Meet Your Military
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PHOTO: Army Col. Trevor J. Bredenkamp, commander of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, speaks at a ceremony in Amfreville, France, June 4, 2014, commemorating U.S. Army Lt. Col. Charles J. Timmes, the commander of 2nd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Daniel Cole AMFREVILLE, France – Army Lt. Col. Charles J. Timmes, the commander of 2nd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division during the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, parachuted into Normandy with his troops not knowing what the next 96 hours would bring. Upon landing, Timmes was immediately fighting for his life but not because of a German attack. Timmes had landed in a flooded field and nearly drowned when a strong wind gust filled his chute and dragged him over 200 yards.
Then, a second gust picked him up and dragged him onto a nearby hill, saving his life. Timmes and his command assembled more than a mile away from their original landing point where they came under attack from enemy forces. Timmes had 150 men, one 57-milimeter artillery piece, two machine guns and no means of communication with higher headquarters. German troops kept up pressure on the U.S. paratroopers, but Timmes and his men kept them at bay during four grueling days of combat. Finally, 1st Lt. John Marr from Golf Company, 507th PIR and Pfc. Norman Carter, the company’s runner, broke from the battle to make contact with the 82nd Airborne’s command post which was several miles away.
Upon arriving safely to the command post, Marr and Carter were able to inform the command of their situation. The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment then came to the rescue and attacked the German forces from behind, resulting in the enemy being overpowered and Timmes’ U.S. paratroopers winning the fight. Seventy years later, Timmes and his story are legendary in these parts. The place he landed is now known as Timmes’ Orchard and a memorial site rests nearby to remind the locals of the brave commander who led his troops through those fateful and seemingly endless nights. The memorial is made up of three standing stones, one each for the 507th PIR, the 508th PIR and the 325th GIR. On June 4, a gathering was held there in honor of Timmes and his fellow U.S. veterans, one of several commemorations this week celebrating the 70th Anniversary of D-Day.
Read more: Meet Your Military: French Citizens Honor American Hero
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PHOTO: Army Sgt. Richard Mercedes interprets a conversation between Air Force Senior Airman Michael Hyer of the Ohio Air National Guard's 200th Red Horse Civil Engineering Squadron and Cpl. Ramon Burgos of the Dominican Republic’s army at an elementary school in La Guazara, Dominican Republic, June 2, 2014. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Aaron Rognstad BARAHONA, Dominican Republic – For Sgt. Richard Mercedes of the Puerto Rico Army National Guard, annual training in the Dominican Republic means a little something more this spring. He's come back “home.” Mercedes, a civil engineer with the 190th Forward Support Company, spent the first 18 years of his life in the Dominican Republic before moving to Puerto Rico with his family. “There's a lot of emotion,” said Mercedes, who talks in a thick Caribbean Spanish accent. “To be working with the people and be part of the team that is helping them feels good.” Mercedes stepped out of his traditional job in the to serve as a translator for his annual training, which consists of various construction projects being built by Army and Air Force engineers. Escorting his fellow soldiers and airmen to job sites surrounding the Air National Guard, Army Reserve and National Guard base of operations here, Mercedes is a vital link in bridging the language barrier and serving as a guide and subject-matter expert on the surrounding countryside. “I'm sure I'll be very busy over these next few weeks -- lots of translating and going here and there,” he said. “Whatever they need, I'm just here to help and make things less difficult.”
Read more: Meet Your Military: Deployment Takes Soldier to Original Home
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PHOTO: Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Forrest Jellison, a urologist, works with his surgery team during a penectomy, May 27, 2014, at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City, Belize. An Air Force surgical team deployed to Belize for two weeks during a New Horizons Belize 2014 surgical readiness training exercise. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Kali L. Gradishar BELIZE CITY, Belize– Deployed in support of New Horizons Belize 2014, a multifaceted exercise providing training opportunities for Belizean and U.S. medical professionals, Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Forrest Jellison is finding ways to give back. "I've always wanted to give back in some way, because I know I'm fortunate for what I have," the urologist said. "I believe you have to give back to be able to have something worthwhile." Following a number of family members into the military, Jellison said, he considered enlisting before deciding on a career path that would take him to places he never anticipated going in uniform.
He graduation from Pacific Union College in Napa Valley, California, and followed his undergraduate education with medical school at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California, where he also completed his residency. Jellison then completed a urology fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was commissioned in 2001. After years of schooling, learning, teaching and traveling, Jellison deployed in support of New Horizons. Along with a urology and surgery team, he provided some life-saving surgeries with the assistance and coordination of the nation's sole urologist and other staff at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital here. "I'm very fortunate that this is part of my job," Jellison said. "This is something that I do and want to continue doing outside of where I'm tasked to go in the military."
Read more: Meet Your Military: Air Force Doctor Finds Ways to Give Back
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PHOTO: Air Force 2nd Lt. Kyle Wheeler once prepared weapons for F-15C Eagles as an air munitions maintenance operator. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Robert McIlrathSHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – An airman here is well on his way to fulfilling his dream of flying the same fighter jet he once turned wrenches on. After earning a commission and completing the initial stages of learning to fly, he is now ready to climb into the cockpit and fire the weapons he once loaded. Wheeler is a Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program graduate with the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Air Force 2nd Lt. Kyle Wheeler, a Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program graduate from the 80th Flying Training Wing here, once prepared weapons as an Air Force enlisted air munitions maintenance operator on the F-15C Eagle. After earning a commission and completing the initial stages of learning to fly, he is now ready to climb into the cockpit and drop the weapons he once loaded. Wheeler said he always knew he wanted to be a pilot, but the question was when and how. "I was always really passionate about airplanes as a kid," he said. "Growing up, I enjoyed the airplane ride to Disney World when I was 8 years old more than I really enjoyed Disney World itself. I've always had a fascination with airplanes."
Read more: Meet Your Military: Former Enlisted Man Becomes Jet Pilot
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PHOTO: Marine Corps Pfc. Linard Addison Jr. checks to ensure the morning accountability report is correct at the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit command post, Camp Lejeune, N.C., May 22, 2014. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joshua W. Brown MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Marine Corps Pfc. Linard Addison Jr. said he was only 12 when his father died, and that his service is a way of fulfilling his late father’s expectations. “He told me I should strive to be the best, and that’s why I joined the Marine Corps,” he said. Addison -- who hails from Marion, South Carolina, and is an administrative specialist assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit -- said he knew even at a young age that he wanted to serve. “My dad was in the Army, so for a while, that’s what I thought I wanted to do,” he said. “But when I got into high school, I realized that the Marine Corps was the best.” Addison said he didn’t have a specific specialty in mind, but he knew he absolutely wanted to be a Marine.
“I was real close to my dad, and I wanted to make my family proud,” he added. Addison said his mother and his siblings -- four brothers and two sisters -- were happy about his decision. “I’m the middle child,” Addison said. “I want to set the example for my younger siblings.” His younger sister recently turned 18, he added, and would like to be a Marine after she finishes college. “I want to set the example by coming in and working hard, doing my best, and improving myself every day,” he said. Though he is one of the youngest and most junior Marines in the unit, his responsibilities and expectations are the same as every other Marine in his section. “He works hard, he seeks to learn more, and he’s improving quickly,” said Marine Corps Sgt. Michael K. Burns, Addison’s noncommissioned officer in charge. As a Marine recently out of military occupational school, Addison is still in the process of learning all the facets of his profession. Burns said he is doing well and is a squared-away Marine. “You can tell he’s hungry to learn more,” Burns said.
Read more: Meet Your Military: Marine Sets Example for Siblings