STORY BEHIND THE PLAQUE
Service Reflections of SGT Harry C. Craft, U.S. Army (1977-1981)

I had 5 uncles who fought in WWII, and between them, there were 6 Purple Hearts, 1 Silver Star, and 3 Bronze Stars. I used to hear them tell me stories about commanding tanks as a tank commander during the war, and I became very interested in the Army after that. I also had an 18-year-old cousin who joined the Marines in 1969; I saw him in his uniform and knew I had to join the military. He was only 18 when he was killed in Vietnam. He was only there for four months. So, my family has shed their share of blood for this country, and I knew I was obligated, whether I wanted to or not. I could not let my family down. So, 10 days after I got my high school diploma, I reported to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for Basic Combat Training! After training, I was sent to Fort Hood, Texas. I served with the 13th Coscom and the 1st Cavalry Division while there. I also served at Heilbronn, West Germany, and Miesau, West Germany, as well as Fort Pickett, Virginia. I loved the Army and wished I had stayed, but I chose to later join the U.S. Coast Guard, where I retired as a CWO2. But I loved my military career and got to see things I would have never seen and did things I would never have gotten to do.

I wanted to be in the Infantry and, at the same time, drive trucks hauling ammunition, and I was trained in both. My uncles owned trucking companies, so I figured this would help for future employment, and it did. I really loved the Army. It gave me a home, food, clothing, a paycheck, and individual freedom, and taught me a lot about leadership! But I decided to get out and explore the world because I was young and dumb!

I was in West Germany during the Iran Hostage Crisis, and I was activated for Operation Eagle Claw, which was part of a unit that was going to go rescue the hostages. But our planes collided and killed 8 American Servicemen, so the Operation was aborted. But I always felt we should have made Iran pay for their actions!

Yes, I was flying in a Huey helicopter during training at Fort Hood, Texas, when I was 19. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was sitting with the door open, looking at the beautiful blue sky, when we heard a bang noise, and the helicopter started going downward! I remember telling myself I was only 19, and I was going to die while serving my country – I guess it would be an honorable death. The strange thing is, I was not afraid, and I don’t know why. But the pilot was able to auto-rotate the helicopter down to a rough landing in a sand pit, and we were bounced around but survived.

Serving overseas was awesome! I loved West Germany! The people treated us very well. I remember driving a truck through a small village, and the people were lined along the road and were throwing roses at us, and I thought how cool is this?!!!

I think about boot camp. And I think about my time in West Germany and France. I also think about the islands I saw while in the Coast Guard and the places I went with them.

During boot camp, we had a thing called “Super Jock.” If you could score 475 or higher on a scale of 500 on the U.S. Army Physical Fitness Test, you got to wear a Super Jock badge in boot camp, and you got to go to the front of the chow line. And I was hungry! I weighed only 140 pounds, but I finished second with a score of 477, while the first-place man had a 478! There were only five men that day who earned the “Super Jock Badge,” and I was one of them. I was in Echo Company, Second Battalion, 5th Brigade. I was always proud of my physical fitness achievements!

Well, I earned the Army Commendation medal while serving in West Germany. I got it during War Games because I saved our unit from an ambush by opposing forces. We were the Blue Team, and we were being attacked by the Red Team. I spotted some Marines and German Forces coming through the woods toward our unit. I was on point, manning a .50 caliber machine gun, but when I saw them, I threw several War Games hand grenades in their direction and opened up with the machine gun. Then all hell erupted, and I was credited with causing several casualties and saving our unit from being overrun! So I was proud of that fact.

Major General David K. Doyle. I was handpicked as his driver while at Fort Hood, Texas. He was the Deputy Commander at the post. He was a Bulldog! He stood about 5′ 7″, and he was a tank commander and commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry in Vietnam. He was a very quiet but tenacious man! He earned 3 Silver Stars and 5 Bronze Stars, including a V for Valor, and a Purple Heart while in Vietnam. He was a great leader, and I never forgot him!

Two of my best friends in the Army were John Ogles and Lee Martin. John was from Evansville, Indiana, the same place I was, and I met him at Fort Hood. We became good friends. I have seen him several times during the years since Fort Hood. But Lee was from West Virginia, and I have not seen him since, but I would like to someday.

No. Not really. I was always very mature for my age — sometimes too much, and I took everything so seriously! I was so ambitious and driven at that age, and I was having so much fun doing the hard stuff that I really didn’t think much about the good times then.

The Coast Guard trained me in communications, intelligence, and public affairs. I really liked my career in public affairs so much that I decided to do it in the government as a civilian, and today, that is what I do. I am a writer/editor in public affairs with the government.

I am a member of:

Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)
Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
American Legion
U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officers Association
U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association
Non-Commissioned Officers Association
U.S. Intelligence Community Association
A veteran of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

I support these organizations because they support our troops and our veterans!

I learned a lot about leadership in both the Army and the Coast Guard. I have tried to take these learning lessons with me throughout my life and career. I really do miss the military, and if I could have stayed forever, I would have. I miss my comrades and how we looked out for each other. You do not see that in the civilian world.

The military is not for everyone. So, if you decide to do it, go in with guns blazing because it is what you make it! I saw guys who hated the Army and could not wait for their four-year enlistment to be up. But I loved it, and I could not imagine how dreadful they felt! So, you make the best of it, and it will make the best of you!

It has helped me think hard about the things I did and how my military career came about. It has brought back some good memories!