From: [email protected] on behalf of SSG Arnold Krause
Warriors News - November 2015 View this email in a browser
Greetings Veterans
This addition has been at the editors desk for several months now, patiently w aiting for articles to present themselves. Let's get started with some personal stories and then run from there.
In August my w ife and I, along with my youngest son, Jesse, drove up to Portland, OR to assist my oldest son Matt who was moving his family from Colorado to Oregon. I'm sure moving or helping someone move is very low on the motivation list of work activities, but we got it done. While in town, I contacted Charlie Haughey from A Co. and made arrangements to stop by his shop for a visit. We had a good time talking about the past over a cup of coffee and also his project, A Weather Walked In, the picture book of the 2/12th in Vietnam.
I asked him how he came about naming the book. Continuing on, I stated that it did not make much sense to me. He told me a story about a man who had a dog. He described this dog's life and how, regardless of the time of year or the weather, he went about life doing all those things dogs do. Most animals don't care about the weather or what it is doing, they just go about their business, much like what we went through in Vietnam. This dog story reminded him of "Us" and what we faced day or night, rain or shine, thus the title - A Weather Walked In.
While there, I received my copy of the book and I hope everyone who ordered one has theirs now. If you missed out, there are plenty more copies available and you can order using this link: Book Order, The company is called Crowd Supply, located in Portland, OR. and if you do a search for photography in their website, you will find the book and can order it from there. I w ill also be listing it in the Warrior PX Store, under the TAB, OTHER PRODUCTS ON THE WEB.
This newsletter has been delayed for reasons under my control. I couldn't get my brain organized enough to sit down and hammer out some good copy. First, there were a lack of interesting articles that I could write about and then I had been waiting for some information from Ft Carson then third, my planned trip to France was on top of me before I knew it and I found myself packing at the end of September. I just recently returned from three weeks in France and that really set me back, but it was a good thing and I cover a bit of my travel in an article.
Correspondence has been relatively slow lately, although, web traffic continues at a steady pace. I have been doing a bit of site repairs, finding a few links to pages not working, but other than that, not much happening right now.
Sarge
Veterans Day
November 11th marks the day w e honor all men and women who are serving or have served under our Nation's flag. This day was originally called Armistice Day marking the end to WWI which occurred at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the Armistice with Germany w ent into effect.
Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day, a day to remember the men and women who gave their lives and those who perished while in service.
It was not until 1945 that WWII veteran Raymond Weeks from Alabama had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those that died in WWI. At the time General Dwight D Eisenhower supported the idea and led the nation in the first celebration in 1947. It was not until 1954 that, then, President Eisenhower signed a bill establishing the day as a national holiday and later on June 1, 1954 Congress amended the bill, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans" and it has been known as Veterans Day ever since.
To all my fellow brothers in arms, to those I have served with and those who have honored our country's flag with you service, thank you, one and all.
CPT F. Groberg (right) - 2/12th Inf - to receive the MOH 50th Anniversary - Ft Carson - 2016 - POSTPONED! Out of the corner of his eye, Capt. Florent Groberg saw the man first.“I’m looking at I have been advertising for some time, my him, dark man-jams, he doesn’t look right,” intentions to assemble a reunion in which Groberg said.When the stranger turned anyone from the battalion could intend that toward the American patrol, the young would memorialize our time in Vietnam with captain, charged with his brigade the 2/12th on post. I w as very close to commander’s personal security detachment, revealing those plans and the itinerary, but quickly realized the man had a suicide bomb I w anted confirmation from Ft Carson that vest strapped to his chest.“The only thing I they were willing to support my proposal. could think of was, ‘I have to get him away. I have to get him away from the boss. I It has turned out to be good news and bad have to get him away from everybody,’ ” news. The good is that the Battalion is Groberg said.Groberg immediately started open to the idea and the bad news is that pushing the man away, throwing him to the they will most likely be deployed for a ground.“The next thing you know, he just greater part of 2016. I was told we would lands on the ground chest first, and I’m have to settle for the rear detachment unit looking at him, and he detonates,” Groberg if we wanted to proceed. That was not said. “He detonated right in front of my what I was looking to see happen. I feet.”The blast killed four Americans and envisioned holding this event with the front wounded several others. It also caused a line officers and men of the unit. LTC Staheli second suicide bomber, who remained and CSM Scott commented that they cannot hidden behind a small structure near the commit to anything at this point until they road, to detonate his vest prematurely, have further clarification about their according to information from the Army. timetables and mission in 2016. Groberg’s quick thinking prevented both bombers from detonating as planned, I w ill be attempting to find out more in the saving most of the people on the patrol.For coming months from the post, but for now, his actions on that August 2012 morning in 2016 is not going to be a good year and Afghanistan, Groberg will receive the Medal that 2017 will be the new target. I am also of Honor. The ceremony will take place Nov. going to take into consideration, the 12 at the White House. weather for the region, which would push any likely event into mid 2017, therefore avoiding the winter conditions that exists at that high elevation. The best I can ask of the Army at this point would be for them to call the shots with a timetable at works for them, thus leaving us to adjust to their calendar. I hope to get more information when I visit the post in December. Any decision to proceed with have to be made down the road. When that happens, I will be updating the website and posting information under "REUNIONS".
About Face, by Col. David Hackworth
My neighbor bought this book for me. I think he was trying to punish me as it's 860 some odd pages long. I'm not much of a book reader anymore, although I read the hell out of the internet. Anyway, I opened the book and dove in. Three weeks later, I surfaced from this long odyssey, a story w hich started out with a 14 year old seeking adventures and ended with a LTC leaving the service after 25 years of duty. The book takes you from the end of WWII, through the bitter cold of Korea, the Cold War in Europe, several stops at the Pentagon and four tours in Vietnam. This is a fascinating read and took four years to write. I w as shocked at the detail and recall of daily events, and the descriptions that unfolded before me. Hackworth is truly a soldier's soldier who received 110 decorations in his career, including two DSC's, 10 Silver Stars, an equal number of Bronze Stars with V devices and 8 Purple Hearts. He was a brash foot soldier who worked his way into a field commission, although he had to be talked into becoming an officer. He worked his way up through the ranks, starting as a rifleman, squad leader, platoon leader, company commander an finally a battalion commander. He was exposed to more than the life of a 11Bravo and served in other capacities during his service.
Hackworth is unabashed about his criticism of the Army and how it was run down, in his opinion, starting soon after we entered the Korean War. The focused shifted from 'winning' to 'filling a punch list' and getting a good "ER" (evaluation report), which then let to someone's advancement. This last sentence is devoted to those men in the ranks who sought out advancement as career officers hoping to achieve the rank of General.
What also grabbed my attention, was his failed attempts to get the DOD (Dept of Defense) and the Armed Services to drop WWII tactics, and train officers and troops on guerrilla warfare as we got deeper into the Vietnam War. This candid reflection of his and what he attempted to do caused him grief within his own ranks and fellow officers to the point that it drove him into leaving the service. For me, it heightened my own observations about how we conducted the war and how I and others questioned our lack of desire to win. The book also points out the utter failure of the Vietnamization Program. This was our attempt to train the South Vietnam troops how to tactically fight and lead their own war effort. The fact that the South Vietnamese government was so corrupt along with it's military leaders was reason enough that lead to their overthrow when we left. The only Vietnamese troops worth fighting alongside, was their Marine and Ranger units.
Like most veterans of that war, it's difficult to settle on a vision in our minds that what was asked of us was for the right reasons and not just the pawn's of our own government who fabricated a falsehood to justify a war. The reality of that statement cannot be overlooked. Personally, I believe I was trying to help the people of Vietnam to have a choice in how they wanted to live and under their own choice of government. Most of us draftees had to have something to believe in once we arrived in Vietnam, some reason to hang our hats on for risking our lives or dying for in that country. I'm not sure from the White House that it was really viewed that way.
What I really think is that the war was a convenient excuse to be used for political gain and control of the government and it all backfired on the Democrats. Once we got into the war, it became quicksand and only the revolt of the general population got us out. Unfortunately, it was us that paid the price for all those political decisions and many of us to this day, have not basked in the light of duty, honor and country as today's soldiers have. The controversy of Vietnam will never be put to rest.
Normandy - Omaha Beach - October 2015
Heading north we passed through Sainte Lo, a major objective in securing the beachhead at Normandy, sitting atop of low rolling hills and 45 minutes later, my tour bus pulled into the parking lot at Omaha Beach around 3PM. It was a cold windy and overcast day. The sun occasionally shown down upon the beaches, highlighting the vast depth of the shoreline. Standing on the bluff overlooking Omaha Beach and later when I had a chance to walk upon the beach itself, it is difficult for me to not visualize what those men who landed there, then had to wade through the surf some 50-100 yards and ultimately cross 300 yards of open beach to reach the sea wall. These men who carried as much as 70 lbs of equipment, it was all they could do was WALK, not run from the landing point to safety. I found a quote from one man who served in the 2/22nd that said everyone except the machine gunner had a backpack that held 4 boxes of .30 cal which weighed 80 lbs (his words, not mine) in addition to his own equipment he had to carry ashore. As one first wave survivor stated, only 2 out of 7 men made it across without being wounded or killed. I stood there for some time, just glazing down upon the beach.
After some time, I walked over to the cemetery where 9386 men are laid to rest, some 300 men are unknown but to God. I slowly w alked through the plots of graves, each white gleaming cross and Star of David standing out in stark contrast to the lush green grass covering the immaculate grounds. Eight years ago, a French couple started up a program to adopt a grave and to visit it once a year and to place flowers on the grave. I spent as much time as I could, honoring each name I read and pondering their fate and then wondering if any family member has ever visited them.
One of my objectives of the trip wasn't just to visit Omaha Beach but to be able to see Utah Beach and Sainte Mare Eglise, the other main objective of the D-Day landings, an important cross road which controlled access to the beaches and to the Cotentin Peninsula. The landing at Utah Beach was not as dangerous as Omaha Beach, but the troops had to wade through 220 yards of ocean then 550 yards to the dunes under German artillery fire. Unfortunately, we just did not have the time to make it to this area. I had hoped to return once I reach Paris, but that thought was also rebuffed. Maybe on my next trip to France, I'll head over there and spend a few days seeing what I missed.
It was a very somber day to spend my birthday, but I'd do it again. If you are interested you can read more about Omaha Beach here.
Liberation of Paris, France - August 21-29, 1944
As I traveled around Paris, visiting all the major attractions, in the process, I ended up in a few interesting "musee's", French for museums. Two museums I discovered, one highlighting General Jaques Leclerc, and the other honoring Jean Moulin, the man who led the French Resistance during WWII. General Jacques Leclerc was in charge of the French forces in Libya early in the war and was successful in a campaign against Chad and Tripoli. He also had another important role to fulfill. Leclerc received his training and command from and with the British and did not like the Americans, a bias learned from Brits.He also resented the fact that the French were the proprietors of France but the Americans were running the show. Leclerc would try General Haislip’s (XV Corp Commander) and Patton’s (3rd Army) patience, and he would get on the nerves of all of his American superiors–Lt. Gens. Omar Bradley, the Twelfth Army Group commander; Courtney Hodges, the First U.S. Army commander; and Leonard Gerow, the V Corps commander.
Leclerc believed that solutions to battlefield problems came to him in an instant, whereas Americans required time and paperwork to grasp military situations. If the Americans committed stupidities, he claimed, the French ought to avoid doing the same. Leclerc announced to his principal subordinates, ‘If an American is an ass, there is no reason for a Frenchman to be one, too.’ Leclerc's arrogance and real lack of strategic insight later proved the fact that the real ass was him and not the Americans as he repeatedly disobeyed his commander's orders on the march toward Paris and several times jeopardized other American units as well as his own.
He took part in the Normandy Invasion of 1944 as commander of the Free French 2nd Armoured Division which was formed in London in late 1943 with the express purpose of liberating Paris, and was trained by Patton's division. The French Division landed and debarked on August 1st from the Normandy beaches and took part in the drive to Alençon and Argentan by U.S. General George S. Patton’s Third Army. On August 20 the 2nd Armoured Division was ordered by Supreme Allied Commander Dw ight D. Eisenhower to liberate the French capital, and on August 25 the commander of the German garrison in Paris, Dietrich von Choltitz, surrendered to Leclerc. The next day Leclerc and de Gaulle formally entered Paris in triumph.
What is interesting about all of this is what took place in Paris when the city w as liberated. I guess the French should liberate their own Captial. But this is much in dispute by accounts given by members of the 2/12th on the days leading up to and including the day of liberation as to who entered the city first?
At his headquarters two miles inland from the Normandy coast, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower had a dilemma. Allied planners had concluded that the liberation of Paris should be delayed so as to not divert valuable resources away from important operations elsewhere. The city could be encircled and then liberated at a later date.On August 21, Eisenhower met with de Gaulle and told him of his plans to bypass Paris. De Gaulle urged him to reconsider, assuring him that Paris could be reclaimed without difficulty. The French general also warned that the powerful communist faction of the Resistance might succeed in liberating Paris, thereby threatening the re-establishment of a democratic government. De Gaulle politely told Eisenhower that if his advance against Paris was not ordered, he would send Leclerc’s 2nd Armored Division into the city himself.
On August 22, Eisenhower agreed to proceed with the liberation of Paris. The next day, the 2nd Armored Division advanced on the city from the north and the 4th Infantry Division from the south. Meanwhile, in Paris, the forces of German General Dietrich von Choltitz were fighting the Resistance and completing their defenses around the city. Hitler had ordered Paris defended to the last man, and demanded that the city not fall into Allied hands except as “a field of ruins.” Choltitz dutifully began laying explosives under Paris’ bridges and many of its landmarks, but disobeyed an order to commence the destruction. He did not want to go down in history as the man who had destroyed the “City of Light”– Europe’s most celebrated city.The 2nd Armored Division ran into heavy German artillery, taking heavy casualties, but on August 24 managed to cross the Seine and reach the Paris suburbs. There, they were greeted by enthusiastic civilians who besieged them with flowers, kisses, and wine. Later that day, Leclerc learned that the 4th Infantry Division was poised to beat him into Paris proper, and he ordered his exhausted men forward in a final burst of energy. To General Gerow, commander of V Corp of which Leclerc's division was under, thought that Leclerc’s attack seemed halfhearted. Hoping to shame the French into greater effort, Gerow asked Bradley w hether he could send the 4th Division into the city. Bradley was angry. How long could Choltitz wait for regular troops before destroying the capital? Bradley said he could not let the French ‘dance their way to Paris.’ He told Gerow, ‘To hell with prestige. Tell the 4th to slam on in and take the liberation.’ Gerow informed Maj. Gen. Raymond O. Barton, the 4th’s commander, and Leclerc that precedence in favor of the French no longer applied. Barton’s 4th Division was to enter the city, too.
Just before midnight on August 24, the 2nd Armored Division reached the Hótel de Ville in the heart of Paris.German resistance melted away during the night. Most of the 20,000 troops surrendered or fled, and those that fought were quickly overcome. On the morning of August 25, the 2nd Armored Division swept clear the western half of Paris while the 4th Infantry Division cleared the eastern part. Paris was liberated.In the early afternoon, Choltitz was arrested in his headquarters by French troops. Shortly after, he signed a document formally surrendering Paris to de Gaulle’s provincial government. De Gaulle himself arrived in the city later that afternoon. On August 26, de Gaulle and Leclerc led a triumphant impromptu liberation march down the Champs d’Elysees. Scattered gunfire from a rooftop disrupted the parade, but the identity of the snipers was not determined.
The formal celebration of the Liberation of Paris, a parade, had a bit of irony to it. When it came time to have the U.S. Army march down the Champ Ellysees, they w anted to use the 2/12th and the 4th Division but their uniforms were so dirty, they chose to use the 28th Division who had clean uniforms having just arrived in Paris the day before.The "Keystone" division had landed at Normandy on July 22nd. The 28th pushed east towards Paris through the bloating corpse-strewn stench of the Bocage through roads with abandoned tanks left behind by the 4th and 29th Divisions. In little more than a month after landing at the Normandy beachhead, the men of the 28th entered Paris. The fact that they w ere given the honor of marching down the Champs-Elysées on 29 August 1944 in the hastily arranged Liberation of Paris Parade only came about because the men and uniforms of the 4th Division and that of the 2/12th were so dirty, something which would not be so good to see on film or in photographs.
So, the videos and pictures you see of the U.S. Army marching through the Arc de Triomphe was done on August 29th, four days after the actual liberation. The unit involved, the 28th Division, who had no part in the liberation of Paris. In the mean time, the 4th Division and the 2/12th were long gone from the city and on their way to Germany.
What's new on the Website!
Reworked Charlie Haughey's albums 61-68 by trimming and lightened most dark photos, plus added 3 new Haughey albums, 69-71. Added new STORY BLOG articles and added reunion photos from Gatlinburg, TN. We have new names added to the BN Directory
If you have stories of interest to tell, write me a line so I can share them before they are lost forever.
Phone: 707-544-0764 | Email:[email protected] Web: www.212warriors.com
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Mailing Address Arnold Krause 2584 Mark West Springs Road Santa Rosa, California, United States, 95404