For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. SFC Zabitosky, US Army, distinguished himself while serving as an assistant team leader of a nine-man Special Forces long-range reconnaissance patrol. SFC Zabitosky's patrol was operating deep within the enemy-controlled territory in Laos when they were attacked by a numerically superior North Vietnamese Army unit.
SFC Zabitosky rallied his team members, deployed them into defensive positions, and, exposing himself to concentrated enemy automatic weapons fire, directed their return fire. Realizing the gravity of the situation, SFC Zabitosky ordered his patrol to move to a landing zone for helicopter extraction while he covered their withdrawal with rifle fire and grenades. Rejoining the patrol under increasing enemy pressure, he positioned each man in a tight perimeter defense and continually moved from man to man, encouraging them and controlling their defensive fire. Mainly due to his example, the outnumbered patrol maintained its precarious position until the arrival of tactical air support and a helicopter extraction team. As the rescue helicopters arrived, the determined North Vietnamese pressed their attack.
SFC Zabitosky repeatedly exposed himself to their fire to adjust suppressive helicopter-gunship fire around the landing zone. After boarding one of the rescue helicopters, he positioned himself in the door delivering fire on the enemy as the ship took off. The helicopter was engulfed in a hail of bullets, and SFC Zabitosky was thrown from the craft as it spun out of control and crashed. Recovering consciousness, he ignored his extremely painful injuries and moved to the flaming wreckage. Heedless of the danger of exploding ordnance and fuel, he pulled the severely wounded pilot from the searing blaze and made repeated attempts to rescue his patrol members but was driven back by the intense heat. Despite his serious burns and crushed ribs, he carried and dragged the unconscious pilot through a curtain of enemy fire to within 10 feet of a hovering rescue helicopter before collapsing.
SFC Zabitosky's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the US Army.
He died on January 8, 1996, in Durham, North Carolina, and was buried in Lumbee Memorial Gardens (Mausoleum Niche 33) Lumberton, North Carolina.
On April 25, 1898, the United States declared war on Spain following the Battleship Maine's sinking in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. As a result, Spain lost its control over the remains of its overseas empire - Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines Islands, Guam, and other islands.
Background
Beginning in 1492, Spain was the first European nation to sail westward across the Atlantic Ocean, explore, and colonize the Amerindian nations of the Western Hemisphere. At its greatest extent, the empire that resulted from this exploration extended from Virginia on the eastern coast of the United States south to Tierra del Fuego at South America's tip, excluding Brazil and westward to California and Alaska.
Across the Pacific, it included the Philippines and other island groups. By 1825 much of this empire had fallen into other hands. In that year, Spain acknowledged the independence of its possessions in the present-day United States (then under Mexican control) and south to the tip of South America. The only remnants that remained in the empire in the Western Hemisphere were Cuba and Puerto Rico and across the Pacific in the Philippine Islands and the Carolina, Marshall, and Mariana Islands (including Guam) in Micronesia.
Cuba
Following the liberation from Spain of mainland Latin America, Cuba was the first to initiate its own struggle for independence. During the years from 1868-1878, Cubans personified by guerrilla fighters known as "Mambises" fought for autonomy from Spain. That war concluded with a treaty that was never enforced. In the 1890s, Cubans began to agitate once again for their freedom from Spain. The moral leader of this struggle was José Martí, known as "El Apóstol," who established the Cuban Revolutionary Party on January 5, 1892, in the United States. Following the Grito de Baire, the call to arms on February 24, 1895, Martí returned to Cuba and participated in the first weeks of armed struggle when he was killed on May 19, 1895.
The Philippines Islands
The Philippines, too, was beginning to grow restive with Spanish rule. José Rizal, a member of a wealthy mestizo family, resented that his upper mobility was limited by Spanish insistence on promoting only "pure-blooded" Spaniards. He began his political career at the University of Madrid in 1882, where he became the leader of Filipino students there. For the next ten years, he traveled in Europe and wrote several novels considered seditious by Filipino and Church authorities. He returned to Manila in 1892 and founded the Liga Filipina, a political group dedicated to peaceful change. 
He was rapidly exiled to Mindanao. During his absence, Andrés Bonifacio founded Katipunan, dedicated to the violent overthrow of Spanish rule. On August 26, 1896, after learning that the Katipunan had been betrayed, Bonifacio issued the Grito de Balintawak, a call for Filipinos to revolt. Bonifacio was succeeded as head of the Philippine revolution by Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy, who had his predecessor arrested and executed on May 10, 1897. Aguinaldo negotiated a deal with the Spaniards, who exiled him to Hong Kong with 400,000 pesos that he subsequently used to buy weapons to resume the fight.
Puerto Rico
During the 1880s and 1890s, Puerto Ricans developed many different political parties, some of which sought independence for the island while others, headquartered like their Cuban counterparts in New York, preferred to ally with the United States. Spain proclaimed Puerto Rico's autonomy on November 25, 1897, although the news did not reach the island until January 1898, and a new government was established on February 12, 1898.
United States
U.S. interest in purchasing Cuba had begun long before 1898. Following the Ten Years War, American sugar interests bought up large tracts of land in Cuba. Alterations in the U.S. sugar tariff favoring home-grown beet sugar helped foment the rekindling of revolutionary fervor in 1895. By that time, the U.S. had more than $50 million invested in Cuba, and annual trade, mostly in sugar, was worth twice that much. The fervor for war had been growing in the United States, despite President Grover Cleveland's proclamation of neutrality on June 12, 1895. But sentiment to enter the conflict grew in the United States when General Valeriano Weyler began implementing a policy of Reconcentration that moved the population into central locations guarded by Spanish troops and placed the entire country under martial law in February 1896. 
By December 7th, President Cleveland reversed himself, declaring that the United States might intervene should Spain fail to end the crisis in Cuba. Inaugurated on March 4, 1897, President William McKinley was even more anxious to become involved, particularly after the New York Journal published a copy of a letter from Spanish Foreign Minister Enrique Dupuy de Lôme criticizing the American President on February 9, 1898. Events moved swiftly after the explosion aboard the U.S.S. Maine on February 15. On March 9, Congress passed a law allocating fifty million dollars to build up military strength. On March 28, the U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry finds that a mine blew up the Maine. On April 21st, President McKinley orders a blockade of Cuba, and four days later, the U.S. declares war.
The War
Following its declaration of war against Spain issued on April 25, 1898, the United States added the Teller Amendment asserting that it would not attempt to exercise hegemony over Cuba. Two days later, Commodore George Dewey sailed from Hong Kong with Emilio Aguinaldo on board. Fighting began in the Philippine Islands at the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1st, where Commodore George Dewey reportedly exclaimed, "You may fire when ready, Gridley," and the Spanish fleet under Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo was destroyed. However, Dewey did not have enough manpower to capture Manila, 
so Aguinaldo's guerrillas maintained their operations until 15,000 U.S. troops arrived at the end of July. On the way, the cruiser USS Charleston stopped at Guam and accepted its surrender from its Spanish governor, who was unaware his nation was at war. Although the two belligerents signed a peace protocol on August 12, Commodore Dewey and Maj. Gen. Wesley Merritt, leader of the army troops, assaulted Manila the very next day, unaware that peace had been declared.
In late April, Andrew Summers Rowan made contact with Cuban General Calixto García who supplied him with maps, intelligence, and a core of rebel officers to coordinate U.S. efforts on the island. The U.S. North Atlantic Squadron left Key West for Cuba on April 22 following the frightening news that the Spanish home fleet commanded by Admiral Pascual Cervera had left Cadiz and entered Santiago, having slipped by U.S. ships commanded by William T. Sampson and Winfield Scott Schley. They arrived in Cuba in late May.
War actually began for the U.S. in Cuba in June when the Marines captured Guantánamo Bay, and 17,000 troops landed at Siboney and Daiquirí, east of Santiago de Cuba, the second-largest city on the island. At that time, Spanish troops stationed on the island included 150,000 regulars and 40,000 irregulars and volunteers, while rebels inside Cuba numbered as many as 50,000. Total U.S. army strength at the time totaled 26,000, requiring the passage of the 
Mobilization Act of April 22nd that allowed for an army of at first 125,000 volunteers (later increased to 200,000) and a regular army of 65,000. On June 22nd, U.S. troops landed at Daiquiri, where Calixto García and about 5,000 revolutionaries joined them. U.S. troops attacked the San Juan heights on July 1, 1898. Dismounted troopers, including the African-American Ninth and Tenth cavalries and the Rough Riders commanded by Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt, went up against Kettle Hill while the forces led by Brigadier General Jacob Kent charged up San Juan Hill and pushed Spanish troops further inland while inflicting 1,700 casualties. While U.S. commanders were deciding on a further course of action, Admiral Cervera left port only to be defeated by Schley. On July 16, the Spaniards agreed to the unconditional surrender of the 23,500 troops around the city. A few days later, Major General Nelson Miles sailed from Guantánamo to Puerto Rico. His forces landed near Ponce and marched to San Juan with virtually no opposition.
Representatives of Spain and the United States signed a peace treaty in Paris on December 10, 1898, which established the independence of Cuba, ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States, and allowed the victorious power to purchase the Philippines Islands from Spain for $20 million. The war had cost the United States $250 million and 3,000 lives, of whom 90% had perished from infectious diseases.
Brigadier General William D. Dunham was a highly decorated US Air Force hero. His achievements during World War II and beyond are well-documented. However, his most notable act arguably concerns an act of kindness rather than aggression.
Back when he was a Major in 1944, Bill "Dinghy" Dunham - approaching his mid-twenties - was at the controls of a Republic P-47D. Flying over the Philippine Sea, he had a clear shot at a Japanese parachutist making a descent.
The pilot was a sitting or rather falling duck. Dunham put him in that position in the first place, having shot down his Nakajima Ki-43. Now all he needed to do was deliver the killer blow. Fresh in his mind was the brutality of the Imperial Japanese Forces. They'd been known to attack pilots dangling from their parachutes. Dunham may well have felt anger growing inside him, seeing a natural opportunity to take revenge on his ruthless opposition. An eye for an eye.
Then something remarkable happened. Historynet (revisiting a 2008 Aviation History article) describes how Dunham's hand had stayed before it could pull on the trigger mechanism. Not only did the Major choose not to shoot, he even chucked a lifejacket at his foe.
What lay behind the decision to spare his enemy's life? He later referred to it as divine intervention, "as if the Lord put his hand on my shoulder." Yet there seemed to be more going on than a possible message from the Almighty.
Earlier that year, Dunham lost his friend Col Neel Kearby. Together with Captain Sam Blair, they patrolled the North Coast of New Guinea from the air. The team engaged with 3 Kawasaki Ki.48s, but Kearby wound up in trouble. He took out his target and circled back, unknowingly putting himself in the crosshairs of a Ki.43. The enemy was dealt with; however, Kearby disappeared after being fired on.
Dunham never forgot his fallen comrade. The Historynet post indicates this was a key reason behind his treatment of the Japanese pilot all those months later. Artist David Hammond paid tribute to the dramatic episode with the painting 'Uncommon Chivalry.' Hammond became aware of Dunham's act in 2005. The finished work was unveiled in front of widow Bonnie. "Dinghy" himself passed away in 1990, at age 70.
Along the way, Hammond found out what happened to Col Kearby. Parallels existed between him, and the Japanese pilot Dunham wound up saving. Like the latter, Kearby bailed out, though sadly appeared to have died from his wounds before touching the ground. As the article notes, the Colonel lost his life "because a flier fired on a downed enemy - as Dunham later refused to do."
This chapter of the future Brigadier General's life certainly stands out. Yet, it's only one part of a long military career. Dunham signed up with the US Army Air Corps in 1941. He was an ace not just once but 3 times, with 16 "aerial victories" under his belt. 1966 saw him working as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations for the Seventh Air Force in Vietnam.
His service lasted until 1970. The air force hero was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. In the citation for that honor, the site writes, "Major Dunham's unquestionable valor in aerial combat is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service." Also bestowed on him were the Legion of Merit, the Air Force Commendation medal, plus others.
With Veterans Day fresh in people's minds this month, it is worth remembering that many soldiers act with compassion as well as violence.
Brigadier General Dunham's motivations that day in the Philippine Sea are not clear. But one thing is - he witnessed a stricken man and opted to reach out rather than cut him down. He supplied his enemy with a life jacket he himself might have relied on.
Steeped in the political turmoil of an unpopular war and faced with unfamiliar terrain, embedded enemy supply practices, and tactics keying on stealth, by 1965, the US faced new and novel threats from Viet Cong forces with no ready recourse. Striving for any means to achieve supremacy, the Army turned to tried-and-true tactics while seeking a breakthrough military strategy. The answer, formation of the all-volunteer Navy Helicopter Attack (Light) Squadron 3, quickly renowned by their call sign "Seawolf." Utilizing hand-me-down equipment acquired from the Army and newly trained personnel, the unit would go on to become the most highly decorated squadron in naval aviation history.
During the squadron's five-year tenure, the Seawolves flew more than 120,000 missions with two-hundred wounded and forty-four KIA, earning the following commendations and landmark recognition.
But just how was such unprecedented success possible in the face of antiquated equipment and the absence of both deeply experienced personnel and significant weapons technology. Still further, why did the unit remain a lesser-known chapter in naval aviation history for over 40 years?
Predating the Vietnam War, the Army had a principal interest in the use of helicopters for Search and Rescue, Medical Evacuation, and pioneering efforts in ground support operations. Though the Army had gained valuable experience in combat support tactics, it was constrained to daytime and clear weather conditions that severely limited practical applications. Meanwhile, with a bias for fixed-wing aircraft, the Navy constrained helicopters to replenishment, minesweeping, and anti-submarine duties. So, entering Vietnam, the military was not fully equipped or trained for operations that would be needed to prevail.
In 1965 there was recognition that Communist forces were infiltrating coastal and interior waterways of the Mekong Delta to supply one-third of all men and arms while conducting terror campaigns among villages. In response, the Navy implemented Operation Market Time and Operation Game Warden, whose mission was to disrupt enemy activities utilizing larger Swift Boats along the coast and smaller, more rapid River Patrol Boats inland. Close air support was critical to success, provided initially by elements of the Army already deployed in the area, but experience early in 1966 demonstrated failing operations. More specifically, "boats were being blown out of the water," and according to Admiral E. Zumwalt (Chief of Naval Operations), Navy fatalities were outpacing the ability to train replacement sailors; meanwhile, the effectiveness of Seal Team and other Special Ops suffered.
A closer review revealed several principal factors shaping this outcome; competing Army priorities for air support and restrictions that thwarted nighttime and foul weather conditions when enemy operations were at their height (Seal Team and Special Ops as well). Ultimately, it was determined that dedicated Navy resources were necessary to turn the tide, leading officially to the formation of HA(L)-3 on April 1, 1967, and led by CDR Robert Spencer beginning in May. Lacking equipment, human resources, and training, it was further agreed the Navy would take over the existing four Army detachments and what has been described as war-weary UH-1B (Huey) helicopters. Comprised of two helicopters and four-person crews each, the detachments flew from strategically placed LSTs, barges, and limited ground locations across the Mekong Delta. In doing so, the detachments could achieve mobility and proximity to the fight. To bridge the skills gap, Army personnel provided on-the-job training during actual combat missions through September.
From the outset, HA(L)-3 was a different kind of unit, comprised initially of eighty volunteers chosen from across the fleet. Interestingly, the unit's patch was fashioned after the lion logo featured on Lowenbrau beer cans with the addition of a trident and shield. The squadron routinely conducted search and destroy patrols, reconnaissance, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), SEAL Team insertion and extraction, but new rules of engagement and close air support tactics were needed to become a truly effective fighting force. A hallmark of the Seawolves were twenty-four-hour operations conducted irrespective of weather conditions, and rapid reaction practices that together with detachment mobility meant the Seawolves were typically engaging the enemy fifteen minutes following a call. According to LTCDR Bud Barnes, "…the horn would go off, and the 1MC would sound ‘Scramble the Seawolves', that whole evolution from sound asleep to in the air was less than three minutes". Similarly, the squadron adopted a tree-top philosophy (typically eighty to one-hundred feet) that both introduced new dangers (for example, ricochets) and personalized the fight, "you can see them, and they can see you." When on patrol, "if you took fire the gunner would immediately drop a flare (at night) or smoke grenade (in daylight) to mark the target, and the lead helicopter would typically be the first in." A further innovation enabling crews to continue the fight was a ‘hot turn,' wherein a helicopter could return to base to rearm, refuel and then reengage without ever shutting down the rotor. According to Larry Rogers (Door Gunner '69-'70), "We just made-up things as we went along." Perhaps more to the point, "I felt like we were renegades of the Navy; no one knew how to handle us, and no one knew any more than us, so they just said go do it- and we did."
However impressive these tactical developments were, squadron performance was equally dependent on helicopter transformation by maintenance and support staff. Reconfigured to enable night missions, the gunship's offensive capabilities were enhanced to add multiple weapon systems (twin M60, twin.30 Cal MG, automatic grenade launchers, and 6 barreled Miniguns), rapidly change out gun barrels and alternative machine guns while under fire. These innovations were adopted as standard equipment across the fleet once proven under combat conditions in many cases. One Maintainer observed, "They gave us equipment below their standards but not below ours cause we had Maintenance people that were whiz kids." This creativity was an ongoing necessity as "conditions there were sparse as were materials, necessitating creative ways to accumulate equipment outside the normal supply chain." "We were the McHale's Navy of Vietnam; a cross between McHales's Navy and the Black Sheep (a highly decorated WWII Marine Fighter Squadron)."
The Seawolves' story is certainly one of courage, teamwork, dedication, and innovation under extreme conditions, but more, a selfless willingness to place themselves in harm's way on behalf of others. Though combat operations alone will forge a bond among seamen, such esprit décor requires unilateral acceptance of the mission and common, underlying values. Captain Dick Catone observed, "… members took pride in the mission entrusted to them", while others recalled, "we trusted each other with our lives," "you're never going to leave someone behind; if you put them there by God, you're going to get them out, even if it cost your life." This commitment to SEAL Team and Special Op extractions, 
in particular, has cemented relationships that are as strong today as they were over forty years ago. In support of this culture, one Seawolf explained, "There was no Officer-Enlisted separation; the crew and pilots were all one group." This notion was further borne-out by Captain Robert Spencer (Commanding Officer), "We didn't function as a group; we functioned as one person, we thought as one person, we fought as one person."
HA(L)-3 fought with distinction from its inception through decommissioning on March 16, 1972. Once again, the Seawolves secured another first in naval history as the only squadron formed and disestablished overseas. Together with the effects of an unpopular war and personnel who never sought fame, the Seawolves have been uncelebrated for over forty years. Nonetheless, there is no denying that for one moment in time, volunteers came together as Brothers and not only accomplished their mission with courage and devotion but achieved a level of greatness that will live on long beyond them in the annals of naval aviation history.
Sicilian summers were oppressively hot. It was the kind of hot that could make you a little nutty if you weren't careful and would wear you down if you spend all day in it. I like to think that the heat factored in when they decided to take riposo (the Sicilian siesta) centuries ago. 
All shops and businesses close around 1 o'clock and stay closed for 2 or 3 hours while people went home to take a nap. It served the dual purpose of recharging your batteries and cooling your engines.
This custom wasn't embraced by the Americans on base, however. There were two types of work schedules on base: the standard Monday through Friday 9-5 and watch rotations. Watch rotations varied from command to command. The majority of my friends fell into the second category, and our rotation consisted of 2 twelve-hour days, 2 twelve hour nights, and 96 hours off. After our last mid-watch, we'd try to stay up as long as we could in an attempt to get back on a regular schedule. This was typically accomplished by either taking care of things that needed taken care of so as not to impede on precious liberty time or by drinking. Drinking was my preferred method.
I lived in the barracks, which had its pros and cons. The biggest pro was also the biggest con: there was usually a party going on. It was a pro depending on whether you were working your rotation or on your 96. It was considered common courtesy not to bitch about parties too much because you knew the tables would be turned in the next four days. Each room had a bunk bed and a single bunk, and your rank determined whether it held two or three people. The rooms were only big enough to hold three people by military standards, and if you didn't get along with your roommate, you worked it out. Sometimes civilly, sometimes there were fights. One of my f
riends had a dirtbag move in, and after a night of heavy drinking, he decided he was going to go into the room and cut off his big toe with a bottle cap to teach him a lesson. He woke up pissed off, but he got the message, and at 0300, he was washing both his ass and his dirty draws.
During the summer months, the temperature would peak around 100 frequently but cooled off considerably once the sun dipped below the horizon. This was when we would typically take our tables and chairs out of our rooms, sit outside, crank tunes, play Euchre, drink beer, and told sea stories all night. We talked about the Chiefs we hated and the girls we liked as Shannon Hoon sang about only wanting to be 16 and free. Trump was called, books were won, and shit was talked. This became our routine to the point that the base police stopped hassling us because they knew we weren't going to stop and that we weren't really doing anything terrible.
We were reluctantly setting up one night because it was a rare Saturday off, and there was nothing else to do. There was usually a party somewhere out in town, and parties out in town typically had an open invitation. It didn't matter if you knew the people or not, just bring your own booze and don't be a dick. But there were none going on that night. As if to drive the point home, people who lived off base came to the barracks to see what we were up to. We were all coming up empty-handed. One of the girls mentioned she knew of a secret beach in Siracusa, and in no time at all, we had loaded up a caravan, and in less time than it took to get through Pearl Jam's "Ten," we pulled off into a layby. We weren't far from a spot where a few of us would go cliff diving every now and then. We walked through a copse of trees that opened up to the waves of the Mediterranean crashing on the beach. Some went to unload the cars of the coolers of beer while others roamed the beach for driftwood so we could start a bonfire. There was a large piece nearby, and we set up camp around it, but it was too big to reasonably start on its own and precious little kindling to be found. We had given up hope of having a bonfire when one guy came back dragging two-by-fours behind him.
"Where'd'ja get those?"
"Whole pile of 'em back a ways."
We had a bonfire going in no time.
It was full-on dark, the night was clear, and constellations gazed down at us as we gazed up at them. Clothes were shed as people raced into the sea. The boom box played albums that will be forever linked to Sicily: Blood Sugar Sex Magic, Ritual de lo Habitual, The Chronic, Dirt. Beers were shotgunned. Couples drifted away in search of solitude. Conversations shifted from braggadocious banter to hushed confessions as the batteries in the boom box faded. The moon had dipped below the copse of trees, and couples returned to what was left of the fire as the sun peaked its head over the sea. Sand scratched the eyelids of those roused to consciousness. Coolers were dumped over the fire to douse the coals as the empties were packed away. We made our way back to our cars and headed home silently.
If I find myself walking through that copse of trees again, I'll know my deeds outnumbered my sins.
WE ARE THE LAND OF THE FREE, because OF THE BRAVE
Have you been awarded a Purple Heart? If so, now is the time to join the Military Order of the Purple Heart - Chartered by the U.S. Congress. We are a 501(c) 19 non-profit War Veterans Service Organization. We have 417 Chapters and 48 Departments located in six regions of the United States of America.
Life membership is only $50.00 very affordable, and you will be promoting MOPH programs to help and serve Veterans, their families, and communities as other Combat Wounded Veterans have done since 1932.
From service in Beirut, Grenada, Panama, Persian Gulf, Libya, and the Global War on Terrorism there have been more than 58,000 Purple Hearts awarded for wounds received in action by enemies of the United States of America. You as a Purple Heart recipient have earned this high honor and distinction.
There is no greater bond amongst warriors than of those who have been wounded for our Nation’s cause. Welcome Home & welcome to the Military Order Purple Heart. Please go to www.purpleheart.org and join today! Or email: membership@purpleheart.org Or Mail application and documents to MOPH Headquarters, Membership Department, 5413-B Backlick Road, Springfield, VA 22151-3960.
Post-Vietnam Recruitment Committee, Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A.
NCOA
Today the Non Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA) remains a vital fraternal, benevolent non-profit Military Service Organization. Join our 40,000 members as we represent the voice of 17.9 million Enlisted Veterans, and 1.8 million Enlisted service members, Active Duty, Reserves, and National Guard. NCOA acts as a conduit between the military and civilian communities in local areas and promotes positive community relations.
The Association is proud of its efforts in three primary areas: Legislative Representation; Social and Fraternal Programs; and Member Benefits in specialized services and discount programs. NCOA has much to offer its members and you too can join our numbers. Membership in NCOA is open to all, however, you must meet certain criteria to be a voting member of the Association, but this does not prevent you from being an Associate member and supporting our organization, and reaping the benefits of being a member.
Membership Categories are as follows:
REGULAR MEMBERS: Any individual who served in any branch of the US Armed Forces, Active duty, Reserves, National Guard, retired or separated personnel who held the pay grade E-1 through E-9, any time prior to or at the time of separation from active duty under honorable conditions.
VETERANS MEMBERS: Any individual who served in any branch of the United States Armed Forces Active duty, Reserves, National Guard, retired or separated personnel, who never held enlisted pay grade and under honorable conditions.
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS: Any individual who actively supports the aims and goals of the NCOA but is not eligible for other categories of membership such as allied foreign military services.
INTERNATIONAL AUXILIARY MEMBERS: Any spouse/former spouse, widow/widower, and family members 18 years of age or older of enlisted members, whether active duty, separated, veteran, Reserve or National Guard, in pay the grade E-1 through E-9.
NCOA’s Chapters are the foundation of the Association. They are the centers of social interaction among association members, grass-roots benevolent activity, military and community support, and involvement programs. This includes support to local Military Installation’s Quality of Life Programs, Service Member Recognition Programs, support of Fisher Houses, VA Hospitals, providing support to the needy, and sending care packages to deployed Service Members.
Association Chapters exist worldwide from small towns in the United States to countries like Korea, and Italy; almost everywhere American service members are stationed or call home. Go to www.ncoausa.org to find a chapter near you.
If you are already a member, please promote this fantastic and beneficial membership information to fellow service members and Veterans looking for a supportive military community. If they are interested or have questions have them contact us or visit www.ncoausa.org. You can also visit and like our Facebook page NCOA USA.
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Brave American
When thinking of America, most people might think of the American flag first. The flag is a symbol of freedom in America but also for those who fight for our freedom in service of the country. Brave American is a company in Brighton, Michigan that was founded by two people who wanted to give back to veterans and provide them with a place to have a job and form bonds with each other.
Brave American hires veterans to build and sell handcrafted wooden flags, watch boxes, metal home decor, and apparel. All of the material used to make the wooden flags comes from America is 100% manufactured by these veterans in America. With every sale, a percentage of the profit goes to veteran organizations around the country.
Visit the Brave American website and order today by clicking here
If you are engaged in a Veterans Owned Business that provides an interesting and beneficial service to Veterans, which you would like featured in Dispatches, please contact the Administrator HERE.
For seventeen-year-old high school dropout Jim Bathurst, the Marine Corps reputation for making men out of boys was something he desperately needed when he enlisted in March of 1958. What began as a four-year hitch lasted nearly thirty-six years and included an interesting assortment of duty stations and assignments as both enlisted and officer. We'll All Die As Marines narrates a story about a young, free-spirited kid from Dundalk, Maryland, and how the Corps captured his body, mind, and spirit. Slowly, but persistently, the Corps transformed him into someone whose first love would forever be the United States Marine Corps.
It documents not only his leadership, service, and training but also regales many tales of his fellow Marines that will have the reader laughing, cheering, and at times crying. In this memoir, Bathurst reveals that for him-a former DI who was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" Purple Heart, and a combat commission to second lieutenant-the Corps was not a job, a career, or even a profession; it was-and still is-a way of life.
Reader Reviews
Gripping read!
Marines will recognize the names and places, and instantly feel as if you are part of the story either in the field, standing post, aboard ship, in garrison barracks, or having a beer at the base club. There is leadership in action at every chapter of this Marines life and the results have contributed to the success of the Marine Corps, his charges, and his own.
Civilians will get a real and honest view in the life of a Marine.
I recommend adding this book to your personal library, and it should definitely be on the United States Marine Corps Commandant Reading List.
~Unknown Reader
Since I am not an avid reader, I found it astonishing that I simply could not put this book down once I started it.
The author's tales about himself and his fellow Marines had me laughing hysterically one minute and crying the next.
Perhaps it was because I was, excuse me, am a Marine who served on active duty for three years.
For those unfamiliar with the Marines, the title may seem somewhat strange and even a tad gory, but once you read the book, it becomes clear.
In sum, a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
~Unknown Reader
Jim and I served together at Marine Barracks, Yokosuka in the late 50″s. We worked at the Naval base brig and I think that the continual drilling 
of the prisoners led us both to apply for and get accepted to drill instructor school. However, in my case, I ended up being channeled to the warrant officer program and Jim continued to become a DI.
His leadership and demand for discipline with the prisoners were both qualities that followed him through the rest of his long career. I should not be surprised to see him ending up as a Colonel with the respect of those that served with him including me. Jim, best regards.
~Dave Penman, Major, USMC (ret) LDO
About the Author
James Bathurst enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1958. After advancing to gunnery sergeant, he received a combat commission to second lieutenant while he was in Vietnam.
With nearly thirty-six years of service, he retired as a Colonel of Marines.
James and his bride, Nancy, live in Girard, Illinois. They have five children and nine grandchildren.
SFC Zabitosky rallied his team members, deployed them into defensive positions, and, exposing himself to concentrated enemy automatic weapons fire, directed their return fire. Realizing the gravity of the situation, SFC Zabitosky ordered his patrol to move to a landing zone for helicopter extraction while he covered their withdrawal with rifle fire and grenades. Rejoining the patrol under increasing enemy pressure, he positioned each man in a tight perimeter defense and continually moved from man to man, encouraging them and controlling their defensive fire. Mainly due to his example, the outnumbered patrol maintained its precarious position until the arrival of tactical air support and a helicopter extraction team. As the rescue helicopters arrived, the determined North Vietnamese pressed their attack. 
Background
Cuba
He was rapidly exiled to Mindanao. During his absence, Andrés Bonifacio founded Katipunan, dedicated to the violent overthrow of Spanish rule. On August 26, 1896, after learning that the Katipunan had been betrayed, Bonifacio issued the Grito de Balintawak, a call for Filipinos to revolt. Bonifacio was succeeded as head of the Philippine revolution by Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy, who had his predecessor arrested and executed on May 10, 1897. Aguinaldo negotiated a deal with the Spaniards, who exiled him to Hong Kong with 400,000 pesos that he subsequently used to buy weapons to resume the fight.
so Aguinaldo's guerrillas maintained their operations until 15,000 U.S. troops arrived at the end of July. On the way, the cruiser USS Charleston stopped at Guam and accepted its surrender from its Spanish governor, who was unaware his nation was at war. Although the two belligerents signed a peace protocol on August 12, Commodore Dewey and Maj. Gen. Wesley Merritt, leader of the army troops, assaulted Manila the very next day, unaware that peace had been declared.
Mobilization Act of April 22nd that allowed for an army of at first 125,000 volunteers (later increased to 200,000) and a regular army of 65,000. On June 22nd, U.S. troops landed at Daiquiri, where Calixto García and about 5,000 revolutionaries joined them. U.S. troops attacked the San Juan heights on July 1, 1898. Dismounted troopers, including the African-American Ninth and Tenth cavalries and the Rough Riders commanded by Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt, went up against Kettle Hill while the forces led by Brigadier General Jacob Kent charged up San Juan Hill and pushed Spanish troops further inland while inflicting 1,700 casualties. While U.S. commanders were deciding on a further course of action, Admiral Cervera left port only to be defeated by Schley. On July 16, the Spaniards agreed to the unconditional surrender of the 23,500 troops around the city. A few days later, Major General Nelson Miles sailed from Guantánamo to Puerto Rico. His forces landed near Ponce and marched to San Juan with virtually no opposition.
Back when he was a Major in 1944, Bill "Dinghy" Dunham - approaching his mid-twenties - was at the controls of a Republic P-47D. Flying over the Philippine Sea, he had a clear shot at a Japanese parachutist making a descent.
Earlier that year, Dunham lost his friend Col Neel Kearby. Together with Captain Sam Blair, they patrolled the North Coast of New Guinea from the air. The team engaged with 3 Kawasaki Ki.48s, but Kearby wound up in trouble. He took out his target and circled back, unknowingly putting himself in the crosshairs of a Ki.43. The enemy was dealt with; however, Kearby disappeared after being fired on.
His service lasted until 1970. The air force hero was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. In the citation for that honor, the site writes, "Major Dunham's unquestionable valor in aerial combat is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service." Also bestowed on him were the Legion of Merit, the Air Force Commendation medal, plus others.
During the squadron's five-year tenure, the Seawolves flew more than 120,000 missions with two-hundred wounded and forty-four KIA, earning the following commendations and landmark recognition.
In 1965 there was recognition that Communist forces were infiltrating coastal and interior waterways of the Mekong Delta to supply one-third of all men and arms while conducting terror campaigns among villages. In response, the Navy implemented Operation Market Time and Operation Game Warden, whose mission was to disrupt enemy activities utilizing larger Swift Boats along the coast and smaller, more rapid River Patrol Boats inland. Close air support was critical to success, provided initially by elements of the Army already deployed in the area, but experience early in 1966 demonstrated failing operations. More specifically, "boats were being blown out of the water," and according to Admiral E. Zumwalt (Chief of Naval Operations), Navy fatalities were outpacing the ability to train replacement sailors; meanwhile, the effectiveness of Seal Team and other Special Ops suffered.
From the outset, HA(L)-3 was a different kind of unit, comprised initially of eighty volunteers chosen from across the fleet. Interestingly, the unit's patch was fashioned after the lion logo featured on Lowenbrau beer cans with the addition of a trident and shield. The squadron routinely conducted search and destroy patrols, reconnaissance, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), SEAL Team insertion and extraction, but new rules of engagement and close air support tactics were needed to become a truly effective fighting force. A hallmark of the Seawolves were twenty-four-hour operations conducted irrespective of weather conditions, and rapid reaction practices that together with detachment mobility meant the Seawolves were typically engaging the enemy fifteen minutes following a call. According to LTCDR Bud Barnes, "…the horn would go off, and the 1MC would sound ‘Scramble the Seawolves', that whole evolution from sound asleep to in the air was less than three minutes". Similarly, the squadron adopted a tree-top philosophy (typically eighty to one-hundred feet) that both introduced new dangers (for example, ricochets) and personalized the fight, "you can see them, and they can see you." When on patrol, "if you took fire the gunner would immediately drop a flare (at night) or smoke grenade (in daylight) to mark the target, and the lead helicopter would typically be the first in." A further innovation enabling crews to continue the fight was a ‘hot turn,' wherein a helicopter could return to base to rearm, refuel and then reengage without ever shutting down the rotor. According to Larry Rogers (Door Gunner '69-'70), "We just made-up things as we went along." Perhaps more to the point, "I felt like we were renegades of the Navy; no one knew how to handle us, and no one knew any more than us, so they just said go do it- and we did."
However impressive these tactical developments were, squadron performance was equally dependent on helicopter transformation by maintenance and support staff. Reconfigured to enable night missions, the gunship's offensive capabilities were enhanced to add multiple weapon systems (twin M60, twin.30 Cal MG, automatic grenade launchers, and 6 barreled Miniguns), rapidly change out gun barrels and alternative machine guns while under fire. These innovations were adopted as standard equipment across the fleet once proven under combat conditions in many cases. One Maintainer observed, "They gave us equipment below their standards but not below ours cause we had Maintenance people that were whiz kids." This creativity was an ongoing necessity as "conditions there were sparse as were materials, necessitating creative ways to accumulate equipment outside the normal supply chain." "We were the McHale's Navy of Vietnam; a cross between McHales's Navy and the Black Sheep (a highly decorated WWII Marine Fighter Squadron)."
in particular, has cemented relationships that are as strong today as they were over forty years ago. In support of this culture, one Seawolf explained, "There was no Officer-Enlisted separation; the crew and pilots were all one group." This notion was further borne-out by Captain Robert Spencer (Commanding Officer), "We didn't function as a group; we functioned as one person, we thought as one person, we fought as one person."
All shops and businesses close around 1 o'clock and stay closed for 2 or 3 hours while people went home to take a nap. It served the dual purpose of recharging your batteries and cooling your engines.
riends had a dirtbag move in, and after a night of heavy drinking, he decided he was going to go into the room and cut off his big toe with a bottle cap to teach him a lesson. He woke up pissed off, but he got the message, and at 0300, he was washing both his ass and his dirty draws.
"Where'd'ja get those?"
NCOA
of the prisoners led us both to apply for and get accepted to drill instructor school. However, in my case, I ended up being channeled to the warrant officer program and Jim continued to become a DI.