Operation Warrior Call
By Kenneth Riege USAF 1985 – 1993
This story is long overdue and for that I do apologize. I will start out by sharing a story about a guest at the Comfort Suites Gallup from early March. I am not going to include any names or dates, only that he served in the United States Marine Corps with multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He fought with the 1st Battalion/4th Marines and served with great pride, honor, and dignity. As I arrived to work that day, I noticed a guest looking at one of our many exhibits. He had taken an interest in an exhibit honoring my grandfather for his service at Belleau Wood. He shared his stories of Marine Corps boot camp and how from day one, recruits are taught about the “Devil Dogs” of Belleau Wood.
Now back to the title of this story, “Operation Warrior Call,” and what it means? I have attached two different “Warrior Call Pledges” for both the veteran and civilian side of “Operation Warrior Call.” “Warrior Call Pledge” For Military/Veterans
“Warrior Call Pledge” For Civilians
Here is the Belleau Wood exhibit at the Comfort Suites Gallup, which honors my grandfather, Pvt. Paul Emerson Riege, USMC 19 April 1917 to 31 March 1919. My grandfather served in the 1st Battalion/5th Marines and fought at Belleau Wood, the 2nd Battle of the Marne and the Meuse Argonne Offensive. He was wounded in action twice and gassed during the Meuse Argonne Offensive. After we finished visiting, he thanked us for honoring our military and veterans, and later his wife also thanked us for helping her husband to, as she put it, “start to heal.” WOW, this is something we have heard many times from our guest and visitors and what a great honor it is to be able to help one of our nations warriors and their families begin the healing process. 56
April 2020
Sounds simple enough right? I mean all you have to do is pick up the phone and call someone, or better yet, get into your vehicle and pay one of your battle buddies an overdue visit. Of course, as we all know, nothing is as simple as it seems. Many
