Dr. Rob Marsh … Delta Force soldier finds peace as country doctor

An unassuming man walked to the middle of the stage in front of a room of 300 military veterans and their guests who stood and applauded the Desert Storm veteran, now in his mid-50s. He paused and seemed to take in the faces before him, humbled at the reception. As guests sat down, Dr. Rob Marsh began his story by noting that he doesn’t often speak but, when he does, his priority is with military groups, veterans groups, and medical gatherings that may offer new medical and surgical techniques that can help our soldiers at war.

Then he paused, kind of bowed his head, and quietly said that he would talk with groups if he felt his message could honor the Lord. He went on to add.... (continue reading here)

Flying the flags for Veterans Day 2013

SWAC Husband (U.S. Air Force, Southeast Asia during Vietnam) put out the flags today including the MIA-POW. He never forgets his fellow veterans....

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
November 11, 2013

70 chain restaurants offer free,discounted meals to thank those who defend our freedom

Freedom is not free. But in tribute to veterans and active service members who serve to protect that freedom, dinner will be free or discounted at  70 restaurants throughout the nation on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, 2013. Such popular eateries as Applebee's, Cheeseburger in Paradise, and Chili's are included in the list that can be found here. It's their way of thanking those who defend our freedom.

Veterans Day: Korean War vet survived behind enemy lines

Cross-posted at the Washington Examiner....

Saturday's Veterans Day parade in downtown Staunton, Va, will see many families lining the streets to wave American flags and cheer as floats pass by filled with veterans. The community will honor past and present military members, many who vividly remember the details of war.

One of those local veterans is a quiet, unassuming gentleman, slightly stooped with graying hair. Until recently, few people knew that he had suffered life-threatening injuries during the Korean War.

Now in his 70s, Tom LaBerge (pronounced La-BARGE) does not like to bring attention to himself. That was very evident as he reluctantly gave in to my persistent prodding to talk about his service after a surprise presentation of  military medals in 2009 that had been long overdue. Four of his seven grown children had flown to Virginia for the event, and I had been invited to join them.

The ceremony at the Staunton Army National Guard Armory honored the Korean War veteran with Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) on hand to make the presentation. The local television station and newspapers attended as well as soldiers from the Armory's historic Stonewall Brigade.

A Purple Heart and Combat Infantry Badge had been received in the 1950s. The new medals included a U.S. National Defense Medal, U.S. Korean War Service Medal with battle-star attachment, UN Service Medal, and Republic of Korea War Service Medal. He also received a certificate of gratitude from the president of South Korea.

All those medals were impressive so I wanted to know the story behind them. Mr. LaBerge and I sat down at the kitchen table overlooking the back yard and and woods of his Shenandoah Valley home as his wife Millicent busied herself at the nearby counter preparing cookies and tea. She also helped coach the story from his sometimes reluctant lips.

To know Tom LaBerge is to know a man of quiet faith who is very humble. He is not used to being the center of attention nor does he seek it. But as my neighbor, I was able to convince him to talk with me and so he began his story....

It was 1951 and America was at war helping South Korea protect itself from its aggressive communist neighbor, North Korea. Nineteen-year-old Tom LaBerge, whose National Guard unit in Grafton, North Dakota, had been activated, was about to find himself in the middle of war in a way he never imagined.

U.S. troops in conjunction with South Korean troops were holding the 38th parallel of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) where they had been at a stalemate with North Korea. As Mr. LaBerge recalled thoughts of that time, he said the Americans were unable to hold the line against the North Koreans who had been joined by the Chinese Army in a turf tug-of-war. The enemy would battle at night and take a hill, and then the American forces would fight and a week or two later retake the same hill. That was how the war had gone for two years before a young Tom LaBerge arrived.

Sitting in his kitchen going over memories from decades before, he softly chuckled and shook his head, and told me that the dangerous area between the front line of each opposing army was known as "No Man's Land." He emphasized that no man wanted to be caught there. However, during the heat of battle all those years ago, that's exactly what happened to LaBerge and a fellow soldier as the two 19-year-olds found themselves trapped behind enemy lines, alone and isolated from their unit.

During a night-time battle as the war raged with gunfire all around, LaBerge, who was taking cover at the top of the hill, was shot in the leg and as the battle continued around him he was again hit, this time by shrapnel that chewed up the other leg and embedded in his back. Nearby, a fellow soldier was also in bad shape with a broken arm and a leg badly injured from shrapnel.

With darkness all around except for the flashes of never-ending machine gun fire and rockets, and separated from their unit, the two young men crawled and dragged themselves halfway down the embattled hill and eventually found shelter in an abandoned bunker. Both hunkered down in the relative safety of the bunker, alone and injured and afraid, and that was where they stayed  with no way to alert anyone of their location. They were stranded without food, water, or weapons.

In the course of the battle, American forces retreated from the area as enemy forces took over, and that was when LaBerge realized they were in No Man's Land. Fear seized them. There was no medical help, neither man could walk because of his injuries, and both were scared to death.

After two days hunkered down in the bunker as war raged around them, running high fevers from infected wounds, they had a visitor and it wasn't someone they wanted to see. A Chinese military officer working with the North Koreans was on reconnaissance of the area retaken by communist forces and showed up at the opening of the bunker. Peering inside, he spied the two young Americans. Thirst outweighed their fear, and in Chinese and through parched lips, they asked for water. He stared at them, his eyes taking in their horrendous injuries, and stood watching for a while. Then he turned and left, presumably expecting them to die. It was a miracle he didn't shoot them both.

After the too-close brush with the enemy Chinese officer, they decided it was time to leave. Both men slowly clawed their way out of the bunker and painfully crawled over sharp rocks and scrub down the hill, making their way to a stream in the distance to find water. Their infected wounds were now invaded by maggots, and both were suffering badly and delusional.

Near the stream they found a parachute and tried to make an "SOS" out of it for American pilots to see from overhead. Hungry and weak, they slowly crawled their way into a nearby field and tried to eat raw dried soy beans that only got stuck in their throats. It was October in Korea and cold at night but not unbearable with daytime temperatures in the 60s and overnight lows in the 40s.

Without weapons, they were at the mercy of the enemy. Days passed. Noises would carry in the valleys and hills in the middle of the night and they could hear the voices of Greek troops stationed with the United Nations but were unable to make contact. After so much time had passed, their unit feared they were dead although they were officially listed as missing in action.

Finally, after two weeks, U.S. troops retook that area and found the injured missing soldiers. LaBerge had lost 50 pounds during his ordeal. Both were carried on stretchers by fellow soldiers behind lines to the American-South Korean side where they were deposited at a real-life Swedish M*A*S*H unit that cleaned them up. Before putting a cast on LaBerge's left leg, it was discovered a bullet had gone through his knee.

Two days later, the injured men were shipped to a hospital in Tokyo. After spending a week in Tokyo, LaBerge was flown back to the States by way of Guam and Hawaii to San Francisco and then Ft. Carson where he spent three months in the hospital recuperating from his injuries. After rehabilitation, he went back on active duty.

LaBerge was honorably discharged from the Army in 1952 as a tech sergeant, married, began his career, and together with his wife raised a family of seven children. It was many years later that he and I would sit in his kitchen as I took notes and he recounted the memories of that long-ago time when a 19-year-old went through battles, survived, and then returned to live his life, leaving behind the horrors of war.

In 2008, LaBerge's son-in-law did some research and discovered he was due a number of medals for his service and sacrifice for his country which led to the ceremony at the Armory with Congressman Goodlatte. The medals are proudly displayed in the LaBerge home and are a reminder that there are truly heroes among us.

Cross-posted at Bearing Drift

11.11.11: Veterans Day ... freedom is not free

"For those who have fought for it,

Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know."

On this day we want to pause and give thanks to our military veterans for their service to our country and for helping to keep us free.

That includes my World War II dad who served on the USS Wisconsin in the Pacific, my World War II step-dad who served on the USS Denver, my Vietnam era husband who served in the Air Force, my brother-in-law who served in the US Army, and home school graduate Sgt. Nate Salatin, USMC, who served two tours of duty in Iraq during Operation Iraq Freedom. It also includes my friend Kurt Michael.

It includes 93-year-old Mr. Hite who served in three wars, a neighbor who survived the Battle of the Bulge, another neighbor who survived being MIA in Korea, yet another neighbor who was in Vietnam, and even our own Governor Bob McDonnell. May we never forget the sacrifices they and their families have endured to protect our country.

Here's a salute to all the military, active and veterans, who are in and around the Staunton area and beyond. That includes you, Jim Hoeft, Bearing Drift's own head correspondent. Thank you, thank you, thank you ... and may God bless America.

Cross-posted at Bearing Drift

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell

Veterans Day message from Sen. Mark Obenshain

Amidst the hubbub of our busy lives, I hope you will join me today in taking a moment to remember our veterans. In an era of financial unrest, global conflict, and political uncertainty, we all too often lose sight of what matters most: not politics, industry, or the other forces that occupy so much of our time, but people. Today is a day set aside to recognize our fellow citizens who have served in this country's military, and who have fought in our nation's wars. Their courage, dedication, and love of country are an inspiration to us all.

Anyone who has been to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. or stood before the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond can attest to the many monuments dedicated to the veterans of the U.S. Armed Services, yet the greatest monument is not constructed of ivory or granite, and the most fitting tribute is not chiseled in stone. To paraphrase a turn-of-the-century American congressman and poet, the most enduring monument to their service is the freedom for which they fought and the country they thereby wrought.

Many of us have never worn the uniform, but each of us owes an incalculable debt to those who have. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the over 730,000 veterans who make Virginia their home and to encourage you to take this opportunity to thank a veteran you know for the freedom we all enjoy in this great country.

Sincerely,


Mark Obenshain
26th Senate District

Veterans Day 2008 ... "Have Your Forgotten?"

Flag in honor of SSgt. Herb Harman, Army National Reserve, from Augusta County, who rejoined the military after 9/11 at the age of 40.

September 11, 2001 ... a date that most Ameicans have not forgotten. Many, however, have forgotten the terrorism attacks on our country, the worst in our history, when 3,000 innocent victims lost their lives in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.

On this Veterans Day we remember and are thankful to our active and reserve military who are rotating in and out of the front line in Iraq and Afghanistan to protect our freedoms and to keep us safe here at home.

We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to our veterans who have served in war and peace time over the years including my late father who was WW II Navy (USS Wisconsin) ... my WW II uncle whom I never met but who was killed in France three weeks before the end of the war ... my WW II step-dad who was Navy ... my Vietnam era Air Force veteran husband ... my U.S. Army veteran brother-in-law ... many others ...

... and Lance Cpl. Nate Salatin, United States Marine Corps, who is deploying for the second time to Iraq at the end of this month.

Deep gratitude goes to the families of the three young Marines from Augusta County who paid the ultimate sacrifice during Operation Iraqi Freedom ... Jason Redifer, 19, USMC, Stuarts Draft, killed in Iraq, January 31, 2005 ... Daniel Bubb, 19, USMC, Grottoes, killed in Iraq, October 17, 2005 ... Daniel Morris, 19, USMC, Raphine, killed in Iraq, February 14, 2007. God bless ... Semper Fi.


Have Your Forgotten?

I hear people saying we don't need this war
I say there's some things worth fighting for
What about our freedom and this piece of ground?
We didn't get to keep 'em by backing down
They say we don't realize the mess we're getting in
Before you start preaching
Let me ask you this my friend

Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside
Going through a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

They took all the footage off my T.V.
Said it's too disturbing for you and me
It'll just breed anger that's what the experts say
If it was up to me I'd show it every day
Some say this country's just out looking for a fight
After 9/11 man I'd have to say that's right

Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside
Going through a living hell
And we vowed to get the ones behind Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

I've been there with the soldiers
Who've gone away to war
And you can bet that they remember
Just what they're fighting for

Have you forgotten all the people killed?
Yes, some went down like heroes in that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten about our Pentagon?
All the loved ones that we lost
And those left to carry on
Don't you tell me not to worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?

What makes a vet?

Military veterans are all around us. The Richmond Times Dispatch today reprints What makes a vet?

War makes strange giant creatures out of the little routine men who inhabit the Earth. -- WWII correspondent Ernie Pyle.

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg -- or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's alloy forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking.

What is a vet?

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.

He is the Nebraska farmer who worries every year that this time the bank really will foreclose.

He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 39th Parallel.

She -- or he -- is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.

He is the POW who went away one person and came back another -- or didn't come back at all.

He is the Quantico drill instructor who never has seen combat -- but who has saved countless lives by turning slouchy no-'counts into soldiers, and teaching them to watch each others' backs.

He is the parade-riding legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.

He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.

He is the anonymous hero in the Tomb of the Unknowns, whose presence at Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the other anonymous heroes whose valor died unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket -- palsied now and aggravatingly slow -- who helped liberate a Nazi death camp, and who wishes all day long his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.

He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being -- a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs. He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.

--This editorial first was published in the Richmond Times Dispatch in 1995 and has appeared annually since 1999.

Veterans Day 2007. We are grateful.

What makes a hero?

On Veterans Day the Waynesboro News Virginian asks, "What makes a hero?"

Two qualities that make a hero: loyalty and bravery. In the military loyalty is what makes soldiers and Marines know their brothers have their back. It's a matter of life and death.

My friends know I'm a stickler for loyalty. Without it, nothing else much matters. Trust ... it's part of life and scarce in politics ... once broken, trust is rarely repaired.

Check out the NV article....

Veterans Day 2007 ... we remember....

Veterans Day. It's almost overwhelming when you stop to think about it. All around are men and women who have been in the service of this country to protect you and I ... the citizens who often take it for granted that we are able to jump in our vehicles and drive anywhere without fear of terrorism in the streets, in our Capitol, in our malls.

We have that freedom and peace at home because of our veterans. They are all around us from the World War II generation to Korea to Vietnam to Operation Desert Storm to the present-day Operation Iraqi Freedom war in Iraq.

My American flag is flying in their honor and memory ... my hat's off to these American heroes. We thank them.


SWAC Husband, United States Air Force, 1966-1971; North Carolina Air National Guard

Check out Bob Stuart's excellent front-page tributes in today's Waynesboro News Virginian:
-- Honoring Service
-- Woman recalls adventuresome spouse

Also check out other tributes in the News Virginian:
-- What makes a hero?
-- Iconic Vietnam Memorial in Washington turns 25

The entire front page of the Waynesboro News Virginian is dedicated to Veterans Day. It's a wonderful tribute and it is great to see a newspaper take the lead on honoring our military veterans. Well done, Bob Stuart and the News Virginian.