Spring / Summer 2009

American Valor
A publication of The American Veterans Center - World War II Veterans Committee - National Vietnam Veterans Committee

Quarterly

“ Humility must always be the

portion of any man who
receives acclaim earned in
blood of his followers and
sacrifices of his friends.”
- General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Guildhall Address / London, England / May 12, 1945

Plus
• D-Day: 65th Anniversary
• An interview with General Richard Myers,
former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

AND
a recap of the 2009 National Memorial Day Parade
Presented by the American Veterans Center
 FROM THE EDITOR

Preserving Their Legacy

Spring/Summer 2009 By Tim Holbert
James C. Roberts The motto of the American Veterans listeners each week, with Veterans Chronicles
President Center has long been “From the Greatest the most popular veterans’ podcast on
Tim Holbert Generation to the Latest Generation.” Our the internet. All of these radio programs
Editor & Program Director mission cannot be only to save the history are also available on our website at www.
of our veterans of earlier generations, it americanveteranscenter.org.
James Michels
Director of Development must also include preserving it and passing
it along to future generations. Throughout the year, the Center holds a
Laura Ymker number of speaker events, including the
Program Assistant
All of our programs operate with this in Annual Conference in Washington, DC.
Travis Fahlen & Andrew Lee mind, and all of them focus on providing Over the last decade, the conference has be-
Graphic Illustrators
an outlet for veterans themselves to share come one of the nation’s premier Veterans
Peter Trahan their lessons and experiences, first-hand. Day events, bringing together heroes from
Website Manager Of course, this includes the Greatest Generation
Chris Graham American Valor Quarterly, to the latest generation.
Researcher which is the nation’s only The conference is open to
magazine devoted entirely all, but the Center makes
Michael Paradiso
Publisher
to veterans telling their own a special point of bringing
stories, in their own words. in students from all over to
From the Philippines in meet with and learn from
World War II to Fallujah in those who have served and
Operation Iraqi Freedom, sacrificed on our behalf.
AVQ allows veterans and The 2009 conference will
active duty service members take place from November
the chance to share their 12-14.
experiences with tens
American Valor Quarterly
of thousands of readers One of the many World War II veterans Keeping with the focus
like you, while copies are to speak at the Center’s annual confer- on youth involvement, the
A quarterly publication of the ence, baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob
American Veterans Center distributed free of charge Feller shares a bit of his story with one Center sponsors a number
1100 N. Glebe Rd. Suite 910 to students attending the of the young students in attendance. of programs during the
Arlington, VA 22201 Center’s various speaker year, from summer intern-
Telephone: 703-302-1012. Fax: 571-480-4141. events. ships where college students work with
veterans to record their stories, to essay
The American Veterans Center is comprised
The Center’s programming goes far beyond contests and college scholarships. Also,
of two divisions, the World War II Veterans
just this magazine, however. With our as you will read in this issue, hundreds of
Committee and the National Vietnam Veter-
ans Committee. long history of collaboration with the young people joined in the 2009 National
Radio America network, the Center and Memorial Day Parade, helping to carry
American Valor Quarterly is mailed its subdivision the World War II Veterans banners and pass out water and flags to the
to donors to the American Veterans Cen- Committee, has produced hundreds of veterans in attendance. More than 300,000
ter, World War II Veterans Committee, or oral history documentaries and interview spectators turned out for the parade, in
National Vietnam Veterans Committee who programs featuring veterans from World addition to those around the country who
make a contribution of $50 or more per-year.
War II to today. In addition to documentaries watched the television broadcast.
Contributions help fund the Center and Com-
mittees’ various speaker conferences, student
on Pearl Harbor, D-Day, and the Four
programs, the National Memorial Day Parade, Chaplains, the Center has produced World These are just a few of the Center’s
documentary and oral history projects, and War II Chronicles, the award-winning weekly programs, dedicated to preserving and
this publication. radio series which looks back on the events promoting the legacy of those who have
of World War II for that week more than served. None of which, I should add, are
To make a contribution or subscribe, call 60 years ago. possible without the support of you and
703-302-1012 ext. 214 or e-mail avc@ameri- thousands of other Americans who share
canveteranscenter.org. Veterans Chronicles, our weekly interview the belief that we should not, and cannot,
series, and Proudly We Hail can be heard on forget the sacrifices of our men and women
www.americanveteranscenter. more than 40 radio stations nationwide. who have worn the uniform.
org And with the growth of the internet, AVQ
www.wwiivets.com
both are able to reach thousands of new
AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 3
 News from the American Veterans Center
Feller Honored by Washington Nationals Profiles in Valor
Major League Baseball’s Wash- Recently, the American Veterans Center launched its
ington Nationals helped com- newest radio program, Profiles in Valor. Airing as a
memorate Memorial Day by segment on its weekly series Veterans Chronicles, Profiles
inviting Hall of Fame pitcher in Valor spotlights the story of a decorated service
and World War II veteran Bob member from today’s military. It is hosted by Tim
Feller to throw out the first Holbert, and seeks to do what so many other media
pitch prior to their game on outlets have not – tell the stories of today’s heroes
Sunday, May 24. Feller, who who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
served on the battleship USS
Alabama during the war, enlist- Profiles in Valor can be heard during Veterans Chronicles
ed in the Navy the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was the first on one of its 40 affiliate stations nationwide or online
Major League player to join the military after the start of the war. by visiting www.americanveteranscenter.org.

Feller was invited by the American Veterans Center to serve as Honorary

Marshal for World War II in the National Memorial Day Parade (see page
5). As would be expected from one of the greatest pitchers of all time,
Feller’s first pitch was a strike, right down the middle.
2009 Andrew J. Goodpaster Prize & Lecture
At a ceremony on March 12, 2009 held at Washington, DC’s Army & Navy Club, the American Veterans
Center presented the second annual Andrew J. Goodpaster Prize to Lt. General Dave. R. Palmer, former
Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
The Goodpaster Prize was inaugurated last year in an effort to honor the work of “soldier-scholars” who
undertake groundbreaking work in military scholarship. The prize seeks to honor the legacy of General
Andrew J. Goodpaster, himself one of America’s great “soldier-scholars” and an early supporter of the
American Veterans Center and the WWII Veterans Committee. Goodpaster was a decorated hero of
WWII, having received the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart, before going on to serve as
a war planner for General Marshall. He became a close advisor to Dwight Eisenhower during his pres-
idency, and was later Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and Superintendent of West Point. He
was beloved by those who served under him, and universally respected for his decency and integrity. Lt. General Dave Palmer
General Goodpaster passed away in 2005 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. delivers the second annual
Goodpaster Lecture.
The recipient of the 2009 Goodpaster Prize, Lt. General Dave R. Palmer, followed in General Good-
paster’s footsteps as Superintendent of West Point. He is a two-tour veteran of Vietnam, and has gone
on to a distinguished career as an author and historian, specializing in the early American army. Among his books is the recently
published and acclaimed George Washington and Benedict Arnold: A Tale of Two Patriots. As part of the Goodpaster Prize ceremonies,
General Palmer drew on his own research to deliver a lecture on character; the man who had it – Washington – rose to become
our nation’s greatest hero while the man who lacked it – Arnold – became its greatest villain.
Trimble Scholarships Awarded
The American Veterans Center is proud to announce the newest recipients of the James
Trimble III Scholarship: Marie Morrow and Bryan San Jose. The Trimble Scholarship is the
Center’s premier annual scholarship, in the amount of $2,000, awarded to two high school
members of the Young Marines program, is designed to recognize superior achievement in
and out of the classroom and to help further their college careers.
Named in honor of James Trimble, III, the scholarship is presented annually at the American
Veterans Center’s conference. Trimble was a baseball phenom who declined an offer to pitch
for the Washington Senators when he joined the Marine Corps during World War II. He
served with the 3rd Marine Division in the Pacific, including the Battle of Iwo Jima. While on a mission early on the morning of
February 28, 1945 on Iwo, Trimble was killed, his promising career ending before it began.
American Veterans Center photos

Pictured above with Morrow and San Jose are AVC president James C. Roberts (second from right) with Donald Mates and James
White, two of Trimble’s platoon mates. Mates was seriously wounded in the attack on the foxhole he shared with Trimble, and
was eventually saved due to the courage of White, who led an effort to rescue him and repel the Japanese attack.
AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 4
 The 2009 National Memorial Day Parade
Presented by the American Veterans Center

Following the Civil War, communities around the nation

began to set aside a day to remember those who had been
lost. These ceremonies coalesced around what was then called
“Decoration Day,” what we now know as Memorial Day. By
the late 1800s, the holiday had become an annual tradition,
as businesses would close and parades were held. Following
the First World War, Memorial Day took on a new meaning,
and became our military’s most sacred day.

Despite the importance of Memorial Day, recent years have

seen a decline in public awareness of the day. Many parades
in towns and cities around the country have faded away as the
World War II generation that carried the tradition has aged.
Even Washington, DC - our nation’s capital and the headquar-
ters of our military - was without a parade for nearly 70 years.

Recognizing that Memorial Day is about much more than

barbecues and baseball games, in 2005 the American Veterans
Center decided to bring the tradition of a parade on Memorial
Day back to Washington, DC. The inaugural National Memo-
rial Day Parade proved a tremendous success, drawing tens of
thousands of spectators to the National Mall to pay tribute to
all those who have served and sacrificed.

In just four years, the National Memorial Day Parade has grown into the nation’s
largest Memorial Day event, with the 2009 parade drawing over 300,000 attendees and
several thousand participants, including veterans groups, active duty military personnel,
marching bands, and celebrity supporters of our military. The parade was televised
live, and can still be viewed online by visiting www.nationalmemorialdayparade.com.

As has become tradition, each year the parade pays special tribute to those who have
served in a particular branch of the military. This year, the National Memorial Day
Parade saluted the United States Navy. We were honored to have with us as parade
reviewing officer Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and
former Chief of Naval Operations. Also on hand as Honorary Grand Marshal was
Oscar winning actor and U.S. Navy veteran of World War II Ernest Borgnine (pictured
above). The parade was filled with distinguished Navy veterans, as well as entertainers
who paid tribute to their service, including music star Lee Greenwood (pictured left)
who performed his classic song, “God Bless the U.S.A.”

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 5

The parade stepped off at 2:00 PM along Constitution Ave-
nue on Memorial Day, following the singing of the National
Anthem, the reading of the Pledge of Allegiance by Medal of
Honor recipients Col. Roger Donlon and Brian Thacker, and
remarks by Admiral Mullen (re-printed at bottom).
Serving as Grand Marshals of the 2009 National Memorial
Day Parade were “Today’s Heroes,” a contingent of decorated
service members who have fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom
and Operation Enduring Freedom. Among them were Major
Nicole Malachowski (right), a fighter pilot who is the first wom-
an to fly with the Air Force’s “Thunderbirds” and Staff Sergeant
Jeremiah Workman, who was awarded the Navy Cross - second
only to the Medal of Honor - for heroism during the Second
Battle of Fallujah in 2004.
Joining them was Gary Sinise (pictured above), star of CSI:
New York and best known for his role as “Lt. Dan” in Forrest
Gump. Mr. Sinise has long been an advocate for our veterans
and military personnel, devoting countless hours to charity
causes to support those who serve. His band, the Lt. Dan
Band, has played for service members around the world
including on the front lines in Iraq.
Many other recognizable faces participated in the parade,
including U.S. Navy veteran and Hall of Fame pitcher Bob
Feller (left), who served as Honorary Marshal for WWII Vet-
erans in the parade. Each era of military history, from World
War II through the Gulf War, was led by a distinguished
veteran of that era.

Pre-Parade Remarks by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff &

Parade Reviewing Officer, ADM Michael Mullen
Thank you, Jim (Roberts), and please extend my gratitude to the American Veterans
Center for leading this spectacular parade.
It is certainly exciting – and indeed rather humbling – to stand here today, across
from our National Archives, to pay tribute, along with each of you, to so many
of our daughters and mothers, fathers and sons. And to join with you in this
celebration throughout our capital city, itself a monument to millions who have
served this nation.
The troops and bands and families who will walk down Constitution Avenue
today are living testaments to ideals not merely placed on parchment, and guarded
by marble vaults, but protected in the service and sacrifice of generations past, ADM Michael Mullen (right) with American Veterans
generations present, and generations to come. Center president James C. Roberts prior to his remarks
at the 2009 National Memorial Day Parade. Mullen, the
Right now, over 240,000 men and women of our Armed Forces are out there, on highest-ranking member of the United States military,
point, standing watch, defending those ideals and our way of life, all across the served as Reviewing Officer for this year’s parade.
globe. And their families stand behind them, and serve every bit as much as they do.
We must never forget them, or the eternal sacrifices of our wounded, of the fallen, and of their families. Let us always remember
that they lived for us, and for days like these. How thankful we are, not just on Memorial Day, but every day, for their selfless
sacrifice. How thankful we are for their leadership and willingness to dedicate their lives to a cause greater than themselves.
On behalf of the more than two million men and women of our Armed Forces and their families, thank you for the honor to
serve. May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.
For the second year in a row, the National Memorial Day Parade
was televised for the public - and our service members abroad
- to watch live. Additionally, the parade is still available to watch
online, on demand, on its website at www.nationalmemorial-
dayparade.com. Not only does this allow millions of Americans
to tune in and take part in the festivities, it also increases the
spotlight on the tremendous stories of the parade participants
and brings focus to the meaning and importance of the holiday.

Pictured right, American Veterans Center president James C.

Roberts is interviewed by parade show host Paul McKellips as
part of the television broadcast.

“Thank you for your service” is something that we should

all be sure to tell a veteran on days like Memorial Day and
Veterans Day. The National Memorial Day Parade is a
chance for hundreds of thousands of patriotic Americans
to gather to do just that.

And while the inclusion of celebrities and musicians helps

to bring attention to the importance of the day, we can
never forget the true reason for the holiday - to remember
those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to
our nation.

The National Memorial Day Parade is organized as a moving

timeline of American military history, beginning with re-enact-
ment units depicting the Native Americans, as well as those who
fought in the American Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, Span-
ish-American War, and World War I. Fife and drum corps and
equestrian units marched down Constitution Avenue, followed by
veterans groups and active duty personnel who served in World
War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

“From the Greatest Generation to the latest generation.” That has

long been the motto of the World War II Veterans Committee
and the American Veterans Center. The National Memorial Day
Parade has become the perfect venue to do just that. From the
inclusion of World War II veterans of the 101st Airborne Divi-
sion alongside their counterparts of today (left) to young people
carrying on the legacy of the men and women of the Greatest
Generation (above), the parade helps to build a connection among
Americans of every generation.

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 7

 The National Moment of Remembrance was established by Con-
gress to take place at 3:00 PM local time on Memorial Day after-
noon. The Moment lasts for one minute, and was chosen because
it is the time of the day when Americans are most likely to be out
enjoying their freedoms. As part of the Moment, Americans are
asked to stop what they are doing, and pause to reflect on the
sacrifices of those who have fallen.
The National Memorial Day Parade observed the Moment by
coming to a complete halt at exactly 3:00 PM. During that minute,
trumpeters along the parade route played taps, which was followed
by a period of silence before the parade began again.
In addition to the many sponsors listed below, all of us at the
American Veterans Center would like to thank you - the readers
of this magazine - for helping to make the National Memorial Day
Parade possible. From the parade itself to the television broadcast
(seen right), none of it would be possible without the generous
contributions of individual Americans from around the country,
who believe in the importance of calling attention to the sacrifices
of those who have served.

On behalf of the American Veterans Center, the producers and the

sponsors of the National Memorial Day Parade, we would like to
thank you for your continued support, and look forward to carrying
on this grand tradition for years to come. AVQ
All photos courtesy of the American Veterans Center, with Joe Portnoy, J.D. Cantu, and Chris Graham.

A Special “Thank You” To Our Sponsors...

The National Memorial Day Parade would not be possible without the gener-
ous support of our sponsors. From television coverage and parade floats to
food and accommodations for the parade participants, it is because of them
that the parade was a success. We thank each of them for their support of the
parade, our veterans, and our men and women in uniform.

A television shot of the Lions Club float, from this year’s parade.
Gold Sponsors
The Embassy of Kuwait - U-Haul - TriWest Healthcare Alliance - Ride-Away - American Airlines
Silver Sponsors
U.S. Army Freedom Team Salute - Argon ST - Eberle & Associates - Lions Club - Washington Times - Helmets to Hardhats - Mr. Lloyd Campbell
Bronze Sponsors
Home Box Office (HBO) - Association of the U.S. Army - Soldiers Angels - Phillips Foundation
Parade Supporters
Shirley and Banister Public Relations - CACI - Raytheon - GEICO - International Brotherhood of Teamsters - The Issa Family Foundation
USO - Subway - Chipotle - Trader Joe’s - Halfaker and Associates - Dodge Jones Foundation - Douglas Development
UBS - Ace Beverage - Lindsay Cadillac - Republic National Distribution - NWBA America’s Beer Distributor - Harris Corporation

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 8

Eisenhower’s Triumph
The Guildhall Address of 1945
By Richard A. Striner
Little more than a month after Nazi Germany’s defeat, the Supreme of an honor guard presenting arms outside, then the loud voice
Commander of Allied Forces in Europe – General Dwight D. of an announcer near the door: ‘The Supreme Commander of
Eisenhower – made a powerful speech to an audience in London: the Allied Expeditionary Force!’ The crowd came to its feet with a
his “Guildhall Address” of June 12, 1945. This remarkable speech roar. Down the aisle, behind slow-walking officials in fur-trimmed
should be brought to the attention of Americans – especially blue, came General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, his battle-
veterans and troops on active duty. It stands as a superb expression dress pressed to Regular Army perfection, his face betraying his
of the values that people in Eisenhower’s time often called emotion. As he climbed to the dais, jammed with the great men
“the American Way.” Ike’s speech represented our nation at its of England, the applause went on and on.”
best: confident, and yet appropriately humble in the face of the
challenges of history. Time presented more details about Ike’s performance that day: “As
he walked to the microphone
Ike was in London to celebrate he grinned, and the audience
the end of the Nazi regime went up again. But he looked
that had fire-bombed London pale and nervous in the glare of
and other English cities. He the floodlights; when he began
was also in London to be to speak his voice almost failed.
celebrated as the hero who had He had worked on the speech
led the cross-channel invasion for days, had reworked it the
and the great campaign that night before in his suite at the
followed. June 12, 1945 was the Dorchester, and had committed
anniversary of the day when he it to memory like a high-school
first arrived in Normandy. valedictorian. For a few minutes
he sounded like one. But as he
He was driven through the went on, he got better, and the
city of London in a horse- crowd began to realize that Ike
drawn carriage as thousands of was doing all right.”
onlookers cheered and waved
American flags. According General Eisenhower with senior Allied delegates shortly following the As it turned out, this speech
to one press account, Ike German signing of the document of unconditional surrender in Rhe- – known forever after as the
“was cheered by hundreds of ims, France. March 7, 1945. Guildhall Speech – made an
thousands in tremendous roars overwhelming impression
which sent flocks of pigeons fluttering in fright from church upon the British. The Times of London reported that “many
belfries.” who already knew General Eisenhower as a great commander
discovered yesterday for the first time that he is also an orator.
He was driven to the old London Guildhall, where he received His speech... had the moving eloquence which is native to the
the “Freedom of the City of London” – a medieval honor that words of a sincere and modest man when he speaks from his heart
constitutes symbolic citizenship. As a band played “See the of the ideals to which his life has been devoted.” Field Marshal
Conquering Hero Comes” and the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” Lord Alanbrooke recorded in his diary that he “rushed off to the
the Lord Mayor of London waited. Then Ike and his British Guildhall for Eisenhower’s presentation of the Freedom of the
entourage arrived. In the company of Prime Minister Winston City. Ike made a wonderful speech and impressed all the hearers in
Churchill and the cabinet, the Lord Mayor – Sir Frank Alexander the Guildhall including the cabinet...I had never realized that Ike
– presided at the Guildhall ceremony, which was held beneath a was as big a man until his performance today.”
temporary roof, for the centuries-old Guildhall, like so many other
great London landmarks, was damaged during the war. Ike began with a mixture of gratitude and sorrow. Hear him:
“The high sense of distinction I feel in receiving this great honor
According to Time magazine’s account, “a stringed orchestra in from the city of London is inescapably mingled with feelings of
London’s ancient, bomb-scarred Guildhall had finished playing profound sadness...Humility must always be the portion of any
National Archives

“My Old Kentucky Home”. In the sudden silence came the sound man who receives acclaim earned in blood of his followers and

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 9

 that countryside, the honored guest of a city
whose name stands for grandeur and size
throughout the world. Hardly would it seem
possible for the London council to have gone
farther afield to find a man to honor with its
priceless gift of token citizenship.”

Then he turned to the subjects that had drawn

so many millions to fight: the shared values
of freedom and decency. He talked of “those
inner things – call them what you will – I mean
those intangibles that are the real treasures
free men possess. To preserve his freedom of
worship, his equality before the law, his liberty
to speak and act as he sees fit, subject only to
provisions that he trespass not upon similar
rights of others – a Londoner will fight. So
will a citizen of Abilene.”

He praised the way in which the British had

General Eisenhower greets the throngs gathered outside the Mansion House following his borne the Nazi onslaught. “What man who
Guildhall Address. The speech was Eisenhower’s first major public address, coming exactly has followed the history of this war could fail
one year after he first set food in Normandy. The massive tribute accented his metoric rise to experience an inspiration from the people
from an unknown brigadier general in 1941 to commander of Supreme Headquarters Allied of this city? When the British Empire stood
Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) and the rank of five-star general.
– alone but unconquered, almost naked but
sacrifices of his friends.” Ike acknowledged the great British tribute unafraid – to deny the Hitler hordes, it was on
– the personal honor that was his. But he continued to qualify this devoted city that the first terroristic blows were launched. Five
his acceptance of the honor. In measured words, he expressed years and eight months of war, much of it on the actual battle-line,
the overwhelming grief that he had felt the year before on the blitzes big and little, flying V-bombs – all of them you took in your
eve of D-Day. He had known all along that his orders would stride. You worked, and from your needed efforts you would not
send brave men to their graves. That was inevitable. But he felt be deterred. You carried on, and from your midst arose no cry for
the responsibility so keenly at the time that he drafted a message mercy, no wail of defeat. The Battle of Britain will take its place
accepting the blame – the full blame – if the invasion should fail. as another of your deathless traditions.”

So he continued that day in the Guildhall: “Conceivably a He spoke of what Americans saw when they arrived in England
commander may have been professionally superior. He may have to fight: “With awe our men gazed upon the empty spaces where
given everything of his heart and mind to meet the spiritual and once had stood buildings erected by the toil and sweat of peaceful
physical needs of his comrades. He may have written a chapter that folk. Our eyes rounded as we saw your women, serving quietly and
will glow forever in the pages of military history. Still, even such efficiently in every kind of war effort, even with flak batteries...
a man – if he existed – would sadly face the facts that his honors Gradually we drew closer together until we became true partners
cannot hide in his memories the crosses marking the resting places in war.”
of the dead. They cannot soothe the anguish of the widow or the
orphan whose husband or father will not return.” He praised the cooperation that Americans received: “London’s
hospitality to the Americans, her good-humored acceptance of
Then he turned to the only subject that could mitigate the the added inconvenience we brought, her example of fortitude
terrible losses: the righteousness of the cause for which his brave and quiet confidence in the final outcome – all these helped to
men fought. He talked of the distance through which the great make the Supreme Headquarters of the two Allied expeditions”
crisis of war had drawn him and many others to London, to the – Ike was here referring to what he called the “Mediterranean”
English Channel, and to France. “I am not a native of this land. campaign (which included the North African and Italian invasions)
I come from the very heart of America. In the superficial aspects and the cross-channel invasion of France – “the smooth-working
by which we ordinarily recognize family relationships, the town organizations they became.”
where I was born and the one where I was reared are far separated He continued: “They were composed of chosen representatives
from this great city. Abilene, Kansas, and Denison, Texas, would of two proud and independent peoples, each noted for its
together equal in size, possibly one five-hundredth of a part of initiative and for its satisfaction with its own customs, manners,
great London...But I find myself today five thousand miles from and methods. Many feared that those representatives could never
Corbis

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 10

combine together in an efficient fashion to solve the complex
problems presented by modern war. I hope you believe we proved
the doubters wrong. And, moreover, I hold that we proved this
point not only for war – we proved it can always be done by our
two peoples.”

Again, he disclaimed the idea that he deserved the paramount credit

for Allied success in defeating Nazi Germany. He paid tribute to
his colleagues by the thousands: “Had I possessed the military skill
of a Marlborough, the wisdom of a Solomon, the understanding
of Lincoln, I still would have been helpless without the loyalty,
vision and generosity of thousands upon thousands of British and
Americans...The whole was one great team. I know that on this
special occasion three million American men and women serving
in the Allied Expeditionary Force would want me to pay a tribute
of admiration, respect and affection to their British comrades of
this war.” Pictured above is the location of the planned memorial to Dwight D.
Eisenhower in Washington, DC. The memorial will be located along
He closed with a benediction that was truly visionary: “No petty Independence Avenue directly across from the National Air and Space
differences in the world of trade, traditions or national pride Museum. To learn more about the planned memorial, visit www.eisen-
should ever blind us to our identities in priceless values. If we keep howermemorial.org.
our eyes on this guidepost, then no difficulties along our path of the worst gale in 40 years would have hit the Allied army two
mutual cooperation can ever be insurmountable. Moreover, when days later.”
this truth has permeated to the remotest hamlet and heart of all
peoples, then indeed may we beat our swords into plowshares and At the end of the day, King George VI presented Eisenhower with
all nations can enjoy the fruitfulness of this earth. My Lord Mayor, the Order of Merit. Ike was the very first American military man
I thank you once again for an honor to me and to the American to receive this honor. After the Buckingham Palace ceremony, Ike
forces that will remain one of the proudest in my memories.” was granted an audience with the Queen Mother, Queen Mary,
who startled him by offering him a cigarette. And then she quickly
After this ceremony, Ike was driven to a luncheon at Mansion lighted one herself.
House, the historic residence of London’s Lord Mayor. A great
crowd of 30,000 followed him from the Guildhall. Ike addressed The day had been a triumph. One British account put it this way:
them at Mansion House from a balcony – with Winston Churchill “General Eisenhower yesterday added London to his long scroll
at his side. The balcony was draped with banners and laurel wreaths. of captured cities. Though once again his conquest was complete,
there had been no need this time for storming tactics or cunning
Ike told the people in the crowd that “you have done something manoeuvre; the ready smile, free and friendly manner, yet withal
in cementing the bonds that must always remain between your martial bearing, of the great commander, straightway won the
country and mine and into which scope must be brought Russia, hearts of the thousands of Londoners who acclaimed him.” As
France, China and all the other great countries that have helped he did with millions of Americans in World War II and later as
to whip the Nazis and we hope will quickly whip Japan.” Winston President.
Churchill clapped Ike on the back and said, “Well done, Ike, very
well done.” Then Churchill proposed a toast to “this man – this Americans today would do well to consider this graceful
very great man – General Ike.” Churchill praised Ike as “a great performance by Ike. Especially now, if we seek to retain the
commander, a man who has proved not only his capacity to tradition of America’s leadership around the world, we can look
organize and regulate the movements of armies but to stir men’s to no better expression of our values than the Guildhall Speech
hearts, and who has shown a capacity for making great nations that was delivered so long ago by Dwight D. Eisenhower – the
march together more truly united than they have ever been before.” speech that made him the toast of London on a summer day in
Churchill went so far as to call Ike “a great creative, constructive 1945. AVQ
and combining genius.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission

According to the St. Petersburg Times, “Churchill spoke dramatically

of the terrible responsibility which rested on Eisenhower when
he had to give the word whether to invade France June 6, 1944, or The high sense of distinction I feel in receiving this great honor from
postpone landings for perhaps as long as 11 days because of the the city of London is inescapably mingled with feelings of profound
weather. Had he put the landing 11 days later, Churchill recalled, sadness. All of us must always regret that your great country and

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 11

 mine were ever Thefaced Guildhall
with the tragic situation
Address that compelled the to provisions that he trespass not upon similar rights of others – a
appointment of an Allied Commander-in-Chief,
General Dwight D. Eisenhower the capacity in Londoner will fight. So will a citizen of Abilene.
which I have justLondon
been so extravagantly commended.
- June 12, 1945
When we consider these things, then the valley of the Thames draws
Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives closer to the farms of Kansas and the plains of Texas.
acclaim earned in blood of his followers and sacrifices of his friends.
To my mind it is clear that when two peoples will face the tragedies
Conceivably a commander may have been professionally superior. of war to defend the same spiritual values, the same treasured
He may have given everything of his heart and mind to meet the rights, then in the deepest sense those two are truly related. So even
spiritual and physical needs of his comrades. He may have written as I proclaim my undying Americanism, I am bold enough and
a chapter that will glow forever in the pages of military history. exceedingly proud to claim the basis of kinship to you of London.

Still, even such a man – if he existed – would sadly face the facts And what man who has followed the history of this war could fail
that his honors cannot hide in his memories the crosses marking to experience an inspiration from the example of this city?
the resting places of the dead. They cannot soothe the anguish of
the widow or the orphan whose husband or father will not return. When the British Empire stood – alone but unconquered, almost
naked but unafraid – to deny the Hitler hordes, it was on this devoted
The only attitude in which a commander may with satisfaction city that the first terroristic blows were launched.
receive the tributes of his friends is in the humble acknowledgment
that no matter how unworthy he may be, his position is the Five years and eight months of war, much of it on the actual battle-
symbol of great human forces that have labored arduously and line, blitzes big and little, flying V-bombs – all of them you took in
successfully for a righteous cause. Unless he feels this symbolism your stride. You worked, and from your needed efforts you would
and this rightness in what he has tried to do, then he is disregardful not be deterred. You carried on, and from your midst arose no
of courage, fortitude and devotion of the vast multitudes he has cry for mercy, no wail of defeat. The Battle of Britain will take its
been honored to command. If all Allied men and women that have place as another of your deathless traditions. And your faith and
served with me in this war can only know that it is they whom this endurance have finally been rewarded.
august body is really honoring today, then indeed I will be content.
You had been more than two years in war when Americans in
This feeling of humility cannot erase of course my great pride in numbers began swarming into your country. Most were mentally
being tendered the freedom of London. I am not a native of this unprepared for the realities of war – especially as waged by the
land. I come from the very heart of America. In the superficial Nazis. Others believed that the tales of British sacrifice had been
aspects by which we ordinarily recognize family relationships, the exaggerated. Still others failed to recognize the difficulties of the
town where I was born and the one where I was reared are far task ahead.
separated from this great city. Abilene, Kansas, and Denison, Texas,
would together equal in size, possibly one five-hundredth of a part All such doubts, questions, and complacencies could not endure a
of great London.

By your standards those towns are young, without your

aged traditions that carry the roots of London back into the
uncertainties of unrecorded history. To those people I am
proud to belong.

But I find myself today five thousand miles from that

countryside, the honored guest of a city whose name stands
for grandeur and size throughout the world. Hardly would it
seem possible for the London council to have gone farther
afield to find a man to honor with its priceless gift of token
citizenship.

Yet kinship among nations is not determined in such

measurements as proximity of size and age. Rather we should
turn to those inner things – call them what you will – I mean
those intangibles that are the real treasures free men possess.
Eisenhower Presidential Museum

Eisenhower speaks from the balcony at Mansion House following the Guild-
To preserve his freedom of worship, his equality before hall Address on June 12, 1945. Among the honors bestowed on him that
law, his liberty to speak and act as he sees fit, subject only day was the Freedom of the City of London, the highest honor the city can

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 12

single casual tour through your scarred streets and avenues. With
awe our men gazed upon the empty spaces where once had stood
buildings erected by the toil and sweat of peaceful folk. Our eyes
rounded as we saw your women, serving quietly and efficiently in
almost every kind of war effort, even with flak batteries. We became
accustomed to the warning sirens which seemed to compel from
the native Londoner not even a single hurried step. Gradually we
drew closer together until we became true partners in war.

In London my associates and I planned two great expeditions – that

to invade the Mediterranean and later that to cross the Channel.

London’s hospitality to the Americans, her good-humored

acceptance of the added inconvenience we brought, her example of
fortitude and quiet confidence in the final outcome – all these helped
to make the Supreme Headquarters of the two Allied expeditions
the smooth-working organizations they became.

They were composed of chosen representatives of two proud

and independent peoples, each noted for its initiative and for its
satisfaction with its own customs, manners, and methods. Many
feared that those representatives could never combine together in
an efficient fashion to solve the complex problems presented by
modern war.

I hope you believe we proved the doubters wrong. And, moreover,

I hold that we proved this point not only for war – we proved it
can always be done by our two peoples, provided only that both
show the same good-will, the same forbearance, the same objective
attitude that the British and Americans so amply demonstrated in No petty differences in the world of trade, traditions or national
the nearly three years of bitter campaigning. pride should ever blind us to our identities in priceless values.

No man alone could have brought about this result. Had I possessed If we keep our eyes on this guidepost, then no difficulties along our
the military skill of a Marlborough, the wisdom of Solomon, the path of mutual co-operation can ever be insurmountable. Moreover,
understanding of Lincoln, I still would have been helpless without when this truth has permeated to the remotest hamlet and heart of
the loyalty, vision and generosity of thousands upon thousands of all peoples, then indeed may we beat our swords into plowshares
British and Americans. and all nations can enjoy the fruitfulness of the earth.

Some of them were my companions in the High Command. Many My Lord Mayor, I thank you once again for an honor to me and
were enlisted men and junior officers carrying the fierce brunt of to the American forces that will remain one of the proudest in my
battle, and many others were back in the United States and here in memories.
Great Britain in London.
To read this, and other speeches by General Eisenhower, visit www.eisenhowermemorial.
org, the website of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, which is leading the
Moreover, back of us always were our great national war leaders design and construction effort for the upcoming Eisenhower Memorial in Washington,
and their civil and military staffs that supported and encouraged DC.
us through every trial, every test. The whole was one great team. AVQ
I know that on this special occasion three million American men
and women serving in the Allied Expeditionary Force would want
me to pay a tribute of admiration, respect and affection to their
British comrades of this war.

My most cherished hope is that after Japan joins the Nazis in utter
defeat, neither my country nor yours need ever again summon its
sons and daughters from their peaceful pursuits to face the tragedies
U.S. Army Signal Corps

of battle. But – a fact important for both of us to remember –

neither London nor Abilene, sisters under the skin, will sell her
birthright for physical safety, her liberty for mere existence.
AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 13
 D-DAY: 65 Years Later
Eisenhower’s Broadcast to Western Europe
June 6, 1944
Shortly after midnight on June 6, 1944, tens of thousands of Allied initial assault may not have been made in your own country, the
paratroopers were dropped behind enemy lines over Normandy. hour of your liberation is approaching.
A few hours later – at 0630 – the first of 160,000 troops to come
ashore that day landed, as American, British, and Canadian forces All patriots, men and women, young and old, have a part to play
stormed Gold, Sword, Juno, Utah, and Omaha beaches. They were in the achievement of final victory. To members of resistance
backed by nearly 200,000 naval and merchant navy personnel on movements, I say, “Follow the instructions you have received.” To
5,000 ships operating in the English Channel. The landings of June patriots who are not members of organized resistance groups, I say,
6 – D-Day – were the largest amphibious operation of all time. “Continue your passive resistance, but do not needlessly endanger
your lives until I give you the signal to rise and strike the enemy.
The man charged with executing this massive operation – General The day will come when I shall need your united strength.” Until
Dwight D. Eisenhower – felt the weight of history on his shoulders. that day, I call on you for the hard task of discipline and restraint.
Success would turn the tide of the war in the Allies’ favor. Failure
Citizens of France! I am proud to have again under my command
would cement Hitler’s control of Western Europe, and perhaps seal
the gallant Forces of France. Fighting beside their Allies, they will
the Atlantic Wall permanently.
play a worthy part in the liberation of their Homeland.
Ultimately, thanks to the determination of the Allied invasion forces, Because the initial landing has been made on the soil of your
and to the organizational capabilities of Eisenhower, the operation country, I repeat to you with even greater emphasis my message
was a success. As the day proceeded and the invasion forces created to the peoples of other occupied countries in Western Europe.
a defensible beachhead, Eisenhower saw fit to deliver the following Follow the instructions of your leaders. A premature uprising of
radio address to the people of Western Europe, assuring them that all Frenchmen may prevent you from being of maximum help to
their hour of liberation was almost at hand… your country in the critical hour. Be patient. Prepare!

People of Western Europe: A landing was made this morning on As Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, there
the coast of France by troops of the Allied Expeditionary Force. is imposed on me the duty and responsibility of taking all measures
This landing is part of the concerted United Nations’ plan for the necessary to the prosecution of the war. Prompt and willing
liberation of Europe, made in conjunction with our great Russian obedience to the orders that I shall issue is essential.
allies.
Effective civil administration of France must be provided by
I have this message for all of you. Although the
Frenchmen. All persons must continue in their present duties unless
otherwise instructed. Those who have made common cause with
the enemy and so betrayed their country will be removed. As France
is liberated from her oppressors, you yourselves will choose your
representatives, and the government under which you wish to live.

In the course of this campaign for the final defeat of the enemy you
may sustain further loss and damage. Tragic though they may be,
they are part of the price of victory. I assure you that I shall do all
in my power to mitigate your hardships. I know that I can count on
your steadfastness now, no less than in the past. The heroic deeds of
Frenchmen who have continued the struggle against the Nazis and
their Vichy satellites, in France and throughout the French Empire,
have been an example and an inspiration to all of us.

This landing is but the opening phase of the campaign in Western

Europe. Great battles lie ahead. I call upon all who love freedom
to stand with us. Keep your faith staunch - our arms are resolute -
together we shall achieve victory.

AVQ
U.S. Army photo

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 14

Omaha Beach
The First Wave
By Harley A. Reynolds

I enlisted in the U.S. Army on December 28, 1940 and was as- November 1943 to the middle of May 1944. By this time I had
signed to Co. B, 16th Infantry, Regiment, First Infantry Division become a staff sergeant and commanded the light machine gun
stationed at Fort Jay, New York. I served with this unit until section. Each position I held from first ammo carrier to assistant
honorably discharged on July 4th, 1945 at Fort Meade, Maryland gunner, to gunner to squad leader, and then to section leader was
during demobilization after victory in Germany. Mustered out on because the men ahead of me were either wounded or killed and
a point system, I had the highest number of points for a single I took over...What made me so lucky?
man in England when the war ended. A group of 17 men with the
highest points were sent home to test the mustering out system D-Day : 6 June 1944
and I was in charge of our service records that we carried with
us. I had achieved the rank of staff sergeant by the time of the Time came for the invasion and we went aboard the troop ship
invasion of France, and this was the highest rank I would hold. Samuel Chase at Weymouth, England. We sailed immediately for
dispersal and position within the invading fleet. The plan was for
In 1941, our entire division was transferred to Fort Devons, Mas- our battalion to land in Regimental Reserve on Omaha Beach in
sachusetts, where we staged a mock invasion at Buzzards Bay, the Easy Red Sector.
near Cape Cod, long before we got into the war. From there we
went on to Camp Blanding, Fort Benning, and Fort Indiantown This would be our second invasion from the Samuel Chase. The
Gap, before making our way back to New York to prepare for first was at Gela in Sicily. She also made the African invasion
deployment overseas. alongside us. Many friendships were made then, and later through
our division and ship associations, which are still active. I am an
From the port of New York City, the entire division, approximately honorary member of their association, a fine brave and proud
16,000 men, boarded the Queen Mary and set sail on August 2, group.
1942 for Glasgow, Scotland. From there, we traveled by train to
Tidworth Barracks near Amesbury, England. Here we prepared for We left the Chase for the last time and went in single file to our
Operation Torch – the invasion of Africa. We would also make the rendezvous area, following the little light on the stern of the
invasion of Sicily before returning to England to train for the inva- craft ahead of us. The light would disappear and then reappear
sion of France on what would become known as D-Day. as we rose and fell with the waves. The water was getting rough.
From Sicily, we returned to England and were stationed in the I thought several times we would crash into the craft ahead as we
small town of Lyme Regis, near Torquay. We stayed here from came upon them and would have to back off. I could see the trail

National Archives

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 15

 of phosphorus the craft
was leaving behind, and I
thought the Germans must
be able to see it too, and
would pinpoint their sights
on us.

History has recorded the

near collapse of our sector
because of the storm. There
are many films portraying
the mishaps but none as
horrifying as my first view
of the scene. We were
trained to keep our heads
down until time to unload,
but being in command I
felt it better to know what
was going on around us.
I looked over and ahead
many times and what I saw
was terrifying. No cameras
filmed the pictures left in
my mind. While in training
we were told of all the
things that would be done
in order but to see it all Map demonstrating the Allied invasion plans and German positions, June 6, 1944.
come together was mind-
boggling. The size of it think the greatest dread and fear was felt at this time. The waiting
all was stunning. The emotions were mixed between fear and is always the worst. The mind can wonder. It doesn’t have time to
responsibility. wonder after the action starts.

The actual number of ships and craft involved started materializing I saw and heard the coxswain say to the other crewman “This
with the light of dawn. Ships and craft of all kinds for as far as the is it! Here we go!” as he waved foreword like a cavalryman to
eye could see; ships unloading troops and equipment. Battleships the other craft. I remember watching the coxswain. He seemed
were cruising the shoreline, firing salvo after salvo, some of it just calm, stationed in the armored box on the port stern. It gave me
over our heads, point-blank at the beach. Landing craft by the confidence in him. A crewman was in another box on the starboard
hundreds were going to and from the beach. Craft loaded with stern with a machine gun mounted on his box so he could fire
rockets to blanket the beach with fire and to give us shell holes ahead. I have tried time and time again to remember if he fired
to use as foxholes after unloading onto the beach. Rockets were while going in, but I can’t say that he did. I later asked other men
fired by the thousands, though it is recorded that they all had fallen if they could remember if he fired, and they said they couldn’t
short of the beach. Looking back, I sure would have felt safer in remember either.
one of those shell holes.
I gave the team a final look of inspection. Our group was called
Planes had bombed the beach earlier, but I saw very little evidence a squadron. We had six squadrons to our company. Ours was
of it. There was a noticeable absence of planes over our beach, the headquarters squadron, which included me and the company
even German planes, which I was glad of. A couple of German radioman at the head of the boat. Two machinegun squads, one
and Allied recon planes flew over later in the day. I read later on either side of the boat, were to follow us off. First squad
that our planes were inland keeping the enemy planes grounded. leader was Sgt. Dean Rummell, from Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania
Thank God. and second squad leader was Sgt. James N. Haughey of Sheridan,
Indiana. Then came company headquarters personnel; messengers,
We circled for what seemed like hours in our rendezvous area. We wiremen, and our company commander last to see that everyone
United States Military Academy

were near enough to hear the action on the beach. There wasn’t got off the boat. We had practiced this formation many times on
much conversation. We were listening to all that small arms fire land in Lyme Regis. We would draw a line on the ground with stakes
and swapping glances. We knew we were in for a hot reception. I and ribbons the same size of our landing craft. Those on the sides
fanned out to their side and setting up the machine guns. That was
AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 16
 direct approach to the beach making us a smaller target at that
point, or the Germans may have been instructed to hold their
fire until we were in the water and coming ashore. The coxswain
did a superb job. I heard later that he actually took some of the
wounded back on his return to the Samuel Chase.

I felt things then that I would later recognize as responsibility. I

felt that getting as many men off as possible, and into positions
of safety on the beach, and in formation was the greatest concern.
On the last look over the side, seconds before the ramp went
down, I saw many motionless bodies at the water’s edge. I saw
wounded struggling with the rough surf. I saw men kneeling and
lying in the water with only their heads exposed for the protection
it gave them. I believe these men were frozen with fear, unable to
move because they began to move closer to the beach with the
incoming tide. They were of no use at that point because they
had no weapons. They just crowded the beach more, hindering
Operation Neptune consisted of the assault phase of the Normandy movement. On this last look I decided what to do when the
invasion. More than 5,000 ships took part in the largest single-day ramp went down. I told the two Squad Leaders to fan out and
amphibious operation of all time. go straight in.
the way we practiced it. Now this was the real thing.
There was a huge pillbox to our right at beach level and at the base
I could see things were going wrong as we slowed down to go of a steep bluff. To our front a draw that I believe was designated
in. Some boats were coming back after unloading, others were as “E1” on our map. To our left front a rounded hill with the pond
partly awash, but still struggling. Some were stuck, bottomed out, at its base that we were told in training we would have to cross.
racing their motors and getting nowhere. Some were backing up
short distances and trying again. The timing for the craft to land at The pillbox had large chunks of concrete blown out just above
intervals was as much awash as the storm. When we landed some its left front aperture. It had wisps of powder smoke still visible.
of the assault wave was landing with us. We were supposed to land Direct fire from the Navy had just ended. I heard the shells whistle
twenty minutes after the assault wave. Afterwards it was established in and land close as we landed and I believe they had hit the pillbox.
that the assault wave was late and we were early. Confusion doesn’t
really describe it. Landing in this order did qualify our company It was quite a coincidence that I met a man last year that was on
as an assault wave and gave us another Bronze Arrowhead for a destroyer during this time. John A. Fonner, Jr. of Largo, Florida
our ETO Ribbon and an Oak Leaf Cluster for our Unit Citation. was an observer on the control tower of a destroyer assigned to
give infantry support; shore observers called in most of their
I was looking over the side often during these last minutes. We were targets. They couldn’t see through the dust and smoke to deliver
moving slow because of other craft and obstacles the coxswain
had to avoid. I saw direct hits on craft still far away from land. I
doubt those on board who had not yet been wounded ever made
it to the shore safely. I saw craft sideways, being upturned, and
dumping troops into the water. I saw craft heavily damaged by
shellfire being tossed around by the waves. I saw craft empty of
troops and partly filled with water as though abandoned, awash
in the surf. Men were among them struggling for the pitiful
protection they gave.

Recalling my feelings of those last couple of minutes, I became

very calm and analyzed the situation surprisingly well. I was
looking back at the men, making sure that they were down and
in their places and ready. I remember how calm and intent the
coxswain was as he guided our craft in. I cannot give this man
Top and bottom: National Archives

enough credit. I often think he must have calmed me some.

It was surprising how few machine gun bullets hit our craft. I
kept listening for them to hit because they certainly were flying Soldiers on a landing barge ready themselves to join the battle raging
overhead and hitting the water around us. It could have been the on the shores of Normandy.

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 17

 direct fire, but I give the Navy credit for
the success of the invasion. Their mission
was to cruise up and down this section
of the beach raking the shore in front of
us with as much firepower as possible.
John told me they were firing five-inch 38
shells at the rate of one shell every four
seconds. I feel this fire gave us the relief
to get organized.

When the ramp went down, we were in

kneeling positions. Private Galenti, the
Radioman, and I rose to exit first. At
about the second or third step I started
my break to fan right. At this second
Galenti was hit by what I believe was
machine gun fire because it seemed there
were more than one bullet The radio
was hit also and fragments flew from it.
Galenti went down on the boat ramp. The
fire seemed to come from our left front. I
was maybe two feet ahead of him saving American soldiers unload from their landing craft under heavy German fire on Omaha Beach.
me from being hit with the same burst The assault force on Omaha numbered some 34,000 men and 3,300 vehicles, supported by two
battleships, three cruisers, 12 destroyers, and 105 other ships.
of fire. I don’t recall getting my feet wet.
to the side of me. I believe the bullets were coming from a long
The burst hitting Galenti went between me and PFC Stephen distance away as they seemed to have lost some of their energy
Cicon of Coopersburg, Pennsylvania. PVT Arthur Schintzel of and I could barely hear their hissing sounds.
Williamsburg, Virginia was the fourth man off on our side. Arthur’s
story almost ended here. When he came off he went to the right, I spotted the bank of shingle just above the tideline, which was a
heading for a knocked-out tank, thinking it would give him cover. sort of raised roadbed running parallel to the beach. Many men
Wrong! A German rifleman had the tank covered. Arthur believes were lying behind it. Looking like the only cover, we headed for
it was a rifleman because only single bullets were being fired at him. it too. As soon as I reached the safety of the shingle bank I called
He was hit and knocked down. He stayed down until he thought it out to Sgt. Rummell and Sgt. Haughey and they answered very
would be safe to move. He got up and was knocked down again. close from my right. I asked if they and the men were OK and
From there his memory is foggy, as he was unconscious some of they replied “Yes,” not mentioning Private Schintzel. I didn’t know
the time. I did not see Arthur for forty years, thinking all the time that he was missing until later.
he was dead.
I don’t believe the times of events would be very reliable, so I will
I stayed to the right for a short distance. Looking for any cover, I tell of events as they happened. We had gone directly ahead to the
headed for an obstacle made up of what appeared to be rails welded shingles without wasting time. We passed men in the water that
together. It reminded me of the balls and jacks we played with as were driven to the shingles later by the incoming tide. It was near
kids. The beach was very smooth here, showing the absence of shell low tide when we landed and near high tide when we left the beach.
holes we were promised. I knelt by the obstacles to look around. We reached the temporary shelter of the shingles and snuggled in
From the craft to this point, my constant thoughts were “What’s between others already there. As the tide came in others crowded
keeping me up? I must be hit. What does it feel like when you get in to snuggle in with us. Our area of the beach seemed relatively
hit?” Too many bullets were flying not to be hit. While crossing safer, but only if you stayed completely behind the shingle bank.
the beach I felt tugs at my pants legs several times. Searching later
I found too many rips and tears to identify any as bullet holes. I Many times after bursts of machine gun fire or shells landing close
think it possible for bullets to pass close enough to tug at your I called out to Rummell and Haughey, asking if they were OK and
clothing. Bullets coming so close, make a hissing sound as they go they replied, “Yes.” Once I got an answer from Donald A. Heap of
by. Those you hear are not the ones that hit you. Atlanta, Georgia. Dale was our platoon comedian. His comment
was serious, but laughable at any other time. He said, “Sarge, how
I didn’t stay at the obstacle long. Bullets were coming through long do we have to put up with this shit? We’re going to get killed
and hitting the sand at my feet. What was keeping me up? I could here.” As though I could do anything about it.
National Archives

see bullets hitting the sand in bursts and ricocheting in front and

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 18

 It seemed at this point that I was able to stick my head up and
down without drawing fire from our right, as we had been getting
from atop the cliff and the entrenchments over the huge pillbox.
There was only occasional fire. It had slacked off. The base of the
hill to our front started looking safe and inviting. I felt it would
be just a short dash across the pond through a little flanking fire
from the pillbox on our right to put us beyond the pillbox’s side
vision. It worked textbook style, except for some unexpected help
and being in the wrong place at the right time.

The unexpected help came from a man small in size, pushing a

long bangalore torpedo under the wire on the roadbed. I don’t
know where he came from, but suddenly he was there within
a few feet on my right. The torpedo was in two sections. He
exposed himself to put the first section under the wire. I realized
what was happening and I yelled to Rummell and Haughey and
they answered. I yelled, “We’re going through!” They must have
Troops of the 1st Infantry Division assemble on the beach before
understood since they responded so fast.
moving inland, while additional infantrymen disembark from their
landing craft in the distance.
The torpedo man exposed himself again to attach the second half
Most of the time that we were behind the shingles we kept our of the torpedo. Then he very carefully inserted the fuse lighter,
faces buried in the side of the bank. Shingles are small stones that turned his head to the left (in my direction) and looked back to
resemble river rock and had been built-up like a roadbed. They were see if he could back up. He pulled the string and pushed himself
smooth and mostly flat, just right for skipping across a stream back backwards. I braced myself for the sprint forward but nothing
home. But these stones burst like grenades when hit by a bullet happened. The fuse didn’t light. After a few seconds the man
and we had to keep our faces protected from the rock fragments. calmly crawled forward exposing himself again. He removed the
bad lighter, replaced it with another and started to repeat the first
At the top of the roadbed was concertina wire. It would have to moves. He turned his head in my direction, looked back, pulled the
be blown. This was another miss for the rockets that fell short. string and made only two movements backwards when he flinched,
and closed his eyes as he looked into mine. Death was so fast for
Many times calls would sound out for different men in the him. His eyes seemed to have a questioning or pleading look in
company. Efforts were being made to regroup without much them. His head was maybe three feet from the explosion, but it
success. One couldn’t just answer “Here!” and stand up and walk didn’t damage him. It was an enemy bullet that killed him. No
over to the caller. You couldn’t even roll over the man alongside. fire had come from the Germans for a couple of minutes before
This would put you too high and you were sure to get hit. You had that and if they had held off only a couple of seconds more, who
to crawfish backwards and side crawl like a crab with your head knows? He might have lived.
towards the roadbed. This didn’t give you much protection, as many
men were hit while trying to shift along to regroup. Any movement My head was three or four feet from the torpedo and I was closest
seen above the roadbed would bring fire, both rifle and machine to the path it blew in the wire. My men were right behind me better
gun. The tide was now almost lapping at our feet. Dead bodies than we had even done in practice. I went through the trip wire
were washing in and I’m thinking, “It’s time to do something, but high-stepping just as we did on obstacle courses. I was running so
what?” Sticking your head up would draw fire. Occasional incoming fast I hadn’t made up my mind what to do about the wire fence
artillery fire was increasing. There obviously was no way backward, until I faced it. I literally dove through in a sideways dive. Hard to
only forward. I began to raise my head up and down for real quick believe I completely cleared those strands. Not one rip or tear in
looks ahead. I could see a narrow pond ahead with marsh grass. my clothes or skin. I was into the pond in under ten seconds with
Between the pond and us was the wire strung on the roadbed, and all my men except Schintzel and Galenti following. Troops on the
beyond that was a three-strand wire fence with tripwire only on beach seemed to be holding back but not for long. They almost
the front of it. Beyond the pond was another fence without trip beat us to the top of the hill.
wires. There was a sign on the fence that was in German, but two
words I did understand were “Achtung Minen.” The pond was deeper than I thought, but we had been instructed
not to throw away our life preservers for this purpose. I didn’t
The round hill to our front rose sharply from the far edge of the need to inflate mine, but some of the men did. I felt more secure
pond, almost ball shaped, rounding off to our right into a draw with my head and arms only above the water. I was the first across
U.S. Army Photo

leading inland. On the right of the draw was a cliff-like high ground the pond and as I paused to take off the life preserver, I looked
as far as the eye could see, which got more cliff-like in the distance.

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 19

 back to see how the men were doing. I heard my name called and felt them safe and got in to see where they led. I was armed with a
I looked back to see Dale Heap about half way across the pond. rifle with a grenade launcher. I pushed the safety to off, as I knew
Dale was the gunner on one of the machine guns. He was holding if I ran into Germans I might not have the time to push it off and
his one arm above his head and pointing his gun tripod at it. He was pull the trigger. With the grenade pointed down the trenches, I
saying, “Stateside! Stateside! See! I didn’t drop the tripod either!” hunched over to the height of the trenches and went all the way
Always the comedian, he was actually laughing. He had been shot to the end without seeing any Germans.
through his upper arm, a good flesh wound. He handed the tripod
to his assistant gunner, the first ammo carrier took the gun and The trenches followed the rim of the draw going inland. In a very
we had a battlefield promotion right there in the middle of the short distance, we could look across the draw and down on to
pond. Dale waived goodbye and headed back to the beach. We entrenchments above the big pillbox. Coming back to the men I
had three men down now from the section. Dale made it stateside had left while scouting out the trenches we noticed movement in
and that was the last we heard of him until 2001, when I found the entrenchments across the draw. Germans were carrying what
his son, Dale Jr., living near Atlanta, Georgia. His son told me thatappeared to be cases and satchels from a dugout-type shelter on
he received two wounds on the beach, which has to mean that he the edge of the cliff over the big pillbox. They were using trenches
was wounded again before he was evacuated. Dale had been dead leading inland, away from the shelter. They were setting the things
for three years by the time I finally located his son. down at the end of the trench, picking up other things and taking
them back to the shelter. It appeared they were exchanging things;
I went through the second fence and into the minefield. I didn’t maybe empty ammo cases for full ones, I didn’t know.
see the sign. It was hanging on a fence post facing away from us.
This slowed us down but not much. The mines had been planted I directed one machine gun setup to start firing on them. It was
so long ago the grass over them had died, making it easy to see the out of range for a rifle grenade, so I removed the one on my rifle
large ones. There were smaller snuffbox types that were harder to and started firing too. I saw several Germans go down. It caught
find and trip wired mines. them by complete surprise and the ones standing ran back into the
shelter. At this time, a man I recognized as one of our own stood
The better path led left along the fence. I was leading and had up just beyond the trenches and threw a grenade at the shelter. He
gone maybe fifty yards when a man I didn’t know rushed by. He had come up over the cliff on the west side of the shelter. I believe
got maybe fifteen yards past me when he tripped a mine hanging the man realized we were firing at the Germans instead of him
about waist high on a fence post. It blew him in half and splattered because after throwing the grenade he motioned to other men that
me. I was sick every time I thought about it for days. This slowed came into sight and threw grenades also. The Germans then started
us down again. Everyone seemed glad to let me pick the way for coming out with white flags and their hands held up. One of the
awhile, so I then turned uphill. About two-thirds of the way up the machine gun squads had gone ahead during this time and now the
hill more men I recognized from our Company B started passing squad that was doing the firing broke down and followed, as the
and fanning out to the left. Another man from Company B passed first squad was out of sight. I told them to catch up as I paused
in my direction. After a short distance, he stepped on a snuffbox, for a moment, watching the scene below. The men were searching
blowing his heel off. Medics had not gotten to him and he was
trying to get off what was left of his shoe as I moved on. His name
was William Boyd, and because of his size, we’d nicknamed him
“Wee Boy.” He was platoon runner for the Second Platoon, and
thinking his platoon leader was ahead, he was trying to catch up.
He just didn’t know there was no one ahead of us.

Another pause gave me the chance to look back at the beach. Men
were now pouring through the blown wire where we came through.
By chance I was looking to our left when a second torpedo blew
wire about three to four hundred yards away from us. Men started
streaming through there just as fast as we did. I believe they were
the first men through the wire in that area. Coast Guard after action
reports lists only one explosion in this area. I think this is where
Lieutenant Spaulding came through the wire and is recorded in
an interview with him. I, along with my platoon sergeant, saw this
exit blown from near the top of the bluff.
Crossed rifles in the sand pay tribute to a fallen American serviceman,
I cannot explain why I headed slightly to the right at this time, but cut down in the assault on the German defenses. Total American casu-
I was following a better path through the mines. At the rim of alties on D-Day numbered about 6,600, with the highest percentage of
National Archives

the hill the path led to trenches. Noticing tracks in the bottom I men killed in action taking place at Omaha Beach.

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 20

 cleaning up the trenches just a few seconds earlier had come from
this same location.

The half-track was smaller than ours, and as I recall did not have
a deep bed. It seems to me that it did not have a partition behind
the driver, but I can’t remember that well. I can’t remember if
the tailgate lowered, but it seemed the sides that formed the bed
were the same height. I had only enough time to get my rifle to
my shoulder. The whole scene lasted for only a few seconds, and
I did not get a shot off. It did not get the attention of the men
that had taken the entrenchments. I have since established that the
men taking that bluff top were 29th Division men.

I started to follow the squad, but they were out of sight and I
couldn’t see anyone ahead. It seemed that everyone had shied
away or were led away from the draw. I backtracked until I saw
troops in large numbers only slightly to my left. They were moving
Exhausted from combat, American soldiers take time to rest at the end
at a very fast pace away from the beach. I could now look back
of “the longest day.”
on the beach. It was filled with vehicles and troops. The troops
the shelter and the trenches. Suddenly Germans were sneaking up
were streaming inland. Occasional German artillery fire was now
on them from the rear where they were exchanging cases. I started
coming in, which I believed to be 88 mm.
firing at them and they jumped up, raised their hands, and moved
very fast towards the men cleaning up the trenches. These men
A two and one half ton truck loaded with jerry cans of gasoline
didn’t know the Germans were there. They were quick to see if
that was moving parallel to the beach towards the draw was hit by
there were any more.
one single shell from a gun firing at random. One or two seconds
either way and it would have missed. There was a huge fiery
The situation on the bluff I had been watching across the E1
explosion. The largest pieces left were the frame half buried in
draw seemed to be secure, and as I was
leaving to catch up with my section, I
happened to notice movement that got
my attention. From out of nowhere
this vehicle, which appeared to be a
half-track, was making a run for it,
heading straight inland with two of
what I assumed to be German troops
chasting to catch it. As I recall, there
was one soldier driving, another just
behind him, one trying to hang on but
mostly being dragged, with another just
catching up to the vehicle. It seemed the
last man was going to be left behind,
but the vehicle had to slow for a partial
turn to the right, and the last man made
it close enough to grab the hand of
the man who had just pulled himself
aboard. They were still trying to sort out
this mess when the vehicle disappeared
into the shrubbery.

One thing that stands out vividly in my

mind was a solitary tree, maybe 15 to By June 8, 1944, the Allies had firmly established a beachhead in Normandy. On D+1, con-
20 feet tall, that the vehicle seemed to struction began on a Mulberry harbor at Omaha Beach. The harbor was operational on D+10,
Top and bottom: National Archives

be moving away from. There was very and went into heavy use. Three days later, however, the worst storm in decades hit the coast of
little shrubbery from the trenches on Normandy, wrecking the harbor beyond repair and forcing the Allies to once again land men and
the bluff to this tree. The Germans material directly onto Omaha Beach. In the three months following D-Day, more than 600,000
men, 100,000 vehicles, and one million tons of supplies would land at Omaha.
that had tried to sneak up on our men

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 21

 the sand and one single wheel, continuing to roll down the beach of our team, we were the first through the wire in our area and a
as though nothing had happened. This was my last look at the big contributing factor to the surrender of the entrenchments west
beach as I headed inland. of E1. This entrenchment controlled the beach where we landed
and gave us our greatest number of casualties.
I took off towards the men moving inland and asked where
Company B was. They said up ahead, but it was almost twenty-four The movie “The Longest Day” shows wire being blown in the
hours before I caught up. same manner I described, but the movie version shows it in a very
different location on the beach. It shows it happening among cliffs
I came to an unpaved road and asked where Company B or First and rocks with a log for some protection. Our beach was different
Battalion was and they pointed to a road going right. I wasn’t far with sand and shingles. This has baffled me, since I saw the movie.
down that road when I realized that I was alone. I turned left at Two events so similar are hard for me to accept. I know the movies
the next road and found it was completely deserted. It was getting are dramatized, but I didn’t hear any names mentioned in the movie
dark, when suddenly in the middle of the road I walked up on that I recognized. Maybe they used fictitious names, but our names
what I thought was a German Tiger tank. I have since learned that are real! I have felt for years this story should be told while it can
it was more likely a self propelled Artillery gun. I froze. It took be substantiated. We won’t live forever! My only excuse is that I
me seconds to realize it was knocked out. I always felt the story would not be accepted
must have acted peculiarly because I heard a and I would be embarrassed. I didn’t feel I
chuckle from the ditch along side the road. had anyone to tell it to until now.
It was an outpost of paratroopers, only five
or six men on guard for the night. Their Harley Reynolds’ D-Day experience, along
main body was just down the road. They said with his story of taking part in the invasions
some of their people had knocked out the of North Africa and Sicily, can be found
tank. They suggested I not go any further, as in his first-hand account, How I Survived the
there were more of their troops on the road Three First Wave Invasions. To purchase a copy
and they weren’t using passwords. They were of the book, visit www.omahaharley1fl.com
using the now famous cricket call. I spent or call
the night in the ditch with them. Several 727-384-6901.
times during the night I heard the cricket
sound being exchanged as more troops
AVQ
joined them. It was surprising to me how
close some of the calls were when they were
challenged. They were the quietest troops I The author, Harley A. Reynolds, during
had ever heard. World War II.

I learned I had spent the night within shouting distance of my

company when I rejoined them just south of Colleville. We spent
most of the first five days in reserve. I remember moving into a
wooded area for the night that I believe was near Surrain. In the
middle of the area my platoon was assigned to, we found a mature
man and woman and a young woman in her late teens or early
twenties. They were lying on their backs, feet almost touching,
and heads pointing outward, similar to a three-pointed star. They
were in formal dress. He in long tails, she in a black gown, and
the girl wore a white gown with pink embroidered flowers on
the front. The midsection of all three had been blown away. The
local authorities, from a town we could see a short distance away,
were brought in and the only thing we got from them was that it
was suicide. They had simply stood embracing themselves about a
German potato-masher. The handle to the grenade was lying amid
them. They were suspected Nazi collaborators. There was also a
younger girl, badly wounded but still alive. Sgt. Haughey dressed
her the best he could with his own first aid kit. Medics were called
Courtesy of Harley Reynolds

and they took her away.

Assuming these statements to be true and with no U.S. troops ahead

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 22

The Will to Live On
Life in a P.O.W. Camp During WWII
By Herbert W. Schroer
Herbert W. Schroer joined the U.S. Army on May 10, 1941 in
Portland, Oregon, a healthy man standing five-feet eight-inches
tall and 165 pounds. He was stationed on the island fortress of
Corregidor in the Philippines when it was surrendered to the
Japanese on May 6, 1942. His story that follows begins after almost
two years of imprisonment, where he was being sent to work camp
nicknamed a “yasumi camp” (the word “yasumi” meaning “rest”
in Japanese). His experience, however, would involve very little in
the way of rest.

On April 20, 1944, the Japs had a big shakeup. There were too many
sick, according to the Japs, so they sorted off the weaker ones. I
was among them. They sorted off 100 weaklings, although some
of the sickest stayed. I think it was one industrialist trading horses
with another industrialist. Anyhow, the Japs did the sorting, told
us we were going to a “yasumi camp.” Of course, we were used to
their jokes by this time. American and Filipino prisoners of war just outside of the Malinta
Tunnel on Corregidor. The tunnel served as the headquarters of the
U.S. military and the government of the Commonwealth of the Phil-
We were loaded on a train a few miles from there. We were on this ippines during the battles for Bataan and Corregidor. The island was
train about 20 hours. Then we arrived in Aomi, Honshu. I think dubbed the “Gibraltar of the East,” due to its strategic location at the
this left 225 men at Tanagawa Prison Camp, so we lost about 65 mouth of Manila Bay and massive fortifications. Allied forces would
men in this 17-month period. When you leave a camp like this, you retake the island on February 26, 1945.
never hear from it again. However, there were still a few scissors and a few sharp mess kit
knives around. So on “yasumi” days, if we weren’t too sick, we’d
This new camp was a lot farther north. When we got there we cut each other’s hair and quite often shaved our heads at the same
could see a lot of evidence of snow. It had just melted. We were time. Soap was also a very scarce item. We probably got sheared
hiked the usual 3 miles or so to camp. When we got there, we were once every three months or so.
“welcomed” by about 450 Englishmen. They had been captured at
Singapore. They had been there about one year. There were 550 to This Limey camp we had been sent to worked at a rock quarry and
start, but they had lost 100 men. “Limeys” we always called them; smelting furnace to make iron. They told us it was low-grade iron
they even liked that name. There were a few Australians, a couple ore. The Japanese sorted out the largest and strongest men for the
from New Zealand, the rest from Ireland, Scotland and England. furnaces. I was too weak so I wound up in the quarry.
At first we had problems understanding them; but if they talked
slower we could understand them a lot easier than the Japs. They Well, it was spring and things went along quite well for awhile. My
had three officers, one was a minister and two were line officers. beriberi was bad, swelling mostly. Seemed as though my kidneys
They also had one older American Navy doctor. I never did hear didn’t work when I was up walking around, then at night when I
where they got him. He was probably about 65 years old and too lay down I had to get up to urinate every 45 minutes. Either my
feeble to take care of the sick cases. The minister was also in bad bladder was inflamed or it would not stretch. I didn’t think it held
shape, with legs swollen with beriberi, but between them they tried a cup full of urine. In the daytime I just didn’t urinate.
to run the M.I. room, where they checked on the sick and injured.
Well, about July of 1944, we heard we were getting in more men,
Hair cuts and shaves were hard to come by. The Japs made no Americans this time. Among them were four medical men – one
provisions. Hair clippers, scissors, razors, even pocket knives were doctor, Captain Marvin I. Pizer, and three corpsman. These
taboo. Even pencils and paper were out. Every so often they had a Americans were in very good shape, at least they sure looked good
shake-down inspection. That meant you carried all your possessions to us. However, they had never been in a real work camp before.
out in the yard and displayed it. One bunch of guards went through it They even talked of getting an occasional Red Cross box in the
while another bunch went through the barracks looking for anything Philippines, which was unheard of to us at this time.
left. If they saw anything they wanted or was illegal, they just took
it. On top of that, you probably would get hit over the head for it. It wasn’t long after Dr. Pizer arrived, that I got pneumonia again. I
was sick for quite some time. My legs were swollen so bad they didn’t
AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 23
even look like they belonged to me. Doc got to giving me some sort days. The snow got to be 12 to 16 feet deep at one point. Scooping
of brown powder. It seemed to get me to urinating and gradually snow came to be our main job that winter.
my swollen legs started down. He told me later it was Jap opium.
It seemed to stimulate my kidneys, and I gradually got better. Soon They had three large warehouses around this town, and all had tin
I was back on the job, probably in August. The fleas got pretty bad roofs. The snow would get heavy and cave them in, so our job was
there, especially in extremely hot weather. Wasn’t long until my lower to clear them off. Coal came into the furnaces by rail. We unloaded
leg got carbuncles on it. I might have been wrong, but I blamed it these cars onto a conveyor belt by hand. The belt took it up into
on the fleabites. Well, I would go on sick call and Doc would pull large coal bins. Then we scooped the cars full of snow. When we
me in the M.I. room and lance one or two carbuncles each time. I got so many cars loaded with snow, they brought in a steam engine.
would get one day off work after that. He had no anesthetic so I We all got aboard, and they hauled it out over to a bay about two
definitely didn’t do it just for the day off. This went on until my leg miles away. There we scooped the snow into the water.
from the knee to just below the ankle was lanced 26 times. About
half the scars are still there. About this time my beriberi or edema In Japan we never drank cold water. Every work job had its own
had gone down; and it switched to dry beriberi, which was quite iron pot. They started a wood fire under it every morning, let it boil
painful. Edema is not painful, just clumsy and awkward. By this time for a while, and then left a little fire under it all day.
my weight without the swelling was below 100 pounds.
During these days Dr. Pizer gave me a ration of this opium every
Around November 1, my right hip started swelling up. I worked a morning. This seemed to keep my kidneys working. If I didn’t take
few days yet, but it kept swelling. Then it got very painful. I showed it, I could not urinate in the daytime, then at night it was every 45
it to Doc, and back to the M.I. room I went. It was so bad that it minutes. Sometimes I would be so tired I could not wake up. Bed
was at least twice as large as my left buttock. This is above the knee. wetting was the probably the cause of my pneumonia. Doc said we
couldn’t take chances because I would never live through another
I always thought Doc was a little knife happy, but there was no case of pneumonia. He also said he didn’t know what would happen
place to start cutting. After about two weeks, he did start. It was when, if ever, we would get back to the States. Somehow they did
far enough behind I could not see it. He and four or five Corpsmen get a scale in the M. I. room. It registered in kilos; but by translating
held me down with no anesthetic. I think he cut two or three inches it, I figured out that by this time I weighed 91 pounds.
deep the first time and found nothing. He waited about two more
weeks, during which time I could not walk at all. The bedpan was This camp also had a community type bath, which is quite common
a battle itself. Of course, I only needed it about once every five in Japan. This was a wooden tank about 5 ft. wide and 10 ft. long
days. Then he found another place to cut close to the first one, and 4 ft. deep. They had a fire somewhere around it and it was
which was about half healed up. He did put sort of a wick in these steam heated. The water seemed to circulate some. They started
incisions also. So we went through the same thing again and found it up once a month in winter and twice a month in summer. They
nothing. Two days later, a man supposed to be Japanese doctor kept it hot for 24 hours. By that time all 550 of us were supposed
came screaming through wanting to know why so many sick were to have had time to go through it. That was a chance to get thawed
men and what the trouble was. Dr. Pizer uncovered me and told the out. It even made the beriberi feel better.
Jap doctor he didn’t know my trouble. The Jap doctor screamed in
Japanese, “You don’t cut deep enough. Let me show you.” The Jap Around the latter part of April it was time to go back up the
took the knife on the table, washed his hands, put on his coat, but mountain to the quarry. The snow was mostly gone. The rock quarry
said nothing and eventually went out the door. If I owe my life to had been closed all winter on account of snow. The quarry and our
anyone in Prison Camp, it was Captain Marvin I. Pizer. camp were located by a swift mountain stream of water. It was not
deep but about 150 to 200 ft. wide. They had sort of a pit into which
I laid for days on my belly. I really had no pain, except if I tried to we dumped the dirt and rock into. The swift current washed the
move. The bedpan was the pain, and I couldn’t maneuver myself. dirt out and the rock came out the conveyor belt all washed clean;
I had to have help. This went along until about January, 1945, then then the Japs hauled it to the smelting furnaces.
while in the M.I. room I got pneumonia the third time. I ran a high
fever for days but finally it broke. Doc told me I could never live About the middle of May of 1945, I had a return of the jaundice.
through it one more time. My eyeballs turned yellow and my urine got thick and brown. I
told Doc and he gave me a few days off. I forgot the treatment,
After this last bout of pneumonia, my hip started going down, but it was not much! But somehow I pulled through again. After
and never did have any drainage. Around mid-February the doctor we were in this camp at least six months, we heard an occasional
decided to get me up. I never realized how bad a shape I was in. I bit of news from a Limey we would be working with. They would
could make my feet walk but they didn’t go where I wanted them never tell us where it came from. These Limeys didn’t trust an
to go. After they helped me a few days, I got so I could navigate on American at all, and were all very cautious. Two months later the
my own again. I went back to work about April 1, 1945. minister came through each barracks. He had a couple of Limeys
looking for Jap guards. He told us some war news, informed us to
That winter, 1944 and 1945, the snow got very deep. We were at never discuss it when there were Japs around. If we did talk about
the foot of a mountain, and never seemed to have any wind. It
snowed just about every day, though the sun came out a bit most
AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 24
it among ourselves, mention “the birdie said.” Never
say the word “radio.”

This minister was a radioman and had somehow

smuggled this radio from Singapore, though not in
one piece. It had been completely dismantled, and
was carried by about 10 or 12 men in various pieces.
He had wrapped the aerial around his body under his
clothing. After that every Sunday night he gave us a
little news – “the birdie said.”

About the 15th of August, I woke up one morning

and had such a pain in my testicles that it was almost
paralyzing. Someone went and told Doc, he came
over, took temp., etc. With some help I made it to
the M.I. Room; it wasn’t very far. Before the day was
over my right testicle started swelling and hurting. I The Pacific War Memorial on Corregidor to those Americans and Filipinos who gave
their lives in World War II.
was mighty sick. It got larger than my fist and hurt,
it did! I could not get my legs together to stand up. the drop came in the fast stream, so some men waded out and got
All I could do was lay there with my legs spread out. I couldn’t it. It was about 50% destroyed by water; however, canned goods
figure out what was going on. I’m sure Doc didn’t either, but there and non-perishables were salvaged. They took it to the kitchen.
it was. Well, I lay there over two weeks. If I would lay perfectly still Along with our rice ration, it was the best meal we had eaten for
the pain would let up. If I moved, I could hardly stand it. By this over 40 months.
time “the birdie” kept talking more often, but nothing was definite.
The next afternoon, September 9, the same thing. This time it was
On September 6, if my mind serves me right, the Japanese brought dropped on the mountain. Some of it was brought down part way by
all work details back to the camp at noon. Some of the men said the Japs and given to our “rescue squad,” but it was a small percentage
Jap guards told them we would be free men, but nothing much was of what had been dropped.
done. No food change. Everything was quiet and tense. However,
there were a lot of guard changes. I think this was done because That night it seemed as though we got a phone call from Tokyo.
some guards knew we didn’t like them. Also after the afternoon of I didn’t know they had telephones. Some commander called our
the 6th, we noticed the Jap guards on the barracks roofs, didn’t know Limey camp commander, and told him that all Americans were to
what they were doing. Well, that night our minister made the rounds move out or be at a railroad station about three miles from there
and told us the Japs were in the process of surrendering, about the before dark the next day. Well, anyway, this testicle swelling had not
“A” bomb, and that they were painting the letters P.W. on the roofs. gone down and these two wicks didn’t help. I could not walk. They
carried me out of camp. The Japs did have some vehicles waiting
The next morning at about 11:00 AM, here came three American for the sick, so I rode to the rail station. Most of the men walked.
fighter planes down from the top of the mountain. These were
the first ones we had seen for over forty months. Sometime that Within a few weeks, Schroer was back in the States, where he chose
afternoon a bomber tried to drop food to us. We were part way to be transferred to Schick General Hospital in Clinton, Iowa.
up the mountain and had this swift, wide stream along side of us. Within the next four or five months, he doubled his weight. Due to
They finally dropped it on the beach about two miles from us. The his sicknesses while in the prisoner of war camps, Schroer suffered
guards took some Americans or Britons to get it. By the time they from heart trouble the remainder of his life, never regaining the
got there the Japanese kids (at least they got the blame) had taken health he enjoyed before the war. He recorded his story in 1978.
all the food but left the medical supplies. Doc didn’t lose much He died in 1980 and is buried in Black Hills National Cemetery in
time. That night he had five corpsmen carry me into his office. He South Dakota.
filled up a syringe; each corpsman held a leg, arm or head. I think
this shot was called a “local.” He told me to start counting when His story is a reminder that we should never forget the suffering
he gave me the shot. Well, I got to six, I think. When I woke up, I of the thousands of men who languished in enemy prison camps
was back in my “bay” as it was called. Tried to figure out what was during World War II, and their will to survive their captivity with
going on. I felt okay; then got to feeling around and found that I strength and dignity.
had two wicks sticking out of the right side of my sack and all the AVQ
way into the right testicle. If I lay really still, I had no pain. But if
I moved, it was terrible.

That afternoon, Sept. 8, we again heard a bomber circling. This time

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 25

 From Kansas to Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Military Career of General Richard Myers
An Excerpt From Veterans Chronicles

Veterans Chronicles, the American Veterans Center’s weekly radio The newscasters
series, features the stories of America’s greatest military heroes, were talking about
in their own words. The program is hosted by Gene Pell, former how they thought
NBC Pentagon Correspondent and Moscow Bureau Chief, as well a plane had struck
as Director for Voice of America and President of Radio Free the building, but
Europe/Radio Liberty. there was a lot
of uncertainty. I
Each week, Gene talks to distinguished service members from thought to myself
World War II all the way through Operation Iraqi Freedom, that it was such a
allowing them to share their insights on the great and tragic clear day with blue
moments in American military history. Veterans Chronicles airs skies here on the
nationwide on the Radio America network, downloaded via East Coast that no
podcast, and heard online at www.americanveteranscenter.org. pilot could be so
stupid as to run into
the World Trade
Recently, in a special edition of Veterans Chronicles, American Center. It had yet
Veterans Center president James C. Roberts sat in for Gene Pell to to click that this
interview former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General might have been
Richard Myers, author of the new book Eyes on the Horizon: Serving intentional.
on the Front Lines of National Security.
Shortly after we began our meeting, the South Tower was hit.
Myers served in the Air Force over a span of 40 years, taking him We knew immediately that something was wrong, so I excused
from combat in the skies over Vietnam to the highest-ranking myself and was soon on the phone with the North American Air
position in the United States military where he served as principal Defense commander, General Ralph Eberhart, talking about the
military advisor to the president. actions we would need to take to land all of the airliners that were
in the air and sort things out. As I prepared to leave Capitol Hill,
In this issue, we share a partial transcript of Jim Roberts’ interview my driver said to me, “Sir, we just got a call from the office – the
with General Richard Myers. The conversation begins with General Pentagon has been hit.”
Myers’ account of his experience on one of our nation’s most
trying days - September 11, 2001: “Oh my goodness,” I thought. The World Trade Center, and now
the Pentagon. We rushed back from Capitol Hill and across the
General Richard Myers: I was on my way to Capitol Hill to Potomac, and looking toward the Pentagon I saw billowing black
meet with Senator Max Cleland of Georgia. It was prior to my smoke and flames rolling out of it. As we got closer, we could see
confirmation, and it is customary that you meet all the senators on people evacuating and heard the fire alarms going off. Helicopters
the Armed Services committee to make sure that if they have any had landed to ferry some of the staff to an alternate site, which is
issues with your nomination, you can hopefully resolve them in part of our continuity of government plan.
face-to-face meetings. I had been nominated to be the Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but was the Vice Chairman at the I asked my military assistant, who was still in the building,
time. The Chairman, General Hugh Shelton, was on his way to a whether the National Military Command Center was still up and
NATO meeting in Europe and was not available. functioning. He said it was, and I knew that was where I needed to
go. It was almost surreal; walking back into a building where you
James C. Roberts: So that made you the acting chairman. could smell smoke, and the fire alarm was going off all around
you, though we were not in any danger. The command center was
Department of Defense photo

General Myers: Correct – I was the acting chairman. When I walked much more quiet and we got down to business as usual. We had
into Senator Cleland’s office for my 9:00 AM meeting, the television a great team, as you can imagine, and they did an excellent job
in the office was showing pictures of the first tower in flames. coordinating our responses while taking in all of the developing

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 26

 and was helping manage the scene and treating those who were
injured. Once enough emergency response teams arrived to help,
he came in to the National Military Command Center, his sleeves
rolled up from helping outside. We began the work of trying to
figure out who was responsible for the attacks, and what was going
to happen next. Would there be more attacks, and how would we
go about protecting our citizens, as well as our military personnel
stationed around the world?

Roberts: Of course there was a great deal of uncertainty still. At

that point I recall that the President did not return to Washington
right away. Were you part of that decision?

General Myers: I was not part of that decision. Where to

take him was a White House decision. He eventually wound
up in Omaha, Nebraska at Offutt Air Force Base, which is our
Strategic Air Command headquarters. I recall that we had a video
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2001, prior to General Myers assuming teleconference with the president from that location and again,
the position of Chairman. From left to right: Vice Chairman of the there was so much uncertainty. If there were more attacks coming
JCS Gen Richard Myers, U.S. Air Force; Chairman of the JCS Gen. and he came back to the White House, would that make our head
Henry Shelton, U.S. Army; U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael of state vulnerable? As things became clearer, he returned to
Ryan; U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki; U.S. Marine Washington that afternoon.
Corps
Commandant Gen. James L. Jones; and U.S. Navy
Roberts: When did the Chairman return?
information.
General Myers: He returned that afternoon as well. By 5:00 or
Roberts: As you write in the book, the atmosphere in the city was 5:30 he was back in the saddle. As he returned, Senators Carl Levin
somewhat chaotic, with Secretary of State Colin Powell in South and John Warner came over to the Pentagon and went down to
America, the Chairman on his way to Europe, and President Bush a press conference with Secretary Rumsfeld and the Chairman.
in Florida. How did the response team get pulled together in this
environment? Roberts: You write in the book that driving back to the Pentagon
and seeing this black plume of smoke from the building brought
General Myers: It was a little chaotic. There were reports that back an incident from your early boyhood. Tell us about that.
a bomb had gone off in front of the State Department, and we
thought the city might be under attack. As it turned out, that was General Myers: When I was two years old living in Kansas in
not the case, but we received reports all day of aircraft heading 1944, World War II was raging. A B-24 loaded with fuel that would
inbound. There were especially concerns about some international eventually be sent to Europe was flying nearby. The pilot decided
flights. While we could land all the aircraft in the United States, to fly over his parents’ home about two or three blocks from
some flights that were coming in from overseas could not be where I lived. When he got overhead, the plane went down – I
turned around, and we had to ensure that they were not threats, can vaguely remember the airplane falling from the sky and the
as well. Though the President was gone, the Vice President and black smoke that followed the crash. I don’t remember the flames,
the National Security Advisor and Assistant National Security or much else about the incident, but my parents had told me all
Advisor were worried that the White House might be a target, so about it. From that point on, every time I saw an airplane I would
they had to go to an alternate location. Though we were able to run into the house, crying.
set up good communications between us, it was a little slow. The
communications with the FAA were not perfect at first, particularly This really began to concern my parents, so they took me down to
between the FAA and NORAD in Colorado Springs, but eventually the family doctor – the kind who relied on quite a bit of common
that was worked out pretty well. We were on what we call a threat sense, which is not uncommon in the Midwest. He asked, “Well,
conference, working to figure out what the response should be. what does Dick like to do?” My parents said that I liked to eat,
which is probably true, since I still like to eat. So he told them to
Roberts: Was Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld in the building? take me down to the local airport and eat at the restaurant. In the
meantime I could watch the planes come and go, and maybe get
Department of Defense photo

General Myers: He was in the building when it was hit and his over my fear of them. Obviously, it worked, since I went on to
initial response was to go outside and help with the evacuation. join the Air Force and become a fighter pilot.
So he went outside the building where the plane had made impact

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 27

 Roberts: You went on to college at Kansas State, joining Air Force of war, and wonder if you have the stamina, the fortitude, and the
ROTC, and married your wife Mary Jo. From there, you embarked perseverance to survive being a POW. As I read the memoirs of
on your Air Force career. these folks that were held in Hanoi, I was never convinced that
I would have held up half as well as those men, some of whom
General Myers: I had grown to love flying. The fact that it had survived that terrible ordeal for five, six, seven years.
military utility was interesting, but flying itself was really fun for
me. For a lot of people, pilot training was a struggle, but it ended At the same time, I was young, and had no children at the time, and
up being the best year of my life. It came naturally to me, which was ready for the risk. I was married, and Mary Jo wanted to come
allowed me to do well and choose where I was sent afterward. Mary to see me in Thailand, telling me that “If you are going to be put
Jo loved Europe, having been there as a student, so I decided to in harm’s way and possibly die, I want to know what it is like over
fly the F-4 Phantom out of Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. there.” The Department of Defense prohibited dependents from
coming to Thailand because there was no infrastructure for taking
Roberts: You write that the Phantom was an especially challenging care of them, so I tried to tell her she could not come. But she
aircraft to fly. Why was this? replied, “You mean an American citizen with a passport and a visa
can’t come to Bangkok?” I said that I guess they could, to which
General Myers: It was big and heavy, and it had a two-person crew; she said, “I’m coming.” She did come to Thailand, and in the end
the coordination required between two people in an aircraft like had three jobs in Bangkok – all teaching. One was at Chulaongkorn
that makes it more difficult than a single-seater. Then there were the University teaching English to Thai students planning on coming
missions it was assigned. It flew to the United States for graduate
everything from air superiority studies. She integrated right into
to dropping bombs to nuclear the community in Bangkok,
attack. When I went to Germany, not relying on DOD resources
we had to be qualified in all the whatsoever. We saw each other
conventional munitions, the here and there, usually every
bombs and the rockets and all few months. At one point, I was
that. We also had to be certified threatened with reassignment to
for the nuclear mission, and on Korea if I did not send her home.
top of that we had to be able to I displayed a bit of arrogance
fly air-to-air missions as well. So when I said, “I can’t believe the
physically it was a big brute of an Air Force would do that. I am
airplane, but what made it hard really needed here in this spot,
was the many missions is was and they already don’t have
assigned and you were constantly enough instructor pilots. I’m
running out of currency in one Then-Captain Richard Myers (left) with Captain Don Triplett during one of the few they have, and
mission and having to catch up. Operation Linebacker in Vietnam. I don’t know what they would
Then you were behind in another do without me.” I bluffed, and
mission and you had to catch it up. It was very difficult to set up somehow got away with it. Knowing what I know now about the
a training regimen that would keep you current and qualified in personnel system, that was a pretty stupid thing to do. It was a
all the many tasks that higher headquarters wanted you to be able gamble, and it worked, but I was stupid to have made the gamble
to undertake. in the first place.

Roberts: You eventually wound up flying combat missions in Roberts: One of your predecessors and a friend of ours, Admiral
Vietnam. Tell us a little bit about the extremely trying circumstances Thomas Moorer, was Chairman during part of the period. It was
for both Navy and Air Force pilots during that war. evident to me that he was very frustrated by the way that the war
was conducted. What are your reflections on the way that the war
General Myers: This was the first time that we encountered not was conducted?
only an enemy threat in the air, from the North Vietnamese, but
also surface to air missiles. These missiles were designed after World General Myers: As a captain, I did not get wound up in the
War II to deal with bombers of the type flown during the war. politics of it. If the Commander-in-Chief said this is what we
We faced Soviet-designed systems, and while they were designed had to go do, that was good enough for me in those days. More
to attack bombers, they could be effective against fighter aircraft importantly, if our airplanes were able to stem the enemy’s flow
flying over Vietnam and Laos, as well. Of course, you also have of men and military equipment to South Vietnam and help our
the standard anti-aircraft fire, as well. As a captain flying combat Army brethren out, that was also good enough for me. That was
U.S. Air Force photo

missions, there are times that if you think about it for very long all I needed to know. So I didn’t think a lot about that. What I did
you start to worry about being shot down, about being a prisoner think about were organizational issues. These were the days before

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 28

 Roberts: You were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for
your service in Vietnam. What was the specific incident that
earned you this?

General Myers: I received two Distinguished Flying Crosses from

Vietnam, and they were basically both end of tour awards from
having accumulated enough missions. I never had one particular
mission for which it was earned. As I talk to our World War II
veteran friends, the B-17 crews and so forth that were 18, 19, 20
years old flying over Germany, who would get shot out of the
sky and would either become POWs or die in the effort, I realize
that compared to the things they had to endure, I had it easy. I
received a lot of Air Medals due to the nature of my tours, as a
fast forward air controller and a Wild Weasel. We accumulated
Two Wild Weasel F-4C jets being refueled on their return to Kadena a number of these because our missions were considered a
Air Base, Okinawa, from Vietnam. The plane in the background is little more dangerous, and so we received a medal for every ten
piloted by then-Captain Richard Myers.. missions we flew.
the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986, which forced the services to
Roberts: Following Vietnam, you went on to Okinawa, correct?
work together in a much more coordinated fashion. In Vietnam,
everybody wanted a piece of the pie. In fact, they divided up North
General Myers: Right. I had two children born in Okinawa. One
Vietnam so that the Air Force flew certain route paths while the
was born before Okinawa reverted to Japanese control and the
Navy flew other route paths. The coordination between the services
other was born afterward. That was a great place. Kadena Air Base
was not anything like it is today and not as well organized, and
on Okinawa. The problem was that I was gone over 300 days a
probably not as efficient. So it was the organizational issues that I
year to other places in Asia, and was barely home. I remember one
thought about. But it was an exhilarating time for a young man with
incident where we were evacuating the airplanes to South Korea to
no children; it was dangerous, but at the same time exhilarating.
get them out of the way of a typhoon. I was in the officers’ club
having a cheeseburger and a beer, and I called my wife in Okinawa.
Roberts: You write that it was much more dangerous during your
I asked, “How’s it going?” She had one child in her arms and the
second tour there in 1972.
other in the crib, and you can hear the rain and wind beating on
the shutters. She said she would be just fine as long as she kept the
General Myers: Right, we came back for what we call the Wild
mop out to clean up the water. There she was, putting up with all
Weasel Mission, which was to try to suppress or destroy the enemy
of that, while I am away playing pool with the guys – unfair, for
surface-to-air missiles. At that time the B-52s were starting to
sure. So while I say I had a great time in Okinawa, my wife always
push farther and farther north. The first one that was shot down
says, “You weren’t even there!”
went down over the middle of North Vietnam on what was
called Route Path Three. There was a SAM site in that area, and
our job was to try to suppress their surface-to-air
missiles so they could not shoot down our aircraft.
Those were usually four to five-hour missions, and
required several refuelings. We would try to protect
several different mission packages during those four
to five hours and often at night, which made it all
pretty sporting. The good thing about flying at night
is that if a SAM is fired in your vicinity, you can very
quickly tell whether it is on you or on somebody else.
In the daytime it is not quite as obvious but at night
you see this glow from the rocket motor and if it is
Top: U.S. Air Force photo; Bottom: Department of Defense

steady on your canopy, that means it is on you. But

if it is moving on your canopy then that means it is
on somebody else. You can also see the anti-aircraft
fire coming at you. You might think that you wouldn’t
like that, but you do, because you can tell where it is The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2002: from left to right: John P. Jumper,
going and have a better opportunity to make some James L. Jones, Vice Chairman Peter Pace, Chairman Richard B. Myers,
Eric K. Shinseki and Vern Clark.
evasive maneuvers

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 29

 Roberts: Over the next 15 years or so, you had many duty changes and declare victory?”
and many promotions. I can’t review each one of these individually
but I would like you to kind of walk us through this period. She said to me, “I think there is more adventure out there.” I
wanted to give her a chance to say, “We have been doing this for
General Myers: I was very fortunate. After Okinawa, I got to thirty years – it’s time.” But she didn’t. She wanted us to keep going,
go to Nellis Air Force Base and be an instructor at the weapons so I came back to the Pentagon and served as Assistant to the
school, and was promoted to major. From there I went off to Air Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John Shalikashvili,
Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, then to for a year. I was then selected to be Commander of the Pacific
the Pentagon. After a few years at the Pentagon, I was promoted Air Forces in Hawaii, which was my first position as a four-star,
early to lieutenant colonel and sent off to the Army War College, and then went on to be Commander in Chief, North American
which turned out to be a very enjoyable year. When we arrived, Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command at
the commandant came in and said to us, “Listen, this is your year. Colorado Springs. Eventually I became Vice Chairman of the Joint
If you want to research something that has been nagging you for Chiefs of Staff, and was then nominated to serve as Chairman.
a long time, this is your chance. We will send you anywhere in the After I had been promoted to colonel, each assignment really came
world, and get you any resources you need. The only requirement as a surprise, and each time, I thought I would end up retiring. As I
is that if we are going to spend a lot of money on you, you better explain in the book, I remember General Michael Ryan, the Chief
produce some top level work that justifies that amount of money.” of Staff, saying to me back in 1997, “You are going to the Pacific
Air Forces to serve for three years. But if you think you have done
He also said that we also had the option of devoting our time to all you can do in two years, it is fine if you retire.” But a year later
our families if we had just come off command and not been able they moved me to Colorado Springs, and Secretary of Defense
to see much of them. Most of the people there had just come off Cohen told me, “We’d like you to serve here for two years before
of a battalion command, whereas I had come out of the staff. It you retire.” I said that was fine with me, but just a short time later
was hard work, but not like command. In the end, it worked out I got a call saying, “We’d like you to serve three years before you
well, because everyone there was highly motivated and worked retire.” Again, that was fine with me. Then the next thing I know,
very hard. While it was possible to spend a lot of time on the golf a year and a half later I was the Vice Chairman. You never know,
course and take it easy, I guarantee you very few people did that. and I don’t think you should know. When you get to that level,
But it was our year, and the Army did a great job of allowing us you do what is expected of you by the Secretary of Defense, the
the freedom to work in the areas we wanted to. service secretary, or the chief of your service.

From there, I was sent to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Roberts: What is the relationship, legally speaking, between the
North Carolina, and was very fortunate to be given an F-4 squadron chairman and the Secretary of Defense?
command and be promoted to colonel. I recall thinking that my
goal throughout my entire career was to be a squadron commander. General Myers: One of the first things I did upon becoming
Now that I was, and that I was a colonel, what in the world was I chairman was to make sure I understood what the legal obligations
to do now? While I was trying to figure out what my next goal was, were. The chairman is to be the principal military advisor to the
I was sent to Headquarters Tactical Air Command at Langley Air President and the National Security Council. Your immediate boss,
Force Base in Virginia to do personnel work. Meanwhile, while I of course, is the Secretary of Defense. To go a little bit further,
was sent to this staff job in personnel doing assignments, which the statute also says that while you’re the principal military advisor,
I had never done before, my best friend was able to go from
commanding F-4s to F-15 fighters. I thought to myself, “Well,
they are sending me a big signal here.” Though I did not know
what I was getting into, it turned out to be a great assignment. I
worked with some wonderful people, and learned quite a bit about
working with and managing people.

From there, I went back to Nellis Air Force Base to serve as

Commandant of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School, then to
Tyndall Air Force Base for my first wing command, and back again
to Langley for command of the First Tactical Fighter Wing where I
was promoted to brigadier general. After doing several jobs around
Langley, I moved to the Pentagon and was promoted to two-star,
and from there nominated for three stars as the Commander of
Department of Defense photo

U.S. Forces Japan. Coming out of Japan as a three-star, I told my

wife, “This was such a fulfilling assignment, why don’t we just call Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers shakes
it quits? I’m not going to be promoted again, so why don’t I retire hands with an Albanian soldier stationed in Mosul, Iraq in March

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 30

as part of your advice you have to include the advice of the Joint and the civilian leadership in the Pentagon. I have been working
Chiefs of Staff, which includes the Vice-Chairman and the service now for several years trying to figure out what was the genesis of
chiefs of the various services. If their advice differs from yours, that problem. There were some hard feelings, I think, that came
you still have to present it. If the Army Chief had a different point out of the first quadrennial defense review and it colored the way
of view, I would be obligated to present his view as well as mine. he was perceived by the senior military leadership. That is really
However, I don’t think in my entire tenure we ever had one of unfortunate. What was even more unfortunate was when General
those cases where I had to say, “Here is what I believe, but you Shinseki was at this Senate hearing where he was actually forced to
need to know a service chief believes differently.” We worked very give a number, or felt like he was forced to give this number, he was
hard at working through the issues, as you might expect when the criticized by senior officials in the Defense Department. That is
nation is at war, which was the case when I took over. Seven days wrong. If a senior military person wants to give his advise, if he is
after I take over as Chairman, we were in Afghanistan; so basically in front of a Senate hearing, if you disagree with what he says, call
we were at war the entire time I was Chairman. We worked very him in privately and say, “Why did you say that?” I mean you cannot
hard to make sure the chiefs had worked through the problems just dismiss someone like General Shinseki, who has years and
so we all agreed on the major issues that we wanted to present years of experience. He is battletested. You have got to listen. You
to our civilian bosses. There are a do not do that in the public press.
number of other responsibilities the I think that was a huge mistake and
Chairman has, but the main one is I told Deputy Secretary of Defense
to serve as principal military advisor Wolfowitz, that was a mistake. He
to the President. The chain of agreed, but it was too late. It was
command runs from the President already public. So that just kind of
to the Secretary of Defense to the fueled the fire in this relationship
field commanders. The Chairman is that was already not going very well.
not in the command chain, but by Now it turns out, General Shinseki
tradition all communication flows served his four years out, and I think
through the Chairman to the field, did an admirable job and was at the
and then back to the Secretary of forefront of transforming the Army
Defense. It requires you to be very to deal with the security challenges
well informed. of the 21st century and get away
from the Cold War paradigms.
Roberts: Following up on that, one
of the service chiefs that you served Rober ts: As you mentioned
with was General Eric Shinseki, earlier, within seven days of your
who was thought by some to have Recently retired General Richard Myers receives the Presiden- taking office as Chairman, we were
been poorly treated because he tial Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush in a ceremony at involved in Afghanistan, one of the
the White House, November 9, 2005. The award citation notes
gave advice on force levels that he his long and distinguished career while serving in the
most unusual military actions in
thought would be required in Iraq United States Air Force. American history. You write about
that didn’t sync with that of the how Secretary Rumsfeld liked to
overall command structure in the show photos of our forces over
Pentagon. What is your take on that? there riding horseback carrying high-tech gear to call in air strikes.

General Myers: Well, I cover this in the book. In a letter to General Myers: It was certainly a unique situation, with requests
Secretary Rumsfeld after he had retired, he said that the number for air drops of hay and western saddles for their horses. The
that he gave in the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was Tajiks’ saddles were made of wood and hard on the body, and
a number that was probably larger than required in order to give I don’t think a lot of our folks had much riding experience – I
the Secretary and General Tommy Franks, who was the unified am sure that their training did not include horsemanship. I think
commander responsible for planning the Iraq operations, flexibility that model of linking up indigenous forces with small groups
and leeway to do what they needed to do. So I think it has been of Special Forces and Air Force enlisted members running the
widely misinterpreted and misperceived about what he said and communications gear and targeting equipment to call in precision
what he meant by it. Of course, he was in on all the discussions with
guided weapons really changed everything. To bring that air power
the Secretary and with the President, as the President was asking to bear on the adversary was very powerful. In Afghanistan, they
us if we had any concerns about going into Iraq, and nobody had were used to fighting from fairly long range, with not a lot of people
any concern or any reason to not go with the plan that General getting hurt on a daily basis. So when the Northern Alliance folks
Franks had developed. that we were allied with said, “See that target complex off in the
distance? If you could take that out it would be very helpful,” and
White House photo

Now it is true that there was real tension between General Shinseki all of the sudden, from overhead these guided satellite weapons hit

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 31

 the target and it disappears, it has a huge psychological impact on
both sides. It was a very powerful way to put our forces together.
When Kabul fell and the Taliban and al Qaida were on the run, we
probably had less than a few thousand troops in the entire country.

Roberts: How about Operation Anaconda, where we tried to get

bin Laden and he escaped?

General Myers: That was actually at Tora Bora. You know many
“Monday morning quarterbacks” have criticized us and said, “well,
you messed that one up.” I think General Franks’s view was that
there were a lot of al Qaida forces in the Tora Bora area at the
time, but we did not have many of our forces in country yet. If
we waited to bring these forces in, which would take weeks, the al
Qaida fighters would have time to dissipate. The feeling was the
time window was limited, and we had to move now. We had to
rely on indigenous forces to some extent, because we had small
General Myers at the American Veterans Center’s annual awards ban-
numbers. We probably made a big impact in killing and capturing
quet during his tenure as Chairman. He is pictured alongside Hunter
a lot of al Qaida fighters, though the one that we were really after Scott, who served as the World War II Veterans Committee’s Youth
– if he was really there, because you never know for sure – escaped Representative prior to entering into the U.S. Navy. As a boy, what be-
over into Pakistan, where most people guess he still is today. gan as Hunter’s history project on the USS Indianapolis and its sinking
at the end of World War II led to an investigation which cleared the
Roberts: Some observe that our victory in Afghanistan was so name of its captain, who had been court-martialed for the loss of the
quick and decisive that Secretary Rumsfeld’s standing was sky high, wisdom is that if he would have just listened to his generals, we
and had he retired at that point, he would have gone down as one would have been better off. Well, he listened to us all the time, and
of the great Secretaries of Defense in history, but that instead every decision he made or the President made was based on the
because of all the problems that ensued in Iraq, his reputation fell advice we gave him. Our advice was not much different than the
into disrepute in some centers. What is your view on that? course that they chose. It was a most difficult path, I think, that
this country has ever taken, to go into a country like Iraq with its
General Myers: Well, a couple of things. Going into Afghanistan various factions, then with al Qaida coming into the picture after
was a fairly popular move, while Iraq was not as popular, although major combat ended. It is just a very, very hard thing to do. The
Congress did authorize the United States to go into Iraq. I think fact that here we are almost six years later with a constitution and
Secretary Rumsfeld became the point person for the administration a prime minister that looks like he is doing a fairly decent job and
on the whole war, particularly on Iraq, but he didn’t have the has pretty strong backbone, Prime Minister Malaki. You have got
authority over the rest of the government to bring all instruments to say it has been relatively – I say relatively – successful. I think
of national power to bear on the situation in Iraq, so it became all the leadership in Iraq says that it could revert, so we need to be
mainly a military effort. And clearly things didn’t go exactly as some careful. But I think we are on a pretty good path there.
had thought. I don’t think the military had ever totally bought into
the idea that the Iraqis were going to welcome us in and it would Roberts: If I am summarizing correctly, you were happy with the
be nothing but flowers and kisses. I think the flexibility of the invasion plan for Iraq that worked very well, but you were uneasy
military to work through this period was very important – it was a about the occupation.
very difficult period in Iraq, and still is to an extent. By the time I
had left office, the Iraqis had voted for a constitution at their own General Myers: I was very uneasy because Central Command
risk. Everybody remembers the blue fingers. They had a ballot, was focused on major combat, which is pretty reasonable. That is
and elected their own parliament and then their government. They what we do best, but they did not focus on what we call “Phase
elected a parliament right after I left office, and the government Four,” this ability to oversee reconstruction. The initial plan was
was installed early in the spring of 2006. The insurgency was still for the military to be the provisional authority for some time in
going on then, and then of course there was the bombing of the the future, when eventually we would hand it over to the Iraqis or
mosque in Samarra that set off the sectarian violence that got way a civilian provisional authority. But the decision was made in May
out of hand, before the surge of 2007. So we know the story, but 2003, after major combat ended, that because the country was
I think being the point person for the administration put him in pretty quiet and there was not much of an insurgency, that a civilian
a position so that when things weren’t going well, he would draw provisional authority would take control so the Iraqis would not
American Veterans Center photo

criticism. That is unfortunate because he was very collaborative see us as an occupying force but instead as a group there to help
in working with his military and its leadership, the Joint Chiefs get them back on their feet. That was a good rationale, but as we
of Staff, and the field commanders. Some of the conventional found out as the year went on and we got into the winter and spring

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 32

of 2004 and the insurgency began to grow and al Qaida became Administration when I served as Assistant to the Chairman of
more powerful, it proved inadequate. In June 2004, we took our the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It worked pretty well in Plan Columbia,
military structure, which had been a three-star in command, and which dealt with the drug problem in Columbia. President Clinton
replaced it with a three-star responsible for tactical operations in appointed Tom Pickering, who was Under Secretary of State, to
Iraq and a four-star to work alongside our ambassador in Iraq. serve in that position. That was a much simpler task than Iraq
So we completely revamped the way we were approaching the or Afghanistan, or the Global Insurgency, but one that worked
problem, and had to learn as we went. Yes, I was not happy with fairly well because we knew who was in charge and who had the
the initial planning, done by the military. I think there was a lot authority, as well as who would be held accountable if things did
of planning done for the stability and reconstruction phase, but not go well. We never quite had that for the issues that we were
it just did not go very well. Some of which, I think I could have involved with when I was Chairman.
anticipated, not just looking back but at the time, and there were
some things that I probably should have done, or at least advice Jim, it has been great being with you, and while there are a lot of
that I should have given that might have made it a little better. lessons learned in this book, obviously and in the end it is all about
the troops. One reason I was so privileged to serve as Chairman
Roberts: Final question. At the end of the book, you advance is that you get so much energy from the folks out there doing
some policy recommendations for reforming our national security their jobs day in and day out. I never went to Afghanistan or Iraq
system. Can you summarize some of those? without coming home more optimistic and pumped up, because I
saw these people out there doing everything they could to get the
mission done. They are the ones who cause our success, not those
General Myers: You bet. Well, it all hinges on the fact that I
of us in Washington. While a lot of what I talk about in the book
think we have a lack of a comprehensive strategy to deal with
is what happens at the highest level of government, hopefully we
extremism. So I talk about what I call the “Global Insurgency”
represented our troops well, because in the end, they are the ones
that we see with violent extremism around the globe and then a
who get the job done.
strategy that we ought to develop and how we ought to deal with it.
It basically involves using all instruments of national power – not Eyes on the Horizon: Serving on the Front Lines of National
predominantly the military instrument, but all instruments. Then I Security by General Richard B. Myers is available from Threshold Editions
talk about what you are asking about, which is how do we organize and at bookstores nationwide.
to do this? One of my frustrations as Chairman was the President AVQ
would say, “Okay, go forth and do this mission.” It is a mission that
requires not only the Department of Defense but Department of
State, Commerce, Treasury, Justice, many other departments and
agencies in our government. But there is no way to harness all that
power. Several think tanks around Washington have been working
on this problem, people a lot smarter than me. Basically, we are
organized by the National Security Act of 1947, which came about
due to our experiences in World War II. In a facetious way, we are
perfectly organized to fight World War II. Now, we are a little better
because over time we have modified the National Security Act, but
I don’t think we are well enough organized for the threats that we
will face in the 21st Century. My proposal is that we have more of
a temporary arrangement to organize for major issues such as Iraq
or Afghanistan. Some people are calling for a fundamental review,
which would require not only the executive branch but also the
legislative branch to come to terms on this. I think that might be
too difficult, however. My solution would be simpler, and allow
us to put people in charge who would have the responsibility to
carry out the policy of the U.S. government and can then be held
accountable. We never really had that for Iraq or Afghanistan, or
the Global War on Terror (which I call the “Global Insurgency).
You might say, “Well, it’s Rumsfeld,” but he never had the authority
to tell the other departments and agencies what to do. He was
held accountable and I think in some cases, mistakenly so. The
President cannot be the one person responsible for the execution
of this, either. My solution is for a position that the President can
appoint at the Cabinet level who would have the proper authority
and be held accountable. I have seen it before in the Clinton

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 33

 The Lost Battalion of Tet
A Reflection
By Lt. Colonel Charles A. Krohn, USA (Ret)
We now think of Tet ’68 as the turning point of the war in
Vietnam. Until January 1968, optimism expressed by senior military Immediately after the costly engagements near Hue, my battalion,
leadership in Saigon was generally accepted uncritically, both at the 2d Battalion, 12th Cavalry, was refurbished with men and
home and in the foxholes. Victory may not be just around the materiel. We needed refitting of almost everything and everyone
corner, we were told, but the trend lines pointed upward. And so needed rest and a few good meals. Uniforms were a high priority,
it seemed. because ours were in tatters. It was not uncommon to see genitals
and buttocks exposed. Equipment needed cleaning and worn items
After Tet, official proclamations lost their luster. Dismissed as such as machinegun barrels needed replacing too. We needed to be
sophistry were claims that Hanoi’s heavy losses put us ahead of the completely restocked with ammunition. The major challenge was
game. Those of us on the ground weren’t certain what the truth to integrate the replacements into the battalion, to keep the force
was. We were content to obey orders and wonder what tomorrow’s fit to fight. Assigning new people to the battalion was easy for
mission would be. the personnel specialists; bonding them
with the old hands took more time.
The possibility that we would one day leave
Vietnam with our tail between our legs was After several weeks we were selected
so remote that only dedicated communists to be the vanguard of the 1st Air
and their legions of supporters could Cavalry Division ordered by General
harbor such outrageous sentiments. We Westmoreland to assault Nor th
grew up believing our nation never lost a Vietnamese Army units surrounding
war.. However greatness was measured, we the US Marine base at Khe Sanh. The
were always at the top and always would be. NVA were routed, adding to our belief
There was nothing ambiguous about that! in our ultimately invincibility.

My book describes the near-destruction The people and government of South

of our infantry battalion during Tet Vietnam trusted us to come to their aid,
’68 in action against North Vietnamese based on President Nixon’s assurances
forces; first, in the Que Son Valley near given in the post-Paris talks. This created
Da Nang, and later north of Hue. In an excuse to withdraw American forces
the later situation, we were sent to assist with honor. The President declared all
beleaguered Marines fighting for survival parties at war must take risks for peace.
during the Siege of Hue. Near the end of Regardless, the United States would
February when it was all over, we licked never allow the independence of South
our wounds and mourned our casualties. Two soldiers of the 2/12 Cavalry, their uni- Vietnam to be in serious jeopardy.
In real numbers, this amounted to 81 men forms in tatters, following their escape from
killed in action and some 250 wounded. encirclement by enemy forces. Of course, we were tired and wanted
to forget. The bands stopped playing.
Of course, we were stunned by our Only a few veterans wept when Saigon
considerable losses as well as by the fell. For better or worse, we in the
duration and brutality of the Tet offensive. Others may have military emerged with our careers intact and looked to the future
had advance warning, but we were taken by surprise. I was the with typical American optimism. My awards and decorations
battalion’s intelligence officer, and I knew as much as anyone from were genuine, but couldn’t disguise the fact that we were on the
brigade or division H.Q. would share. Still, we never challenged losing side of a noble cause. I suppose Vietnamese soldiers who
the conviction that we would end the war on the victorious side. distinguished themselves in combat were sought out, marked for
reeducation or execution, leaving their fleeing families to die at sea.
The notion that the United States could be driven from the field by
Courtesy of Charles Krohn

little people in black pajamas was too preposterous to contemplate. As I write this in the spring of 2009, I look back to my service in
Our generals and many colonels earned their spurs during World Vietnam. I regret nothing except the final outcome. I’m certainly
War II and Korea; real wars, unlike the piffle that was Vietnam. not a victim, but I don’t feel I’m the hero I once was. I answered

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 34

 arrogance is its symptom. We would all be better off learning to
muffle our exuberance. We seem to be moving in that direction,
as our wartime goals are scaled to the reality of fighting mountain
men, nomads and fanatics who will hate us forever and contest
our survival at every opportunity, no holds barred.

The Legacy of Tet

In an earlier edition I claimed the myths from Vietnam were finally

laid to rest in August 1991 when we attacked Saddam Hussein’s
Iraqi forces in Operation Desert Storm. The main point was we
proved, once again, the United States was able and willing to mount
a large-scale overseas offensive operation, when we deemed it was
in our vital interest. Until Operation Desert Shield and Desert
The model the North Vietnamese used to plan their attack on Hue, Storm, many Americans believed we would never again dip our
which would become one of the longest and military toe into infested waters for any reason that didn’t affect
bloodiest battles of the war. our immediate survival. It took a lapse of nearly two decades to
correct this perception.
my country’s call and did the best I could. Claiming more than
that offends me as excessive. Claiming less is equally distasteful… Our nation’s leaders (wisely, in my judgment) attacked Iraq in
and historically inaccurate. Desert Storm with overwhelming force, ensuring the conflict
would be quickly resolved in our favor. No gradualism this time;
Some day I may return to Vietnam, but probably not. I’m no series of piddling responses that enabled our enemy to build
uncomfortable when I read about comrades-in-arms who return up his forces faster than would could deploy ours. Muscular allies
to Vietnam to make peace with our enemy, ignoring the scripted joined us. I thought this would set the pattern for the future. I
massacre of 2,800 civilians in Hue during Tet ’68, and the hundreds was wrong.
of thousands who perished in reeducation camps or as boat people
escaping certain tyranny. Who knows for sure how many were shot Operation Desert Storm was about oil. There was no doubt
immediately after Saigon fell and the aftermath that followed? Half Saddam eyed expansion of his energy production facilities at the
a million? A million? More? expense of the Emir of Kuwait. The Saudis understood once
Kuwait was conquered, their kingdom (and oil patch) would be
The North Vietnamese soldiers we faced near Hue were next. They joined our coalition and even picked up most of the
professionals who lived up to the Rules of War. They did not checks afterward.
disturb the pit where we hastily buried 11 of our soldiers, before
breaking out of encirclement. We left a note saying on our honor When Saddam’s forces were defeated in the 100-hour war, the
the pit contained only the corpses of our comrades. Later we found remnants of his tattered army retreated, leaving hundreds of
nothing was disturbed.

The soldiers we fought and respected outside Hue were the moral
opposite of the SS-like executioners who slimed the streets of
the city, clipboard in one hand, pistol in the other, at the behest
of Ho Chi Minh.

My ambition to write about The Lost Battalion of Tet was not to record
any grandiose event. I sought merely to describe the circumstances
that led my battalion to attack a North Vietnamese regiment
without air or artillery support and without the possibility of being
relieved, re-supplied or reinforced. Frankly and immodestly, I think
Top: USMC photo; Bottom: U.S. Army Center for Military History

I do a good job of nailing down what happened – how seemingly

small decisions of senior commanders had major, unforeseen
consequences from which there was no recovery.

In a new afterword, I draw some comparisons between what I

Viet Cong fighters pose with AK-47 rifles and American field radios in
learned in Vietnam and what we should have remembered as we
1968. Despite taking the United States and South Vietnam by surprise,
invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. If optimism is an American disease, the Tet Offensive would leave the Viet Cong virtually destroyed.

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 35

 burning oil wells in the wake. This did not inhibit celebrations, wasn’t as easy as we thought at the time, but so be it. Then we
however, because the danger to the Kuwait and Saudi oil fields had discovered things could go from bad to worse, leading to calamity
passed. We allowed Saddam to keep his job, in effect handing over and ridiculous denial. Our most important leaders didn’t claim to
to him those Kurds and Shia who voiced support for his overthrow see light at the end of the tunnel: they claimed we were through
when Desert Storm began. We had the obligatory victory parade the tunnel. Now, some 4,300 lives later, it’s possible we were never
in Washington, and General Schwarzkopf became the hero of the in the tunnel in the first place.
day. The Kurds and Shia weren’t so fortunate.
This is not the place to discuss arrogance of the mighty, or as
In 2003 we attacked Saddam again, not for oil but for weapons Shakespeare said, “the insolence of office.” Rather let us salute
of mass destruction. We would have been better off playing the the sacrifice of the fallen who did their duty in Iraq as their fathers
oil card, once it became obvious the WMD claim was counterfeit. did in Vietnam.
Some countered that we rid Iraq of a brutal dictator—a worthy
goal, surely—while others recalled cynically (but correctly) that I agree there’s limited utility comparing Vietnam to Iraq, a device
Saddam’s brutality was not an issue when we abandoned the Kurds war detractors raise to demonstrate the folly of both enterprises.
and Shia to his executioners in 1991. But they make the wrong arguments. A better case can be made
for challenging the blissful assumption that leaders would arise in
If Desert Storm displayed America’s armed forces at the peak Iraq to make the immediate transition from tyranny to democracy.
of our nation’s physical and intellectual powers, we never had the We had stronger leaders in Vietnam whom we could work with
opportunity to experience how Operation Iraqi Freedom might toward a mutually agreeable end, especially President Nguyen Van
have turned out, absent political interference. Thieu. In Iraq we soon destroyed vestiges of leadership when we
disbanded the Iraqi army, with no Thieu look-alike on the horizon.
This forces me to retract earlier assertions that we absorbed the The manipulative Pentagon favorite, Ahmed Chalabi, had more
lessons learned from Vietnam into our national security strategy supporters in Washington than Baghdad. The police force basically
and psyche. Desert Storm was not the rule but an aberration. In melted into the surroundings, while looters and gangs filled the
fact, we ignored the lessons learned from Vietnam when we kicked vacuum. This left us holding the bag, its contents broadcast by
off Operation Iraqi Freedom. Leaders who should have known the smell. Ambassador Bremer’s tenure resembled The Brothers
better closed their eyes to lessons learned from Vietnam and Desert Grimm more than Grotius, the legendary European jurist.
Storm, starting again from scratch. They predicted the rapid seizure
of Baghdad would be a sufficient exercise of power to put the There is little hope for an immediate restoration of government
genie back in the bottle again. Wishful thinking along these lines in Iraq, until a central government can establish its authority and
led to disaster in Vietnam, and they were predictably repeated when respect. We look for signs of progress, but the evidence so far fails
we captured Baghdad with minuscule forces in reserve and no to persuade me that we are there yet. There is room for hope, but
serious planning for post-conflict operations. Capturing Baghdad things are far from certain. While elections are a positive step in
the right direction, they do not guarantee law
or a coalescence of order. Military training
programs are useful too, but dissected out of
context, they can mask a failure to unify the
country in body and spirit.
When we left Vietnam in 1973, the country
held together without our presence until 1975
when North Vietnamese forces attacked en
masse with overwhelming power. If we leave
Iraq abruptly, one doubts it will hold together
for half as long. Civil war and sectarian
violence cannot be ruled out, nor can an
invasion by Iran. We have few levers left to
pull. I hope we stay until the situation on the
ground warrants our withdrawal, not politics
at home. If there is a chance of Iraq pulling
itself together, it would be folly to abandon a
floating ship.
U.S. Marines advance past a M48 Patton tank during the battle for Hue City. Thousands of
civilians and prisoners of war were massacred by the Viet Cong during the time they held
Those responsible for the invasion of Iraq
Hue in early 1968. Many victims were bound and tortured and sometimes buried alive. The
killings were meant to purge those loyal to the South Vietnamese regime or calculated wrongly. When we had leverage,
USMC photo

the American war effort. we held back. As bad as that was, failure to

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 36

recalibrate is worse. Had advice been sought in Washington from effectively. President Thieu was an attentive protégé.
those still living who experienced Vietnam, the decision-makers
would have learned that nation building is a long, difficult, uncertain Consider that General Abrams had served with distinction in
and expensive process. They would have learned that terrorists World War II and the Korean War. He understood warfare from
acting alone or in concert can be a significant impediment to the bottom up, without illusion. We went into Iraq without that
progress, witness the effectiveness of the Viet Cong. Nation reservoir of experience. Those who had it were ignored, by all
building requires—then and now—a committed infrastructure, accounts, pushed aside by wishful thinkers.
defense forces, economic and agricultural development. This is not
an inclusive list. Vietnam had the advantage of social solidarity, We learned in Vietnam that gradualism doesn’t work, defeating
compared to the fractured alliances of Iraq. Could anything be terrorism is a long, difficult task, and working with a strong central
more obvious when planning for the post-combat phase (itself government is critical to success. More than anything else, the
an ironic expression of cruel people who live in the country
proportions)? must share a common vision.

We made a mistake of gradually We went into Baghdad blind, as

increasing our forces in Jim Fallows reported in a classic
Vietnam, hoping the more article published by The Atlantic
pressure we applied, the sooner Monthly, January/Febr uary
our enemies would cry uncle. 2004. Until more evidence is
When we halted the bombing put on the table, we may depart
of North Vietnam, this was as blind as we arrived.
acknowledgment that pain may
destroy facilities but not fracture This is not my wish. But it may
solidarity. General Colin Powell, be the inevitable consequence
as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of inexperience, arrogance
of Staff, codified this experience and historical ignorance. The
in The Powell Doctrine. Iraqis will ultimately side with
Charles Krohn is promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel at Fort an obvious winner. For better
Our attack of Iraq in March Stewart, Georgia, by Major General Vaught. or worse, we and the world will
Assisting is Krohn’s wife, Jeannie.
2003 was made with minimal have to live with that decision.
forces deemed necessary. This
was a conscious decision of the Secretary of Defense to ignore The Lost Battalion of Tet: Breakout of the 2/12 Cavalry at Hue
Powell’s guidance, and his senior advisors apparently supported by Charles Krohn is available in a Pocket Star edition and at
this approach. At least none of them resigned in protest. As late bookstores nationwide.
as June 2003 the official position was that there was no insurgency,
until the facts (and General Abizaid’s statements) made denial
untenable. Meanwhile, Baghdad crumbled and burned. AVQ

After he left office as Secretary of State, Powell captured our failure

with the observation that we never imposed our will on Iraq. Yet,
this is what armies in contact with the enemy are supposed to
do as Mission One. While serving as Secretary of State, Powell
tried to participate in war planning, but was apparently rebuffed
by others in the White House and Pentagon. Powell was one of
the few figures then serving who experienced the war in Vietnam
and Desert Storm.

When we finally got around to doing things right in Vietnam, it

was after the departure of General William C. Westmoreland and
the ascendancy of General Creighton Abrams and his co-partner,
Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker. When they finally departed,
each had served in Vietnam for about six years. President Nixon
Courtesy of Charles Krohn

deferred to their military and political judgment, and he was well

served by his patience. Over time, Abrams and Bunker learned
from their in-country experience and applied those lessons

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 37

 The Few and the Proud
Marines in the Battle of Fallujah
By Sgt. Jason Arellano
Growing up in New Mexico, I watched as my older cousins joined A Navy corpsman raised his hand, and they kind of pulled him
the United States Marine Corps, even seeing one of them graduate aside. There was a buzz going around the company, with everybody
from MCRD in San Diego. I remember looking up to them quite wondering what was going on. After a bit one of the officers
a bit, and thinking to myself just how awesome the Marine Corps asked, “Who is familiar with the World Trade Center?” The
was. I began to see myself as eventually being a part of the Corps. I whole company raised their hands. “Well,” he said, “the towers
remember watching the television during Operation Desert Storm, no longer exist.”
seeing the pictures of combat, and turning to my mom to say, “I
will be there one day!” She said if that is what I wanted to do, she We were shocked. We were still scheduled to be in the field training
would support me 100 percent. for a few weeks, and it was in our minds the entire time. When we
finally got back to camp, several of us walked right into the room
Little did I know at the time that I would eventually be in the same and turned on the television – we didn’t even drop off our packs.
theater just over a dozen years later. I did not join the Marine They were still replaying the plane hitting the first building – we
Corps the way I wanted to, straight out of high school. I was in could not believe what we were seeing. Us infantrymen knew this
the delayed entry program, and because I failed to graduate on meant a few things. We knew that somebody was definitely going
time, I was initially given an administrative separation from the to pay for this, and that it was just a matter of time.
Corps. That crushed my dreams for a few years, but I was able
to bounce back, joining just before I turned 22 in October 2000. Our first deployment was to Southeast Asia. Shortly after we
went to Okinawa, then on to Japan, Thailand, the Philippines,
Maybe it was because I was older than a lot of the other men, and Hong Kong. As a Marine, something I will always remember
but the drill instructors immediately seemed to put me into a is our trip to Iwo Jima, where we were able to walk up to the top
leadership position. Wanting to be a leader is what led me to join of Mt. Suribachi.
the Marine Corps.
We were preparing to go back to Okinawa when they had us
On September 11, 2001, we were out in the field doing some rerouted to Singapore to support Operation Enduring Freedom
training for our scheduled upcoming deployment. I was standing in Afghanistan. Shortly later, however, they shipped us back to
at a waterhole filling my canteen when a HUMVEE Okinawa to finish our tour, then sent us back
rolled up. A few of the officers starting talking, to the States.
and I heard one mention the words, “World The next time we left the States, it was
Trade Center.” I didn’t think much of it at February, 2003 – this time, it was for
the time, but shortly after, they had the Kuwait. The next month, we were one
entire company gather around and asked of the first divisions to make the push
if anybody had relatives that worked in into Iraq. One of our first objectives
the World Trade Center. was the Ramallah oil fields, where we
USMC photo

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 38

expected to meet some pretty heavy resistance. Instead, the Iraqis we would be sent in. One of our early convoys was hit by some
surrendered en masse – almost 100 of them gave themselves over indirect mortar fire – not especially accurate. Still, it rattled a few
to us. of the young Marines. I remember looking at them and saying,
“Welcome to Iraq.” Clearly, this was a reality check and a sign of
We continued to push forward – in fact, we were pushing so fast things to come.
that we were well ahead of our supply lines. After a firefight, we
would end up scrounging around for food; a number of times we Talking to the units who had been deployed at Camp Fallujah for
found some chickens, which we boxed up and held onto until we some time, they made it clear that now we had to watch our backs.
were in a space that was clear before wringing their necks, plucking IEDs were now a factor. Vehicle-borne bombs were now a factor.
them, and cooking them up for some roadside chicken. Suicide bombers were now a factor. We had to be very aware of
our surroundings, and 360-degree security
At one point, we were so hungry that when had never been more crucial than it was
we noticed a dog chasing a fairly large lizard at this time.
around, we decided to see what that lizard
would taste like. After we caught it, several Eventually, we moved to a camp just west
of the guys gathered around a fire and we of Camp Fallujah, called Camp Baharia. It
broke out all the spices and salts left over has previously served as a resort of sorts
from our MREs, and cooked it up. It wasn’t for Saddam Hussein’s sons. There were
all that bad… 15-foot walls surrounding the area, which
included a man-made lake. Saddam’s sons
We pushed north toward Saddam’s Uday and Qusay would have parties there,
hometown of Tikrit, before turning back and the rumor was that Uday, who was
south to finish off our deployment. On our a known womanizer, had killed some of
patrols, we walked out amongst the people. these women and threw them in the lake. I
We were greeted by a lot of the locals, who don’t know if that was true, though.
cheered us, chanting, “Bush! Bush! Bush!
Saddam no good!” Kids came up to us, and We were relieving the Marines currently
we gave them some candy or gum from our based there, and as a squad leader I would
MREs. The women would come out and go out with one of their squads, shadowing
give roses to the Marines. The people were them to get oriented with what we were
very appreciative, and we were impressed. dealing with. Our job was to provide
IEDs weren’t even a thought in our minds security along the route that served as the
One of the iconic pictures of Operation Iraqi
at that point. main artery for convoys coming into Camp
Freedom was taken during the Second Battle of
Fallujah by photographer Lucian Read. The im- Fallujah. The first time I went out with
We left home for our second deployment age shows Marine Corps Sergeant Major Bradley them we saw a vehicle coming toward us
on September 11, 2004. What we found Kasal being assisted out of what was dubbed the that would not stop. They shot the vehicle
was a 180-degree turnaround from the year “House From Hell”, still clutching his pistol. to warn the driver to stop, but he kept on
before. During our first deployment, we The Marines tasked with clearing the house had coming. They eventually had to shoot him
found it to be relatively safe. Few people come under heavy attack from hidden insurgents. dead. I went back to my guys and told them,
wanted to fight, and those that did were Kasal rushed in to assist, exposing himself to “This is a whole new ballgame.”
quickly neutralized or detained. That would enemy fire in order to save a fellow Marine, then
quickly change this time around. I felt that used his own body to shield his comrade from Eventually, we fully took over from the
the people were still appreciative – perhaps a grenade blast. When the fight was over, Kasal other Marines and began our patrols.
they were becoming annoyed or anxious for had lost 60 percent of his blood from more than Guarding the route, just north of the city,
us to get the job done and leave – but they 40 shrapnel wounds and seven AK-47 gunshot we could look down and see into the city.
were not against us. Now, however, there wounds. For his heroism, he was awarded the By the first of November, we were gearing
Navy Cross.
was a presence from those who had come up to go in. Our first objective was an
from out of Iraq to fight us. Men who wanted to kill Americans apartment complex just to the northwest of the city. We did not
knew that Iraq was the place that it could be done, and they flocked meet much resistance, though the civilians were hesitant to leave
there. A large number of the men we would take on in Fallujah the area, despite our warnings that the fight was going to be intense.
were not Iraqis.
Arriving at Camp Fallujah east of the city, it did not take long Not until the next day – November 8 – did we start to push into
for me to figure out what was going to happen. Speaking to the the city. We had our machine gunner engaging key targets on the
Marines already there and seeing how Fallujah had become an first block of the city, and we could see planes flying overhead,
Lucian Read

insurgent stronghold, we knew it was just a matter of time before dropping bombs into the city. Helicopters flew overhead, engaging
targets, and we had tanks lined up along the streets.
AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 38
 A lot of the homes in Fallujah were solid concrete, so they really
became fortified bunkers for the enemy fighters who decided that
the best way to fight was not to take us on in the streets, but to
hole up inside of a house, waiting to ambush us. I don’t know what
was worse, knowing that there was someone inside of a room or
not knowing what we would find behind a door. Either way, we
had to go house to house and room to room to clear these guys,
and they always had their weapons trained on the doors. They
waited for us to enter a house or room, and they would open up.
They were determined, and willing to die for their cause. If we
killed ten of them and they were able to kill just one of us, it was
worth it to them.

Operation Phantom Fury - the Second Battle of Fallujah - was pre- We were surprised to find that in just about every house where we
did have contact or find insurgents, we would also find needles.
ceded earlier 2004 by the First Battle of Fallujah, dubbed Operation
The docs pointed out that there were also small vials that contained
Vigilant Resolve. The assault on the city was undertaken following the
a type of drug that would cause an adrenaline rush. Sometimes
murder of four American contractors by terrorists in Fallujah. Despite
we would have to empty a magazine into a guy just to knock him
nearly taking the city in quick fashion, the attack was called off before
it could be concluded in the hope a negotiated settlement could be
down, they were so fired up from the drugs. It was scary – you
agreed upon. could shoot a guy and he would just keep coming at you, so you
Pictured above is Marine Captain Doug Zembiec, commanding officer had to make your shots count. This all made it clear to us that we
of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines gives orders to his men were fighting fanatics who would do anything to kill us.
prior to heading out on patrol during First Fallujah. They would expe-
rience intense fighting in the city, with Zembiec earning the nickname The Second Battle of Fallujah began on November 8, and our
“The Lion of Fallujah” as well as the Silver Star for his heroic actions forces had pressed to the southern end of the city in a little over a
in battle.
week. From there, we turned back and began cleaning out pockets
Zembiec returned for a fourth tour in Iraq in 2007. He was killed by of resistance, house by house over the next month. While fighting
enemy fire on May 11, 2007, leading a raid by Iraqi soldiers he helped continued until December 23, my part in the battle would end on
December 12, a day that I will never forget.
As we pushed underneath the bridge into the city of Fallujah to our
first staging area, there was an almost eerie kind of silence. There That morning we started moving from the western side of the
was nobody around in those first few blocks. Once we moved a city to the eastern side to relieve another unit in that area. Our
few blocks in, we started to see dead insurgents lying in the streets. battalion commander, Lt. Colonel Pat Malay, wanted us to conduct
The stench of death was all around us, though it was something a sweep of the homes in the area, since he knew that we were quite
we learned to block out until we just got used to it. good at it by this point and might find some insurgents that the
others had missed.
The city was full of wild cats and dogs running around. At first
they were very skinny, but as we moved in and time progressed, We staged ourselves on the eastern side of the city, just north of
the dogs grew quite fat. They were filling their bellies on the deadwhat we called “Route Michigan,” which was a major highway
insurgents. We could actually see dogs fighting over a leg and a catrunning into the city and divided Fallujah’s northern and southern
eating a piece of an insurgent’s head that had been blown apart. sections. Our objective was a nearby school, and my squad was
This was certainly not the place for someone with a weak stomach. to provide rear security on this mission. We moved close to the
Fallujah was trashed, and death was in the air. school and the squad leaders of the platoon, along with the platoon
commander, went to a nearby rooftop to discuss how we would
The insurgents themselves got tougher the further we went in. On set up our security for the mission.
the outskirts of the city you had your teenager that did not really
know how to fight. They were given a weapon and told to point The rooftop was lined with sandbags to protect us from enemy
and shoot. These guys were not a problem for us, and we dealt fire, but they were only stacked a few high. You almost had to
with them very easily. As we pushed further in, I definitely saw be in a prone position to have any kind of cover, so I kept a low
more well trained fighters that used their knowledge of the city silhouette, not knowing the area and knowing that I did not want
to their advantage. Their tactics were better and more disciplined, to be taken out by a sniper.
and they seemed to know how we would react to IED attacks or
contact. They were adapting to how we fought and were able to Soon, we heard gunfire coming from our south, which is where
USMC photo

make things a lot tougher on us. 3rd Platoon was operating when they started to make contact with

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 40

the enemy. I told the men with me that our guys must have been were swarming into every house on the block, including the next
there as well, since they had been sent to help out. So I went down one down, where Staff Sergeant Melvin Blazer was killed when
the stairs as fast as I could, jumped out of the building, and ran clearing the house.
toward where the action was.
My lieutenant told me to go ahead and clear that building; they had
I ran right into a convoy of HUMVEEs and amphibious assault pulled all the Marines out after evacuating Staff Sergeant Blazer,
vehicles – there might have been a tank in there as well – that were so we knew there were insurgents in there. I was able to assemble
heading toward the school. I started waving, trying to get them to a quick squad with two of my team leaders. Before going in, I
turn around and head toward the firefight that was going on right looked around and saw a vehicle nearby with an Mk 19 grenade
behind them. A few of them turned around, and headed toward the launcher mounted on it. I pulled the Marines back and ran over
fight, so I continued on. When I got to the corner, I saw a Marine to the vehicle, telling the gunner to start laying fire into the house.
lying in the street, shot. It was one of the men from our platoon. After he fired off about ten rounds, my squad ran into the house
I ran up to him and asked what was going on. He was conscious to take on the insurgents.
enough to tell me that he had been hit, and that there was a fight
going on in a nearby house. He was able to drag himself to the After entering the first floor, we ran to every room, throwing in
side, so I went ahead and moved into the house. grenades. After clearing the first floor, we had to move up to the
second floor. I took point, and one of the Marines behind me
One of the Marines – Corporal Ian Stewart – had been killed in the threw a grenade up to the second floor. After it exploded, two of
house. The insurgents were holding his body in a room upstairs, us started to make our way upward. After reaching the top of the
and the Marines were trying to retrieve him. I believe that when stairs, we ran into the room straight ahead, firing into the corner,
they got him, he was wounded but still alive. They started shooting the bed, and the wardrobe closet – we found that the insurgents
him in non-lethal parts of his body – not to kill him, but to torture often hid in the closets. When the room deemed clear, I turned and
him. That was the kind of enemy we were fighting in Fallujah. found that the rest of the Marines had lined up on the staircase.

Once I saw there were enough Marines now in the house to take There was a door to our right that was open, and between me and
care of these insurgents, I moved out from there and into the the Marine at the top of the staircase. It was not yet clear, so I
next building to the east. It turned out it was already clear, and I pulled a grenade and prepared to throw it. The other Marine was
went up to the second floor where I linked up with my platoon thinking the same thing, however, and he broke toward the room
commander to try to figure out the situation. By this time Marines I was in, tossing a grenade into the room to the side. That left me
two options – either hold on tight to my grenade and hope the
screw didn’t come loose, or go ahead and throw mine into the
room as well. I decided to go ahead and throw it, leaving two
grenades in the room, and took cover.

The Marines were trained that once a grenade was thrown into
a room and it exploded, they should charge into the room to
catch the insurgents while they were off guard. The rest of the
Marines on the staircase had no idea there were two grenades
in that room – if they heard the first explode, they would have
run right into a room with the live second grenade about to
explode. Fortunately, I was able to run back over to them and
shout, “Get back!” just in time. They were all able to jump down
the staircase onto the first landing. Talking to one of the guys
later, he told me that he actually saw the grenade roll back out
Marine Corps Sergeant Jeremiah Workman (pictured third from left) is into the hallway. After warning them, I tried to turn and take
presented with the American Veterans Center’s Paul Ray Smith Award cover in the cleared room.
for 2006, for his heroism during Operation Phantom Fury. On the
At the same time the insurgents inside the room began to fire
far left is American Veterans Center President James C. Roberts, next
out of the doorway. It seems the first grenade left them startled,
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent.
and they were firing wildly. Right then, everything turned to slow
Workman was awarded the Navy Cross - second only to the Medal of motion. I was spinning around to my left, back into the room
Honor - for his efforts in rescuing wounded Marines from a building
I had cleared. I watched as the bricks in the wall between my
filled with insurgent fighters in Fallujah. Workman braved intense ene-
room and the insurgents’ room literally shook and separated from
American Veterans Center photo

my fire, ignoring his wounds and entering the house on three separate
occasions to lead his men in an assault to eliminate the insurgents and each other. I could see sparks from the shrapnel of the grenade
retrieve the Marines. Workman, now a staff sergeant, has written of flashing through the cracks, and smoke start to rise. The curtain in
his story in the soon to be released Shadow of the Sword. my room began to rise from the concussion the next room over.

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 41

 I told them to get me out of there, so they picked
me up by my legs until I again yelled to put me
down. We went through this, back and forth, until
they eventually just dragged me down the stairs
and out of the house.

There was still gunfire going on all around. The

corpsmen began to cut my trousers away and
took off my gear. I was lying on my back, and
was able to reach back and grab the hand of one
of my Marines, one of my team leaders. I looked
back at him and asked, “How does it look?” I
knew it had to have been pretty bad.

“Pretty bad,” he confirmed to me. I started asking

specific questions.
The Marines were not alone in the fight for Fallujah. In addition to Iraqi Army units, they
were joined by two U.S. Army heavy battalion-sized units - 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry “How’s my neck?” I asked. He looked at me and,
Regiment and 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment (Mechanized). with some of the sick humor that the Marines are
One of the Army’s most decorated heroes from the Second Battle of Fallujah is former known for, joked that it was so bad, they would
Staff Sergeant David Bellavia (pictured above, center). Bellavia was awarded the Silver have to put a tourniquet on it. I knew he was
Star and is recommended for the Medal of Honor for single-handedly clearing a house of kidding, and was able to laugh a bit.
insurgent fighters during the early days of the battle. He has gone on to become a strong
advocate for those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, co-founding the organization Vets for
I next asked him about my groin, since I knew I
Freedom, and has written of his experiences in the book House to House: An Epic Memoir of
War.
had been hit there as well.
Bellavia is pictured with students attending the American Veterans Center’s annual con- “I just want to know one thing,” I said. “Do I
ference. For his service both in and out of uniform, he will be honored with the Center’s
still have everything down there?”
Just as fast as everything turned to slow motion, it all became real He responded with another joke – no, it was gone as well.
again. I found myself laying on my hands and knees. I knew that
I had been hit from the blast. I lost sense of where I was, and “Hand me a 9mm pistol then!” I joked back.
could barely hear what was going on around me. I tried to yell to
the Marines to let them know I was hit, but all I could hear was Right about that time, I was picked up and whisked away to an
gunfire. They had gotten themselves back up the staircase and amphibious assault vehicle that was waiting for MEDEVAC.
went to finish clearing the room with the insurgents. They loaded me into the vehicle with about half a dozen other
Marines that had been injured with shrapnel. I remember telling
I finally was able to motion to one of them – all I could hear was the corpsman to stop giving me morphine because I wanted to
myself whispering, “I’m hit! I’m hit!” feel some pain. I felt like if I didn’t feel any pain I would just go
ahead and slip away without looking back.
He looked at me and must have thought that I just fell over into
the room, and said, “No, you’re good. You’re good to go!” I grabbed the cross that was on my dog tags and just held on. The
hatch was open on top of the vehicle so I was able to look out
At this point, I was able to take off my neck protector, and blood at the sky, and remember saying a little prayer along the lines of,
started shooting up from my neck – I was kneeling in a pool of “Lord, if this is it, if this is the way I’m supposed to go, then I’m
my own blood. ready.” I knew it would be hard on my family to accept my passing
“What do you mean I’m good?” I said. “Can’t you see I’m bleeding away like that, but I knew they would be proud of me because I
to death?” was proud of being a Marine.
I realized that they had to accomplish the mission, so I just let I heard chatter coming over the radio that said I was the first they
myself lay down and waited for someone to get me out of there. would be taking out of the vehicle. That really made it clear to me
I loosened my flak jacket and tried to hang on. just how bad I was hurt. When we finally made it to Camp Fallujah
American Veterans Center photo

– which felt like an eternity – they pulled me out and began to run
The other Marines eventually came in and tried to pick me up by several tests on me. Shortly after, it all went dark as they put me
my legs. I screamed out and told them to put me down – that I under and took me into surgery.
had been hit in the leg by shrapnel, as well. So they put me down.
AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 42
 Once I said goodbye to the Marine Corps as an active duty
Eventually, I awoke to hear my battalion commander and sergeant infantryman, I lived in San Diego for a few years. I went on to
major, speaking to the other wounded Marines after having visited marry my wife – the love of my life. She came back to California
the dead. They came to my bedside and told me that we had fought with me, and I showed her around the Marine base, helping her to
a good fight and did a great job, but that not everybody had made see where I had lived and what I had become. We sat and watched
it out of there. They read the names of the five Marines that had the new Marines and were just in awe of these young men and
passed away – two of them were from my platoon, and one was a women. I have tremendous respect for those that serve – in every
great friend. They were all brothers. I laid there, branch – knowing that there is a chance they
closed my eyes, and wept. Still groggy from could be sent into harm’s way.
the medication, I think I ended up passing
out again. It was, and it always will be, an honor to know
that I was a United States Marine, and that I
I woke up later just in time to find myself served alongside some of the best men that
being loaded into a CH-46 helicopter. I was walk the face of this earth. And having gone
evacuated from Camp Fallujah and eventually through what I did, I now have a greater
flown to Germany where I underwent appreciation of life. It is unfortunate that so
another surgery, before being brought back many people take what we have in the country
to Bethesda Naval Hospital and eventually for granted. Still, I would gladly do it all again,
Camp Pendleton, California. I was wounded on for my country, for my wife, and now for my
December 12, and had made it back to Camp son. In the end, I am just grateful that I was
Pendleton by the 17th . I was very impressed one of the few and the proud.
with their capabilities of getting the wounded
Sgt. Jason Arellano’s story is profiled in the film
home quickly. Perfect Valor, named Best Feature Documentary for
2009 at the GI Film Festival. To order a DVD or
When I first arrived at Camp Pendleton, the learn more, visit PerfectValor.com or call 866-264-
doctors told me that I would probably never 3547. AVQ
Sgt. Jason Arellano with his wife, Lind-
walk normally again due to my injuries. But
they told me how lucky I was – much of the
shrapnel was just shy of hitting major arteries, which would have
certainly done me in. I told them luck had nothing to do with it,
that I was blessed. I had a lot of people praying for me. Soon I was
able to walk on my own with a cane. Only a month later, I was up
walking on my own, and eventually forced myself to start to jog.

Today I can run and jump, and don’t have a limp in my walk. I
feel pain in my leg and groin if I sit or stand it the same position
for too long. But I cannot complain. I have all of my limbs and
all of my abilities, and I know there are a number of Marines and
Soldiers out there who are not as fortunate.

Thank You For Your Support!

The American Veterans Center, with
its two divisions - the World War II How You Can Help
Veterans Committee and the National
All of our programs, including this magazine, are
Vietnam Veterans Committee - is
grateful for your continued support in solely funded through the voluntary contributions of
our shared mission of preserving the history and legacy of America’s individuals like you. If you would like to support our
veterans and service members. work, please send your tax-deductible donation in the
enclosed envelope.
To learn more about our many projects, including how to share Every bit helps, and we remain grateful
your story or the story of a family member who has served, please for your support.
Jason Arellano

visit www.americanveteranscenter.org or call 703-302-1012 ext. 214.

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 2009 - 43