Traveling Through Iraq with Six Medal of Honor Recipients
This past week was an incredible week for me in Iraq. I had the honor of escorting six Medal of Honor recipients through much of Iraq introducing them to soldiers. The soldiers loved it and it was one of the most rewarding trips of my life!
The Medal of Honor is the highest award presented to any US serviceman for courage in combat. It is extremely rare: only 124 recipients of the Medal of Honor are alive today. Most are WWII (45) and Korea (17) recipients and are passing away at an average of one per month. There are 62 living recipients who earned the Medal of Honor during Vietnam. The Medal of Honor is so rare that most servicemen and women serving today have never met a recipient of the Medal. There is only one person in the US military on active duty who currently wears the Medal of Honor.
In order to receive the Medal of Honor one must perform an act during combat that is above and beyond the call of duty. The courageous actions these soldiers engage in cannot be something they were ordered to do- it is usually far more than that. In most cases their actions are so great that, in fact, no commander would have ordered them to act as they did. In the case of the two recipients in Somalia, they both saved the lives of a down pilot against the advice of their commanding officer who would not order them to, but eventually yielded and permitted them to follow through on their own request to help the downed pilot. The stories of these recipients are incredible, many almost unbelievable. Nearly half of those who receive the Medal die during the action in which they receive it. The only person to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq thus far is Sergeant First Class Paul Smith. SFC Smith died heroically in the assault on Baghdad in 2003.
I have a friend who earned the Medal of Honor in Vietnam, Colonel Jack Jacobs. Last Fall, as we were preparing to leave Ft. Drum, NY to deploy to Iraq, I asked Jack if he would like to visit us and give our soldiers a motivational speech. He was gracious enough to do so, and in September he flew up to Ft. Drum, NY to speak with our soldiers. They loved it! Every one of our soldiers stayed afterward for a handshake, photo and autograph. It was very inspiring for them to meet a true hero prior to heading off to the unknown of war.
Afterwards I mentioned to Colonel Jacobs that he should come visit us in Iraq and that the Army would probably love to have him travel through Iraq meeting with the troops. He thought the idea was great and did me one better. He found several other Medal of Honor recipients who wanted to visit troops and found one per service: Army, Air Force, Marine and Navy. He contacted the Pentagon and offered them a visit in the war zone of Medal of Honor recipients to visit all the services. They were thrilled! They funded the tour and included a stopover to visit troops first in Afghanistan.
Six months after visiting us at Ft. Drum, Colonel Jacobs, along with his fellow recipients reached us in Northeastern Iraq- at our base in Tikrit. They were on the end of their ten day tour. They had traveled to Qatar, Afghanistan, and Western Iraq to visit troops. I was their escort for the last three days of the tour in North Central Iraq. These Vietnam Veterans ranged in age between 60 and 73 years old. They had already been traveling all over the world but they still visited six of our forward operating bases (FOBs) in 48 hours. This required a lot of flying by helicopter, driving in HUMVEEs, packing and unpacking. They arrived on the morning of the 8th and departed to fly back home on the morning of the 10th. I thought I would run them ragged- but actually it was the other way around.
When most USO tours visit the combat area they visit the giant bases like the US Embassy Baghdad (the Green Zone) and a base called “Anaconda.” On each of these bases there are up to 20,000 American servicemen. Every serviceman and woman here in Iraq deserves recognition- and at the big bases they usually get it. But many of the soldiers doing the fighting are out in small remote bases far from the USO tours. Often these small bases get little recognition, have a much lower quality of life, and are in fact, more dangerous. The recipients had stated early on that they didn’t want to visit the big bases- they wanted to visit the soldiers in the field. These recipients were all combat veterans and wanted to visit the troops in the most danger. Therefore we took them to the small remote bases that might have a couple of hundred or a couple of thousand soldiers.
After my time here I now find it sadly ignorant when one uses the term “heroic” to describe actions of a pro-athlete winning a game or a rock star over-coming an addiction. That is not heroism. These Medal of Honor recipients are true heroes and are really a national treasure. For someone not in the military it might be difficult to understand, but to the soldiers who were fortunate to have these recipients visit them, the term hero meant something. These Medal of Honor recipients are their heroes. The soldiers loved the recipients and the visit made a very big impact. The feedback has been constant and positive since their visit. I would rather escort six Medal of Honor recipients through a war zone rather than any rock star, politician, athlete or screen star.
There were six recipients who toured with us. Their stories cannot justifiably be whittled down to a few words so I’ll provide the link to each of their stories on the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website:
http://www.cmohs.org/recipients/living_recips.htm
COL(ret) Leo Thorsness, USAF
COL(ret) Jack Jacobs, USA
LTC Gordon Roberts, USA
CPT (ret) John McGinty, USMC
LT (ret) Tommy Norris, USN
CSM (ret) Gary Littrell, USA
We visited six FOBs and they gave many speeches on each FOB. I was privileged to hear many of their stories several times and many times was able to hear new stories. They would take turns MC’ing the events but at each event all six recipients would speak consecutively. The soldiers were able to hear from six different Medal of Honor recipients. Each recipient would give the soldiers some words of encouragement, using their personal stories to help teach a lesson or make it relate to what these soldiers are seeing, feeling or coping with here in Iraq.
The recipients were all very humble about their award and would constantly tell the soldiers it was they (the recipients) who were here to thank the soldiers for their service and what they are doing to make our nation safer. Each recipient would focus on a different lesson or theme so that after hearing all six recipients the soldiers really had exposure to many different lessons. They kept repeating how thankful they were to these soldiers for making our nation safer. That meant the world to these soldiers- you could see a visible reaction in the crowd when the recipients would say certain things.
It takes up to two years to have a Medal of Honor nomination make its way through the military and then through Congress and eventually to be awarded by the President to the serviceman. In many cases the soldier could have survived the action, been nominated, then die later in other combat.
The story of Colonel Leo Thorsness was one of these unique stories. He was a “Wild Weasel”- a fighter pilot in Vietnam who searched out for anti-aircraft missiles. He and his rear seater were the sixth Wild Weasel crew to deploy to Vietnam. The first five crews had all been killed. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor for his bravery over Vietnam when he was out of fuel but nonetheless attacked a group of four MIGS who were attacking the rescue helicopters over his downed wingman. Before he could receive the Medal he was shot down over North Vietnam and spent six years in a POW camp at the infamous prison camp known as the "Hanoi Hilton". He received his Medal of Honor seven years after earning it.
Colonel Thorsness’ stories were usually about leadership and he told one story in particular about a Naval officer named “Mike”. Mike was one of the junior ranking people in the prison camp but yet showed great leadership. In one story about Mike, Mike spent months stitching an American flag out of a discarded white handkerchief. It took him months, alone at night, in the dark, stitching his little flag. When he finally showed it to the others they cheered and saluted and it buoyed their spirits incredibly. They hadn't seen an American flag in five years! Mike knew eventually the guards would find it in their searches and they did. He was tortured terribly and broke many bones. When he was well enough, they saw him again at work in the corner at night, stitching another flag. The lesson about love of country and about leadership despite not being the highest ranking in the group really resonated with the troops.
The Hollywood movie “Bat 21” was made about the story of a Navy SEAL named Lt. Tommy Norris. Two American pilots had been shot down in North Vietnam and one was badly wounded. Several rescue attempts had failed and many rescuers were killed in their attempts. LT Norris and his team reached one pilot and rescued him, but the second was increasingly difficult to reach. Finally LT Norris received permission to take a junket a mile up-river with a single Vietnamese guide, through an enemy division’s territory. Dressed as a local fisherman he managed to rescue the pilot and retrieve him to safety under heavy enemy fire. On a later mission he would be wounded severely with a head wound and lose an eye on a mission. The man who rescued Lt Norris would carry him to the water and swim with Lt. Norris on his shoulder(wounded himself) to an awaiting submarine. That man, Mike Thornton, would also be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Lt Tommy Norris spoke to the soldiers about why these Medal of Honor recipients were here in Iraq: to thank the soldiers for keeping America free. He was so sincere in his thanks- he repeated it many times. LT. Norris had been retired from his wounds after that mission but had joined the FBI hostage rescue team and had spent 20 years there. He spoke about the importance of teamwork and the fact that on his mission in Vietnam where he had been awarded the Medal 16 other men had given their lives to save one man. He spoke about how as Americans we never leave anyone behind.
Marine Captain John McGinty had spent ten years in the Marines as an enlisted man and then received a battlefield commission. He's a Marine through and through. As a Staff Sergeant his unit had been severely outnumbered by thousands of North Vietnamese. Of the 34 men in his unit only 9 would make it out of that battle. Years later in Vietnam he too would be severely wounded in the back, leg and lose an eye. After years of being an NCO and a company grade officer he was an expert in small unit tactics. He made sure in every speech everyone knew that he was not the one who earned the Medal- it was his entire unit in his opinion.
As an expert in small unit tactics and leadership, he spoke to the soldiers about the need to always understand that their mission is to kill the enemy. That is the primary mission of our military. In order to do so they had to operate as a team and had to be friends. He empathized with the soldiers’ frustration with the “rules of engagement” here in Iraq and compared them here in our war to those of his war. His passion and his humor were infectious. As it sounds to someone outside- it is important to get back to the reality that we are here to kill or capture bad guys.
Colonel Jack Jacobs had been an advisor to the South Vietnamese Army as a Lieutenant when his unit was hit with a devastating ambush. He was hit early on with a head wound. He would go back and forth into the "kill zone" like Forrest Gump, carrying thirteen soldiers off the battlefield and engaging the enemy, before collapsing from his wounds. He later retired as a Colonel, had a successful career on Wall Street, teaches international relations at West Point, and is a military analyst on MSNBC.
As an expert in International Relations he spoke to the soldiers about the big picture. He spoke about why we were here in Iraq. He spoke about how on 9/11 there were only two democracies in the Middle East: Turkey and Israel and neither were an Arab country. There had never been an Arab democracy in the Middle East- and now the entire region was potentially changing in a very short time- all thanks to the bravery of US soldiers like them. He told them how the US would be more secure long term because of their efforts and how they could look back someday and see that they had changed the world.
Command Sergeant Major Gary Littrell had been an advisor to a South Vietnamese Infantry battalion when it fought a four day battle in 1971. The unit suffered tremendous loss of life and many casualties. He spoke about complacency and friendship and used examples from his story about how it is both were critical for soldiers to avoid the former and embrace the latter. His stories about complacency displayed how NCO’s and officers needed to be hard on their troops in order to save their troops. In his case, officers trying to give themselves and their soldiers a rest instead of digging in, ended up getting them killed. His story of friendship was that of a helicopter pilot who, through his friendship with (then SFC) Littrell, wouldn’t let them die. He continued to stay in the fight and call in air strikes to help his buddy down below make it to safety.
CSM Littrell is the President of the Medal of Honor Society. www.cmohs.org He is retired now and travels extensively speaking to soldiers, visiting the wounded, and helping to perpetuate the ideals of the Medal of Honor. He asked rhetorically about what the people at home feel about our soldiers. He gave three poignant stories about his experiences with civilians in the US and their support and reactions to soldiers returning from Iraq. In one example CSM Littrell was boarding a plane with a soldier in front of him. The soldier was passing through the front of the seating when a passenger in the front of the plane asked where the soldier was heading…”back to Iraq from my leave” was the soldier’s response. The person stood up and said “why don’t you take my First Class Ticket, what seat were you sitting in? I’ll go back and take your coach seat.” As simple a story as that is- people were visibly moved and proud.
CSM Littrell talked about how when the recipients had all returned from Vietnam how they faced an ungrateful nation. America had learned the hard way that you can oppose the war without opposing the troops. He personally was having trouble walking because of bad sciatica but continued to hop in and out of aircraft and vehicles because he had to see “his troops”. He was in serious pain but continued to show leadership in that act.
There is only one person in the active duty United States military today who wears the Medal of Honor. His name is Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Roberts. He is stationed here in Iraq leading a battalion on a large base called “Anaconda”. He traveled up by convoy with his soldiers to meet his fellow Medal of Honor recipients. LTC Roberts is only 54 years old so he is younger than most of the group. He earned his Medal of Honor while assigned to the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Shortly after earning his Medal of Honor he left the military. He then spent eighteen years performing social work. After eighteen years he decided to re-join the Army.
He spoke about the differences between the army then and now. He said the differences between the army could best be explained by the fact that he had “left” that army but had “returned” for this army. The army, he said, needs to reflect America and the Army of the ‘60s did not. Soldiers need to come from every race, color and religion, as well as every social strata and every region of our country. We now have a much better volunteer army than the draftee army that he joined in 1968. The National Guard was not there in Vietnam and so much of our society was not represented. The Army in Vietnam did not reflect America. Now, these National Guardsmen he spoke with represented states like Idaho and Massachusetts. Now, the Army reflects America much better.
He was a very humble man and barely even mentioned the action in which he earned his Medal of Honor. It was a rescue mission in Vietnam and a unit was being decimated. 48 of 50 men died. His small infantry platoon launched a rescue mission through the jungle to rescue the remaining individuals. He single-handedly attacked and destroyed four enemy bunkers that were firing on his platoon. He claimed it was the unit that earned the award and that he was merely the custodian of it.
The recipients didn't want to "talk at" the troops- they wanted to "talk with" the troops. So much of our time was spent with the troops mingling in getting to shake hands, take photos, sign autographs, and getting to know the recipients. It was an extremely rare experience in the middle of nowhere Iraq.
On our last evening with these men we visited a tiny outpost in the Sunni Triangle. The base held only a small company of soldiers belonging to a National Guard unit from the Pacific Northwest. The night prior to our arrival the unit had lost one of their own to a suicide car bomber just outside their base. They were not in the mood for a USO show. However, this was no USO show. We knew going in that they had lost someone from amongst their ranks. In each of the speeches that night the Medal of Honor recipients expressed their sorrow to them over their loss and related it to the loss of their friends and soldiers in Vietnam. They spent two hours mingling amongst the troops talking, signing autographs, taking pictures, talking about their hometowns, and about their situation here in Iraq.
The commander of the unit and I said goodbye as I prepared to board the HUMVEE to move back to the airfield where helicopters would hurriedly move us to our next location. He said “this was exactly what our soldiers needed right now.”
I wish I had thought to say to him “you and your soldiers are exactly what we need right now.”
The Medal of Honor is the highest award presented to any US serviceman for courage in combat. It is extremely rare: only 124 recipients of the Medal of Honor are alive today. Most are WWII (45) and Korea (17) recipients and are passing away at an average of one per month. There are 62 living recipients who earned the Medal of Honor during Vietnam. The Medal of Honor is so rare that most servicemen and women serving today have never met a recipient of the Medal. There is only one person in the US military on active duty who currently wears the Medal of Honor.
In order to receive the Medal of Honor one must perform an act during combat that is above and beyond the call of duty. The courageous actions these soldiers engage in cannot be something they were ordered to do- it is usually far more than that. In most cases their actions are so great that, in fact, no commander would have ordered them to act as they did. In the case of the two recipients in Somalia, they both saved the lives of a down pilot against the advice of their commanding officer who would not order them to, but eventually yielded and permitted them to follow through on their own request to help the downed pilot. The stories of these recipients are incredible, many almost unbelievable. Nearly half of those who receive the Medal die during the action in which they receive it. The only person to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq thus far is Sergeant First Class Paul Smith. SFC Smith died heroically in the assault on Baghdad in 2003.
I have a friend who earned the Medal of Honor in Vietnam, Colonel Jack Jacobs. Last Fall, as we were preparing to leave Ft. Drum, NY to deploy to Iraq, I asked Jack if he would like to visit us and give our soldiers a motivational speech. He was gracious enough to do so, and in September he flew up to Ft. Drum, NY to speak with our soldiers. They loved it! Every one of our soldiers stayed afterward for a handshake, photo and autograph. It was very inspiring for them to meet a true hero prior to heading off to the unknown of war.
Afterwards I mentioned to Colonel Jacobs that he should come visit us in Iraq and that the Army would probably love to have him travel through Iraq meeting with the troops. He thought the idea was great and did me one better. He found several other Medal of Honor recipients who wanted to visit troops and found one per service: Army, Air Force, Marine and Navy. He contacted the Pentagon and offered them a visit in the war zone of Medal of Honor recipients to visit all the services. They were thrilled! They funded the tour and included a stopover to visit troops first in Afghanistan.
Six months after visiting us at Ft. Drum, Colonel Jacobs, along with his fellow recipients reached us in Northeastern Iraq- at our base in Tikrit. They were on the end of their ten day tour. They had traveled to Qatar, Afghanistan, and Western Iraq to visit troops. I was their escort for the last three days of the tour in North Central Iraq. These Vietnam Veterans ranged in age between 60 and 73 years old. They had already been traveling all over the world but they still visited six of our forward operating bases (FOBs) in 48 hours. This required a lot of flying by helicopter, driving in HUMVEEs, packing and unpacking. They arrived on the morning of the 8th and departed to fly back home on the morning of the 10th. I thought I would run them ragged- but actually it was the other way around.
When most USO tours visit the combat area they visit the giant bases like the US Embassy Baghdad (the Green Zone) and a base called “Anaconda.” On each of these bases there are up to 20,000 American servicemen. Every serviceman and woman here in Iraq deserves recognition- and at the big bases they usually get it. But many of the soldiers doing the fighting are out in small remote bases far from the USO tours. Often these small bases get little recognition, have a much lower quality of life, and are in fact, more dangerous. The recipients had stated early on that they didn’t want to visit the big bases- they wanted to visit the soldiers in the field. These recipients were all combat veterans and wanted to visit the troops in the most danger. Therefore we took them to the small remote bases that might have a couple of hundred or a couple of thousand soldiers.
After my time here I now find it sadly ignorant when one uses the term “heroic” to describe actions of a pro-athlete winning a game or a rock star over-coming an addiction. That is not heroism. These Medal of Honor recipients are true heroes and are really a national treasure. For someone not in the military it might be difficult to understand, but to the soldiers who were fortunate to have these recipients visit them, the term hero meant something. These Medal of Honor recipients are their heroes. The soldiers loved the recipients and the visit made a very big impact. The feedback has been constant and positive since their visit. I would rather escort six Medal of Honor recipients through a war zone rather than any rock star, politician, athlete or screen star.
There were six recipients who toured with us. Their stories cannot justifiably be whittled down to a few words so I’ll provide the link to each of their stories on the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website:
http://www.cmohs.org/recipients/living_recips.htm
COL(ret) Leo Thorsness, USAF
COL(ret) Jack Jacobs, USA
LTC Gordon Roberts, USA
CPT (ret) John McGinty, USMC
LT (ret) Tommy Norris, USN
CSM (ret) Gary Littrell, USA
We visited six FOBs and they gave many speeches on each FOB. I was privileged to hear many of their stories several times and many times was able to hear new stories. They would take turns MC’ing the events but at each event all six recipients would speak consecutively. The soldiers were able to hear from six different Medal of Honor recipients. Each recipient would give the soldiers some words of encouragement, using their personal stories to help teach a lesson or make it relate to what these soldiers are seeing, feeling or coping with here in Iraq.
The recipients were all very humble about their award and would constantly tell the soldiers it was they (the recipients) who were here to thank the soldiers for their service and what they are doing to make our nation safer. Each recipient would focus on a different lesson or theme so that after hearing all six recipients the soldiers really had exposure to many different lessons. They kept repeating how thankful they were to these soldiers for making our nation safer. That meant the world to these soldiers- you could see a visible reaction in the crowd when the recipients would say certain things.
It takes up to two years to have a Medal of Honor nomination make its way through the military and then through Congress and eventually to be awarded by the President to the serviceman. In many cases the soldier could have survived the action, been nominated, then die later in other combat.
The story of Colonel Leo Thorsness was one of these unique stories. He was a “Wild Weasel”- a fighter pilot in Vietnam who searched out for anti-aircraft missiles. He and his rear seater were the sixth Wild Weasel crew to deploy to Vietnam. The first five crews had all been killed. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor for his bravery over Vietnam when he was out of fuel but nonetheless attacked a group of four MIGS who were attacking the rescue helicopters over his downed wingman. Before he could receive the Medal he was shot down over North Vietnam and spent six years in a POW camp at the infamous prison camp known as the "Hanoi Hilton". He received his Medal of Honor seven years after earning it.
Colonel Thorsness’ stories were usually about leadership and he told one story in particular about a Naval officer named “Mike”. Mike was one of the junior ranking people in the prison camp but yet showed great leadership. In one story about Mike, Mike spent months stitching an American flag out of a discarded white handkerchief. It took him months, alone at night, in the dark, stitching his little flag. When he finally showed it to the others they cheered and saluted and it buoyed their spirits incredibly. They hadn't seen an American flag in five years! Mike knew eventually the guards would find it in their searches and they did. He was tortured terribly and broke many bones. When he was well enough, they saw him again at work in the corner at night, stitching another flag. The lesson about love of country and about leadership despite not being the highest ranking in the group really resonated with the troops.
The Hollywood movie “Bat 21” was made about the story of a Navy SEAL named Lt. Tommy Norris. Two American pilots had been shot down in North Vietnam and one was badly wounded. Several rescue attempts had failed and many rescuers were killed in their attempts. LT Norris and his team reached one pilot and rescued him, but the second was increasingly difficult to reach. Finally LT Norris received permission to take a junket a mile up-river with a single Vietnamese guide, through an enemy division’s territory. Dressed as a local fisherman he managed to rescue the pilot and retrieve him to safety under heavy enemy fire. On a later mission he would be wounded severely with a head wound and lose an eye on a mission. The man who rescued Lt Norris would carry him to the water and swim with Lt. Norris on his shoulder(wounded himself) to an awaiting submarine. That man, Mike Thornton, would also be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Lt Tommy Norris spoke to the soldiers about why these Medal of Honor recipients were here in Iraq: to thank the soldiers for keeping America free. He was so sincere in his thanks- he repeated it many times. LT. Norris had been retired from his wounds after that mission but had joined the FBI hostage rescue team and had spent 20 years there. He spoke about the importance of teamwork and the fact that on his mission in Vietnam where he had been awarded the Medal 16 other men had given their lives to save one man. He spoke about how as Americans we never leave anyone behind.
Marine Captain John McGinty had spent ten years in the Marines as an enlisted man and then received a battlefield commission. He's a Marine through and through. As a Staff Sergeant his unit had been severely outnumbered by thousands of North Vietnamese. Of the 34 men in his unit only 9 would make it out of that battle. Years later in Vietnam he too would be severely wounded in the back, leg and lose an eye. After years of being an NCO and a company grade officer he was an expert in small unit tactics. He made sure in every speech everyone knew that he was not the one who earned the Medal- it was his entire unit in his opinion.
As an expert in small unit tactics and leadership, he spoke to the soldiers about the need to always understand that their mission is to kill the enemy. That is the primary mission of our military. In order to do so they had to operate as a team and had to be friends. He empathized with the soldiers’ frustration with the “rules of engagement” here in Iraq and compared them here in our war to those of his war. His passion and his humor were infectious. As it sounds to someone outside- it is important to get back to the reality that we are here to kill or capture bad guys.
Colonel Jack Jacobs had been an advisor to the South Vietnamese Army as a Lieutenant when his unit was hit with a devastating ambush. He was hit early on with a head wound. He would go back and forth into the "kill zone" like Forrest Gump, carrying thirteen soldiers off the battlefield and engaging the enemy, before collapsing from his wounds. He later retired as a Colonel, had a successful career on Wall Street, teaches international relations at West Point, and is a military analyst on MSNBC.
As an expert in International Relations he spoke to the soldiers about the big picture. He spoke about why we were here in Iraq. He spoke about how on 9/11 there were only two democracies in the Middle East: Turkey and Israel and neither were an Arab country. There had never been an Arab democracy in the Middle East- and now the entire region was potentially changing in a very short time- all thanks to the bravery of US soldiers like them. He told them how the US would be more secure long term because of their efforts and how they could look back someday and see that they had changed the world.
Command Sergeant Major Gary Littrell had been an advisor to a South Vietnamese Infantry battalion when it fought a four day battle in 1971. The unit suffered tremendous loss of life and many casualties. He spoke about complacency and friendship and used examples from his story about how it is both were critical for soldiers to avoid the former and embrace the latter. His stories about complacency displayed how NCO’s and officers needed to be hard on their troops in order to save their troops. In his case, officers trying to give themselves and their soldiers a rest instead of digging in, ended up getting them killed. His story of friendship was that of a helicopter pilot who, through his friendship with (then SFC) Littrell, wouldn’t let them die. He continued to stay in the fight and call in air strikes to help his buddy down below make it to safety.
CSM Littrell is the President of the Medal of Honor Society. www.cmohs.org He is retired now and travels extensively speaking to soldiers, visiting the wounded, and helping to perpetuate the ideals of the Medal of Honor. He asked rhetorically about what the people at home feel about our soldiers. He gave three poignant stories about his experiences with civilians in the US and their support and reactions to soldiers returning from Iraq. In one example CSM Littrell was boarding a plane with a soldier in front of him. The soldier was passing through the front of the seating when a passenger in the front of the plane asked where the soldier was heading…”back to Iraq from my leave” was the soldier’s response. The person stood up and said “why don’t you take my First Class Ticket, what seat were you sitting in? I’ll go back and take your coach seat.” As simple a story as that is- people were visibly moved and proud.
CSM Littrell talked about how when the recipients had all returned from Vietnam how they faced an ungrateful nation. America had learned the hard way that you can oppose the war without opposing the troops. He personally was having trouble walking because of bad sciatica but continued to hop in and out of aircraft and vehicles because he had to see “his troops”. He was in serious pain but continued to show leadership in that act.
There is only one person in the active duty United States military today who wears the Medal of Honor. His name is Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Roberts. He is stationed here in Iraq leading a battalion on a large base called “Anaconda”. He traveled up by convoy with his soldiers to meet his fellow Medal of Honor recipients. LTC Roberts is only 54 years old so he is younger than most of the group. He earned his Medal of Honor while assigned to the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Shortly after earning his Medal of Honor he left the military. He then spent eighteen years performing social work. After eighteen years he decided to re-join the Army.
He spoke about the differences between the army then and now. He said the differences between the army could best be explained by the fact that he had “left” that army but had “returned” for this army. The army, he said, needs to reflect America and the Army of the ‘60s did not. Soldiers need to come from every race, color and religion, as well as every social strata and every region of our country. We now have a much better volunteer army than the draftee army that he joined in 1968. The National Guard was not there in Vietnam and so much of our society was not represented. The Army in Vietnam did not reflect America. Now, these National Guardsmen he spoke with represented states like Idaho and Massachusetts. Now, the Army reflects America much better.
He was a very humble man and barely even mentioned the action in which he earned his Medal of Honor. It was a rescue mission in Vietnam and a unit was being decimated. 48 of 50 men died. His small infantry platoon launched a rescue mission through the jungle to rescue the remaining individuals. He single-handedly attacked and destroyed four enemy bunkers that were firing on his platoon. He claimed it was the unit that earned the award and that he was merely the custodian of it.
The recipients didn't want to "talk at" the troops- they wanted to "talk with" the troops. So much of our time was spent with the troops mingling in getting to shake hands, take photos, sign autographs, and getting to know the recipients. It was an extremely rare experience in the middle of nowhere Iraq.
On our last evening with these men we visited a tiny outpost in the Sunni Triangle. The base held only a small company of soldiers belonging to a National Guard unit from the Pacific Northwest. The night prior to our arrival the unit had lost one of their own to a suicide car bomber just outside their base. They were not in the mood for a USO show. However, this was no USO show. We knew going in that they had lost someone from amongst their ranks. In each of the speeches that night the Medal of Honor recipients expressed their sorrow to them over their loss and related it to the loss of their friends and soldiers in Vietnam. They spent two hours mingling amongst the troops talking, signing autographs, taking pictures, talking about their hometowns, and about their situation here in Iraq.
The commander of the unit and I said goodbye as I prepared to board the HUMVEE to move back to the airfield where helicopters would hurriedly move us to our next location. He said “this was exactly what our soldiers needed right now.”
I wish I had thought to say to him “you and your soldiers are exactly what we need right now.”
posted by Dan at 8:17 AM
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