Brendon Langless

I am thinking of my niece’s husband, Brendon, this Memorial Day.  This young man will be going to Afghanistan in June for his first tour.  He has a 2 1/2 year old daughter who adores him and will miss him during his 13 month absence.  I know a lot of young men and women have made the hard decisions, left loved ones behind and sacrificed to see us all safe.  They all deserve our support and thanks!

Stacy Smith

I would like to take this opportunity to remember my grandfathers. My father’s father, Joseph M. Doherty, served in the Army during World War Two. He was an electrician on the German front. My mother’s father, Charles Laurence Etheridge, served as a doctor in the Air Force during World War Two and the Korean War. I thank them for protecting our country.

Megan

Jacob Gassen

Hi:
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My name is Greg Gassen.  My son, PFC Jacob Gassen, who was a Medic in the Army, was killed in Afghanistan on November 29, 2010 by an Afghan border patrol officer who turned his gun on my son and five others.  All six of the Army men, including my son, were killed instantly.  My son was very proud of what he was doing and died a hero.  He went to Afghanistan as a Medic to help people and ended up losing his life doing so.  Life for our family will never be the same.  This has been very devastating for us.  We miss Jake terribly.  But we can take solace in the thought that Jake was doing what he liked to do and died trying to protect the freedom that we take for granted here in the United States.
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I have attached a photo of Jake in his uniform when he graduated from Basic Training.
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Sincerely,
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Greg Gassen
Father of PFC Jacob Gassen – KIA 11/29/10 Afghanistan
Beaver Dam, WI

Raymond Clyde Kerns

My father, Raymond Clyde Kerns, was born 26 April 1921 in rural Kentucky.  Though he was an outstanding student, he had to quit his one-room school after the eighth grade to help on his dad’s small tobacco farm. At 19, he was playing guitar with friends at an amateur contest in Ohio when he met 15-year-old singer Dorothy Helen Lane. That night, he went home and told his mother, “I just met the girl I’m going to marry.”
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He wasn’t sure how he was going to support a wife, but the answer came in the form of the classic “Uncle Sam Wants You” poster in the window of an Ohio recruitment office. Without missing a step, he walked in, joined up, and was sent through basic training and on to Hawaii.

At the age of six, he had seen Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis” glide across the sky over his family’s farm, and he’d dreamed of flying ever since. Because he had no high school diploma, however, the Army refused to give him flight training – even though he had aced the admission exam.
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Undaunted, my father invested his Army paycheck in civilian flying lessons near Schofield Barracks, in the hills above Pearl Harbor. On the day he was to have soloed for the first time, Pearl Harbor was attacked, and the Army was suddenly desperate for pilots. My father was accepted as one of the first liaison pilots of the Army Air Corps, flying a tiny Piper L-4 (the military version of the Piper Cub) above the battlefield to target artillery fire and provide lifesaving guidance for American ground troops.
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While he was flying his “Paper Cup” above Hawaii, New Guinea, and the Philippines, Dorothy Lane was repairing radios in warplanes at a plant in Columbus, Ohio. They had corresponded since their first meeting, but did not see each other again until a brief visit when he returned to the States to attend Officer Candidate School in 1942.
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Later that year, he proposed by telegram, and on 5 January 1943, my parents were married in Denton, Texas, where my father was taking additional flight training. After the brief ceremony, they walked down the street to an ice cream parlor to celebrate.
When the war ended, my father was discharged – but after four years of civilian life, he returned to active duty and made the Army his career.  Over the years, the family was stationed in Japan, Germany, and many stateside locations, including Camp Hanford, Washington; Washington, D.C.; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; and Fort Hood, Texas. I was born at Camp Hanford in 1956, and my brother Noel was born in Germany in 1961.
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In the Korean conflict, my father piloted both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, carrying supplies, wounded soldiers, senior officers, and prisoners of war.  He left home again to serve in Vietnam in the late 1960s, and retired from the Army in 1972 as a Lieutenant Colonel.
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My father’s many decorations include the Silver Star, the Air Medal, and various awards for meritorious achievement. He was also awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained during World War II, when his Piper Cub was shot down by Japanese troops who continued to fire on him from shore as he floated near his sinking plane.

After retirement, Raymond C. Kerns — the young man who was initially denied pilot training because of his eighth-grade education — entered the University of Texas at Austin and earned a BFA with honors. He became the first president of the 89th Field Artillery Battalion Association, an organization of veterans of that battalion.  He wrote the 89th’s official history, and published the Association’s highly-regarded newsletter for over a decade.�
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It was his work for the 89th that led him to write his book, “Above The Thunder,” a very personal account of his experiences as a liaison pilot during World War II.  Published in 2009 by Kent State University Press in Ohio, it was a finalist in the International Book Awards and won First Place in the Memoir & Biography category of the Army Historical Foundation’s book awards.
 

Raymond and Dorothy Kerns

Raymond and Dorothy Kerns celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on 5 January 2008, just a month and a day before my father passed away.  We are all so proud of his service to our country, and so grateful for his example of a life lived in heartfelt commitment to the highest of human ideals.  We miss him every day.
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Raymond Clyde Kerns
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
WWII – Korea – Viet Nam

1921 – 2008

My Uncle was 2nd Lt. Lloyd Herbert Hughes known to family and friends as Pete. I never met him.
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As a child heard about him periodically. I knew that my oldest brother was named after him, as was a cousin. I knew he died in World War II and had received the Medal of Honor. We had a paperback book with the words from his citation on one page. Other than that, I knew very little.
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A couple of years ago, I started researching Uncle Pete. I found out that he was buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. I found out where he died, and more importantly why he died.
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In World War II, Germany had oil refineries in Romania that fueled the Nazi war machines. Without these refineries, it was estimated that Hitler would run out of fuel, and the war would end sooner rather than later. Operation Tidal Wave had five Bombardment Groups (170+ B-24 Liberators with an average of 10 men each) take off from Benghazi, Libya, fly across the Mediterranean, and bomb five separate refineries in and around Ploesti, Romania. Only 92 bombers returned to Benghazi the night of 1 Aug 1943. My Uncle Pete was a Pilot on one of those B-24s. There were five Medals of Honor awarded for heroism performed that day. My Uncle Pete was one of them and one of those who died after completing his bombing run. His target, the Steaua Romana oil refinery in Campina was destroyed and did not go into production again until sometime in 1949.
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I am humbled by what Uncle Pete did in his short life. He was the oldest of five brothers. He went off to college, but he returned home when his family needed him. He enlisted after Pearl Harbor. Became a B-24 Pilot, flew five missions, and posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroism. Ironically, as a college student he had majored in petroleum engineering, then he died destroying an oil refinery. Uncle Pete was just over 22 years old.
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Rebecca Ann JORDAN

The name of the soldier that I would like to thank is Ryan Egesdal, U.S. Navy
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Ryan is currently serving on the U.S.S. Stennis and is out in the Pacific at this time preparing for an eight month tour at sea.  Despite the conflicts going on in the world, Ryan sought to follow in the footsteps of his grandfathers, uncles, and cousins to serve this country proudly and selflessly.  He leaves back at port his new bride, Melissa and a host of fur babies. (Ryan is a life-long cat lover)  And even though I am very proud of Ryan and his service, it is to ALL of our military and their families that should be remembered this Memorial Day.  Their commitment to serve our country so that we all can be free is the greatest sacrifice anyone can make.  I say thank you to each and every one of them!  They make me proud to be an American.
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Laura Abney

William Wood

From the time he was a small boy his dream was to fly jets for the Air Force.  As a young officer he volunteered for overseas assignments so the married Airmen wouldn’t be separated from their families.

Now that he has his own brood of three boys he still goes where they need him.  He’s been to Iraq, Kuwait, Bosnia, Oman and just returned from a year in Afghanistan to name a few.  He tells stories of his deployments as if on vacation highlighting the people he meets, the things he sees, the new food he tries… sending beautiful postcards from all over, bringing gifts when he returns.  His clothes and gear show the wear and tear of a hard life but you’d never hear it from him.

 This latest “trip” I saw new deep lines at the corners of his eyes and wondered what those eyes have seen.  They are still piercing blue and sparkle in a way that makes strangers want to be his friend.

So I really  have never thought of him as a soldier, he’s just William.  He flies a desk, he jokes.  But now I can tell something’s different.  He slips up during a conversation and mentions being in the turret.  I doubt there’s room for a desk up there.  He doesn’t share things that will make me worry.  He doesn’t complain or burden me with the ugly side of life in the military when I ask.  He’s protecting me.

He’s protecting you.

Signed,
Proud to be Mrs William Wood

I will be remembering my dad, again. He served in the USAF, & was an amazing person. He died in 2001, before my daughters were born (2002 & 2003). We try to instill patriotism in our girls, and keep his memory alive. We want them to have full, thankful hearts as they learn more and more that freedom truly is not free; brave women & men have served for it, & many have died for it.

Hellen Shewmake

Honoring Keith Mills with Sphynx cats Merlin and Dragonheart

We are two Sphynx cats named Dragonheart and Merlin.  Our human dad is an engineering officer serving in the Canadian Forces.  His name is Major Keith Mills.  He has served overseas on many missions, including peacekeeping missions in Haiti, Bosnia, and Eritrea.  He served in Kuwait during the first Gulf War.  He has helped out in domestic operations such as the Manitoba floods.  This summer he is off to Afghanistan.  We are very proud of him, but we are naturally worried for his safety.  We are purring hard for all the men and women serving overseas.

Our human dad is allergic to cats, but fortunately isn’t allergic to us Sphynx!  We love our dad very much as you can see in these scrapbook layouts.

Although here in Canada we don’t celebrate Memorial Day in May, we do celebrate Remembrance Day on November 11th, when we honour all those who served, past and present.  We are purring hard for all those who served in the past, and continue to serve.  We thank all those brave men and women for their service.  We hope and purr that all those serving overseas come home safe to their families.  Thank you for thinking of them and honouring them.

Sincerely,

Dragonheart and Merlin, and their human mom Christine

I wanted to choose my husband for your blog. His career in Air Force Rescue started in 1990 at the age of 28, having had a desire to serve this country in the first Gulf War he enlisted and was placed in the battle area within 5 months. Being on the front lines he sustained several life threating injuries in the line of duty. As conflicts progress around the world he would deploy on short notice often placing family and personal desires aside for the mission.
His efforts to save military and civilian lives has shown his commitment to serve his country and carry out the duties to save the lives of others at his own personal risk.
In 1996 on a deployment he suffered another serious injury in battle which resulted in the medical and clergy giving him his last rights believing he was going to pass away.
As deployments increased with less time at home Kevin never regarded the call to duty. Again in 1998 he was injured as a drop from a helicopter resulted in a 30 foot drop to the ground resulting in serious injuries. After this injury he deployed again to return to a front line base.
And again in 2003 he had suffered another serious injury as an explosive damaged both of his feet, and after his recovery he again requested a deployment back to the same area where his injuries occurred wanting to save lives of other soldiers and civilians in that region.
In 2006 Kevin interacted with a small group of military personnel and local civilians to build a clinic which would serve the residents up to a 50 mile radius.
In 2007 Kevin had suffered another serious injury which again would result in his last rights as the medical staff did not think he would pull through and this ended his fight to save lives in any situation and region in the world.
His commitment to duty resulted in over 164 lives being saved a direct result of his actions in the line of duty.
His retirement in 2008 resulted in a 100% medical disability from duty. However he still has an active part in Veterans affairs in our area.
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Does this guy have nine lives or what………