Modern War Heroes

Missing man formation over the USS Arizona memorial in Hawaii.

The “Missing Man” formation is a touching memorial to those lost in the airforce. It is a rare thing for those not in the military to witness. It is performed by the pilots flying in formation, just as if the lost man were still there.

It is believed that the tradition started in Britain at the funeral of Manfred von Richthofen, or the “Red Baron”. While that is just common belief, it is known for certain that its genesis orginates  during World War I.

For more information of the Missing Man formation, visit aiipowmia.com to learn more.

Some men just seemed destined to be great, and when it comes to wartime greatness, I have to admit, it sure seems like a little crazy is necessary. American aviator Frank Luke flew during World War I and has an incredible record to show for it. Sadly though, Frank didn’t make it out of enemy territory during a mission when he was shot down.

Known as the “Balloon Buster”, Frank managed to shoot down many enemy observation balloons. This was a dangerous business, since the balloons, being only balloons, were heavily guarded. Large squadrons, military vehicles, and a healthy number of anti-aircraft weapons surrounded the fragile balloons, and it was his job to get through them.

Really, he was lucky to do this feat once, but Frank Luke managed to down 18 balloons and enemy aircraft in only 18 days.

During one mission (to be his last), Frank was shot down over enemy territory. During that mission he managed to take down 3 balloons and 2 German planes. He was alive when he landed and so he also took 11 German soldiers, wounding others, with him during his last stand.

What an amazing soldier Frank Luke was. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions. For more about him, click here.

Old photographic plates were discovered and saved by two men, Bernard Gardin and Dominique Zanardi. The amount of plates equaled to over 300, and they were in good enough condition to develop. The developed photos offer a new glimpse of what it might have been like to be a soldier on the front in World War I. The photos appear to have been taken by a local person, supposed a farmer. These photos are unusual since most photos taken of soldiers were either taken right before they shipped out or, if they were extrememly lucky, sometime after returning home. The men in these recently discovered photos are in the field during the war, most likely right before the battle of the Somme.

These photos provide a parallel to the mass graves discovered near Fromelles. Perhaps even some of the individuals in the photos lie in those graves. Follow this link to read the article and learn more about this fabulous find. Or click here if you just want to see the photos. Truly incredible. It really makes these people’s lives come to light.

A mass grave from the Battle of Fromelles during World War I provides an insight into the lives of the brave soldiers who died there. Among the remains are found small keepsakes that bring their humanity home. DNA testing will also be used in an effort to identify the men buried in the anonymous mass grave. Finally these soldiers will have the honor they deserved.

‘DNA is just one part of the identity puzzle. Our experts will be examining all available evidence in their attempts to confirm the identities of these men.

‘Each one of these soldiers will be laid to rest with the dignity they deserve and we owe it to them to do all we can to identify them.’

The land at Pheasant Wood, near the village of Fromelles, was confirmed as a group burial site in May last year after a limited excavation revealed pits which had lain untouched since the battle more than 90 years earlier.

Work to excavate the grave got under way three months ago and a full archaeological excavation of the site is expected to be completed by the end of September.

An identification board will convene in March next year to consider the evidence available.

The hope is to use casualty records, DNA tests and artefacts – such as kit parts – found in the ground to assign identities to as many of the bodies as possible.

The Battle of Fromelles, which began on July 19 1916, was the first major battle on the Western Front involving both British and Australian troops.

It proved disastrous for Allied forces – records suggest that the Australians lost 1,780 troops and the British 503 between July 19 and 21.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1205504/World-War-I-mass-graves-exhumed-DNA-tests-identify-hundreds-British-soldiers.html#ixzz0NndCEaQx

Understandably, the technology to produce color photography was still quite rare during the time of World War I. This website has a fairly large collection of color photographs. Very interesting, and certainly not something you see every day. I think it is important to see these reminders of our past. Check it out.

This past Saturday, the last British WWI veteran, Harry Patch, passed away at the full age of 111. This marks the end of an era for the country, but not the end of the memories. France and Germany have both lost all their remaining veterans, and the U.S. still has Frank Buckles, 108, as their last known WWI veteran.

Harry Patch was a young apprentice plumber when war broke out and was called into service in 1916. He didn’t agree with war and was reluctant to go.

Born in southwest England in 1898, Mr. Patch was a teenage apprentice plumber when he was called up for military service in 1916. After training, he was sent to the trenches as a machine-gunner in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.

The five-man Lewis gun team had a pact to try not to kill any enemy soldiers, but to aim at their legs unless it came down to killing or being killed, he said.

Mr. Patch was part of the third battle of Ypres in Belgium. The offensive began on July 31, 1917, and it rained all but three days of August. It was not until Nov. 6, 1917, that British and Canadian forces had progressed five miles to capture what was left of the village of Passchendaele. The cost was 325,000 Allied casualties and 260,000 Germans.

Mr. Patch’s war had ended on Sept. 22, when he was seriously wounded by shrapnel, which killed three other members of his machine-gun team.

“My reaction was terrible; it was losing a part of my life,” he said.

After losing the majority of his team, Patch was taken to a hospital, where he had to have the shrapnel removed from his body without the aid of anesthesia. He and the other machine gun team survivor both agreed never to share the details of their comrades deaths with the families. For them it was too horrible to share.

World War I was a brutal and grisly event – a dark time in world history. The advent of new weapons technology meant that the killing could be done with horrific efficiency. It was war in a way that no one ever dreamed of being possible. This post is in memory of, not only Harry Patch, but all the brave soldiers who endured hell in the trenches.

Click here to read the entire article about Harry Patch. Defininely read it.

Living to 113 and 42 days earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest man in the world. But Henry was exceptional for far more than his age.

The valiant First World War veteran did much more than any history book to ram home the realities of war.

Honoured He was the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland in 1916, a survivor of the Battle of Ypres in 1917, and the sole survivor of the original RAF.

Henry’s astonishing stamina, determination and loyalty to lost comrades saw him work constantly to ensure his memories – and their sacrifices – were not forgotten.

Blind, almost deaf and gnarled with arthritis, he made scores of personal visits each year to tell his stories to young people and spread a message of peace. The first time we met was four years ago among rows of stark headstones at the Longuenesse military cemetery in St Omer, France.

Henry had made the exhausting 450-mile journey from his home in Eastbourne, East Sussex, by car.

But he garnered every ounce of strength he had to struggle out of his wheelchair and stand at the gravesides to pay his fallen comrades the respect they deserved. Read on…

Incredible. I recommend continuing with the article. Henry certainly had an incredible life, and may he rest peacefully now that he has reached the end of it.

William “Bill” A. Shomo was truly an amazing pilot who flew for the United States Air Force during World War I. While flying an armed photo reconnaissance in his P-51 Mustang, he and his wing mate spotted 13 enemy planes. Despite being incredibly outnumbered, they immediately executed an Immelman turn and engaged the planes in combat.  Within only 6 minutes of fighting, Shomo had shot down 7 of the 13 planes – making him an “ace in one day”. Most fighter pilots never reached Ace status in their entire careers. This remarkable feat was resulted in Shomo being awarded the Medal of Honor.

Talk about being an incredibly skilled pilot. Overall, Shomo flew over 200 missions in the war. Click here to read more details regarding his epic flight.

Sgt. Alvin C. York is truly an amazing man. He received these awards for his actions: the Distinguished Service Cross, the French Croix de Guerre, the badge of nobility, and The Congressional Medal of Honor. And he continued to humble about his deeds. I highly recommend reading this account of his accomplishment. This quote from the article pretty much sums it up:

In a sentence: On Oct. 8, 1918, less than year after he joined the army, Alvin C. York, as Corporal York, Company G, 328th
Infantry, 82d Division, A. E. F., during options in the Argonne sector, killed twenty-five Germans, captured 132 prisoners, including a major and several lieutenants, and put out of commission thirty-five machine guns — did it by his “lonesome,” subduing the machine gun battalion with his rifle and automatic pistol.

Every war has its heroes. This post is dedicated to Noel Godfrey Chavasse who served in World War I.  He began his career by studying medicine, and ended up joining the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1913. Neither illness nor injury kept him from his duty of helping his fellow soldiers. He received multiple honors, including the Victoria Cross and the Military Cross.

I am always impressed and humbled by these healers who are called to the battlefront. They could easily perform their duties far away from the front, but somehow they find the courage to run out into the fray to rescue the poor souls laying injured in the mud. And thank goodness they do! So many have been saved by these brave efforts who otherwise would have lost their lives.

Please click on Noel Chavasse’s name to learn more about him.