MILITARY CELEBRATING MILITARY SUPERHEROES
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S u p e r h e r o e s Superheroes
A Veterans Day tribute from Suffolk News-Herald The Smithfield Times The Tidewater News Windsor Weekly
OVER
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CELEBRATING MILITARY SUPERHEROES
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For those who serve and have served the nation in the military, they would say they are just doing their jobs. For those in the civilian world, it's a different story. Most Americans believe the people who sign on to protect their freedoms and the nation's safety are heroes. This issue of Superheroes tells the stories of some of these local men and women, sharing stories from their military careers. While many of those who have served would argue they did not receive medals or honors that make them heroes, readers will be inspired by their service, character, patriotism and modesty that indeed makes them Superheroes to all.This Veterans Day, take a few minutes to thank those family members, friends and neighbors who are serving or have served this great nation.
Honoring Our TROOPS & VETERANS Thank-you for all your hard work and dedication to serve.
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Featured Local Military Barbara Wiggins 6 Tena Lawyer 9 Michelle Rose 10 Denis Confer 13 Joe Garlitz 15 James Knowlton 17 Welton Deshields 18 Curtis MacKenzie 19
Duane Black Pete McCall John Edwards Ash Cutchin Brian Hoagland
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Saluting Local Military Superheroes 26
Saluting our Military & Veterans. Thank you for your service.
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BY STEPHEN FALESKI STAFF WRITER Retired Army record-keeper Barbara Wiggins of Smithfield never found herself deployed to a war zone during her 20-year military career. But there’s a strong chance that had she not retired when she did in 1999 she would have been killed in the line of duty. She’d been assigned to the General Officer Management Office in Pentagon Room No. 1E440 in 1998, where she managed the training and educational records of officers who were candidates for promotion to the Army’s general ranks. On Sept. 11, 2001, two years after Wiggins retired, Al Qaeda terrorists highjacked and crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, killing all 64 people on the plane and another 125 in the Pentagon. “It actually came through my office at the helipad, which was just outside of my office at 1E440,” Wiggins said. “If I had not retired when I did, I probably would have been in that office on that day.” She’d joined the Army in 1979, inspired by friends in the military stationed at Langley Air Force Base. She spent the entirety of her
CELEBRATING MILITARY SUPERHEROES
Barbara Wiggins 20 service years in record-keeping, which she called “a very special mission.” Keeping soldiers’ records up to date for the purpose of promotions, adverse actions, insurance and family care plans is as essential a job as any, she explained, noting both Army reservists and Virginia National Guard units “had to always be ready to mobilize when called to do so.” Though she never saw combat, “I was trained on the firing range like any other soldier to be prepared,” Wiggins said. While assigned to Fort George G. Meade in Maryland she earned associates and bachelors degrees from Florida-based Saint Leo College. She’s since earned a doctorate in Christian counseling from Grace Bible College & Theological Seminary in Saluda. During her tour at the Pentagon, she published a children’s book titled “The Giant Dust Monster” and a poetry anthology titled “Mama Knows.” The Pentagon’s book store carried both during her time there, but the store closed shortly after she retired. “All in all, my time in the military was very gratifying, because it allowed me to travel all over the United States, as well as being able to travel outside of the USA,” Wiggins said. After retiring at the rank of sergeant first
class, Wiggins relocated to Smithfield, where she’s worked since 2001 to secure housing for Isle of Wight County’s low-income and homeless population. In 2000 she met Brian Hicks, a contractor who’d been assisting Main Street Baptist Church with building affordable housing. “After he asked me a couple of times for assistance, I agreed to work with him for three months to help set up his office, to interview prospective clients and train them for homeownership,” Wiggins said. Within that three-month period, Wiggins said, she received a call from a mother of two children who’d become homeless and was staying at what is now the EconoLodge in Carrollton. “She had a job, but she had been evicted, because she could not afford the apartment after her husband left her. … She was my first encounter with homelessness in Smithfield,” Wiggins said. It took Wiggins five days to find a landlord who was willing to rent to the woman and to give her a break on the deposit. By 2001, she’d incorporated Providential Credit Care Management, which was awarded nonprofit status in 2002. Isle of Wight County and Smithfield didn’t
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Sgt. 1st Class Barbara Wiggins of Smithfield served her final tour of duty at the Pentagon as a personnel non-commissioned officer. She retired Nov. 1, 1999 with 20 years of service.
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Barbara Wiggins have its own redevelopment and housing authority, like some of Hampton Roads’ bigger cities, and so PCCMI “became a one-stopshop” to assist low-income and homeless families with first-time homeownership, financial literacy training and credit repair, to include Isle of Wight’s homeless disabled veterans. Wiggins, in a past interview with The Smithfield Times, said one of her “worst-case scenarios” came in February 2021 when she encountered an elderly veteran lacking any form of identification or proof of his military service. “The homeless crisis hotline, no one would touch him until I had proof,” Wiggins said. In 2007, a group of area churches joined forces to create Isle of Wight’s Mission of Hope, where each church would take turns providing temporary shelter to the county’s homeless population during the winter months. The shelter shuttered in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has yet to restart. PCCMI, however, is still very much active. “The work still has to be done wherever the need arises,” Wiggins said. “Times has drastically changed when it comes to working with individuals in our community who may find themselves homeless. I have seen a huge shift in safety factors that we did not encounter before the Pandemic, such as excessive use of
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Tena Lawyer
BY TITUS MOHLER STAFF WRITER After becoming acquainted with Tena Lawyer’s story, it is not hard to understand that she played a remarkably important role during her 20 years in the military. She was a rising member of the intelligence community. She continued to play a key role in that community as a civilian leader after leaving the service. Retired and with time on her hands in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawyer realized there were stories she wanted to tell about her life, so she penned her debut memoir, a 365-page book released in October 2021 titled, “CompartMENTALized: My Journey from Camptown to the NSA.” Lawyer, now 61 years old and a Florida resident, was born in Franklin and grew up in Camptown, a census-designated place in Isle of Wight County. She left the area at the age of 17 to go to college at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. As noted in the summary of her book, she lacked clear direction while at UMBC, going four years without declaring a major. But then she joined the U.S. Army to pay off mounting debt and to complete her bachelor’s
degree. She celebrated her 21st birthday while in boot camp. She ultimately earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts with a concentration in African American studies and personnel management, and she completed a master’s degree in educational leadership while on active duty as well. Now working as a certified life coach, her master’s degree heavily informs what she does and “it also did when I worked at (National Security Agency) in education and training,” she said, indicating that she worked as a teacher in the U.S. intelligence community. The Army allowed Lawyer to travel the world and learn about its people, and the military experience proved to be an effective teacher for her, helping her to become a key teacher to many. “I think the military instilled discipline in my work habits, if you will,” she said. “That really honed them for me. I do believe, as an educator, personality has a little to do with that as well, but I think that I needed that discipline that the military provided, so I think that was really a catalyst for me to do well in the future.” Her book summary noted that she worked hard at every leadership position offered in the military and advanced in rank to first sergeant during her 20-year military career.
Lawyer chose the intelligence track based on her initial scores to enter the military. “So I was in the intel community the entire 20 years,” she said. As part of the premier Intelligence Corps, she worked in support of the NSA for more than 10 years as a soldier, on and off based on assignments. “I think I really enjoyed being in the know and having a good understanding of the intelligence community, our assets, how we collect what we do in order to keep American citizens safe,” she said. Asked if there was a particular part of her military service for which she is the most proud, Lawyer pinpointed a time when she led almost 300 soldiers in support of intelligence collection. “That was really cool to have all of these soldiers doing different things for the nation,” she said. “I even had doctors and lawyers in my company that support what we do in the intelligence community, so it was wonderful. I really enjoyed that the most, leading those troops.” Lawyer will be holding a book signing and chapter reading of her memoir on Veterans Day, Friday, Nov. 11, from 3-5 p.m. at the library in the main building on the Paul D. Camp Community College campus, located on College Drive in Franklin.
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Franklin native Tena Lawyer had achieved the rank of first sergeant by this point in her military career.
Her book will be available for purchase at the event. For more information, visit www.tenaalawyer.com.
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BY STEPHEN FALESKI STAFF WRITER Maj. Gen. Michelle Rose has known several trailblazing military women during her 33-year Army career. Now, she’s a trailblazer herself. The Carrsville mother of three daughters made history in 2020, becoming the first female Virginia National Guard officer to achieve two-star rank. “I was shocked that I was the first one,” Rose recalls. “I would have thought before I came up through the ranks that there would have been one.” She received her Army commission in 1990 after graduating from North Carolina State University’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program with an industrial engineering degree. That same year, Rose experienced her first deployment to the Middle East. According to the Army’s Center for Military History, Iraq had invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990, prompting then-President George H.W. Bush to order a U.S. military response named Operation Desert Shield, and a 1991 air war named Operation Desert Storm. Rose, at the time assigned to the Army’s Quartermaster Corps, is a veteran of both campaigns.
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Michelle Rose She remembers her father, a veteran of the Navy and Air Force, quipping at the time that of his six children — Rose has five brothers, one also in the Army and one in the Coast Guard — “my daughter goes off to war.” Roughly two years later, she deployed to the African nation of Somalia for Operation Restore Hope. According to a Joint Chiefs of Staff publication by Walter Poole titled “The Effort to Save Somalia: August 1992 – March 1994,” the United States had intervened following reports of massive famine provoked by marauding gangs seizing food during a severe drought that destroyed local crops. By 2011, she had risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was serving as commander of the Army’s 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion – becoming the first female Virginia National Guard officer to command at the battalion level. In Afghanistan, according to a Jan. 4, 2012 Smithfield Times story on Rose, her “Task Force Cavalier” was in charge of moving supplies to soldiers fighting in Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as training and working with the Afghan police and army. Rose’s battalion was assigned to the Shindand Air Base in a far western region of the country, arriving to find the base consisting of only an air field and one brick building.
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They had to build shelters from tents, tarps and whatever else they could find – and set up communications. “Afghanistan was an interesting deployment. … We were the only logistics unit in that part of the country,” Rose recalled, speaking to the Times a decade later on Oct. 21. As part of their relief and relationship-building efforts with the Afghan locals, Rose and her troops had met with women from Shindand to inquire as to what supplies they needed. Medical care and schools were on their list but “the thing my soldiers and I really grabbed onto” was when several women who had lost spouses to the war asked for sewing machines and fabric so they could support themselves by making and selling clothing. Rose ended up coordinating an effort with a business owner in Smithfield to provide the women with hand-cranked sewing machines. Last year, when the U.S.-backed Afghan government fell to the Taliban, Rose worked to house roughly 75,000 Afghan refugees in eight different Department of Defense locations throughout the United States. “I depended on Afghan interpreters, Afghan police to get our equipment where it needed to go safely,” Rose said. “It was good to see a lot of these families out of danger.”
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Maj. Gen. Michelle Rose made history in 2020, becoming the first female Virginia National Guard officer to achieve two-star rank.
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Rose now serves as assistant deputy commanding general for Army Materiel Command in Alabama, which she described as the “premier synchronizer” for “everything logistics.” “If you look at what’s happening right now in Ukraine, logistics is very important,” Rose said. Rose travels for her military job to Huntsville, Alabama, about one-and-a-half to two weeks per month, and for the past 17 years has also worked in a civilian capacity for the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). She also frequently travels to Washington, D.C. “It’s not easy; you’re balancing a civilian job, a military job and then, of course, family. … It’s definitely burning the candle at both ends,” Rose said. Since relocating from Yorktown to Carrsville with her husband, Barry, 23 years ago, “there were many times my mother-in-law took my kids to soccer practice and gymnastics practice,” Rose said. “When I was deployed, my husband had to handle everything himself.” Throughout her career, Rose has had the opportunity to mentor young women both in the U.S. military and in the armed forces of other nations, just as she was once mentored by women who’d broken barriers for female service members.
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She hadn’t intended on becoming the idol of women and girls, but enjoys her mentoring work. “I’m just doing my job,” Rose said. To other women looking to advance their military careers, she offers the following advice. “Know your job really, really well. … Everything else will fall in place,” Rose said.
U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY KARI HAWKINS
Maj. Gen. Michelle Rose views Fort Bliss, Texas, temporary housing for Afghan refugees from a helicopter in late 2021.
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Denis Confer
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in the end could all just be a matter of fate. Confer said there are individuals who can and do something others who can’t or won’t. A hero is one with courage “beyond expectation without being asked or ordered to do.” He doesn’t consider himself a hero. This honor goes to those “who are born with an intrinsic trait which enables them to do something over and above what normally most individuals wouldn’t or couldn’t perform or do.” Confer said the world needs less of the “me” crowd and more of those who follow the advice of President John Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” He noted that less than 1% of the population make up those who decide to make military service their career. “Most do it out of a personal belief in our country and the Constitution that we swore an oath to support and defend,” Confer said.
BY GREG GOLDFARB CONTRIBUTING WRITER It seems to Denis Confer that there are some people in life who really do go above and beyond the call of duty. But he’s hesitant to throw around the term “hero” loosely. “There are very few I’d say fall into this category and unfortunately they are no longer with us,” Confer said. “Yet, they were driven by a higher mission and only they knew what drove them to do what they did.” Born in Kane, Pennsylvania, and raised in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, Denis, 70, lives with his wife, Cindy, in Suffolk’s Olde Mill Creek/Wilroy/Magnolia section. They have two sons, Brian, and Aaron, who has passed. A retired U.S Navy master chief petty officer with 22-plus years of service, Confer is also a retired banker and telephony/technology manager. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in business management and a master’s in information systems, both from Golden Gate University. Honorably discharged in 1994 as an E9, he was stationed mostly at Naval Station Norfolk. People serve in the military for their own personal reasons, Confer said, and how their military service and life ultimately turn out
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Confer served 22 years, retiring as a Navy master chief petty officer, pictured here during boot camp.
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Joe Garlitz
BY JAMES W. ROBINSON STAFF WRITER American Legion Immediate Past Vice Commander Joe Garlitz was no stranger to military service when he enlisted during the 1960s. Of course his father served, but so did people through the years providing him a connection back to the Revolutionary War. Garlitz served four years in the United States Air Force from his enlistment in 1965 to an honorable discharge in 1969. After successfully completing his basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas, he completed Technical School at Kessler AFB Biloxi in Mississippi and graduated as a Early Warning and Control Radar Operator and gained a Top Secret Clearance by the OSI. In October 1965, Gartliz completed his advanced training at the Airborne Early Warning and Control Operator Squadron at McClellan AFB in Sacramento, California. Upon graduation, he received his Aircrew Wings and was soon assigned to Operational Combat Ready Aircrew. Gartliz also was promoted to intercept control technician providing assistance as an weapons director and assistant crew chief. Gartliz took part in both the Cold War mission as well as the Vietnam War with 169 combat missions. “Anytime we have fighters or bombers in the air, I was in the air. And we controlled their movements and put them on target, bringing them off target, and if anyone got shot down, I knew where the search and rescue teams were, I knew where the tankers were, I knew where the targets were… and then I also knew where the megs were. I ran four of our fighters on megs,” Garlitz explained. “There might be anywhere from, I’d say 50 to 88 airplanes in the air, on target - attack
airplanes,” he said. “And you have to know where they all are.” Garlitz shared some about his early childhood. “I grew up in a small town. A lot of the older men were World War II veterans and they had a lot of boys, about 18 to 20 boys and about three or four girls, and so it was pretty masculine,” he recalled. “Like a lot of guys in the mountains of Maryland, we hunted. I got my .22 when I was 10 and my 12 gauge shotgun when I was 12, so I knew about guns. All my uncles, my grandfather and my dad were all veterans.” Garlitz explained why he made the decision to join the military in February 1965. “I always liked the Air Force. I always wanted to fly — I have a second cousin, my dad’s first cousin that he grew up with, (who) was in the Korean War and he became a pilot without a degree and I thought ‘maybe I could do that,’ but that door closed earlier in the year when I went in.” He said he simply wanted to fly. “I was a kid that made models of airplanes and stuff like that, and knew a lot about airplanes,” Garlitz said. “So, worked out pretty well.” After he left the service in 1969, he went back to school that September. Before going into the military, he had given college a chance before his enlistment. “I did try college which was… it was OK,” he said. “I was a jock and I made varsity, but I also… knew a lot about athletics, but not a lot about scholarships.” However, after his honorable discharge in 1969, he went back to his studies at the GI Bill in September 1969. Garlitz talked about his newfound college success. “I recovered from all that, in four years I
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Above, Joe Garlitz stands alongside the Garlitz and Emrick family history, dating back to the Revolutionary War. Below left, Garlitz (3rd from right in back row) with his aircrew serving the Big Eye Task Force in Vietnam. learned how to study, I learned how to discuss things with people, turned it around big time when I got out,” Garlitz said.
Garlitz’s family connection to Revolutionary War
Garlitz comes from a family that has military connections that run back to the Revolutionary War. Those connections are in both the Garlitz family and in the Emrick side — his wife’s maiden name. “John Garlitz and Henry Garlitz served in the Pennsylvania Militia towards the end of the war. They served in other units as well. And they settled in Allegany County, Maryland after the war,” he said. “Each one was awarded a 200 acre farm and they lived there and the family grew from there. On the Emrick side, the Mason-Dixon line hadn’t been drawn yet and they lived … just right above the MasonDixon line.” Garlitz talked about how both he and his brother finally found this family farm. “My brother and I finally found their farm, and lo’ and behold, the guy that owned the farm was a friend of my brother’s, who didn’t know it was our farm,” he said. “We were up on the top of the mountain on a wagon trail and looked down and sure, lo’ and behold, there
was a small graveyard in the middle of the field. Based on what we had, maps and information, ‘We said that’s gotta be it!’” Emick served in New York during the New York battle with Gen. George Washington and Col. Patton. “Most of my relatives were enlisted guys,” Garlitz said. “They were enlisted personnel and segarents, privates, first-class, and that kind of thing.”
American Legion
“I was the Vice Commander for the Virginia American Legion,” Garlitz said. He said he handled responsibility for the eastern region for the Legion that includes 10,385 veterans. “We do an awful lot for the community,” he said. “We just had an outstanding year as far as American Legion goes in the program. Our membership grew, we exceed our membership goals… my region when all over to Chickateek on the eastern Shore, well on the eastern shore, there’s four posts. All four posts had over a 100 posts in membership, and I called that ‘the grand slam,’” he said. “Membership in organizations now is very, very important, so that worked out very well.”
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CELEBRATING MILITARY SUPERHEROES
Thank You For Your Service! Suffolk Public Schools would like to thank our brave military families for their service and sacrifice to our country. SPS is home to approximately 1,000 students connected to military families, and we are dedicated to servicing and supporting the students of our brave men and women. Your child’s education is important to us, and we aim to make transitioning into our schools positive, supportive and welcoming. Several of our schools have been assigned Military & Family Life counselors who assist military-connected families throughout the school day and the school year. Our school division’s Department of Administrative Services also works closely with the area’s Military School Liaison Officer (SLO). Military SLOs offer services and resources to assist military families with school-related matters, promote parental involvement and educate local communities on the needs of military children. School Liaison Officers help to build partnerships between the military, civilian community, and schools. Given their frequent relocations and deployments, we understand military families’ challenges and recognize that military-connected students need guidance from understanding school administrators, staff, and teachers. Suffolk Public Schools will continue to partner with our military families to support our military students and the entire family. We thank our heroes for their service and know that freedom is not free! Sincerely, Dr. John B. Gordon, III
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CELEBRATING MILITARY SUPERHEROES
James Knowlton
BY JAMES W. ROBINSON STAFF WRITER Retired Navy veteran James “Jim” M. Knowlton has spent the past 14 years since retirement in North Suffolk. Originally born in Arkansas, Knowlton describes his upbringing, his work in the Navy and beyond, and his advice for those looking to join, or are new to the Navy. “I am a farm boy,” he said. “We grew up in the plains of Arkansas. The only thing that we had for quote ‘industry’ was farm life.” Predominantly they grew rice, soybeans and cotton in this little town of 250 people down on White River. “You had either one or two industries, you were either a commercial fisherman or you were a farmer,” Knowlton said. “Other than that, there was nothing that you could put your sights on that you thought you could build your life on. We worked 12, 14 hours a day for $5 a day as a farmhand. I know for myself that when I hit the 10th grade in high school, I said ‘There’s got to be something better out there than this.’” During that time in 10th grade, he was able to sit down with a Navy recruiter at the local post office to learn about another path for his life. Knowlton reflected on his time talking to the Navy recruiter throughout his time in high school. “He said, ‘Well I got two things for you. One, keep your nose clean. Two, graduate from school.’ ‘I said well that’s no problem, Mom and Dad won’t let me do anything other than that.’ …So I kept my nose clean, went to school, and then January of 1961, I had just turned 18 and I walked in and filled out all the paperwork and stuff and he said ‘When do you want to go?’ Knowlton responded as soon as as he can. He told the recruiter he would be graduating
on May 15, which promoted the him to ask about May 25. “I said Let’s make it happen,” he said. Navy enlistment After his graduation and his senior trip, Knowlton came back on a Friday, spent the weekend with his mother and father, and on Monday morning he met with the chief to begin his path in the Navy. On May 25, Knowlton was sworn in at Little Rock and sent on a C54 Airplane to San Diego and arrived at 1:30 a.m. Knowlton reflected on his early time arriving as a new Navy recruit. “There were 25 of us or so… they gave us a bed sheet that we tied around our waist and took us into our barracks and said ‘Get some sleep,’” he said. Knowlton recalls thinking this wasn’t too bad and he got into bed at about 2 a.m. “At 3:30 am, they took a 55 gallon trash can and threw it in the middle of the barracks and said ‘get up! You are not a formed company, so you gotta go eat before anybody else does,’” he recalled. That was the start of the day, and he said there was a bunch of 17, 18, and 19 year old kids and all going “What happened?” After having 15 minutes to eat, they were each lined up on a number with Knowlton’s being number 67. After a long time of standing, at 8:30 a.m. Knowlton’s future company commander Chief Milton arrived to form them up and told them to dispose of their belongings and to donate them to the Salvation Army. Knowlton described what Milton said to him. “‘You don’t need any of that. There’s a container over there for the American Red Cross, you might as well dispense of that,’” he said. “So we did, we just walked over there and threw them in, came back and he said ‘Everything that you need, today he’s going to issue you and that’s that.’ I didn’t even have my driver’s license. I had a social security card, so that’s what I used to ID myself.” Knowlton received his clothes, gained responsibility for his bunk bed and then got the order to clean his clothes. His company commander pointed to some stainless steel buckets that had scrub brushes in them. Chief Milton told them: “‘Take everything in your sea bag and go out and scrub it. New clothes or dirty clothes.’ And that was the philosophy. You can’t wear new clothes. You gotta clean ‘em.” Knowlton said they didn’t tell them anything. They all got a box of Tide — the granules, nothing liquid. “We go out here and scrub our clothes, not knowing that we have no clue what we’re doing,” he said. “And then, they tell us, ‘Now you gotta go hang ‘em up out there.’ Well, where are the clothes pins? ‘Uh-uh, you use these little eight-inch tie-ties’ and that’s what
they called them, tie-ties, ‘But every one of them gotta be tied in a square-knot when you hang them up.” If they didn’t do as ordered, Knowlton said they would cut them down, march over them and make everyone scrub them again. “Welcome to the navy. That was the way it went,” he said. “It was an amazing turn around.” After his 10 weeks of discipline, Knowlton graduated and was assigned to his first station, the USS Helena (CA75). Knowlton recalled before going to his station with his 18 comrades, he found that there was a space with a hole in the deck with crew members going in and out while laughing. “I didn’t know what it was, no clue, but I hear a lot of laughing and joking, people coming out of that thing,” he said. “Now they’re dirty as hades, they’re doing fire signs which I didn’t know what that meant. And they’re all laughing and joking, and seem like a happy crew!” Knowlton said he spoke to the chief of engineering, wondering about the crew members going into the hole and having a good time. “‘Them guys that came out of that hole over there seem like they’re having fun,” he said. The engineering chief responded with a “What hole?” Knowlton told him it is the one just outside his door. “There’s a big ol’ hole, they were pretty dirty but they look like they were enjoying themselves,” Knowlton said he responded. But he soon learned about the opening as he was led below deck by an officer first member of the crew. He led Knowlton to the fire room on the lower level that housed the boilers. He said the first thing he was told was that he needed to understand where he would be working. “Don’t touch anything that you don’t know what to do with,” he recalls being told. And then came a lesson that he would never forget. The first class member pointed to a valve and told him to take off the bonnet. Knowlton did what he said as he sat there waist deep in water. Following the first class member’s instructions, Knowlton got a ballpin and hammer to crack loose the top. After the bonnet was loose, the first class member ordered Knowlton to stand over the valve. After that, he reached up and opened the valve and salt water blew out. The bonnet flew and hit Knowlton in the middle of his head. To this day, he still has the scar. With blood running down his face, the first class member once again said, “Don’t touch anything that you don’t know what it does.” He said it was soon revealed that this was part of the standard initiation of new men that come onboard — providing him with a phrase he carried with him throughout his life. “It was quite an education,” he said.
NOVEMBER, 2022 | 17
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Retired Navy Veteran James “Jim” M. Knowlton served in the Navy for 23 years before his retirement. Knowlton became a border technician, made first class at 5 1/2 years, made chief at 12, senior chief at less than 14 years and master chief at 17. He served on the Helena, Interpreter, Arlington and Stein over his 23 years before he retired and began work as a defense contractor, which he did for 25 years. “A lot of what I learned in the Navy I was able to take into the commercial world,” he said. “The company that I was working for wanted to build some unique jobs and I decided I wanted to chase a multi-year job to do in foreign military sales. And what the government decided it was going to do was going to outsource what the U.S. Navy had been doing for years and they were going to go private with the company,” Knownton explained. He said he chased after that for three years until they finally put it out on the street to do that, and his company won the contract. “And it was the first time the U.S. Navy had ever let a contract for this type of work to outsource the total Navy’s infrastructure,” Knowlton said. “That means shipyards, planning yards, supply supports, the total baskets of requirements. And we won that.” Knowlton landed his company a 10-year contract worth a little more than $1 billion. “There was no looking back,” he said. “I got to do a lot of the same thing I did in the Navy. We took ships out of enacting fleet, rebuilt them, transferred them to forgein allies, sent crews over to train them to support it. The navy was a great thing for me, it really was. Taught me a lot.”
18 | NOVEMBER, 2022
BY TITUS MOHLER STAFF WRITER Many veterans have varying stories for why they chose to serve in the U.S. military, but for some, there was no choice involved. Welton Deshields, of Franklin, was in that latter category. “Uncle Sam told me, ‘Come on in, boy,’” he said. He was drafted into the U.S. Army on May 11, 1970, and served until he was discharged Jan. 20, 1972. “I didn’t have to serve any reserve time because so many people got in the reserves to avoid the draft, avoid service, so they just did six years in the reserves,” he said. “That was fine with me.” Deshields was stationed in Okinawa for his entire tenure in the armed forces, serving as a military policeman. His rank was Specialist 4. “I was in the 895th MP Company, and we were just kind of all over the island,” he said. “We went where we were needed: Some people had an accident, we had to go in and help them; some people had a rough soldier that they couldn’t get back to the stockade, so we had to go help them. It was different things, and it wasn’t boring. It wasn’t a boring time.” Asked if he saw combat, Deshields said, “I
CELEBRATING MILITARY SUPERHEROES
Welton Deshields don’t know what you call really ‘combat.’” He then described his closest example, which came in the form of what is known as the Koza riot in December 1970. “There were about 2,000 Okinawans at the top of a street at a hill in Koza, and it was about 200 or 300 of us MPs at the bottom of the street, and we heard bullets, and they had cars that they had set fire to, and they were rolling them down the hill at us,” he said. “We just wouldn’t let them pass our line because the three-star general, all the high-ranking (U.S.) officers lived in housing that was just behind us about a half a mile, so we couldn’t let them pass us.” Deshields’ tenure as an MP also involved other dangerous situations. He noted that one of his duties was to escort prisoners back to the U.S. “It’s a little scary when they drop a guy off from Vietnam (that) they have handcuffed, in leg irons and brought him back to Okinawa,” he said. “You hear that this guy killed his commanding officer with his bare hands, (or) this guy here shot his captain with a rifle through the head, those type things, and we have to take him back, two MPs have to take him back to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and it’s a little scary, because you’re handcuffed to him.” Deshields found himself in a different kind of
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dangerous situation one night when he drove himself and a Japanese security guard up a mountain in an MP patrol car. “Toward the top of the mountain there was a big rut, and so I tried to just drive around it on the left side, and all of a sudden — now this is at night — the car just shook, and it stopped,” Deshields said. “And I opened the door to get out, and my feet didn’t touch anything.” He said he closed the door and got out on the other side. “The security guard said, ‘You drive off mountain!’” Deshields recalled. “And I looked — my left two tires were off the side of the mountain. The right two tires were on.” “If I’d gone a little further, well, I’d have just been history because they had all this kudzu,” he said, referring to a quick-growing eastern Asian climbing plant. Deshields said a couple hours later, he was able to contact the radio operator, and he got a wrecker to come out there. They didn’t share this with their captain. He shared some highlights from his service, including the part of his work for which he is most proud. “I was really, really proud I got to guard a three-star general,” he said. “I had to guard him at nighttime and make sure nobody else came in
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Welton Deshields, who was drafted into the U.S. Army on May 11, 1970, was in basic training when this photo was taken.
the building.” Deshield also recalled guarding the payroll when it came in for the Army that was supposed to be about $60 million. “We had to guard it, and that was the only time I was told to shoot to kill,” he said. He ultimately never had to kill anyone. He also had the duty of guarding actual rocks from the moon that were placed in one of the headquarters in Okinawa.
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CELEBRATING MILITARY SUPERHEROES
NOVEMBER, 2022 | 19
Curtis MacKenzie
BY JAMES W. ROBINSON STAFF WRITER Curtis MacKenzie is an example of how hard work in the Navy can help someone move up from the rank of ensign to commander through a career of service. Cmdr. MacKenzie retired from the U.S. Navy in 2003 and moved to Suffolk in 2003, where he and his wife chose to settle. In a recent interview, MacKenzie shared stories from his early days growing up, how he got into the Navy, the stress of Navy life on his family and offered a message to future enlisters. Born in New England, Massachusetts in 1958, MacKenzie had a suburban upbringing. During his time in college, he learned of scholarships through the campus Navy ROTC programs and joined. While he did not get the scholarship, he made a commitment to the program and on graduation day in 1980, he participated in the commissioning ceremony and took his oath of office with the rank of ensign. “I had to hit the road and went to my first ship,” Mackenzie said. “By the second week of June, I was on a U.S. Navy ship… and felt like ‘Well, I’m not sure this prepared me very well for what I am doing.’” MacKenzie said he soon realized the major
commitment that he signed up for when he first started in the Navy. “Probably the first thing that comes to mind is accountability,” he said. “Your leaders are going to identify things they’re expecting you to do and they’re going to hold you accountable to do it.” He cited an example of a time he was driving from New England to the shipyard near Baltimore, Maryland. “I ended up having a flat tire so I was delayed in route,” he said. He called his commander to tell him that he had been delayed, but was not prepared for the dramatic response he received. “You belong to me! You belong to this ship! You do not belong to the ROTC anymore, that affiliation ended the moment you checked out and you started off to meet us,” he said his commander told him. “You became the responsibility of us. So you’re now assigned to us!” After that summer, MacKenzie participated in the Surface Warfare Division Officer Basic Course in Rhode Island, which brought him back to an academic standard of learning. In January 1981, he reported to duty at the USS Raleigh in Norfolk, where he served for three years. With the Cold War still underway, MacKenzie said he got the experience of seeing the Soviet Union. “Some of the things we dealt with when we
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would deploy, for instance, we would head out at the southern part of the Chesapeake Bay out to the Atlantic Ocean and we’d get 12 or 15 miles off the coast… and boom who’s waiting to see you? The Russians,” he said. “We knew they were Soviets because they’re spying,” MacKenzie said. “They’re sending information back to the Soviet Union, to the Soviet navy about what U.S. Navy ships are coming and going. But they would watch for us, so we knew they would be reporting what they saw everyday.” During his time on the USS Raleigh, he qualified as a surface warfare officer. After that three years, MacKenzie had a permanent station change for shore duty at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Long Island, New York at a naval science department as an instructor. After that, he was selected as department head and went to training school for a few more months. “The first portion of that training was all to master the Soviet navy threat,” he explained. They learned about the missile systems, radar and rates of fire for the Soviet navy and air force weapons. “It was like fire hose treatment,” he said, noting how they repeated it to ensure they had mastered the information conveyed.” As department head, Mackenzie served as the engineer officer steamship in Philadelphia for 18
months and a logistics ship in Norfolk for another 18 months. By the time he moved to the second ship, MacKenzie was promoted to lieutenant commander. And then came the beginning of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. He was deployed to the Red Sea as part of this conflict. Mackenzie remembered seeing a message from President Bush that he deployed the force “for the duration of this conflict.” He was gone for about nine months. MacKenzie retired from the Navy at the end Summer 2003 and moved to Suffolk that fall. He currently works in a training capacity with the Department of Defense. MacKenzie said faith helped him and his wife throughout all the difficult times. “We have faith in Jesus,” he said. “That as a baseline of helping us to work through challenges has been indispensable, continues to be that way, ‘cause it’s really important.” He said through all of the challenges he asked what would Jesus have him do. “What does the Bible give me for some reference points for some of these challenges that we encounter day to day, that can endure,” he said.
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Duane Black
BY GREG GOLDFARB CONTRIBUTING WRITER Duane Black, whose family is filled with military veterans going back more than 100 years, has flown around the world carrying out his military service. But long before left home to help make that world a better place, he was learning about life and love, growing up in the small city of Marceline, Missouri, population around 2,500. “It’s your typical ‘small town USA,’ but with a big history,” he said of his hometown, where legendary cartoonist Walt Disney was also born. Now living in the Suffolk’s River Bluff area, Duane, 52, is married to Angie Black, a regional vice president of human resources with Sentara Healthcare. They have two daughters, Florida residents Dorian and Devany Littrell. A quick rundown of Black’s family members’ military service includes his father Jerry Black, who served in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1960; his grandfather Lewis Black, U.S. Army, WW1; nephew Jacob Fisher, U.S. Army, 2000s; cousin Van Hines, U.S. Army Green
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Duane Black, second from the left, is pictured here in 1991 after the initial invasion in Kuwait.
Berets; uncle AW Clendenin, U.S. Air Force, 1950s; uncle Richard Adams, U.S. Air Force, 1950s; father-in-law David Molloy, U.S. Army, Vietnam war; grand father-in-law, William Swisher, U.S. Army, WWII; and grandfatherin-laws, brothers Charles and Carrol Swisher, U.S. Army, WWII. “I never knew my grandfather, but I knew he was in the Army and fought during WWI,” said Duane. “I knew my dad was in the Army. I was always intrigued by stories and the pictures they shared; family vacations always had some conversation about their time in the military.” Following graduation from Marceline High School in 1988 at age 18, Black enlisted that same year in the U.S. Marine Corps, beginning as a diesel mechanic and working his way up to maintenance supervisor. He continued his service until 2009, retiring as a gunnery sergeant. In that same year, he enrolled in, and graduated from, the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute’s Harley-Davidson Program and became a Harley Davidson technician and shop supervisor. Over his 21 years of active military service, his duty stations included the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, also known as 29 Palms, in California, from 1989 to 1992; Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, from 1992 to 1994 and again from 2005 to 2009; Okinawa, Japan, 1994 to 1998; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1998 to 2002; and Lakeland, Florida, 2002 to 2005. Currently serving as vice commander of the Joe Bagley Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2582, Black shares his personal thoughts on the importance of heroes and “superheroes” at home, in the military and in the community. Asked to define “hero,” he said this is a person who has a personality trait to put others before themselves. This person has “a goal to protect others in a time of need; integrity, courage, bravery are just a few of these traits.” He said it is difficult to pin down one thing that makes a person a “hero” in real life. “It’s easy to go straight to our brothers and
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sisters in arms and say those that serve in the military (are heroes),” Black said. “Firefighters and law enforcement officers are for sure. The world just went through a horrific time with the pandemic and you have to have admiration for all the nurses, doctors and caregivers that were working around the clock helping those in need.” When asked if he believes people in the military are heroes, he said that is a tough one and hard to respond with a yes or no. “I think deep down every person deep down possesses the ability to be a hero. Do they show it always? No,” Black said. “Those serving in the military are taught to react to situations without stopping to ask questions. So when you see a person in danger or in need of help or assistance we react to that situation. Some may see some of these actions as heroic, others see it as our training. We called it ‘intestinal fortitude.’” From his perspective, he considers fellow service members that have earned the Congressional Medal of Honor; law enforcement officers, firefighters, nurses, doctors, child services workers as heroes. “These are people putting their time and efforts into helping others,” he said. “It’s not a situational thing. It is what they have chosen as a career. They spend their lifetime helping others.” Black said he considers his parents as heroes. “My father taught me everything he could in the 18 years that I lived under his roof and continued on well past that,” he said. “Together, my parents showed what a true loving family should be. My wife, as a single mother of two young daughters, was able to earn a master’s degree and work her way up the corporate ladder.” Black said he believes every person possesses the ability to be a hero. “They just need to know how to dig deep within, find it and use it. Heroes and heroic actions bring positivity,” he said. He then shared why he believes serving in the military is good for everyone.
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Duane Black is pictured here prior to a 2000 Fourth of July parade “I grew up in ‘Small Town USA.’ We have parades down Main Street for high school homecoming and the Fourth of July,” Black explained. “One thing that never changes in those parades, the members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars leading that parade carrying the American flag, as every person on Main Street stands and salutes as the flag passes by. That’s the pride that comes from my community.” He said he hasn’t really given a lot of thought to why so many in his family through different eras have served the nation in the military. “It’s just the right thing to do,” he concluded.
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Pete McCall BY GREG GOLDFARB CONTRIBUTING WRITER His name is Pete J. McCall. Even though he’s been busy for decades serving his country and raising a family, he believes he has just been doing what he should be doing. “You can just do your job and not need public acclaim, but have the personal satisfaction of having done a job well and not relying on people commenting on how great you are,” McCall said about being asked to share some of his service history. McCall just stepped down in August as senior vice commander of Suffolk VFW Post 2582 after joining it in 2016 following a membership drive at a local grocery store, Married for 51 years to his wife, Charlotte Anne Konkus, from Shamokin, Pennsylvania, they live in Suffolk’s Hillpoint neighborhood and have a son and a daughter, Adam, 46, and Erin, 42. He was born in Aurora, Colorado in 1950 at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center. While growing up, he worked at the A&P Tea Company in Muncy, Pennsylvania, before joining the U.S. Navy in 1969. “My father was attending flight school and six weeks after I was born we were transferred to Phoenix,” McCall said. “For the next 16 years
we were stationed at various bases for the Air Force, including three years in Japan. We moved to Pennsylvania in 1966 and I graduated (in 1968) from high school in Hughesville, which was a small farm community in central Pennsylvania.” In October 1969, McCall enlisted into the Navy and headed off to Great Lakes Naval Training Center in January 1970. He graduated boot camp from Great Lakes in May 1970, going on to gunner’s mate A and C school from June 1970 until June 1971. After that, he was transferred to White Sands Missile Range, White Sands, New Mexico, until January 1973. He received orders to the USS Cochrane DDG21 (destroyer, guided missile) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where he served until March 1978 when he was transferred to Naval active reserve attached to Williamsport Naval Reserve Training Center until March 1985, when he was transferred to active duty and received orders to report to the USS Dale CG 19 (cruiser, guided missile) Mayport, Florida. He served aboard the Dale until January of 1990 and transferred to Great Lakes Naval Base as an instructor at Naval Gunnery School. He instructed at Great Lakes until March 1994 when he transferred to the USS Boone FFG 28 (guided missile, frigate) out of Mayport Naval Station. In December 1996, he retired from active duty as an E7 with total time in service of 27 years.
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22 | NOVEMBER, 2022
BY JEFF MOORE STAFF WRITER A Smithfield veteran who served in the Korean War is featured on a website that is documenting history through videos of those who fought there in the 1950s. John T. “Sonny” Edwards shared his experiences with the Korean War Legacy Foundation that included serving at the demilitarized zone on the border between North and South Korea. He was born Aug. 1, 1934 in Newport News, but after the death of his biological father when he was six weeks old, his mother couldn’t provide for him and Edwards was adopted by a Smithfield family. His adopted father ran a farm where he grew peanuts and Edward attended Smithfield High School, graduating in 1952. After getting his diploma, he enlisted to join the Army National Guard Reserves at age 19, then continued work at his family’s peanut farm in Smithfield. “I had joined the National Guard, I think when I was about 19 because someone said if you, in reserve probably they wouldn’t draft you if you were farming and going through this training,” he said in a video on the website. “But I was too old when I joined so then I got a notice I think, October ‘56 to go for a physical, for draft.” Edwards said he passed the physical with flying colors and then got his notice to report for duty. The KWLF site said Edwards was called for active-duty in 1956 and attended basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Following completion at Fort Jackson, he continued training as a Combat Engineer at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, then served in Korea near the DMZ from 1956 to 1958. In his interview he describes his training, experiencing military service in South Korea, people of South Korea, and reflections on telling the story of the Korean War. “It was a real shock in Korea because the roads really hadn’t been paved,” Edwards told the KWLF interviewer. “There were poor people I could see trying to make a living…I was kind of interested in the farming aspect of it, how they planted the rice. They used oxen to turn the soil… I watched them harvest rice. It was quite a cultural shock.” Edwards was assigned to the 8th Army, 3rd
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John Edwards Engineer Battalion, 24th Infantry Division and 1st Cavalry, 8th Engineering Battalion, according to the foundation page. It shows he served at Musan-ni and DMZ in Korea, with his specialty being a combat engineer. Edwards was awarded a medal for being an outstanding training combat engineer. According to the website, he recalls always being on alert to respond if a siren went off at the DMZ. In his interview with the foundation, he discusses his personal admiration for military service and the distinctive brotherhood that comes with being a member of the armed forces. He also describes his sentiment toward serving the United States and his strong feelings toward the symbol of the American Flag. Edwards shared memories of his service in Korea during 1957. He recalls seeing meat hanging in the market, honey buckets, and the smell of kimchi. The website goes on to say that he describes his impression of Korean people and his appreciation for their warm sentiment toward Korean War Veterans. “I’ll never forget those days, I was trained to shoot early. They had a Quonset hut of course to stay in,” he said in the video. “We had a water tower up on the hill, we could get some water and an outside latrine. It was rustic but at least you had somewhere to sleep or get out of the elements. We had a lot of rain. While I was there monsoon season was on and we had a lot of washouts in roads.” Upon his return from service in Korea, he continued with the Army Reserves until receiving an honorable discharge, according to the website. Additionally, he has held a variety of jobs in farming, meat packing, insurance and law enforcement, and enjoys being an active part of the Korean War Veterans Association. Edwards said he decided to share his story with the foundation for the website because many people today do not know anything about the Korean War. He said many young people are not taught about it in school, noting that he often gives talks at the library and with the ROTC. At the time it was called an action, not a war. “And they didn’t have the coverage of the sacrifices being made over there, getting killed. We didn’t have TV coverage on the front line,” he told the foundation. “You get a little trickle back of what the government wants you to hear
KOREAN WAR LEGACY FOUNDATION
Smithfield veteran John "Sonny" Edwards served at the DMZ during the Korean War. His story was shared as part of an educational program on the war's history with the Korean War Legacy Foundation. In his interview recorded for the website about 10 years ago, Edwards stressed the importance of educating students on the conflict. He said often the war in Korea is overlooked as historians jump from World War II to the Vietnam war.
… It was terrible.” In his comments, Edwards said the troops were not properly trained and didn’t have the proper equipment or clothing. “Everybody after World War II, everybody was thinking about World War II,” he said. “The guys that served in Korea come back, got married, got a job. Well it wasn’t long after that, Korea, Vietnam started. So we were caught between two well publicized wars and Korea was never really talked about, and it’s unfortunate. He praised the work of KWLF. “What you’re doing right there is what needs to be done about it,” Edwards said in the video interview. “Our group, the Korean War Veteran’s Association needs to be more involved in our schools and civic organizations to tell about this, to show videos, to let the American people know.” He said that every time he made a presenta-
tion, he heard back that people in the group had no idea what those drafted were facing and how many people got killed in Korea. He praised the Korean people for their involvement in helping to tell the sacrifices Americans made there on their behalf. “I appreciate that, and I think all the guys that served in Korea appreciate it,” Edwards said. He stressed the importance of telling the story of the Korean War, which he said has been absent in history. The interview was recorded when Edwards was 78, which would have been around 2012. It was part of his vision for helping get more information on the Korean War to the public and imparting it to the younger generation, the KWLF website said. To learn more about the Korean War, visit the foundation at koreanwarlegacy.org.
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NOVEMBER, 2022 | 23
Ash Cutchin
STAFF REPORT Ash Cutchin, of Southampton County, modestly stated that his personal Vietnam War story is not very interesting or impressive, but others would correctly note that he accumulated a remarkable variety of experiences in a very short period of time. “I had only four months remaining of my three-year commitment the day we departed California via a troop ship in May 1966,” he stated. “I was one of 33 pilots in my unit, the 183rd Reconnaissance Airplane Company.” He noted that it took 29 days for them to cross the Pacific Ocean, and they landed in Vietnam on June 6, 1966, near Cam Ranh Bay. “Incidentally, that was the very same day I was scheduled to join American Airlines in Fort Worth as a new-hire pilot,” he said. “I was very worried that once I arrived in Vietnam I would be extended and have to serve a full year there, ruining or at least delaying my planned airline career.” In Vietnam, he was based at Ban Me Thuot, a small city out in the Central Highlands, north of Saigon and near the Cambodian border. “We flew about 90 to 100 hours per month, mostly dawn patrols and dusk patrols,” he stat-
ed. “Our main targets were North Vietnamese units working their way south along the meandering Ho Chi Minh Trail. Those NV units often walked at night and hid in tunnels during the day, but we could often spot their cooking fires or smoke at dawn as they made their breakfast above ground. “After we located them, we requested air strikes, and usually a pair of F-4s or F-100s, or sometimes A-1 Skyraiders, arrived on station and dropped napalm and 500-pound bombs on the enemy after we marked the target with our white phosphorous rockets,” he continued. “Sometimes we killed as many as 60 to 100 enemy soldiers and a lot of trees.” He noted that one day he crashed his plane on a narrow, paved road while attempting to land and retrieve some damaged radios from a ground unit. Another time he responded to a panic call from a U.S. adviser whose South Vietnamese infantry unit was being bombed by its own South Vietnamese Air Force planes — an incident of friendly fire. “I flew a tight circle about 300 feet above the unit, and the offending pilots saw me and flew away,” he stated. “We never did find out if they were punished. Fortunately, I was on-site before they killed anyone. For that action I was
awarded an Air Medal with ‘V’ for Valor.” Cutchin avoided major injury during his service in the war, but he did experience significant loss, as three pilot friends perished. He had flown about 300 hours during the summer of 1966, and as his Date of Rotation to Stateside approached, his commanding officer called him in to ask why he wanted to resign his reserve commission and become a civilian. “When I told him I had already been accepted by American Airlines and had interviews scheduled with five other airlines as soon as I got home, he said, ‘Lieutenant, if I had had the same opportunity when I was a young officer, I’d have done the same thing. Get out of my office and go home. Good luck,’” Cutchin recalled. Cutchin arrived at Travis Air Force Base in California on Sept. 7, 1966. He interviewed with several more airlines and ultimately chose Pan Am, starting there in October 1966. “I was transferred to JFK in 1971 and continued with Pan Am for 25 years, until Dec. 4, 1991, when they closed the door,” he said.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Ash Cutchin, now 81, served as a pilot in the Vietnam War during the summer of 1966 and was awarded an Air Medal with “V” for Valor.
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BY JEFF MOORE STAFF WRITER Lt. Brian Hoagland, a materials officer on the USS George H.W. Bush, knew that after graduating from King’s Fork High School that he wanted to be in the Navy. But when he went to enlist, not many opportunities were available, so instead he enrolled at Tidewater Community College. He said it was an affordable option that after two years allowed him to transfer to Auburn University in Alabama to complete his bachelor’s degree in public administration. “Growing up my family was always a fan of Auburn football and it was a dream come true being able to attend school there and obtain my bachelor’s, the primary requirement to apply for a commission in the Navy,” Hoagland said. “I worked at both the Target in the Chesapeake Square Mall and the local Target Distribution Warehouse awaiting my package to be accepted, and I was commissioned in November of 2015 on my way to my first duty station: the USS Gladiator, a minesweeper homeported in Bahrain.” After his first two years overseas, he said he knew he wanted to come back home and since
CELEBRATING MILITARY SUPERHEROES
Brian Hoagland returning, he’s had tours at Commander Naval Air Forces Atlantic and Oceana and is now serving onboard the USS George H.W. Bush that is homeported in Norfolk. “I’ve been very lucky to be able to stay in the area for the majority of my career so far where I met my fiancé Rebecca Landry, who is also from Suffolk and attended King’s Fork,” he said. Hoagland is one of 12 Supply Officers onboard the ship, currently serving as the materiel officer providing lethality through logistics. “I lead a team of 40 Sailors in the onload and offload of all material for the ship, as well as maintaining the largest inventory onboard: consumables,” he said. “These items range anywhere from consumable parts to maintain readiness for the ship or aircraft, to basic consumables like toilet paper and general hazmat like paint.” Overall, he said it’s a lot like being a warehouse manager, but for a floating city. And at times it can be difficult keeping up with that demand volume.” “Luckily I’ve got a great team of sailors and senior enlisted leaders to ensure we keep George H.W. Bush and her crew ready for any challenge,” he said.
Hoagland shared how he became interested in joining the Navy. “When I was about 10 my dad took me on a Tiger Cruise while he was in the Navy, and I really enjoyed being on the ship and getting to see what he did,” he said. “Shortly after was Sept. 11, 2001, and ever since I knew I wanted to serve in the Navy. As I got older I also started to see the life my father was able to provide for us by serving, and I followed in his footsteps with the goal of being able to do the same for my future family.” Hoagland said his most memorable and favorite moment from his time on active duty is easily when he qualified as Officer of the Deck (OOD) onboard his first ship, the USS Gladiator, and drove the ship. “The OOD leads the bridge watch team in driving the ship and the qualification is only given to individuals that the captain has complete confidence in to operate the ship while underway,” Hoagland said. “It’s a lot of responsibility and is among the highest attainable qualifications onboard. What was special for me was that as a supply officer, it was pretty unorthodox to qualify as the OOD.” He said surface warfare officers (SWOs) are expected to qualify as OODs early in their
Brian Hoagland career, as their primary job is to drive the ship and gain the skills necessary to be a captain one day.
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“As the supply officer I was the only nonSWO officer onboard, primarily charged with logistics and food service responsibilities,” he said. Hoagland’s father was a SWO, he said. “It was great to do something similar to what he did. For the rest of my career I’ll never have the opportunity to drive a ship again. I’m thankful my captain trusted me enough that I was able to have that experience, not a common opportunity for supply officers.” Hoagland has been on the current deployment for about three months and it could extend into the middle of next year. “Our schedule is pretty fluid but I should be back by summer next year,” he said. The USS George H.W. Bush is currently on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa area of operations to defend allied and partner interests. “Our presence is a demonstration of U.S. capability and commitment to the NATO alliance, while deterring aggression with the goal of preventing conflict and preserving peace and regional stability,” he said. While he is away on the ship, he has been able to use today’s technology to stay in touch with his loved ones.
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“I’ve been able to stay in touch daily through email and Facebook Messenger, with occasional calls as well,” he said. His parents recently moved from the Hillpoint area, and his fiancé’s parents live off of Wilroy. Hoagland’s goal in his Navy career is to become the supply officer for an aircraft carrier. “It’s a big job that O5 commanders are selected for following nearly 20 years of service, after sustained superior performance in challenging assignments,” he said. “That’s about a decade down the road for me, I’m not sure where life will take me after the Navy but I’m certainly enjoying where I am now as my fiancé and I look to start our family soon.
US NAVY PHOTO BY MCSN CURTIS BURDICK
Lt. Brian Hoagland directs the onload of supplies during an Underway Replenishment onboard USS George H.W. Bush. Oct. 30.
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Saluting Local Military Superheroes
Henry Wagner
U.S. Navy PO1 Henry Wagner has sacrificed so much for his family through the years — missed sleep, missed birthdays and holidays and even missed the birth of his son. However, he never lets any of this stop him from making sure his children know they are loved. It’s all for them and their future. Ashley Wagner
GySgt David R Bond and GySgt Deborah A Bond
US Marine Corps My Mother and Step Father are my military heros. They sacrificed many things throughout the years to ensure my sister and I were always taken care of and never had to go without the essentials. I love them both so much and even though I know I will never be able to repay them for those sacrifice's, at least I can make sure everyone else knows how awesome they are. Bill Thruman
Sheriff Josh A. Wyche Sr.
Larry Skowronski Jr.
U.S. Navy My dad, Larry Skowronski Jr., is my superhero because he is an awesome father and grandpa. He was in the Navy for six years before turning Navy civilian, where he worked at Norfolk Naval Shipyard for more than 30 years. When he retired, he was a nuclear mechanical inspector. He loves this country and proudly hangs the American flag in the front yard. He is always there for you when called upon. I just want to show how awesome he is. Sarah Skowronski
U.S. Marines My uncle, Sheriff Josh A. Wyche Sr., is a hero in many aspects. He served his country well and now he is serving Southampton County and the City of Franklin well. My uncle loves his family and his community. He takes serving the citizens and taking care of his family very seriously. Sheriff Wyche stands for honesty and integrity. The youth and seniors of our community are a big part of his heart. He takes pride in caring for our seniors and being a positive role model to our youth. He is very serious about supporting our youth and the various schools throughout the community. LaQuita Wyche
Amy Turner Barnes
U.S. Air Force Amy Turner Barnes is a disabled veteran who lives in Boykins. She suffers from service related RA. Even though she’s in constant pain, she always has time for anyone with a need. She has the biggest heart and that’s what makes her a superhero. I have seen her help complete strangers when she had a need. She’s honest as the day is long, and you can always count on her to give you the truth. That’s a very rare quality these days. Proud to call her my superhero friend. Kathy Malaspina
CELEBRATING MILITARY SUPERHEROES
A Veterans Day tribute
Top left, James K Lewis Sr., top right, Tonya L. Lewis (deceased) bottom left, James K. Lewis Jr., and bottom right, Tyree D. Lewis
U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserves My Superheroes are my family, James K Lewis Sr., Tonya L. Lewis (deceased), James K. Lewis Jr. and Tyree D. Lewis. Having met my wife in the U.S. Army on active duty, we grew together for 33 years until her death. Along the way we had three sons. Two (shown here) followed our military footsteps and joined the U.S. Army Reserves. With both going to the war and serving our country honorably. As a proud father I’m glad to have them as my Superheroes who gained the powers of family tradition, duty, honor and country. Our greatest strength is our strong family bond. James K. Lewis Sr.
Dr. E. Bruce Heilman
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U.S. Marines “ Motorcycle Man” Dr. E. Bruce Heilman is a true superhero in my military life. Dr. Heilman left high school at 17 and joined the Marines to fight in the Pacific during WWII. He graduated with a doctorate and became president of Meredith College and then president of University of Richmond. Family man, Marine, educator and spokesperson for the “greatest generation” traveling the U.S. on his Harley representing Gold Star Families and the “Spirit of 45.” He was and is still a military hero. Robert Christie
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CELEBRATING MILITARY SUPERHEROES
Saluting Local Military Superheroes Travis Swartz
U.S. Navy Our son, Travis Swartz, a 2018 Smithfield High graduate, wasn’t always the easiest. As a typical teenager he gave us and those who knew him, never ending moments of “what are you doing” and moments of pride too, receiving his Eagle Scout and always stopping to help anyone he saw. He never met a stranger. Putting his military career on hold serving two years as a guardsman with elite training and inspections. Today he is honoring the military as soldiers are laid to rest as a ceremonial guardsman at Arlington Cemetery, along with escorting dignitaries and even the President in and around DC. Chris and Heidi Swartz
Nicholas Hess
U.S. Navy Nicholas Hess is our superhero because he has worked tirelessly to build a new business while simultaneously serving in the military. His positive, “can do” attitude creates an uplifting and fun atmosphere. Nick strives for excellence in all areas of his life, is a multi-tasker and can calculate numbers in his mind like a whiz. He is the guy who is constantly trying to help out friends and strangers and make connections between people who need each other. “Work hard, play hard” is his mantra. Life with Nick is a wild, rewarding and loving ride. Julie Hess
Jonathan Alexander Riegle
U.S. Air Force This special guy, Jonathan Alexander Riegle, is my son in law. A terrific Air Force Raptor Pilot stationed in Alaska. He is very dedicated to his country, family and community. Alex is a loving, Christian man . Linda Morton
CELEBRATING MILITARY SUPERHEROES
A Veterans Day tribute
NOVEMBER, 2022 | 29
American Legion Rider Chapter 88 Suffolk
U.S. Navy, U.S. Airforce, U.S. Marines, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army American Legion Riders from Legion Post 88 Nansemond Suffolk. Each has served and represents every branch of military service. They continue to give back in the form of service to the community and veterans. Robert Christie
Quinton Blakley Sr.
Colin Christie
U.S. Navy My dad, Chief Petty Officer Colin Christie, served his country prior to WWII in the North Atlantic on a destroyer and was redeployed after Pearl Harbor to the Pacific for four years. He was responsible for setting up the first five swift boats in Vietnam. He served for 26 years. He is one of six generations of veterans in the Christie family. Robert Christie
U.S. Coast Guard My husband, Quinton Blakley Sr., is an awesome husband and father. He was in the Coast Guard for just more than nine years and missed many holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries, but that didn’t keep him from loving and being there for his family when he was home any less. He works many hours now to make sure that his family has what they need and do not go without. He loves his country and his family very much and would do anything for anyone in the blink of an eye. If he sees someone in trouble, he’ll be the first to come to their assistance. Chelsey Blakley
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2022 Veterans Day message BY THE AMERICAN LEGION NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS The service of America’s veterans never truly ends. Even when they hang up their military uniforms for the last time, many still choose to protect us. Noah Shahnavaz was one of them. After serving five years as a military police officer in the U.S. Army’s 591st MP Company, Noah returned to his home state and graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in May 2022. As he drove past a restaurant last summer in Elwood, Indiana, he noticed an artist painting a large American Flag mural covering the exterior of the building. Noah exited his patrol car and complimented the painter for his patriotic rendering. The two briefly conversed. The artist, Theodore Winters, thanked Noah for his military service. They then went about their business. A few hours later, Noah was tragically killed in the line of duty when a motorist allegedly shot him during a traffic stop. End of watch for Noah Shahnavaz was July 31, 2022. He was 24. After hearing the news about Noah, Theodore immediately recalled their conversation and decided the mural would be dedicated to the fallen hero and veteran who gave everything to his community and country. Noah Shahnavaz was the embodiment of service and sacrifice. He was not alone. The U.S. Justice Department estimates that 25 percent of law enforcement officers have a military background. Bravery and dedication to community are common among veterans. Today is a day to honor all of the men and women who served in the U.S. military. It is about the approximately 19 million U.S. veterans who are still with us today and the millions who have preceded them since the American Revolution. Many serve their communities as first responders, teachers, health care workers or church leaders. Some are business owners, farmers, company workers or retirees. Veterans are a diverse group represented by men and women of every economic, ethnic and religious background. They come from every state and territory but are bound by one common commitment – to defend America with their life if called upon. From fighting terrorism, defeating fascism and liberating slaves, veterans have a record of remarkable accomplishment throughout our nation’s history. Military service is not for the faint of heart. Most civilian jobs do not require risk to life or limb. No other occupation subjects employees to criminal charges for disobeying their boss. Unlike members of the military, civilians can live where they want and can quit whenever they want. Transitional challenges, the stress of military life and feelings of isolation all factor into a suicide rate among veterans that is more than 50 percent higher than that of nonveteran adults. The stigma of seeking help needs to end. If we are going to stop suicide, it is crucial that we look at this issue much differently than prior generations. If we wait for someone to make an attempt before we reach out, there is a very good chance that it will be too late.
How to show your support for veterans Supporting veterans is a worthy endeavor at any time of year, though such efforts tend to be more prominent in November. Veterans Day is celebrated annually on Nov. 11 in honor of the millions of individuals across the United States who are military veterans. The day coincides with holidays such as Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other countries and also honor military veterans. There's no denying that veterans need the support of the people whose freedoms they protect. According to a 2021 study from researchers at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, the percentage of veterans with disabilities is significantly higher among post-9/11 veterans (40%) than it was with veterans from previous eras (25% for Gulf War I veterans and 13% for veterans of previous wars). Veterans can benefit from support legislated by elected officials in Washington, D.C., but there's also many things ordinary citizens can do to show how much they appreciate the sacrifices veterans and their families have made and will make in the years to come. • Visit wounded veterans. The United States Census Bureau reports that more than one-third of the nearly 3.8 million men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces since September 2001 have a service-connected disability. Many of these individuals are fighting to overcome physical injuries sustained while on active duty. Individuals who want to show their support for veterans can contact their local VA facility to arrange a visit to wounded veterans. Such visits can lift veterans' spirits and reassure them that their sacrifices are both acknowledged and appreciated.
• Support legislation that supports veterans. Though it might seem like a no-brainer, legislation to support veterans often faces an uphill battle to get passed. By supporting legislation that ensures veterans get the support they need, individuals can send a message to veterans that they haven't been forgotten and that the very democratic principles they fought to protect are alive and well. Citizens can write letters to their elected officials, urging them to support veteranfriendly legislation, and raise awareness of bills and laws through social media. • Help raise awareness about homeless veterans. Data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that about 40,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. But that figure doesn't tell the whole story, as the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans notes that, over the course of a year, roughly twice that many veterans experience homelessness. The NCHV believes that programs to assist homeless veterans should focus on helping them reach a point where they can obtain and sustain gainful employment. In addition, the NCHV feels that the most effective programs are community-based, nonprofit, "veterans helping veterans" groups. Individuals can offer their support to such groups through financial donations or other means so they can continue to ensure no veteran sleeps on the street. Veterans Day is a time to show veterans that their service and sacrifices are not taken for granted. Visiting wounded veterans and supporting efforts to ensure veterans get what they need to live full, healthy and happy lives is a great way to send the message that veterans are appreciated.
Superheroes CELEBRATING MILITARY SUPERHEROES
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SALUTING MILITARY
To all who have served our country, We are grateful for you. Special thanks to our sponsors for your support of our area Military Superheroes.
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