Remembering the Fort Hood Victims

Six years ago today, in a despicable act of terrorism (or workplace violence if you buy that), 13 were killed and 32 were injured at Fort Hood. I choose not to say another word about the incident other than to honor those who were taken or injured that day. They will never be forgotten.

Lost that day were:

Major Libardo Eduardo Caraveo, 52

Staff Sergeant Justin Michael DeCrow, 32

Captain John P. Gaffaney, 56

Specialist Frederick Greene, 29

Specialist Jason Dean Hunt, 22

Staff Sergeant Amy Sue Krueger, 29

PFC Aaron Thomas Nemelka, 19

PFC Michael S. Pearson, 22 

Captain Russell Gilbert Seager, 51

PFC Francheska Velez, 21(pregnant, baby lost as well)

Lt. Colonel Juanita L. Warman, 55

PFC Kham See Xiong, 23

also lost was 

Civilian Physicians Assistant Michael Grant Cahill, 62

Injured were:

Specialist James Armstrong

Sergeant Patrick Blue III

Specialist Keara Bono Torkelson

Specialist Logan M. Burnett

Specialist Alan Carroll

Captain Dorothy Carskadon 

Staff Sergeant Joy Clark

Specialist Matthew D. Cooke

Staff Sergeant Chad Davis

Private Mich Engnehl

Private Joseph T. Foster

Private Amber (Bahr) Gadlin

Sergeant Nathan Hewitt

Sergeant Alvin Howard

Private Najee M. Hull

Staff Sergeant Eric Williams Jackson

Private Justin T. Johnson

Staff Sergeant Alonzo M. Lunsford Jr. 

Staff Sergeant Shawn N. Manning

Staff Sergeant Paul Martin

2nd Lieutenant Brandy Mason

Specialist Grant Moxon

Staff Sergeant Thuan Nguyen

Specialist John Pagel

Specialist Dayna Ferguson Roscoe

Chief Warrant Officer Christopher H. Royal

Major Randy Royer

Specialist Jonathan Sims

Specialist George O Stratton III

 Sergeant Miguel A. Valdivia

Staff Sergeant Patrick Zeigler

Also injured:

Civilian Police Sergeant Kimbery Munley

Kimberly Munley was shot while exchanging fire with the dirtbag perpetrator.

Police Sergeant Mark Todd was able to stop the attack with several shots.

Let us be ever vigilant and let us never forget the loss of these men and women. Our hearts were broken that day, but not destroyed. To the many family of those lost, we grieve with you. 

Đông Hà

Dong Ha was the northernmost city in South Vietnam. Camp Spillman, or Dong Ha Combat Base was located there, only 6 miles south of the DMZ near a major intersection of highways and rail lines. It was a highly sought, strategic location. 

Given its close proximity to the North, it was a frequent target of their rockets and artillery. Such was the case on October 30, 1968, when some 40 artillery shells rained down on the 3rd Marines stationed there. This is pure speculation on my part, but the NVA must have had some intelligence about where and when to strike on this particular evening. From the declassified command chronology monthly report, the attack claimed 5 casualties in a 1,5 hour time period, the lowest in rank being sergeants.

Sergeant John J Sapienza, and Gunnery Sergeants, James A Vance and Franklin B Gamlin all received wounds from shrapnel. All three survived these wounds. 

Killed in the attack were Master Gunnery Sergeant John Vernon Berg and Sergeant Major Harlan Lee Graham. Also killed, from another Marine unit, was Cpl Richard Eugene Turner.

Berg had served the Marines for 28 years. He was on Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima during World War 2, he fought in Korea, and he was on his third tour in Vietnam. He was a highly respected Marine and had served with distinction and valor. As you can tell by his ribbon rack, he was a Marine's Marine! You will not be forgotten by those who fought along beside you or by those left behind. There is no shortage of very fond remembrances of Berg. His loss affected the lives of many.

Berg 

Graham

There is not much information about Graham and Turner other than a few remembrances, all of which paint them as loved, honorable and missed. There is no doubt that they served their country well. All three of these men who lost their lives that afternoon 48 years ago will be remembered and loved dearly by those they left behind. Let us not forget what they did, how they fought and what they sacrificed for freedom. 

We also want to honor those that survived the attack that day. You are no less highly thought of. You have lived with what happened and had to endure it over and over again. Nothing can replace the friends and leaders you lost. Nothing can replace the time that you've spent mourning and dealing with everything you saw while serving. Nothing I can say could ever come close to making things better for you, but we want you to know, as much as we can, we thank you. 

The Battle of Ong Thanh

The Battle of Ong Thanh was basically a massive ambush of the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry division by an extremely numerically superior Viet Cong division. The 2/28th was outnumbered about ten to one and surrounded on three sides. They were pinned down by snipers and had to deal will multiple mines in the area.

When the ordeal was over (reports vary) 64 members of the 2/28th, "Black Lions" were dead, 2 were missing and 75 were wounded. They went into battle that day with less than 150 men. Almost no one escaped uninjured.

These men, fighting for their lives and for the lives of those around them fought with valor. They fought passionately for each other. They sacrificed, they helped one another, they gave everything they had during this tremendously costly battle.

Among others awarded, were 13 Silver Stars, 2 Distinguished Service Crosses and one Medal of Honor(2LT Harold B Durham). To say they gave everything they had is still probably an understatement.

The Daily Wall today shows 62 men who died in that place that day. Another extremely well researched article claims 57. Whatever the number, the lives that were lost, and damaged that day cannot be emphasized enough.  

Today we remember all of those lost and all of those who survived. Many, many lives were forever altered that day. They can never get back what they lost. They will never be the same. Let us honor them and do our best, in whatever small way we can, to thank them for the hell they went through.

SFC Alwyn C Cashe

Ten years ago today, in Samarra, Iraq, an IED exploded under the Bradley that SFC Cashe was performing the role of gunner in. The explosion sprayed gasoline into the vehicle and all over Cashe. He escaped, but then, selflessly made multiple trips back to the burning vehicle to rescue all six remaining soldiers and one interpreter inside, who would have surely died, all while not only burning himself badly in the process, but also while under enemy fire.

SFC Cashe died about 3 weeks later in a Texas hospital from the burns he got that day. Several of the others also succumbed to their injuries while at the same hospital as well, SSG George Alexander Jr., SGT Michael Robertson and SPC Darren Howe.

Before his tour, Cashe's sister told him "...Don’t go over there playing a hero. You learn how to duck and come home,” Cashe responded, "I’m doing the job I was trained to do. I have to take care of my boys". 

He certainly did his job. He went above and beyond anything a man can be trained to do. For his actions that day he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. General Gary Brito, who recommended him for the Silver Star, after further looking into his case, determined, rightly so, that he should have been awarded the Medal of Honor instead. 

That process, riddled with bureaucracy, still goes on today, 10 years later. Cashe's story has become more well known and featured in a number of publications and websites. One person who has taken up the cause and helped a great deal is a veteran named Harry Conner. His efforts and more information about SFC Cashe and this process, can be found here: History.net Article
Mr. Conner's Facebook group can be found here: SFC ALWYN C. CASHE DESERVES THE MEDAL OF HONOR. 

For his actions that day, he should most definitely be awarded the Medal of Honor. Until that happens, let us not forget, not only Alwyn Cashe, but also those others who fought and died alongside him. 

Website of the 1/15

USS Mount Vernon (ID-4508)

In 1906, German shipping company, North German Lloyd had the SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie (Crown Princess Cecilie) built as a luxury liner. It operated between Bremen, Germany and New York until WW1 broke out in 1914. When that happened, it was interned by the neutral United States until we entered the war in 1917. At that point, it was seized and transferred to the US Navy for use as a troop transport. It was then renamed the USS Mount Vernon.

During the war, she made nine successful trips across the Atlantic, carrying troops into battle at Brest, France. On this date, September 5, 1918, 97 years ago, while on another crossing, returning 350 wounded soldiers back home. 200 miles from France, her gun crews spotted a periscope. Only 500 yards away, the German U-82 fired a torpedo as the Mount Vernon fired her guns back and made evasive turns. The sub submerged and got away, but the Mount Vernon was not able to avoid the torpedo, which struck and knocked out half of her boilers. 36 men were killed as a result.

The ship was able to make it back to Brest for temporary repairs, and eventually made it back to Boston for full repairs. She eventually returned to France, sailing on February 22, Washington's Birthday, to begin returning US veterans back home.

Today we remember those lost aboard the Mount Vernon. Especially heartbreaking considering they had been injured in battle, survived, and were on their way home. They gave and gave some more in the fight against tyranny and their contributions should never be forgotten.

Thanksgiving

As you sit down at your tables today, I hope you enjoy your time with family and friends. George Washington was very clear what Thanksgiving was to be about when he made the proclamation in 1789. It was, it IS a time to give thanks to God for all He has done for us. I hope you are able to do that today.

Over the years, Thanksgiving has come to be a celebration that involves a feast of food for most of us. There is nothing wrong with the traditions that we hold near and dear to our hearts. Some of my best family memories were made on Thanksgiving. In your time today, giving thanks, I ask that you remember what Thanksgiving looked like for many who have served.

God Bless our troops and our veterans. Let us strive to make everyday be a day of thanksgiving for what they have done for us.

The Inspiration

This series of posts on facebook (which somehow deleted one of them) is what inspired me to create this blog and facebook page to see where I could take this. Day 3 is missing and I wont try to re-create it. It concerned World War II veterans.




One of my favorite holidays is coming up and I shall participate by being thankful every day up to the actual day. So, for day one (I'm a day behind, so you get two today). I am thankful for all of the brave men who, against all odds, stood up to a tyrant king and fought for their independence. Not only for theirs, but for all of their fellow countrymen of the time. All of us have benefited from their desire to be a free people and should never forget those long dead who stood up then for us now. Thank you to all of those who fought for our independence in the Revolutionary War.

Day 2: Thank you to all of our veterans, past and present who served as POW's. The circumstances you endured during your service to our country were in most cases, abhorrent. To say thank you, seems so much less than the sentiment that I truly wish to impart to you. I cannot imagine the hell that you were put through. You deserve to be honored so much more than you are. Thank you American POW's.

Day 4: I'm thankful for the veterans who fought in the Korean War. It is often called the forgotten war. We cannot let those who fought there ever feel forgotten. A nation who forgets those who fought for it will soon herself be forgotten. These vets fought in some of the most harsh conditions of any war we've fought. a very large percentage lost limbs, not from combat injuries, but from frostbite. Most of these folks are now in their 70's. I'm so very thankful every time I get to meet one of them. They are not to be forgotten in my lifetime!

Day 5: I am thankful for the veteran's that served during peacetime. War is hell, for sure, but serving during peacetime is no less important. In fact, one of the reasons we have had periods of peace is because of our superior, well prepared military. The vets that have served in occupied places around the world were there to KEEP peacetime a reality. They were just one chaotic, lunatic inspired situation from being involved in conflict, every day of their service. That cannot be an easy reality. So to all of you, I say thank you!

Day 6: Vietnam Veterans. I have so much respect for these guys. They were treated like garbage after returning home from a true nightmare. Shunned by the country that they fought so hard for. Made to feel less than human by so many who shouted and spit at them. They deserve to be honored. They deserve to be lifted up into the annals of American History as some of the most revered heroes we ever sent to war. At the very least, they deserve to be thanked and acknowledged for what they did and endured. Thank you sir. Thank you...

Day 7: I'm thankful for vets who are in the business of helping other vets. Chris Kyle comes to mind. His mission was helping vets who were suffering and having a hard time adjusting back to civilian life. Organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project who help vets in need. Vets who volunteer at hospitals and rehab facilities, helping wounded soldiers get back to as normal a life as they can. Vets like numerous motorcycle clubs that do all kinds of charity events to help those in need, fallen brothers and their families. Veterans like these and countless other groups and individuals have made it part of their lives to be there for other vets in need. They are absolutely priceless. Thank you to all who continue to serve in this manner.

Day 8: There have been 3463 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. If you read the citations of these heroes, you'll find they come from every branch of service, from many different ranks, different nationalities, served in many different conflicts and were probably different in many other ways. One similarity you will find in all of them is that they put their lives on the line for their fellow soldiers. Many of them died in doing so. They found themselves in a situation where they could have very easily just panicked and did nothing. But they didn't. They moved forward and took charge, doing what they felt they had to do. To them, I would imagine if you could ask them, they had no choice. The choice was to act, at that moment, in a way that went well beyond what an otherwise normal person might do. These heroes did some amazing things and saved many, many lives in the process. For these veterans, 78 which are still living, I am very thankful. I would imagine that there have been many, many others who directly benefited from their actions, who are incredibly thankful and say they owe their lives to these men(and one woman). Thank you for doing what you would say was "just your job". You are truly great American heroes.

Day 9: I am thankful for the veterans that have been fighting the war on terror for the last number of years. I think these folks have faced an enemy unlike any we've ever encountered. As a result of some of the tactics they've faced, some have been damaged in ways we never really thought about. The psychological impact has been devastating to many. I can't imagine the hell they've been through. I have read several books from vets on this subject and the impact is not figurative, in the least, it is very real and widespread. That vets that have had to deal with this and other unnecessary negative consequences is tragic in many ways. I cannot thank them enough for what they have done and dealt with and continue to deal with.

Day 10: I am thankful for all of you that I know personally that have served in the United States Armed Forces. If I try to name all of you, I would undoubtedly forget someone. From those of you I went to school with, to those I have known since childhood, to those I have worked with, to those of you I have gone to church with, to those all of you whom I call friend, thank you! Thank you for giving part of your life to the service of our country. Thank you for doing your part to try and keep me free to say all the things I say. Thank you for making me proud to be able to call you my friends! I love you all.

Day 11: I have mentioned in the last 10 days, countless veterans. I appreciate them all and what they have done for our country. I'd like to add one more on this final day of my thanking, my father. Without a doubt the veteran that means the most to me. I love you Dad.