GAINESVILLE Daily Register SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2018 gainesvilleregister.com 1B HEROES RETURN By MEGAN GRAY-HATFIELD A total of 21 recipients — Bennie Staff Writer Adkins, John Baca, Don “Doc” [email protected] Ballard, Gary Beikirch, Paul Bucha, Michael John Fitzmaurice, Robert ach year, recipients of the Ingram, Charles Kettles, Walter Joe Enation’s highest military Marm, Jim McCloughan, Hiroshi award for valor arrive in Gainesville Miyamura, Robert Modrzejewski, the first week of April for the Medal Melvin Morris, Robert Patterson, of Honor Host City Program and, Gary Rose, Ronald E. Rosser, this year, more are expected than Kenneth Stumpf, James Taylor, ever before. Mike Thornton, Gary Wetzel and “This is a record year for Hershel “Woody” Williams — are recipients,” said Tommy Moore, scheduled to be present at various president of the Medal of Honor Host City Board of Directors. See Heroes , page 2B Medal of Honor Program April 4-7 WEDNESDAY Recipient Arrival 5-7 p.m. Gainesville High School THURSDAY Patriot Dinner 6-8 p.m. Gainesville High School FRIDAY Tree dedication 10 a.m. Walking Trail near Garnett Banquet 6-9 p.m. Gainesville Civic Center SATURDAY Parade 10 a.m. California Street Book Signing 1-3 p.m. Civic Center All ticketed events are sold out. Eddie Dulock Paint & Body Shop Don’t Make A Decision Without Calling Us!! 78th80th Year In Business! Award Winning Repairs ❖ Complete Body Repair Since 1938 ❖ All Makes & Models ❖ Foreign or Domestic ❖ Autos or Trucks ❖ Hail Damage Repair ❖ Computerized Frame Alignment 940-665-2412 ❖ Insurance Claims 801 E.Main Gainesville, TX ❖ Limited Lifetime Warranty 2B – SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2018 GAINESVILLE DAILY REGISTER Medal of Honor Host City We Salute Our Heroes! HEROES continued from page 1B STEVENS Enderby Gas events hosted throughout the city April 4 through April 7. FLOOR COVERINGS Rosser, Bucha, Kettles, McCloughan and Rose will Since 1948 be visiting Gainesville for the first time, Moore said. Previously, the highest See us for all your number of recipients to visit was 19 in 2014. flooring needs Moore said the program has also started bringing widows of recipients back 2626 E. Highway 82 to Gainesville and that’s Gainesville something board members are really proud of. The (940)665-0318 1405 W. Hwy 82 • Gainesville, TX • 940/665-3457 widows are personally (Between Goodwill and Scivallys) invited and are taken care of during their stay. “What happens is once Gary and Mary Endres - Owners Thank You For their husbands pass, the www.stevensfloorcoverings.com society quits communicating with them,” Moore said. Your Service To “They spend like 40, 50, 60 years of their lives with this Our Country being their second family, and then, all of a sudden they are just dropped like a hot potato.” Moore said he believes last year was the first time for family members who were not with their spouses to attend. “It’s been touching to see these women have their voice back and their family back,” he said. The Medal of Honor Host City Program was established in 2001 to provide residents with a more interactive connection with America’s history, the military and the veteran community, according to the organization’s website. Gainesville is the only Medal of Honor Host City in the U.S. Supply Chain Walmart Distribution Center welcomes our Nation’s Medal of Honor Recipients! GAINESVILLE DAILY REGISTER SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2018 – 3B ADAMS, BENNETT DUNCAN & HENLEY Medal of Honor We Salute Our Heroes! 100 East Broadway Gainesville 76240 940-668-2600 recipient stories www.abdhlaw.com helicopter, fighting with mor- grenade was thrown into the had been shot in the face yelled, tars, machine guns, recoilless midst of the patrol. Fully aware “Grenade!” rifles, small arms and hand of the danger to his comrades, Ballard’s first thought as grenades, it was estimated Sp4c. Baca unhesitatingly, and he saw it hit nearby was that Adkins killed up to 175 of the with complete disregard for it would kill the men he was enemy while sustaining 18 dif- his own safety, covered the treating if it exploded. With ferent wounds to his body.” grenade with his steel helmet no thought for his own safety, and fell on it as the grenade Ballard threw himself on the exploded, thereby absorbing grenade and cradled it against the lethal fragments and con- his body. cussion with his body. His gal- Seconds passed. The gre- lant action and total disregard nade failed to immediately for his personal well-being detonate and Ballard was able We Salute Our Heroes directly saved 8 men from cer- to throw it out of the hole; it tain serious injury or death. exploded harmlessly a few sec- Bennie Adkins The extraordinary courage and onds later. Ballard calmly con- Molded Fiber Glass U.S. Army/Vietnam selflessness displayed by Sp4c. tinued to treat the wounded. Baca, at the risk of his life, are Ballard eventually left the Sgt. First Class Bennie in the highest traditions of the Navy and later received a com- 3333 I-35 Adkins, a native of Waurika, military service and reflect mission in the Army Medical Oklahoma, received his Medal great credit on him, his unit, Corps. Gainesville TX of Honor from President and the U.S. Army. He retired at the rank of Obama on Sept. 15, 2014. colonel. His exploits, so numerous John P. Beca 940.668.0302 and heroic in the jungles of U.S. Army/Vietnam Vietnam caused President Obama to exclaim, “There For conspicuous gallantry would not be enough time to and intrepidity in action at describe them all.” the risk of his life above and We Salute our The following edited tran- beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. script of the ceremonial cita- Baca, Company D, distin- tion details a portion of Adkins’ guished himself while serving Heroes incredible story. on a recoilless rifle team dur- In the presentation to ing a night ambush mission A Adkins, the president related platoon from his company was the events of March 9, 1966, sent to investigate the detona- when Adkins’ camp was tion of an automatic ambush attacked by a large North device forward of his unit’s Vietnamese and Viet Cong main position and soon came Don “Doc” Ballard force in the early morning under intense enemy fire from Gary Beikirch U.S. Navy/Vietnam hours. concealed positions along the U.S. Army/Vietnam “Sergeant First Class Adkins trail. Hearing the heavy fir- On May 16, 1968, having just rushed through intense enemy ing from the platoon position treated two Marines for heat Born in Okmulgee, fire and manned a mortar posi- and realizing that his recoil- exhaustion during a patrol, Oklahoma Jan. 7, 1942, Melvin tion continually adjusting fire less rifle team could assist Ballard was returning from the Morris, Staff Sergeant US. for the camp, despite incur- the members of the besieged evacuation landing zone when Army, Vietnam received the ring wounds as the mortar pit patrol, Sp4c. Baca led his team his company was ambushed MOH for valorous actions on received several direct hits through the hail of enemy fire by a North Vietnamese unit Sept. 17, 1969. Morris receiving 940.665.9891 from enemy mortars.” to a firing position within the firing automatic weapons and his MOH March 18, 2014. “During a 38 hour battle and patrol’s defensive perimeter. mortars. President Obama said 48 hours of escape and evasion As they prepared to engage As he kneeled to take care www.Home Hospice waiting for a second evacuation the enemy, a fragmentation of the wounded, a Marine who See Stories, page 4B WE ARE PROUD TO SALUTE OUR HEROES! 3401 W. Hwy 82 • Gainesville, TX 76240 940-665-0053 4B – SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2018 GAINESVILLE DAILY REGISTER STORIES continued from page 3B Gainesville Daily Register “Morris led an advance across of the defense. He directed enemy lines to retrieve a fallen artillery, helicopter gunship comrade. He single-handedly and Air Force gunship fire destroyed an enemy force who on the enemy strong points had pinned his battalion down and attacking forces, mark- in a series of bunkers. Morris ing the positions with smoke was shot three times running grenades. Using flashlights in back to the “American lines complete view of enemy snip- with casualties but did not stop ers, he directed the medical until he reached safety.” evacuation of 3 air-ambulance “Staff Sergeant Morris, loads of seriously wounded 27 years old, was one of our personnel and the helicopter nation’s very first Green supply of his company. At day- Michael Fitzmaurice Berets, “ President Obama break Capt. Bucha led a res- U.S. Army/Vietnam said. “I mean one of our very cue party to recover the dead first Green Berets, think about and wounded members of the Born in Jamestown, North that, I mean that’s legendary.” ambushed element. During Dakota, on March 9, 1950, the period of intensive combat, Specialist Fourth Class Capt. Bucha, by his extraor- Michael John Fitzmaurice dinary heroism, inspirational received the Medal of Honor example, outstanding leader- on Oct. 15, 1973 for valorous ship and professional compe- actions on March 23, 1971. tence, led his company in the According to the cita- Cynthia G. Fleitman, O.D. decimation of a superior enemy tion, Fitzmaurice distin- force which left 156 dead on the guished himself at Khe Sanh. battlefield. His bravery and gal- Fitzmaurice and three fellow Margie A. York, O.D. lantry at the risk of his life are soldiers were occupying a in the highest traditions of the bunker when a company of Christopher R. Deaton, O.D.