All posts by Michael Brewer

Retired Commercial Property Manager and Private Investigator. Disabled Combat Veteran of the U.S Marine Corps/ Vietnam. Raised in Dixon, Illinios and moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1959. Very happily married with 3 children and 3 grandsons. Blessed with treasured friends. LIfe long interests have been broad and exciting. Owned a semi-pro soccer team for 4 years. Freelance journalism has been stimulating. Civically involved with both municipal and veterans fraternal organizations. Moved to Apple Valley, Ca. in July, 2010 to be near children. Our daughter is a therapist in Santa Monica and son a multi-media digital ats maven. My wife loves her loom and us! Past Commandant of Apple Valley Marine Corps League,. Currently their Chaplain and Veteran Service Officer. Member of California Writers Club where we occasionally volunteer at the Federal Prison. An overall content hombre.

Dinner In Honor of Arizona Vietnam Veterans

To Arizona Vietnam Veterans, families & friends:

The Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services and the Arizona Military Museum in conjunction with the Department of Defense 50th Commemoration of the Vietnam War is proud to host the 2nd Annual DINNER IN HONOR OF ARIZONA VIETNAM VETERANS at Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino in Chandler, Arizona on October 20, 2012. We are honored to have as Special Guest Speaker, Lieutenant General Claude M. Kicklighter, USA (Ret.), Director of the 50th Commemoration of the Vietnam War project.

AS WE DID LAST YEAR, WE PRESENT THIS EVENT AND DINNER TO HONOR THE SERVICE OF ARIZONA’S VIETNAM VETERANS. Our intent is that this event be part of the 50th Commemoration of the Vietnam War activities whose first stated objective is:

To thank and honor veterans who served in the Vietnam War, including personnel who were held as prisoners of war or listed as missing in action, for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States and to thank and honor the families of these veterans.

The affair will be a special experience including a Vietnamese Color Guard, a wonderful dinner, good music, some short speeches, some videos, TAPS, and a special presentation to Vietnam veterans. It is open to those who desire to honor Vietnam veterans. Registration and no-host bar are at 5:30 to 6:30pm when the program begins.  Business attire/casual or Army Class A or service equivalent is appropriate.  We look forward to seeing many Vietnam veterans, their families and friends. The dinner cost is $40.00 per person.  Unfortunately, the hotel can only accommodate 400 attendees, so we need your RSVP registration and check ASAP to confirm your attendance at this wonderful experience. Wild Horse Pass Hotel rooms are set aside for your convenience at only $99.00 per night, particularly if you’re travelling from outside the Phoenix area.  Just call the hotel for room reservations at 1-800-946-4452.  For other questions call 520-868-6777.

As a Vietnam veteran proud of your service or as one who desires to participate in honoring those who served in the Vietnam War, just mail your completed RSVP form with payment ASAP.   We hope that you will strongly support this meaningful event.

Colonel Joey Strickland, USA (Ret.), Director         Colonel Joseph E. Abodeely, USA (Ret.)

  Arizona Department of Veteran Services                    Director, Arizona Military Museum

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Bill Passes Senate

Important to pass this on to anyone you know who was stationed at Camp Lejeune. As you may suspect, they will not be sending out memos to those who  were exposed. It is only by word of mouth and select media stories, few of whom follow up after the initial story, that the findings and benefits are circulated.

Senate passes Camp Lejeune water-contamination bill

 

 

BY FRANCO ORDONEZ

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON — After an impasse with a South Carolina senator was broken, the Senate passed a historic bill Wednesday by unanimous consent that would help thousands of sick Marine veterans and their families who were exposed to contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Sens. Patty Murray, a Washington state Democrat who’s the head of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, brokered the deal on the Senate floor moments before she was expected to force his hand by publicly calling for a unanimous-consent vote on the measure.

Instead, she announced that they’d reached a “gentlemen’s agreement” on modifications DeMint had been seeking in the bill.

“These families have waited for decades to get the assistance that they need and should not be forced to wait any longer,” Murray said from the Senate floor.

DeMint said he was always supportive of the “underlying bill,” but he’d put a procedural hold on it and charged that there weren’t enough safeguards to prevent fraud by those whose illnesses weren’t due to contaminated water.

“The modification would make sure the veterans who deserve these benefits get them and they’re not taken advantage of by fraud from others who don’t deserve it,” he said from the floor.

Last month, the House of Representatives and Senate veterans committees agreed on a bill that would provide health care to sick military personnel and their family members provided they’d lived or worked at least 30 days on the base from 1957 to 1987. They also must have a condition listed within the bill that’s associated with exposure to these chemicals.

The agreed-on changes add language from existing laws that provides exceptions if a doctor can prove that the person didn’t contract the illness from the base’s contaminated water. For example, if the person had the illness before being at Camp Lejeune.

The changes ended a standoff between DeMint and Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., who was the lead sponsor of the measure.

“This has been a long time coming, and unfortunately many who were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune over the years have died as a result and are not with us to receive the care this bill can provide,” Burr said in a statement. “While I wish we could have accomplished this years ago, we now have the opportunity to do the right thing for the thousands of Navy and Marine veterans and their families who were harmed during their service to our country.”

Congressional aides said the House might take up and pass the bill in the next couple of weeks. It could be on President Barack Obama’s desk by the end of the summer.

The measure is expected to help as many as 750,000 veterans and their families who were exposed to drinking water that was poisoned with trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, benzene and vinyl chloride.

“This is a huge first step,” said Mike Partain of Tallahassee, Fla., who lived at Camp Lejeune as an infant. “We’ve been waiting for over 15 years for a resolution to this.”

Five years ago, Partain, who’s now 44, learned that he had breast cancer. Partain was born at Camp Lejeune, where his father was a Marine officer. Fewer than 2,000 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, but Partain said he’d since found 80 male breast cancer patients from across the country with connections to Camp Lejeune.

 

 

VA Rolls Out New Claim Process

Any of you who have benefited from the VA claim process know how hard this Administration has worked over the past 10 years to update and improve the system of delivery.  Retired General Eric Shinseki has done a stellar job in implementing programs, from the expediting of the lingering Agent Orange claims to taking care of our rural veterans.  I like this guy.

In the climate of political polarity, pugnacity and pugilistic radio show hosts, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. There are people who wake every day with the intention of making the world a better place. The Veterans Administration, with all their foibles, is one of them.

 

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced July 11 it is deploying a new
model for processing compensation benefits claims at 16 of its regional offices.
The new model is part of a comprehensive transformation plan designed to yield
an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 additional compensation claim decisions
annually, while ensuring that veterans who are most in need get high priority.
“This new model is a part of our comprehensive plan to eliminate the
compensation claims backlog,” said Allison Hickey, VA’s undersecretary for
benefits. “Our redesigned model follows comprehensive planning and testing to
ensure we have the right recipe for success.”
As of July 11, VA reported a total number of 883,914 pending disability claims
in its system; 588,447 of those are in backlog (pending more than 125 days).
For the past two fiscal years, VA has completed more than 1 million claims;
Hickey said the department is on target to hit the same benchmark for fiscal
2012. In the past four months, the accuracy rate for VA claims processors has
risen from 83 to 87 percent.
Recently, VA has been focusing on completing the disability claims for Vietnam
War-era veterans. Last year, 260,000 claims for Agent Orange-related illnesses
were completed.
“We are done with that, and redirecting more than 2,300 claims experts to handle
the remaining backlog,” Hickey said, adding that 83 percent of veterans from the
global war on terrorism who filed disability claims are already receiving
benefits.
The new organizational model involves the special handling of claims from
veterans with the most serious injuries or illnesses, experiencing financial
hardships, or are homelessness, and need immediate attention. Through a new
“intake processing center,” claims are routed to one of three segmented lanes:
• Express: claims that have only one or two medical conditions, or have all the
supporting documentation, medical evidence and service records needed for an
expeditious rating decision (referred to as fully developed claims).
• Special Operations: claims requiring special handling because of the unique
circumstances of the veterans. These include financial hardship, homelessness,
serious wounds, injuries or illnesses, post-traumatic stress disorder associated
with military sexual trauma, and former prisoner-of-war status.
• Core: claims with more than two medical conditions, or those that will need
additional evidence to make a compensation decision.
The segmented-lanes approach helps to increase speed and accuracy because the
claims specialists are processing claims with similar levels of complexity.
Hickey said that VA expects 20 percent of claims to be handled in the express
lane, 20 percent in special operations, and 60 percent in the core lane.
Veterans and their veterans service organization representatives are encouraged
to provide all the needed evidence along with their application in a “fully
developed claim” in order to expedite the process. Hickey said that any veteran
who wants to file a claim should work with their VSOs, who know how to
thoroughly develop claims and, secondly, be sure to use VA’s disability benefits
questionnaires.
Sixteen regional offices have received the new segmented-lanes model, including
Huntington, W.Va.; Hartford, Conn.; Portland, Ore.; Houston, Cleveland, Des
Moines, Iowa; Boise, Idaho; Phoenix, New Orleans, San Juan, Puerto Rico;
Atlanta, Indianapolis, Wichita, Kan.; Milwaukee, Newark, N.J.; and Fort
Harrison, Mont. These offices will also receive new technology systems and
software upgrades over the next three months.
All of the people, processes, and technology initiatives in VA’s transformation
plan should be fully implemented at all 56 VA regional offices by the end of
2013.

God Bless
Jose M. Garcia PNC
National Service Officer
Catholic War Veterans,USA
josegarcia4@sbcglobal.net
Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot.
In God We Trust

IRS Looking To Hire Veterans

Information provided by Marana Marine Corps League. Nighthawk 72 Detachment.

 

The IRS is looking to bring on Veterans who are eligible for VRA, 30% or
more, Schedule A and VEOA for the following entry level positions:

*    Revenue Agent (Degree which includes 26-30 hours of Accounting)
*    Revenue Officer (Degree)
*    Information Technology Management Specialists series 2210
(Computer Science, Computer Engineers, Information Technology,
Programmers and others).
*    Clerical and Admin (Admin and clerical experience a plus)

Please share with Veterans and with your partners.  The Veterans
Employment Program Office wants to make sure that we provide highly
qualified Veterans to the employment office and to hiring managers for
these positions.  Please have veterans submit their complete packages
and the attached contact card to Vets@Treasury.gov no later than June
29th.  A checklist has been attached which provides a listing of what a
complete package includes.

Grade level and locations have not been determined at this time.

Want to know more about VRA, 30% or more, Schedule A and VEOA, please
visit:  http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/index.aspx

Jobs For Veterans

Coconino National Forest, Arizona
Prescott National Forest, Arizona
Program Dates:
Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2012
Benefits
n Community housing provided (participants should also plan on camping for extended periods)
n Transportation during work activities
n Living stipend of $300/week
n Week-long training session
n Travel expense reimbursement of up
to $550 to and from sites
Requirements
Current-era military veteran, honorably
discharged; 21 or older; valid driver’s license;
good physical condition; able to hike up to 8 miles on rugged terrain; able to pass USFS Work Capacity (“Pack”) Test; willing to
undergo criminal background check.
Position Numbers:
00171169 and 00171170
Veterans Fire Corps provides recent-era Veterans with the training, credentials and experience they need to competitively pursue wildland fire and/or forestry careers. Projects include fuels reduction, fire effects monitoring, FIREWISE educational outreach, participation in prescribed fires, and pre-fire preparation of burn units.
This position offers a variety of field and office work, including
gathering field data in forest settings, navigating plots with GPS
hardware, and managing the FEAT/FIREMON Integrated database. Typical work hitches may include up to 4 consecutive 10-hour
days with 3 days off. Position involves long hours in the field working in all weather conditions and in rough terrain.
Training and education are key components to this program, including:
Veterans Fire Corps Fall 2012
To apply: Go to thesca.org and click “Sign Up”.
For info and fee waiver call 603-543-1700 Ext 1499 or email SCArecruiting@thesca.org subject Veterans Fire Corps.
n Wildland Fire Chainsaws
n Basic Wildland Firefighter
n Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior
n Introduction to Incident Command System
n Standards for Survival
n Human Factors on the Fireline
n I ntroduction to the National Incident Management System
n Wilderness First Aid and CPR

Resolution To Designate USAF C-123 K Transport As Agent Orange Exposure Site

NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
OF
THE AMERICAN LEGION
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
MAY 9 – 10, 2012
Resolution No. 20: Designate United States Air Force C-123 K Transport Aircraft as Agent
Orange Exposure Sites
Origin: Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission
Submitted by: Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission
WHEREAS, The American Legion has long been at the forefront of advocacy for veterans exposed to the military herbicides used in Vietnam, as well as those veterans with exposures in locations outside Vietnam itself during and after the Vietnam era; and
WHEREAS, The United States Air Force (USAF) used its fleets of C-123K transport aircraft in more than 9,100 missions, for aerial application of nearly twenty million gallons of toxic herbicides between 1961 and 1971 in Vietnam; and
WHEREAS, The aircraft were returned to the United States for continued use in airlift missions by USAF squadrons at Westover Air Force Base (AFB), Massachusetts, Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania and Rickenbacker Air Reserve Base, Ohio between 1972-1982 and were then retired from service and placed in storage; and
WHEREAS, The United States Air Force (USAF) in 1979, in response to the presence of noxious fumes, conducted scientific tests on unit aircraft and identified and determined that significant levels of military herbicides and insecticides used in Vietnam still contaminated the aircraft; and
WHEREAS, Additional tests carried out again in 1994 by USAF Armstrong Laboratories still showed the presence of herbicides, and in particular, the presence of highly toxic Agent Orange contaminant dioxin; and
WHEREAS, The contamination was consideration sufficient by the USAF to require the use of HAZMAT protective equipment when carrying out tests or otherwise entering the aircraft; and
WHEREAS, As late as 2009, further USAF tests conducted at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona demonstrated continued contamination of aircraft; and
WHEREAS, USAF toxicology staff has testified in federal proceedings that toxic levels of contamination due to the herbicides were a danger to public health; and
WHEREAS, The levels observed in the aircraft greatly exceed the Department of Defense’s (DoD) own standards for maximum permissible exposure to any dioxin contaminating interior surfaces; and
WHEREAS, Other federal agencies have reviewed the data and concurred that exposures to personnel at levels exceeding DoD recommendations are likely to have occurred; and
WHEREAS, In response to the State of Arizona and US Environmental Protection Agency environmental concerns, the USAF withdrew the aircraft from commercial resale, quarantined them and, in April 2010, ultimately took extraordinary disposal measures and smelted the remaining fleet; and
2
WHEREAS, It is estimated that approximately 1,500 service members, including aircrews and maintenance personnel were exposed to military herbicide-contaminated conditions on the C-123 aircraft; and
WHEREAS, Many of these personnel, still surviving, now have health problems commonly associated with herbicide exposure and have endured lengthy legal struggles to prove these problems are service-related; and
WHEREAS, The Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs has statutory responsibility to accurately designate situations and locations that caused veterans to have been exposed to military herbicides used in Vietnam, as well as their contaminants; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, By the National Executive Committee of The American Legion in regular meeting assembled in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 9-10, 2012, That The American Legion urges the Department of Veterans Affairs to promptly designate the C-123K aircraft, used after the Vietnam War in the United States during 1972 to 1982, as having been Agent Orange exposure sites to permit veterans who were aircrew or maintenance personnel to be eligible for Agent Orange-related benefits.

Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP)For Older Vets Is Pure Gold

Now this is the kind of problem solving that makes America great.  It is the mature and middle aged men and women that are in dire need of training and retooling as much as youth.  With the number of jobs that were exported to foreign soils in the past 10 years, few if any that are returning, our only hope for a viable job market is to create one.  We have the talent and equipment to launch a 4th Wave Industrial Revolution in clean energy and medical technology. And the Veterans Administration is helping further this vision of an America that mends itself.

Yes there is good news out there. Unfortunately is not carried in the satchels of Presidential candidates who thrive on being nabobs of negativity.

Take a sabbatical from Cable TV news. Wake up every day and ask not what your opinion will be for that day, but what your offering will be.

Can you imagine the kind of workforce we could  show to the world if all the money  funneled to mind-washing and gerrymandering,  provided by the Citizens United decision, were to go to job training?

Between now and next Fathers Day, lets focus on fathering a nation not opining a nation.

By Art Sloane

Special for the Arizona Republic
The Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) GI Bill offers up to 12 months of Montgomery GI Bill benefits for older unemployed veterans.
Unemployed veterans between the age of 35 and 60 may apply for education benefits worth as much as $17,600 ($1,473 a month). This new GI Bill program was created as a part of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011.

To be eligible for the VRAP GI Bill, you must be at least 35 but no more than 60 years old and unemployed as determined by Department of Labor. You also must not have a dishonorable discharge, be eligible for any other VA education benefit program, be drawing VA compensation due to being unemployed and be enrolled in a federal or state job training program.

Information: www.benefits.va.gov/VOW or 1-800-827-1000.

The Merritt Center Veteran Program Restores A Father’s Soul

For five years running I had the honor to both attend one of these retreat circuits and then become a mentor to other returning veterans of war.  I can say without reservation that this program made me a better father.

Fatherhood, masculine identity, paternity, and the meaning of being a soldier in American culture can often create some internal conflicts that do not easily sort themselves out in a solitary state.

When a soldier is sent off to war, his role as a father is  stalled.  The nature of companionship and character development of his children is now a proxy job.  To segue back into that role upon returning home is a daunting task, particularly for those with multiple tours of duty.

To meld back into the social fabric, contribute to the engine of capitalism with learned military skills, maintain resiliency and equanimity, both at home and work,  and simultaneously function as a guide and role model for your children’s  development, does not come with the wave of a wand.

For us Vietnam Veterans it took decades to find and keep that treasured balance. At 64 years old, it remains a to be a daily task.  Now with the sage guidance of Betty Merritt and the platoon of men and women who are graduates of the Merritt Center Veterans Program,  I can access a tool box of skills to approach the day, and end it with a joy and peace that surpasses all understanding.

Should you have a giving program in your family and an inclination to support a cause, this is one that will make you sleep well!

Betty and Al Merritt have dedicated their lives to making veterans of war whole again. The most stand-out feature of this program which sets it apart from all others is that it is free to the veteran.

On this Father’s Day, you can be assured the Merritt Retreat Center is producing better dads.  I would call that a Father’s Day gift to America.

Happy Father’s Day, American Veterans!

 

 

 

The Merritt Center’s Vet Program: Basic Training for Life: Vets Helping Vets Return from Combat at The Merritt Lodge in Payson, Arizona was started in 2005 by Betty Merritt, The Merritt Center’s Board of Directors, and the veterans and Vet Mentors from combat areas.

 

It was designed to provide a safe space for veterans to come together in a talking circle to trust each to share and hold their words in confidence. A model of how the structures and transitions of the Cycle of Life is presented which allows each vet to understand how the military cycle of deployment and civilian life differ and the resulting processing needed to return to “normal”.   The program is educational teaching techniques to release the trauma of war and interrupt the triggers of trauma flashbacks. A vet mentor is available to each veteran as he/she enters the program.  The mentor provides a unique perspective as a veteran who has walked through the transition process to embrace a new life.

 

The Program is free to the combat veteran and consists of four weekend retreats over a six month period.  The first two weekends encourage the understanding of the traumatic events of combat; the third creates a ceremony to release the toxins of trauma making space for the fourth retreat:  which provides the environment to create a vision of the dream of a new life and ends with a family and friends graduation ceremony.

 

There is a dream waiting to come true in every person.  We all have a purpose.  Veterans have a need to serve so each vet is encouraged to return to give back by becoming a vet mentor.

 

We are now in our eighth program for men and our sixth program for women.  We have provided 320 free weekends to male vets and 200 free weekends to women vets.  We have seen men who had not had a healthy relationship since joining the service because they had lost the ability to feel and express emotions create a partnership based on healthy sharing of “feelings”.  We have witnessed vets who had decided to commit suicide decide there was a reason to live and now have healthy families. We have seen vets who have isolated because no one understood their pain join the program and connected with others who have walked their path in combat.

 

We now have over two dozen returning vet mentors for the men and for the women programs.

 

The program is sponsored by The Merritt Center, a non profit, 501C3 organization and the program is supported by donations.  It costs the Center $150 per veteran per retreat.  The cost of the entire program of four weekends is $6,000 to $10,000.  A program for men and a program for women is scheduled pre year with the expected cost of: $12,000 to $20,000.  As of this writing the Center has not received any grant from any governmental organization – so the 14 programs provided, to date, have been supported by personal donations. The Center is now seeking funds for next year’s programs.

There is a PayPal account access on the Veterans Page of The Merritt Center website: www.merrittcenter.org

 

The Boys of Iwo Jima by Michael Powers

 As many of our readers know, Veteran Veritas attempts to promote all activity, civic and literary, that is related to Veterans affairs.  I strive to remain in the realm of advocacy and leave the editorial to the opinion mavens. The exceptions being when it overlaps with issues that effect the care and treatment of our nations veterans.
This book is of immense literary value and I suggest picking up a copy. It is important that our families know the stories from the hearts and minds of those who served and the memories of their immediate kin.

The Boys of Iwo Jima
(From the book: Heart Touchers “Life-Changing Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter”)

by Michael T. Powers
Each year my video production company is hired to go to Washington, D.C. with the eighth grade class from Clinton, Wisconsin where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation’s capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall’s trip was especially memorable.

On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history — that of the six brave men raising the American flag at the top of Mount Surabachi on the Island of Iwo Jima, Japan during WW II. Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, “What’s your name and where are you guys from?

I told him that my name was Michael Powers and that we were from Clinton, Wisconsin.

“Hey, I’m a Cheesehead, too! Come gather around Cheeseheads, and I will tell you a story.”

James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, D.C. to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good-night to his dad, who had previously passed away, but whose image is part of the statue. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, D.C. but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night. When all had gathered around he reverently began to speak. Here are his words from that night:

“My name is James Bradley and I’m from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called Flags of Our Fathers which is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me. Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game, a game called “War.” But it didn’t turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of twenty-one, died with his intestines in his hands. I don’t say that to gross you out; I say that because there are generals who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen years old.

(He pointed to the statue)

You see this next guy? That’s Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene’s helmet off at the moment this photo was taken, and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph. A photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection, because he was scared. He was eighteen years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men.

The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the “old man” because he was so old. He was already twenty-four. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn’t say, “Let’s go kill the enemy” or “Let’s die for our country.” He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, “You do what I say, and I’ll get you home to your mothers.”

The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, “You’re a hero.” He told reporters, “How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only twenty-seven of us walked off alive?”

So you take your class at school. 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only twenty-seven of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of thirty-two, ten years after this picture was taken.

The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky, a fun-lovin’ hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, “Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn’t get down. Then we fed them Epson salts. Those cows crapped all night.”

Yes, he was a fun-lovin’ hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of nineteen. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother’s farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. The neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.

The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite’s producers, or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say, “No, I’m sorry sir, my dad’s not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don’t know when he is coming back.”

My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually he was sitting right there at the table eating his Campbell’s soup, but we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn’t want to talk to the press. You see, my dad didn’t see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, ’cause they are in a photo and a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died, and when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed in pain.

When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, “I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. DID NOT come back.”

So that’s the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time.”

Suddenly the monument wasn’t just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero in his own eyes, but a hero nonetheless.
Michael T. Powers
HeartTouchers@aol.com

Copyright © 2000 by Michael T. Powers

Write Michael and let him know your thoughts on this story!

Michael T. Powers, the founder of HeartTouchers.com and Heart4Teens.com, is the youth minister at Faith Community Church in Janesville, Wisconsin. He is happily married to his high school sweetheart Kristi and proud father of three young rambunctious boys.

He is also an author with stories in 29 inspirational books including many in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and his own entitled: Heart Touchers “Life-Changing Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter.” To preview his book or to join the thousands of world wide readers on his inspirational e-mail list, visit: http://www.hearttouchers.com