Some of us take life for granted without knowing much about history. I must admit I am a bit slow on the uptake in many areas and therefore am one of them. Obviously, the following will be as easy for history buffs as the “loser question” Groucho Marx used to ask the contestants on his show “You Bet Your Life,” which aired on radio and television from 1947 to 1960. To those who were about to leave the quiz show with no money, he would ask, “Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?” The contestant would answer, “Grant” and they would leave with $50 or $100.
Originally known as Decoration Day, after the American Civil War in 1868, to pay tribute to our military heroes who died in war protecting our country and the lives of our allies, the celebration of the day was replaced gradually over the years starting in 1882 to Memorial Day until, in 1967 the celebration was officially named Memorial Day. We can take a bit of pride knowing that “Ironton, Ohio, lays claim to the nation’s oldest continuously running Memorial Day parade. Its first parade was held May 5, 1868, and the town has held it every year since; however, the Memorial Day parade in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, predates Ironton’s by one year” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day).
Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of men and women in our armed services gave their lives (not counting some estimates of 650,000 to 750,000 who died in the American Civil War). The numbers are so staggering that unless we know of individuals who died in these wars, their importance may almost be overlooked. Obviously, proper acknowledgement and remembrance is due them by prayer for their families, giving thanks for their contribution to our country and decorating their gravestones with flowers, flags, etc. There are four individuals that I will mention below and thank for giving their lives – three during the Vietnam War and one from the Iraq War. This is not meant to take away from any other Service Personnel who died in any other wars. These four just happen to be those that I have met. I have taken the information from the three who lost their lives in Vietnam from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
Captain John H. Long: John was an Air Force Copilot of a search and rescue mission. His plane crashed at sea during a mission in North Vietnam in 1973. He was 33, single and was from Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. His body was never recovered, so he is listed as Missing in Action. His name is on Panel 11E – Line 88 of the Vietnam Wall. John graduated from Swarthmore High School, Delaware County, several years before I did. I met him when I was in junior high school when I went to his house to purchase my first used three speed English bicycle that I used to deliver papers and later to deliver telegrams in Swarthmore and adjacent towns.
LTJG Arthur D. Moscript, Jr.: Dave (as he was called) was in the Navy and died at the age of 25 in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam in 1968. His name is on Panel 44W – Line 51. He graduated from Swarthmore High School a couple of years before I did and had a sister in my class.
1LT George B. Hamilton: George was in the Air Force. He died at the age of 24 in 1968 about three months after arriving in Vietnam in Hua Nghia, South Vietnam, from non-hostile fire when his plane crashed on land. His body was recovered. His name is on panel 41W – Line 66. George also was a graduate of Swarthmore High School, a year before me. I played varsity baseball with him.
Navy Seal Ryan Job: Ryan’s future wife, Kelly, was a niece of members of a church we used to attend. Ryan wanted to be a Navy Seal so much that he dropped out of college to enlist in the Navy before he became too old to qualify for the Seals. Ryan was shot in the head during a battle in Iraq in 2006, losing sight in both eyes and received a medical discharge in 2007. He married Kelly in 2007. He was one of the few beneficiaries of the Sentinels of Freedom Foundation that counselled Ryan, provided housing for him and Kelly in a beautiful apartment in Scottsdale, Arizona, as well as providing other assistance. I met Ryan at a birthday party held for him locally. He had quite a sense of humor and each time someone entered the party, they had to view one of his glass eyes that had a Navy insignia painted on it. Ryan went to be with the Lord in 2009 during a follow-up operation for his injuries. He never got to meet his daughter who was born months later. He is mentioned in Chris Kyle’s book, American Sniper, and Chris has said Ryan was an inspiration to him. Much of the information above was contained on a prayer card for Ryan and Kelly I made in 2008 that is still on my desk today. In researching some of the information on the Internet, I found that a book has been written about Ryan by the title of A Warrior’s Faith by Robert Vera. I hope to read it in the future and provide a book review on it.
All of the above said, I would like to thank the town of Honey Brook for the Memorial Day Parade, its participants and spectators for honoring those men and women who died in all of the wars!
Note: In case you missed it, the National Memorial Day Concert shown on WHYY TV, cohosted by Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna, whom I like very much for their dedication to our service personnel and their acting abilities, can be found at: http://www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert/watch-2016-show/. This is a First Class show that is produced each year. Another wonderful video that is shorter can be found at http://worriersanonymous.org/Share/Mansions.htm. If these two videos don’t make you appreciate our service personnel, you had better have someone check you because you probably aren’t breathing.
Jeff Hall, of Honey Brook, contributes columns to Berks-Mont Newspapers. Questions/comments may be directed to jeffreyhall77@comcast.net.
