Vietnam Veterans Tribute

I wanted to pass along that The Moving Wall, which is a portable replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C., will be in our area later this week.  The Moving Wall will be open to the public from Thursday (June 19th) to Monday (June 23rd) at 21901 West Maple Road in Elkhorn, Nebraska.  An opening ceremony is planned on June 19th and another ceremony will be held on June 22nd.  If you have any questions about this local event… please call 402-289-2222.  Also… for more information about The Moving Wall you can log onto www.themovingwall.org.

Time To Be “Briefed”

As part of the “demobilization” process… each unit is required to undergo a series of briefings.  Some of the briefings actually occur while still overseas (in Iraq in our case) and then shortly upon return to the United States (we received those in Camp Shelby, Mississippi).

The process continues over a series of months, however, with more briefings that were held soon after our Freedom Salute.  In addition to receiving information about items such as Veterans’ benefits… we also had an opportunity to become familiar with some of the Veterans organizations in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area.  Several of these groups… such as the American Legion… manned booths and were on-hand to answer any questions sent their way.

Freedom Salute

Okay… I’ll admit first off that this post is rather dated… as it refers to events that occured over 2 months ago.  But in early March… the 755th Chemical Company (the unit I deployed to Iraq with) held it’s Freedom Salute.  The Freedom Salute is an opportunity to recognize the soldiers and (perhaps more importantly) their families following the demobilization process.

In addition to several dignitaries taking the time to speak to everyone… various awards were presented to each soldier.  Among those were items to be further awarded to friends and family members.

Happy Armed Forces Day !!!

Okay… it’s been awhile since I added a blog posting… and for that I truly apologize.  The short answer to my poor updating is that we switched blog systems and I… not being as quick with these computer things as my children are… have been slow to ajust.  Again… I sincerely apologize for this.

Now… for a quick posting… as I figure out how to adjust/place pictures on this system… I wanted to pass along a quick Happy Armed Forces Day (which is on Saturday, May 17th this year) to all the folks who have served or currently serve in the military (along with their families).  I did a quick search of the history of Armed Forces Day… and here’s what I found out…

According to the Department of Defense web site… Armed Forces Day was first celebrated on May 20th, 1950.  It was designed to combine the separate Army, Navy, and Air Force Days.  For more information… you can check out their web site at www.defenselink.mil/afd/

Once again… thank you for your patience concerning the delays in my postings.  The regular updates will now be returning.  Also… a new feature… readers will be able to post comments.

Chuck McWilliams

A Lifetime Of Service

A while back… I mentioned that I was going to “adjust” the direction of the Lieutenant’s Lounge. Having returned from our 15 month deployment… I wanted to address different issues… and one of those is to recognize some of the veterans who live and work among us. Cliff Leach… a Vietnam War veteran… is someone I’ve had the priviledge to get to know prior to… during… and since our tour in Iraq.

Back in 1967… Cliff left the Midwest for Navy boot camp in San Diego. After spending a short time serving in Hawaii… he was assigned to the U.S.S. Enterprise. When the ship returned to Hawaii for repairs… following a deadly explosion… Cliff was re-assigned as a forward air controller and sent to Da Nang, Vietnam. Like many of his fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines… he spent 8 months “hoofing it through the bush” in southeast Asia… avoiding capture… and providing vital information for American flight crews.

Also like many of his fellow Vietnam veterans… Cliff spent a period of time adjusting to his return stateside. Chief among his adjustments was getting to know his 1 1/2 year old son… whom Cliff hadn’t seen since his birth. While Cliff moved forward in life… and raised a family… he still felt as though he was missing something. A few years ago… he found a way to serve his fellow countrymen and women again… as a leader of the Patriot Guard Riders (PGR).

The PGR is an organization composed entirely of volunteers that was initially intended to protect families of fallen soldiers from “protestors” at funerals. Over time… their work began to also include escorting military units that are either leaving for or returning from overseas deployments. In fact… the PGR… along with local police departments… provided our unit with an escort from our armory prior to our deployment back in September, 2006.

Recently… Cliff retired as State Captain of the PGR (Nebraska chapter) after serving in the post for nearly 2 years. During his tenure… membership has risen from around 350 to over 1100. When our unit flew into Lincoln at the end of our Iraq deployment… Cliff was there with the rest of the PGR to show their support for the troops and their families… as well as to present a PGR flag that was signed by members of the 755th Chemical Company and the PGR members.

Entering the VA System

Shortly after returning from deployment overseas… troops have a variety of benefits and services at their disposal to assist in their return to society. The primary agency responsible for this area is the Veterans Administration (VA). On the plus side… there are many options that are now available for veterans. But… being a government agency… it also means that paperwork is very important.

Now… I can only speak for myself… and I recognize that the VA hasn’t always had the best reputation. But… my experience so far has been very positive. I get the impression that great effort has been put into improving services for veterans… and every VA staff member that I’ve worked with has been extremely professional.

Special Mementos

I apologize for my delinquency in postings the past couple of weeks… but look for more frequent reports to return soon.

Here is one story I wanted to pass along… and never got around to. During deployments overseas… many (if not most) troops have various items that they carry with them at all times. Pictures of loved ones and jewelry are among the more common… as are gifts from friends and family members.

A few weeks prior to our mobilization… back in the summer of 2006… I had the priviledge to speak at a Nebraska Vietnam Veterans reunion in Fremont. As I’ve mentioned upon several occasions… our unit received a terrific amount of support from the community… and especially from those who sacrificed and served in southeast Asia four decades ago.

After speaking… I was introduced to a Vietnam veteran who asked me to carry something with me during my deployment. He is a recipient of the Purple Heart… and loaned me a challenge coin to take during my missions… which became one of the mementos that I kept close at all times. If you ask other veterans… you’ll most certainly hear other stories of items that they kept with them during their deployments.

Dinner Time ??

While there were many hours of work involved in our deployment… the troops also found a little time to unwind every now and then. For example… during our training at Camp Shelby… Big Mack Attack picked up a couple of cakes for the platoon. It was my impression that these were for everyone to celebrate our new platoon sign. Well… let’s just say that Sergeant Hanson and I found out otherwise.

I also bring this up because the young troop who served me a “piece” of cake… happened to stop by the KETV-TV Channel 7 studios with his family the other day. His brother is one of the soldiers who were able to fly home for a few days around Christmas thanks to the generosity of many fellow Nebraskans. The project is called Operation Airlift… and just another example of the kindness and support that we saw during our deployment as well.

www.ketv.com/newsarchive/14915616/detail.html

Editor’s Note: I thought it would be nice to start off the New Year with a good laugh… even if I was the “recipient” of the joke…

Red Prepares For The Man In Red

Now that Sergeant P and Red had returned back home… it was time to get the house ready for Christmas Day. Normally… Sergeant P takes the lead on this… but Red felt it would be a good opportunity to surprise his mentor. Before starting his project… however… he needed a little help. Fortunately… Tigger and Anna Belle had both just finished their morning naps.

Of course the first order of business was setting up the Christmas tree. Having spent years training on rappel ropes as a member of the United States Army Special Forces… Red was able to quickly navigate through the branches… hanging lights and ornaments with expert precision. After Tigger nodded with approval… Red called the room to attention and pronounced the tree “good to go”.

With limited time for Red’s plans… he needed to get really busy. That meant he had to bring out the big guns… and we’re talking serious power tools here. After chugging a cup of Sergeant P’s special bland of coffee… a recipe he originally picked up in the jungles of Panama… Red grabbed some wrenches and screwdrivers… and raced into the family room.

Quickly scaling the fireplace… Red fired the stocking holders into their exact locations. He also managed to put the final decorations on the mantle when… out of nowhere… he heard a sound. Not familiar with the noise… Red was startled. He thought he heard some bells (perhaps from one of Santa’s reindeer)… and maybe even a hearty “Ho Ho Ho” (from the big man himself).

As Anna Belle and Tigger darted to their rooms… Red didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t planned on Santa’s early arrival… as he hadn’t even had a chance to put out some cookies and milk yet. Relying on his training in the art of camouflage… Red dove into his stocking on the end… and decided to wait things out.

After what seemed like an eternity… Red fell into a deep sleep. With visions of sugar plums and gingerbread men dancing in his head… he was literally out cold. Just as he was about to taste a fresh cookie… he began to feel as though he was falling. Opening his eyes… he saw his friend and mentor… Sergeant P… lifting him out of his stocking. And as Red looked around the room… and realized that Santa hadn’t visited him quite yet… he let out a big sigh and whispered “it was all just a dream… just a dream.”

Changes…

Now that our unit has been home for almost two weeks… it seems that folks are starting to settle back into their normal routines. I bumped into Sievering (one of our very good mechanics) and Smitty as I was leaving a convenience store the other day… and both appeared to be doing well. Later that evening… I ran into Big Mo at an area restaurant… and he informed me that he had already picked up a new truck from Boom Boom.

So even with the changes in weather (rather dramatic for us… to say the least) and job descriptions… the transition back to civilian life seems to be moving along. And with changes… I intend to (obviously) make some adjustments to this blog. My future intent is to use this forum to address any veteran’s issues or stories that need to be told… from readjusting to being back home… to health concerns… and probably anything else that pops up. It’s really more of a continuation of the deployment process… only now focusing mostly on the back end of things.

Finally… I want to send a big THANK YOU to Shiloh Woolman (website administrator of ketv.com) for all of her assistance in setting up and running this blog… as well as many thanks to my co-workers at Channel 7 who provided viewers with regular updates on the activities of the 755th Chemical Company. Of course… a round of thanks also goes out to the readers of The Lieutenant’s Lounge. I deeply apprecriate the many kind comments that were forwarded and am flattered and humbled to have had the opportunity to compose the blog postings. Merry Christmas to each of you… and best wishes for you and your families in 2008!