I’d been assigned to West Point for over a year when I met my future husband, SP4 Rodney Helmers, in early 1978. That summer, Rod had a vehicle accident determined to have been caused by a seizure while driving. It seemed like a one-off, and I was not overly concerned. We married at West Point in December 1978 and were awarded government quarters on-post shortly thereafter. In April 1979, we were joyous to learn I was pregnant.
On December 6, 2006, in Ramadi, Iraq which was then one of the most volatile cities in the world Major Megan Malia McClung was killed in action when an IED struck her Humvee during a mission escorting journalists embedded with Marine forces. She was 34. What made her presence on that convoy so powerful was this: she didn t have to be there. She was the senior public affairs officer in the region she could have delegated the mission. But Megan believed leaders share risk, not avoid it. She believed in showing the world what our Marines were doing and standing beside them while they did it.
While serving as a Radioman with the Mobile Riverine Force (Task Force 117), my T-152-1 boat and T-152-10 were “Chopped” from the main squadron to work with PBRs from Task Force 116. We were located at the small South Vietnamese Naval Base at Rach Soi. Our two Armored Troop Carriers were tasked with night missions with the PBRs. My boat would go out one night and T-10 the next. We would depart the small base before dark and return in the early morning hours. This lasted for roughly 10 weeks. The purpose was to interdict North Vietnamese Army soldiers and supplies coming into South Vietnam from Cambodia. It was part of Operation SEALORDS. We also encountered local Viet Cong guerillas.
My Brother Robert Prevost and myself David we were 11months apart very close .I was done with AIT had to-wait for Bob to come home from Vietnam he served infantry then I was sent to Vietnam. Bob and I both made it home then At 33 Bob had his leg amputated Agent Orange at 41 his other leg was amputated they said it was circulatory. I go over to his house I see him on the pole barn roofing ask where’s your prosthesis he said on the ground got in my way. Why didn’t you call me didn’t want to bother you. He would not let anything stop him from living life. Always compassionate and helping anyone who needed his service. Strange our new Pope has the same name Robert Prevost. Bob passed away At 47 I miss him . He’s my HERO Thanks for listening.
I wish to remember James F. Chase, Cpl, USMC. Jimmy Chase was my squad leader on 17 DEC 68. We were on patrol in Quang Nam Province. He was walking point, as he always did. He had me walk right behind the machine gunner, as he always did. We were about to step up on a rice paddy dike. We all stopped. He motioned to me, a sign language that I was familiar with, which meant stick next to the machine gunner. He wanted me protected above anyone else. I was their Doc, Navy Corpsman, honored to be with the Marines of C Company, 1/1. They called us Suicide Charlie. We were patrolling in Booby Trap Alley, where anything could happen. It did. A huge explosion. “Doc, Chase got hit.” I ran and found my squad leader on his back with multiple wounds and unresponsive. An emergency helo was called for right away as I worked on our Brother. We took on sniper fire as we loaded him on the Ch46. When we landed at Da Nang Naval Hospital, there were eight or more doctors, nurses and corpsmen surrounding him within seconds, but the wounds were too severe. I remember seeing him in the triage tent. I remember everything. I see him every day in my memory, which sometimes fails me, but not this image of my squad leader in 68. I still stay in touch with his sisters in Maine and I go to the Wall often to pay tribute to his sacrifice to our nation. He was an exemplary marine, a brother and a father, but mostly he was my friend. I remember him this Memorial Day. I remember him every day.
I only knew him as Ted, a frail ninety-some-year-old senior citizen whom I had met while volunteering at a nursing home. Pleasant and humble, he mostly talked about his late twin brother, who had been a fighter pilot stationed in Pearl Harbor at the time of Japan’s attack in December 1944 and later flew combat missions throughout WWII. His war stories were detailed, and he told them with such heartfelt emotions and passion as if he had been there next to his twin brother. Sometimes he would tear up in the middle of a story and gaze at the ceiling before saying, “Enough for today young man, go enjoy your day!” His thoughts, memories, and emotions seemed so intertwined with his war-hero twin brother that one would think he had not had a life of his own. I contributed this psychological entanglement to the strong bond between twins and did not think much of it.
Where Was Your Favorite Place Visited, Either Through Deployment or R&R, From Your Time in the Service? Can You Recall Any Memories of This Place You Found Particularly Impressive or Enjoyable?:
December 2002 and my wife, JO1 Teresa Frith, is assigned to Naval Media Center Detachment Keflavik, Iceland. It was known as AFRTS Keflavik when I was stationed there from 1974-1976. I am now a dependent and retired journalist chief petty officer working at A.T. Mahan Elementary School. It s Christmas Eve. Teresa and I are on Armed Forces Radio-Keflavik in Studio-A doing our weekly two-hour oldies show, Yesterday Once More . The base C.O., Captain Dean Kiyohara, joins us with “Santa” (a.k.a. Command Master Chief James Newton) taking phone calls during the first hour.
Where Was Your Favorite Place Visited, Either Through Deployment or R&R, From Your Time in the Service? Can You Recall Any Memories of This Place You Found Particularly Impressive or Enjoyable?:
My son was a toddler when I received orders in early 1982 to relocate from Ft Belvoir, VA to a NATO assignment at the 650th Military Intelligence Group (aka Allied Command Europe – Counterintelligence) at Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT) in Brunssum, Netherlands. Arriving in March 1982, we were housed in a local hotel until we were able to secure “off-post” housing. There was no “on-post” housing; however, we would eventually be afforded government-leased housing once our name reached the top of the availability list. We met SGT Mike McDermott, his wife Lynne and young son, who had arrived in-country about a week prior. We became fast friends, and we are still in touch to this day.
Where Was Your Favorite Place Visited, Either Through Deployment or R&R, From Your Time in the Service? Can You Recall Any Memories of This Place You Found Particularly Impressive or Enjoyable?:
Deployment to Iraq in 2004-2005 was a time filled with tension, danger, and unpredictability. As a member of the Tennessee National Guard, I found myself attached to a Military Police (MP) unit out of Maine. Our missions often took us along hazardous routes, transporting individuals we referred to as “People of Questionable Actions” (POQA) from our base, Camp Caldwell, to a holding facility in Baghdad. The road was always a risk, a constant game of cat and mouse with insurgents waiting for the right moment to strike. But amidst the tension, there were fleeting moments of unexpected relief.
Where Was Your Favorite Place Visited, Either Through Deployment or R&R, From Your Time in the Service? Can You Recall Any Memories of This Place You Found Particularly Impressive or Enjoyable?:
Looking back many years into my Army days, I recall my R&R memories, and what I found most particularly impressive and enjoyable was the City of Tokyo, Japan. Recalling my memory of my Army stint from 1954 to 1956, comes to mind when I received my orders and was shipped to North Camp Fuji, Japan. The highlight of my Japanese experience and the most memorable time was my R&R in Tokyo. It was a wonderful experience. Tokyo was a city still recovering from World War II, rebuilt from wooden shanties to modern buildings.
Where Was Your Favorite Place Visited, Either Through Deployment or R&R, From Your Time in the Service? Can You Recall Any Memories of This Place You Found Particularly Impressive or Enjoyable?:
Back in 2004 2006, I was a Sergeant deployed near the northern border of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Our base was rough, the mission serious but even in a warzone, God finds ways to remind you of His goodness. One day, we got the chance to visit a nearby orphan village. I ll be honest my first time off post, I was praying nonstop. My wife had mailed over a mountain of clothes, school supplies, and snacks for the kids. We packed it all up and headed out, not knowing what to expect.
Where Was Your Favorite Place Visited, Either Through Deployment or R&R, From Your Time in the Service? Can You Recall Any Memories of This Place You Found Particularly Impressive or Enjoyable?:
I served as a Scout/Sniper with 2/26 and 1/7. Aside from our combat exploits, this patrol stands out as one of the most memorable and cherished. The Big Heist. There were several other significant intelligence patrols we conducted with 2/26 that resulted in enemy kills and captured equipment and food stores. However, not every patrol was meaningful because of combat action. One special moment occurred while heading out for a patrol that still required stealth, speed, athletic ability, cunning, and the ability to stay undetected.
