Met a Silver Star Recipient Today

[DixieBoy]

Had to go to the DMV today. While waiting for my number to be called up I met a man who had a baseball cap which read "Silver Star." Since we had time on our hands I asked him where he was when he earned the Silver Star. He replied "Hamburger Hill." Of course I've read about this, and seen the hollywood film. I asked him "did hollywood come close?"

His reply, "It was much worse. I lost 65 men on that hill."

After that, I didn't know what to say. I asked if I could shake his hand and thank him. After all, Veterans Day had just passed, and it didn't seem like a funny request to me at the time. This man seemed thankful for the respect, and then he told me "You know, with Veterans Day being just the other day, I got a dozen phone calls. All of them from guys I was able to get back down that $#*$@*# hill." He told me that all of these guys say pretty much the same thing when they call: "Captain, thanks for getting me back home."

This man seemed truly pleased that he was able to do this for his guys, and that all these years later there are still enough of them to have his phone ring a dozen times on Veterans Day. For me, this turned an otherwise boring wait at the DMV into an eye opening and humbling experience. And an opportunity to once again be grateful for guys like this. God Bless all our veterans, here, and out there wherever they are.

- DixieBoy

[Mescalero]

[AJMD429]

I've run into a couple patients who "were there" at some of the big WW-II battles I've only read bits and pieces about, including Normandy, Pearl Harbor, etc., and I find myself dealing of course with the medical issues first and foremost, but then I have to take a minute to try to learn from them something of what it was like.

They all aren't necessarily "heroes" just because they were there, but they certainly have a huge and different perspective on life, war, and politics. We could all learn a bit from them.

[piller]

One Uncle, now deceased, Homer P. Casady, was awarded the Silver Star in WWII. He never really talked about it, but what he had to say was worth hearing. Most of the things he had to say made it seem that he felt he was just doing his job.

[handirifle]

My dad won the silver and the bronze star, he showed them to me. Never talked about the bronze but I asked about the silver. He was a platoon sgt, in charge of a mortor platoon, and IIRC it was in Northern Africa where he earned it. They were assigned rear guard position, and were about a mile behind the main movement, when they started getting attacked by German forces. My dad had 18 men in his platoon, and he estimated there was about 200 Germans on the initial attack. With mortar and small arms fire they held them off for about 30 min, UNTIL THE GERMANS GOT REINFORCEMENTS! by this time he said there was at least 300-350. He had lost 2 men, and they finally radioed for back up. He said they had radioed before but the commanding Col felt they would hold them off on their own, but when they heard of the extra troops comin in they decided that enemy force could reach the main force and do damage.

By the time they help got there, my dad had lost 4 more men, and the Germans were so close, the mortars were being held almost horizontal by the men. They had to use their bedding blankets to hold them because the tubes were so hot.

They were almost out of mortar rounds and were very low on M1 ammo as well when help finally arrived. The arriving CO took quick assessment of the situation, and replaced the platoon as fast as he could. He later told my dad they had saved the entire mission, and most likely a few hundred lives of the main group.

He was able to do it because the Germans were discovered by a rear scout, dad had sent back. The scout notified my dad, and they moved back about 1/2 mile, towards the enemy, corralling them in a canyon, otherwise they would have easily surrounded the platoon and wiped them out in short order.

He also caught some shrapnel in his right elbow, but didn't know it till the platoon leader made him go to the medic. He got a purple heart for that, but kinda laughed at it. He used to say, "there were a lot of men that REALLY got wounded over there, mine was no wound".

He said he "heard" that the Col leading the main force got reprimanded by the commanding Gen when he heard the whole story from the platoon leader. The Gen felt there should have been backup sent when they called for it, told him men like my dad had over 2 years of war under their belts and knew darn well when they NEEDED help, and only called for it when they did. That's his side of that story anyway.

He did fight in Italy, Northern Africa, and Germany, 2 1/2 yrs over there.

[Blaine]

I've been watching a bunch of History Channel shows on WWII.....I don't know where men get that level of courage from.

[Sixgun]

Thats cool. Not many are left of that great generation.

Neat story Handirifle. Your dad was a great man.------Sixgun

[Griff]

Thats cool. Not many are left of that great generation.

Neat story Handirifle. Your dad was a great man.------Sixgun

+1

[damienph]

Thats cool. Not many are left of that great generation.

Neat story Handirifle. Your dad was a great man.------Sixgun

+1

+2

My Dad was in the First Cavalry Div and was lucky enough not to see combat in the Pacific but instead had occupation duty in Tokyo. His older brother was an infantryman and went to France as a replacement after D-Day 1944. He went through the Battle of the Bulge, earned the Bronze Star and the CIB and was in Germany when the war ended. I don't know for sure what his unit or rank was (he was enlisted), when I would ask he would just shake his head and change the subject.

They both went to college on the GI Bill; my uncle became an accountant and was an office manager for an electric utility, my Dad went into the USAF and retired as a LTC after 24 years.

I still makes me laugh when I think of my uncle making fun of my Dad for going back into the military after the war. Which he did at least once every time we all got together. They are both gone now; both from the same type of cancer. Both great guys, I really do miss them.