Bill OBoyle: On Memorial Day, we honor heroes
May 26—WILKES-BARRE — I was just a kid when I first saw my dad's Purple Heart medal.
It was beautiful, but at the time, I had no idea what it meant or why my father received not one, but two Purple Heart medals.
Fast forward to recent years and my friend, Korean War veteran Joe Barna, 94, of Freeland, who also has two Purple Hearts.
Mr. Barna talked about the Purple Heart medal and he quoted the Bible:
"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for a friend."
That first glimpse of my dad's Purple Heart came back to me again and again and I wish I knew then what I know now about the medal and its significance.
Like Mr. Barna, I have the utmost love and respect for all recipients of the prestigious military award. The National WWII Museum says this about the Purple Heart:
"Apart from the Medal of Honor, one of the most recognizable awards in the U.S. Armed Forces is the Purple Heart."
Barna told me the Purple Heart medal shows that we honor all the Americans who have given their lives, or who have been injured in battle.
There — that says it all.
That's why all Americans should turn out on Memorial Day to pay tribute to our fallen heroes. We should stand on the sidewalks and wave our flags and cheer as the marchers and vehicles pass by.
And as we honor those fallen heroes, we can also thank our veterans who returned from the battlefields, many with scars visible and invisible. These veterans are heroes too. We should always thank them for their service.
So it's guys like Mr. Barna and my dad and my lifelong buddy Clyde Peters of Plymouth and all the other Purple Heart recipients that I think of when Memorial Day rolls around.
Clyde Peters is a Vietnam veteran, having served in Southeast Asia in 1968-69. On Thanksgiving Day 1968, Peters' unit was ambushed in the jungle and retreated. Sam Pugh, Peters' friend, was shot and went down.
Peters turned back and got Pugh, lifting him onto his back. Running for safety, Peters was shot, but made it out, and he and Pugh were taken in a helicopter to safety.
In 2008, Peters and his fellow unit members attended a 40-year reunion of their time in the jungle.
Pugh was there. The two talked.
Pugh introduced Peters to his wife and their children and grandchildren.
Peters said Pugh told him he always talks about what happened in Vietnam and he has repeatedly told his family that none of them would be here today if it weren't for the heroic efforts of Clyde Peters.
At the reunion, Pugh got to again tell that story with his friend Clyde at his side.
It was an emotional experience for Peters.
"I would never leave a man behind," he said. "Going back and getting Sam was the only thing to do for me. My buddy was shot and I had to go get him. I was just a soldier doing his job."
My dad was one of those soldiers on those landing boats on D-Day. As they approached the beach in Northern France in World War II, the enemy soldiers were firing at them. They all knew that many of them were not going to return home.
Yet they never wavered. They ran off the boats, onto the beach, up a hill and they engaged the enemy.
Many were killed. Many were injured. But they fought on.
My dad stepped on a land mine — his right leg was amputated above the knee. He returned home and lived a meaningful life.
But so many heroes never returned home. They never saw their families again. They never got to marry their sweethearts. They never got that brand new car. They never had the chance to get a job, raise a family, become a part of the community they loved.
Many other heroes returned with life-altering injuries. And as they rebuilt their lives, they never forgot.
And then there's Bob "Doc" Pries, a former U.S. Army combat medic, who grew up in Kingston and like many Vietnam veterans, he won't talk in much detail about his experiences.
Bob's brother, Richie, is a dear friend and classmate and a U.S. Marine who will be Grand Marshal in Monday's West Side Memorial Day Parade.
Bob "Doc" Pries was awarded three Purple Hearts and four Bronze Stars. That tells you all you need to know about Doc Pries.
This Memorial Day, try to think about what it must have felt like for all those soldiers who fought in all those battles in all those wars.
Think of what it must have felt like to know that you may never return to your country, to your hometown, to your loved ones.
That you may never marry, have children, hold a job, buy a new car, or have a beer with your pals at the local bar.
Think about going to battle realizing that this day — this moment — might be your last day alive.
That your next breath may be your last.
That you may give your life for your country and all Americans back home.
This is what these soldiers did — and they did it without question.
And far too many gave the ultimate sacrifice
They are who we remember on Memorial Day. We remember them for what they did for us and we thank them — we pray for them.
Heroes all.
Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
