Favorite Military Hero?

[Swamp ash]

My family has a deep history with military service and this was always a part of my life. As a child, I followed the career and history of may folks. While there are numerous folks I of whom I admire their service and deeds - Patton, Farragut, JP Jones, JEB Stuart, JFK, Audie Murphy and Alvin York - one individual stands above to me.

Stephen Decatur, a true hero and wicked badass. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Decatur

[gary_boom]

My neighbor ,an Iraq vet with a prosthetic leg. He is one of the nicest most respectful men I have ever known as is his Wife and children. Years ago my Dad stopped and talked to him Army vet to Army vet, I guess that is a good way to put it, anyway he has sacrificed a lot for us.

[Quavodus]

I admire the famous guys like Alvin C. York, Audie Murphy, Timothy Murphy. But, like Swamp Ash there was an old man that lived a few miles from me that was a WWII veteran. He was at Normandy, June 6.

[TripleGGG]

Both of my Granddads. One Army, One Navy. They were a MAJOR part in shaping me growing up. Miss them both dearly to this day, but I can still hear their voices of guidance daily. 

[deerslayer]

Carlos Hathcock.  The guy had brass balls bigger than Boston. 

[papa61]

Famous would be Patton, the man was a force. Personally it would be My uncle Forest. His stories were wonderful. At one time he had control of tactical missiles. He served in USAF from WWII until retirement then worked at hospital as civilian. Took us on tour of AF museum when I was very young. 

[leroy]

Smedley Butler... Old Corps Marine... Winner of 2 Brevet Medals and 1 Congressional Medal of Honor... By the way, the Brevet Medal was the officers version of the Medal of Honor in the old days...

Served in the Boxer Rebellion with Dan Daily and Herbert Hoover.  Fought in the " Bananna Wars " n WW1.   Advanced to the rank of Marine Corps General, and retired as the result of a spat with then President Hoover...

Became a great advocate of isolationism and a proponent of using a plebicite (... Look it up...) to determine when to go to war, and he toured the countryside after his retirement speaking about his beliefs.

He was the first " truther " as regards to who really runs the gubt of the USA... He was slandered as a socialist n a pacificast.  Nothing is farther from the truth. 

Read his book: " War is a Racket ", and ya will see why the political class and the captains of unbridled capitalism hated him... His biographical sketch is fantastic.  

Close second... Alvin Cullum York... WW1 hero n great Tennessean...

Admirin leroy the militant isolationist... 

Edited January 5, 2021 by leroy
Added Alvin ...

[btq96r]

I only spent a few weeks in direct support of his company, and a week at a shooting course between deployments with him, but it was instantly clear this guy was a helluva Soldier and leader.  Not only did he excel in what I think is the toughest job in the Army- Infantry Company First Sergeant- but he went through hell and back to do the job getting injured, and going through rehab so he could go back to Iraq and finish the deployment with his troops.  You can read about then 1SG Skidis here.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/battle-scars-cant-keep-soldiers-out-of-the-action/article_13c5ccfb-1b3e-5dc7-a82a-feab28ed5f67.html

 

@Wheelgunner, you might remember 1SG Skidis better than I do (can't remember which BN you were in direct support of during OIF 05-07), and if you do, please chime in.  You'll also smile reading that Clark is in this link too.  I still tell stories about how unlucky his 4x Purple Heart wearing ass was and how funny of a guy he was to be around.

[The Legion]

My Grandfather was a WWI veteran and Purple Heart recipient.   My Father fought the Nazi's in WWII was a Bronze Star recipient and Disabled Veteran.

 

[Daniel]

3 hours ago, btq96r said:

I only spent a few weeks in direct support of his company, and a week at a shooting course between deployments with him, but it was instantly clear this guy was a helluva Soldier and leader.  Not only did he excel in what I think is the toughest job in the Army- Infantry Company First Sergeant- but he went through hell and back to do the job getting injured, and going through rehab so he could go back to Iraq and finish the deployment with his troops.  You can read about then 1SG Skidis here.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/battle-scars-cant-keep-soldiers-out-of-the-action/article_13c5ccfb-1b3e-5dc7-a82a-feab28ed5f67.html

 

@Wheelgunner, you might remember 1SG Skidis better than I do (can't remember which BN you were in direct support of during OIF 05-07), and if you do, please chime in.  You'll also smile reading that Clark is in this link too.  I still tell stories about how unlucky his 4x Purple Heart wearing ass was and how funny of a guy he was to be around.

Googling his name he was 1SG B co 1/502.  That unit had a very rough second tour to Iraq in 2005-06.  Not sure if you read but Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death

 https://www.amazon.com/Black-Hearts-Platoons-Descent-Triangle/dp/0307450767

I was B co 2/502 2001-2004 so followed the regiment after I got out of the regular army.  


Not sure if you all know Tom Kunk but I worked for him in 2nd bn. He is quoted in that story also.  I am aware of his role in the previously mentioned book.


After poking around some more I am guessing you know all I just said if you know him as he is mentioned in the book.
 

Edited January 6, 2021 by Daniel

[Grayfox54]

A simple farm boy drafted into WW II. Trained as a machine gunner with the heavy weapons platoon. He never talked much about the war. What little I know was pieced together from the rare comments he made over many years. He fought in Sicily and Italy. He landed on Omaha beach with the 29th Infantry Division  on D Day. Somewhere about half way across France, he and his machine gun were defending a hill against a German attack. Unable to get past him, the Germans called in an artillery strike. He was damned near blown to pieces. They never thought he'd make it to the aid station, much less home. But he survived.  After a year and a half at an Army hospital in Waco, Texas. He finally went home. 

The highest rank he ever actually achieved  was private First Class. At the time he was hit, he was the acting Platoon Sergeant. His injuries caused him problems for years after. Eventually he lost the lower part of his right leg just below the knee some 20 years later. He never complained nor was he bitter about the war and what it had done to him. He was proud to have done his duty.

He was my Father. 

[Wheelgunner]

11 hours ago, btq96r said:

I only spent a few weeks in direct support of his company, and a week at a shooting course between deployments with him, but it was instantly clear this guy was a helluva Soldier and leader.  Not only did he excel in what I think is the toughest job in the Army- Infantry Company First Sergeant- but he went through hell and back to do the job getting injured, and going through rehab so he could go back to Iraq and finish the deployment with his troops.  You can read about then 1SG Skidis here.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/battle-scars-cant-keep-soldiers-out-of-the-action/article_13c5ccfb-1b3e-5dc7-a82a-feab28ed5f67.html

 

@Wheelgunner, you might remember 1SG Skidis better than I do (can't remember which BN you were in direct support of during OIF 05-07), and if you do, please chime in.  You'll also smile reading that Clark is in this link too.  I still tell stories about how unlucky his 4x Purple Heart wearing ass was and how funny of a guy he was to be around.

I supported 1/502.  Agree with you 100%.  He was the kind of leader you want in hard times.  if I remember right he was First Sergeant of B, 1/502.  

And Steve Clark - there's a blast from the past.  What a great guy.  Despite all those injuries he was always level headed, good humored, and ready to work hard.  I learned more from him about firearms than in any marksmanship course, etc. that I've ever gone through.

[Wheelgunner]

8 hours ago, Daniel said:

Googling his name he was 1SG B co 1/502.  That unit had a very rough second tour to Iraq in 2005-06.  Not sure if you read but Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death

 https://www.amazon.com/Black-Hearts-Platoons-Descent-Triangle/dp/0307450767

I was B co 2/502 2001-2004 so followed the regiment after I got out of the regular army.  


Not sure if you all know Tom Kunk but I worked for him in 2nd bn. He is quoted in that story also.  I am aware of his role in the previously mentioned book.


After poking around some more I am guessing you know all I just said if you know him as he is mentioned in the book.
 

@ Daniel - Sorry, didn't see your post.  Thanks for that info about 1SG Skidis.

As far as 1/502 having a rough tour in '05-'06... yeah.  That summer of '06 was unreal.  I spent a little time with those infantrymen in Mahmudiyah, Latifiya, and near the Euphrates back then. 

I'll echo what you said about the book Black Hearts.  I'd encourage anyone interested in OIF to pick it up, although reading it left me with mixed feelings.  

[Darrell]

A little off-topic here, but I recently visited the grave of Milo Lemert, a Medal of Honor winner buried in Crossville. My father and many uncles and great uncles served, and I did a hitch in the Corps, so I respect military service, but while I read Sgt. Lemert's citation it struck me that he was being honored for killing a lot of men, and then being killed. While there can be no doubt of the man's bravery, it seems a terrible thing to me that we as a society place such emphasis on war and killing. And I started to wonder about the political purpose of military awards. While I'm sure that they recognize outstanding actions, they also serve as a propaganda tool, helping to encourage impressionable young men to volunteer to go and do the dirty work of elderly politicians who'll never sleep in the mud or hear a shot fired in anger. How sad that human beings who can build great cities and travel to Mars still kill each other with such frequency.

But more to the point: Chuck Yeager, who just recently died, is one that I admire greatly. Beside his combat experience and helping to bring a wounded  fellow combatant  to safety from behind enemy lines, he made huge contributions to aerospace while knowing that every time he strapped one of those experimental planes on he risked a firey death. He was flying experimental planes at a time I was imagining flying the X-15 while swinging during recess. 

Edited January 6, 2021 by Darrell

[leroy]

Darrell just made the " Sedley Butler " case in his opening paragraph... Thank you for being very insightful.  I admire heroism... I despise demigoguery... Some things need doin... Some dont.

Admirin leroy...

Edited January 6, 2021 by leroy

[btq96r]

57 minutes ago, Wheelgunner said:

I'll echo what you said about the book Black Hearts.  I'd encourage anyone interested in OIF to pick it up, although reading it left me with mixed feelings.  

Still haven't read that book, but I know I need to. 

9 hours ago, Daniel said:

I was B co 2/502 2001-2004 so followed the regiment after I got out of the regular army.  

I was working with your battalion sniper section once we got to Mosul in 2003.  My GSR team was out at that water treatment plant a bit northwest along the Tigris with them for two and a half months while the rest of the battalion was taking up residence in the Mosul Hotel and wondering when the elevators were going to be fixed.

[pop pop]

Audi Murphy, and my cousin.  Jack  was the most decorated Kentuckian of WWII. He won ever medal the U S gives "except" for the MOH. He has the equivalent MOH form Italy and France. He had 9 purple hearts from WWII.  He fought against Rommel in N Africa. He did all this by the time he was 19. Lied about his age and went into the Army at 15. Was in all theaters of the great war, the world calls it. He disliked the Japanese soldiers because he said they would kill and mutilate. I spoke at his funeral 4 years ago. 

Darnell, his wife told me war was H for him. Said he never got a full nights sleep, after he came home, unless he was drugged. He would not take the drugs, and set up nights drinking coffee and listening to country music on the radio.  He died at 84. He was my childhood hero because he did cool things, I thought. I never knew his war record, just he had a lot of metals, until I went to his funeral. He never discussed his war time. There were 11 WWII vets that attended his funeral. It was a moving experience.

The Bible talks about "Mighty Men." Audie Murphy and Claude Jack Reed were mighty men, IMO. I am sure you have heard the story an old Army sergeant penned, "Of Wolves and Sheep Dogs." Men like these old warriors are true "Sheep Dogs" in the  truest sense of the word. They fought to stop a "madman" and "rouge nation." Just causes, IMO.  Much unlike my war, Vietnam. 

 

Edited to add; Cousin Jack loved Patton. He fought under him in N Africa and Italy and until Patton slapped the kid and lost his command. 

Edited January 6, 2021 by pop pop

[Daniel]

1 hour ago, btq96r said:

Still haven't read that book, but I know I need to. 

I was working with your battalion sniper section once we got to Mosul in 2003.  My GSR team was out at that water treatment plant a bit northwest along the Tigris with them for two and a half months while the rest of the battalion was taking up residence in the Mosul Hotel and wondering when the elevators were going to be fixed.

C co and HHC sans support platoon were in the hotel. B co was down closer to the big traffic circle that lead near the BSA. Did not like handing over the hotel to the Iraqis. Have you seen it today?  It was leveled.

 

I was our BN CSM driver for a year before we deployed and our S3 NCOIC had been the sniper section PSG prior so we got to know those guys. 

Edited January 6, 2021 by Daniel

[Swamp ash]

14 hours ago, The Legion said:

My Grandfather was a WWI veteran and Purple Heart recipient.   My Father fought the Nazi's in WWII was a Bronze Star recipient and Disabled Veteran.

 

That's really awesome!

My Dad earned the DFC and Bronze Star in Vietnam, but he ended up as a disabled vet and died due to Agent Orange.

[Swamp ash]

10 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

A simple farm boy drafted into WW II. Trained as a machine gunner with the heavy weapons platoon. He never talked much about the war. What little I know was pieced together from the rare comments he made over many years. He fought in Sicily and Italy. He landed on Omaha beach with the 29th Infantry Division  on D Day. Somewhere about half way across France, he and his machine gun were defending a hill against a German attack. Unable to get past him, the Germans called in an artillery strike. He was damned near blown to pieces. They never thought he'd make it to the aid station, much less home. But he survived.  After a year and a half at an Army hospital in Waco, Texas. He finally went home. 

The highest rank he ever actually achieved  was private First Class. At the time he was hit, he was the acting Platoon Sergeant. His injuries caused him problems for years after. Eventually he lost the lower part of his right leg just below the knee some 20 years later. He never complained nor was he bitter about the war and what it had done to him. He was proud to have done his duty.

He was my Father. 

Big props to you and especially your Father!

[E4 No More]

2 hours ago, Darrell said:

A little off-topic here, but I recently visited the grave of Milo Lemert, a Medal of Honor winner buried in Crossville. My father and many uncles and great uncles served, and I did a hitch in the Corps, so I respect military service, but while I read Sgt. Lemert's citation it struck me that he was being honored for killing a lot of men, and then being killed. While there can be no doubt of the man's bravery, it seems a terrible thing to me that we as a society place such emphasis on war and killing. And I started to wonder about the political purpose of military awards. While I'm sure that they recognize outstanding actions, they also serve as a propaganda tool, helping to encourage impressionable young men to volunteer to go and do the dirty work of elderly politicians who'll never sleep in the mud or hear a shot fired in anger. How sad that human beings who can build great cities and travel to Mars still kill each other with such frequency.

But more to the point: Chuck Yeager, who just recently died, is one that I admire greatly. Beside his combat experience and helping to bring a wounded  fellow combatant  to safety from behind enemy lines, he made huge contributions to aerospace while knowing that every time he strapped one of those experimental planes on he risked a firey death. He was flying experimental planes at a time I was imagining flying the X-15 while swinging during recess. 

You may equate the award with how many of the enemy that he killed, but I equate it with how many men on our side that lived because of his actions.

[Swamp ash]

2 hours ago, Darrell said:

A little off-topic here, but I recently visited the grave of Milo Lemert, a Medal of Honor winner buried in Crossville. My father and many uncles and great uncles served, and I did a hitch in the Corps, so I respect military service, but while I read Sgt. Lemert's citation it struck me that he was being honored for killing a lot of men, and then being killed. While there can be no doubt of the man's bravery, it seems a terrible thing to me that we as a society place such emphasis on war and killing. And I started to wonder about the political purpose of military awards. While I'm sure that they recognize outstanding actions, they also serve as a propaganda tool, helping to encourage impressionable young men to volunteer to go and do the dirty work of elderly politicians who'll never sleep in the mud or hear a shot fired in anger. How sad that human beings who can build great cities and travel to Mars still kill each other with such frequency.

But more to the point: Chuck Yeager, who just recently died, is one that I admire greatly. Beside his combat experience and helping to bring a wounded  fellow combatant  to safety from behind enemy lines, he made huge contributions to aerospace while knowing that every time he strapped one of those experimental planes on he risked a firey death. He was flying experimental planes at a time I was imagining flying the X-15 while swinging during recess. 

You raise a heckuva a point, but history is conserved by the victorious.

[DWARREN123]

There are many but most are only known to a few.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[E4 No More]

25 minutes ago, DWARREN123 said:

There are many but most are only known to a few.

Ain't that the truth!

[Defender]

I’ve known a few.  First, my father served on either a battleship or destroyer (feeble minded me can’t remember which) and saw a lot of action in the pacific in WW2. He got out then joined the army and fought in Korea in the infantry, followed by service in Germany. He drank a lot.  I believe he suffered from ptsd, although that wasn’t recognized then.  I regret not being able to have adult conversations with him before he died.  
Second, I was stationed with and became good friends with a former USAF pararescueman (PJ) who was the most decorated enlisted man in the USAF, and I think still is that. When I met him, he was our first sgt, which in the USAF is a job, not a rank.  He later retrained from thst into our police field and became our chief cop.   He died I think in the early 90s.  CMSgt Duane Hackney. Duane went to VietNam after his PJ training. Here’s a couple links about him, if you want to read about him.  You will be impressed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duane_D._Hackney

https://www.airforcemag.com/article/0110heroism/

https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/3553
 

https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/most-decorated-pararescue-duane-hackney/

 

 

 

Edited January 6, 2021 by Defender