Something unusual today. I was part of a crew welcoming Medal of Honor recipients to North Texas. There were at least 400 motorcycles escorting, along with police from a half-dozen agencies and the Texas Highway Patrol. A Huey gunship (Vietnam era) escorted from above, running the highway for all the world as if he were making gun-runs, and then hovering protectively over the procession. Motorcycle police were in a "flying wedge" formation, followed by a quarter-mile of patrol cars staggered across both lanes, running full lights, all at the head of the two mile long procession The entire Interstate (I-35) was shut down and all entrance ramps blocked by police along the entire route, nearly 60 miles, from DFW Airport all the way to the small town of Gainesville, TX. Eleven Medal of Honor recipients were on-board a luxury bus in the middle of the escort.
Every single overpass in every single town we went through had cheering, waving crowds, semi-trailers with American flags painted across them front to back, small flags, big flags held by families, giant flags draped over overpass railings - it was, frankly, one of the most impressive things I've ever seen, especially as it hadn't been advertised. The public safety guys, police and fire and ambulance crews, and the bikers, all who were part of the escort had told people they knew, who told people they knew -- it was almost entirely word-of-mouth.
We arrived at the hotel where they will be staying during their time in Gainesville and, after they had settled in to their rooms, we escorted them to a full-dress BBQ meal put on by a local restaurant.
And I got to shake the hands of every single one of them. It was a long ride on an extremely windy day, but I'd have done twice the miles in driving rain for that.
Yeah, I know, y'all don't understand. Some kid (17-20?) passing by the BBQ place where the hundreds of bikers and police were standing in flag formation awaiting the arrival of the recipients asked what was going on. I explained that 11 of the 87 living Medal of Honor recipients were coming, and we were there for them; and that the Medal of Honor is so rarely awarded that there was only ONE living recipient who'd received the medal since Vietnam.
He didn't get it.
"So, what's the big deal?" he asked. This got him a few hard looks from some grizzled old bikers with Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan service patches on their leathers.
"Well, you might not get it, but to military people and all these people here, these guys are fuckin' rock stars, so show a little respect," I snapped at him. I may have been a bit sharp with him, but I'm tired of kids who have no concept of what a real hero is.
I saw him a couple of hours later shaking hands with Hershel Woodrow "Woody" Williams' (USMC, WWII, Battle of Iwo Jima) and asking for an autograph. Maybe he DID get it.
Here's a little thing that explains what's going on here, since I doubt you've heard of it either...
In Our Next Episode: May not be one for awhile. I'm going back to Gainesville to help out with a variety of Medal of Honor events this week wherever I'm needed. It's an honor to do it. And those are words you aren't hearing from me much. Ever.
Outstanding. Thank you for supporting this event.
ReplyDeleteTaking a break - heard it again, and not for the first time, that you always refer to these guys as "Recipients." Last year, some news droid was trying to interview one of the Vietnam-era Recipients who'd been awarded the medal.
ReplyDeleteHe fell on a grenade to save his squad in '70, then, ripped nearly in half, he propped himself up against a tree while holding his intestines in with one hand and continued to fire his weapon and kill enemy troops with the other until the company-sized enemy force withdrew.
Not many of his squad lived, but every single one of them credited him with why they had.
He'd had a few, and was in a good mood, and was chatting with the news droid uneventfully.
Then she asked, "So how has being a Medal of Honor winner changed your life?"
A hush fell over everyone who'd heard it, and you could see the freezing look he gave her from across the room. The air almost crackled with ice.
"Lady," he said, "ain't nobody ever WON a single goddamned thing in that shithole. There sure as hell weren't any WINNERS. I wear this thing for the ones who didn't come back to get any medals."
I actually thought he was going to strike her for a moment. Profuse apologies were had all around, and he finally mellowed, but the interview was over.
God, I wish I had that piece of tape.
The occasionally profound ignorance of journalists astounds me. Granted, they're only human, and no one's an expert at everything. But if they were professionals (which a few are, but not nearly enough) they'd prepare with some proper research.
ReplyDeleteAwe.
ReplyDelete