Old But New

I read the papers and watch the news everyday. I’m on the Internet almost everyday. AND yet I neither saw nor heard anything about three special men. Three who served our country so long ago are just now being honored.

I was doing some research this week when I came across a story that broke just last month. On 8 December 2000 the Congressional Medal of Honor (MOH) was awarded posthumously to Airman 1st Class William Pitsenbarger. Bill hailed from Piqua, Ohio. He was 21 years old when he died in Vietnam on 11 April 1966.

He was called "Pits" by his friends and assigned to the Air Force’s 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, Detachment 6 as a Pararescue Crew Member near Saigon.

Soldiers of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division were in the midst of a mission near CamMy when they were ambushed. Our soldiers were pinned down by enemy troops east of Saigon. The Air Force sent in two helicopters to lift out the wounded. Pits was onboard one of them.

He went down onto the ground on a hoist. He took care of several wounded soldiers and helped them get lifted back up to the hovering choppers. The choppers left once they were loaded but Pits stayed on the ground to take care of more wounded men.

When the two helicopters returned, one of them began to lower the hoist with a litter basket attached. BUT before Pits could get anyone loaded into the basket the chopper came under fire and was hit. It began losing power and had to leave the area.

Pits waved off the chopper instead of climbing back onboard. He stayed on the ground with the soldiers and continued helping the wounded. They were still under fire. As the soldiers ran low on ammunition Pits gathered ammo clips from the dead and passed them out. He grabbed a rifle and helped to keep the Viet Cong away from the remaining soldiers.

Snipers managed to kill Bill that evening. When his body was found the next day he was still holding a rifle in one hand and his medical kit in the other. Part of his citation read:

He repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to care for the wounded, pull them out of the line of fire, and return fire whenever he could, during which time he was wounded three times. Despite his wounds, he valiantly fought on, simultaneously treating as many wounded as possible. In the vicious fighting that followed, the American forces suffered 80 percent casualties as their perimeter was breached, and Airman Pitsenbarger was fatally wounded. Airman Pitsenbarger exposed himself to almost certain death by staying on the ground, and perished while saving the lives of wounded infantrymen.

 

So why did it take so long for him to be recognized? The paperwork was submitted several times. The "powers that be" required more information. Additional eyewitness testimony was taken and the case was reviewed. Finally on 8 December 2000 Bill was posthumously promoted to Staff Sergeant (SSG) and awarded the MOH. His remaining family members and the Air Force must be very proud right now.

On 16 January 2001 Theodore Roosevelt was awarded the MOH posthumously for his charge up San Juan Hill before he became President of the US.

AND just last evening I received an email of interest to me. The Veterans group I belong to in my hometown area has once again been successful in helping to obtain honors for someone. The first time was when my "Medals for Maggie" committee lead the charge to get the Presidential Medal of Freedom (PMOF) for Martha "Colonel Maggie" Raye. This time they aided another member, John Howe, his organization—the 369th Veterans Association, and surviving family members to have the Congressional MOH bestowed upon Henry Johnson who served in WW I.

Henry grew up in Albany, New York (NY). He joined the NY National Guard’s 369th Infantry Regiment, an African-American unit, and went to war. In May 1918 his group was fighting in northern France.

On 14 May more than two dozen German soldiers attacked Henry and his partner Needham Roberts. Needham was wounded and captured. Henry was also wounded but he managed to escape capture. BUT he followed the Germans. He didn’t want to lose his buddy. Henry attacked them, killing a few and forced them to release Needham. During the attack his rifle broke so he used his entrenching tool. Although he was wounded more than 20 times he was successful in his quest.

His encounter that day made the papers and was called the "Battle of Henry Johnson." Henry was honored to ride in an open touring car in the 1919 homecoming parade in New York City. The French government presented him with their Croix de Guerre—war cross. President Teddy Roosevelt said he was one of the country’s "five bravest Americans." BUT all the US gave Henry was a Purple Heart for his injuries. Was it because of his color?

He was quite the celebrity in New York, especially in Albany. I was in Albany in 1991 when a street was renamed for him and a granite monument was uncovered honoring him. Five years later a bronze bust of Henry was dedicated and placed atop the monument. In 1999 Henry’s son Herman went to Albany to receive a posthumous award in Henry’s name from the governor of New York.

Meanwhile Veterans groups, the governor, the NY National Guard and many others had been contacting the Pentagon, SECDEF, Congress, and the President. They wanted Henry honored further. He served his country at a time when African-Americans were still not treated very well. BUT he served heroically.

Knowing that in 1991 an MOH was bestowed on Freddie Stowers, an African-American who also served in WW I; in 1997 seven others received the MOH for WW II; and last summer Asian-Americans received the MOH—the folks in NY began a big push for Henry to be honored now.

So why the big rush? It’s only been more than 80 years. The answer is simple. If it doesn’t happen now before the new administration takes over then these hard working folks will practically have to start over with a new regime. As of 28 December 2000 no decision had been made in Washington, DC.

UPDATE: Here’s the new part of Henry’s story. On Thursday 18 January 2001 Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera signed the recommendation for Henry to be awarded our country’s highest military medal. Now it has to be approved by the SECDEF and then the President. Sadly that meant it would be delayed since we were about to have a new SECDEF and President. AND unfortunately the new folks in the positions to approve this award proclaimed it wasn’t processed correctly or in a timely manner and denied it. Congressmen and Senators from New York have jumped on this bandwagon to right a wrong. All of us from the Albany area hope it doesn’t take another 80 years. Its bad enough that Henry died in 1938 without truly knowing that people wanted him honored but his son Herman is now in his 80s and would like to see his father honored also.

I know how hard I had to work to get Maggie the PMOF and how many presidents were approached before Bill Clinton awarded it to her. I hope the same thing doesn’t continue to happen to the Johnson family.

Army Of One

OK, maybe it was time to change the Army motto but I have to tell you that I don’t like the new "An Army of One" slogan. I don’t like its concepts or the new advertisements I’ve been seeing on television. AND while the former slogan "Be All You Can Be" had its downfalls—this one really upsets me.

The new slogan is said to "appeal to the individualism and independence of today’s youth" because they "view military life as dehumanizing." DUH—military life is not supposed to be glamorous. In many ways the soldiers are there to protect and serve their country.

This new campaign is costing $150 million. What a waste of money in my opinion. First it was GEN Shinseki changing the Army’s headgear from the BDU cap to a black beret, which has many Veterans and active duty personnel upset. AND now this new slogan.

The Army’s recruiters have fallen below their quotas. I don’t think these changes will help them get any more soldiers.

It’s strange but I don’t recall many problems with recruiting soldiers in the past—even after the draft was stopped. BUT recruitment has dwindled since the Gulf War.

I think that happened because it was such a short war. Young people think that the Air Force and Navy really won the war as opposed to the Army ground troops. That may be true but this is not to say that is the way the next encounter will be fought. BUT I digress a little.

Have you seen the new Army commercial? It shows a soldier running alone through the desert saying "I’m an Army of one." He looks like a clone of Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some of my friends have called this guy a "stud-muffin."

The message I got from watching the commercial is that he doesn’t need anyone else to rely on. He can do it all himself. Well that’s fine if he is the one to push that red button when the flag goes up. That’s right—he doesn’t need anyone else but himself to get that job done—although orders must come down from higher up.

If the youth of today is made to think that they will be individuals and independent while serving our country—they have another thought coming.

If the Army thinks that this commercial will bring in more soldiers—they also have another thought coming.

The military as a whole ultimately brainwashes the troops from day one of Basic/Boot Training. They have to in order to get them to the point they can work as a team. It has always been team building and spirit in the military. So where does this idea of "one" come from?

"One" is suppose to show that the Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard are all one Army. They have been training and working together for years. AND as we saw during the Gulf War, many Reservists and Guard members served in the Gulf. BUT are they truly equal? Well I haven’t been active in awhile but the last I heard they are still not totally compatible. Strangely while the Guard gets newer equipment to train with—mostly because they are also funded by their individual states—the Reserve continues to have outdated equipment—mostly handed down from the active component.

The old commercials of "Be All That You Can Be" showed a lot of different people doing different jobs AND included women. This new commercial only shows this Jock—Bodybuilder by himself. He appears to be a groundpounder—grunt. BUT what do I know—I’m just a woman!

Then again, I’m not alone. I opened my "Army Times" today and there was an excerpt from an article that appeared in the "Chicago Tribune" on 13 January. The closing paragraph said, "If you are enlisting in the Army to be appreciated as an individual, you may be in for a bit of a shock. Drill sergeants have many clever ways to remind you that you are one in more than a million. It’s their way of helping you to be all you can be." I believe the author of that complete article feels the same as I do.

I think this new slogan, commercial and headgear are for the birds!

ANC—100

Friday, 2 February 2001, members of the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) were celebrating in Virginia. It’s hard to believe this group is having its 100th anniversary. Yes, the ANC was officially formed on this date in 1901. BUT it really started much earlier.

Nurses began working, mostly with no training, during the American Revolution. Most of them learned medical care quickly. Legendary Molly Pitcher not only carried water to the soldiers in 1778 but also wrapped their wounds as best she could. Though not considered military personnel, many worked with the medical service caring for the wounded also.

The Civil War found women taking care of the soldier’s health needs as well as trying to improve the standards of sanitation. Clara Barton became well known during this time period. She also helped establish the cemetery in Arlington and created the American Red Cross (ARC).

In 1861 Dorthea Dix was appointed as the Superintendent of Women Nurses for the Union Army. Her task was to organize and recruit women. While there were certain criteria for these ladies to meet most important was their willingness to work however nursing experience was not one of them. About that same time Dr. Mary Walker from New York State joined the Union Army as a nurse. Although she was already a licensed physician it wasn’t until 1864 that she became the first female doctor in the Army. A year later she was awarded the Congressional MOH.

When the Army couldn’t get men to do patient care during the Spanish American War once again they recruited women. Typhoid was killing many soldiers. BUT once again the volunteers for this mission were considered as civilians. With Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee as director of this group more than 1,500 women served between 1898 and 1901.

Dr. McGee drafted the legislation that eventually went before Congress. Thus the Nurse Corps became an auxiliary of the Army BUT they still had no military rank.

The personnel ranks continued to grow. By the end of WW I the ANC had grown to over 20,000 women. More than half these women served overseas. Some were wounded but most fatalities were from the fluenza epidemic. More than two dozen received American military awards and several received foreign medals.

During WW II the ANC ranks swelled to over 50,000. They lost more than 200 women; some of whom were buried overseas. Six women were KIA at Anzio. Some of the female survivors of that battle arena received the Silver Star—the first ever awarded to women. During the course of the war itself many other medals were issued to members of the ANC.

Meanwhile in the Pacific Theater more than sixty nurses were taken as prisoners-of-war (POW) and held at the Santo Tomas prison where they remained more than three years. During the last couple months of their captivity they were barely fed by the Japanese at all and somehow survived living on anything edible.

The Korean War found fifty-seven ANC members arriving at Pusan a few days after our troops landed. A dozen of these women went forward to set up a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH). More than 5,000 women served with the ANC during this time period. Eventually more than 500 women would serve in the war zone. A friend of mine was one of these women: Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Frances Liberty ANC (Retired) (RET). She along with many other women nurses who served during WW II were surprised when they were called back to active duty for this war.

Many of the 5,000 members of the ANC were sent to Vietnam during the war. Prior to 1965 a few women were sent there to train locals much like our males did. BUT that number escalated after 1965. Before long the 3rd and 8th Field Hospitals were in full swing in Saigon and NhaTrang respectively.

By 1966 the ANC had opened its door to male nurses also. Men and women were working side by side in combat zones as well as elsewhere around the globe. In Vietnam they not only worked in the hospitals but also at firebases and in the civilian communities caring for the Vietnamese population.

When the Tet Offensive took place in 1968, our soldiers weren’t the only ones under attack. Nurses were in the same locations. Mortar and rocket attacks were frequent. The medical personnel worked 12 hour shifts—and then some. The staff in Pleiku wanted to send the female nurses to a safer area—they refused to leave. Most believe that had the nurses not been in Vietnam there would have been many more casualties.

Although several nurses died during the Vietnam War only one of them died as a direct result of enemy fire. Lieutenant (LT) Sharon Lane was KIA in June 1969 in ChuLai. Seven other female nurses died during the course of the war from illness and accidents. Several male nurses also died. Naturally the women got more attention, as so many people didn’t want the women in dangerous areas.

During the Vietnam War era there were also several other things that happened around the world where the ANC was sent. In 1958 they staffed hospitals in Lebanon. During 1962 they aided during the devastating earthquake in Iran. They also were used during the Cuban missile crisis. Yugoslavia and Alaska both had earthquakes between 1963 and 1964. Once again the ANC helped the victims. And when our troops were sent to the Dominican Republic the ANC was there caring for our forces.

AND it didn’t stop there either. ANC personnel took part in Granada, Panama, Haiti, and the Persian Gulf War. They have gone to Somalia, Mogadishu, Bosnia, Kosovo, and dozens of other places not only to aid our troops but also civilians.

Casualties within the ANC have occurred not only from illness and direct fire but also from Agent Orange and the Gulf War Syndrome. It has only been within the past few years that surveys have begun to be made about the women who served our country as nurses as well as in other fields. Although records of the actual amounts of women who served in combat areas have been poorly kept, the ANC at least has the best record of where their nurses have served.

I was in Washington, DC in May 2000 for Memorial Day activities. I had the pleasure of meeting Brigadier General (BG) William Bester. He had just been appointed the first male Chief of the ANC. It took more than 30 years from the time men were allowed to be nurses for a man to be placed in charge of the ANC. He has a lot of history to live up to.

In 1945 President Truman suggested to draft women nurses. While it passed in the House, the Senate didn’t get to vote because the war ended before the bill got to them. AND still today NO woman, nurse or otherwise, has ever been drafted—they all volunteered.

The ANC has had a century to prove themselves. It’s obvious that they should have been formed much earlier. BUT regardless they deserve to celebrate their 100th "official" anniversary this coming weekend. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of the nurses who served our country. I salute them and all members of the ANC.