The Latest Greatest Generation

By Renita Menyhert

The Latest Greatest Generation

A Bugler praying he will play his best TAPS to honor a fallen Soldier…..

Two football players striving to win the game, and understanding they will use this same determination to complete the successful missions when their military service begins…

A devoted father’s attempt to turn grief into an asset, not only for his son’s sake, but Soldiers as well….

A Staff Judge Advocate officer dedicated to making the Uniformed Code of Military Justice count…..

Guarding a divided city and border or deploying to serve in hostile environments….

Whether it’s war or peacetime, the fact is to be successful in any military endeavor all Soldiers must perform as professionals 24/7. These are stories about GIs I witnessed firsthand exhibiting immeasurable expertise, esprit de corps, and camaraderie. As a result, they made an extraordinary impact on their fellow Soldiers as well as a significant difference in the entire U.S. Army.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669843788

Renita Menyhert

COL. Renita Menyhert, USA, is a retired military feature writer and broadcaster who has contributed to worldwide publications such as Soldier’s Magazine. Menyhert also served as a broadcast journalist for the Armed Forces Network both in the Far East and Europe. Her specialty is human interest features covering soldiers in peacetime and conflicts ranging from World War II to the current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Menyhert has earned a total of 16 broadcast and journalism awards which include two First Place Thomas Jefferson awards for broadcasting and print journalism from the Department of Defense.

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Copyright © 2022 by Renita Menyhert.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 03/17/2023

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1Bugle Calls Have Special Meaning For Soldiers

Chapter 2Playing For More Than Just Winning

Chapter 3Cadet Gives All To Army Football

Chapter 4Look Out! It’s Mad Dog Mcdowell!

Chapter 5Honduras Offers Army Engineer Bonding Experience

Chapter 6Special Training For Special Times

Chapter 7Law & Order: Army Style

Chapter 8All American Remembers One Of Their Own

Chapter 9Brotherly Love Grows During War

Chapter 10Letters Help Vet Remember Korea

Chapter 11Lost Ring Finds Air Force Pilot

Chapter 12Air Force Sergeant Offers ‘Hope’ With Orphanage

Chapter 13A Year ‘Round Christmas Story

Chapter 14Waking Up To The Berlin Wall

Chapter 15Sixteen Hours

Chapter 16Duty At The Berlin Wall

Chapter 17Border Patrol

Chapter 18And The Wall Came Tumbling Down

Chapter 19Vietnam Veterans Share Stories Of ‘Huey’

Chapter 20Soldier Learns And Shares From Vietnam Experiences

Chapter 21Medic Finds It Hard To Leave Vietnam

Chapter 22Vietnam Pow Recalls Horrors

Chapter 23Photographer Under Fire

Chapter 24Never Forgotten: Families Mourn Those Who Made Ultimate Sacrifice

Chapter 25Grueling Journey Gets Soldier Back Safely

Chapter 26Clues Help Wounded Pilot Survive

Chapter 27Vintage Vehicle Makes Veteran Say ‘Jeepers’

Chapter 28Bike Brings Vet And Vietnam Together

Chapter 29War Makes Brothers Out Of Diehards

Chapter 30Answering A Different Call

Chapter 31Scouts And Soldiers Exchange Flags For Flags

Chapter 32Young Officer Relies On ‘Old Sergeant’ For Guidance

Chapter 33Stand Up! Hook Up! Jumping Into Operation Northern Delay

Chapter 34Military Doc In Iraq

Chapter 35Routine Patrol Turns Into Nightmare

Chapter 36Female Soldier Rules In Operation Iraqi Freedom

Chapter 37Running Is Best Medicine For Wounded Soldier

Chapter 38Young Officer Learns About The Last Salute

Chapter 39Turning Tragedy Into Success

Chapter 40Gi Ingenuity Best Medicine In Operation Enduring Freedom

Chapter 41Learning The Language Helps

Chapter 42Army Turns Youngster Around

Chapter 43Sniper Hits His Mark

Chapter 44War Bonds Company Commander To His Soldiers

CHAPTER 1

BUGLE CALLS HAVE SPECIAL

MEANING FOR SOLDIERS

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L ike the faithful town crier from days of old, military bugle calls blast throughout Army posts worldwide jostling sleepy Soldiers awake, announcing meal time, proclaiming the end of the duty day, and as only the Army could, orchestrate a gentle reminder it’s bed time followed by a nostalgic serenade.

More than a few favorite anecdotes have sprouted from these distinctive bugle calls; ones the military population continues to delight in regardless of how long ago they occurred. There’s the meticulous Soldier who religiously set his watch as well as the rest of the clocks in his house to Reveille at 0600 hours (6:00 a.m.) and the dedicated Army mother who equated Assembly with nap time for her children at 1300 hours (1 p.m.). And the infamous complaint the calls weren’t loud enough for those hard-core personnel strictly regulating their day in accordance with the revered tunes.

So it’ not surprising lighthearted tales continue to flourish from Soldiers, both past and present, who find themselves deeply affected by these eloquent, musical tones.

Lona Rogers, United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS) Cadet Candidate (CC) at Fort Monmouth, N.J. is up long before Reveille, but says the shrill morning call to duty definitely boosts her motivation. It’s your sign to wake up, Rogers said. You have a job to do so let’s go do it. It’s getting everything ready for your mission of the day.

The Fort Monmouth Retiree Group, who more than 60 years ago began their first day of basic training, clearly remembers Reveille as a dreaded screeching noise and swears the only thing worse was being thrown out of bed by a training sergeant if you weren’t up.

Then there were mornings when you were jolted awake by the painstaking rattling of the inside of a trash can, Bill Allison, a World War II (WWII) and Korean war veteran, reminded the group.

Back then there was also pay and mail calls which we’d scramble for as much as mess call, grinned Joe Rankin, a WWII glider plane veteran.

And no other organization in the world quite knows how to end a duty day like the U.S. Army. The sharp, dignified tones of Retreat, accompanied by Soldiers performing this particular tradition with such brilliance and precision, is nothing less than spectacular. The ceremony instantly commands pride and admiration from anyone taking the time to share it with them.

Ed Devlin, a retired Director of Training, Plans, and Mobilization, believes the custom of halting work on a military installation to honor the Retreat Ceremony means more than just recognizing duty hours are over.

It’s parallel to stopping and smelling the roses as you go through life, Devlin said. Bugle Calls keep us in touch with things that were important in the past and important now. Ignoring Retreat means missing a whole lot more than just music.

Although it’s been over six decades since Air Commander Robert Peterson began his 19th bombing mission over Germany, he agrees with Devlin’s sentiment completely. That mission became his last when he was shot down and spent the next 18 months in a prisoner-of-war camp. It wasn’t until I saw a Retreat Ceremony I knew I was home, Peterson said.

Retreat is the bugle call I’m most familiar with because I’m always at Lacrosse practice when it’s being played, said Dan Russo, another USMAPS CC. We totally stop what we’re doing and come to attention. And with everything so quiet it gives you time to think about all the people before you and through history who have done this exact same thing.

Whether that flag is going up or down, it’s sacred, Lona Rogers added. It’s one of those symbols we have carried over from the beginning of this country. You have to hold onto it tightly because when you lose it, you’ve lost all the basic principles we were founded on.

Sergeant 1st Class Alan Templeton was barely 19-years-old when he reported to the Berlin Brigade in West Berlin, East Germany over 20 years ago. He says participating in Retreat ceremonies in one of the most controversial cities during the Cold War was an extraordinary experience in his career. We were located quite close to the East Berlin guard towers and I remember seeing them look down while the bugle was playing. I couldn’t help feeling they were truly envious.

If there’s one Soldier on this installation that passionately appreciates bugle calls it’s Tom Helmick, another Fort Monmouth Retiree and WWII Navy veteran. Back then those calls weren’t just sounds, they weren’t just music, they meant something! And they didn’t come out of a boxed recorder. They were played professionally and proudly by a living, breathing Soldier.

That talented, flesh and blood bugler, so revered by his fellow Soldiers has indeed been replaced by machines at most Army posts. Here at Fort Monmouth, bugle calls are heard by a digital recorder located in Vail Hall. Seven times a day, Sunday through Saturday and holidays, Reveille rings out at 0600 hours (6 a.m.) followed by Recall, Mess Call, Assembly, Retreat, and Tattoo, closing with Taps at 2200 hours (10 p.m.)

The bugle calls are on a micro processor chip, explained Charles Fuller, Contract Representative for Administrative Telephone Service Contract, and it’s virtually maintenance-free. A retired master sergeant who’s been monitoring bugle calls here for several years, Fuller says he always enjoys them. Whenever I hear Retreat and Taps I still get a chill up my back, and the rest of the calls always give me a good feeling.

Acute chills is the only way to describe how new U.S. Army recruit, Timothy Rider, and his fellow servicemen felt when they arrived late one evening at Fort Knox, Ky. to report for basic training. A cattle car picked us up and then dumped us off in front of some barracks. About that time Taps began playing. All we knew was that this was the Army funeral song so we thought some drill sergeant was playing a special rendition to warn us what the next thirteen weeks would be like.

For Jeremy James, a former USMAPS CC and now in his last year at the United States Military Academy at West Point (USMA), hearing Taps for the first time was nothing short of exhilaration. My heart was beating happily when I heard Taps that night because I knew I’d succeeded in what I set out to do. I did more pushups than I’d ever done in my life that day and knew I was on my way to a great future.

But coming out of a depression and suddenly being thrust into a world war at the age of sixteen brought an entirely different emotion to Tom Helmick. At the end of that first day at basic I was lying in my bunk, and Taps began playing. That was the first time I’d ever been away from home and hearing those lonely, solemn tones brought a lump in the back of my throat I can feel today.

Bill Allison nods in agreement. All of us were crying and feeling so sentimental about home. That was the only place we thought about for days.

Over half a century later, USMAPS CCs say those feelings haven’t changed. I do get homesick when I hear Taps, Steven Fritz said. I think about my brothers and sisters who live far away, and my family and friends I don’t see as often anymore. It got to me just lying there, this real somber feeling. Sometimes I look out the window to the sky and think about the wonderful times I’ve known with my family.

Taps really has Army written all over it, added Dan Russo. I believe of all the bugle calls, that’s the one that makes you think and remember.

Taps, the tender compassionate melody that has touched the lives of countless service members, was the brilliant creation of General Daniel Butterfield, Army of the Potomac, in 1862. Not knowing one musical note, but desiring something new to signal the end of the duty day, he enlisted the talent of the brigade bugler, Oliver W. Norton. One night in July while in camp at Harrison’s Landing, Virginia, Taps made its immortal debut.

A few months later, Taps was chosen to honor a military funeral because it was unsafe to fire the customary three volleys over the grave due to the close proximity of the enemy. The new custom quickly infiltrated the Army of the Potomac and was eventually confirmed by orders.

Ironically, Butterfield’s got one of the most ornate mausoleums in the West Point Cemetery, proclaimed Joe Cyr, audio/visual producer at USMA. Tourists are always asking whose gravestone that is, thinking it’s someone really famous, and I tell them that’s the ‘Taps General,’ as he’s affectionately known here. You know, ‘ta ta ta . . . ta ta ta . . . ta ta ta . . . ta ta ta . . . ta ta ta . . .’

As for the kind of passion GIs came to feel toward Taps, many service members believe it’s best depicted in the Hollywood film, From Here to Eternity. The call is lovingly played in the still, late night hours by a company bugler to honor the passing of a fellow Soldier just a few days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The movie’s portrayal of the sacred bonding and affection Taps promotes among Soldiers is something Sgt. Mark Barret easily identifies with. An Army bugler who has played Taps at several military funerals, Barret says it’s the hardest part of his job. And for that reason, Taps is the most important bugle call and carries the greatest responsibility.

It’s that final goodbye to a friend, the final hurrah and you want it to be absolutely perfect, declared Barret. I wholeheartedly believe my fallen comrade hears because I’m thinking to myself, I’m doing this for you, I’m honoring you for all you gave.

That’s the meaning Taps eventually gave the Fort Monmouth Retiree Group when the WWII campaigns began and they witnessed their fellow comrades fall in battle.

And of course now when we honor them on Memorial and Veteran’s Day, we get an even bigger lump I’m not sure ever really goes away, Bill Allison said quietly.

During a tour to USMA, Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Terry Dempsey discovered the words to Taps, and decided to read them with the benediction at the end of military funerals.

I felt it was appropriate, since it not only closes the Soldier’s day, but is the final goodbye closing this phase of his life. I can’t think of any words more fitting for a Soldier’s last farewell, Dempsey said.

TAPS

Day is done, gone the sun, from the lake, from the hill, from the sky.

All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

Thanks and praise for our days, ’neath the sun, ’neath the stars, ’neath the sky, As we go, This we know, God is nigh.

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From left to right: USMAPS CCs Steven Fritz, Dan Russo and

Lona Rogers render the proper military courtesy during Retreat.

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From left to right: WWII veterans Bill Allison and Tom Helmick

reminisce about bugle calls during their years in the service.

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Sgt. Mark Barret, an Army trumpet player and bugler, has a

special code he uses to insure the Taps call is played flawlessly.

(Author’s note: This story was first written and published at Fort Monmouth,

N.J. in 1996)

CHAPTER 2

PLAYING FOR MORE THAN JUST

WINNING

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I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour; the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle—VICTOURIOUS!

Vice Lombardi, West Point football coach from 1949-52

B obby Ross, head football coach, United States Military Academy at West Point, (USMA) sometimes reads letters to his team from previous players and cadets now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Filled with encouragement, the writers promise they’re watching and listening to all the games whenever possible. Occasionally, they send battle flags. The honor is always returned with an autographed football signed by the whole team.

So, we’re not only out there for West Point, but the Soldiers overseas as well, said John Wright, a defensive end. Playing Army football means I’m representing America. It makes me think of everything American.

Wright believes these feelings were responsible for the somber, quiet mood of the West Point players as they traveled to a recent football game against Texas A&M University; a team they hadn’t played since 1972. The idea was to bring the Army to the Army—the Army football team from West Point to a large military community. And it doesn’t get more military than San Antonio, Texas, home to five major military installations and over 85,000 active duty Soldiers and Airmen.

And what better rival to challenge the Black Knights than the Texas Aggies; two distinguished institutions with much in common besides deep rooted military traditions. Like their stringent codes. The Army Honor Code says: A Cadet will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do. The Texas A&M Aggie code says: Aggies do not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do.

The Aggies and Cadets have their share of notable football players. Army’s Doc Blanchard, 1945, Glen Davis, 1946, and Pete Dawkins, 1958, were all Heisman Trophy winners.

Texas A&M boasts of John David Crow, 1957 Heisman Trophy winner and Dat Nguyen, 1998 Lombardi Award winner.

Both institutions signal touchdowns with a cannon blast. But the Aggies are the lucky ones as tradition allows them to kiss their dates when the team scores including field goals. However, cadets celebrate a touchdown by knocking out precision pushup after pushup.

And there’s the inspiration such as the cadets yelling, Beat the hell ‘outa’ an ‘enemy’ while the Aggies prefer, Beat the hell ‘outa’ an ‘opponent.’ Either way the meaning is clear. Win!

The Aggies were favored in this game having won two earlier victories with scores of 51-7 and 35-3. The speculation was the Black Knights would lose by four touchdowns. Another reason Wright says the journey to Texas was so quiet. We knew we had a hard job before us and that’s all we concentrated on, said Wright. What each of us had to do to turn things around.

But if there’s one thing Americans love more than a winner, it’s an underdog. Especially one that gives all the appearance of champions before the game even starts. At the sight of 600 West Point Cadets, the A&M Corps and Soldiers from Fort Hood marching in a pre-game parade, spectators began thunderous cheering and clapping; a kind of patriotism reminiscent of World War II (WWII).

One West Point supporter was overwhelmed at the graciousness displayed by the city, describing San Antonio citizens as the epitome of Texas hospitality with their caring attitude and impeccable manners. Everywhere I went I was welcomed and encouraged about the upcoming event, said George Weisner, whose son, Matt, is an Army offensive lineman. Many Aggies yelled, ‘Have a good game tonight!’

But good hardly describes the football showdown between the Corps of West Point and Texas A&M, now on record as the largest regular season football crowd and the eighth-largest sports crowd in Alamodome history. Almost immediately the football commenters were afforded their favorite line, And we have a football game! when the Aggies scored just six minutes into the game, and Army responded with a touchdown by running back, Wesley McMahand.

Another highlight was a blocked Aggie field goal by defensive tackle Tony Fusco. With the first quarter ending tied at seven points a piece, Army went on to score another touchdown in the second quarter by wide receiver, Corey Anderson. On a wide receiver reverse, Anderson ran down the left sideline for 46 yards. Breaking two tackles on the five yard line, Anderson fought on. Dragging an Aggie defender with him, he lunged across the goal line, matching the 14 point score with A&M at the end of the second quarter.

That’s the play that really charged us up, said Wright, during half time. Watching Corey get that ball over the line with just an outstretched hand had us foaming at the mouth to get back out there and win!

I just kept praying over and over for God to help me make it over that goal line, Anderson said later.

The score was 21 all when both teams scored in the third quarter. With 6:29 left in the game, the Aggies scored again, followed by an Army field goal bringing the score to 28-24.

Now, with the ball on the Aggies’ two-yard line and 13 seconds left, just over 64,000 pairs of eyes bore down at the A&M team that stood between Army and an upset victory. No one even dared to blink as the last play began that decided winner and loser. When the defenders stopped Army running back Tony Moore and time ran out, the Aggies declared victory.

Ear-splitting celebrating began immediately throughout the Alamodome. But amid cheers and shouts, something began happening at the other end of the stadium; something that demanded immediate quiet and respect and brought the entire crowd to its feet; something that made everyone realize this was more than just a football game, and something that made every soul there a winner.

The Army players, with the Aggies right behind them, had marched over to the USMA Band when they began playing the Academy’s Alma Mater. The vision of two opposing football teams standing together while the most beloved of all West Point songs filled the stadium and then the Cadets affording the same courtesy during the Aggie War Hymn, brought many spectators to tears.

I’ve been to every West Point game for the last 15 years and have never seen anything like that, proclaimed Weisner. There’s been countless times where the other team won and never paid attention when the West Point Alma Mater was played after a game. What happened tonight was an incredible display of camaraderie and it makes me proud of both teams.

Good vibrations from both teams and fans continued with victory celebrations throughout the night in San Antonio. The West Point Class of 1943 decided the Battle of the Corps at the Alamodome was a great excuse for a reunion. At their postgame gathering, several uniformed Aggies approached the veterans and profusely thanked them for their WWII service.

They also graciously added Army should have won the football game, said of the veterans with a big smile.

Another prominent audience member, Goble Bryant, had come all the way from Marietta, Ga. with his son and grandson. As an All-Southwest Conference tackle for the Aggies in 1943 and then a West Point football player for three years beginning in 1946, Bryant knew way ahead of time he would be blessed with a great football game.

I cheered for the Black Knights because they were the underdogs, said Bryant. But both teams played well and their supporters made me proud. I was surrounded by West Point classmates and Aggies in the stands. Everyone was as nice as they could be. This was the game of a lifetime and one I’ll always remember.

When two Aggie alumni bumped into what they thought was an Army fan upset over the game’s finale, they attempted to soothe the elderly woman with encouragements like, Army almost won, The Cadets played magnificently, and There always next time.

Through her tears, however, the lady explained she was sad because when she attended Texas Woman’s University, then Texas A&M’s sister school, she always rooted for the Aggies on behalf of her various Aggie boyfriends, but none of them had ever proposed marriage.

And back then they lost all the time, sobbed the woman.

Oh ma’am, we’re much smarter now, assured the young men. We married women from your alma mater so your honor is restored!

As for John Wright, he’s already pondering the possibilities of sharing a foxhole with an Aggie football player from this particular game after his graduation in June 2008. Should that happen and the subject of this game comes up, there might just be a whole different ending, winked Wright.

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West Point and Texas A&M prepare for a

play at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

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John Wright played football for the United States Military Academy from

2004-2008 and currently serves in the U.S. Army as a Field Artillery Officer.

Wright has served one tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom

(Author’s Note: This article was first written and published at Fort Monmouth, N.J. in 2006.)

CHAPTER 3

CADET GIVES ALL TO ARMY FOOTBALL

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I want an officer for a secret and dangerous mission. I want a West Point football player.

Gen. George C. Marshall,

Army Chief of Staff,