Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by Michael

Col. Frank Kurtz
85 years old from Los Angeles, California
September 9, 1911 - October 31, 1996


Frank Kurtz became interested in flying at age 16, and in 1935 flew an open cockpit plane, setting a speed record flight from Los Angeles to Mexico City to Washington, D.C. and back to Los Angeles. He was Commander of the 463d Bombardment Group (Heavy), 15th Air Force, Celone Airfield, Foggia, Italy and a survivor of the air attack at Clark Field in the Philippines, two days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In Australia, he salvaged and helped to rebuild a B-17D Flying Fortress bomber using a combination of parts from other wrecked B-17s. During his time in the Air Force was awarded the Croix de Guerre, 3 Silver Stars, 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 3 Air Medals, and 5 Presidential Citations.

You can read more about Col. Kurtz here and here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so that we may get to enjoy our freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

Wounded Warrior Project - Because So Many Have Come Back With Injuries, Seen And Unseen

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by SJ

George H. Kirk, Sr.
82 years old
3rd Marine Division
May 25, 1917 - October 28, 1999


George Kirk, Sr. was a Marine and a Navajo Code Talker who passed away in 1999. Recently his uniform was set to go up for auction but thankfully Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly heard about it and was able to get it returned to the tribe.

You can read more about this story here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so that we may get to enjoy our freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

Wounded Warrior Project - Because So Many Have Come Back With Injuries, Seen And Unseen

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by Kathi

Sgt. Maj. Jon Cavaiani
70 years old from Stanford, California
August 2, 1943 - July 29, 2014


When Sergeant Cavaiani and the remaining platoon members could not halt the enemy advance, he ordered his men to escape while he laid down covering fire. As they ran, the citation said, he "recovered a machine gun, stood up, completely exposing himself to the heavy enemy fire directed at him, and began firing the machine gun in a sweeping motion." Most of his men escaped. Sergeant Cavaiani was severely wounded. He told the PBS series "American Valor" that he had "almost 120 shrapnel holes in me, and a couple of bullet holes." He said he had played dead when enemy soldiers took the hill and then hid in the jungle for more than 10 days before he was captured. He spent 23 months as a prisoner of war, much of that time in solitary confinement. He was released in March 1973.

Read more »

Wednesday Hero

Admiral Oscar Badger II
68 years old from Washington, D.C.
June 26, 1890 - November 30, 1958


During his 41 years of service, Admiral Oscar Badger II saw action in the U.S. occupation of Veracruz as well as both World Wars. He was awarded four Legion of Merit awards, the Navy Cross as well as the Medal Of Honor.

You can read more about Oscar Badger II here and here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so that we may get to enjoy our freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

Wounded Warrior Project - Because So Many Have Come Back With Physical And Psychological Injuries

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

A quick note about this weeks post. Below is all the information that could be found about Airman Second Class Gordon Thayer. Not everyone who has served goes into the history books. The majority simply return home and live their lives.

Airman Second Class Gordon Thayer


From Airman Second Class Thayer's Silver Star citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Airman Second Class Gordon C. Thayer, United States Air Force, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force near Phouc Vinh, Republic of Vietnam on 25 August 1966. On that date, Airman Thayer was a Pararescueman aboard a Rescue Helicopter, which was shot down and forced to crash-land while attempting to evacuate wounded Army personnel. Shaking off the effects of shock of the extremely hard landing and with complete disregard for personal safety, Airman Thayer tended to the Army wounded while subjecting himself to intense hostile fire. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Airman Thayer has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

From Airman Second Class Thayer's Distinguished Flying Cross citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Airman Gordon C. Thayer, United States Air Force, for heroism involving aerial flight as para-rescueman on an unarmed and unarmored CH-3C helicopter over North Vietnam on 27 July 1965. On that date, Airman Thayer's aircraft penetrated the surface-to-air missile envelope surrounding Hanoi, North Vietnam, to successfully recover a pilot who had abandoned his crippled aircraft in that area. This recovery operation involved flight in excess of 300 miles over hostile territory under marginal weather conditions and without navigational aids. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty demonstrated by Airman Thayer reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so that we may get to enjoy our freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Mike

Maj. Kurt Chew-Een Lee
88 years old from Arlington, Virginia
Machine-Gun Platoon of Baker Company, 1st Battalion 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division
January 21, 1926 - March 3, 2014


Maj. Kurt Chew-Een Lee was the first U.S. Marine Corps officer of Chinese descent. At the time of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Chew-Een Lee was a high school student going by the nickname "Kurt", associated with the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps. In 1944 when he was an 18-year-old student of mining engineering, Lee joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He retired from the Marines in 1968.

You can read more about Maj. Kurt Chew-Een Lee here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so that we may get to enjoy our freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Mike

Technician 5th Grade Robert Maxwell
93 years old from Boise, Idaho
3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division


From Technician 5th Grade Maxwell's Medal Of Honor citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 7 September 1944, near Besancon, France. Technician 5th Grade Maxwell and 3 other soldiers, armed only with .45 caliber automatic pistols, defended the battalion observation post against an overwhelming onslaught by enemy infantrymen in approximately platoon strength, supported by 20mm. flak and machinegun fire, who had infiltrated through the battalion's forward companies and were attacking the observation post with machinegun, machine pistol, and grenade fire at ranges as close as 10 yards. Despite a hail of fire from automatic weapons and grenade launchers, Technician 5th Grade Maxwell aggressively fought off advancing enemy elements and, by his calmness, tenacity, and fortitude, inspired his fellows to continue the unequal struggle. When an enemy hand grenade was thrown in the midst of his squad, Technician 5th Grade Maxwell unhesitatingly hurled himself squarely upon it, using his blanket and his unprotected body to absorb the full force of the explosion. This act of instantaneous heroism permanently maimed Technician 5th Grade Maxwell, but saved the lives of his comrades in arms and facilitated maintenance of vital military communications during the temporary withdrawal of the battalion's forward headquarters.

You can read more about Technician 5th Grade Maxwell here and here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Mike

Col. Bruce Sundlun
91 years old from Jamestown, Rhode Island
545th Bombardment Squadron, 384th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force
January 19, 1920 - July 21, 2011


While still in college, Bruce Sundlun volunteered for service in the U.S. Army Air Forces Aviation Cadet Program on 8 December 1941, at Westover Field. He was trained as a four-engine bomber pilot at Maxwell Field in Alabama, after basic flight training at the USAAC Southeast Training Center at Orangeburg, South Carolina, the Greenville Army Air Field at Greenville, Mississippi, and George Field in Lawrenceville, Illinois.

During overseas active duty beginning in June 1943, Sundlun served as a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot in the England-based 545th Bombardment Squadron, 384th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force at Grafton-Underwood Air Base. His plane the Damn Yankee[5] was shot down over Nazi-occupied Jabbeke, Belgium on 1 December 1943 after the plane was damaged by flak during the bombing of Solingen, Germany, on his 13th mission.

You can read more about Col. Sundlun here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Mike

1st Lt. Vernon Baker
90 years old from St. Maries, Idaho
370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division
December 17, 1919- July 13, 2010


From Lt. Baker's Medal Of Honor citation:

For extraordinary heroism in action on 5 and 6 April 1945, near Viareggio, Italy. Then Second Lieutenant Baker demonstrated outstanding courage and leadership in destroying enemy installations, personnel, and equipment during his company's attack against a strongly entrenched enemy in mountainous terrain. When his company was stopped by the concentration of fire from several machine gun emplacements, he crawled to one position and destroyed it, killing three Germans. Continuing forward, he attacked an enemy observation post and killed two occupants. With the aid of one of his men, Lieutenant Baker attacked two more machine gun nests, killing or wounding the four enemy soldiers occupying these positions. He then covered the evacuation of the wounded personnel of his company by occupying an exposed position and drawing the enemy's fire. On the following night Lieutenant Baker voluntarily led a battalion advance through enemy mine fields and heavy fire toward the division objective. Second Lieutenant Baker's fighting spirit and daring leadership were an inspiration to his men and exemplify the highest traditions of the Armed Forces.

You can read more about Lt. Baker here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Lisa

Mike Berry

A different post this week. I don't know anything about Mr. Berry's service, all I do know is that he, and his family, need our help. Mike Berry has served in the Army and National Guard for 23 years and in 2012 was experiencing strange smells, shakiness and feeling faint. Then one day, while making dinner, he passed out. He was taken to the ER where they found a brain tumor.

You can find more information about Mr. Berry, and how you can help, here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This Post Was Suggested By Mike

WASP


The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) was a paramilitary aviation organization. In 1943 they were created when the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) were merged together. The female pilots of the WASP ended up numbering 1,074, each freeing a male pilot for combat service and duties. They flew over 60 million miles in every type of military aircraft. The WASP was granted veteran status in 1977, and given the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009. Some 25,000 women applied to join the WASP, but only 1,830 were accepted and took the oath. Only 1,074 of them passed the training and joined. Thirty-eight died flying in the WASP

You can read more about WASP here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by Steve

Capt. Linda Bray
53 years old from Clemmons, North Carolina
988th Military Police Company


Capt. Linda Bray made national headlines when she became the first woman in U.S. history to lead troops into combat during the 1989 invasion of Panama. As a result she was met with a lot of resistance and anger to what she had accomplished because she was a woman.

Bray and 45 soldiers under her command, nearly all of them men, encountered a unit of Panamanian special operations soldiers holed up inside a military barracks and dog kennel. They killed three of the enemy and took one prisoner before the rest were forced to flee.

You can read more about Capt. Bray here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by SJ

Cpl. Tom Jones, Jr.
89 years old from Hogback, New Mexico
3rd Division, Unit 297, Navajo Code Talkers 767 and Navajo Code Talkers 642 Platoons
1925? - May 12, 2014


Another Navajo Code Talker has passed away. Tom Jones, Jr. passed away on May 12.

Be warned, reading the article below will make you angry. The conditions these men, these veterans, live in is just unforgivable. It saddened me to read this, not only as an Indian, but as an American.

You can read more about Cpl. Jones here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by SJ

Stan White
94 years old from Albuquerque, New Mexico


Albuquerque veteran Stan E. White, a Pearl Harbor survivor who was injured during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, was awarded the Legion of Honor, France’s highest decoration, according to Perry Bendicksen, Honorary French Consul for New Mexico.

Although he was raised in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, White was a 19-year-old athlete and cowboy living in New Mexico when he enlisted in the Army. He said he saw it as an opportunity for travel, adventure and education. He ended up with a life he never could have predicted.

You can read more about Stan White here & here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by Kathi

Pfc. Clarence Wolf Guts
86 years old from South Dakota
1924? - June 16, 2010


When the towers of the World Trade Center fell on Sept. 11, 2001, Clarence Wolf Guts asked his son to call the U.S. Department of Defense to see if the country needed his code talking abilities to find Osama Bin Laden. Wolf Guts was in his late 70s at the time, so his son did not make the call, but said the request personified his father's love of country. "He still wanted to help. He was trying to still be patriotic".

Pfc. Wolf Guts was the last surviving Oglala Lakota code talker from WWII.

You can read more about Pfc. Wolf Guts here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by Greta

PFC. Edmond Harjo
96 years old from Seminole, Oklahoma
195th Field Artillery Battalion
November 24, 1917 - March 31, 2014


We've sadly lost yet another Code Talker. Edmond A. Harjo was the last surving Code Talker for the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. Back in November of 2013, 33 tribes were honored in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. with the Congressional Gold Medal for their contribution in the war, Harjo was the only living Code Talker to attend.

You can read more about PFC. Harjo here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by SJ and Michael

Rear Admiral Jeremiah Denton
89 years old from Virginia Beach, Virginia
USS Independence (CVA-62)
July 15, 1924 - March 28, 2014


Jeremiah Andrew Denton, Jr. was a Rear Admiral and Naval Aviator in the United States Navy and, following his retirement from naval service, was a United States Senator from the state of Alabama. In 1965 he was captured in North Vietnam when his plane was shot down and he and his navigator Bill Tschudy spent eight years a POW's in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton". In 1966 he was forced to take part in a press conference by his captors in which they asked him about his support for the war. He responded: "I don't know what is happening, but whatever the position of my government is, I support it fully. Whatever the position of my government, I believe in it, yes sir. I am a member of that government, and it is my job to support it, and I will as long as I live". During that interview he was able to send a message by blinking the word "Torture" in Morse code to let the world know what the POW's were going though.

You can read more about Rear Admiral Denton here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

Invasion Of Normandy

Friday marks the 70th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, or D-Day. In the early hours of June 6, 1944, 156.000 troops from 12 nations including America, United Kingdom and Canada set out with the largest seaborne invasion force in history. The invasion marked the end of Germany's occupation of Europe and turned the course of the war. When the fight was over, there were 12,000 Allied casualties and 4,414 dead. We remember these brave men on Friday, as well as today, for the sacrifices they made in the name of freedom. With each passing year we lose more and more of these veterans until one day they'll be gone. They didn't set out to make history or garner glory, but that's precisely what they did. So cherish and honor them while we still have them.

You can find more information about D-Day here and here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.