Lauren C. Dates, a retired town justice, lives in Red Creek.
Corinthians 13:13 states, “But now abide faith, hope, love, these three, and the greatest is love.”
John 15:13 states, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Charles Dickens’ book, “A Tale of Two Cities,” opens with the line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
These words always resonate with me on Memorial Day as I reflect on my experience as a combat soldier in Vietnam 58 years ago. i personally knew and served with two fellow paratroopers in the 173rd Airborne Brigade who were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. John Barnes was a Private First Class Rifleman (MOS 11B). The other was the Rev. Charles Watters, a major and Roman Catholic chaplain. Both men sacrificed their lives to save the lives of their comrades and both did so without reservation or concerns, not only for their safety, but for their lives.
John Barnes had fought for hours in the killing zone where my company was ambushed on Nov. 11, 1967, in Dak To, South Vietnam. After running out of M-60 machine gun ammunition, he jumped on a chicom grenade and absorbed the explosion with his body, saving the lives of four of his fellow wounded paratroopers. John’s citation for the Medal of Honor goes into greater detail; I would encourage people to look it up and read it.
Father Charles Watters was killed Nov. 19, 1967, in Dak To. In a horrific battle that had continued over three weeks, Father Watters went above and beyond the call of duty. As the battle raged, he exposed himself to enemy fire while rescuing wounded, administering last rites and providing comfort and solace to all, whether Catholic, Protestant or Jew. Father Watters was killed in action showing love for his comrades. Some former NVA soldiers, interviewed after U.S. participation in the war ended, commented they were impressed by the acts of heroism and compassion that U.S. soldiers showed on the battlefield. Again, I encourage you to look up the citation for Father Charles Watters.
The words, “The best of times, the worst of times” resonate with me as my experiences as a combat soldier (11B) were not only horrific, but also exposed me to some of the best in my fellow human beings. Never again in my life have I seen men live their lives with the honesty, integrity, loyalty and heroism than I saw when I served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam. In my old age, I remember those who served and how honored I am to have known them. They were splendid human beings.
Others who served with distinction and were awarded the Medal of Honor were Carlos Lozada, 173 ABN Bde; Milton Olive, 173 ABN Bde; Lawrence Joel, 173 ABN Bde, and the Rev. Vincent Capodanno, U.S. Navy.
There is a saying by a philosopher, Viet Thanh Nguyen: “All wars are fought twice, the first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory.”
Another saying is, “A soldier is never dead until his name is no longer spoken.” May we honor and remember these men by continuing to speak their names.
