I am no Hero
Tin Soldier
In the November issue of Readers Digest, you printed a story called “Tin Soldier” about how some people lied portraying themselves as injured, disabled hero veterans. Anyone who passes themselves off as a veteran that has been injured in the line of duty saving the life or lives of their comrades should face the most severe prosecution and punishment. And yet while I deplore the actions of these individuals, I think I can understand. I am a 20 year veteran who could call his career mediocre at best. I love my family and I love my country, I wanted nothing more than to find some meaning in my life by serving my country. While I did serve my country as proudly as I could, my time in service was uneventful. Even now after being retired for over 15 years I have never had anyone thank me for the time I spent serving my country. No one ever said they were proud for my contribution or sacrifices I endured while serving my country. Everyone strives to feel some significance, to make a different in the world around them. When that doesn’t happen some individuals take extreme measure to get some sort of recognition. In no way am I condoning the actions that lying, cheating and deceiving people passing themselves off as something they are not and receiving something they surely didn’t earn. I must say if you volunteer to serve your country – no matter how insignificance their job might have been I feel all those who has served honorably should be recognized for a contribution so many others are not willing to make. In saying that here is my story.
I am no Hero
I joined the United States Air Force at the age of nineteen back in April 1974. I went off to Basic Training, unlike the other branches of the military; there isn’t any graduation to invite family to. We went to a parade where we marched in competition with other flights of the same squadron to see who was best. Then you packed up your things and get shipped off to Tech School. Just rush rush rush, get to your next assignment, be a better Airman, “Be All You Can Be!” Conform to a military image of being tin soldiers marching off to war.
I remember one time walking through O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois in uniform in 1975. The Vietnam War was winding down. There were hippies and Moonies all over the place. I remember being spat upon as they yelled at me that “I was no Hero!” I was just out of Tech School; I never even had a chance to serve in Vietnam. Being in the military at the end of the Vietnam War was not a good time to be in the service.
I grew up in a fairly good size town/city I was not prepared for my first duty assignment. I was 350 miles away from home stuck in a one light village with not even a McDonalds within 50 miles. Being nineteen years old, I couldn’t even go into a bar and get a drink. This little town only existed because it supported the base. Without it, the town would have died or never even came into existence in the first place. I was stuck, alone, no place to go, nothing to do. I served at that base for 3 ½ years, in that time I got married and we had a son. When he was just a year old, I got orders for my next assignment.
That assignment was a remote hole in the wall in the middle of Alaska. I was ripped away from my wife and son to go serve a year in a frozen hell hole, guarding our northern border from those Russian Communists who wanted nothing more than to see my beloved country fall. That year was uneventful. I was newly married with a new son and I had to spend the holidays, birthdays and our anniversary away from those I loved. I left that assignment because my Dad had to have emergency heart surgery. So I was rushed home to been with him and then onto my next assignment.
I went from the freezer to the furnace, New Mexico, “The Land of Enchantment”, where I was able to be reunited with my young family. My wife became pregnant with our second son, and I remember just wanting to spend time with them. My enlistment was about up. I wasn’t even there 6 months and once again I was given orders to another remote location at the end of a long chain of islands back in Alaska. I was to spend another year away from my family. Really all I ever wanted to do was spend my four years in the Air Force, get out and go back to my family I had left behind with my wife and soon two sons. I was not given the opportunity to turn down the assignment and get out. I had to go! I was given a chance to either take this 1 year assignment and get out afterwards, No job, no home, no chance to prepare to transition to civilian life. Just get out! Or, I could re-enlist and go to England for four years with my family.
We welcomed the chance to go to England together as a family. While there I was in a highly mobile outfit where Temporary Duty (TDY) assignments always took you from your family. I didn’t want to go on the TDYs, I wanted to enjoy my family, enjoy being in England as well as serve my country. I made a deal with those in the senior ranks over me, if they would allow me not to go on the TDYs that everybody was always fighting over to go on anyway. I would be glad to stay behind and if at any time they had a TDY in which no one wanted to go on then I would be this first to volunteer no question asked. No fuss, no whining I would stand up and go serve my country anywhere they needed me. This was agreeable with all parties concerned. It was also during this time because of the job I was in my hearing was impacted quite a bit and I was medically disqualified from my job. However I had to take a desk job until I had served my four years overseas. It was also during this time that my grandmother who raised me for several years died. When my assignment ended I was once again faced with the idea of getting out of the military upon returning from an overseas location with no job, no home, and no chance to transition into civilian life. But this time I was also disqualified from my job I had learned, I also had a wife and now four children to care and provide for.
Upon returning to the States I was once again separated from my family while I attended Tech School. After which we were united again upon my assignment to South Carolina. It was a great assignment. I worked, I went home to my family, I was finally enjoying both the military and my family. Well in saying that I was assigned once again into a mobility outfit where TDY was the name of the game. I had learned to be gone a few weeks to maybe a month or two was better than going an entire year without being with my family.
We faced another assignment because I made rank and they needed someone to run a shop in another Mobile outfit, and I was just the man. This assignment only lasted 13 months of which I spent 7 ½ months TDY. The reason for that assignment only lasting 13 months was because my Mother was dying of cancer so I was transferred to a base near home so I could spend time with her before she died.
At this point I had 16 years in the military and figured this would be my last assignment. No sooner than we got reassigned to be close to home, my mom passed away. I was only able to spend one weekend with her before she died. Her death was extremely hard on me. I returned to base and started my job. But there was no job to be had for me to do. I felt more like an errand boy for all those more senior in rank than I. Well, my figuring was wrong, it wasn’t my last assignment.
I had just under 2 year left until I could retire after serving 20 years, and I was once again given no choice but I had to serve another remote assignment away from my wife and children. I was shipped off to Korea. Korea was one of those places where all the folks came TDY too. So I didn’t have to go TDY anywhere because this was a close as it ever got to being on the front lines.
After my year was complete in Korea, I returned to my wife and children at the base where I had left them. I had 7 month left on active duty. No job to be had at the base. I could finally transition to civilian life, have a home, and find a job upon retiring from Active Duty.
The years between 1974 and 1994 were rather quiet years of no major conflicts the Air Force got involved in. The only exception to that was when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and we as a country geared up for war. At the time I was station at a headquarter assignment and wanted to volunteer, however I was told that if this was a prolonged war, I would never be relieved from the warzone because working at headquarters. It was my job to find people to go and it was my job to figure the rotation of personal in my field of expertise. Desert Shield came and thankfully went in about 6 months. Desert Shield really ended before could really get all geared up to fight. Praise God that there was the minimum loss of American lives in that war.
I never ended up in an armed conflict, a battle, never shot at, and I never killed anyone, I have no scars and my disability remains to be unseen as I am now totally deaf. My love was for my country, but I also loved my family and I believed in building strong relations within my family. I did spend 20 years serving my country the best I knew how to serve. My biggest sacrifice was having both my parents, many aunts and uncles die, not being able to attend wedding of cousins, nephews or nieces. I missed the chance to be and Uncle and then a great uncle. I felt I sacrifice in serving my country for 20 years. Yes it is a far cry from the sacrifices being paid by the men and women serving in all branches of the military and for all the civilians too supporting our country efforts. I am like thousands of other GIs who would cry themselves to sleep on Thanksgiving days, Christmas’ and missed birthdays and anniversaries. I loved my family and my country and did what I could do to serve my country. I have no metals upon my chest to show that I was brave in battle. I have no Purple Heart showing I was wounded in any battles. I can’t even say my time in service was much to remember at all. For you see, “I am no Hero!”
There are many who will not give at all, of those that enlist All gave some, some gave all. I salute all of you serving at home and abroad, whether in peaceful times or at war. I tell you the truth I see everyone who is or has served in the military as a Hero.
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