HOMETOWN HEROES HOMETOWN HEROES Heroic Stories From Brave Men and Women by Greg Mclntyre www.mcelderlaw.com Copyright © 2018 by Greg Mclntyre All Rights Reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder. Published by Shelby House Publishing Web: www.mcelderlaw.com FRONT COVER IMAGE BIO he image on the front cover of this book is my Tgrandfather, J.C. Horne, in all his military splendor. Even today, reading the interview I did with him gives me chills. I loved that man with all my heart, he was my buddy. It’s hard for me to accept that the gentle man I knew and loved as my grandfather experienced the atrocities mentioned in his story. I can only imagine what four days R&R in Paris was like when you’d been fighting on the front lines during World War Two in Europe. You can read the interview with him in this book. Without veterans like my grandfather, we may not have a great country to call home. We owe Veterans our freedom. The world would be a much different place than it is today without their sacrifice. It is our duty to take care of them. PREFACE ’m Elder Law Attorney Greg McIntyre of McIntyre Elder Law. My passion is helping seniors protect their assets and legacies. II am also a veteran of the US Navy. I served on the USS Constellation and the USS Nimitz. I use my skills as an attorney to help guide veterans in times of need. This book combines those passions by bringing to you the stories of men and women who fought and served in the United States Armed Services, and also provides valuable information about a benefit that could serve them in return. This book is called Hometown Heroes because our veterans are exactly that. I spent a lot of time poring over interviews I conducted with veterans over the last couple of years, and that’s where the book started. But why write Hometown Heroes? Let me explain the reasons this became so important to me. 1. I believe veterans need to be celebrated. There are heroes living next door to you right now. Whether serving in the military during war or peace time, their efforts made us safe and kept us free. We should celebrate our veterans, those men and women who have fought for and served our country. 2. I believe the stories in this book will help veterans feel the camaraderie they experienced while in service. I saw myself in some of these stories and I know there are others who share similar experiences. That’s important, it’s building community. 3. I wanted to inform people about the Veterans Aid and Attendance pension benefit. There is a chapter in the book dedicated to it. It is a little known benefit with huge significance and reward for a veteran’s service. Veteran’s Aid and Attendance benefits are available to a veteran, the spouse of a veteran, or spouse of a deceased veteran. It can add a significant amount of income just when it is most needed, when someone is suffering from health issues and needs extra income, perhaps to pay for in-home, assisted living, or nursing home care. Many veterans and their spouses are unaware of the Veterans Aid and Attendance pension benefit because it is not widely advertised. I’m making it my job to advertise it, talk about it, and make sure all veterans know about it. I hope you enjoy the stories in this book, and feel the camaraderie you felt while in the military. I also hope you benefit from the information provided. FOREWORD ake a walk through the streets of any town, large or small, and you will find them there. Will you be able to Trecognize them, probably not? You won’t be able to just look at them and know who they are, but if you will spend some time in their town and get to know the people, they will rise to the forefront. Who am I talking about? I’m referring to those men and women who, at some time, were willing to put their lives at risk to protect your freedom and mine so that we can live in a country free from the dictates of a monarch or leader who is only concerned with making him or herself rich and controlling the people. I’m referring to our “hometown heroes”, those men and women who were drafted or volunteered to enter our military service to protect the rights and freedoms we have in our great nation, The United States of America. This book is about some of those heroes. It tells the stories of a few of those men and women from small town America and some of their experiences as they served their country. Many of these heroes did not experience the anguish and terror of combat. Some served in support roles so that those in combat could have the information, equipment and supplies to carry out their missions. But they are all still heroes. All were not deployed to some far-off country, but nonetheless, they served and are still our heroes. You will read about soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, and coast guardsmen and women who served all over the world. Through their stories you will experience happiness, sadness, loneliness and many other personal feelings, but each one will give you a glimpse into the personality of that hero who was required to leave his or her home to take that place in history as a protector of your and my freedom. So sit back and begin a journey that will enlighten you and make you proud of those in your town and give you a new sense of what freedom really means. You’ll probably gain a greater sense of appreciation for our flag and our national anthem through these stories of our “Hometown Heroes”. You will also catch a glimpse of the largest veteran’s service organization in the world, The American Legion, and how it is serving veterans through the many and varied programs which have been established by this organization. Once again, because of the efforts of the Legion, you will see why we refer to our military service veterans as “Hometown Heroes”. Why? Because this organization is operated through the volunteer efforts of these same heroes who have come home to serve other veterans, youth and the community. These are truly “Hometown Heroes” who deserve our utmost respect and appreciation. Evan Thompson American Legion Post 82 Commander TOC TABLE OF CONTENTS Jim ‘The Tarheel Terror’ Hardin _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11 J. C. Horne _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 31 Roland Stewart _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 37 J.D. and Virginia Thomas _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 53 Earl Mace _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _67 Dr Frank Sincox _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 77 The Schenk Brothers _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 95 Michael Carpenter, Marine, Barry Carpenter, Air Force _ _115 David Rose _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 125 Bob Cabiness _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 137 Gene Ramsey _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 147 Ray Kale _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _157 Bill Hardin, Marine & Larry Gamble, Navy _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 173 Roger Wuest _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _185 Tom Haines _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 191 Evan Thompson _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _205 Ludy Marvin Wilkie _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 219 Jim Quinlan _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _233 Martha Bridges _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 243 Martin CJ Mongiello _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 253 Arthur ‘Art’ Gordon _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 263 Rit Varriale _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 275 Greg McIntyre _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 295 Veterans Benefits _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _303 About The Author _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 315 Greg Mclntyre StorY 1 JIM ‘The Tarheel Terror’ HARDIN World War II & Korean War Fighter Pilot I have known Jim Hardin my entire life.