NEED to KNOW!!!! These Heroes!!!

Clarence Eugene Sasser


As the helicopters unloaded the young soldiers near a rice paddy in Vietnam, the enemy began to rain fire on them from three sides. More than 30 young soldiers fell wounded in the opening minutes. Heedless of the danger, one lone medic moved among them. Wounded in the shoulder, still he made repeated trips under the enemy guns to rescue his comrades.
Twice more the brave aid man's body was struck by enemy fire, the last rendering his legs useless.

Read the rest of this hero's story:
http://homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/2nd_floor/opportunity/hero_1/0_frame.html

Frank Luke

The Balloon Buster August 16, 1918 "I GOT ME A HUN!"

Second Lieutenant Frank Luke nursed the engine of his French Spad-13 as twilight was falling over the field at Coincy near the Western Front. He was late again, the rest of the planes from his squadron having returned much earlier from their evening protection patrol for two photographic Salmsons from the 88th squadron. So what else was new? Luke was always returning late, and usually alone, after being separated from his squadron on most of their missions.
The 16-plane patrol including three from Luke's 27th Aero Squadron had left shortly after five o'clock that evening on what would be a frustrating, but uneventful patrol. Shortly after takeoff the American pilots began dropping out of formation one-by-one as they struggled with the temperamental engines of their Spads, (most of them less than two weeks old). In very short order, about the only airplane still flying was that of 27th Squadron Commander Major Harold Hartney.

Read the rest at: http://homeofheroes.com/wings/part1/2_luke.html

The Brotherhood of Soldiers at War
Thomas Hudner
&
Jesse LeRoy Brown

No Man Should Die Alone!

Eight thousand badly outnumbered Marines shivered in the sub-zero temperatures of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea on December 4, 1950 as eight F4U-4 Corsairs left the deck of the carrier USS Leyte. Each of the eight heavily armed but outdated fighters was piloted by a Naval aviator rushing to defend their comrades on the ground. Most of the pilots were young, in their early twenties, but all were dedicated "brothers in arms" who would risk their lives for the soldiers on the ground, men they didn't even know, but defended because they were Americans at great risk.

Lieutenant Commander Richard Cevoli led his squadron inland, over the rugged mountains of North Korea just north of the Chosin Reservoir. The eight fighters skimmed 1,000 feet above the snow covered terrain, eyes alert for the movement of enemy troops. It was a general support mission, one of many Naval pilots had been flying recently to give air cover to the withdrawing Marines below. Cevoli's pilots had been flying over Korea for only about two months, but in that short time they had become skilled combat veterans. They had also become close....like brothers.

Read the rest: http://homeofheroes.com/brotherhood/hudner.html

WTH? A magazine a hero? More likely Norman Rockwell. But IMHO, YES, Norman Rockwell was a hero.

And for the that didn't know:

"For "vivid and affectionate portraits of our country," Rockwell received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America's highest civilian honor, in 1977."
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/PresMedalFreedom.jpg/150px-PresMedalFreedom.jpg
from President Ford (to Norman's son Jarivs) stating:

"NORMAN ROCKWELL
Normal Rockwell, represented by his son, Jarvis Rockwell. "Artist, illustrator and author, Norman Rockwell has portrayed the American scene with unrivaled freshness and clarity. Insight, optimism and good humor are the hallmarks of his artistic style. His vivid and affectionate portraits of our country and ourselves have become a beloved part of the American tradition."



Read more at the American Presidency Project: Gerald R. Ford: Remarks Upon Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=5550#ixzz1P9ZouBx0

Harvey C. "Barney" Barnum


It was Military Day at Cheshire High School, Cheshire, Connecticut, and the military service representatives were attempting to recruit students into their respective branches. The junior and senior boys were assembled in the school auditorium, with faculty members observing from the rear of the room as each recruiter got up to give his pitch.

The Air Force recruiter got up to explain the advantages of joining the United States Air Force. He was greeted with catcalls and whistles from the young high-schoolers.
The Army recruiter received the same treatment, as did the Navy recruiter.

Then the Marine recruiter, a seasoned gunnery sergeant, rose and glared.
"There is no one here worthy of being a United States Marine," he growled. "I'm deplored that the faculty in the back of the room would let the students carry on like this. There isn't anybody here I want in my Marine Corps."
When he sat back down, several eager students swarmed around his table.

One of those hovering around the gunny's table was Cheshire High School Senior Class President Harvey Barnum, Jr. He did the paperwork to enlist as a senior in high school and joined the Platoon Leadership Class when he got to St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.

He joined the Marine Corps--raised his hand--November 12, 1958.

Read the rest: http://homeofheroes.com/barney/index.html

Edward V. Rickenbacker


Rank, Service
Colonel O-6, U.S. Army Air Corps
Veteran of:
Aviation Section, U.S. Army Signal Corps 1917-1918
U.S. Army Air Service 1918-1919
U.S. Army Air Corps 1929-1934
World War I 1917-1918

Tribute: Eddie Rickenbacker was born on October 8, 1890, in Columbus, Ohio. Before World War I, Eddie was a race car driver and competed in the Indianapolis 500 in 1912, 1914, 1915, and 1916. Rickenbacker enlisted in the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps on May 25, 1917. After arriving in France and serving as Gen John J. Pershing's staff driver, Rickenbacker was assigned to the Aviation Training School at Tours, France, where he completed flying school and was commissioned a 1Lt on October 10, 1917. His next assignment was as an Engineering Officer to Headquarters Detachment of the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center at Issoudun, France, where he served under Maj Carl A. Spaatz, who would later become the first Chief of Staff of the Air Force. In March 1918, Rickenbacker was assigned to the 1st Pursuit Group's 94th Aero Squadron and began flying combat missions in April 1918. He became Commander of the 94th at the end of September 1918, and remained in France after the war ended, returning to the United States in January 1919. During World War I, Capt Rickenbacker was credited with destroying 26 enemy aircraft in aerial combat, the highest number for any American pilot in the war. He left the service after the war and went into business, first starting an automobile company, and later buying the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.



Contact Veteran Tributes at

COKER, RONALD L.

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company M, 3d Battalion, 3d Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date: Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, 24 March 1969. Entered service at: Denver, Colo. Born: 9 August 1947, Alliance, Neb.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifleman with Company M in action against enemy forces. While serving as point man for the 2d Platoon, Pfc. Coker was leading his patrol when he encountered 5 enemy soldiers on a narrow jungle trail. Pfc. Coker's squad aggressively pursued them to a cave. As the squad neared the cave, it came under intense hostile fire, seriously wounding 1 marine and forcing the others to take cover. Observing the wounded man lying exposed to continuous enemy fire, Pfc. Coker disregarded his safety and moved across the fire-swept terrain toward his companion.

Read the rest: http://homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_1960_vn/coker_ronald.html

FISHER, BERNARD FRANCIS
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Air Force, 1st Air Commandos. Place and date: Bien Hoa and Pleiku, Vietnam, 10 March 1966. Entered service at: Kuna, Idaho. Born: 11 January 1927, San Bernardino, Calif.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On that date, the special forces camp at A Shau was under attack by 2,000 North Vietnamese Army regulars. Hostile troops had positioned themselves between the airstrip and the camp. Other hostile troops had surrounded the camp and were continuously raking it with automatic weapons fire from the surrounding hills. The tops of the 1,500-foot hills were obscured by an 800 foot ceiling, limiting aircraft maneuverability and forcing pilots to operate within range of hostile gun positions, which often were able to fire down on the attacking aircraft. During the battle, Maj. Fisher observed a fellow airman crash land on the battle-torn airstrip.

Read the rest: http://homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_living/vn_af_fisher.html

TPP\n

Michael Yon, is one of the heroes that tells us about the heroes. I became aware of him in 2005, shortly before he took this picture. I suggest you read his reports. He is with them, on the front line...

TPP I am a big fan of Michael Yon as well. If you haven't you should read his book titled "Moment of Truth in Iraq."

Very well written and he includes some of his photographs as well.

The unit he was embedded with was a Stryker Brigade out of Ft. Lewis that we later replaced over there. We get a brief
shout-out in the book.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, your one of my HEROES!



Yes, his book is on my list, but I would read his posts everyday, surreal, & Amazing writing.