Honoring heroesA Salute to Veterans 2011

Sunday, November 6, 2011

The Eagle

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Texas Engineering Extension Service301 Tarrow • College Station, TX 77840

877.833.9638

TEEX VA Approved Programs

WWW.TEEX.ORG

Texas Engineering Extension Service salutes our veterans!

The time has never been better for military veterans to furthertheir training. The Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) iscommitted to helping veterans make the best choices possiblewhile attaining the maximum assistance, guidance, and supportusing the GI Bill and other programs. Qualifying veterans mayuse Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits for certain TEEX programs.

Recruit Fire Academy Basic Peace Officer Unexploded Ordnance Emergency Medical Services Certified Safety & Health Official

C12.5583.10

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ACKNOWLEDGINGOUR VETERANSThis year, tar, tar ens of thousands of our military neighbors,friends and family members will be returning to CentralTexas. We are here to support those troops returning home.

Scott & White& White& W Military Homefront Services was designedand implemented by Scott & White& White& W Healthcare and theCentral Texas Fort Hood Chapter of the Association of theUnited States Army (AUSA)(AUSA)(A to provide individual, familyand group counseling to those who have served and areserving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Because our mission is to serve military familiesy familiesy f duringdifficult times, we seek to provide counseling services to suitthe needs of every familyy familyy f . Wamily. Wamily e o. We o. W ffer individual and maritalcounseling, as well as family counseling with a licensedtherapist. Family workshops include resilience rejuvenation,skills training, relaxation and fun, marriage enrichment,family team building and community support.

Records are confidential, allowing military members toaccess mental health services without fear of damagingtheir careers. These services are at no charge to our militaryfamilies.

Scott & White& White& W would like to thank ALL area veterans fortheir dedicated military service on November 11, VeteransDay.Day.Da We are grateful to those members of the military whoare also Scott & White& White& W staff or volunteers.

To find our more about Scott & White& White& W Military HomefrontServices, or to donate to this community program, go tohomefront.sw.orgont.sw.orgont.sw .

And to view a listing of all of the Scott & White& White& W Veteranswho we are honoring this day, gday, gday o to the homepage ofour website. sw.org

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INSIDEFor some families, Veterans Day is honored every day:

The service man or woman might not be thanked daily,but those close to them know the sacrifices they made orare making, and they recognize the critical nature of thejob.Most of the public also appreciates United States mili-

tary personnel, both active duty and retired, along with

those in the reserves.Nov. 11 officially has been set aside as a national hol-

iday since 1938 to emphasize the importance of thosewho serve our country. Today, we thank and honor thescores of men and women across the Brazos Valley whohave worn and wear a military uniform, along with the1.43 million other Americans serving now.

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• Veterans• Veterans• V Day Events• War’s end gets little response

Acting on instinctWorld War II veteran shareshis story

Valor in the face of the enemyVeteran fought on the frontlines of the Korean War

• Veteran’s• Veteran’s• V Affairs handbook• Top• Top• T 5 closest VA offices

List of fatalities from theAfghanistan and Iraq warswhos list hometowns in Texas

Endeavors of meritVietnam veteran was trainedas Chinese interpreter

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An experience to learn fromDesert Storm veteranprepares others to fight

• Department of Defense 101• Interactive exhibit to honorveterans

A different look at lifeVeteran was on front lineswhen troops enterd Iraq

Military museums bring historyto life

Returning to civilian lifeVeteran resumes collegeclasses

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Anchor Foundation RepairProudly Salutes

Meets 4th Thursday of each month exceptDecember at C&J BBQ on Texas Ave. at 7 pm.For more info visit http://wwwhttp://www.vva.org/VV.vva.org/VVAChapter937AChapter937.vva.org/VVAChapter937.vva.org/VV.vva.org/VVAChapter937.vva.org/VV

or email vva937@gmail.com

Vietnam Veteransof AmericaChapter 937Serving theBrazos Valley

“Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”another.”another

President: John Hince (979) 778-1835Vice President: MikeMikeMik Vela (979) 224-1017Secretary: Bill Powell (979) 774-3158Treasurer: John Withers (979) 775-4021

AVVAAVVAAV Representative: June Withers (979) 775-4021

Building the local memorialfor the local service

members who lost theirlives in Vietnam or as a

result of service inVietnam.

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Join us for a Veterana Veterana V ’s benefits education dayfeaturing Jerry Loden, professional memberof the AAWVAAWVAA .WV.WV

Learn about VA benefits, the applicationprocess, and how to becomeeligible even if you exceedthe limits.

An Invitation toFamilies of Wartime Veterans

and Surviving Spouses

Isle atWatercrest-Bryan4091 Eastchester DriveBryan, Texas 77802

Thursday, November 10, 201111:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Lunch will be provprovpr ided

RSVP by November 5866-938-0801

become

Integrated Senior Living

“Aid and Attendance Benefit” Seminar

Monday• 2:30 p.m. — Downtown

Bryan: Veterans Parade begins;expected to last about half anhour.

11-11-11• 8 a.m. — TAMU— TAMU— T Campus,

Military Walk: RemembranceDay Roll Call begins, wherenames of those who died inAfghanistan and Iraq will be readaloud.• 9 a.m. — TAMU— TAMU— T Campus,

Spence Park, Vice President’shome: A recognition breakfastfor all faculty, staff and studentswho are military veterans.• 3 p.m. — Veterans— Veterans— V Park:

Dedication of the Korean WarMemorial on the Lynn StuartPathway• 4 p.m. — Veterans— Veterans— V Park:

Reading of the names at thetheVeterans Memorial in AdamsAdamsPlaza• 4 p.m. — Sam’sam’s Club:

Special veteran event withwith coffeeand cake and a WaWallll of Honordisplaying photos ofof local veter-ans• 5 p.m. — Veteranseterans— Veterans— V Park:

Veterans Day Ceremonyemony beginsat the American PavilionPavilion

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VETERANSDAY EVENTS

Those interested in putting aname on Brazos Valleys Valleys V VeteransMemorial, go to bvvm.org.The cost is $100 and the

names are added each year onVeterans Day.The organization’s website

also has a master list of all thenames on the wall, whichwhich isis atthe Veterans Park andand AthleticAthleticComplex in CollegeCollege Station.

The Brazos Valleythanks you, veterans

By DENNIS YUSKOTimes Union

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Iraq war changed the livesof millions of people at homeand abroad, sent the Americanmilitary into overdrive anddeepened the political divideacross the United States.

But public reaction to therecent announcement that allU.S.U.S. troops would be with-drawndrawn by Christmas has beenmuteted.d. AfteAfteAf r more than eightightigyears ofof combat, counter-insurgencyinsurgency operations andnation building,building, no ticker-tapeparades are planned.planned. Bighomecoming partiesparties are un-likely.

“The one thingthing I am struckby is the relativerelative lack ofresponse,” University atAlbany historianhistorian Carl BonTempo said.said. “It passed fairlywithoutwithout event, and I thinkthat’sthat’s because the country’sattentionsattentions have turned in-wardward to a huge economic cri-sis.”

While fierce oppositionmarked the start of the warunder President George W.

Bush, interviews with localservice members, veteransand peace activists revealstrong concerns withPresident Barack Obama’spolicy to end it. Their viewsalso signal uncertainty aboutthe war’s legacy.

Some who invested theirlives in Iraq view the with-drawal, which the Presidenthad promised, warily.They’re worried it couldreverse hard fought gains.

“Really, it’s mixed feel-ings,” retired Army Sgt. ChrisPaiser of Plattsburgh said.“Mission accomplished to acertain extent, but I don’tbelieve the Iraqi governmentis strong enough to survive onits own. We should still have abase over there.”

Paiser, 42, who landed inIraq in 2004, recalled tensefoot patrols of villages nearBalad. On June 16, 2004, as heenjoenjoen yed a rare day off ioff iof n thedesert, a bomb from an insur-gent exploded near him out-side a military PX. He wasblinded by shrapnel.

Former Gov. George Patakipinned a Purple Heart on

Paiser in Albany. The retiredsoldier comes to Albany formedical appointments. A forA forA f -mer correction officer, henow helps raise four childrenages 10 to 16.

“If you’re just going to pullout and leave, did I just losemy eyesight for nothing?” hesaid in an interview.

The U.S. invaded Iraq inMarch 2003. The Bush admin-istration went to war assert-ing that Iraq’s dictator,Saddam Hussein, had weap-ons of mass destruction andconnections to terrorists.Neither of those reasons wasverified.

The remaining 39,000American troops will arrivehome because the Obamaadministration and Iraqileaders were unable to agreeon a deal giving U.S. militarypersonnel legal immunity inthat country. Meanwhile, TheNew York Times reportedSunday that the Pentagonplans to maintain an Amer-ican military presence in thePersian Gulf, possibly inKuwait, after it withdrawsfrom Iraq.

War’s end gets little response

EARL GRAHAM POST 159 BRYAN TXTHE AMERICAN LEGION

“Veterans still serving veterans”

JOIN USTHURSDAY MORNINGS

SERVING BRYABRYABR N AND COLLEGE STATSTATST ION VETERANS, THEIR FAMILIES,AND THE YOUTH OF OUR COMMUNITYUNITYUNIT SINCE 1921.

Visit us at www.alegion159.org979-778-1936 FOR INFORMATION AND HALL RENTALS

John Hince, CommanderJames Rogers, Vice Commander

Garrett Martin, Adjutant

FROM 8AM TO 10AMFOR OUR VETERANS COFFEE

Charles FikesRussell KueckerDonnie WilsonEmory WilpitzBill CrockettScott Burgess

Manuel DeJesus

Salutingg Ouur VeVeV terans

NationallyAccreditedCosmetologySchool

(979) 776-43751711 Briarcrest Dr., Bryanwww.charlesandsues.com

By CASSIE SMITHcassie.smith@theeagle.com

Soon after the UnitedStates entered WorldWar II, James Wade

was exempted from the draftnot just because he was astudent, but he ran a dairyfarm.

And the agriculture busi-ness was an important onefor the country.

But several years later,the country remained at warand in need of militarymanpower, and Wade wasdrafted out of Brazos Countyand into the Army to joinother young American menin Nazi territory.

At 20 years old, Wadesaid, he was sent to FortBragg for seven weeks ofartillery field training.Wade and 22,000 otherscrowded the 2,900-passengerQueen Elizabeth headed toNew York, taking turnssleeping on bunks and thenon the deck due to lack ofspace. The ship was the sec-ond of the two superliners.

Wade, 87, said the ships’course was changed everyfive minutes to preventGerman submarines fromhaving the chance to get a fixa fixa fon the boat wboat wboa ith aith ait torpedo.

“You could sit on the backand see the zig-zag patternin the water,” he recalls.

Wade and his 99th FieldArtillery Battalion weretrained to work a switch-board before being sentoverseas. Once in Germany,his crew had one phone andtook turns running thelines to the command post,battalion headquarters, andhowitzer positions.

Two months after theyentered Germany, the warwas over. He was stationedin Germany an additional10 months as part of theoccupation. Wade said hewas transferred to anotherdivision where he workedguard duty in foun foun f r diffeiffeif rentlocations fors fors f hospitals, atroad blocks and guardingprisoners.

The last assignment hehadwas in Hersbruck, justeast of Nuremberg. Wadesaid it wasn’t until he’dreturned to the states thathe learned the witnesses heand his battalion guarded

were the ones attending theNuremberg trials.

“We just knew there weretrials were going on. We hadno idea what was takingplace or anything,” he said.

Shortly after the warended, he worked guardinga hospital where thepatients were members ofthe S.S., an elite corps ofcombat troops formed with-in the Nazi party.

From midnight to 8 a.m.,he and his battalion guardedthe hospital. One particularnight stood out, Wade said.

At 2 a.m., there was aknock on the door, he said.Wade, who was corporal ofthe guard at the time, said,“Come in,” not expectingwhat was awaiting him.

“The door flew open andthere stood this prisoner,with just shorts on, coveredin blood,” Wade said. “He’dslashed himself on his fors fors f e-head, his throat, his face, hiswhole body, he’d slashed it.”

Wade said he drew his .45and shouted at the Nazi,who was carrying a dulled,bloody knife in his lefthand, to leave “or I’llshoot.” However, the pris-oner only encouraged himto fire his weapon.

“I figured really quicklyhe’d tried to take his lifeand couldn’t and he wantedhelp,” he said, adding he’ddecided he wouldn’t helphim do that. “But then hemade a lunge at me. I shottwice and one of the bulletsgot him in the hip and hewent down.”

Wade said he was

informed by another com-mander that someonewould be coming to investi-gate.

“That was 65 years agoand no one’s ever showedup,” he said, laughing.

The prisoner was takeninto surgery and lived. Thedoctor later brought theslug dug out of the prison-er’s hip to Wade.

“It’s a funnya funnya f situation.You don’t think about thedanger. It’s just connectedwith it,” Wade said.“You’ve been trained to dothis or that and so you justwent about doing what wedid every day and nevergave it any thought that thenext bullet could get you.”

Wade said he was engagedto his wife, Dorothy, duringa 10-day delay before beingshipped overseas.

“We agreed we would notget married until after thewar,” he said.

She waited. They weremarried 56 years before shepassed away almost nineyears ago from leukemia.

Wade said he worked forthe railroad ford ford f a while, thenfor a cattle auction barn inCameron before returning toCollege Station to work for aconstruction company build-ing power lines.

After three years of retire-ment, Wade said, he wasready to get back to work.He’s been with the universi-

ty 10 years doing environ-mental work with Geo-chemical EnvironmentalResearch Group.

Wade continues to live inthe same place he was born,in the home his grandfatherbuilt a street over from citylimits. He has two daughtersthat hope to one day growold on that land as well.

Eagle photo by Dave McDermandBrazos County resident James Wade was drafted into the Army during World Ward Ward W II. Unknown to him at the time, hisbattalion was on assignment to guard witnesses attending the Nuremberg trials.

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Acting on instinctWorldWar II veteran recalls time, guard duties spent in Germany

Special to The EagleThe World Ward Ward W II national veterans memorial in Washington, D.C., was complet-ed and opened to the public in 2004. Six million served in the U.S. armedforces during World Ward Ward W II.

“It’s a funnya funnya fsituation. You don’tthink about thedanger. It’s just

connected with it.You’ve been trained todo this or that and soyou just went aboutdoing what we didevery day and nevergave it any thoughtthat the next bulletcould get you.”

JamesWadeWorldWar II veteran

By CASSIE SMITHcassie.smith@theeagle.com

Bob Middletonremembers thebreath-stopping

chill of the winter air inKorea and the barrage ofconstant bullet fire like itwas yesterday.

As a member of the TexasA&M University Corps ofCadets, Middleton hadalready signed a contract toserve in the Army aftergraduating. The nation wasa year into the Korean Warwhen he received a bache-lor’s in mathematics, andhe was soon commissionedas a second lieutenant andsent to Georgia andCalifornia for training.After a fewa fewa f brief months,

the 81-year-old CollegeStation resident said, hefound himself on the frontlines of war in Company Kof the 160th InfantryRegiment, 40th Division.“From that point on we

were under fire the entiretime,” he said. “Eventhough it was a long timeago, it’s like it was yester-day sometimes.”Middleton said he was in

charge of a 55-member pla-toon in Mundung-ni Valleywest of where the Battle ofHeartbreak Ridge tookplace.“You were in constant

sight of the enemy,” hesaid, describing how theywere surrounded by highground.They spent six months in

that position, taking turnspatrolling for enemy camp-grounds.“Quite often we found

each other,” said Middleton.For actions taken while

in the Mundung-ni Valley,Middleton received a SilverStar.He said his platoon was

on patrol one night whenthe group came acrossenemy fighters.“We saw each other about

the same time and therewas a large firefight,” hesaid. “One of my guys wentdown and we had to backaway from him. I crawledback up and drug him back.Turns out he was dead butwe didn’t know that.”He was 22 years old at the

time.

“It’s hard to talk about,”he said. “I don’t know whythey gave me the medal. Ididn’t do anything differentthan anybody else wouldhave done. You do things incombat that you wouldn’tnormally think you woulddo otherwise. Things youdo, they have to be done.Especially if you’re leadingsomething, you feel likeyou’re responsible foreverything that happens. Ifthings go right, you’reresponsible. When thingsgo wrong, you’re responsi-ble. When somebody needshelp, you go help them.”

Middleton said his platoonwas eventually replaced bythe 45th Infantry Division.But it wasn’t long until theywere needed elsewhere.There was a prisoner-of-waruprising on Koje Island, offthe coast of South Korea.The prisoners were able tocapture a commanding gen-eral, he said.“We were pulled to help

quell the rise,” he said.The prisoners had been

placed in compounds toolarge to handle, he said.Once his platoon arrived,Middleton said, theyreduced each prisoner com-

pound from 5,000 men to 500.One thing that stands out

in his mind about his timein Korea was watching theriver that cut through the

valley freeze over duringthe winter. The platoonwould have to cross over

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Valor in the face of the enemyKoreanWar veteran received Silver Star for his actions in combat

“It’s hard to talkabout. I don’t knowwhy they gave me themedal. I didn’t doanything differentthan anybody elsewould have done.You do things incombat that youwouldn’t normallythink you would do

otherwise...”

BobMiddletonKoreanWar veteran

A plaque as partof the nationalmemorial inhonor of KoreanWar veterans andthose who werekilled in action isinscribed with“Our nationhonors her sonsand daughterswho answeredansweredansthe call todefend a countrythey never knewand a peoplethey never met.”met.”met.

Special toThe Eagle

Bob Middletonwas a memberof the Corps ofCadets while astudent atTexas A&MUniversity. AUniversity. AUniversity ftergraduating,he wascommissionedas a secondlieutenant andserved on thefront linesduring theKorean War.

Eagle photo byDaveMcDermand

See VETERAN, Page 9

FREE ADMISSION for active-duity servicemembers and their immediate family.

bushlibrary.tamu.edu/military

NOW ONEXHIBIT

1000 GEORGE BUSH DRIVE WESTCOLLEGE STATION, TEXAS 77845

979.691.4000bushlibrary.tamu.edu

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A granite wallnear theKorean Warmemorial readssimply“Freedom isnot free.”free.”free.

Special toThe Eagle

the river on the ice duringthe colder months.“It was the coldest place

I’ve ever been,” he said. “Iworked in Norway threeyears and I’ve never been socold as I was in Korea.”After serving, Middleton

went to work in the oilindustry. He and his wife,Bobbie, moved to CollegeStation in 2003 to be closerto their four grandchildren,who at one point all wereattending Texas A&M.Bobbie and Bob will have

been married 60 years on

Dec. 26.Middleton said he came

back to College Station onChristmas leave before leav-ing for Korea. During thattime, he married his wife,whom he’d been dating.Bobbie was a student at SamHouston State Universitywhen they met, he said.“We used to go over there

and find girls,” he laughed.Middleton said he’s

always wanted to return toKorea for a visit.“I under-stand it’s changed somuch,” he said.“It wasn’tnothing but mud hutsthen.”

VETERAN:Would liketo visit Korea to see changeContinued from A8

• Bryan-College Station CBOC1651 Rock Prairie Rd, Suite 100

College Station 77845979-680-0361 or979-680-0361

• Conroe VA Outpatient Clinic800 Riverwood Court Suite 100

Conroe 77304936-522-4000 or

800-553-2278 X 1949

• LaGrange OutReach Clinic890 E Travis StreetLaGrange 78945979-968-5878

• Central Texas VeteransHealth Care System

1901 Veterans Memorial DriveTemple 76504-7451254-778-4811 or254-778-4811

• Central Texas VeteransHealth Care System -

Olin E TeagueE TeagueE T Veterans' Center1901 Veterans Memorial Drive

Temple 76504254-778-4811 or254-778-4811

Top 5 closestVeteran Affairs

officesEagle Staff Report

Those who have dealtwith the Departmentof Veterans Affairsknow it’s a com-plicated system,which is whyofficials createda handbook tohighlight eventhe smallestdetails.The handbooks

are tailored to pro-vide enrolled veteranswith the most relevant healthbenefits information based ontheir own specificificif eligibility.In essence, each handbook iswritten for the individual vet-eran.“These handbooks will give

veterans everything theyneed to know and leave outeverything that doesn’t applyto them,” said Secretary ofVeterans Affairs Eric K.Shinseki. “Our veterans willnow have a comprehensive,easy to understand roadmapto the medical benefits theyearned with their service.”In addition to highlighting

each veteran’s specific healthbenefits, the handbook pro-vides contact information

for the veteran’s pre-ferred local facility,ways to schedulepersonal appoint-ments, guide-lines for com-m u n i c a t i n gtreatment needsand an explana-tion of the veter-

an’s responsibili-ties, such as co-pay-

ments when applicable.“Enhancing access isn’t just

about expanding the kinds ofservices VA provides. It alsoincludes making sure we doeverything we can to ensureveterans have a clear under-standing of the benefits avail-able to them so they can makefull use of the services theyhave earned,” Shinseki said.The handbooks should be

available now after goingthrough a yearlong pilot pro-gram.For information, go to

www.va.gov/healtheligibilityor call VA’s toll-free numberat 1-877-222-VETS (8387).

VA handbook meant to helpveterans get best of benefits

We proudly salute America’s veterans and active-duty military for theirtheir

drive and dedication, contributionscontributions and courage. Their commitmentcommitment

to our country and our freedomeedom has protected us for generations,generations,

and we owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. ThisThis

Veterans Day, please join us in honoring the brave menmen and womenwomen of

our Armed Forces who have fought, sacrificed and serveved their countrcountry

with pride.

Thank You

from all your friends at College Station Medical Center.

AmericanVeterans

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TThhoossee wwhhoo ddiieeddAs of late last week, the United States Central Command confirmed 6,276 casualties in the Global War on

Terrorism since 2001, and another 148 battle deaths during the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s.

The following are the military personnel who listed cities in Texas as their hometown:

James B. Wilke ★★ Estevan Altamirano ★★ Steven L. Talamantez ★★ Glenn M. Sewell ★★ Nicholas P. Bellard ★★ Corey C. Owens ★★ Esau S. A.Gonzales ★★ Richard J. Jordan ★★ Sean L. Caughman ★★ Adriana Alvarez ★★ Bradley Espinoza ★★ Matthew R. Courtois ★★ Johnny Roosevelt Polk ★★Brandon T. Lara ★★ Joshua L. Hazlewood ★★ Joshua W. Soto ★★ Matthew Houseal ★★ Christopher D. Loza ★★ Sean P. McCune ★★ John J. Savage ★★Miguel A. Wilson ★★ Heath K. Pickard ★★ Geoffrey G. Johnson ★★ Reuben M. Fernandez III ★★ Corry A. Edwards ★★ Anthony L. Mason ★★ Julio C.

Ordonez ★★ Robert Vallejot Vallejot V II ★★ Sidney J. Marceaux Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Wesley R. Durbin ★★ Javier Perales Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Thomas F. Duncan III ★★ Jonathan D. A. Emard ★★Quincy J. Green ★★ Alex D. Gonzalez ★★ Jeffrey F. Nichols ★★ Lawrence D. Ezell ★★ Clay A. Craig ★★ David P. McCormick ★★ Mark A. Stone ★★ Timothy

W. Cunningham ★★ Adrian M. Campos ★★ Jason L. Brown ★★ Shaun P. Tousha ★★ Jeffrey L. Hartley ★★ Matthew T. Morris ★★ Joshua A. Molina ★★Steven I. Candelo ★★ Jose A. Rubio Hernandez ★★ Gregory D. Unruh ★★ William D. O'Brien ★★ Dustin C. Jackson ★★ Donald A. Burkett ★★ Scott A.McIntosh ★★ Orlando A. Perez ★★ Conrad Alvarez ★★ Christopher J. West ★★ Michael A. Norman ★★ Gary W. Jy W. Jy W effries ★★ Rowdy J. Inman ★★ Jeremy E.Ray ★★ Samuel E. Kelsey ★★ Benjamin J. Garrison ★★ Peter H. Burks ★★ Jermaine D. Franklin ★★ Brandon W. Smitherman ★★ Eric T. Duckworth ★★Joseph B. Milledge ★★ Randell Olguin ★★ Aaron J. Walker ★★ Christopher M. McCloud ★★ Omar L. Mora ★★ Thomas L. Hilbert ★★ John C. Stock ★★

William T. Warford III ★★ Javier G. Paredes ★★ Rodney J. Johnson ★★ Tracy C. Willis ★★ Matthew S. Medlicott ★★ Garrett I. McLead ★★ Paul B. Norris ★★Kamisha J. Block ★★ Juan M. Lopez Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ William L. Edwards ★★ Dustin S. Wakeman ★★ Braden J. Long ★★ Eric D. Salinas ★★ James H. McRae ★★

Bobby L. Twitty ★★ Rhett A. Butler ★★ Ron J. Joshua Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Jeffrey R. McKinney ★★ Andrew T. Engstrom ★★ James L. Adair ★★ Jimy M. Malone ★★ ChrisDavis ★★ Danny R. Soto ★★ Johnny R. Strong ★★ Timothy B. Cole Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Juan F. Campos ★★ Chadrick O. Domino ★★ Bacilio E. Cuellar ★★ Jonathan A.Markham ★★ Kile G. West ★★ Emmanuel Villarreal ★★ Michael J. Jaurique ★★ Mathew P. LaForest ★★ Kristopher A. Hidgon ★★ Oscar Sauceda Jr.Jr.Jr ★★Michael W. Davis ★★ Ryan D. Collins ★★ Marquis J. McCants ★★ Joshua G. Romero ★★ Anselmo Martinez III ★★ Roy L. Jones III ★★ Dan H. Nguyen ★★Anthony M. Bradshaw ★★ Kenneth N. Mack ★★ Larry I. Guyton ★★ Glenn D. Hicks Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Eddie D. Tamez ★★ Ray M. Bevel ★★ Ryan A. Bishop ★★ Robert

M. McDowell ★★ Lance C. Springer II ★★ Ryan P. Green ★★ Marieo Guerrero ★★ John S. Stephens ★★ Forrest J. Waterbury ★★ Cory C. Kosters ★★Anthony Aguirre ★★ Travis Wayne Buford ★★ Allen Mosteiro ★★ Nickolas A. Tanton ★★ Gilbert Minjares Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ James Rodney Tijerina ★★ Terrence D.

Dunn ★★ Timothy A. Swanson ★★ Darrell W. Shipp ★★ Hector Leija ★★ Gary S. Johnston ★★ Sean E. Lyerly ★★ Allen B. Jaynes ★★ Jacob H. Neal ★★ RussellP. Borea ★★ Collin R. Schockmel ★★ Paul T. Sanchez ★★ Ryan R. Berg ★★ Richard A. Smith ★★ Dustin R. Donica ★★ Nathaniel A. Given ★★ Aaron L.

Preston ★★ Stephen L. Morris ★★ John Barta ★★ Kyle A. Nolen ★★ Robert J. Volker. Volker. V ★★ Brian L. Mintzlaff ★★ Paul Balint Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Luke C. Yepsen ★★ Philip C.Ford ★★ Yari Morki ★★ Troy D. Cooper ★★ David M. Fraser ★★ Michael C. Ledsome ★★ Joshua C. Alonzo ★★ Michael T. Mutz ★★ Miles P. Henderson ★★

Jose A. Galvan ★★ Eric J. Kruger ★★ Luke B. Holler ★★ Carl A. Eason ★★ Nathaniel A. Aguirre ★★ Daniel W. Winegeart ★★ Jonathan J. Simpson ★★ JohnnyK. Craver ★★ Thomas J. Hewett ★★ Benjamin S. Rosales ★★ Joe A. Narvaez ★★ Jose A. Lanzarin ★★ Edward C. Reynolds Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Aaron A. Smith ★★ Ryan A.

Miller ★★ Ruben J. Villa Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Michael C. Lloyd ★★ Brian J. Kubik ★★ George M. Ulloa Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Blake H. Russell ★★ Kenneth I. Pugh ★★ Omar Flores ★★James P. Muldoon ★★ Virrueta A. Sanchez H Benjamin C. Williams ★★ Reyes Ramirez ★★ Kristian Menchaca ★★ Ryan T. Sanders ★★ Brett L. Tribble ★★James A. Funkhouser ★★ J. Adan Garcia ★★ Benito A. Ramirez ★★ Daniel E. Holland ★★ Matthew W. Worrel ★★ Aaron P. Latimer ★★ Bryant A. Herlem ★★

Jason B. Daniel ★★ Stephen Joseph Perez ★★ Richard P. Waller ★★ Andres Aguilar Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Israel Devora Garcia ★★ Walter M. Moss Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Amy A.Duerksen ★★ John D. Fry ★★ Tina M. Priest ★★ Anthony R. Garcia ★★ Christopher R. Morningstat ★★ Simon T. Cox Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Jerry M. “Michael” Durbin Jr.Jr.Jr ★★Brian McElroy ★★ Johnny J. Peralez Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Richard Matthew “Matt” Salter ★★ Benjamin T. Britt ★★ Johnnie V. Mason ★★ Samuel Tapia ★★ James C.Kesinger ★★ Michael C. Taylor ★★ Robert Alexander Martinez ★★ William D. Richardson ★★ Donald J. Hasse ★★ Javier A. Villanueva ★★ William B.Meeuwsen ★★ Miguel Terrazas ★★ Dominic Joseph Hinton ★★ John M. Longoria ★★ Christopher M. McCrackin ★★ William J. Byler ★★ Michael T.

Robertson ★★ George T. Alexander ★★ Jacob D. Dones ★★ Russell H. Nahvi ★★ Tommy Ike Folks Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Howard E. Babcock IV ★★ Lorenzo Ponce Ruiz ★★John R. Stalvey ★★ Sean B. Berry ★★ Timothy J. Roark ★★ Steve Morin Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Shawn A. Graham ★★ Robert D. Marcum ★★ Christopher L. Everett ★★ IvicaJerak ★★ Hatim S. Kathiria ★★ Roger D. Castleberry Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Ernest W. Dallas Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Steven P. Gill ★★ Hoby F. Bradfield Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Rafael A. “T.J.”“T.J.”“T Carrillo Jr.Jr.Jr ★★

Christopher R. Kilpatrick ★★ Robert M. Horrigan ★★ Tyler S. Trovillion ★★ Jonathan R. Flores ★★ Mario Alberto Castillo ★★ Roberto Arizola Jr.Jr.Jr ★★Theodore S. Westhusing ★★ Albert E. Smart ★★ Wesley R. Riggs ★★ Samuel Tyrone Castle ★★ Aaron N. Cepeda Sr.Sr.Sr ★★ Lance Tanner Graham ★★ Gary W.y W.y WWalters Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Aaron M. Hudson ★★ Francisco G. Martinez ★★ Juan M. Solorio ★★ Danny L. Anderson ★★ Trevor D. Aston ★★ Clinton R. Gertson ★★ RayRangel ★★ Jeremy O. Allmon ★★ Daniel Torres ★★ Nazario Serrano ★★ Orlando A. Bonilla ★★ Taylor J. Burke ★★ Dexter S. Kimble ★★ Tony L. Hernandez ★★Lyle L. Gordan ★★ Paul C. Alaniz ★★ Rhonald Dain, Rairdan ★★ Fred L Maciel ★★ Saeed Jafarkhani-TorshiziJafarkhani-TorshiziJafarkhani-T Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Jesus A. Leon-Perez ★★ Javier Marin Jr.Jr.Jr★★ Viktar V. Yolkin ★★ Paul C. Holter III ★★ Matthew W. Holloway ★★ Juan Rodrigo Rodriguez Velasco ★★ Joseph E. Fite ★★ Julio C. Cisneros-Alvarez ★★Barry K. Meza ★★ Franklin A. Sweger ★★ Hilario F. Lopez ★★ Todd Clayton Gibbs ★★ Kyle A. Eggers ★★ Michael L. Boatright ★★ Zachary A. Kolda ★★ JoseGuereca Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Brian K. Grant ★★ Louis W. Qualls ★★ William L. Miller ★★ Sean P. Sims ★★ Jose Al Velez ★★ Byron W. Norwood ★★ Wesley J. Canning ★★Gene Ramirez ★★ John Byron Trotter ★★ Russell L. Slay ★★ Travis A. Babbitt ★★ Horst Gerhard “Gary” Moore ★★ Thomas J. Zapp ★★ Michael Battles Sr.Sr.Sr★★ Josiah H. Vandertulip ★★ Michael S. Weger ★★ Eric L. Allton ★★ Timothy Folmar ★★ Adam J. Harris ★★ Foster L. Harrington ★★ Mathew D. Puckett ★★Dominic C. Brown ★★ Jason T. Poindexter ★★ Lauro G. DeLeon Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Chad H. Drake ★★ Tomas Garces ★★ Ryan Michael McCauley ★★ Nicholas Perez ★★Nickalous N. Aldrich ★★ Jacob R. Lugo ★★ Seth Huston ★★ Mark Anthony Zapata ★★ Andrew R. Houghton ★★ Juan Calderon Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Michael S. Torres ★★Brian D. Smith ★★ Pedro Contreras ★★ Todd J. Bolding ★★ Rene Ledesma ★★ Isela Rubalcava ★★ Jeffrey G. Green ★★ Aaron C. Austin ★★ Ruben Valdez Jr.Jr.Jr

★★ Clayton Welch Henson ★★ Christopher Ramirez ★★ Daniel R. Amaya ★★ Wesley C. Fortenberry ★★ Adolf C. Carballo ★★ William C. Eckhart ★★ EliasTorrez III ★★ Matthew E. Matula ★★ Michael B. Wafford ★★ Gerardo Moreno ★★ Scott Quentin Larson Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Shane Lee Goldman ★★ Israel Garza ★★

Robert R. Arsiaga ★★ Dustin M. Sekula ★★ Michael G. Karr Jr. ★★ Doyle M. Hufstedler ★★ Leroy Sandoval Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ James A. Casper ★★ Jason C. Ludlam ★★Ricky A. Morris Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Joe L. Dunigan Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Armando Soriano ★★ Ervin Dervishi ★★ James D. Parker ★★ Kelly L. Hornbeck ★★ Larry E. Polley Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ RolandL. Castro ★★ Ernesto M. Blanco ★★ Rey D. Cuervo ★★ Stuart W. Mt W. Mt W oore ★★ Ray J. Hutchinson ★★ Clarence E. Boone ★★ Ariel Rico ★★ John W. Russell ★★

Gary L. Collins ★★ Keelan L. Moss ★★ Michael Paul Barrera ★★ John P. Johnson ★★ Stephen E. Wyatt ★★ Joseph C. Norquist ★★ Analaura EsparzaGutierrez ★★ Richard Arriaga ★★ James C. Wright ★★ Henry Ybarra III ★★ Zeferino E. Colunga ★★ Daniel K. Methvin ★★ Hector R. Perez ★★ Jonathan D.

Rozier ★★ Christian C. Schultz ★★ Melissa Valles ★★ James Curtis Coons ★★ Tomas Sotelo Jr.Jr.Jr ★★ Robert L. Frantz ★★ Joseph D. Suell ★★ Jose A. Perez III★★ Joe Jesus Garza ★★ Andrew Todd Arnold ★★ Eric Bruce Das ★★ Anthony Scott Miller ★★ Jesus Martin Antonio Medellin ★★ Chad Eric Bales ★★ ScottJamar ★★ George Andrew Fernandez ★★ Phillip Andrew Jordan ★★ Edward John Anguiano ★★ Johnny Villareal Mata ★★ James Michael Kiehl ★★ Ruben

Estrella-Soto ★★ Brian Matthew Kennedy

IRAQ

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PAUL A. RIVERA ★★ HOUSTON M. TAYLORTAYLORTA ★★ BENJAMIN WHETSTONE SCHMIDT ★★ DAVIDDAVIDDA A. DRAKE ★★

ANDRES ZERMENO ★★ RODOLFO RODRIGUEZ JR. ★★ BRIAN K. LUNDY ★★ MICHAEL C. ROBERTS★★ JESSE W. DIETRICH ★★ CHARLES L. PRICE III ★★ STEPHEN MATTHEWMATTHEWMA MILLS ★★ BENJAMIN A.

STEPHENSON ★★ JACOB MOLINA ★★ MARK R. GOYET ★★ JOHN F. FARIAS ★★ OSUE IBARRA ★★ BRADLEYJ. GAUDET ★★ JOSHUA D. POWELL ★★ ANTHONY M. NUNN ★★ ANDREW M. KRIPPNER ★★ RILEY S.

SPAULDINGSPAULDINGSP ★★ NATHANNATHANNA J. NYLANDER ★★ JOHN P. CASTRO ★★ JOEL A. RAMIREZ ★★ CHARLES J. WREN★★ JEREMY D. SMITH ★★ SCOTT H. BURGESS ★★ ROBERT F. WT F. WT F ELCH III ★★ BRYAN A. BURGESS ★★

MECOLUS C. MCDANIEL ★★ CHAUNCY R. MAYSMAYSMA ★★ OMAR SOLTEROSOLTEROSOL ★★ ZAINAH C. CREAMER ★★ OMARACEVES ★★ IRA B. LANINGHAM ★★ TEVANTEVANTEV B. NGUYEN ★★ JOSE L. MALDONADO ★★ COLTONCOLTONCOL W. RUSK ★★

JASON A. REEVES ★★ DEVON J. HARRIS ★★ KYLE M. HOLDER ★★ PEDRO A. MALDONADO ★★ JORGEVILLARREAL JR. ★★ CARLOS A. BENITEZ ★★ CODY A. BOARD ★★ CALVINCALVINCAL B. HARRISON ★★ DANIEL R.SANCHEZ ★★ DIEGO M. MONTOYAMONTOYAMONTOY ★★ JESSE INFANTEINFANTEINF ★★ ALEXIS V. MALDONADO ★★ BENJAMIN G.

CHISHOLM ★★ JOSE L SAENZ III ★★ JOHN E. ANDRADE ★★ KYLE B. STOUT ★★ JASON E. HOLBROOK ★★

SHANE R. MARTIN ★★ JAMES J. OQUIN ★★ LESTON M. WINTERS ★★ SHAUN M. MITTLER ★★ JESSE W.AINSWORTH ★★ JEROD H. OSBOURN ★★ EDWARDOEDWARDOEDW LOREDO ★★ MARIO RODRIGUEZ ★★ MICHAEL P.

FLORES ★★ MATTHEWMATTHEWMA R. CATLETTCATLETTCA ★★ BRANDON C. BURY ★★ DEREK HERNANDEZ ★★ JACOB C. LEICHT★★ ZARIAN WOOD ★★ JEFFERY W. JOHNSON ★★ KENNETH B. MAY JMAY JMA R. ★★ CHRISTOPHER RANGEL ★★

GARRETT W. GAMBLE ★★ BOBBY J. PAGAN ★★ PAUL PENA ★★ NICHOLAS K. UZENSKI ★★ MARK D.JUAREZ ★★ JAMES M. NOLEN ★★ JOSEPH M. LEWIS ★★ SHAWNSHAWNSHA P. HEFNER ★★ CESAR B. RUIZ ★★

FERNANDO DE LA ROSA ★★ CODY R. STANLEYSTANLEYST ★★ SHAWNSHAWNSHA H. MCNABB ★★ CHRIS N. STAASTAAST TSAATSAA ★★ DAVIDDAVIDDAA. DAVISDAVISDA ★★ JOSHUA M. MILLS ★★ MICHAEL C. MURPHREY ★★ JOSHUA S. MEADOWS ★★ DARRYN D.

ANDREWS ★★ CHRISTOPHER S. BALTABALTABAL ZAR JR. ★★ CLAYTONCLAYTONCLA PATRICKPATRICKPA BOWEN ★★ MICHAEL JAYJAYJAHOSKINS ★★ TRAVISTRAVISTRA THORNTON BABINE ★★ ALEJANDRO GRANADO III ★★ ANDREW JAY RJAY RJA OUGHTON ★★

GREGORY OWENS JR. ★★ JOSHUA RAY FRAY FRA ARRISY FARRISY F ★★ DARREN ETHAN TATETATETA ★★ PETER K. CROSS ★★

JARRETT P. GRIEMEL ★★ MATTHEWMATTHEWMA D. OGDEN ★★ MATTHEWMATTHEWMA G. REZA ★★ MARK E. STRATTONSTRATTONSTRA ★★

ARCHIE A. TAYLORTAYLORTA ★★ RAYMONDRAYMONDRA J. MUNDEN ★★ PETER J. COURCY ★★ CORY J. BERTRAND ★★ RODOLFOI. RODRIGUEZ ★★ JOHN A. MATTOXMATTOXMA ★★ JAIME GONZALEZ JR. ★★ EDGAR A. HEREDIA ★★ MATTHEWMATTHEWMA E.

MENDOZA ★★ MARK R. CANNON ★★ CHARLES B. KITOWSKI III ★★ ALAN J. AUSTIN ★★ THOMAS G.BOSTICK JR. ★★ ZACHARY R. ENDSLEY ★★ JOSEPH G. HARRIS ★★ MICHAEL A. SHANK ★★ WILLIAM R.

BROWN ★★ ROGELIO R. GARZA ★★ ANDREW VELEZ ★★ ERIC CABAN ★★ ROGER P. PEÑA JR. ★★ ERIC W.TOTTEN ★★ JEFFREY S. WIEKAMP ★★ CLINTON T. NEWMAN ★★ PHILLIP C. GEORGE ★★ LAURA

MARGARET WALKER ★★ DAMIAN J. GARZA ★★ STEVEN CHARLES TUCKER ★★ ISAAC E. DIAZ ★★

WILLIAM M. AMUNDSON JR. ★★ JUAN MANUEL TORRES ★★ JOHN E. TAYLORTAYLORTA ★★ RAYMONDRAYMONDRA LOSANO ★★

JOHN “MIKE” TEAL ★★ RODRIGO GONZALES-GARZA ★★ BRIAN T. CRAIG ★★ JOHN A. CHAPMAN ★★

NATHANNATHANNA R. CHAPMAN

FFaall lleenn hheerrooeess

AFGHANISTANAFGHANISTANAFGHANIST

Scott H. Burgess, 324 April 2011

Rank: SergeantBranch: U.S. Army

Hometown: Franklin

Jacob C. Leicht, 2427 May 2010Rank: Corporal

Branch: U.S. MarineHometown: College

Station*1000th fatality:Born July 4 (AP

Article)

Timothy W.Cunningham, 2623 April 2008

Rank: 1st LieutenantBranch: U.S. ArmyHometown: College

Station

Bobby L. Twitty, 2itty, 2itty 022 July 2007

Rank: Lance CorporalBranch: U.S. MarineHometown: Bedias,

Texas

Larry I. Guyton, 225 May 2007Rank: Private

1st ClassBranch: U.S. Army

Hometown: Brenham

Glenn D. Hicks Jr.,Jr.,Jr24

28 April 2007Rank: Sergeant

Branch: U.S. ArmyHometown: College

Station

James D. Parker, 2Parker, 2Parker 021 January 2004

Rank: Private1st Class

Branch: U.S. ArmyHometown: Bryan

Brazos Valley has lost seven soldiers in the Global War on Tern Tern T rorism —the youngest was 20, the oldest 32. We honor:

By MAGGIE KIELYmaggie.kiely@theeagle.com

College Station resi-dent Ken Spencerspent his 21st birth-

day in a bunker under mas-sive rocket fire from VietCong aiming to hit his baselocated near the DMZ. “Oh,it was just some incomingfire, you know,” the 64-year-old retired Army captainsaid half-jokingly. “Just VCshooting rockets at us. Wedidn’t have it bad comparedto the infantry.”After talking with other

Vietnam veterans, it’s appar-ent that Spencer’s humbledemeanor is common for asoldier from that period, andmany seem quick to thank afellow soldier for their serv-ice before acknowledgingtheir own contributions.About 58,000 American

soldiers and an estimatedtwo million Vietnamesetroops — from— from— f the northand south armies — diedduring the war.In 1961, about 2,000 mili-

tary advisers were sent toVietnam to assist SouthVietnamese soldiers fight-ing to keep their countryfrom being consumed bycommunist leaders inNorth Vietnam who hadsubstantial backing fromthe Chinese.Two years later, more than

16,000 advisers were on theground and in 1965 the firstwave of Marines arrived.By the time the war

ended in 1973, about 2.7 mil-lion American troops hadbeen deployed to Vietnam.Spencer, a Bronze Star

recipient, said that onVeterans Day he’s sure toexpress his appreciation totroops because he knowsthe impact of being recog-nized and thanked.He’s also felt the effects of

the opposite —manyVietnam veterans were treat-ed poorly by Americans upsetwith the country’s involve-ment in the war when theyreturned home from serviceand for several years after.Facing the possibility of

being drafted, Spencer saidhe enlisted in the Armyafter graduating highschool in New York becausehe didn’t know what hewanted to do.

Initially, he was assignedto the Defenefenef se Languanguang geInstitute — a school run bythe Army that provides for-eign languanguang ge services to theDepartment of Defense andother government agencies.After being trained as a

Chinese interpreter,Spencer said he went on toofficer candidacy school,which he left in May 1967 asa second lieutenant for theArmy Signal Corps.At that point, the Army

sent him to Quang TriProvince in Vietnam inApril 1968 as part of the588th Signal Company.The unit was responsible

for providing communica-tion support for the 3rdMarine Division, 1st Brigadeand the 5th MechanizedDivision — combat unitsengaged heavily engagedwith Vietnamese troops atthe time.His platoon maintained

and set up communication

systems near combat zonesso that ranking officerscould stay in contact withinfantry leaders and pro-vide support.During the day, Spencer

said, they spent most of theirtime within the perimeter ofthe post setting up cablesand reconfiguring switch-boards so that those in com-bat were able to relay mes-sages back to officers viaradio.Although his unit did

receive incoming mortar orrocket rounds, Spencer saidhe wasn’t engaged in anybattles.The eeriest moments were

at night when his teamwould take military jeepsinto the jungle scouting forcables that needed mainte-nance or setting up new com-munication lines, he said.About six months into his

tour, Spencer was reas-

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Endeavors of meritBronze Star recipient says Vietnam veterans were disrespected at the time

Ken Spencer enlisted inthe Army after graduatinghigh school. He spent ayear as part of a platoonproviding communicationsupport for combat unitsengagedagedag with Vietnamesetroops so that rankingofficers could maintaincontact with infantryleaders in the field.

Eagle photo byDave McDermand

See MERIT, Page 13

Member fdicLocal bank. Local bankers.

Hwy 213400 Highway 21 East

Bryan, Texas 77808(979) 260-2145

CoLLege Station2305 Texas Avenue South

college Station, Texas 77840(979) 260-2138

w. ViLLa MaRia1920 W. Villa Maria Road, Ste 202

Bryan, Texas 77807(979) 779-1920

tx aVe @ ViLLa MaRia2900 S. Texas AvenueBryan, Texas 77802

(979) 260-2100

CoRpoRate1716 Briarcrest drive, Suite 400

Bryan, Texas 77802(979) 260-2100

At The Bank & Trust we salute and givethanks to our Veterans, active militarypersonnel and their families for theirsacrifice and commitment to preservingour freedom.

HonoR.appReCiate.appReCiate.appReCiaSaLute!

With gratitude, we honor America’sveterans and military personnel.

signed as a 63rd SignalBattalion rodeo officer inPhu Bai, slightly more than50 miles south of Quang Trion the coast of Vietnam.When Spencer returned

home in 1969 — a year aftermore than 700 college stu-dents had been arrested inhis home state during warprotests — he wasn’texpecting the response hereceived from civilians.“People were calling us

baby killers, giving us allsorts of crap,” he said. “Wenever got any respect.”Despite the lack of grati-

tude at the time, Spencersaid he doesn’t hold anygrudges and that society’ssentiment toward Vietnamveterans has significantlyimproved since the war.Robin Silva, operations

director at the Museum ofthe American G.I., didn’tserve in Vietnam, but wasworking as a technician forn forn fthe medical corps while thewar was going on.“If you were in the mili-

tary at that time you werehated. You couldn’t walk off

post without somebody say-ing something to you,” shesaid. “It was ridiculous iswhat it was. The entire timein America was hard tobelieve, it was so divided.”She can remember when

Vietnam veterans in NewYork City were invited totake part in a homecomingparade for Gulf War veter-ans, an effoeffoef rt by civilians

that she said had a strongpositive impact on soldiersfrom the era.Upon returning home and

retiring from the Army in1969, Spencer married andhad a son before moving toTexas in 1986.Two years ago, Spencer

retired from the U.S. PostalService after 22 years as aclerk.

MERIT: VietnamdividedAmericaContinued from A12

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Special to The EagleThe national Vietnam War memorial is divided into three parts: the ThreeSoldier’s statue (above), the Vietnam Women’s memorial and the VietnamVeteran’s Memorial Wall (right). The wall displays the names of U.S. servicemembers who died during the war.

� �� � �� � � � ���� ��� ����� �

By MICHELLE CASADYmichelle.casady@theeagle.comsady@theeagle.comsady@theea

The Desert Storm vet-eran was the onlyone of fivf fivf f e passen-

gers who survived the road-side bomb attack on hisconvoy in Nasiriyah, Iraq,in 2006.Keith Youngblood

received a traumatic braininjuinjuin ry during the attackand remained in a medical-ly induced coma for threedays, but he continuedfighting, refusing transporthome for treatment, andcompleted his 12-monthtour of duty.“When the vehicle was

blown up I was hit in theback of the head by anammunition can for a .50caliber,” he said. “And itblew me out of the vehicle.”The veteran first saw

combat in Iraq in the early’90s; but, after taking a jobat Fort Hood trainingyoung soldiers in 2005, hewas sent back.Youngblood came from a

long line of Army veteransand enlisted in 1986 at age17, knowing then, he said,the Army would be a careerfor him. As soon as he grad-uated high school inAvinger, a small town innortheast Texas of about600 people, he was off toFort Benning in Georgia.He had just turned 21, and

his wife was four monthspregnant with the couple’sfirst child, when he shippedout to Saudi Arabia.Youngblood and his fel-

low soldiers trained for amonth in Saudi Arabiawhile defenefenef ding the Port ofJubail before heading northinto Kuwait.Then, on Jan. 17, 1991, the

ground war in Iraq began.“I was excited. It was

what I had joined the mili-tary for,” he said of hisdeployment and service inDesert Storm. “I wanted todefend the Constitution ofthe United States anddefend the people who werehelpless in defending them-selves.”Extensive training before

his deployment, he said,prepared him for the rigorsof being in a combat envi-ronment.

“But once the first bulletsstart flying — that changeseverything,” he said.On the second day of

ground operations in Iraq,the vehicle he was riding into cross the border intoIraq, an M577, hit a land-mine.He suffered a concussion

and said his ears were ring-ing for a fewa fewa f days, but noneof the crew inside wereseriously injured.The vehicle had to be

destroyed in place, though.For nearly two months of

his deployment, he was partof a platoon patrolling thearea where SaddamHussein ordered Iraqitroops set fire to 700 oilwells during their retreatfrom Kuwait.“The actual ground was

on fire from all the oil. Itwas like a sea of fire in thedesert,” he said. “I thinkdealing with the smoke andheat from the fires was themost grueling part of thewhole deployment —breathing in just acrid,oiled smoke for days onend.”Back in Avinger as a

teenager, Youngblood

served his community as avolunteer firefighter andsaid he hoped to enter theArmy in that same capaci-ty, but the program thatallowed for that endedshortly before he enlisted.“But I guess it kind of

worked out anyhow,” hesaid.He was only allowed one

phone call home during hisfive months overseas. Itlasted seven minutes, and itwas to his wife.“We had to wait until we

began the peace-keepingmission in Kuwait beforewe could call,” he said. “Itwas so great to hear fromher, because I had no ideawhat had been going on.”The soon-to-be-father

made it back to the U.S. twodays before his son, Jason,was born.For the next decade, he

and his young familymoved from base to basebefore he was offerfferff ed a jobat Texas A&M teaching mil-itary science in March 2001.“When that opened up, I

said, ‘Yes, send me, I’mthere,’” he said. “I’d alwaysenjoyed teaching as a sol-dier and Texas was home. I

was ready for home.”Months after accepting

the post, the Sept. 11 attacksoccurred. Youngblood saidteaching in the classroomday in and day out and lis-tening to progress reportson the nightly news wasone of the hardest thingshe’s ever had to do.He and other instructors

at A&M volunteered to goback and help train soldiersin Iraq and Afghanistan.Their request was denied.“They told us we were

serving a better purpose atA&M, training these soon-to-be-lieutenants aboutwhat they can expect, andhow to conduct themselvesin front of the troops,” hesaid.He made it back, though,

at age 35.After four years at A&M,

he accepted a job at FortHood, training a combatbrigade to deploy to Iraq.They trained for 11 monthsand then headed ford ford fBaghdad.After that tour, he trained

one more group at FortHood, but didn’t deploy.Youngblood has since

retired frod frod f m the military

but still works at A&M withthe Corps of Cadets andsaid he’s even received anoffer to finish his collegedegree at the university.“I’ve got about 200 hours

of college credit,” he saidlaughing. “So, I could reallytake my pick of what tostudy.”He’ll likely pursue a

degree in agriculture eco-nomics, having grown upon an 1,800-acre familyfarm.“I don’t mind talking

about what happened andwhat I did,” he said.“Everyone needs to knowwhat’s going on over thereand what the soldiersthey’re paying are doing forg forg fthem.”

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An experience to learn fromDesert Storm veteran works with the Texas A&MCorps of Cadets

KeithYoungbloodserved inDesert Stormduring theearly ’90s andtaughtmilitaryscience atTexas A&M forfour years. Hetrainedcombatbrigades atFort Hood anddeployed for asecond timeto Iraq.

Photoscourtesy ofKeithYoungblood

“I was excited. It was what I had joinedthe military for. I wanted to defend the

Constitution of the United Statesand defend the people who werehelpless in defending themselves.”

KeithYoungbloodDesert Storm andOperation Iraqi Freedom veteran

Keith Youngblood (third from left) is pictured with some of his brothers inarms while on base during his second deployment in Iraq.

The EagleHere whenyou need us

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• Militar y ser vicemem-bers and civilians operate inevery time zone and in everyclimate.

• More than 450,000Depar tment of Defenseemployees are overseas,both afloat and ashore.

• The DOD operates inmore than several hundredthousand individual buildingsand structures at more than5,000 different locations orsites. Add those sites togeth-er, and the agency usesmore than 30 million acresof land.

• The largest militar yproperty is the Navy’s largecomplex of installations inNorfolk, Va., with more than78,000.

• DOD budget: $419.3 billion• DOD employees: 1.3 million

people• 95 percent of the employees

have high school diplomas vs.79 percent of the national work-force

• 5.6 percent of the troopshave a master’s degree vs.4.9 percent of the national work-force

• CEO: President of the UnitedStates

• DOD’s military branches rou-

tinely participate in peacekeep-ing and humanitarian missions.

• Army defends the land massof the U.S., its territories, com-monwealths and possessions andoperates in more than 50 coun-tries.

• Navy maintains, trains andequips combat-ready maritimeforces capable of fighting wars,deterring aggression and maintain-ing freedom of the seas. Aircraftcarriers stationed in hotspotsincluding the Far East, Persian Gulfand Mediterranean Sea.

• Air Force provides a rapid,

flexible and sometimeslethal air and space capa-bility that can deliver forcesanywhere in the world inless than 48 hours.Annually fly missions in allbut five nations of theworld.

• Marine Corps main-tains ready expeditionaryforces, sea-based andintegrated air-ground unitsfor contingency and com-bat operations, and themeans to stabilize or con-tain international distur-bances.

• Coast Guard provideslaw and maritime safetyenforcement, marine andenvironmental protection,

and military naval support.• National Guard and Reserve

forces provide wartime militarysupport and are essential tohumanitarian and peacekeepingoperations.

• Headquarters: Pentagon.Even though there are 17.5 milesof corridors in one of the world’slargest office buildings, it takesonly seven minutes to walkbetween any two points in thebuilding.

— Source: U.S. Departmentof Defense

Department of Defense 101 Interactive exhibitto honor veterans

Special to The Eagle

The Texas Veterans Land Boardand chairman Jerry Patterson willcelebrate Veterans Day with theopening of a Voices of Veterans pro-gram exhibit

An interactive, multimedia exhibitopens Nov. 11 in Austin where visi-tors can hear the stories of veteransfrom around the country.

The program, which is at the TexasCapitol Visitors Center called “EveryVeteran has a Story to Tell,” will runthrough September 2012.

“Our nation’s wars are well-known,” said Jerry Patterson, chair-man of the VLB and retired lieu-tenant colonel in the U.S. MarineCorps Reserve. “But hearing the grip-ping personal narratives from veter-ans of those wars — their experiencesof leaving home, going abroad, facingcombat and surviving — adds contextfor the public.

These firsthand accounts showthat ordinary men and women, facedwith incredible adversity, can accom-plish extraordinary things, organiz-ers said.

The Voices of Veterans program isan oral history initiative of the VLBthat honors veterans by documentingtheir powerful stories through thor-ough interviews.

Their captivating stories are thenpermanently archived in the Office of

Veterans Records at the Texas GeneralLand Office, where they join the his-toric documents of other Texas heroessuch as Sam Houston, David Crockett,Jim Bowie and William Barret Travis.

The archives are made available toresearchers, historians, genealogistsand the general public to inspirefuture generations and remind us ofour soldiers’ sacrifices.

The program is free to Texas vet-erans of all wars, fro, fro, f m World War IIto Afghanistan.

SpecialSpecial to The EagleTheThe Capitol Visitors Center, located at112 East 11th St., Austin, is the old-est office building in the state.

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A differentlook at lifeVeteranwas on front linesofOperation Iraqi FreedomBy MICHELLE CASADY

michelle.casady@theeagle.com

His friends didn’tunderstand whenRobert Lee Aiken

III, a University of Texasstudent just 20 hours shortof graduation, decided toenlist in the U.S. MarineCorps.“My dad was a career

Marine, and I wanted to dothe same thing,” he said ofhis decision to enlist inDecember 2000. “For me, itwasn’t giving up school, itwas having both.”After the Sept. 11 attacks,

Aiken received transferorders to move fromOkinawa, Japan, to a basein North Carolina. But, hewanted to see combat, andrequested to be transferred.He was sent to

Twentynine Palms, Calif.,to begin Combined ArmsExercise training.By January 2003, 26-year-

old Aiken and the othermembers of his platoonwere ready to deploy toKuwait, 45 kilometers fromthe Iraq border — wherethey waited and trained, notknowing where they wouldbe called.In March, Aiken crossed

into Iraq with RegimentalCombat Team 7. His job, asan engineer, was to doreconnaissance work forthe First Tank ScoutPlatoon — meaning he anda squad of other Marineswent out ahead of the tankconvoys to spot trouble andreport back.“We never got ambushed,

but we took constant fire.You had to be on the ballconstantly,” he said. “I’mlucky that I can say duringthe invasion there were nocasualties in our platoonfrom combat.”On the march forward to

Baghdad, Aiken and histroops encountered a firea firea f -fight that lasted days whenthe Marines crossed and

took control of the bridgeover the Diyala River, about10 miles south of Baghdad.As part of the reconnais-

sance team, Aiken wasscouring the river banksand surrounding areas, try-ing to find an alternativeroute into the city.“By the next day, we had

killed a lot of people —some were trying to crosswith white flae flae f gs,” he said.“But we had orders:Nothing will cross thatbridge. I feltI feltI f bad for thegunners.”On April 7, they crossed

the bridge and pressedonward to the capital. April7, he said, is a date he’llnever forget.The Marines, Aiken

recalled, discovered thearmory of what was theequivalent of SaddamHussein’s Special Forcesand also a stable full of“hundreds of the most beau-tiful Arabian horses.”“Some of them were dead

and dying and we had to puta fewa fewa f down,” he said.“That’s always stuck withme. It makes me sick tothink about the conditionsof war.”He left the country after

his tour was over in earlyJune, and married Gigi,whom he had met while sta-tioned in Okinawa and hadmaintained contact withthrough letters during hisdeployment.

See AIKEN, Page 17

“I remember beingso mad when I gotshot. It’s like ‘tag,

I g‘tag,I g

you’re out.’ I just keptthinking about my

guys, my Marines, themission, how everyonewas doing. It was the

worst feeling.”doing.

feeling.”doing.

Robert LeeAiken IIIOperation Iraqi Freedom veteran

After six months of rest,he asked to be redeployed.This time, he went as a cor-poral leading a squad ofabout a dozen Marines aspart of the 2nd Battalion, 4thMarines infantry battalion.

Coincidentally, OliverNorth, the combat veteranMarine, author and politi-cal commentator, embeddedwith his group.

He arrived in February2004, but left on April 7after he was shot twice withan AK-47.

It happened in AlRamadi, the capital city ofthe Al Anbar region, wherehe and his other Marineshad the day before spent anentire day scouting forimprovised explosivedevices.

“The next day we realizedwe found so many IEDsbecause they were planninga full-scalea full-scalea f attack the nextday,” he said.

The Marines were out-numbered six to one, hesaid.

He loaded up into the last

vehicle in the convoy andshortly ran into an ambush— he was shot once in thefoot and once in the but-tocks, though he wouldn’trealize he had received thesecond wound until he gotto the field hospital.

“It felt felt f t like someone put ahot iron through my foot,”he said. “The boot was stillon, but everything in therewas like Jell-O, floatingaround, crunching, crack-ing.”

“I remember being so

mad when I got shot. It’slike ‘Tag, you’re out,’” hesaid. “I just kept thinkingabout my guys, myMarines, the mission, howeveryone was doing. It wasthe worst feeling.”

Aiken’s injuries requiredhe be medically retiredfrom the Marines inNovember 2005. He hadintended to make a careeras a Marine.

He and Gigi now are rais-ing two young daughters —Samantha is 5 and Gina is18 monthsnthsnt old — in a hd — in a hd — i omein Iola that was donated tothem this summer byOperation Finally Home, anonprofit organization thatprovides mortgage-free hous-ing to disabled veterans.

He’s also since completedhis fine arts degree at UTand runs his own business.

“My experiences in theMarines enriched metremendously,” he said. “Itgave substance to my artwork and made me thinkof life differently — I’veseen so much death, Iknow we won’t be here for-ever.”

AIKEN: Intended career as aMarinewas cut shortContinued from A16

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Eagle photo by Dave McDermandRobert Lee Aiken III served on the front lines when the U.S. military invadednvadednvIraq in March 2003. He was shot twice with an AK-47 in 2004 and required tobe medically retired in 2005.

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By SUSANNE M. SCHAFERAssociated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.— Military museumsallow visitors to expe-

rience the rough and tumblejerk of a parachute jump, thebarked orders of an Armydrill sergeant or the segregat-ed training endured by thefirst African-Americans toenter the Marine Corps.Whether you are a hard-ened military veteran or onewho’s never worn a uniform,several military museums inthe Carolinas offeoffeof r extensivelessons in military service asthe Nov. 11 Veterans Daydraws near.In Fayetteville, N.C., thesoaring Airborne and SpecialOperations Museum attractsbetween 120,000 to 175,000 vis-itors every year and tells thestory of how America’s mili-tary developed the strategy ofdropping fully-armed sol-diers into battle from theskies. A 15-foot sculpture ofthe paratrooper dubbed “IronMike” stands guard at itsglass-and-girder front entry,which evokes both the

250-foot “jump towers” thatparatroopers use to train andthe wingspan of the C-47 air-craft that dropped soldiersonto battlefields in WorldWar II.Located just minutes offInterstate 95 in downtownFayetteville, N.C., the muse-um is holding a weeklong cel-ebration in advance ofVeterans Day, says PaulGalloway, executive directorof the foundation that sup-ported construction of the$25 million building.“We’ll be hopping and pop-ping. We do a salute to veter-ans every year,” Gallowaysaid. A week of films aboutthe Army and paratrooperswill be held the week prior tothe holiday, as well as otherevents to honor military menand women, Galloway said.As soon as you enter themuseum, you spot a WorldWar II-era paratrooper incombat gear floating out ofthe sky under a yellow28-foot-wide parachute.Behind him, another modeldrops from the heavens, amodern Army Rangerbuoyed by a light green, hon-

eycombed parachute used byU.S. Special Forces.A wild ride can be had inthe museum’s 24-seat plat-form motion simulator,recreating the bumps andjumps of parachute dropsand rides in military vehi-cles.To highlight some of the

major events of wartimeparatroopers, visitors firststroll through a recreated vil-lage in Normandy.Recordings from the June1944 Allied invasion to liber-ate France froe froe f m NaziGermany put visitors in theheat of the battle, with rock-ets and bullets screeching by.

Overhead, a C-47 “Skytrain”aircraft haircraft haircraf overs with a U.S.Army paratrooper poised tojump out an open door.Walkways are paperedwith still photos, videos andmurals that show the historybehind U.S. forces thatevolved into the famedSpecial Operations units, des-ignated to take on unconven-tional warfare and specialmissions in foreign lands.Displays from the war inthe Pacificificif , the Korean Warand Cold War are shown. Inone display, soldiers jumpfrom a UH-1 “Huey” helicop-ter into a jungle battle ragingin Vietnam. Other displaysdetail the history of U.S.involvement in theDominican Republic,Panama and Grenada.America’s conflicts in theMiddle East are recalled withmodels of camouflaged sol-diers crouching in deserthideouts in Iraq. Othersdepict U.S. SpecialOperations forces meetingfor tea with Afghan villagersor medical centers wheremilitary medics tend to localchildren.

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Military museums make history interactive

Associated PressThe 82nd Airborne Museum at Fort Bragg, N.C. has an outdoor and indoor col-lection of classic military aircraft, vehicles and artillery that tells the story ofhow America’s military developed the strategy of dropping fully-armed soldiersinto battle from the skies.

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By MAGGIE KIELYmaggie.kiely@theeagle.com

Two weeks afterwrapping up duty inthe U.S. Marine

Corps, 25-year-old TravisKiser was back in class atTexas A&M resuming thecollege career he put onhold for the military.After his freshman yearat the university, Kiser —who grew up in Bryan andgraduated from Bryan HighSchool — said he “needed areality check.”His solution? Join theMarines.“My family was sur-prised,” he said. “But theyunderstood and felt like itwas the best thing for me.”Kiser served two tours —his last one a seven-monthdeployment to Afghanistanthat ended November 2009.Before that, he was deployedto Iraq for seven monthsuntil August 2007.So far, 1,830 U.S. soldiershave been killed serving inAfghAfghAf anistan as part ofOperation EnduringFreedom — which waslaunched in 2001 with thegoal of dismantling terror-ist organizations.Currently, there areabout 98,000 American sol-diers — a number PresidentBarack Obama announcedhe plans on decreasing by30,000 by September.Kiser arrived to the warzone in April 2008 — lessthan a year after he hadreturned from Iraq.Between the two deploy-ments, he was allowed tocome home for two weeksand at the time wasn’taware he’d be headed toAfghanistan.“When I foundI foundI f out, I wasthankful I wasn’t goingback to Iraq — it sucked,”he said. “We had a staff ser-geant who had deployed toAfghAfghAf anistan in 2006 and hetalked about being up inthe mountains. It seemedlike it was more fun there.”But when he got there,Kiser said his reinforcedplatoon of 70 didn’t dealwith any mountain warfareand instead was taskedwith helping British troopstrain and mentor local

police forces.Basically, he said, theyassisted by patrolling andprotecting areas outside ofthe base, he said, addingthat his unit ran intoTaliban forces almost daily.“The enemy had exten-sive operations in thatarea,” he said. “We had abuffer zone to the north andsouth of our base, but onceyou passed the buffer zones,you knew you were inTaliban territory.”Kiser, who served as alance corporal, said his pla-toon would run across anoccasional IED — amakeshift bomb commonlyused by insurgents in Iraqand Afghanistan — but amajority of the insurgentsthey dealt with usedambush tactics.When the Marines loadedup and headed into thedesert for a patrol, thereoften were locals workingwith Taliban who wouldprovide surveillance intelli-gence to those waiting foran opportune time to strike.“They’d wait for us to getout of our vehicle and thenattack,” Kiser calmlyrecalled. “If we came acrossan IED and got out to help,they’d ambush us.”In total, his company —which consisted of threeplatoons — lost 20 guys,Kiser said.Getting the news that a

fellow Marine was killed inaction was never easy todeal with, no matter howmany times it happened, hesaid.Because he had alreadybeen to Iraq where he per-formed mostly urban war-fare tactics, Kiser said theshock of seeing dead bodiesin the streets of communi-

ties had worn off.A lot of the time, the per-son killed and left lying inthe street was an AfghAfghAf an-istan soldier or police offi-cer, he said.Having accepted what hewitnessed during his com-bat experience as part of hislife, Kiser said it isn’t emo-tionally difficult for him totell his war stories.“It was a job that I didand it makes me the personthat I am every day,” hesaid. “And I thank Godevery day for the blessingsthat I have.”What has been a chal-lenge is returning to schoolwhere very few of his peersknow what he’s seen andgone through, Kiser said.“Now I’m 25 and thethings I’ve been through Ican’t relate to some 18 or 19years old,” he said. “At theMarine Corp, I could walkoutside of my room andhave the best friend of mylife next to me.”

Since returning home,Kiser said he’s been able tofind similar camaraderiewithin the veterans groupof the Corps of Cadets —which he joined as a fres a fres a f sh-man before becoming aMarine.Being around other com-bat veterans is easy andcomforting, he said. In talk-ing with them, he doesn’thave to explain what it waslike to wake up each dayknowing it could be yourlast, and they get what it’slike to return to the civilianworld after months of wit-nessing death and killing.Had he not served, Kisersaid he doubts he’d evergain a true appreciation forthose in the military.And while he says it’snice to be thanked for hisservice by those who don’thave military experience,he questions their ability totruly be grateful withouthaving been in a war.“Other than the people

close to veterans, honestly,[people] don’t care,” hesaid. “They don’t have areason to unless they’vebeen affected by the war orif somebody really close tothem goes over there. Youcan’t hold it against them.”It’s nice to see people’sFacebook statuses onVeterans Day announcingtheir gratitude for troops,Kiser said, but wishes morepeople would acknowledgeand recognize the soldierson days other than the holi-day.He noted how much itmeant to him to receivecare packages from sup-porters.“To me, Veterans Day justis another day, but I’mthankful to be here,” he said.Kiser plans to graduatewith a bachelor’s degree inhistory in May 2013 andplans on pursuing his doc-torate in the subject so hecan go on to teach militaryhistory courses.

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Returning to civilian lifeVeteran served second tour in Afghanistan, resumes university classes

Eagle photo by Dave McDermandTravis Kiser spent his second deploymentdeploymentdeplo in Afghanistan. Upon returning to civilian life, he has resumed his education atTexas A&M University and has found support and camaraderiecamaraderiecamar among the veterans group in the Corps of Cadets.

“It was a job that Idid and it makesme the person

that I am every day.And I thank Godevery day for the

blessings that I have.”TravisKiser

Operation Enduring Freedomveteran

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Thank You, Veterans.

On Veterans DayWe recognize the many sacrifices made byour men and women in uniform both todayand throughout our nation’s history. We honortheir courage and dedication, and we thankthem for their contribution to our country.