Modern War Heroes » Korea

POW/MIA Recognition Day

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:23:56 +0000

Today is a day dedicated by the United States Air Force to remembering those lost without closure in past and current wars. Throughout our country’s history, many have been simply written off as MIA or POW – never to be found. Families couldn’t have closure on the final whereabouts of a loved one. But the organization JPAC (Joint Pow-MIA Accounting) is hoping to change that. They are engaging in the monumental task of collecting potential MIA victim remains, along with thousands of mitochondrial DNA samples, and comparing them in hopes of finding these lost soldiers. So today let us remember them and hope to one day bring them home.

Is there anything more horrific than burying a loved one felled in a war? Perhaps. Some families of those who have fought overseas have never received closure in the form of their loved ones’ remains or even a small personal memento. In 1947, having calculated that the whereabouts of 78,750 American soldiers remained unknown after World War II, the United States Air Force dedicated the third Friday of every September as POW/MIA Recognition Day.

Over the course of the next six decades, the number of missing warriors rose. The Korean War claimed 8,051; Viet Nam, 1,742. The Cold War took another 165 and the Gulf War, 7. To date, the sole American soldier missing in Iraq is Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie. These numbers do not include personnel killed in action and never brought home.

JPAC (Joint POW-MIA Accounting) is the governmental organization charged with the daunting task of locating, identifying, and returning to their native soil the aforementioned service men and women. Housed in Hawaii, JPAC has been headed, since 2008, by Rear Admiral Donna L. Crisp. Colonel John M. Sullivan serves as Deputy Commander, Johnnie E. Webb as Deputy Public Relations-Legislation Affairs, Sergeant Major Jackie D. Brown Jr. as Command Senior Enlisted Leader, and Dr. Thomas D. Holland as Scientific Deputy Director for the Central Identification Lab. In addition to these officers are teams dedicated to search and retrieval missions, comprising archaeologists, anthropologists, linguists, and deontologists. A quick second read of those job titles is indicative of the enormity of JPAC’s objectives.

…On the third Friday in September, the State of New Jersey honors its POW-MIA‘s with a breakfast sponsored by Assemblymen Jack Conners and Herb Conaway. These public officials invite veterans from all over the state to join in a memorial ceremony dedicated to the men and women who never made it home from the wars. Honored Guests at the 2008 event included WWII POW veteran Joseph O’Donnell, Mrs. Judith Young, who is a Past President of the “Gold Star Mothers,” Mrs. Anna Marko of Cherry Hill, an 84 year old widow of WWII POW Leon Marko, State Adjutant General Glenn Reith, Colonel Stephan Abel, and other veteran dignitaries.

Read the rest of the article…

Marine Aviator Remembered

admin — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:24:15 +0000

Fighter pilot who fought in three wars died this past June at the age of 89. Our pilots certainly are extraordinary people!

Retired Marine Corps Col. Kenneth L. Reusser, 89, a highly decorated aviator who was shot down in three wars, died June 20. He lived in the Portland, Ore., suburb of Milwaukie.Col. Reusser flew 253 combat missions in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He was shot down in all three, five times in all.

His 59 medals included two Navy Crosses, four Purple Hearts, and two Legions of Merit.

In 1945, while based in Okinawa, he stripped down his F4U-4 Corsair fighter and intercepted a Japanese observation plane at high altitude. When his guns froze, he flew his fighter into the observation plane, hacking off its tail with his propeller.

In 1950, he led an attack on a North Korean tank-repair facility at Inchon, then destroyed an oil tanker, almost blowing himself out of the sky.

In Vietnam, he flew helicopters and was leading a rescue mission when his Huey was shot down. He needed skin grafts over 35 percent of his badly burned body. (source)

A Three War Veteran Remembered

admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:29:52 +0000

Here it is not even 8:30 in the morning and I’m already feeling a bit overwhelmed with patriotic pride. I just ran across this article (www.oregonlive.com) that was posted last Sat. (June 27th) describing an amazing man from Milwaukee named Kenneth Reusser. This man participated in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam flying an incredible 253 missions in the Marine Corps. Here’s a quote from the article describing some of his heroic actions.

Reusser flew an amazing 253 combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He was shot down in all three wars — five times in all. He earned two Navy Crosses, four Purple Hearts and two Legions of Merit among his 59 medals.

In 1945, while based in Okinawa, he stripped down his F4U-4 Corsair fighter and intercepted a Japanese observation plane at an altitude much higher than usual. When his guns froze, he flew his fighter into the observation plane, hacking off its tail with his propeller.

In 1950, while serving in the storied “Black Sheep Squadron,” he led an attack on a North Korean tank-repair facility at Inchon, then destroyed an oil tanker — almost blowing himself out of the sky in the process.

During the Vietnam War, Reusser flew helicopters. He was leading a Marine Air Group in a rescue mission, when his own “Huey” was shot down. He needed skin grafts over 35 percent of his badly burned body.

All I could say was, “Wow!” while I was reading this article. After retiring from the military, Reusser went on to work with Lockheed Aircraft and the Piasecki Helicopter Corp. He passed away the 20th of June at the incredible age of 89.