June 15, 1965

Do you know what today is? Today is Flag Day. This is probably not the blog you expected to see today after my recent trip, there will be more on that for sure. But today, June 14th, is too important to pass on, because for some, June 15th was so memorable.

Beatle Bailey has long championed our armed forces, from WWII to today, and reminded us that today, June 14th, is Flag Day. Flag Day celebrates the adoption of the flag in 1777 and encourages everyone to fly their American Flag with pride.

“To veterans it stands for everything that those veterans before us, those veterans that came after us, stood for, fought for and died for. It stands for our country and all the things it goes through good and bad but it's still the one never changing symbol of our country,” George Blackard, United Veterans Council Commander.

In 1965 the action was hot and heavy in Vietnam. As a whole we have "recovered" from this conflict, but certainly the mention still elicits different emotions for different people. It remains the most decisive conflict in the armed forces history. The country was divided on our actions, and the front line soldiers paid the price. They were spit on, ridiculed, led to believe they were wrong for their service.

But like soldiers before them, and those who came after, they served with honor and distinction. As opposed to WWII where service men spent months and years in the field of battle, Vietnam era soldiers were drafted into 13 month service cycles, which created issues of its own. The North Vietnamese soldiers had been fighting, and preparing to fight, for years. They had well developed supply lines, tunnels, and the motivation to fight for their own country, not to mention suspect politics that frequently hampered our soldiers efforts to fight. And like the Japanese before them, their fighting tactics were brutual -- leaving soldiers with nightmares for years, most rarely sharing their experience. Some things are impossible to truly understand unless you experience them.

My friend Mike Morris was in the US Navy during the War. He was a medic, attached to a Marine unit (the Marines only have fighting soldiers, no medics, so Navy medics get assigned to their units) -- Bravo Company of the 3rd Recon. I believe there was not any horror he did not see, did not experience. His demeanor even now reflects the nightmares he experienced in his youth. Slowly, ever so slowly, he talks a bit, taking a chance that folks will understand in some small way, not ridicule, not calling them hurtful names, not looking at them as if they were poison.

The 15th of June is a very special day for Mike, yet few know of this day. You will not find it in a history book, you will not study it on the internet. The names are not famous ones, the battle just another in a long and drawn out conflict. But to those that were there, they will never forget.
It was another day, another routine patrol, about 20 miles outside of Chulai. The patrol was hit, and hit hard by the North Vietnamese. Mike is a medic remember, their job is to run to injured soldiers, regardless of what is going on around them.

A soldier was hit, suffering a terrible wound to his leg, to his calf, going down in a rice paddy. In Mike's words he "was on the scene and did my thing".

For "doing his thing" Mike received the Bronze Star for Valor, the 4th highest combat award. The Bronze Star is awarded for those who "distinguish themselves by heroic achievement while engaged against an enemy of the United States . . . To justify this decoration accomplishment or performance of duty above that normally expected, and sufficient to distinguish the individual among those performing comparable duties is required". So as medic's are expected to run into fire to save a soldier, imagine what Mike "doing his thing" was in reality to be awarded the Bronze Star.

And they are still out there, serving and protecting the American Flag, the American people. Every day, experiencing comradery, friendship, honor. Seeing horrors we cannot ever understand. Performing incredible acts of bravery. Every day honoring the Flag.

Thank you Mike. You are truly a hero and I am so honored that you shared your story with me. Seeing the Bronze Star when you were finally awarded it (paperwork snafu, Mike didn't get his Star until a few years ago) was a moment I won't forget.

And to the many soldiers serving today -- Thank You and God Bless.

And next time you see a flag flying high and proud, think of Mike and heroes like him, still recovering from a long concluded conflict. Semper Fi