to Clinton, who served as President Barack Obama’s secretary of state.

But he opposed President George W Bush’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and was recruited by Democrats to challenge Republican Sen. George Allen in 2006. Webb’s campaign was helped by an anti-Iraq war fervor. click link for the rest

Democrat Jim Webb joins 2016 White House race
FOX News
July 2, 2015

Considered a moderate-to-conservative Democrat who supports gun rights and is strong on defense, Webb contends his candidacy would appeal to a wide swath of voters who feel disenfranchised by Washington politics.

Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb is jumping into the race for president, becoming the latest Democrat to try for a primary upset over frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

In a message to supporters obtained by Fox News, and later posted on his website, Webb says: "After many months of thought, deliberation and discussion, I have decided to seek the office of the Presidency of the United States."

Webb's entry brings the total number of Democratic presidential candidates to five. Clinton continues to dominate the field, though Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders lately has been gaining in the polls.

But Webb, 69, is cut from a far different political cloth than the independent, socialist-leaning Vermont senator.

A highly decorated Vietnam veteran and former secretary of the Navy under the Reagan administration, Webb had been seriously mulling a presidential run since establishing an exploratory committee in November 2014.

Webb, who is also a war novelist, served under Reagan from 1984 to 1987 but quit after refusing to reduce the size of the Navy during budget talks. He was a U.S. Marine Corps platoon and company commander in Vietnam, earning a Navy Cross, the Silver Star, two Bronze Star Medals and two Purple Hearts for his actions in combat.

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Iraq Veteran's Journey From Silver Star to Veterans Court to Healing

Iraq Vet From NC Gets A Fighting Chance
CBS News
WFMY 2 News
Mark Strassmann
May 24, 2015

A FIGHTING CHANCE to make things right is what many veterans in trouble with the law say they want most. And in some cases, they're finding that chance in a special kind of courtroom. Our Cover Story is reported now by Mark Strassmann:

Staff Sgt. Tommy Reiman in Iraq(Photo: CBS News)

"Everybody coming here for one specific reason, and that's to give a second chance for every veteran." Staff Sgt. Tommy Rieman is a certified American hero, a recipient of the Silver Star for valor in Iraq. But the bravest thing he ever did was fight to get his life back.

To appreciate the significance of the ceremony held in Harnett County in North Carolina, you first have to learn Rieman's story -- all of it, its remarkable highs and sorrowful lows.

"I think I came out the womb with a uniform on," Rieman laughed. "For me, there was nothing greatest than the honor to put on the uniform and represent this country."

In December of 2003, Rieman was on his first deployment in Iraq when his three-vehicle convoy drove into a death trap.

"We were ambushed by 35 guys. Got hit with three RPGs, three IEDs and a bunch a small gun fire," he said. "And I used my body as a shield to protect my gunner, and took a shot in the arm and the chest and shrapnel to my legs.

"All eight of us survived. And for that I received the Silver Star and a Purple Heart."
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Silver Star for Extraordinary Bravery in Afghanistan

North Hills native to receive Silver Star for heroics in Afghanistan
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
By Sean D. Hamill
May 6, 2015

For his role in the mission, Sgt. Greiner will be awarded the Silver Star in North Carolina today for displaying “extraordinary bravery and complete disregard for his own safety as he and his teammates assaulted an insurgent safe haven,” according to his citation.

The mission Air Force Tech Sgt. Matthew Greiner and his 81 fellow coalition forces faced on Sept. 27 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, was fairly straightforward: Head to a small-town bazaar to destroy weapons and equipment and neutralize insurgents who had been spotted by intelligence there.

But what Sgt. Greiner, 29, a North Hills native, and his colleagues faced was anything but straightforward.

Instead of an enemy that fled the moment Sgt. Greiner and two Air Force colleagues directed an attack helicopter or fighter plane into the area — as they had experienced regularly before — they faced nearly 100 insurgents who did not want to quit.

“It was strange to see them fight so hard,” Sgt. Greiner, a combat controller with the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, said in an interview Tuesday.

What followed were two days of fierce attacks by insurgents that pinned down all 21 Americans — 18 of them Army Special Forces — and 60 Afghan forces for two days. That is, until the heroic efforts of Sgt. Greiner, along with two fellow combat controllers who were all under heavy fire during the mission, managed to coordinate enough air support to kill or drive the enemy away.

They managed to save the lives of all but one of the Americans and Afghans, Army Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Weathers, while nearly half the insurgents were killed during the battle. In addition, more than 50 pounds of heroin that was found — and would have been used to fund the insurgents — was destroyed.
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UPDATE
These U.S. airmen refused to be taken hostage in Afghanistan. Now they’ll get valor awards
Washington Post
By Dan Lamothe
May 5, 2015

On Sept. 27, 2014, a team of U.S. Special Operations troops were dropped into a volatile village in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. The U.S. military had withdrawn thousands of troops from the country in the previous year, and the mission called for 14 Americans and about 24 Afghan commando counterparts to clear a bazaar of weapons and insurgents, and then get out.

It turned into a fight for their lives, three U.S. Special Operations airmen involved in the battle recalled Tuesday. The insurgents, numbering close to 100, sprung a fierce attack in which they not only launched a barrage of fire on the Americans, but made plans on the radio to overrun their position and take them hostage, the airmen said.
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Marine Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif Laid To Rest At Arlington

Decorated Marine killed in Florida training accident buried at Arlington National Cemetery 
By WRIC Newsroom
Published: April 16, 2015

The ordeal is a stark reminder of the risks associated with military service that aren’t always on the front lines of the battlefield.

Staff Sgt. Andrew C. Seif, a critical skills operator with 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command, was awarded the Silver Star Medal during a ceremony at Stone Bay aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 6, 2015.
(Photo: Dept. of Defense via ABC News)

The pouring rain on Tuesday was fitting for the occasion: a military funeral was held at Arlington National Cemetery for Marine Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif, killed in a training accident in Florida one month ago.

Exactly one week after being awarded the Navy’s third-highest award for valor, the Silver Star, Seif’s helicopter crashed in heavy fog during a training exercise in the Florida panhandle. Among the dead were some of the most highly trained Marines and Army pilots: 11 men from Marine Special Operations Command, knowns as MARSOC, and two pilots and two crewmembers from the Louisiana National Guard.
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Twisted Tale of Green Beret, CIA and Army Officials

Army’s withdrawal of officer’s Silver Star sparks ire of Congress
Green Beret saved soldiers under fire
Washington Times
By Rowan Scarborough
March 15, 2015

A group of House lawmakers is moving to strip the armed services’ civilian leaders of the power to revoke combat valor awards in response to Army Secretary John McHugh unilaterally canceling the Silver Star, one of the military’s highest honors, for a former Green Beret officer.

Mr. McHugh took the action against Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, who braved repeated enemy fire in Afghanistan, even though he has not been charged with any offenses. The Army now is seeking to release him with a less-than-honorable discharge. The officer plans to fight the move, his attorney says.

The secretary acted after the CIA informed the Army that Maj. Golsteyn, during a polygraph exam for a job application, told of killing a terrorist who was making improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the weapon that has killed more Americans in Afghanistan than any other. The Army also removed Maj. Golsteyn from the elite ranks of the Green Berets.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, the California Republican who is spearheading the restrictive legislation, says he wants to prevent service secretaries from retaliating against personnel by stripping their awards in cases where there is insufficient evidence to charge them for nonjudicial, or court-martial, punishment.
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Army revokes Silver Star award for Green Beret

Army revokes Silver Star award for Green Beret officer, citing investigation
Washington Post
By Dan Lamothe
February 4, 2015

"The investigation closed last year without Golsteyn’s being charged with a crime, but Army Secretary John M. McHugh decided not only to deny Golsteyn the Distinguished Service Cross, but also to revoke his Silver Star."

Capt. Mathew L. Golsteyn was leading a Special Forces team in Afghanistan in 2010 when an 80-man mission he assembled to hunt insurgent snipers went awry. One of the unit’s five vehicles sank in mud, a gunshot incapacitated an Afghan soldier fighting alongside the Americans, and insurgents maneuvered on them to rake the soggy fields with machine-gun fire.

Golsteyn, already a decorated Green Beret officer, responded with calm resolve and braved enemy fire repeatedly that day, according to an Army summary of his actions. He received the Silver Star for valor for his actions during a 2011 ceremony at Fort Bragg, N.C. Top Army officials later approved him for an upgrade to the prestigious Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor in recognizing combat heroism by U.S. soldiers.

In a rare reversal, however, Golsteyn, now a major, no longer has either award. The Special Forces officer and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., was later investigated for an undisclosed violation of the military’s rules of engagement in combat for killing a known enemy fighter and bomb maker, according to officials familiar with the case. The investigation closed last year without Golsteyn’s being charged with a crime, but Army Secretary John M. McHugh decided not only to deny Golsteyn the Distinguished Service Cross, but also to revoke his Silver Star.
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Carlos Hathcock Vietnam Marine Sniper Legend

When the movie American Sniper came out friends of mine were talking about Carlos Hathcock and how he saved lives in Vietnam. Not enough hours in the day, I never got around to posting about him but thanks to the posting below, here's his story.

This Marine Was The ‘American Sniper’ Of The Vietnam War
We Are The Mighty
BLAKE STILWELL,CONTRIBUTOR
JANUARY 23, 2015

Many American snipers had a bounty on their heads. These were usually worth one or two thousand dollars. The reward for the sniper with the white feather in his bush cap, however, was worth $30,000. 

Carlos Hathcock at work in the fields of Vietnam.
(Photo: U.S. Marine Corps)

Long before Chris Kyle penned “American Sniper,” Carlos Hathcock was already a legend.

He taught himself to shoot as a boy, just like Alvin York and Audie Murphy before him. He had dreamed of being a U.S. Marine his whole life and enlisted in 1959 at just 17 years old. Hathcock was an excellent sharpshooter by then, winning the Wimbledon Cup shooting championship in 1965, the year before he would deploy to Vietnam and change the face of American warfare forever.

He deployed in 1966 as a military policeman, but immediately volunteered for combat and was soon transferred to the 1st Marine Division Sniper Platoon, stationed at Hill 55, South of Da Nang. This is where Hathcock would earn the nickname “White Feather” — because he always wore a white feather on his bush hat, daring the North Vietnamese to spot him — and where he would achieve his status as the Vietnam War’s deadliest sniper in missions that sound like they were pulled from the pages of Marvel comics.

1969, a vehicle Hathcock was riding in struck a landmine and knocked the Marine unconscious. He came to and pulled seven of his fellow Marines from the burning wreckage. He left Vietnam with burns over 40 percent of his body. He received the Silver Star for this action in 1996.
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Obituaries
Carlos Hathcock; Sniper in Vietnam February 28, 1999|JON THURBER | TIMES STAFF WRITER

Florida: Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe Actions Worthy of Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor campaign continues for sergeant who saved troops in Iraq
Los Angeles Times
By David Zucchino
Published: December 7, 2014

Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe

COURTESY OF KASINAL CASHE WHITE

LOS ANGELES (Tribune News Service) — If he had known in 2005 what he knows today, Brig. Gen. Gary Brito would have nominated Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe for the Medal of Honor.

Brito knew in 2005 that Cashe, his uniform soaked with fuel, had plunged into a burning vehicle in Iraq on Oct. 17, 2005, to rescue soldiers who were on fire. But only months later did Brito, Cashe's battalion commander, learn the full details of Cashe's courage that day outside the city of Samarra.

Cashe rescued six badly burned soldiers while under enemy small-arms fire. His own uniform caught fire, engulfing him in flames. Even with second- and-third degree burns over three-fourths of his body, Cashe continue to pull soldiers out of a vehicle set ablaze when a roadside bomb ruptured a fuel tank.

Before all of those details emerged, Cashe was awarded a Silver Star, the military's third-highest award for valor, after Brito nominated him. But soon after learning more about Cashe's actions, Brito mounted an unusual Medal of Honor campaign that has continued for more than seven years.

If the latest batch of sworn statements submitted to the Army by Brito is successful, Cashe will become the first African American among 16 service members awarded the nation's highest medal for valor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. Cashe, 35, died of his burns three weeks after the bomb attack. Seven of the 16 medals have been awarded posthumously.

"You don't often find truly selfless sacrifice where someone put his soldiers' welfare before his own," Brito said. "Sgt. Cashe was horribly wounded and continued to fight to save his men."
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Article from Orlando Sentinel in July

Friends, family gather as Army names Reserve Center after fallen hero
By Susan Jacobson
Orlando Sentinel
Published: July 20, 2014

SANFORD, Fla. — Gary Mills owes his life to the late Army Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn C. Cashe.

Mills was one of half a dozen soldiers whom Cashe pulled from a burning Bradley Fighting Vehicle after a roadside bomb hit it in Iraq on Oct. 17, 2005.

Badly burned over most of his body, Cashe died Nov. 9, 2005.

But his name will live on in Sanford, where Mills joined dozens of Cashe's fellow soldiers, friends, family and dignitaries at a ceremony Saturday naming the new U.S. Army Reserve Center after the fallen hero.

"It's long overdue," Mills, 34, of Jacksonville said of the recognition.

On the lawn of the 31,030-square-foot training building near Orlando Sanford International Airport, speakers praised Cashe's bravery, selflessness and dedication and read proclamations from Gov. Rick Scott and Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett recognizing Cashe's sacrifice.

Representatives of Sens. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, also paid their respects.

Two of Cashe's brothers and a sister -- he comes from a blended family of 18 siblings -- spoke of his impeccable character and remembered his love of hunting and fishing.

Cashe joined the Army immediately after graduating from Oviedo High School in 1988. He had deployed to Iraq once before during Operation Iraqi Freedom and had previously served in Bosnia and the first Gulf War.

When he died at 35, Cashe left a wife and three children in addition to his mother, siblings and a large extended family.
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Navy SEAL Veteran Robert O'Neill Not Apologizing

Ex-Navy SEAL makes no apologies for going public
The Associated Press
KEN DILANIAN
Nov 15th 2014

Robert O'Neill, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, speaks at the 'Best of Blount' Chamber of Commerce awards ceremony at the Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville, Tennessee, U.S., on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014. O'Neill, in an interview with the Washington Post, identified himself as the person who killed Osama bin Laden in a 2011 raid.
Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill, who says he fired the shots that killed Osama bin Laden, played a role in some of the most consequential combat missions of the post-9/11 era, including three depicted in Hollywood movies. And now he's telling the world about them.

By doing so, O'Neill has almost certainly increased his earning power on the speaking circuit. He also may have put himself and his family at greater risk. And he has earned the enmity of some current and former SEALs by violating their code of silence.

But O'Neill, winner of two Silver and five Bronze Stars, makes no apologies for any of that. In a wide-ranging interview Friday with The Associated Press, he said he believes the American public has a right to more details about the operation that killed the al-Qaida leader and other important military adventures. And he insisted he is taking pains not to divulge classified information or compromise the tactics SEALs use to get the drop on their enemies.

"The last thing I want to do is endanger anybody," he said. "I think the good (of going public) outweighs the bad."

"We work in secret and we pride ourselves on that, so if somebody comes out and spills this much, it angers the rest of us," Jonathan Gilliam, a former SEAL, said in an interview.
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Black Hawk Down CSM Robert Gallagher Died at 52

Decorated soldier from 'Black Hawk Down' battle in Somalia dies at 52
FoxNews.com
Published October 23, 2014

Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Gallagher was in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993 and in Baghdad for the U.S. invasion in 2003. When he retired, he worked to serve soldiers. He died on Oct. 13 at age 52.
(3rd Infantry Division/Facebook)

A decorated soldier who participated in the Somalia battle immortalized by Hollywood blockbuster “Black Hawk Down” was reportedly found dead in his Georgia home earlier this month.

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Gallagher, 52, died of natural causes as a result of a heart condition, the Army Times reports. He served as the command sergeant major for the Army’s Wounded Warrior Program, but had extensive experience in major combat operations, including Operation Just Cause in Panama and with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia, which was later made famous by the 2001 film.

“You know, I don’t say this lightly, but Bob is probably one of, probably the best soldier I ever served with, retired Col. Greg Gadson told the newspaper. “That man really cared about soldiers.”

Born in Bayonne, N.J., Gallagher joined the Army in 1981 and later earned several awards and decorations, including a Silver Star, two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars. He earned the Silver Star in 2002 during Operation Iraqi Freedom as troops advanced from Kuwait to Baghdad, when he suffered a leg wound but continued to direct his men.
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Vietnam Veteran Finally Receives Silver Star Earned 48 Years Ago

Vietnam veteran receives Silver Star 48 years later
WBIR NBC News
Kendall Morris
September 29, 2014

(WBIR- Gatlinburg) A Vietnam War veteran received the Silver Star Sunday for his heroic actions in heavy combat 48 years ago.

Former Army Sgt. Larry F. Freeman of Pulaski, Virginia accepted the honor, the United States' third highest military decoration for valor, in front of family and friends at the River Terrace Resort and Convention Center in Gatlinburg. It's the place he and his fellow veterans have reunited for more than a decade.

"It's just a real honor for me to know Larry and help get this award for him after 48 years," Lt. Col. Howard Lavy, U.S. Army (Ret), said about his fellow member of the 1st Bn, 27th Infantry Regiment.

Freeman said Lt. Peter Schnizer, his platoon leader, first nominated him for the award in 1966. But the original recommendation for the Silver Star was never formally submitted due to an administrative oversight.

Schnizer found the award packet in 2005, Freeman said, and began pursuing the award on his behalf. And though Schnizer died in 2012, Lt. Col. Lavy continued to pursue the Silver Star for Freeman.

"It brings great closure not only to Larry, but to the other gentleman in our platoon that are surviving because we're finally able to see him recognized for what he did to help save not only us but other members of the platoon," Lavy said.
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Silver Star for Navy Corpsman After Battle in Sangin

Silver Star for Doc who fought to save Marine
Navy hospital corpsman repelled machine gun fire in Sangin, Afghanistan
UT San Diego
By Gretel C. Kovach
SEPT. 19, 2014

During a ceremony at 5th Marines in Camp Pendleton, Jonathan Kong is awarded the Silver Star from Maj. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson. Kong was a Hospital Corpsman Second Class while serving in the U.S. Navy and assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines when he was deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan.
Nelvin C. Cepeda / UT San Diego/Twitter

CAMP PENDLETON — When “Doc” Kong saw a Marine drop from a shot to the chest, he didn’t hesitate.

While shooting his rifle to suppress the enemy attack, Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Kong rushed into the open under heavy machine gun fire to retrieve the Marine and administer life-saving medical care.

The former Navy hospital corpsman “courageously fought through an enemy ambush to save the life of a wounded Marine,” on June 13, 2011 in Sangin, Afghanistan, the Marine Corps announced.

For his heroic achievement, Kong was awarded the Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest medal for valor in combat, during a ceremony Friday afternoon at Camp Pendleton.

In brief remarks on the 5th Marine Regiment parade deck, Kong told guests he didn’t feel he deserved the award.

“Honestly, these other corpsmen out here… I was with them in Afghanistan and I know for a fact if they were in my shoes they would have done the same thing. If I was the one laying on my back, someone else would be dragging me behind the wall,” he said.
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Silver Star Vietnam Veteran may not be after all

UPDATE

Senator Tom Harkin:

"I regret to have learned today that a Silver Star medal presented by a member of my staff to an Iowan earlier this year appears not to have been earned through service," Harkin said, noting records provided to his office by the Navy.

The Navy launched an investigation within hours after a story published Wednesday in The Des Moines Register quoted several military groups or advocates who say Dennis William Myers, 64, of Marshalltown provided Harkin with bogus documentation showing him as a recipient of the Silver Star medal.

As for Meyers,

He additionally said he obtained the certificate from the American War Library, a private business in California that allows people to purchase the certificates for as little as $9.50. Officials from the business declined to outline how they verify military records before issuing the certificates.
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Iowan's Silver Star documents under investigation
Des Moines Register
Jason Clayworth
September 3, 2014

The U.S. Navy has confirmed "unexplained irregularities" in the paperwork of an Iowa military veteran who received one of the nation's highest military honors from Sen. Tom Harkin's office, a spokeswoman for the senator said in a statement Wednesday.

"Senator Harkin intends to ensure that the Navy completes a full investigation, arrives at the true historical record and that appropriate sanctions are issued, if warranted," his spokeswoman Susannah Cernojevich said.

The investigation comes hours after publication of a Des Moines Register article in which several military groups or advocates questioned whether Dennis William Myers, 64, of Marshalltown provided Harkin with bogus documentation showing him as a recipient of the Silver Star medal.

In June, Harkin's office staffers publicly presented Myers with the Silver Star medal after receiving documents from Myers.

Questions surfaced soon after that event when Doug Sterner, the curator of the Military Times Hall of Valor, attempted to fact check Myers' background before adding him to a searchable online directory of military honors.

Sterner said he believes the certificate Myers provided to Harkin was a fake. The certificate is unsigned, undated and does not have an accompanying letter of support. Such certificates are signed by a top-ranking military official or the U.S. president, Sterner noted.
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This is a blank one found online from the Navy

Ex-POW Veteran of 3 Wars Passed Away at 92

Brevard Vietnam veteran, POW dies
FLORIDA TODAY
Norman Moody
August 18, 2014

Retired Col. Larry Guarino was a POW for more than seven years. The Indian Harbour Beach resident died of natural causes at the age of 92.
(Photo: File photo)

MELBOURNE – Retired Air Force Col. Larry Guarino, a fighter pilot who in the Vietnam War was shot down near Hanoi in 1965 and held as a prisoner of war for more than seven years, has died.

He was 92.

Guarino, an Indian Harbour Beach resident, was a highly decorated veteran, who also served in World War II and Korea. He told the story of his captivity in Vietnam in "A POW Story — 2801 Days in Hanoi."

"That book inspired so many people," said Evelyn Guarino, his wife of 71 years.

She said a young private once wrote her husband to say that after reading about what Guarino went through in prison, he was ashamed of himself for complaining about not having his family with him in Germany where he was serving.

"He was a wonderful man," Evelyn Guarino said. "He had a great sense of humor."

She said he served for 33 years as a pilot and loved the plane he flew in World War II, the Spitfire.

His medals included the Air Force Cross, the second highest military award, Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross and two Purple Hearts.
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WWII veteran kept Silver Star and 7 Bronze Stars a secret

Family unearths veteran's secrets
Lancaster native who kept WWII stories to himself has many awards
The Eagle-Gazette
Written by
Carl Burnett Jr
staff
July 14, 2014

George Davis stands in front of his tank lined up for a military review during WWII. / Submitted by Chris Anderson

LANCASTER — When former Lancaster native George William Davis was asked about his World War II military service, he would change the subject or just say no one wanted to hear about it.

“He used to say he saw things over there that he didn’t think other people should know about,” said his son-in-law, Chris Anderson.

But that wasn’t the case for Anderson, or the Davis family. They were interested.

Davis died in 1996 before he opened up about his military service and before Anderson started digging into his military history.

“I was trying to do research for a book I was trying to write about my family’s military history,” Anderson, a Vietnam War Navy veteran, said.

Anderson said he contacted the military records department through Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office to obtain Davis’ military records.

What they found out was that all of Davis’ military files had been destroyed in a fire in 1973. But there was one more place they could look for information — the Hocking County Recorder’s Office.

He entered the Army three days after Pearl Harbor and served for nearly four years in battles against the Axis powers in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium and Germany.

He received a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in battle, as well as Campaign Stars for Algeria-French Morocco (North Africa), Sicily, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe (Germany).

He was granted an honorable discharge and received the Good Conduct Medal, a special Belgian award (the Belgian Fouraguri) and he also received a Silver Star for gallantry, seven Bronze Stars and a Bronze Arrowhead.

He had an amazing military history and saw most of the battles in Europe that included the Americans.
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Silver Star for Alaska National Guardsman

Guardsman's Heroism in Afghanistan Garners Silver Star
KTUU News
Chris Klint Chris Klint
Senior Digital Producer

ANCHORAGE
Nearly four years after saving the lives of four comrades pinned down by gunfire in Afghanistan, an Alaska Air National Guard pararescueman received the nation's third-highest decoration for valor in recognition of his selfless acts.

Master Sgt. Roger Sparks, a member of the 212th Rescue Squadron, was awarded the Silver Star in a Friday ceremony on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, according to a statement from Guard spokesperson Capt. John Callahan.

The award recognizes Sparks’ actions on Nov. 14, 2010 during Operation Bulldog Bite, when he and another member of the 212th -- Capt. Koaalii Bailey -- were lowered by helicopter under fire from insurgents into the Watapur Valley, following a call to extract casualties from heavy combat with insurgents.

“Upon touchdown they were both blown off their feet by a rocket-propelled grenade, and Sparks instructed the flight crew via radio not to lower any more personnel due to the high volume of fire,” Callahan wrote. “Under fire from three directions, the pair began communicating with nearby Coalition aircraft to direct air strikes against insurgent positions. Making contact with forces on the ground, they then began to consolidate the wounded and provide treatment.”

Still being attacked by the enemy, Sparks was able to apply his skills to saving his comrades.
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Silver Star Vietnam Veteran Life Honored 4 Days Before Death

Silver Star recipient kept fighting spirit
Tribune Live
By Bill Vidonic
Published: Saturday, June 14, 2014

Though his body was ravaged from a fight with cancer, Neil Brown still managed to attend a ceremony honoring his service and sacrifice in Vietnam just four days before his death.

“Up until that moment, I wasn't sure it was going to happen,” said his wife, Anne Brown.

Neil H. Brown of Upper St. Clair died at home on Thursday, June 12, 2014, of complications from renal cancer. He was 66.

Mr. Brown was a senior executive vice president for AON insurance's Pittsburgh office at the time of his death and had sold insurance for construction projects, his family said.

“He was a loyal, generous person. He wasn't someone a customer would take advantage of. There was a shrewd side to him. You couldn't succeed in this business if you didn't have that side,” Anne Brown said.

Mr. Brown's ultimate legacy, however, may be his heroism in Vietnam.
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Green Beret Earned Silver Star after answering wife's text

Michigan soldier earns Silver Star for Afghan duty
Battle Creek Enquirer
Chuck Carlson
Apr. 7, 2014

BATTLE CREEK, MICH. — In the middle of it all, with the bullets whizzing and the bombs exploding and the situation deteriorating, Bob Hinsley returned a text message.

From his wife.

“I didn’t know where he was and I sent him a text message because I was worried,” Jesse Hinsley told the Battle Creek Enquirer. “I saw something on the news and I was worried. Stupid me, I shouldn’t be watching the news but I texted him and asked ‘Can you call me?’ “

Hinsley, a U.S. Army Green Beret, happened to be deep in a firefight in a rebellious Afghan province facing an enemy force twice his unit’s size.

But, being the dutiful and considerate husband, he returned the text. And his response? “He said he was busy,” Jesse said with an ironic laugh.
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Fort Bragg Special Forces honors 8 heroes with Silver Stars

UPDATE

The Silver Star recipients are, from left, (1st row) Sgt. 1st Class David Blish; Master Sgt. Charles Ritter; Chief Warrant 2 Jason Myers; Chief Warrant 2 Robert Hinsley; (2nd row) Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Drew; Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Brown; Staff Sgt. Robert Ashwell; and Staff Sgt. Nicholas Lavery. They received the awards Thursday at Fort Bragg, N.C..
(Sgt. Enoch Fleites / Army)

Read more on Army Times Special Forces soldiers honored for valor in Afghanistan

NC Special Forces soldiers who risked their lives to get valor awards
Fayetteville Observer
Drew Brooks
March 27, 2014

In one case, a soldier is being honored for catching a grenade in his hands and throwing it away before jumping on an Afghan soldier to shield him from the blast.

In another, a soldier physically pushed another away from danger and then stepped in front of him to shield him from bullets.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — They risked their lives in Afghanistan to save their fellow soldiers, and now they'll be honored among their peers on Fort Bragg.

Soldiers of the 3rd Special Forces Group will receive dozens of medals during an award ceremony Thursday.

Lt. Gen. Charles Cleveland, commanding general of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, will present eight Silver Stars, 28 Bronze Stars for valor, 36 Army Commendation Medals for valor and 27 Purple Hearts to soldiers in the 11 a.m. ceremony, according to officials. The Silver Star is the military's third highest award for valor in combat.

The eight soldiers receiving Silver Stars are

Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Brown

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jason W. Myers

Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan B. Drew

Sgt. 1st Class David A. Blish

Warrant Officer Robert A. Hinsley

Staff Sgt. Nicholas C. Lavery

Staff Sgt. Robert B. Ashwell

Master Sgt. Charles P. Ritter

Myers and Ritter also will receive Purple Heart medals for being injured in Afghanistan, officials said.

Brown will also receive an Army Commendation Medal for valor and two Purple Hearts and Lavery will also receive a Bronze Star for valor and three Purple Hearts.
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Navy Corpsman Receives Silver Star in Florida

Navy Corpsman Receives Silver Star
DVIDS
by Jason Bortz
Mar 19, 2014

PENSACOLA, Fla. - “I didn’t think, I just reacted,” said HM3 Zackery Penner, a corpsman with Naval Hospital Pensacola, when recalling the events of June 22 and 23, 2012, while serving with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines in Afghanistan.

For his actions on those two days, Penner was awarded the Silver Star, the third highest military decoration for valor, on March 19 at a ceremony here.

On June 22, 2012, with approximately 30 days left in country, Penner’s platoon encountered Afghan insurgents on the first day of a seven-day operation, and a Marine was severely wounded on a nearby rooftop. Without hesitation, Penner ran to the Marine while exposing himself to enemy fire that was only 50 meters away.

With rounds impacting all around him, he treated and evacuated the Marine. Though the Marine did not survive from the wounds he sustained, Penner’s actions reflected the relationship and camaraderie shared between Marines and corpsmen.

“Marines love their corpsmen, and I love being with Marines,” said Penner, who enlisted in the Navy immediately after graduating high school in Sacramento, Calif. “I wanted to be a corpsman because I wanted to help Marines.”
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