Vietnam MIA Navy Crew to be Buried Together

Vietnam War Memorial courtesy of bigreadblog.arts.gov

On July 19, 1967, the four servicemen took off from the USS Hornet aboard an SH-3A Sea King helicopter, on a search and rescue mission looking for a downed pilot in Ha Nam Province, North Vietnam according to a Department of Defense release.

During the mission, the helicopter was hit anti-aircraft gunfire, causing the aircraft to lose control, catch fire and crash, killing all four servicemen.

The Crew

Navy Lt. Dennis W. Peterson of Huntington Park, Calif., was the pilot of a SH-3A helicopter.  Peterson was accounted for on March 30, 2012.  Also, aboard the aircraft was Ensign Donald P. Frye of Los Angeles, Calif.; Aviation Antisubmarine Warfare Technicians William B. Jackson of Stockdale, Texas; and Donald P. McGrane of Waverly, Iowa. 

The crew will be buried, as a group, on May 2, 2013, Thursday, at Arlington National Cemetery.  

Solving the MIA Mystery

Finding and identifying their remains reads somewhat like a mystery according to the DoD news release.

• In October 1982, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) repatriated five boxes of remains to U.S. officials.  In 2009, the remains within the boxes were identified as Frye, Jackson, and McGrane.
  

• In 1993, a joint U.S./S.R.V. team, investigated a loss in Ha Nam Province.  The team interviewed local villagers who identified possible burial sites linked to the loss.  One local claimed to have buried two of the crewmen near the wreckage, but indicated that both graves had subsequently been exhumed.  

• Between 1994 and 2000, three joint U.S./S.R.V. teams excavated the previous site and recovered human remains and aircraft wreckage that correlated to the crew’s SH-3A helicopter.  In 2000, U.S. personnel excavated the crash site recovering additional remains.  Analysis from the Joint POW/MIA Command Central Identification Laboratory subsequently designated these additional remains as the co-mingled remains of all four crewmen, including Peterson. 

Defense Department scientists used forensics and circumstantial evidence to identify the missing crew’s remains.

An Army Career of 46 Years, 4 Days Ends in Tampa

U.S. Army Col. Warner Farr, Command Surgeon, U.S. Special Operations Command, speaks during Col. Charles “Dahl” Farr’s room dedication ceremony, at Hurlburt Field Fla., Aug 16, 2010. (DoD Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown/Released)

After a career spanning 46 years and four days, Army Col. Warner “Rocky” Farr retired today, April 25, 2013.

His military experience started as a Green Beret in the jungles of Vietnam ended as the command surgeon of U.S. Special Operations Command Central at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.

Farr, retiring at age 64, is “the third-longest serving soldier in the Army and one of only 13 of more than a half-million on active duty who served in Vietnam” according to the Tampa Tribune.

Reporter Howard Altman wrote a comprehensive profile about this accomplished military man. I encourage you to read it.

Congratulations to Col. Farr and his family because we all know that in the military, it’s the whole family that serves and may they all enjoy a retirement well earned.

 

A Chance to Welcome Home and Celebrate WWII Veterans

World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.

If you live in the Tampa Bay region and have a free Tuesday evening this week, you’re invited to be a part of the welcome home crowd at the St. Pete-Clearwater Airport.

At approximately 8:30 p.m., the West Central Florida Honor Flight is scheduled to return after a full day in Washington D.C. where some 80 WWII Veterans and their escorts visited memorials that honor their military service.
But organizers don’t want to stop there. They are hoping a large crowd will turn out and top off the full day with a genuine “hero’s welcome” as the veterans return home. The welcome home celebration will be in the baggage claim facility. The public is invited to attend this free event.  For more information on Honor Flight in the Tampa Bay Area go to www.HonorFlightWCF.org or 813 842-5843.

Fred Karl from the Battle of the Bulge to a Life of Service

The Tampa Bay area has lost another of its World War II veterans and heroes – a tank commander who fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

In addition to his distinguished military service which earned him a Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Silver Star, Fred Karl worked at almost every level of state government from the Florida Supreme Court to Tampa City Attorney.

Karl will be remembered for many things. But he said World War II shaped him and taught him leadership.

He was a student at the University of Florida at the start of World War II. Karl enlisted in the Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant while still 18 years old.

Karl commanded a platoon of five tanks – 25 men all older than him – at the Battle of the Bulge. They were part of the 2^nd Armored Division.

“We got set up for Christmas Eve.” Karl reminisced in 2008. “It was really a bittersweet time. I remember early Christmases at home, the smell of incense and pine trees, but I was terrified about the attack the next day. On Christmas day 1944, we attacked the Germans and cut the point off.”

Karl said his division captured the 2^nd Panzer Division in the woods. Then, they were told to flank the bulge and drive south to meet Gen. George Patton’s tanks and relieve Bastogne.

“About the third day of fighting, I mean big, wicked fighting really a lot of resistance, my company commander was lost. He got blown up in a tank,” Karl said. “And then the next day, I was hit with a piece of shrapnel in my arm and my chest and went back to England. So, I missed everything from Jan. 5^th.”

But he made it back with his troops in time to join the triumphant entry into Berlin.

Washington Post: Defense Nominee a Former Vietnam Vet

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel served in the senate from 1997-2009 representing Nebraska. Photo credit: Congress.com

Former Vietnam veteran Chuck Hagel will be nominated by Pres. Obama to takeover at the Pentagon according to the Washington Post.

Nomination of the former Republican senator from Nebraska for Defense Secretary is expected as early as Monday or Tuesday of this week.

Despite Hagel’s GOP credentials, the Washington Post reports his nomination may get bumpy. At least one Republican senator already has raised objections:

In an appearance Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called Hagel’s selection “an in-your-face nomination.”

Comments from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell were not as harsh. You can read the entire article here.

Military Dogs, Veterans Honored in Rose Bowl Parade

Lucca will be riding on the 2013 Natural Balance Rose Parade float! We are at Fiesta getting the float ready! Photo credit: Tillman Facebook page.

The 2013 Rose Bowl Parade featured two floats honoring those who ave hserved in the U.S. Military.

Lucca, a military working dog,  lost her leg while protecting a platoon of Marines from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in March 2012.

Lucca lost her leg, but prevented those on patrol from sustaining any injuries.

She’s retired now, living with a family, but Lucca got her day of fame riding the length of the parade route on the float.

In the photo to the left, Lucca is more interested in her ball than posing for a picture with Tillman, the Skateboarding Dog. M.V.P. on Natural Balance Pet Foods Canine Sports Team.

Lucca is just one of many military working dogs featured on Natural Balance’s 2013 Rose Parade® float.

Veterans who served during the Korean War also were honored as part of the 60th anniversary of the Department of Defense ceasing combat.

“The Rose Parade is the heroes’ welcome these veterans always deserved and never got,” said Army Col. David J. Clark, told the LA Times as he mingled with volunteers and veterans at a float decorating session.

Bill McBride Proved His Leadership as a Marine in Vietnam

Photo credit: Barnett, Bolt, Kirkwood, Long & McBride law firm

Bill McBride volunteered for the Marine Corps and Vietnam in 1968 – which defined his character and life.

Tampa attorney McBride died Saturday while spending the holidays in North Carolina. He is being memorialized by family, friends and colleagues at a Tampa service Dec. 28, 2012.

McBride was a loving father and husband and will be remembered for the strides he made as a former managing partner of Holland & Knight and more recently as senior partner of the law firm of Barnett, Bolt, Kirkwood, Long & McBride.

As a novice political candidate, McBride also will be remembered for his relentless spirit yet unsuccessful campaign against incumbent Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

It was during that 2002 campaign that a fellow Marine and Vietnam veteran Ralph Quallen, nicknamed Heavy, came to Florida on his own to campaign for McBride.

A Marine’s Loyalty and Leadership

Reactions to the Death of Retired Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf

(George H.W. Bush riding in a Humvee with General Schwarzkopf in Saudi Arabia, November 22, 1990) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Former President H. W. Bush

Barbara and I mourn the loss of a true American patriot and one of the great military leaders of his generation. A distinguished member of that ‘Long Gray Line’ hailing from West Point, Gen. Norm Schwarzkopf, to me, epitomized the ‘duty, service, country’ creed that has defended our freedom and seen this great nation through our most trying international crises. More than that, he was a good and decent man – and a dear friend. Barbara and I send our condolences to his wife, Brenda, and his wonderful family.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta

Desert Storm Commander Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf Dies

Photo credit: Navy Live

His nickname was “Stormin’ Norman” reportedly for his quick temper, but retired Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf was also remembered for his swift victory in the first Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm.

Norman’s last post was as head of U.S. Central Command at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base. He retired in the community. The Associated Press reports that Norman died Thursday in Tampa at age 78.

From the blog post by USS Nicholas (FFG 47) Commanding Officer Cmdr. Stephen Fuller who shares his thoughts about the Battle of Ad-Dawrah a quote from Gen. Schwarzkopf.

Daniel Inouye: Courage on the Battlefield and in Congress

Photo credit: Sen. Daniel Inouye bio page

I have been remiss not marking the passing of another WWII Veteran, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye.

He fought both on the WWII battlefield being awarded the Medal of Honor and in the halls of Congress earning voters’ continued approval since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962.

Of all the comments memorializing the long-serving senator, one of the most heartfelt came from Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki:

“Senator Daniel K. Inouye stood among the ‘greatest’ of our ‘Greatest Generation.’  Recipient of the Medal of Honor, our Nation’s highest award for valor; distinguished service as a long-serving member of the U.S. Senate; and role model to generations of Americans of Asian-Pacific Islander heritage, especially those growing up in his beloved Hawai’i, Senator Inouye made public service a noble and honorable calling.

Dan Inouye’s courage on the battlefield and in Congress, his passion for making a difference in the lives of average Americans, and his intense modesty spoke volumes about a remarkable American, who embodied the bedrock values and quiet virtues of our Nation.

On behalf of America’s 22 million Veterans, I salute the memory of a brave man, a great patriot, a devoted public servant, an unwavering benefactor to Servicemembers and Veterans of every generation, and my friend and mentor.  I extend my deepest personal condolences to the entire Inouye family.”