Showing posts with label WWII. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WWII. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Remains of WWII Marine Finally Home

More than 70 years later, WWII Marine arrives home
WBTW
Nick Sturdivant
Published: April 5, 2016


FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – After more than 70 years, a United States Marine finally made it back home to Florence.

A Japanese sniper killed Sgt. John Charlton Holladay in 1943. However, on Monday his family finally got the chance to give him a proper burial.

Many across the area attended Holladay’s ceremony to recognize the once lost soldier. His family was at Charleston International Airport to receive his remains Friday.

Holladay was U.S. Marine during World War II, but after his death bombing runs would destroy the temporary grave he was buried in.

Last year, workers in the Solomon Islands found his remains in the jungle and through a DNA testing connected this missing marine back with his family.
read more here

Friday, February 19, 2016

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

Monday, December 7, 2015

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Department of Defense 74th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Attack

Pearl Harbor Day ceremonies to mark attack
CNN
By Katia Hetter, Marnie Hunter and Brad Lendon
December 7, 2015
As of two years ago some 2,000 to 2,500 Pearl Harbor survivors were believed to be still alive, according to Eileen Martinez, chief of interpretation for the USS Arizona Memorial.
(CNN)On the day the nation pays tribute to those who perished in the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona memorial will honor the man who was the ship's oldest surviving officer.

As part of the 74th anniversary of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on Monday, the ashes of retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joe Langdell, who died at age 100 in February, will be interred in the ship with full military burial honors.

The USS Arizona battleship was bombed and sunk during Japan's surprise morning attack on Pearl Harbor that pulled the United States into World War II.

The remains of many of the 1,177 U.S. military personnel who died aboard the Arizona are still inside the submerged wreck. It was the greatest loss of life ever in an attack on a U.S. warship, the National Park Service says.

The memorial was dedicated in 1962.
read more here

102-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor returns to Hawaii
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow)
By Victoria Cuba
Posted: Dec 06, 2015

Even at 102 years old, Jim Downing still remembers the attack on Pearl Harbor as if it were just last week.

Now back in Hawaii for the 74th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, he feels all the memories come rushing back.

“When I think about what happened here on December 7... That's a sad memory,” said Downing, the second oldest Pearl Harbor survivor.

On that very day, fire hose in hand, he remembered seeing the Japanese fighter planes flying straight overhead, his fellow comrades falling around him.

The overwhelming feelings of surprise, fear and pride at the sight of them can still be felt until this very day.

“I kind of ran the whole gamut of emotions,” he said.
read more here

Oldest U.S. vet, 110, helps mark Pearl Harbor Day
USA TODAY
Gregg Zoroya
December 7, 2015

America's oldest living veteran is helping the nation mark Monday's 74th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor by participating in a wreath-laying ceremony at the National World War II Memorial in the nation's capital.

Former Army private Frank Levingston, who turned 110 last month, served in Italy during World War II. He enlisted in 1942, shortly after the Dec. 7, 1941 Japanese attack in Hawaii that killed 2,400 servicemembers and brought the United the States into the war.
read more here

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Hispanic Pilot Flew With Tuskegee Airmen

Once Unknown, Story of World War II Latino Tuskegee Airman Uncovered 
Fox News
by Bryan Llenas
Nov 24, 2015

Among the legendary Tuskegee Airmen, America's first African-American military air squadron which heroically fought in World War II, was a little known about Hispanic pilot named Esteban Hotesse.
(Fox News photo)
Born in Moca, Dominican Republic, but a New Yorker since he was 4 years old, Hotesse served with the Tuskegee Airmen for more than three years before he died during a military exercise on July 8th, 1945. He was just 26.

As a black Dominican, Hotesse was a part of a squadron credited for single-handedly tearing down the military's segregation policies, while helping to change America's perception of African-Americans during the Jim Crow era.

He is believed to be the first Dominican soldier to serve on the well-known squadron. His historic role was recently discovered by a group of New York academics.
read more here

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

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

Monday, October 12, 2015

Binding Sense of Brotherhood

Military friendships, losses remain deep, profound
Kentucky.com
BY PASCHAL BAUTE AND CHARLIE EYER
October 11, 2015

The military veteran's experience is intense, emotional, personal, therefore unforgettable.
The authors participated in the recent Honor Flight to war memorials. Paschal Baute, right, who served off and on from 1948 to 1972 with all four military branches, mostly as a Navy chaplain, is now chaplain to the Lexington Blind Veterans Chapter. Charlie Eyer was a medical lab tech with the 121st Evacuation Hospital near Seoul, South Korea.

Through training of all sorts, one arrives at a binding sense of brotherhood. Combat and the memories of lost brothers magnify the intensity.

"Never have I felt as close to my wife or kids as I did with my brothers in combat," confided one Vietnam veteran. There is nothing like this sense of closeness in civilian life.

Thus, for veterans a loneliness in civilian life is inescapable, which no civilian can understand. This may be one reason there are so many suicides of veterans today. The emotional transition is hugely challenging.

Research shows the disconnect is so strong it can be buried for 30 years and then emerge as post-traumatic stress disorder, as happened with one Vietnam veteran friend.
read more here

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Florida Veteran Survived Iwo Jima and Korean War, And Now VA Paper Death

VA declares Lakeland veteran dead, leaves him without pension
News Channel 8
By Steve Andrews
Investigative Reporter
Published: October 9, 2015

LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) – When Walter Williams was 17, he lied about his age, joined the U.S. Navy, and then fought at Iwo Jima. After the war, Williams entered into the Reserves and was called back to active duty during the Korean War. He made it through two bloody conflicts unscathed. In July, a mistake by the Veterans Administration killed him.

“On July 25th they sent out a letter saying my father was deceased,” daughter Rita Mixon said.

Ninety-year-old Williams is hardly dead. He suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Mixon cares for him full-time. When the VA killed him off in July, it also deep-sixed Williams’ VA and Social Security pensions. It also demanded $1,700 it deposited into Williams’ account be returned to the VA.
The VA told Mixon it will make Williams financially whole by the end of the week. “I had to find someone to hear me, because they weren’t hearing me. That’s when I reached out to 8 On Your Side to assist me, and it really made a big difference, so I am very grateful that we got this taken care of,” Mixon said.
read more here

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Florida Representative Wants General's Statue Gone

Lawmaker wants Florida Confederate general's statue gone from U.S. Capitol
Orlando Sentinel
By Jim Turner
News Service of Florida
September 9, 2015

TALLAHASSEE — The bronze statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, which has stood in the U.S. Capitol since 1922, would be replaced by a statue more representative of Florida, under a bill filed by a Republican state lawmaker.

Rep. Jose Felix Diaz said he's been considering the proposal (HB 141) for several years. The bill comes as people across the country have reconsidered Confederate symbols after the racially motivated slaying in June of nine black church members in South Carolina.

"I think that the shooting in South Carolina created an awareness that wasn't there before," said Diaz, who represents parts of Miami-Dade County. "When I first started asking questions about Gen. Kirby [Smith], the political appetite wasn't there for this conversation to be had. People were not intrigued by him or Statuary Hall."

The Smith statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection is in the Capitol Visitor Center.

The Florida Senate is considering similar legislation, Katie Betta, a spokeswoman for Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, said in an email.
read more here



Must be my day to rant. Why now? Why after all these years? Why not when Tuskegee Airmen were sent to fly during WWII but still couldn't sit where they wanted at a lunch counter or even remain in their seats on a bus outside the base?
As a former mechanic for the Tuskegee Airmen, Gainesville's Stephen Lawrence remembers that time in his life as a time of survival, not the flashy romanticism depicted in Lucas' new film.

Lawrence, now 90 years old and a longtime resident of Gainesville, was born in Philadelphia in 1921. A welder by trade, Lawrence earned a decent wage working in shipyards until he was drafted in 1943.

"I didn't want to go," Lawrence said. "It was segregated real bad. I mean real bad. You hear me?"

Lawrence sat in a comfortable chair in the sunroom of his house. The house is impeccably clean and warmly decorated, the air smelling of soap and cornbread.

"Personally, it was survival," Lawrence said. "I'm there, I don't want to be there, but I want to leave alive, and while I am there I am going to do the best I can at what I am doing. That was it. I was determined to come home."

During his military service from 1943 to 1947, Lawrence said he experienced racism from inside the military and outside, in the towns in which he was stationed. Lawrence recalled one instance in which he went to the convenience store located on the base and asked to buy a pack of Philip Morris cigarettes, but was refused service.

Or when one of these heroes was robbed and carjacked in the same day at the age of 93?

Why not when it happened to the Montford Point Marines being treated the same way. During the groundbreaking for a memorial,
Jacksonville Mayor Sammy Phillips said it was the beginning of something “that’s been a dream for a long time” and the opportunity to pay tribute to a group of trailblazers who were willing to risk their lives for a nation that still viewed them as second-class citizens.

There is what is popular to the Facebook/Twitter generation and what is history to those who risked their lives for the freedom to Tweet and remain a twit about all the folks going through a lot worse so they wouldn't have to.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

WWII Changed Utah

WWII put Utah women to work, changed face of the state
The Salt Lake Tribune
By CHRISTOPHER SMART
First Published Sep 01 2015
"It was simply revolutionary. There were very few facts of life that weren't impacted," Cannon said. "Nothing has altered the landscape here at home as much as the Second World War."
Utah State Historical Society Jo ann Roble works at Hill Air Force Base, post WWII.

During World War II, the United States and its Allies defeated enemies on two sides of the globe, but the impact on Utah cut across many fronts.

In fact, historians say, the war transformed the Beehive State — economically, socially and otherwise — more than any other event since the Mormons' arrival in 1847.

A relatively isolated place before Pearl Harbor, Utah had become part of mainstream America by the time Japan officially surrendered to the U.S. and its Allies aboard the USS Missouri 70 years ago Wednesday, on Sept. 2, 1945 — V-J Day.

The war effort sent men to foreign countries they otherwise would not have seen. By 1945, more than 62,000 Utahns were on active duty. With their victory, they came home with new ideas about the future — including more skiing in Utah.
More than 412,000 Americans perished in the fighting — more than 3,000 of them Utahns. Many who made it back suffered from "shell shock" ­— what is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder.
read more here

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Merchant Marines Still Fighting Battles After War

My husband served in Vietnam. His Dad served with Patton and 3 uncles fought during WWII and one of them was a Merchant Marine. His ship was hit by the Japanese and he ended up in the ocean. When he got stateside, it was clear he had what they used to call "shell shock" and he was give two choices about the rest of his life. Go into an institution or go live on a farm in Massachusetts with other veterans. He took the farm and lived the rest of his life with a couple taking care of veterans just like him.
‘Giving their lives’: Merchant Marine vets seek compensation, recognition
Belleville news Democrat
Mike Fitzgerald
August 15, 2015

When Orville Sova, 88, returned to the metro-east after years overseas serving his country during World War II, he was welcomed home with neither parades nor medals.

Unlike other veterans of his generation, Sova was not eligible for the GI Bill, VA medical care or even burial in a military cemetery.

The reason: Sova served as a sailor with United States Merchant Marine, the civilian-run cargo arm of the U.S. war machine that delivered troops and war supplies to war theaters from Siberia to Australia.

Even though Sova and his fellow mariners played an essential role in winning the war; and even though they served under some of the harshest conditions and in some of the most dangerous war zones, in the eyes of the U.S. government, Sova was still a civilian — and therefore entitled to nothing.

Seven decades after the end of World War II, the lack of recognition and denial of benefits for his wartime service still rankles Sova, a Collinsville resident.

“Every merchant seaman you see floating around today has this fire in their belly because we didn’t get recognition,” Sova said. “We should’ve got it.”
read more here

Merchant Marine Bill not signed by John McCain
Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition

Saturday, July 18, 2015

The Price Paid For Your Freedom Is Still Being Paid, Over and Over Again

When Someone Else Pays The Price, It Isn't Free
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
July 18, 2015

It happened when troops were sent to Vietnam and war coverage was brought to every home in America. It happened to veterans of the Korean War the same way it did to veterans of WWII and WI. It happened to all those generation when troops were sent to Kuwait. Outsiders didn't know what it was doing to the veterans because they wouldn't talk about it. Not than anyone bothered to ask them. Folks didn't know so they just didn't care.

Then came that dreadful day in September of 2001 when advocates were screaming about what was to come after the attack on our own soil. Few listened, even less understood the warnings were very real.

Troops were sent into Afghanistan in October and the screams were louder because the evidence was presenting itself throughout the veteran community. Most families didn't understand what happened to shred their lives as they knew them.

In 2003, another war began in Iraq and President Bush gave a speech to announce it.
Million of Americans are praying with you for the safety of your loved ones and for the protection of the innocent.

For your sacrifice, you have the gratitude and respect of the American people and you can know that our forces will be coming home as soon as their work is done.

Our nation enters this conflict reluctantly, yet our purpose is sure. The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder.

We will meet that threat now with our Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines, so that we do not have to meet it later with armies of firefighters and police and doctors on the streets of our cities.

While everyone in this country has the opportunity to enjoy freedom, few felt the price was worth paying to retain it. The others never really understood how valuable it was. They simply took it for granted someone would always show up and risk their lives for it. When someone else pays the price, it isn't free.

There was no mention of the price being paid in over 20 million homes with veterans of past wars fighting a renewed battle to live.

In 2009, the attack came in the disguise of one of their own. The terrorist attack came from not just a soldier, but an officer and psychologist in charge of caring for their mental health. It will forever be known as the Fort Hood Massacre but no one bothered to calculate the cost for the families at Fort Hood or on all the other bases around the world.

Army Ret. Command Sgt. Maj., James Rominger reaches down to touch one of the 13 crosses surrounded by American Flags in front of the Central Christian church, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Killeen, Texas. CREDIT: AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez


No one bothered to sum up the crisis for all the other veteran families yet again.

In a Tennessee town, another attack left 4 Marines dead. Americans were shocked for a few minutes and then got on with their lives. Community members near the recruiting office let the grief touch their hearts. For current military members, this will not be something they simply get over or move on from. They will take it with them wherever they go right along with every other veteran who paid the price so that others had the right to forget.
David Wyatt, killed in Chattanooga, was even-keeled mentor to Marines
Washington Post
By Dan Lamothe
July 17 2015
“He was a mentor and a leader to a lot of guys who are now like, ‘Wow,’ ” Bein said. “It’s going to bring back a lot of memories for guys, especially knowing that stuff like this is now on our own soil. Good Lord.”
Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt was a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a pillar of support to his comrades in those conflicts who came home with physical or emotional scars.

After Matt Bein was wounded by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2009, he turned to Wyatt for help in wrestling through what he should do with the rest of his life — leave the Marine Corps, or find some way to continue to serve despite his injuries.

“He was a mentor and a leader to a lot of guys,” said Bein, a former joint terminal attack controller who ultimately decided to accept a medical retirement as a sergeant. read more here

part two Vietnam Requiem Revisisted

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Breakfast With Champions of Freedom

Local heroes gather quietly every two week to share a meal
Veteran's of Foreign War Post #578 sponsor breakfasts for those who fought for our freedom
Preston County News Journal
by Theresa Marthey STAFF WRITER
July 11, 2015
Staff Photo by Writer Theresa Marthey
Veteran breakfast
Veterans gathered at Hometown Diner in Kingwood on Wednesday for breakfast.

KINGWOOD — Hometown Diner in Kingwood had a handful of special customers for breakfast Wednesday morning: A handful of Preston County men and women who some might call heroes met to enjoy a good meal and cup of coffee.

These unassuming men and women presenting themselves as senior citizens are actually veterans who fought in wars as far back as Vietnam, Korea and World War II.

James Savage, 67, is one of the youngest in attendance. He served in Iraq during the recent war. But for Savage, being with the other veterans was awe-inspiring.

“It is a honor to be able to sit here with these gentlemen and talk about life and experiences,” Savage said. “I am humbled to be in their presence.”

Sheridan Layman, Larry Hoban and Foster Huffman, all veterans of World War II, were presented Veterans of Foreign War blazers and shirts to wear at future VFW events.

Layman will be turning 101 years old on July 29. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1932 and was discharged in 1947. He was approximately 30 years old during the war.
read more here

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Winn Dixie Forgot To Honor All The Other 20 Million Veterans

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
July 1, 2015

Blind patriotism is writing a check and thinking you just did something worthy of all they did for us. Ignorance is no excuse for forgetting those who came before those you choose to remember.

This morning started out like every other day. I got up at 4:30, put on the coffee, let my dog out and turned on the TV to catch up on the news. As soon as I turned it on there was, what I thought would be, a great patriotic commercial for those who served this nation. After all, they are the reason we are still free. They are ready to defend us with their lives. All of them. And that is the part that made me sick to my stomach.

The commercial from Winn Dixie wasn't about all our veterans. It was not about the over 20 million veterans out of the news and the spotlight of the reporters. It wasn't about all the dedicated groups taking care of all our veterans equally simply because they are worthy of so much more. No, not about WWII veterans, Korean War veterans, Vietnam War veterans or Gulf War veterans. It was about donating money to Wounded Warrior Project despite the hashtag Winn Dixie wants folks to use which is "#allforhonor."

 This is from WWP website
Why don't you offer services to ALL veterans?
WWP began as a small, grassroots effort to provide immediate assistance when a warrior of this generation was injured. We felt we could do the most good by providing more comprehensive programs and services to the newly injured, rather than spread ourselves too thin by trying to help all veterans. We also knew there were many terrific veterans' organizations for warriors from previous conflicts, but very few focused on serving our newest generation.

Driving to work at 5:45, my favorite radio station played their ad. They repeated it all day long.

I emailed Winn Dixie and asked how they abandoned the other veterans. This was their response.
Thank you for reaching out to us to express your opinions. We are partnering with WPP for this particular promotion because we have a responsibility to care and contribute to the lives of those who have served and sacrificed for our nation, and we believe WWP is doing just that. We have chosen to be specific with our donation by donating to the Independence program so that 100% of our donation goes directly to the veterans they serve and not administrative costs.

We understand that our campaign focus is of concern to you, but we hope you’ll understand this is one of many programs we have in place to give back to the communities we serve, many of which are veterans organizations. Just last year, with the help of our customers, vendor partners and associates – BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie channeled more than $10 million and nearly 33 million pounds of food back to hundreds of non-profit organizations across our footprint. Again, we appreciate your feedback and thank you for shopping with us!
Winn Dixie Customer Support

This is their press release
BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie to hold Wounded Warrior Project Day
Fourth of July profits to go to Wounded Warrior Project

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) and longtime collaborator Southeastern Grocers — home of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie — band together for a special Fourth of July initiative: Wounded Warrior Project Day. Southeastern Grocers will donate every cent of every dollar of Independence Day profits to WWP to help support the Independence Program.

The WWP Independence Program helps warriors live life to the fullest, on their own terms. It pairs a specialized case manager with each injured service member and his or her family to develop a personalized plan that targets the warrior's needs or interests. In many instances, for the cost of one month in an in-patient institutionalized brain injury rehabilitation program, the WWP Independence Program can provide a year's worth of community-based support on a weekly basis to an individual warrior.

On Saturday, July 4, BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie customers can support WWP programs by simply shopping at one of the nearly 800 participating grocery stores in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina. Customers are also able to make individual contributions to WWP at BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie websites and in-store checkout stations.

"BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie operate in states with some of the highest active duty military populations in the United States," said Ian McLeod, Southeastern Grocers president and chief executive officer.

McLeod announced the initiative and thanked active and retired military and their families for their service and sacrifice. "While we recognize on Memorial Day those soldiers who paid the supreme sacrifice, and give thanks to those that have served on Veterans Day; the sacrifice and needs of those who are severely injured visibly or invisibly is not necessarily fully understood. I am honoured that we are running this program and am thankful to the military men and women and their families for their service and sacrifice."

"We are excited to continue our work with BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie in the spirit of lifelong commitment to serving our nation's veterans," said Steve Nardizzi, WWP chief executive officer. "The promise we have made to injured servicemen and women is evident in the kindness from companies like Southeastern Grocers. The generosity that will result from Wounded Warrior Project Day is vital to honoring and empowering our nation's bravest. Independence Day provides a timely framework to celebrate that mission and those who help us fulfill it, while uplifting those we serve."

Wounded Warrior Project Day is one of many ways Southeastern Grocers continues to support Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP). Southeastern Grocers has donated more than $610,000 to WWP in the following areas: Believe In Heroes® campaign, Soldier Ride® and the Alumni Program. Wounded Warrior Day will also be celebrated on social media platforms across the Internet. Donors with social media accounts are welcome to post tributes to injured veterans using #allforhonor.

All for honor? Seriously? I thought about all my uncles who served in WWII. They passed away years ago after fighting for this country. My husband's Dad and his uncles also served in WWII and passed away. We're losing that generation but many are still with us and they endured the same wounds as the generations before them.

I thought about my Dad and how he served in Korea and all the other Korean veterans still with us. My Dad was 100% disabled but he passed away years ago after his generation also suffering from the same wounds.

I thought about my husband, a Vietnam veteran, also 100% disabled for serving this country and thank God he is still here. We've been married over 30 years. There are a lot of other families just like mine. Forgotten in all of this even though our generation fought for everything being done on PTSD and TBI long before this generation was even born topped off with Agent Orange. I thought about how most of the veteran suicides are over the age of 50 but no one seems to care.

I thought about friends, Gulf War veterans suffering from the same wounds plus the wounds causing illnesses no one is really sure about even after all these years.

Then I thought about all the organizations formed so many years ago but have been ignored by all these businesses writing checks and getting a lot of publicity doing it. They are blind, as you noticed from the response from Winn Dixie.

We belong to the Disabled American Veterans. My husband is a Commander at one of the Chapters. We belong simply because of the work they have been doing for all disabled veterans since WWI. One of those veterans was my Dad and then they helped my husband.
The historical account of DAV in Wars and Scars on the pages that follow tells the story of that journey, from the days after World War I to the men and women of today returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond. It tells the story of the veterans, families and civilians who made the commitment that none of America’s heroes should ever go it alone.

We support and belong to the Veterans of Foreign Wars
The VFW traces its roots back to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) founded local organizations to secure rights and benefits for their service: Many arrived home wounded or sick. There was no medical care or veterans' pension for them,and they were left to care for themselves.

In their misery, some of these veterans banded together and formed organizations with what would become known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. After chapters were formed in Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania, the movement quickly gained momentum. By 1915, membership grew to 5,000; by 1936, membership was almost 200,000

I belong to Point Man International Ministries helping veterans heal the spiritual wound of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder since 1984.
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. Bills untimely death soon after put the future of Point Man in jeopardy.

However, Chuck Dean, publisher of a Veterans self help newspaper, Reveille, had a vision for the ministry and developed it into a system of small groups across the USA for the purpose of mutual support and fellowship. These groups are known as Outposts. Worldwide there are hundreds of Outposts and Homefront groups serving the families of veterans.

When you go shopping on July 4th remember the faces that have been forgotten by Winn Dixie and far too many others pretending to be doing something for all veterans while only caring about some.

WWII Veterans Still Matter
Korean War Veterans Still Matter
Vietnam Veteran Still Matter
Gulf War Veterans Still Matter


These are the veterans forgotten this July 4th

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Battle of Tarawa Medal of Honor and Other Marines Remains Found

Discovery of WWII remains brings long-sought peace to Boulder County family
Lost since 1943, remains of Alexander 'Sandy' Bonnyman unearthed on Pacific isle
Daily Camera
By Shay Castle
Staff Writer
POSTED: 06/29/2015

In Highland Memorial Park in Knoxville, Tenn., a large marble headstone stands in honor of 1st Lt. Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman Jr., a Marine killed in action Nov. 22, 1943, during World War II's Battle of Tarawa.

Etched upon its surface, the only reference to the empty earth beneath it, are the words "buried at sea."

For nearly 70 years, Bonnyman's family — members of which now live in Boulder County — remembered the handsome, adventurous man they had lost with what few artifacts they had left: his Medal of Honor, awarded posthumously for his efforts to hold back a Japanese counterattack; a large portrait, commissioned from an Italian oil painter; and a few black-and-white photographs taken during the assault on Betio.

After his death, the military issued a letter stating that most of the Tarawa war dead were presumed lost at sea near the island.
read more here

Clay Evans Talks About His Grandfather, MOH Recipient Alexander Bonnyman Jr.




FIRST LIEUTENANT
ALEXANDER BONNYMAN, JR., USMCR
(DECEASED)
First Lieutenant Alexander Bonnyman, Jr., of Knoxville, Tennessee, who gallantly gave his life in the battle for Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, on 22 November 1943, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, for heroism.

The Medal of Honor was presented to his teen-aged daughter by Secretary of the Navy James F. Forrestal during ceremonies at the Navy Department, Washington, D.C., 22 January 1947.

Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman, Jr., was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on 2 May 1910, but when he was two years old, his family moved to Knoxville. His father was president of the Blue Diamond Coal Company of Knoxville.

As a youth, he attended Mrs. J.A. Thackston's School in Knoxville and graduated from Newman School in Lakewood, New Jersey, before entering Princeton University. He was a "first-stringer" on Princeton's football team until he left school in 1930.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a Flying Cadet on 28 June 1932 and was sent to the Preflight School at Randolph Field, Texas. He was honorably discharged 19 September 1932.

Following his discharge he went to work with his father, whose firm was one of the largest coal mining companies in the United States. In 1938, he acquired his own copper mine in the mountains about 60 miles from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

When he decided to join the Marines in July 1942, he enlisted as a private in Phoenix, Arizona. Subsequently he received his recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California, and in October of that year, Pvt Bonnyman sailed for the South Pacific aboard the USS Matsonia with the 6th Marines, 2d Marine Division.

Combat in the final stages of the Guadalcanal campaign followed for the 6th Marines and he had his first encounter with the Japanese. In February 1943 Cpl Bonnyman received a field promotion to the rank of second lieutenant. He was promoted to first lieutenant on 1 September 1943.
read more here


UPDATE Newly identified remains of World War II Marine killed at Tarawa heading home Associated Press Published September 25, 2015
Sept. 24, 2015: United States Marines salute during a ceremony in Honolulu for the departure of 1st Lt. Alexander Bonnyman's remains. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

Sunday, May 31, 2015

US Navy Ship Struck USS Arizona Memorial

Witness: US Navy Ship Struck USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii 
Military.com
by Brendan McGarry, Amy Bushatz and Michael Hoffman
May 27, 2015
The USS Arizona Memorial is the final resting place of most of the ship's 1,177 crewmen who were killed during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, according to the National Park Service. The 184-foot-long memorial structure spans the mid-portion of the sunken battleship, according to the service.
A U.S. Navy ship struck part of the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor on Wednesday morning, according to a woman whose husband witnessed the accident.

Photos submitted by the woman, who declined to be identified because her spouse serves in the Navy, show the naval hospital ship USNS Mercy sailing dangerously close to the USS Arizona Memorial. Her husband took the photographs from nearby Ford Island.

"It went right over the dock," she told Military.com. "You could hear the metal crunching. My husband said you could see mud and water being kicked up. It backed up to within feet of hitting the white memorial building."

Tug boats were guiding the hospital ship from its port at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam at around 7 a.m. local time.

A Navy official who asked not to be identified said of the incident, "It looks like one of the tugs that was pushing her as she left the harbor might have hit the visitor landing to the Arizona."

It's unclear how much, if any, damage was done to the USS Arizona wreckage.
read more here

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Memorial Day Remembering Those Who Also Paid Price

This Memorial Day, let's also remember those who nearly made 'the ultimate sacrifice' 
The Star-Ledger
By Mark Di Ionno
May 24, 2015

And now for a Memorial Day history lesson.

The American tradition of treating veterans badly started right here in New Jersey. The Pennsylvania Line of Continental Army --- with their enlistments up -- were forced to stay in service. When they walked off the job at Jockey Hollow in 1781, citing deplorable conditions and lousy pay, it was called a mutiny.

When the New Jersey Line tried it a few weeks later in Pequannock, two mutineers where shot by firing squad.

Nationwide, Civil War veterans suffering from "Soldier's Heart," known today as post-traumatic stress disorder, or "Soldier's Disease" which was addiction to pain-killing heroin, went untreated. They spent their lives in jails, asylums or run-down soldiers' homes.
A large group of unemployed World War I veterans called the "Bonus Army" marched on Washington in 1932. Two were shot and killed by police, and their camp was routed by Army troops led by two famous names in American military history: Douglas MacArthur and George Patton.

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge vetoed a bill giving those veterans benefits, saying "Patriotism bought and paid for is not patriotism." Easy for him to say; he wasn't a veteran. Neither was Herbert Hoover, who ordered the attack on the camp.
"So here are guys, who can't stay in the military, and can't return to their civilian jobs. They have that warrior ethos – some have actually said 'I don't want to disobey orders' when I've tried to get them better benefits -- just so they don't slip out of the middle-class life they had before they got injured.

"I think the military takes advantage of their warrior ethos. They (the wounded) are afraid to say 'I'm more screwed up than you say I am.' To them it's weakness. So somebody has to fight for them."
read more here

Friday, May 15, 2015

Posthumous Medals of Honor for 2 WWI Heroes

2 overlooked WWI soldiers to receive Medal of Honor
Stars and Stripes
By Heath Druzin
Published: May 14, 2015

William Shemin and Henry Johnson are set to be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
(Shemin photo courtesy of family; Johnson photo courtesy U.S. Army)

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will award two soldiers the Medal of Honor for their bravery during World War I, part of an ongoing effort to recognize minority soldiers who may have been passed over because of their race or religion.

The president will posthumously recognize Army Sgt. Henry Johnson and Sgt. William Shemin at a ceremony June 2.

For years, Johnson’s relatives, veterans and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have been advocating for the medal, inspired by the young private’s tale of hand-to-hand combat to repel a German surprise attack.

On the night of May 15, 1918, Johnson was on sentry duty in near Sainte-Menehould, France, when a German raiding party of at least a dozen soldiers laid siege to his observation post. Under fire and wounded, Johnson fought off the attackers, emptying his ammunition and then using his rifle as a club and stabbing German soldiers with his bolo knife. In the ensuing melee, he prevented a badly injured fellow soldier from being taken prisoner and eventually sent surviving German soldiers fleeing.

Reinforcements didn’t arrive until the next morning, finding Johnson and his comrade bloodied but alive.
There has also been a long-standing campaign to award the Medal of Honor to Shemin, who was Jewish.

Shemin is being recognized for his actions beginning Aug. 7, 1918, when left his platoon’s trench near Bazoches, France, and braved heavy fire in the open to rescue wounded comrades. After officers and senior non-commissioned officers had been wounded or killed, Shemin, just 19, took command of the platoon until he was shot in the head Aug. 9. He survived the injury, dying in 1973.
read more here
Linked from Military.com

Monday, April 20, 2015

WWII Army Air Corps Veteran's Dog Tag Returned Home

WWII airman's lost dog tag finds its way home 
Newburyport News
BY ANGELJEAN CHIARAMIDA STAFF WRITER
April 20, 2015
“I was hoping to find some military relics that might have been in the sand there,” Ladd said yesterday. “Then I found the dog tag.”
WWII airman's lost dog tag finds its way home BRYAN EATON/Staff photoThe dog tag, lower left, of World War II Army Air Corps veteran William C. Benn was found at Salisbury Beach.
SALISBURY BEACH — A military dog tag may seem pretty commonplace, but when it belonged to a highly decorated WWII Army Air Corps veteran, finding one near the old gun batteries at Salisbury Beach makes it pretty special.

Yesterday, the half-disintegrated piece of military memorabilia that once hung around the neck of the late William Charles Benn was returned to his son, William Gordon Benn, thanks to the dedicated work of Purple Hearts Reunited and treasure hunter Bill Ladd. “It’s pretty good work,” Benn said yesterday with a smile, holding the tag after listening to everything done to get it back to those to whom it means the most.

Ladd once read a Daily News story about the remnants of the gun batteries at Salisbury Beach, built to protect the area from German U-boats during World War II.

The story led the Rhode Island resident to travel to Salisbury Beach in mid-March with his new metal detector.
read more here

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Department of Defense Trying to Account for USS Oklahoma Crew Members

DoD Seeks to Identify Unaccounted-for USS Oklahoma Crew Members 
DoD News,
Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, April 14, 2015
By 1950, all unidentified remains associated with the ship were re-interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, commonly known as the Punchbowl.

The remains of up to 388 unaccounted-for sailors and Marines associated with the USS Oklahoma will be exhumed later this year for analysis that could lead to identifying most of them, Defense Department officials announced today.

On Dec. 7, 1941, 429 sailors and Marines were killed when Japanese torpedoes sank the ship during the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

Upon disinterment, the remains will be transferred to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory in Hawaii for examination, officials said in a news release, noting that analysis of all available evidence indicates that most USS Oklahoma crew members can be identified upon disinterment.

Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work approved the disinterment and established a broader DoD policy that defines threshold criteria for disinterment of unknowns. “The secretary of defense and I will work tirelessly to ensure your loved one’s remains will be recovered, identified, and returned to you as expeditiously as possible, and we will do so with dignity, respect and care,” Work said.

“While not all families will receive an individual identification, we will strive to provide resolution to as many families as possible.”

The disinterment policy applies to all unidentified remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and other permanent American military cemeteries. However, this policy does not extend to sailors and Marines lost at sea or to remains entombed in U.S. Navy vessels serving as national memorials, officials said. read more here

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Historical US Marine Hospital Sits Empty While Veterans Wait for Care?

Louisville's U.S. Marine Hospital remains empty, decade after exterior restored 
WDRB News
By Sarah Phinney
Posted: Mar 29, 2015

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It has been 10 years since the exterior of Louisville's U.S. Marine Hospital in the Portland neighborhood was restored, but the inside remains unfinished.

Several rooms on the first floor are used for meetings and group exercise, but the rest of the old hospital is closed to the public due to safety concerns. Because the outside is restored, Family Health Centers Executive Director Bill Wagner says many people believe the inside is in good shape, too. 

"Little do they know, it's empty," said Wagner. The hospital, designed by Washington Monument architect Robert Mills, opened on April 1, 1852.

Union soldiers were treated at the hospital during the first two years of the Civil War and later World War I veterans. But, most of the patients throughout the years were merchant sailors.

"They may have been injured during their jobs or they may have contracted contagious diseases," Wagner said.

The building later served as living quarters for nurses and doctors in the 1930s, before the City of Louisville purchased it for $25,000 in 1950. It was later turned into office space and is currently owned by the Board of Health, while Family Health Centers oversees it.

Though patients haven't been in the hospital for decades, some of the original features are still intact. read more here