Medal of Honor is underway; parade set for 10 a.m. Saturday
Apr. 26—Medal of Honor week 2024 is off to a busy start.
The motorcade brought the recipients to the Gainesville airport on Thursday to be greeted by the Red River Sea Cadets.
"A lot of other sea cadet units don't get the opportunity to do this," said Krystin Lidster. "It's definitely a once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity, and helped me form my vision into becoming part of the military."
Three recipients arrived with the motorcade, as well as the families of other recipients who have passed.
Another arrived later that evening, and when GDR went to press on Friday, another was on his way.
Friday morning, the recipients went to Gainesville Junior High, where they answered questions and described their experiences to the students.
"To me, the Medal of Honor symbolizes the bravest of the brave, those who served and all they sacrificed," said Alisa Berryman, a GJH student during her speech at the assembly. "That's not all it means, though. For the people receiving the award, the Medal of Honor represents profound valor and heroism shown during battle ... It is a reminder of what these men sacrificed."
Questions asked of the recipients included how old they were when they received their medal, why they joined the branch of the military that they did and if they would join the military again.
"The beautiful thing about the military for me was that it put order and discipline in my life," said Brady. "The other thing I think is very important about the military is you become a member of a team, and every American is part of a team: county, city and nation ... It is very important to develop this team mentality to work together for common goals."
"Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, 'Gee, I hope there's a war that I can go to today,' said recipient James McCloughan. "But had I never gone to Vietnam, I would've never had the opportunity to meet some of the most brave, courageous, kind, compassionate loving individuals I've ever met in my life."
Brady and McCloughan, as well as the other two that spoke to the students, Don "Doc" Ballard and Robert Ingram, are all Vietnam War veterans who worked as medics.
"The medical area and the different services differ slightly from one another," said Ingram. "I did not know at the time that if you join the Navy and went into the medical area, you ended up in the Marine Corps."
"I joined the Navy to avoid the Army draft," said Ballard. "Three years later, I got drafted into the Marine Corps."
They also explained to the students what the draft was, the difference between the total draft and the lotto draft.
They also explained how some volunteered, some were drafted and others enlisted voluntarily before they were drafted to be able to choose which branch of the military they joined.
The gentlemen ended their presentation with some words of wisdom.
"Life's about choices, and you try to make the best choice," said Ballard. "You don't know what you don't know, and in order for you to make a good choice for yourself, you need to be educated."
