The Back Yard is Starting to Look Like ...

OAFS Photo

What we have here, is a failure to ...

Mow the lawn.

It's in work as we speak, finally got a guy to do it, cost me a pretty penny it did.

But as I am semi-functional in the mobility department, I couldn't do it myself.

The idea of contacting a certain retired Army officer out Kansas way to see if he and his missus would consider renting me a few goats did cross my mind. But as an acquaintance of mine pointed out, the goats would eat more than just the grass. Though the soil of New England be most rocky, I'm sure that The Missus Herself would have no trouble planting me, Your Humble Scribe, in the back yard when she returned from Korea to see her gardens gone.

I mean the bloody rabbits are bad enough.

I mean it's been a month since the grass had been cut, I cut it just before heading south for Roberto's birthday. During that time I managed to fire truck up my right knee. Being hobbled as such, couldn't cut it when I got home. Figured I'd give it a week then try again.

The doctor at urgent care advised me that the knee healing would be four to six weeks before I could expect to start cutting grass again.

So I took a Zen-like view of the situation, as recommended by a certain retired Naval Officer of my acquaintance, and stopped letting it bother me. I also decided to get out of the do-it-yourself lawn mowing thing altogether. Traveling a lot, as we do now, the grass doesn't get the attention it demands while we're on the road. So ...

I hired a guy.

Seems like a good man, an honorable chap. Only time will tell if it's a long term solution to my not wanting to mow the lawn anymore.

We travel too much, and ...

I'm lazy.

So ...

Here we go.

A Quarter Century Later ...

Source

Twenty five years ...

A quarter century ...

The world went from looking pretty good, from my own perspective, to yet another nightmare vision.

I'd grown up during Vietnam, the specter of that conflict loomed ever closer as I got older. Casualty lists published in magazines, along with pictures of those who fell, were not uncommon. I began to wonder if that was my fate.

No.

Then the Cold War, which seemed to heat up throughout my adulthood, but never boiled over. The threat of nuclear weapons hovered over everything.

I was on Okinawa when two U.S. Army officers were murdered by the North Koreans in the DMZ. We had two squadrons of Phantoms on the way to Kunsan in no time at all. War seemed very likely.

No.

The Soviet Union collapsed, the Warsaw Pact died, it looked as if peace was breaking out all over. I retired from the Air Force, my oldest went into Navy ROTC, things were looking pretty good.

In the spring of 2001, my son was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy. My oldest daughter had an ROTC scholarship in hand and would be following her brother into that program. Everything seemed wonderful, and in many ways it was.

It was a Tuesday, an absolutely gorgeous day. I was in the courtyard at work, chatting with a buddy, someone mentioned that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. My first thought was this ...

Source

I went down to the cafeteria, on the way I heard that it was a commercial airliner which had hit one tower of the building.

It wasn't an accident, it was this ...

Source

At the cafeteria where, back in the good old days, we had a television tuned to CNN, we could see one tower of the WTC smoking. There was a big crowd in there, all eyes glued to the screen, everyone was very, very quiet.

As we watched, a second aircraft hit the other tower.

A friend in the crowd turned to me and asked what this meant, I answered with three words ...

"We're at war."

And so we were, but with who? A bunch of assholes who were already dead? The country they came from, the guy who planned the whole thing?

While I walked back to my desk, in stunned silence, my first thought was how this might affect my son, now on active duty. Then I wondered how The Missus Herself might feel about me returning to active duty. It was a possibility.

But this was a different war, Dubya went after the wrong bad guys, Iraq was a sideshow. Afghanistan followed, the world once again went to hell in a handbasket and once again the specter of nuclear weapons raised its ugly head.

Who was the enemy?

All I know is that the world changed that day, and not for the better.

And things seem to be getting worse.

The American people woke up on September 11th, 2001. Now they've gone back to sleep.

The wolves are once again at the door.

Never forgive, never forget ...

U.S. Air Force Photo

Too many Americans already have.

David R. Kingsley MOH

 

 

Source

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47ieN_FFXrw

Okay, this is another of the several Medal of Honor recipients who were participants in raids on Ploesti in WWII.  This was not the disastrous B-24 raid, I've written about before that had 5 Medal of Honor recipients involved.  This was a B-17 raid on the oil refinery on June 23 1944.  Unfortunately, he did not survive this raid, but, read on and see if you think his actions met the standards of the Medal of Honor.  Lt Kingsley was a bombardier aboard a B-17.  The aircraft took severe damage from enemy aircraft and several crew members were injured.  The aircraft commander ordered the crew to bail out to save their lives.  One of the crew members could not find his parachute.  Lt Kingsley gave him his chute saving the crew member's life. Unfortunately, Lt Kingsley could not leave the aircraft and was killed on impact.  In my humble opinion, I'd say his actions absolutely met the standards required of the Medal of Honor.  Rest in Peace, Sir! 

 

Source

 Second Lieutenant Kingsley's official Medal of Honor citation"

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, June 23, 1944 near Ploesti, Romania, while flying as bombardier of a B17 type aircraft. On the bomb run 2d Lt. Kingsley's aircraft was severely damaged by intense flak and forced to drop out of formation but the pilot proceeded over the target and 2d Lt. Kingsley successfully dropped his bombs, causing severe damage to vital installations. The damaged aircraft, forced to lose altitude and to lag behind the formation, was aggressively attacked by 3 Me 109 aircraft, causing more damage to the aircraft and severely wounding the tail gunner in the upper arm. The radio operator and engineer notified 2d Lt. Kingsley that the tail gunner had been wounded and that assistance was needed to check the bleeding. 2d Lt. Kingsley made his way back to the radio room, skillfully applied first aid to the wound, and succeeded in checking the bleeding. The tail gunner's parachute harness and heavy clothes were removed and he was covered with blankets, making him as comfortable as possible. Eight Me 109 aircraft again aggressively attacked 2d Lt. Kingsley's aircraft and the ball turret gunner was wounded by 20mm. shell fragments. He went forward to the radio room to have 2d Lt. Kingsley administer first aid. A few minutes later when the pilot gave the order to prepare to bail out, 2d Lt. Kingsley immediately began to assist the wounded gunners in putting on their parachute harness. In the confusion the tail gunner's harness, believed to have been damaged, could not be located in the bundle of blankets and flying clothes which had been removed from the wounded men. With utter disregard for his own means of escape, 2d Lt. Kingsley unhesitatingly removed his parachute harness and adjusted it to the wounded tail gunner. Due to the extensive damage caused by the accurate and concentrated 20mm. fire by the enemy aircraft the pilot gave the order to bail out, as it appeared that the aircraft would disintegrate at any moment. 2d Lt. Kingsley aided the wounded men in bailing out and when last seen by the crewmembers he was standing on the bomb bay catwalk. The aircraft continued to fly on automatic pilot for a short distance, then crashed and burned. His body was later found in the wreckage. 2d Lt. Kingsley by his gallant heroic action was directly responsible for saving the life of the wounded gunner. type aircraft. On the bomb run 2d Lt. Kingsley's aircraft was severely damaged by intense flak and forced to drop out of formation but the pilot proceeded over the target and 2d Lt. Kingsley successfully dropped his bombs, causing severe damage to vital installations. The damaged aircraft, forced to lose altitude and to lag behind the formation, was aggressively attacked by 3 Me 109 aircraft, causing more damage to the aircraft and severely wounding the tail gunner in the upper arm. The radio operator and engineer notified 2d Lt. Kingsley that the tail gunner had been wounded and that assistance was needed to check the bleeding. 2d Lt. Kingsley made his way back to the radio room, skillfully applied first aid to the wound, and succeeded in checking the bleeding. The tail gunner's parachute harness and heavy clothes were removed and he was covered with blankets, making him as comfortable as possible. Eight Me 109 aircraft again aggressively attacked 2d Lt. Kingsley's aircraft and the ball turret gunner was wounded by 20mm. shell fragments. He went forward to the radio room to have 2d Lt. Kingsley administer first aid. A few minutes later when the pilot gave the order to prepare to bail out, 2d Lt. Kingsley immediately began to assist the wounded gunners in putting on their parachute harness. In the confusion the tail gunner's harness, believed to have been damaged, could not be located in the bundle of blankets and flying clothes which had been removed from the wounded men. With utter disregard for his own means of escape, 2d Lt. Kingsley unhesitatingly removed his parachute harness and adjusted it to the wounded tail gunner. Due to the extensive damage caused by the accurate and concentrated 20mm. fire by the enemy aircraft the pilot gave the order to bail out, as it appeared that the aircraft would disintegrate at any moment. 2d Lt. Kingsley aided the wounded men in bailing out and when last seen by the crew members, he was standing on the bomb bay catwalk. The aircraft continued to fly on automatic pilot for a short distance, then crashed and burned. His body was later found in the wreckage. 2d Lt. Kingsley by his gallant heroic action was directly responsible for saving the life of the wounded gunner. Source

 

 

Capt Eli L. Whiteley Medal of Honor US Army

 

 Ok, a slight deviation from my usual Medal of Honor recipient list.  That list has and will contain all the Medal of Honor recipients from the USAF and it's preceding organizations.  I have veered occasionally when I've come across a hero that interested me.  (OK, every one I've read about has interested me. Mea Culpa!)

This one is one of 9 that have a special interest for me.  All 9 are alumni from a College in Texas that I did not attend, but my children have and my grandchildren will.  I'll give you out of town folks a hint, it's located in College Station TX.  Anyhow, on with the show!

Source

 

This fine gentleman is Captain Eli Lamar Whitely, an infantry man in the US Army.  Born in 1913, he was a little older than the average draftee in to the Army in WWII.  He was drafted in 1942.  (You can do the math.)

For those of you interested in the details of how he got to where he got, there's a well written and detailed article Here.  I'll be waiting til you get back.

 

 

Source

So, welcome back.  Capt. Whitely is now assigned as a rifle-platoon leader in Company L, Fifteenth Infantry Regiment, Third Infantry Division in France which quickly moved into Germany.  As they approached a village named Bennwihr, they ran into stiff opposition.  He entered that food fight with 125 troops and only had 56 operationally capable at the end of the day. Sometimes the enemy has an edge.

 

 

Looked a bit different back then!   Source

Or from a different view. I suspect that air power and artillery had something to do in prepping this picture.

Source

And now

Source

 The next day they attacked the nearby village of Sigolsheim with similar preparation.

 However, the opposition was a bit stiffer.

"On December 27 Lieutenant Whitley distinguished himself as he led his platoon in “savage house-to-house fighting.” Making use of a submachine gun, grenades, and a bazooka, Whiteley aggressively attacked three houses, lost an eye, suffered severe wounds, and “killed 9 Germans, captured 23 more and spearheaded an attack which cracked the core of enemy resistance in a vital area.”  Source

 

Source

 For this leadership and execution he was awarded the Medal of honor, which was pinned on him by President Truman.

After recovering from wounds and medically discharged, he returned to Texas A&M and earned his PhD in Agronomy, passing away in 1986. Rest in Peace, Sir! 

Where do we find such warriors! 

Citation for the Medal of Honor to Dr. Eli Lamar Whitelyey

While leading his platoon on 27 December 1944, in savage house-to-house fighting through the fortress town of Sigolsheim, Germany, he attacked a building through a street swept by withering mortar and automatic-weapon fire. He was hit and severely wounded in the arm and shoulder; but he charged into the house alone and killed its two defenders. Hurling smoke and fragmentation grenades before him, he reached the next house and stormed inside, killing two and capturing 11 of the enemy. He continued leading his platoon in the extremely dangerous task of clearing hostile troops from strongpoints along the street until he reached a building held by fanatical Nazi troops. Although suffering from wounds which had rendered his left arm useless, he advanced on this strongly defended house and, after blasting out a wall with bazooka fire, charged through a hail of bullets. Wedging his submachine gun under his uninjured arm, he rushed into the house through the hole torn by his rockets, killed five of the enemy, and forced the remaining 12 to surrender. As he emerged to continue his fearless attack, he was again hit and critically wounded. In agony and with one eye pierced by a shell fragment, he shouted for his men to follow him to the next house. He was determined to stay in the fighting and remained at the head of his platoon until forcibly evacuated. By his disregard for personal safety, his aggressiveness while suffering from severe wounds, his determined leadership and superb courage, 1st Lt. Whiteley killed nine Germans, captured 23 more, and spearheaded an attack which cracked the core of enemy resistance in a vital area.

 

Sounds like a Hero to me! 

 

For those of you "mapophiles"

The village is marked by the 1 above Colmar 

DuckDuckGo 

 

Map of Sigolsheim Wikipedia

 

Sources

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_L._Whiteley

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/whiteley-eli-lamar 

Getting Old, What an Adventure

Source

Well, today is my annual physical, or annual wellness visit as some call it (*cough* Medicare). An insurance thing I think. (I know.)

"Oh, we don't cover that."

"You don't cover annual physicals?"

"No, we cover annual wellness visits. It's not the same."

"Really?"

"Yes, one is an actual stem to stern physical exam, the other is where you sit down and talk about your health."

"Uh, okay."

Later on the phone with my doctor's office ...

"Medicare wants you to call it a wellness visit, or they won't pay for it."

... silence, clicking of computer keys ... "Oh yes, you're on Medicare now, someone didn't update your record. I'll take care of that for you."

And so it goes ...

Anyhoo, I intend to discuss my recent knee issues. No doubt I'll be referred to a specialist. And that's just peachy keen, no, really, it is. I mean I'm retired now, what else do I have to do but go to various doctor offices? I mean, I've got the time, right?

Sigh ...

After action report to follow.

Getting old is interesting to say the least.

"How did you hurt yourself?"

"I got out of bed awkwardly."

"Ah, yes, happens all the time."

"Should I start wearing padding or leg braces or something?"

"Nah, just take it slow first thing in the morning."

I think I'm going to move my coffee maker upstairs. Brew it and drink it in bed, so I can, ya know, take it slow first thing.

I suppose getting decrepit beats the alternative.

That's all for now, I have to stretch before I get up from my computer ...

New Home update

 

Well...Happy Labor Day to all you hard working folks out there.  I know that's something to look forward to, as it should be.  However, there comes a time when every day is Labor Day especially if you're married.  

 

Just sayin, honey!

 

Ok, gang, time to update all y'all on the project(s) that are keeping me busy.  I mean besides the posting on various Medal of Honor recipients.  

 

When last we talked about the new home project(s) not much was going up.  As most of you are aware, concrete takes a while to dry and the larger the project the more time is needed.

 

Since my brother's home will be relatively small (he will be living alone), the foundation was also relatively small and dried quite quickly.  It is late summer here in Texas so the heat assisted the curing.  Our house's foundation is still needing a bit more time.

 

This is our slab,  as you can see there are still moist spots

 

That picture was taken last week.  We checked on it Saturday, it still had wet spots.

 

But, as I mentioned, my brother's slab was good to go.  We went out there to see if anything was being done.  When we got there, we had some good news. The builders had started had started framing his house.  The picture below was taken mid-day Friday

As was this one.

A fairly excellent level of progress for one (partial) days work.  We were happy.

We went out to the site, Saturday afternoon to check on the status of the main house's slab.  Alas, even with my non-housing construction knowledge, I could see that it still needed a day or two.  So it shall be.

However there was a bit of good news on the project.   As you can see there has been quite a bit of progress on my brother's house.

 So, I think the proverbial quote "Patience is a virtue" is appropriate here, we shall endeavor to endure.

Peace out y'all. 

Lt Col Leon Vance Medal of Honor

 

Lt Col Leon Vance

Source 

 

Lt Col Leon Vance, for whom Vance AFB OK was named is a Medal of Honor recipient who didn't survive WWII although this was under unusual circumstances.

Speaking of unusual circumstances, many things happened on the Mission that very well describe the courage shown by Lt Col Vance in saving the lives of most of his crew.

Source

 

So...On with the tale.

His career began in 1939 where he was commissioned and sent to what would now be called Pilot Training. After getting his wings, he was assigned as an Instructor through December 1941 when something happened in Hawaii.  He was quickly promoted to captain on April 6 and major on July 17, 1942. In September 1943 he was promoted to Lt Colonel.  He was assigned to Wendover Utah and promoted to Lt Col and assigned as Deputy Group Commander. 

For those of you that wonder about Military Promotions.  That was 4 promotions in less than 4 years.  But, Hey! There's a war on.  

In April of 1944, he and his bomber group were ordered to deploy to Europe, one of the last groups to arrive. 

 

B-24 from Base where Lt Col Vance was Deputy Commander  

Source

 On the critical mission in which he earned the Medal of Honor, the aircraft he was commanding the mission from was severely damaged and only had one engine available which eventually was also lost.  The Citation for the award is extremely well written and I can't improve on it's description of events, so I'm going to skip ahead to an unfortunate turn of events.

With the pilot severely injured, he took command of the aircraft and flew it out to the Channel where upon reaching land in England he ordered the crew to bail out.  He thought that the radio operator was still on board and wouldn't survive a bail out.  So, he ditched the aircraft in the ocean, but couldn't find the radio operator on board.  He started swimming for shore and was picked up by a RAF Air-Sea Rescue boat and was rescued.  He spent a couple of months in a hospital in Great Britain before being put on an C-54 to fly him home for extended treatment.  Unfortunately, the aircraft was lost with all aboard lost. 

Damn! 

 Citation for the Award of the Medal of Honor to LtCol Leon Vance

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on 5 June 1944, when he led a Heavy Bombardment Group, in an attack against defended enemy coastal positions in the vicinity of Wimereaux, France. Approaching the target, his aircraft was hit repeatedly by antiaircraft fire which seriously crippled the ship, killed the pilot, and wounded several members of the crew, including Lt. Col. Vance, whose right foot was practically severed. In spite of his injury, and with 3 engines lost to the flak, he led his formation over the target, bombing it successfully. After applying a tourniquet to his leg with the aid of the radar operator, Lt. Col. Vance, realizing that the ship was approaching a stall altitude with the 1 remaining engine failing, struggled to a semi-upright position beside the copilot and took over control of the ship. Cutting the power and feathering the last engine he put the aircraft in glide sufficiently steep to maintain his airspeed. Gradually losing altitude, he at last reached the English coast, whereupon he ordered all members of the crew to bail out as he knew they would all safely make land. But he received a message over the interphone system which led him to believe 1 of the crew members was unable to jump due to injuries; so he made the decision to ditch the ship in the channel, thereby giving this man a chance for life. To add further to the danger of ditching the ship in his crippled condition, there was a 500-pound bomb hung up in the bomb bay. Unable to climb into the seat vacated by the copilot, since his foot, hanging on to his leg by a few tendons, had become lodged behind the copilot's seat, he nevertheless made a successful ditching while lying on the floor using only aileron and elevators for control and the side window of the cockpit for visual reference. On coming to rest in the water the aircraft commenced to sink rapidly with Lt. Col. Vance pinned in the cockpit by the upper turret which had crashed in during the landing. As it was settling beneath the waves an explosion occurred which threw Lt. Col. Vance clear of the wreckage. After clinging to a piece of floating wreckage until he could muster enough strength to inflate his life vest he began searching for the crew member whom he believed to be aboard. Failing to find anyone he began swimming and was found approximately 50 minutes later by an Air-Sea Rescue craft. By his extraordinary flying skill and gallant leadership, despite his grave injury, Lt. Col. Vance led his formation to a successful bombing of the assigned target and returned the crew to a point where they could bail out with safety. His gallant and valorous decision to ditch the aircraft in order to give the crew member he believed to be aboard a chance for life exemplifies the highest traditions of the U.S. Armed Forces. 

 Sources

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