His name is Lee,and he's pushing 60,and at first glance,just appears to be another small town guy just going about his business.But theres certainly much more to the guy.I first met Lee in '92,when I arrived at my unit in the Wisconsin guard,and he is quite a guy.
Originally from a small town near Milwaukee,he was drafted in 1968.With a a wife and newborn son,he was'nt crazy about going off to the army,but unlike many of his generation,he did'nt run off to Canada,or stay in college forever.He did his duty,as he saw it,and reported in.Sent to Viet nam,as a rifleman,he recieved his first Bronze star,and got wounded for the first time.Medevacked stateside,he returned to Vietnam in 1970,to serve with the 101st Airborne at the battle of Hamburger hill,some of the bloodiest fighting of the entire war.Out on a forward observation post,with 4 other soldiers,they were attacked by the enemy.They drove them off,but not before all of them were shot up pretty good.Although not senior,Lee took command,patching everyone up,gathering weapons and ammunition,and dragging his comrades to whatever relative safety he could find.He knew they'd be back,and he settled in for the fight of his life.They returned four times,and Lee drove them off each time.Things were getting pretty bad-at this point,he was using a captured AK-47,as he was out of US ammo.Finally,on the 5th attempt by the enemy,friendly forces reached them,and evacuated everyone down the hill,and eventually stateside.
Returning stateside,Lee slowly recovered from his wounds,and once well enough to return to duty,was given some gravy duty,caring for the horses in a ceremonial cavalry unit,until he left the army in 1972.He left the army with two bronze stars,three purple hearts,and sergeant's stripes,and came home,to resume his life here in Wisconsin.It did'nt work out too well.Sometimes,you can take the boy out of the army,but you just can't take the army out of the boy,so in 1976,he enlisted in the National Guard,where he soon was offered a full time position,up here in my end of the state,where he remained for years.
I met him when I reported to my unit-he was my platoon sergeant,and quite the character.Nicknamed "sergeant porkbutt",(he DOES resemble porky pig...)and over the next several years,I got to know him quite well.He is a total clown,and always ready with a joke or two,and always kept us rolling.But he was a great NCO as well,tirelessly working to keep all the things running for the unit,and he was indispensable to all of us.Slow to anger,but erupting like Mount Saint Helens,if he needed to,he showed us some FINE examples of senior NCO cuss-ology.I attended 5 summer camps with him,and it was always great working alongside the guy,and learned a lot from him.
His middle son was born with Down's syndrome,and Lee has resisted putting him into "the system" for years-always caring for him himself.His kid was a fixture at the local armory.Thats one thing I really admire about the guy.He does'nt take the easy way out,simply because his son is'nt "normal".
Lee had repeatedly turned down promotions to first sergeant,as that would have entailed him losing his full time status-plus he wanted to stay with "his" guys,here at the local armory.But eventually,a full time slot came up,a few hours away,for a master sergeant(the same pay grade as first sergeant).He took the slot,and we all wished him well,but knew the unit would never be the same-and it was'nt.I left for another unit soon afterwards.During his first summer camp,he suffered a massive stroke,and was forced into medical retirement.He had been shooting for 30 years,and hopefully,the rank of sergeant-major,which he richly deserved,but no such luck.
I still run into the guy occasionally,and its always a pleasure to see him.He's a walking textbook of military knowledge,and a tireless advocate for veterans.I'm glad I had the honor of knowing him
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