An Old Man Needed Help....

[Frank M. Carrio, CMI]

I received this from a nephew {Ex-Army} yesterday, and was asked to pass it on.

THEY DON'T COME ALONG TOO OFTEN:

As I came out of the supermarket that sunny day, pushing my cart of
groceries towards my car, I saw an old man with the hood of his car up and a lady sitting inside the car, with the door open.

The old man was looking at the engine. I put my groceries away in my car and continued to watch the old gentleman from about twenty-five feet away. I saw a young man in his early twenties with a grocery bag in his arm, walking towards the old man..

The old gentleman saw him coming too and took a few steps towards him. I saw the old gentleman point to his open hood and say something. The young man put his grocery bag into what looked like a brand new Cadillac Escalade and then turn back to the old man and I heard him yell at the old gentleman saying,
'You shouldn't even be allowed to drive a car at your age' And then with a wave of his hand, he got in his car and peeled rubber out of the parking lot.

I saw the old gentleman pull out his handkerchief and mop his brow as he went back to his car and again looked at the engine. He then went to his wife and spoke with her and appeared to tell her it would be okay.

I had seen enough and I approached the old man. He saw me coming and stood straight and as I got near him I said, 'Looks like you're having a problem.'
He smiled sheepishly and quietly nodded his head. I looked under the hood myself and knew that whatever the problem was, it was beyond me.

Looking around I saw a gas station up the road and told the old gentleman that I would be right back. I drove to the s station and went inside and saw three attendants working on cars. I approached one of them and related the problem the old man had with his car and offered to pay them if they could follow me back down and help him.

The old man had pushed the heavy car under the shade of a tree and appeared to be comforting his wife. When he saw us he straightened up and thanked me for my help.

As the mechanics diagnosed the problem (overheated engine) I spoke with the old gentleman. When I shook hands with him earlier he had noticed my Marine Corps ring and had commented about it, telling me that he had been a Marine too.

I nodded and asked the usual question, 'What outfit did you serve with?' He had mentioned that he sserved with the first Marine Division at Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal.He had hit all the big ones and retired from the Corps after the war wasover.

As we talked, we heard the car engine come on and saw the mechanics lower the hood. They came over to us as the old man reached for his wallet, but was stopped by me and I told him I would just put the bill on my AAA card.

He still reached for the wallet and handed me a card that I assumed had his name and address on it and I stuck it in my pocket. We all shook hand s all around again and I said my goodbye's to his wife.

I then told the two mechanics that I would follow them back up to the station. Once at the station I told them that they had interrupted their own jobs to come along with me and help the old man. I said I wanted to pay for the help, but they refused to charge me.

• One of them pulled out a card from his pocket looking exactly like the card the old man had given to me.

Both of the men told me then, that they were Marine Corps Reserves. Once again we shook hands all around and as I was leaving, one of them told me I should look at the card the old man had given to me and I said I would and drove off.
For some reason I had gone about two blocks when I pulled over and took the card out of my pocket and looked at it for a long, long, time.

• The name of the old gentleman was on the card in golden leaf and under his name.........
  "Congressional Medal of Honor Society."

I sat there motionless looking at the card and reading it over and over.

I looked up from the card and smiled to no one but myself and marveled that on this day, four Marines had all come together, because one of us needed
help..

He was an old man alright, but it felt good to have stood next to
greatness and courage and an honor to have been in his presence.

America is not at war. The U.S. Military is at war. America is at the Mall.

[Michael R. Boyett]

Very nice Frank...I'll pass that along to my son, as a former Marine and current SheepDog, he will understand and appreciate it.

[Dale Duffy]

"Semper Fi".....!!!

[John McKenna]

Wow.

[Mark A. Timpani, CMI]

very nice

[James H. Bushart]

Thanks for posting this, Frank.

[jwortham1]

America is not at war. The U.S. Military is at war. America is at the Mall.

Truer words were never spoken. Stay safe and come home soon!

[iniquette]

Thank you Frank. Reading that puts alot of things in perspective doesn't it? Much appreciated.

[Frank M. Carrio, CMI]

I want to thank all of you for your kind words.

I cannot begin to express the deep and heartfelt gratitude that I feel towards this "Old Gentleman" who has sacrificed so much for his country.

His honor, integrity, personal sacrifice, and devotion to duty and to his country exemplifies what makes America such a great nation.
He is truly "The Best of the Best".

I want to thank each and everyone of you who has donned our country's uniform's in the service of our great nation.

I also want to thank all of you who have not served in the military but who have wholeheartedly and enthusiastically supported our nation and more importantly our troops in their time of great need.

It saddens me when I see some of our own American Citizens glibly criticizing our country, our government, and our troops without taking the time to consider that it is people like this "Older Gentleman" and our Nation's Servicemen and Women who provide them with the freedom and the ability to be able to so nonchalantly criticize the country who has provided them with such extraordinary freedoms.

Even in "Hard Times" we live in the finest nation on this planet!
This is due to the courage and sacrifice of our American servicemen and women and the hardships that they are willing to endure in the service of our country.

I ask each and everyone of you to keep them in your prayers.


Warmest regards,

[Buck Hartley, CMI]

SEMPER FI !!!!!!

[John Onofrey]

"They just kept passing it around there were eight or nine or ten of them who handled it before it was over," he said.

"They had found it in my pocket at the airport, and they thought it was suspicious. It's shaped like a star, and they were looking at the metal edges of it, like it was a weapon. I asked for it back, but they kept handing it to each other and inspecting it. I was told to move to a separate area.

"I told them; just turn it over. The engraving on the back explains everything. But they thought they must have something potentially dangerous here.

"I told them exactly what it was; I said, 'That's my Congressional Medal of Honor.´"

The man relating that story was retired Gen. Joe Foss, 86. His experience in Arizona at the international airport in Phoenix; may be the ultimate symbol of the out-of-kilter times we are going through. We are so afraid of terrorists in our midst that what happened to Foss is not only believable, but perhaps even inevitable:

The Congressional Medal of Honor will be taken from its recipient because it looks vaguely ominous.

I spoke with Foss because I wanted to hear it from him directly. He told me that he holds no animosity about the incident; "I'm just as interested in defeating the terrorists as anyone is, I promise you that" and that he is mostly sad that no one knew what the Medal of Honor was.

Foss was awarded the medal by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II after shooting down 26 enemy planes as a Marine fighter pilot in solo combat in the Pacific. He grew up in South Dakota; after the war he would become governor of that state; and took flying lessons as a young man, then went to war.

He lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., and when he travels he is patted down in airports instead of going through the metal detectors, because of a heart pacemaker. At the airport in Phoenix, he said, he was being searched manually and he put his jacket through the X-ray machine. A couple of things caught the attention of the screeners; rightly so.

Foss has a key chain made out of a dummy bullet, with a hole drilled through it to make it evident it is harmless; he also carries a small knife/file with the Medal of Honor Society's insignia on it. The screeners took both of them from Foss; traveling during these nervous days with items that look like bullets, or with even a small knife, will, and should, invite scrutiny. Even if you're 86. Even if you're a war hero.

That's not what frustrated him. The screeners, he said, allowed him to mail the key chain and the little knife back to his home from the airport. But for 45 minutes, he estimated, he was passed from person to person, made to remove his boots and tie and belt and hat three different times, and prevented from boarding his flight (he was eventually allowed on) because the security personnel, he said, had misgivings about his Medal of Honor.

(America West Airlines, in whose terminal in Phoenix the incident allegedly took place, said through a spokeswoman shortly after the misunderstanding that the airline's objective is to ensure safety and security for all passengers and employees.)

"I want you to know," Foss told me, "that I don't go around wearing my Medal of Honor, or carrying it with me. The only reason I had it with me on this flight was that I was supposed to give a speech to a class at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and I thought the medal was something the cadets might be interested in seeing."

I asked him what he remembered about being presented the Congressional Medal of Honor. "I was right fresh out of combat when I was called to the White House," he said. "FDR was behind his desk, and he pinned the medal on my uniform. He said it was for actions above and beyond the call of duty.

"I was nervous, being in the presence of the president. I think I may have been more nervous there than I was in combat. My wife and mother were with me; it was quite a day. I think President Roosevelt called me 'young feller.'"

After the White House ceremony, Foss had his photograph taken with the medal; the nation's highest military honor for valor in action; on his uniform. That photo was the full front cover of Life magazine, the issue of June 7, 1943; the cover caption was: "Captain Foss, U.S.M.C. America's No. 1 Ace."

And now, almost 60 years later, the Medal of Honor was being handed from one skeptical security screener to another in the Phoenix airport, while Foss, at 86, took his boots and belt off as ordered.

"I wasn't upset for me," he said. "I was upset for the Medal of Honor, that they just didn't know what it even was. It represents all of the guys who lost their lives; the guys who never came back. Everyone who put their lives on the line for their country. You're supposed to know what the Medal of Honor is."

[Frank M. Carrio, CMI]

Originally Posted by jonofrey

"They just kept passing it around there were eight or nine or ten of them who handled it before it was over," he said.

"They had found it in my pocket at the airport, and they thought it was suspicious. It's shaped like a star, and they were looking at the metal edges of it, like it was a weapon. I asked for it back, but they kept handing it to each other and inspecting it. I was told to move to a separate area.

"I told them; just turn it over. The engraving on the back explains everything. But they thought they must have something potentially dangerous here.

"I told them exactly what it was; I said, 'That's my Congressional Medal of Honor.´"

The man relating that story was retired Gen. Joe Foss, 86. His experience in Arizona at the international airport in Phoenix; may be the ultimate symbol of the out-of-kilter times we are going through. We are so afraid of terrorists in our midst that what happened to Foss is not only believable, but perhaps even inevitable:

The Congressional Medal of Honor will be taken from its recipient because it looks vaguely ominous.

I spoke with Foss because I wanted to hear it from him directly. He told me that he holds no animosity about the incident; "I'm just as interested in defeating the terrorists as anyone is, I promise you that" and that he is mostly sad that no one knew what the Medal of Honor was.

Foss was awarded the medal by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II after shooting down 26 enemy planes as a Marine fighter pilot in solo combat in the Pacific. He grew up in South Dakota; after the war he would become governor of that state; and took flying lessons as a young man, then went to war.

He lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., and when he travels he is patted down in airports instead of going through the metal detectors, because of a heart pacemaker. At the airport in Phoenix, he said, he was being searched manually and he put his jacket through the X-ray machine. A couple of things caught the attention of the screeners; rightly so.

Foss has a key chain made out of a dummy bullet, with a hole drilled through it to make it evident it is harmless; he also carries a small knife/file with the Medal of Honor Society's insignia on it. The screeners took both of them from Foss; traveling during these nervous days with items that look like bullets, or with even a small knife, will, and should, invite scrutiny. Even if you're 86. Even if you're a war hero.

That's not what frustrated him. The screeners, he said, allowed him to mail the key chain and the little knife back to his home from the airport. But for 45 minutes, he estimated, he was passed from person to person, made to remove his boots and tie and belt and hat three different times, and prevented from boarding his flight (he was eventually allowed on) because the security personnel, he said, had misgivings about his Medal of Honor.

(America West Airlines, in whose terminal in Phoenix the incident allegedly took place, said through a spokeswoman shortly after the misunderstanding that the airline's objective is to ensure safety and security for all passengers and employees.)

"I want you to know," Foss told me, "that I don't go around wearing my Medal of Honor, or carrying it with me. The only reason I had it with me on this flight was that I was supposed to give a speech to a class at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and I thought the medal was something the cadets might be interested in seeing."

I asked him what he remembered about being presented the Congressional Medal of Honor. "I was right fresh out of combat when I was called to the White House," he said. "FDR was behind his desk, and he pinned the medal on my uniform. He said it was for actions above and beyond the call of duty.

"I was nervous, being in the presence of the president. I think I may have been more nervous there than I was in combat. My wife and mother were with me; it was quite a day. I think President Roosevelt called me 'young feller.'"

After the White House ceremony, Foss had his photograph taken with the medal; the nation's highest military honor for valor in action; on his uniform. That photo was the full front cover of Life magazine, the issue of June 7, 1943; the cover caption was: "Captain Foss, U.S.M.C. America's No. 1 Ace."

And now, almost 60 years later, the Medal of Honor was being handed from one skeptical security screener to another in the Phoenix airport, while Foss, at 86, took his boots and belt off as ordered.

"I wasn't upset for me," he said. "I was upset for the Medal of Honor, that they just didn't know what it even was. It represents all of the guys who lost their lives; the guys who never came back. Everyone who put their lives on the line for their country. You're supposed to know what the Medal of Honor is."

What a damned shame!


Shame on them for not recognizing our Nations Highest Award for Bravery!

Shame on these so called "Americans" who live in such a protected lazy and ignorant society that they did not take the time to learn our nations history.

In My Opinion they did not deserve the Honor to be able to hold such an esteemed award in their ignorant hands!

Instead of sullying our Nations Highest award they should have formed an Honor Guard and escorted this Gentleman to his gate and he should have been given a free seat in the "First Class Cabin" and an apology for his inconvenience and for his delay!

My God ..... What is wrong with our youth!

This generation will never know the hardships and sacrifices that so many have made so that they can be free to live in the finest nation on Earth!

John,
I am disgusted and appalled by this story but ..... I want to thank you for bringing this to our attention.

We as a Nation owe our "Living Legends" all of the respect and Honor that we can give them while they are still alive.

Thank you for sharing this with us.

[Brian E. Kelly]

I had dinner with my Uncle Frank last week in LA. I asked him a little about his Marine service in the Pacific during WWII. Some how the discussion turned to Japanese POW's, and my liberal, NRA member, retired marine, retired teacher/principal, democrat, Uncle Frank said, "you know Brian, I never saw a Japanese Prisoner until I was on the Chinese mainland at the end of the war."

I think I'll take him to the range when he visits next week.

Thank You to those that served and to those that serve today.
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[Frank M. Carrio, CMI]

Originally Posted by bkelly2

I had dinner with my Uncle Frank last week in LA. I asked him a little about his Marine service in the Pacific during WWII. Some how the discussion turned to Japanese POW's, and my liberal, NRA member, retired marine, retired teacher/principal, democrat, Uncle Frank said, "you know Brian, I never saw a Japanese Prisoner until I was on the Chinese mainland at the end of the war."

I think I'll take him to the range when he visits next week.

Thank You to those that served and to those that serve today.

When I was in Viet Nam some of our older Sergeants had served in World War II and Korea!

They had C.I.B.'s {Combat Infantry Badges} with not one but Two Stars! They earned their 3rd Star in Viet Nam.

Us "younger" Green Berets stood in awe of them.

Please give your Uncle Frank my "Warmest Regards". I would love to meet him and to be able to shake his hand and to thank him for his service to our Country!

[Michael R. Boyett]

My father-in-law was one of those folks. He served in the Army in WWII in Europe then with the occupation forces there after the war. My ex was born in Bremerhaven, Germany. He then served in Korea and was an early 'adviser' in Viet Nam where he earned the Silver Star. He never talked much about his experiences but once a couple of years ago while sitting around the Thanksgiving dinner table he casually mentioned that he was thankful that he survived his helicopter being shot down in Viet Nam. We all set there dumbfounded... none of his 4 children or even his wife ever knew that had happened. I really can't imagine the other memories he holds to himself.