1:30 PM at the Veterans History Project, Library Of Congress, Friday, Nov. 8th 2018
Barksdale, Jr., Thomas Walter -- Sergeant, Army Air Forces/Corps Veteran
World War II, 1939-1945 - Miami, Florida; South Dakota; San Antonio, Texas; England; Austria
96 yr. old. Sgt.Tom was a real Hogan's Hero POW - fascinating heartwarming story - long, so you might fast forward through the interview as it is all clarified and summarized with the help of his daughter Suzie in the last ten minutes or so.
THE LAST OF THE HOGANS HEROS 2 Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart
Below from the book, The Flame Keepers: The True Story of an American Soldier's Survival Inside Stalag 17
Ned Handy was captured by Germans in April 1944, after his B-24 was shot down. Sent to Stalag 17, the infamous Nazi prison camp, Handy soon led an escape team determined to tunnel to freedom. Along with the unforgettable comrades he vividly describes, Handy worked relentlessly for months on a tunnel that was to prove instrumental in saving the lives of four fugitives sought by the Gestapo. One of those fugitives would become the only American ever to escape permanently from Stalag 17.
page 191: "Pappy (Sgt. Tom Barksdale, called that as he was 22, one of the oldest, and definitely one of the most mature) stood up and stretched a bit to appear casual.
See you in a bit, he said and strolled off. I watched him and admired his quiet confidence. Later, he became our barracks chief after Shattuck took over the whole compound but agreed to do it on the condition that he wouldn't have to leave his bay mates and move to the barrack chief's solitary corner. He had about him an aspect of leadership similar to Meese. A steadiness flavored by a genial enjoyment of other men's company. I remembered his crew mate Bob Watson recounting the moment they had been shot down. Watson had been badly hit by flak and temporarily knocked out. When he came to, Pappy was holding him by the collar and shouting at him over the noise of a burning plane:
Your chute is on, can you hear me? It's on. Put your hand on this ring here. We're going to bail out. Don't pull that ring until everything is quiet. OK? You do as I say and we'll tend to your wounds when we get to the ground. OK? Watson bailed, waited, heard nothing and pulled the ring. Then he passed out. Pappy, he said solemnly, had saved his life. When his crewmate's testimonial got back to Pappy, he shrugged and, with the hint of a smile, commented: 'Can't a guy make an honest mistake every once in a while?" (Sgt. Tom was being humbly facetitious.)
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Baughman, Sr., Paul L. -- Technical Sergeant, Army Veteran
World War II, 1939-1945 - France; Belgium; Germany; European Theater Sgt. Paul, a member of 101st Airborne was a parachuter into Normandy, wounded at St. Lo, Recovered in England and then joined the 29th Infantry guarding Patton's Tanks, wounded in Heurtgen Forest, He was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
World War II, 1939-1945 - Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Pacific TheaterPFC Finney was a medic on Okinawa and received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He suffered from hip wound from battle to end of his life in 2017.
PFC Finney who served in Okinawa as a medic. Finney said he became a medic, when in basic he was reluctant to stab the "enemy dummy". His platoon sgt. sent him to a chaplain, who recommened he become a medic. He cannot understand why all the medics were not killed or injured like he was - "crawling from foxhole to foxhole stopping the bleeding of his wounded comrades. He did carry an M1 rifle and I asked him if he would have shot the enemies to protect his brothers in arms, and he replied definitely. Besides the Purple Heart, he received a Bronze Star.
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Vietnam War, 1967-1968 -
Vietnam
John Wesley Fisher was drafted into the Army and served in the Vietnam War. He was on the front lines almost from day one, and suffered the loss of several close brothers in arms. Also, besides, the grief, he returned with survivors guilt and terrible remorse of the deaths of many "enemies" that he felt responsible for. Upon returning to Vietnam, though initially very scary, much to his relief, John found that the Vietnamese do not have PTSD and much to his amazement did not hold resentment toward Americans due to their spiritual/cultural beliefs such as living in the present and believing there are no accidents. HIs former "enemies" befriended him and other veterans who return.
Dr. Fisher now takes Veterans (and interested civilians) back with him on annual ten day goodwill trips. Part of the trips are helping out in clinics that serve agent Orange victims. He has written several well-received books that can be found on Amazon: NOT WELCOMED HOME, WAR AFTER THE WAR, ANGELS IN VIETNAM and THE FLIP OF THE COIN
not hold resentment toward Americans due to their spiritual/cultural beliefs such as living in the present and believing there are no accidents. HIs former "enemies" befriended him and other veterans who return.
Dr. Fisher now takes Veterans (and interested civilians) back with him on annual ten day goodwill trips. Part of the trips are helping out in clinics that serve agent Orange victims. He has written several well-received books that can be found on Amazon: NOT WELCOMED HOME, WAR AFTER THE WAR, ANGELS IN VIETNAM and THE FLIP OF THE COIN.
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Lindsley Field
Today I honor my husband, John Wesley Fisher. Although there are many times during the year I turn to him with awe and appreciation for what he experienced serving in Vietnam, and how hard he worked to 'come home', and now help fellow vets 'come home.' Every day is a day to honor those who served, and those who served and 'gave all.' As any veteran will tell you, they are the unsung heros. Veteran's Day however gives us a collective opportunity to open our hearts and extend our gratitude for those who served and are serving now. We are all affected by war, past and present. May we all reach out, make an effort, be generous to help veterans. There is so much need. Help them by sharing the burden of war they carry, those that returned.
World War II, 1939-1945 - Iwo Jima; Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Camp Carson, Colorado; Pacific TheaterSgt. Milligan was in "mop up" operations after the bloody battle of Iwo Jima. His duty was to guard the seabees repairing the vital air field there. Japanese soldiers were still hidden in the vast number of underground complexes and coming out and fighting the U. S. Soldiers.
Tindal, Sullivan -- Corporal, Army Veteran
World War II, 1939-1945 - Normandy, France; Berlin, Germany Corporal Tindall landed on the bloodiest beach(Omaha) on Dday "numbed" as 200 of his 250 member company was killed on the beach. He managed to fight on to the river just outside Berlin, where the Americans gave way to the Russians on the other side of the River. |
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Wright, Dan -- Technician Four, Army Veteran
World War II, 1939-1945 - New Guinea; Luzon (Philippines); Pacific TheaterWright, Dan -- Technician Four, Army Veteran World War II, 1939-1945 - New Guinea; Luzon (Philippines); Pacific Theater. Rev. Wright fought in New Guinea and in the Phillipines as a jeep driver and body guard of his capt. in New Guinea and as a POW guard in the Phillippines. After the war, he was proud of becoming ordained as an AME minister at the famous Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, S. C. From there he helped built his own church in Jacksonboro, S. C. He was buried there in 2016, and this writer was honored to be at his "Celebration Memorial" at the beautiful overfilled church. He was also very happy to be on the last Honor Flight for WW2 Veterans to Washington, D.C. in 2015 |
World War II, 1939-1945 - Camp Roberts, California; Port Chicago, California
Port Chicago disaster (Henry Waring Jr.)
Henry Waring Jr., now 88, in 1942 was 14 when he talked his Father into confirming to the recruiters that he was 17 so he could join his older Brothers into the Navy. After basic training, he was sent to work at the Port Chicago,. where he operated a winch loading the munitions to the ships headed to the Pacific theater of WW11! He said, when he first got off the train, there was a race riot between the unarmed Black sailors and the armed Marines who were all white. The sailors job was mostly 'stevedore" while the Marines were to guard the site. Mr. Waring, Jr. said there was a lot of tension and fights between them while he was there. And he said many of them got involved in learning to box, which personally helped him in altercation with Marine later. Fortunately, Mr. Waring was on leave, about 8 miles away when the catastrophe happened. Still he that he heard the explosion and plaster started falling from the roof, and he received some minor abrasions
A month later, unsafe conditions inspired hundreds of servicemen to refuse to load munitions, an act known as the Port Chicago Mutiny. Fifty men—called the "Port Chicago 50"—were convicted of mutiny and sentenced to long prison terms. Forty-seven of the 50 were released in January 1946; the remaining three served additional months in prison.
During and after the trial, questions were raised about the fairness and legality of the court-martial proceedings. [1] Due to public pressure, the United States Navy reconvened the courts-martial board in 1945; the court affirmed the guilt of the convicted men. [2] Widespread publicity surrounding the case turned it into a cause célèbre among African Americans and white Americans; it and other race-related Navy protests of 1944–45 led the Navy to change its practices and initiate the desegregation of its forces beginning in February 1946. [3][4][5] In 1994, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial was dedicated to the lives lost in the disaster.
The Best Part of this Story is the ending. This distinguised man I interviewed Louis Waring Jr. is a very successful happy man. He became a Jazz Pianist while working full time at the Navy Yard, where he worked up to a supervisory position. He speaks several languages. He further demonstrated his leadership was honored by serving on the Charleston City Council for 18 years. Mr. Waring lives in a beautiful large home with a grand piano in his living room. He has successful children and grandchildren with several great grandchildren also - all a mutual adoration community. Thank you Mr. Waring for your service to our country and to mankind in general.
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World War II, 1939-1945 - New Guinea; Luzon (Philippines); Pacific Theater
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