TFH 5/31: Corporal Rodolfo P. Hernandez, USA

Rodolfo Perez Hernandez, known as "Rudy" by his comrades in arms, was born on April 14, 1931 in Colton, California. He enlisted in the United States Army at age seventeen with his parents' consent and after completing basic training volunteered for airborne school. Once he had earned his jump wings, he was assigned to the 187th Infantry Regiment, then stationed on occupation duty in Germany.

With the outbreak of the Korean War, the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team was sent to fight. Rudy Hernandez was a member of the regiment's 2nd Battalion when in combat on May 31, 1951 he ignored multiple shrapnel wounds and continued fighting. When his rifle failed, he fixed his bayonet and charged the enemy. His actions were recognized with our Nation's highest honor.

TFH 5/30: PFC Robert J. Avington, USA

The United States Army's 7th Infantry Division was based in Japan on occupation duty following World War II. When war broke out in Korea in 1950, the 7th was depleted by sending its soldiers to reinforce the 1st Cavalry Division and 25th Infantry Division on the Korean peninsula. The division received a priority for replacements arriving from the United States and participated in the Inchon Landing with the 1st Marine Division.

The following May during intense fighting after the Chinese Communist intervention on behalf of the North Koreans, the 7th Division's 31st Infantry Regiment found itself on the defensive against the enemy attacking hordes. One brave soldier, Private First Class Robert J. Avington, repelled three enemy attacks with his machine gun while ignoring his own wounds to an arm and his head. For his gallantry in action, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

TFH 5/29: PFC Whitt L. Moreland, USMCR

Whitt Lloyd Moreland was born on March 7, 1930 in Waco, Texas. He grew up in Austin, and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve for a six year stint in September 1948. The outbreak of the Korean War saw him called to active service with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines and the 1st Marine Division.

On this day in 1951, Private First Class Moreland courageously and calmly prevented numerous enemy grenades from exploding amongst his comrades. The final one took his life, and a grateful nation decorated him with its highest honor.

TFH 5/28: Corporal David B. Champagne, USMC

David Bernard Champagne was born on November 13, 1932 in Waterville, Maryland and grew up in Wakefield, Maine. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on March 7, 1951 and just over a year later was fighting in the Korean War with the 1st Battalion ("The First Team"), 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.

Sixty years ago to the day, while leading his fire team against a strongly defended hilltop, repeatedly disregarded his own wounds and safety to lead his Marines forward, including grabbing an incoming grenade to try and hurl it back at the enemy. On this Memorial Day, we remember and honor the memory of this fallen Marine, and salute his courage by reading the citation for the posthumous award of the Medal of Honor which he most certainly deserved.

TFH 5/26: PFC Jimmy W. Phipps, USMC

Combat engineers have one of the most hazardous roles in action, as if any combat role is "safe". Their job is to demolish enemy obstacles, clear mines, and prepare the way forward for assault forces. They also, sometimes out of necessity, conduct explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) on the battlefield when dedicated EOD personnel aren't available.

Jimmy Wayne Phipps was born on November 1, 1950 in Santa Monica, California. He left high school to volunteer in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, transitioning to the active United States Marine Corps on January 7, 1968. In May 1969, he was serving with the 1st Engineer Battalion of the 1st Marine Division, attached to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment infantry unit.

PFC Phipps was clearing enemy ordnance from a rice paddy on May 27, 1969. After he had exhausted his explosives, he prepared to destroy a remaining enemy artillery shell with a hand grenade. As he was about to set the grenade, the fuse for a charge left by the enemy was lit. To protect the lives of the two men with him, including his platoon leader, he dove onto the shell to shield them from the blast. For his courage and sacrifice he was posthumously decorated with our Nation's highest honor.

Lieutenant Edward G. Binning, USNR

Edward G. Binning was born on February 6, 1915 in Syracuse, New York. Little is known of his life prior to World War II, other than he listed his home of record as New York City. He flew PBY Catalina patrol bombers for the United States Navy in the Atlantic during the early days of America's involvement in the war.

At 2357 hours on May 26, 1942 in the British West Indies, Binning sighted a German U-boat running on the surface. He immediately attacked with depth charges and the sinking of the submarine was verified in the opinion of the destroyer USS Tarbell (DD-142). This was the first successful night attack by aircraft on an enemy submarine during the war. For his intrepidity and devotion to duty, Edward Binning received the Navy Cross.

TFH 5/25: Major William E. Adams, USA

William Edward Adams was born on June 13, 1939 in Casper, Wyoming. He graduated from Colorado State University in 1962 and volunteered for the United States Army. His tour as a helicopter pilot with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam began on July 6, 1970.

On May 25, 1971 - with only slightly more than a month left in his tour - Major Adams volunteered to fly his lightly armed and armored helicopter to a remote post where three of his seriously wounded comrades needed medical evacuation. The post was under heavy attack, it was daylight, and the weather was good. There would be no cover or concealment for the rescue flight.

Nonetheless, he flew with great courage, and while his craft was eventually destroyed his service above and beyond the regular call of duty saw him posthumously decorated with the Medal of Honor.

TFH 5/24: SFC Louis R. Rocco, USA

Louis Richard Rocco was born on November 19, 1938 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a child, his family moved to the Los Angeles, California area. His childhood and teen years were troubled, culminating with his dropping out of high school and an arrest for armed robbery at age 16.

The judge in Rocco's case suspended his sentence on the condition that he stayed clean until age 17 when he'd be allowed to join the United States Army. Rocco followed the judge's instructions and enlisted in 1955. During his first tour of duty after enlisting in Germany, he earned his high school equivalency.

He served his first combat tour in Vietnam during 1965-1966. In 1969, he returned to the war-torn country, this time as an adviser to a South Vietnamese Army unit. On May 24, 1970 he volunteered to board a helicopter to help rescue eight wounded soldiers. What followed next is doubtlessly a story worthy of our Nation's highest honor.

TFH 5/23: Sp4c. Robert Peter Scibilia, USA

Robert Peter Scibilia was born on May 9, 1948 and hailed from Nashua, New Hampshire. He was drafted into the United States Army for the Vietnam War and less than a month after his 21st birthday was serving as a rifleman with the 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment as part of the 9th Infantry Division.

On May 23, 1969 Scibilia's unit was beaten back by intense fire from the enemy's deep defensive positions. He crawled forward alone with only his rifle, hand grenades, and some anti-tank rockets to break up the enemy defenses and allow his unit to continue their attack. He ignored his wounds and kept fighting until he was cut down. For his courage, the Army posthumously awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross.

TFH 5/22: Lieutenant Colonel Robert F. Titus, USAF

Robert F. Titus was born on December 6, 1926 in Orange, New Jersey. He studied mining at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and served as an enlisted man in the United States Army in the late 1940s before receiving his commission as a Second Lieutenant with the United States Air Force in September 1949.

He flew combat missions during the Korean War and later served as a test pilot in the 1950s. In January 1967, he took command of the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing's 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron, then based at Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam.

On this day in 1967, forty-five years ago, then Lieutenant Colonel Titus led his squadron as fighter escorts for strike aircraft during which he avoided multiple surface to air missiles and was personally responsible for shooting down two of the enemy. For his leadership and undaunted courage, he received the Air Force Cross.

TFH 5/21: Sergeant David Charles Dolby, USA

David Charles Dolby was born May 14, 1946 in Norristown, Pennsylvania. His father, Charles, had served as a B-17 Flying Fortress crew member during World War II and survived both being shot down and captivity as a German prisoner of war.

At age 20, Dolby was a Specialist Four serving with the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam as part of the 1st Cavalry Division. While his unit was in the attack, they faced intense resistance and casualties to most of the platoon's leadership. He rallied the men around him, repeatedly risked his own safety to rescue the wounded, and single handedly neutralized enemy position after position to insure that his fellow soldiers would leave the battlefield victorious. His courage above and beyond the normal call of duty was recognized with the Medal of Honor.

TFH 5/20: Sergeant First Class Donald R. Moyer, USA

Donald Raymond Moyer was born April 15, 1930 in Pontiac, Michigan. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1948 and was posted to the 25th Infantry Division with the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, then still on World War II occupation duty in Japan. With the outbreak of war in Korea during 1950, the 25th Division was one of the first American units committed to battle.

During an attack against key high ground held by the communist enemy on May 20, 1951, Moyer took command of his platoon after its leader and platoon sergeant fell wounded. He rallied his soldiers in the attack, and then when a grenade threatened to decimate the men around him, Moyer used his own body to save the day. His supreme act of courage was recognized with the Medal of Honor.

In Memoriam: Karen Kallenborn, 1942-2012

As my readers who either follow me on Twitter or are my Facebook friends probably already know, my Mother-in-Law, Karen Kallenborn, passed away this past Wednesday night, May 16, at about 7:30PM.

Karen had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia about a year ago on Memorial Day weekend, 2011. In those first few uncertain days after the diagnosis, of course, I turned to the Internet and learned that the prognosis for long-term survival wasn't great. Regardless, Karen received the best care the anti-cancer varsity in western Pennsylvania - the amazing doctors and nurses of UPMC Shadyside and the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center - could muster. With sincere thanks to God for the miracle of modern medicine and for guiding the hands of her caregivers, her leukemia entered remission by July and she was soon home thereafter.

TFH 5/19: Captain Millard A. Peck, USA

Millard Arthur Peck was a member of the 1958 graduating class of the Cincinnati Country Day School. After graduating from Kenyon College, he entered the United States Army (likely in 1962) and received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the infantry branch.

He served three tours of duty fighting during the Vietnam War. In May 1968 he was serving as the commander of Company C, 2d Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment with the 9th Infantry Division. While leading his company in an airmobile assault on May 19 and 20, his command presence and personal courage was recognized with the Army's second-highest award for valor: the Distinguished Service Cross.

TFH 5/18: Sp4c. Dale Eugene Wayrynen, USA

The 502nd Infantry Regiment is a storied unit of the United States Army. As part of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II, the regiment's battalions jumped into battle for both Normandy and Eindhoven and then were part of the epic defense of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.

Twenty-some years later, the 101st Airborne Division entered combat in Vietnam by foot or helicopter, not parachute. Dale Eugene Wayrynen joined the Army from his home state of Minnesota in 1965 at age 18. About two years later while fighting in Vietnam with Company B, 2d Battalion, 502d Infantry, he first rescued the wounded point man of his platoon before saving his entire squad and the platoon leader by shielding them from a grenade blast with his body. He posthumously received our Nation's highest honor.

TFH 5/17: PFC Robert C. Burke, USMC

Robert Charles Burke was born on November 7, 1949 in Monticello, Illinois. At age 17, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on May 16, 1967. One year and one day later, this young Marine was a machine gunner with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment fighting in Vietnam with the 1st Marine Division.

On May 17, 1968, 18-year old PFC Burke took it upon himself to charge and eliminate several well-fortified enemy positions so his unit's casualties could be evacuated. When his machine gun malfunctioned, he stripped a rifle and grenades from a wounded Marine and pressed the attack. After one of his comrades cleared his machine gun, he resumed firing from an exposed position until he was cut down by the enemies of liberty. His incredible courage was recognized with the posthumous award of the Medal of Honor.

TFH 5/16: Sergeant Anund C. Roark, USA

Anund Charles Roark was born in Vallejo, California on February 14, 1948. He joined the United States Army (date and whether he was drafted or volunteered unclear) and in May 1968 was serving in Vietnam with the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment as part of the 4th Infantry Division.

The 4th Infantry Division's motto is: Steadfast and Loyal. The 12th Infantry's motto is: Ducti Amore Patriae - Led By Love of Country. On this day in 1968, this 20-year old great American soldier more than satisfied both mottos when, while leading a squad to rescue an 11-man companion unit besieged by an enemy attacking force and outnumbered about 10-to-1, he selflessly sacrificed his own body to insure that his troops would reach their objective. He posthumously received our Nation's highest honor.

TFH 5/15: Second Lieutenant Jettie Rivers, Jr., USMC

Jettie Rivers, Jr. was born on November 9, 1932 in Nashville, Tennessee. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1952 and served in Korea during the final days of the Korean War. In the early 1960s, he was a Drill Instructor at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina - one of just a handful (at the time) of African American Marines filling the vital role of converting young civilian men into Marines.

Bob O'Dowd, one of the recruits at Parris Island in Platoon 308 during 1962, recalled Rivers as follows:

Jettie Rivers, age 29, was an oddity at Parris Island. In 1962, you could count the number of black Marine drill instructors at Parris Island on one hand. A wiry, athletic man from the deep South, he would prove that he didn’t have an ounce of prejudice in his body, even though black men in the South in those days couldn’t eat at a restaurant with whites or even ride in the front of a bus with whites. 

Racial prejudice was the norm in the South in the 1960s. To this day, it’s hard to believe that Jettie Rivers was not affected by the abuse he experienced growing up in Alabama and Tennessee. 

Jettie Rivers was an extremely fair, disciplined man in an environment where others often stepped across the line. He never laid a hand on any recruit, never cursed, never got into your face nor did he tolerate abuse by others. In 1962, this was exceptional behavior for a Marine Corps drill instructor.... 

Platoon 308, S Company, 3rd Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island graduated with 75 Marines in May 1962. We are much older now but none of us can forget Parris Island and Jettie Rivers, Jr.

In May 1967 Rivers, now the Company First Sergeant of Company D, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment with the 3rd Marine Division, was fighting for our Nation in Vietnam.

Falklands+30: The SAS Raid on Pebble Island

Pebble Island is one of the larger minor islands of the Falklands, laying just north of West Falkland. After their 1982 invasion, the Argentine air force had based several FMA IA 58 Pucará ground attack aircraft at the dirt airstrip on the island. These planes would be a direct threat to the anticipated British landing to reclaim the islands now just a week away later in May.

TFH 5/14: PFC James W. Fous, USA

James William Fous was born on October 14, 1946 in Omaha, Nebraska. He joined the United States Army in 1967 and was an infantryman with the 4th Battalion of the 47th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division fighting in Vietnam during 1968.

On this day of that year, Private First Class Fous was holding a nighttime defensive perimeter position with three of his comrades when a Viet Cong soldier hurled a grenade towards the four Americans. He sacrificed his own life to save that of his fellow soldiers, and was posthumously decorated with the Medal of Honor.