Happy Veterans' Day

I have spent this Sunday afternoon showing old family photos to my 19 month old daughter. Being so close to Veterans´ Day, I spent a great deal of time telling her about the men I have known and admired who gave so much for the rest of us. Those unselfish few have made it possible for dads and daughters to spend many chilly Sunday afternoons together.

The wonder I saw in my daughter´s eyes as I told her the stories of these brave men, compelled me to tell everyone the stories of three veterans whom I have always revered. Two I knew personally, one I have only read about. All of them are different, but all shared the same sense of responsibility and sacrifice.

Here are their stories…

Nearly five years ago, this nation bid farewell to a great man, his name was Capt. Martin D. Greenwell USN (ret.) and I had the privilege of calling him my friend. Captain Greenwell served his country well during WWII, and the Korean War, as well as one of this nation's most ardent 'cold warriors'.

I came to know Martin Greenwell as my neighbor, when I was about 12 years old my parents bought the house next door. As the years went by and I grew into a young man, I would sit and listen intently to the Captain's accounts of his military career. One would think he was reading from a Tom Clancy novel, but the stories were real and so was he.

His naval career spanned 33 years, during that time he received the American Defense Medal, the Pacific/Asian Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the China Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal (5 stars), and two Navy Commendations. He even has a glacier named after him!

He flew rescue squadrons in the Pacific, during WWII; participated in the Inchon Invasion, during the Korean War; and became commanding officer of VX-6 Squadron for the U.S. Navy's "Operation Deep Freeze", in Antarctica. He also headed up the war plans group for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and served as U.S. Navy representative to NATO forces in Iceland. Despite such lofty credentials, Capt. Greenwell always had time for a friend and remained a humble hero.

He grew up in Kentucky and consequently, always retained a deep fondness for horses and good bourbon.

On November 19, 2003, he was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. As the raindrops fell, the band fell silent, and a lone bugler played "Taps" against a gray November sky. My eyes drifted between the solemn-faced young men who were carefully and precisely folding the flag which draped his coffin and the tombstones which surrounded his grave. As I read the names of the men and the wars in which they had given so much, I was overwhelmed and humbled by the very ground on which I stood.

As the Captain's flag was handed to his grieving niece, my eyes welled with tears. I was overcome with emotion, not just by the sadness of a lost friend, but because I knew that he was now safe and will forever be surrounded by heroes.

I am richer for having known him, he was the model of an officer and a gentleman. He will be sorely missed, though his presence will forever remain. Farewell Captain.

Next, is a story of another veteran of whom most have never heard. However, it is one which you shall never forget.

Last year would mark the 110th birthday of WWI hero Sgt. Henry Lincoln Johnson. While most Americans have never heard of this man, his story is quite possibly the most compelling soldier's story you will ever hear and one which deserves to be told over and over again.

In the wee hours of May 14, 1918, a German raiding party of at least two dozen soldiers operating in the Argonne Forest, set out to capture American soldiers. The Germans came upon a post occupied by Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts, and surprised the newly-armed Americans. Johnson was immediately wounded and Roberts was captured. Johnson then went after the German raiders, firing his Lebel rifle until it jammed, then using it to club the enemy until it broke in half.

Johnson managed to grab a grenade from one of the Germans, which he threw into the raiders, killing several of them. He then pulled his knife and dragged the disabled Roberts back to their post, still fighting off Germans along the way.

When French troops arrived a few hours later, they found Johnson and Roberts inside their post laughing and singing songs. They also found dead and dying German soldiers strewn about the ground.

Johnson sustained 21 separate wounds during the fight.

Since Sgt. Johnson's unit was comprised solely of black troops, at the time they were not allowed to fight with U.S. forces. Thus the 369th, known as the Harlem Hellfighters was attached to the 16th Division of the French 4th Army. Johnson from Brooklyn, New York was forced to fight under the French flag though he volunteered for the U.S. Army.

Because of Sgt. Johnson's super-human deeds and his heroism to save his comrade Needham Roberts, France awarded him that nation's highest military honor...The French Croix de Guere with Gold Palm. The citation for the award reads as follows:

"Johnson, Henry (13348), private in company C, being on double sentry duty during the night and having been assaulted by a group composed of at least one dozen Germans, shot and disabled one of them and grievously wounded two others with his bolo. In spite of three wounds with pistol bullets and grenades at the beginning of the fight, this man ran to the assistance of his wounded comrade who was about to be carried away prisoner by the enemy, and continued to fight up to the retreat of the Germans. He has given a beautiful example of courage and activity."

Upon Johnson's return to the United States, he received a ticker tape parade along New York City's Fifth Avenue. After hearing his story, former President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Johnson to be "one of the five bravest men who fought in World War I."

While France saw fit to bestow their highest honor upon Johnson, his own country has yet to do the same. Eighty years later, as directed by Governor Pataki, the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs submitted an official Congressional Medal of Honor nomination on Johnson's behalf.

In 2001, Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera approved Johnson's nomination for the CMH. However, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Henry Shelton recommended he not receive the award due to "failure to follow procedure." Despite that setback, Gov. Pataki continued to petition President Bush to award Johnson the CMH, but Bush has not responded.

The fact that Johnson never received the CMH is truly maddening when you consider how another American was given the award. Gen. Douglas MacArthur was awarded the CMH for sneaking away from Corregidor in the middle of the night and abandoning his men only to be starved and tortured by the Japanese. However, Johnson fought off between 20 and 30 Imperial German soldiers in order to save his fellow soldier, sustaining numerous wounds in the process, and his efforts are largely ignored by his own country.

Though the U.S. government never recognized Johnson's bravery with the CMH, they did see fit to use him to help recruit young black men into the Army. They not only paraded him about in 1918, but used his image in a 1976 recruiting poster which declared: "Johnson left a trail of destruction a half mile long."

Sadly, unable to continue his job as a porter on the railroad because of his wounds, he became destitute and an alcoholic. He died in an Albany, NY Veteran's hospital separated from his wife and family at the age of 32. Until fairly recently, Johnson's son did not even know where his dad was buried.

It was a shame that in 1917, when Henry Lincoln Johnson walked into the Marcy Avenue Armory in Brooklyn and signed up to fight for his country, that he was never allowed to fight under his own flag. It was also a shame that like many soldiers, Johnson had great difficulty returning to his life at home because of physical and undoubtedly emotional wounds. It is an even further shame that after 90 years, this man who gave himself to his country has not received the same recognition that others have who have done much less.

Like so many veterans, Sgt. Johnson´s is a story which has no happy ending.

Lastly, this day always reminds me of my great grandfather who was a WWI veteran. In the spring of 1918, George Benjamin Teabout enlisted in the Army in the tiny North Carolina town of Harrellsvile. He was then sent off for training later and joined the 106th Engineers of the 31st Infantry Division (also known as the Dixie Division because of the Southern recruits which filled the division´s ranks).

Benjamin (or "Benny") as everyone knew him, spent the late summer and fall until a cease fire was declared in mid-November, in the countries of Belgium and France.

The back of my grandfather´s Army discharge papers list Pvt. Teabout´s character as "excellent." While the Army is often accused of fouling things up, the description of George Benjamin Teabout´s character is one thing the Army definitely got right.

After returning from the "war to end all wars," my grandfather went back to his job working on tugboats and eventually became a captain ( a title he would carry the rest of his long life). He relished his work on the water and enjoyed showing off his boat, and sharing his love for the water with his granddaughter (my mom), as he would often have her beside him in the pilot house.

My grandfather died in 1976, he was 81 years old. I remember him for his love of new Buicks, his love for his country, and the tenderness and love he had for his family. He always had a smile on his face and was never too busy to listen.

George Benjamin Teabout exuded the kind of quiet dignity so often exhibited by the men of that generation. His Army discharge papers and WWI Victory Medal now hang above my desk, those artifacts and the memory of his gentle nature provide me with constant inspiration.

This Veterans' Day, please take a few moments to remember the sacrifices made by those brave souls who made the decision to wear this nation´s uniform. For those who are fortunate enough to still have them around, thank them and remind them that they will always be heroes.

To Capt. Greenwell, Sgt. Johnson, and Pvt. Teabout…Happy Veterans´ Day and thank you!