Memorial Day - Salute to two Captains

[ssjones]

Brian Levine posted this article written by his Father-in-Law on his Facebook page, and I thought it was worth sharing.


It reminded me of an experience my father had in Vietnam with his Captain. My father was one of many whose US Army records were lost in the fire in St. Louis. In an attempt to get a disability rating, he had to reconstruct his 33 year Army career. He hand wrote the document and then Senator Barbara Mikulski really went to bat for him and got him a 100% disability. I had to type up and submit his record and every Memorial Day, I remember this story. RIP Captain Howard Crees. From my fathers service record:

On August 21st, 1968 “D Company” 26th Infantry Division was preparing to go on an overnight patrol. Cpt. Howard Crees was the commander. Cpt. Crees and I flew to Viet Nam on the same aircraft and had formed a close bond. That day was his 34th birthday and I gave him a pecan roll with a match in the center and wished him a Happy Birthday. He replied that when he returned the next day, he would wish me Happy Birthday as well (my birthday was August 22nd). I was in a helicopter on 8/22/68 to direct the pickup of “D Company”. Cpt. Crees went forward to recon the landing zone and when we heard over the radio that “6” was down, I knew that Cpt. Crees had been wounded. Our chopper landed and Cpt. Crees was carried to the helicopter. We took off for the evacuation hospital nearby and radioed them we were in-route. I held Cpt. Crees in my arms and could feel blood no on the front or the back of his uniform. I removed a flashlight from the harness across his chest and I could see where two rounds had pierced the flashlight casing and exited his chest, he had been shot in the back. I knew he would die before we arrived at the hospital from internal bleeding. Cpt. Crees attempted to speak but he was not able to talk. I felt his last breathes as we landed on the helipad. I can still vividly remember his passing and shied away from forming any other strong relationships while I was in the 26th Infantry. You never knew when death would overtake any one of us.

 

[kcghost]

Yes, it was. Captain Boyd served us well and it is a shame that he had to die.

 

[anantaandroscoggin]

Also remembering my own ancestor, Captain Brackett of the Maine Colonial Militia, killed along with one of his sons at the Burning of Falmouth during the French and Indian Wars.

 

[AJL67]

Thank you for sharing. Memorial Day has been a big thing to me since the 9th grade, im 55 now and I’m the guy that always posts “this isn’t about your nephew Billy serving in the coast guard” or “sorry for your loss” when they post that crap..then i get to explain Memorial Day.

I’ve served, 3 combat tours and my basic training (Ft Benning in 1989) that i kept in touch with long after basic was a Ranger that was KIA. But the moment in my life that Memorial Day really hit home was in 9th grade, a field trip from Florida up the coast to DC to visit the landmarks and see our history. We were at Arlington National Cemetery and some “soldiers” came and talked to our chaperones and for a few minutes then went to talk to a girl in our group, Mary, and walked away leading her off. We didn’t see her the rest of the day and when we asked what was going on Mr Pearle that was leading the trip told us that Mary’s father was a fighter pilot and was was shot down and killed in Vietnam, Mary never met her father and he was buried in Arlington, she only saw his grave once when she was a baby and they were taking her to see him. That stuck with me my entire life. I have since been back to Arlington and visited his grave and left one of my challenge coins and a small rock on his marker.

Every year on Memorial Day i send her a message so she knows he hasn’t been forgotten and i told him as well as Mario my battle buddy. When we talked this year she confessed that she can’t believe after almost 40 yrs i without fail remember her father and that it has come to mean a great deal to her.

The very least we can do is remember those and their families that sacrificed everything. May their memories be a blessing.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Al, your story reminded me of an item on the BBC News website I read this morning...

US war hero's remains returned home after 73 years​

US war hero's remains returned home after 73 years

Cpl Luther Herschel Story died in the Korean War in 1950. His family is finally burying his remains.

www.bbc.co.uk

Regards,

Jay.

 

[ssjones]

My fathers connection had an interesting an positive twist. He was an member of the DAV and subscribed to their magazine. When he was around 90, and still had his eyesight, he noticed an ad someone had placed. A woman in Ohio was looking for someone who might have known her father, a Captain in the 26th Infantry division, stationed in Vietnam, in 1969. He called her but explained there were hundreds of Captains in the 26th. She told him her fathers name, but he had not met or served with him. He was sad to not have been able to help. As they were hanging up, she said that her friends father, also a Captain in the 26th Infantry division was also killed in action, and perhaps he knew of this Captain. He asked his name, and it was his friend Captain Crees. He was able to call the daughter, who like ALJ's Mary, was an infant when he was killed and had never met her father. My father told her of their relationship and the events of his death. It was healing for both of them and the young woman was grateful to learn about her father. I think that gave my father some closure. These were things he never discussed with us, and I only learned of them typing up his history. My brother (an Army Captain at the time) did take him the Wall in nearby DC and found Captain Crees name. To that point, my father had never asked to go to the Memorial.

 

[renfield]

Excellent posts. A great way to pay respect to those who sacrificed it all.