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Current Staff Sgts. Daniel Grotte, left, and Joshua Grotte, two of Grant and Sharon's grandsons.[/caption]
The Grottes are not Air Force royalty. They are not descended from aviation pioneers, dogfighting legends or Pentagon insiders. But what the Grottes lack in profile, they more than make up for in volume.
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This family, rooted in the Midwest, claims a three-generation Air Force lineage four counting a stepfather in the pre-World War II Army Air Corps. The Grottes' ties to the service began in the buildup to World War II and end, for now, in hangars holding F-16s and KC-135s. They've produced eight airmen, almost all of them crew chiefs who were, or are, low-ranking sergeants.Through the decades, the family has observed the Air Force's dramatic transformation. Grotte hands have repaired clunky, destructive B-25 bombers, then supersonic T-38 trainers and now sleek and lightweight fighters.
But while the Air Force's technology has constantly evolved, the Grottes' reasons for enlisting have remained static. The patriotic satisfaction, valuable technical training and lessons on manhood delivered by the Air Force have again and again cemented their family calling.
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Grant Grotte was the first Grotte airman[/caption]
And it all started with a mechanic named Grant, a popcorn vendor and a color-blind girl at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.
The patriarch
For Grant Grotte, the Wisconsinite son of a paper mill mechanic, an assignment to Sheppard's propeller engine repair shop was a no-brainer. "As much as I resisted," he said, "my father's maintenance skills rubbed off on me."
It was the mid-1950s, the days before software diagnostics. Checking out a B-25's engine cylinders could involve reaching out to feel if they'd gone cold. It was enjoyable work, Grant said, and he decided to re-enlist pending a promotion to staff sergeant.
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Sharon Grotte married Grant while working for Air Force intelligence.[/caption]
One day, a married friend who sold popcorn at the base theater spied a girl he thought Grant would like. That young lady was Sharon, stepdaughter of an Army Air Corps crew chief. She worked intelligence back then, though supervisors shuffled her off photo intel once they realized she couldn't discern colors.
The vendor introduced himself and fixed her up with Grant.
They hit it off, so well that they were soon married, and Sharon was honorably discharged a year later for carrying a child. "They threw you out of the force for that back then," said Grant, now 73. Sharon, who died in 1996, became a homemaker, and the lifestyle stuck as they had a second, third and eventually sixth baby boy.
Grant wanted an Air Force career, but the slow demise of propeller planes crumbled his hopes of making staff sergeant. Blame it on the rising prominence of jet aircraft. Air Force leaders froze the reciprocating engine mechanic career field and promoted repairmen who tended to jet engines instead, prompting Grant to leave the service in 1958.
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"It was a good life while I was in," he said. "I didn't make a lot of money, but it was a good life."Grant needed work. After a stint in his father's paper mill, he landed a job repairing engines with Continental Airlines. This career move proved profoundly influential. Grant spent 37 years with the airline and established the Grotte family formula: Enlist. Get trained. Catch the crew chief bug and stick it out for life first as an airman, then as a civilian.
Band of brothers
It was the mid-1970s, and the Grotte boys were running wild in El Paso, Texas.
"We were really rough teenagers," said Mitch Grotte, Grant and Sharon's fourth son. "If anything happened in the neighborhood, they just called my mom."
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The Grotte family, from left: Mitchell, Rodney, Sharon, Grant, John (a Navy radio operator), Michael, Richard and George. Mitchell, Rodney, Grant, Richard and George were Air Force crew chiefs; Sharon worked for Air Force intelligence.[/caption]
Grant was working night shifts then, repairing engines with a small crew at the quiet local airport. At home, he was father to a stable of gearheads. Nearly all of the brothers George, John, Rick, Mitch, Michael and Rodney liked working with their hands and tweaking old muscle cars.
They'd load those cars with friends and dates and, later into the evening, roll out to the airport hangar to watch Grant repair planes. "I was out there as soon as I could drive," Mitch said. "Every Friday and Saturday night, I'd spend half the night handing him tools. Just learning the trade."
Rick was the first to enlist in the Air Force. Then Mitch. Then Rodney. John joined the Navy, Mitch said, "but we still talked to him anyway."
For the Grotte boys, the military offered the right recipe of practical skills and patriotic service. They grew up in a house where dad came home talking airplanes, and mom always stood for the national anthem even during televised baseball games. One by one, Mitch said, he and his brothers entered the service and exchanged their teenage mischief for discipline and hard work.
Mitch enlisted in 1979 and rose to the rank of buck sergeant, a now-defunct rank that straddled the line between senior airman and staff sergeant. "It was basically senior airman with a star," Mitch said. "They just gave you NCO responsibilities." He was stationed at the now-closed Reese Air Force Base, Texas, married to his high school sweetheart and working as a crew chief. Like his brothers, Mitch worked on T-38 Talon twin-engine jets, the world's first supersonic trainer and a jet that remains in service.
By his fourth year in the service, Mitch had grown weary of the monotony and the service's top-down structure. "We were pretty broke all the time, which is typical of enlisted guys," he said. He wanted more money, more difficult tasks. "I felt like a glorified gas station attendant."
So he followed his father's path. Mitch left and started at Continental, where he still works today. His brother Rick, who died two years ago, also repaired engines for Continental. Rodney, taking a slightly different path, began a career with the U.S. Postal Service after leaving the Air Force, and George became a civilian crew chief without military service.
"All of us that went in became crew chiefs. We did our time and got out," Mitch said. "None of us had a bad experience in the service. It actually helped us accomplish everything we wanted to accomplish."
The new breed
Cousins Josh and Daniel Grotte's exposure to the Air Force came one summer getaway at a time in the late 1980s and 1990s. Family gatherings took place at a lakeside cabin in northern Wisconsin, where Grant and his sons would debate the finer points of airplane mechanics.
"There was a lot of shop talk around the fire," said Daniel, Rick's son. "It was like they knew everything."
But back at home in the Houston area, the cousins were as disinterested in turning gears as most any kids in the Internet generation. Daniel was a trumpet prodigy with dreams of becoming a band director. Josh, Mitch's son, was a college scholarship-worthy football player. "We weren't mechanically minded," Josh said. "I didn't want to work on cars. I just wanted to chase girls and play sports."
Fast forward to 2003. Daniel, fresh out of music training at the University of Houston, realized directing public school bands didn't pay the bills. And Josh, after a semester playing football for the University of Wisconsin, had suffered a serious knee injury.
In a move the family didn't see coming, they both enlisted that spring just weeks apart.
"We wanted to be crew chiefs like our fathers," said Daniel, now a staff sergeant. "We all thought our dads were geniuses, but who doesn't? If it was good enough for our fathers, our heroes, it was good enough for us."
Now they are traveling the same path. Daniel, 26 and married, is a traveling crew chief for the Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron.
And Josh, also 26 and married, repairs KC-135 air refueling and cargo jets. He's sewing on his staff sergeant stripes next spring. And he's one of the few Grottes who've seen war. Josh has deployed to Iraq five times.
Both cousins plan to leave the Air Force in coming years and find aircraft repair work in the civilian sector.
"I always thought I was a man before I came in," Josh said. "But being in the military has really made me into who I am. I didn't realize it until I got older, but the Air Force has really made our family what it is."
From his home in South Milwaukee, Grant said he never expected the Air Force would so strongly thread his family's identity. "I think of it quite a bit," he said. "I felt, and still do, that you owe the country some military service or service of some type. I never pressured any of my sons to go into the Air Force, but I'm happy they did."
As for sowing a fifth Air Force generation, the odds aren't bad. Grant is grandfather to 27 and great-grandfather to 13.
That's a lot of potential crew chiefs.
By Patrick Winn - Staff writer
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During a White House ceremony, the president awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor recognizing Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller's 2008 actions in Afghanistan. Miller's parents, Phil and Maureen Miller, accepted the award.[/caption]
WASHINGTON President Barack Obama paid tribute today to a young U.S. Army Special Forces sergeant who gave up his life for his fellow soldiers.
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During a White House ceremony, the president awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor recognizing Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller's 2008 actions in Afghanistan. Miller's parents, Phil and Maureen Miller, accepted the award."We are a nation of more than 300 million Americans. Of these, less than 1 percent wears the uniform of our armed services. And of these, just a small fraction has earned the badges of our special operations forces," the president said. "In the finest military the world has ever known, these warriors are the best of the best. In an era that prizes celebrity and status, they are quiet professionals -- never seeking the spotlight. In a time of war, they have borne a burden far beyond their small numbers."The Medal of Honor is the highest military award a servicemember can receive for valor in action against a combatant force. Miller's Medal of Honor is the seventh awarded, all posthumously, to troops serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A living soldier, Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, has been chosen for the award but has yet to receive it.
"It has been said that courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point," Obama said. "For Rob Miller, the testing point came nearly three years ago, deep in a snowy Afghan valley. But the courage he displayed that day reflects every virtue that defined his life: Devotion to duty. An abiding sense of honor. A profound love of country."
Miller served as a weapons sergeant for Company A, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group Airborne. He was the team's youngest member, on his second deployment to Afghanistan.
His team was supporting an Afghan Border Police security patrol in Kunar province Jan. 25, 2008. Taliban fighters opened fire on the group from nearby buildings and from behind boulders. The team called in air strikes on the enemy position, but came under fire again when they moved forward to search for survivors.
Miller's team captain was seriously wounded, and Miller remained at the front of the patrol to lay down suppressive fire as the captain was moved to safety. Other team members bounded back over the snowy terrain to find cover and return fire.
"Rob held his ground. Despite the chaos around him, he radioed back enemy positions. As the only Pashto speaker on his team, he organized the Afghan soldiers around him. But the incoming fire, in the words of one soldier, was simply 'astounding,'" the president said.
"Rob made a decision. He called for his team to fall back. And then he did something extraordinary. Rob moved in the other direction -- toward the enemy, drawing their guns away from his team and bringing the fire of all those insurgents down upon himself," Obama said.
The young weapons sergeant continued to fire his weapon and lob grenades at the enemy positions, drawing fire to cover the team's movement even after he was wounded by machine-gun fire. Army accounts of the incident said more than 100 Taliban fighters shot at Miller. Team members say he returned fire for more than 20 minutes after he was wounded. Then his weapon and radio went silent.
"This is the story of what one American soldier did for his team, but it's also a story of what they did for him," Obama said. "Two of his teammates braved the bullets and rushed to Rob's aid. In those final moments, they were there at his side -- American soldiers there for each other.
"The relentless fire forced them back, but they refused to leave their fallen comrade. When reinforcements arrived, these Americans went in again - risking their lives, taking more casualties - determined to bring Rob Miller out of that valley. And finally, after fighting that raged for hours, they did," the president said.
Miller's courage saved his captain's life, and enabled seven of his fellow Special Forces soldiers and 15 Afghan troops to survive, gain cover and repel the attack, Army officials said.
The president said Miller's legacy endures in the love of his parents, the pride of his brothers and sisters, in the Afghans he trained and defended, and in the service of his teammates.
"Finally, Rob Miller -- and all those who give their lives in our name -- endure in each of us. Every American is safer because of their service. And every American has a duty to remember and honor their sacrifice," Obama said.
Miller was born in Harrisburg, Pa., and raised in Wheaton, Ill. His family moved to Florida shortly after the young man graduated from Wheaton High School. He joined the Army in 2003, graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2004 and completed the Special Forces Weapons Sergeant Course in 2005.
In addition to his parents, Miller is survived by his brothers Thomas, Martin and Edward; and sisters Joanna, Mary, Therese and Patricia.
First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, Army Secretary John McHugh, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and Navy Adm. Eric Olsen, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, attended today's ceremony.
Also on hand were several of Miller's teammates from Alpha Company and more than 100 of his friends and family members.
Here is the text of Miller's Medal of Honor citation:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by act of Congress, March 3rd, 1863, has awarded, in the name of the Congress, the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.
Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller distinguished himself by extraordinary acts of heroism while serving as the weapons sergeant in Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3312, Special Operations Task Force 33, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan, during combat operations against an armed enemy in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on January 25th, 2008.
While conducting a combat reconnaissance patrol through the Gowardesh Valley, Staff Sergeant Miller and his small element of U.S. and Afghan National Army soldiers engaged a force of 15 to 20 insurgents occupying prepared fighting positions. Staff Sergeant Miller initiated the assault by engaging the enemy positions with his vehicle's turret-mounted Mk 19 40-millimeter automatic grenade launcher, while simultaneously providing detailed descriptions of the enemy positions to his command, enabling effective, accurate close air support.
Following the engagement, Staff Sergeant Miller led a small squad forward to conduct a battle damage assessment. As the group neared the small, steep, narrow valley that the enemy had inhabited, a large, well-coordinated insurgent force initiated a near ambush, assaulting from elevated positions with ample cover.
Exposed and with little available cover, the patrol was totally vulnerable to enemy rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons fire.
As a point man, Staff Sergeant Miller was at the front of the patrol, cut off from supporting elements and less than 20 meters from enemy forces. Nonetheless, with total disregard for his own safety, he called for his men to quickly move back to cover positions as he charged the enemy over exposed ground and under overwhelming enemy fire in order to provide protective fire for his team.
While maneuvering to engage the enemy, Staff Sergeant Miller was shot in the upper torso. Ignoring the wound, he continued to push the fight. Moving to draw fire from over 100 enemy fighters upon himself, he then again charged forward through an open area in order to allow his teammates to safely reach cover.
After killing at least 10 insurgents, wounding dozens more and repeatedly exposing himself to withering enemy fire while moving from position to position, Staff Sergeant Miller was mortally wounded by enemy fire. His extraordinary valor ultimately saved the lives of seven members of his own team and 15 Afghan National Army soldiers.
Staff Sergeant Miller's heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty and at the cost of his own life are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.
Oct. 6, 2010: By Karen Parrish- American Forces Press Service
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Carlos Figueroa, a Marine Corps veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and nerve injuries to his left leg during operations in Afghanistan, tries his hand at kayaking at the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic in San Diego. VA photo by Robert Turtil[/caption]
WASHINGTON Traumatic brain injuries, amputations and other combat wounds aren't getting in the way of a good time - and a great rehabilitative experience - for 75 disabled veterans participating this week in the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic in San Diego.
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The clinic, sponsored by the Veterans Affairs Department, opened Sept. 18 and wraps up with closing ceremonies later today.About a third of the participants were wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, with some still being processed through the disability evaluation system, officials reported. For many, the clinic is their introduction to adaptive sports and recreational activities, and the therapeutic value of sailing, surfing, cycling, kayaking and track and field events.
Raymond Warren, a 29-year-old Marine lance corporal severely wounded in Iraq when a grenade embedded shrapnel in his brain, legs, stomach and arms, said first learning of his severe traumatic brain injury felt like a death sentence.
Always highly competitive, Warren feared when he first awoke at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., that an important part of his life was forever gone. "It hit me pretty hard," he said.
But this week, as he ran hurdles, kayaked and tried his hand at sailing, surfing and other clinic events alongside his fellow veterans, Warren said he found himself focusing on his abilities rather than his disabilities.
"This shows me I've still got what I used to have," he said. "There's nothing that can stop me from accomplishing the goals I've set forth in front of me."
Like Warren, Carlos Figueroa always had been a devoted 'jock' before he was medically evacuated from Afghanistan with a traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and nerve injuries to his left leg.
"I've always been really competitive and big into sports, but when I got out of the service with my injury, I realized that I could no longer do any of the sports I used to play because I couldn't run," said the 31-year-old medically retired Marine. A friend introduced Figueroa to mixed martial arts and jujitsu, which have helped to renew his competitive spirit. "Once we hit the floor, I am no longer disabled," he said. "It's a fair game for both of us."
Both Figueroa and Warren got their first exposure to VA's sports clinic program while attending the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass, Colo. Warren has participated three times. Figueroa attended the clinic for the first time this spring.
"Since my injury, I've competed in other events, and typically I would be the only disabled participant," he said. "But the satisfaction of competing at the winter sports clinic felt 10 times greater -- just being around other disabled veterans, with everyone trying their hardest and knowing that, whether you succeed or not, everyone has achieved a goal in some way, just by being there."
A joker at heart, Figueroa said the winter sports clinic restored the smile he'd lost and instilled a newfound self-confidence that has helped him resume a full life.
"What I took back from it was not to underestimate myself, not to let my disability control me," he said. "There are still tons of things I can do out there."
While relishing the competition at their first summer sports clinic, both Warren and Figueroa say they're buoyed just as much by the camaraderie they've found among their fellow disabled veterans.
"You're with people who know what you're going through," Warren said. "We understand each other, so this is like a second family, away from your family."
"This is great for veterans," agreed Figueroa. "I see the smile on so many veterans' faces while we are competing. You get participating in an event, and somehow, the pain goes away. I don't know why. Maybe it's just the simple fact that you are around other disabled veterans."
Warren said he has benefitted greatly from the lessons shared by veterans with more experience living with their disabilities.
"When you fall down, get up. Keep going forward," he said. "And don't let anything hold you down."
Warren has taken those lessons to heart, noting he shares them with the newer disabled veterans he meets.
"Don't give up on your goals," Warren said he tells his comrades. "And come to these events, because you are among other veterans going through what you are going through, and they will help you through it."Sept. 24, 2010: By Donna Miles- American Forces Press Service
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Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy welcomed the brother, sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. Etchberger, who was posthumously awarded the medal during a White House ceremony yesterday, to today's event.Adding Etchberger's name to the Hall of Heroes, where the names of all Medal of Honor recipients are inscribed, marks two firsts, Roy said.Etchberger is the first combat support airman and the first servicemember in the top enlisted grade to receive the Medal of Honor."Since Congress created the E-8 and E-9 pay grades in 1958, no other E-9, in any of our military services, has ever been awarded the Medal of Honor," Roy said. "Chief Etchberger is the first."
Roy summarized the 1968 events for which Etchberger received the nation's highest award for military valor 42 years later. While he was serving as a ground radar superintendent for a secret installation in Laos as part of a covert CIA-Air Force operation, Etchberger and his unit came under attack.
With two of his four-member crew dead and the two others injured, Etchberger single-handedly held off the enemy from the men's precarious perch on a cliffside ledge while calling for air strikes and air rescue throughout the night.
The next morning, a rescue helicopter arrived. Etchberger braved heavy enemy fire to load his wounded compatriots and another surviving airman into slings dangling from a rescue helicopter. As the helicopter prepared to leave, Etchberger was shot, and he died while in flight.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz said Etchberger's legend will inspire generations of airmen.
"Valor has no expiration date," he said. "Courage is timeless. And the discovery of truth, no matter how long it is delayed, sets the record straight."
Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley also spoke at the ceremony, emphasizing Etchberger's significance representing Vietnam veterans.
"To a younger generation, Vietnam is a faraway place indeed, present only in the history books, old movies and photographs, and through the stories of aging veterans," Donley said.
"But for his family, and for our nation, for the Air Force he loved and served, for generations of airmen yet to come, Chief Etchberger's story will never fade in our memory," he continued. "Once lost beneath impenetrable layers of security, the story of Lima Site 85 -- Dick Etchberger's example of integrity, service and excellence [and] of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty -- is assured of its future."
Cory Etchberger, the chief's youngest son, shared memories of his father as they'd been related to him by his father's fellow airmen. He was 9 when his father died, he said, and his own memories are "few, fuzzy and fleeting." But a series of commanding officers the chief served with, he said, characterized his father in his annual evaluations as "a born leader," "bursting with enthusiasm he gets the job done while he's still talking about it," and "the top [noncommissioned officer] in the United States Air Force."
"Ladies and gentlemen here today, and especially the fine young airmen and women who now serve, or who have served, in our great Air Force: I hope this has given you a better idea of who Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger was, from the perspective of the people who knew him best," Etchberger's son said.
"At Amherst College in 1963," he continued, "President John F. Kennedy said the following: ‘A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.' To everybody here, thank you so much from the entire Etchberger family for honoring, and remembering."
Sept. 22, 2010: By Karen Parrish- American Forces Press Service
 Redistributed by www.SupportOurTroops.org
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Retired Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Daniel reflects on the 1968 battle at Lima Site 85 in Laos that resulted in the posthumous award of the Medal of Honor to Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger. Daniel was one of the airmen saved by Etchberger during the battle. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. David Byron[/caption]
WASHINGTON In 1968, a battle raged where heroes arose only to be unacknowledged for 18 years. Proper recognition occurred during a White House ceremony Sept. 21 when Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor after saving three of his men in a battle that failed to make headlines at the time due to its then-highly classified nature.
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Retired Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Daniel was one of the airmen Etchberger saved during the battle at the Lima 85 radar site.The mission, named Heavy Green, was to provide radar information and assistance to U.S. aircraft bombing military targets in Hanoi, Vietnam, its surrounding areas and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The radar site, located on a hilltop in Laos, was not officially acknowledged until 1986 because Laos was considered a neutral country during the Vietnam War, despite U.S. and North Vietnamese forces often operating there.Daniel said that although the mission was to guide bombers on long-range strikes, as time went on the radar crews were forced to direct an increasing number of bombing runs closer to their own location.
The North Vietnamese army had discovered the site's location and made a concerted push, including building roads to bring in heavy artillery, to launch attacks against the site.
On the evening of March 10, 1968, the radar crew experienced a lull in guiding bomber missions and decided to take a dinner break. Daniel had the additional duty as cook for his shift.
"I asked them what they wanted for dinner, and they all said steaks, so we went down to the barbecue pit and fired up the grill," he said. "We hadn't started cooking yet, and [Air Force Lt. Col.] Bill Blanton came up and said, 'Fellows, we need to have a little get-together up in the equipment.'"
Blanton told the team that the North Vietnamese army had surrounded them and the situation looked dire, Daniel said. While calling in evacuation helicopters was a possibility, that option was rapidly disappearing as darkness approached. A flight out the following morning would be more likely.
"We took a straw poll of everybody that was there," Daniel said. "We decided to just go ahead and drop bombs all night, and in the morning, detonate all the equipment and get out on choppers at first light."
As it turned out, they didn't have as much time as they'd thought. During the meeting, the North Vietnamese army began its attack. The first artillery round hit the barbecue shack.
"It was a good thing we were at that meeting and not having dinner," Daniel said.
The radar team split into two crews. One team would pull the first shift manning the equipment, the other would return to the sleeping quarters, rest and prepare to relieve the first team. The sleeping quarters and bunker were located next to the barbecue shack.
"I said I wasn't going to stay in quarters or the bunker," Daniel said. "They already hit there and had the range down on that. I said we should go down over the side of the hill, where we went to write letters. Nobody would find us down there."
On one side of the hill was a ledge where the airmen often sat to compose letters or tapes to send home. It was 10 to 15 feet below the top of the hill, with a nearly 3,000-foot straight drop below. The five-man crew decided to take cover there.
The five airmen started hearing small-arms fire and grenades going off on the hilltop, Daniel said. "Shortly thereafter," he added, "someone caught a glimpse of us and started emptying their rifles at us."
In the first volley of gunfire, two members of the team were hit, one fatally. The crew returned fire with their M-16s. After the next exchange, two were dead and two others had been wounded. Etchberger was the only one not wounded.
During lulls in the gun battle, the enemy began tossing grenades down on the ledge.
"If I could reach them, I'd pick them up and throw them back on top of the hill," Daniel said. "If I couldn't reach them, I'd take the butt of my rifle and kick them off over the edge of the mountain."
When one grenade landed outside both his own reach and the reach of his rifle, Daniel said, he rolled the dead body of a comrade over on top of it.
Roughly 15 yards separated Daniel and Etchberger. Daniel had a radio near him, and as the attack continued, the chief directed him to call in an air strike on the top of the hill. Throughout the night, a succession of aircraft unloaded their ordnance, both bombs and bullets, on the hill.
At daylight, three members of the team still survived on the ledge. An Air America helicopter spotted them and hovered, lowering a sling. Etchberger broke cover, exposing himself to the enemy, and closed the gap between himself and his wounded colleagues.
"[Etchberger] scooted me on over and got me on that sling," Daniel said. "After I was up, he got [Capt. Stan Sliz] up on the sling."
After the two survivors were aboard the helicopter, the chief began to secure himself to the sling. Before he could go up, Staff Sgt. Bill Husband, who had been playing dead atop the hill, dashed to the ledge. The chief locked arms with him, and they rode the sling together and boarded the helicopter.
As the helicopter began to climb, a North Vietnamese soldier emptied his weapon into the underside of the aircraft. Etchberger was mortally wounded and died during the evacuation flight.
"[Etchberger] was one hell of an NCO," Daniel said. "He knew the equipment. He knew how to handle people. He knew what to do and how to do it. You were eager to follow the man, to do what he wanted you to do."
The Heavy Green mission began with volunteers, briefings and sworn statements of secrecy at the Pentagon in 1967. For those involved, the White House Medal of Honor presentation and the Pentagon Hall of Heroes induction ceremony today will provide closure to the mission.
"It's only fitting," Daniel said, "that we're back in the Pentagon to finish it up and put an end to it, right where it started, 43 years ago."
Sept. 22, 2010: By Air Force Senior Master Sgt. David Byron-Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
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Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joshua Wege and Army Pvt. Harrison Ruzicka race past a cheering Corps of Cadets crowd as they make their way through the indoor obstacle course test at Arvin Gymnasium at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., Sept. 10, 2010. U.S. Army photo by John Pellino[/caption]
WEST POINT, N.Y. They run road races and compete in triathlons. They climb mountains, kayak through rapids and ski on snow and water.
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They are America's wounded warriors -- veterans who continue to inspire by their resilience and will to overcome any obstacle placed before them.Six Army soldiers and one Marine from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., visited the U.S. Military Academy here Sept. 10 to test their abilities on a challenging set of obstacles.
The indoor obstacle course test is a rite of passage for all West Point cadets as a testament to their physical fortitude. Being able to make it through this intense test of balance, strength and stamina is hard enough, given months of practice and training. But for the wounded warriors, with only hours of preparation, the test was an inspirational example of the Warrior Ethos and human perseverance, said Army Col. Gregory L. Daniels, the chief of the academy's physical education department.
[caption id="attachment_3438" align="alignleft" width="149"]
Army Sgt. Robert Brown, a Paralympics athlete, takes on the indoor obstacle course test at Arvin Gymnasium at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., Sept. 10, 2010. Brown, who has continued on active duty, earned three medals at the 2010 Warrior Games in June. He lost his right leg to sniper fire while on patrol near Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006, and returned to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Proper Exit. U.S. Army photo by Mike Strasser[/caption]
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Army Spc. Nicholas Edinger takes on the indoor obstacle course test at Arvin Gymnasium at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., Sept. 10, 2010. Edinger lost his leg in June 2009 when he stepped on a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Mike Strasser[/caption]
"These outstanding soldiers are a testament to the amazing power of the human spirit," Daniels said of the wounded warriors. "They make no excuses for their so-called disabilities, and they drive on with an indomitable grit that is truly remarkable. Every single cadet should take notice and emulate their invincible spirit."
For that reason, Daniels made sure cadets were present for this event. Hayes Gymnasium roared with the encouraging cheers of cadets as the wounded warriors moved through the timed course.
"I wanted the cadets to cheer them on with all their might and to be inspired by what they observed," Daniels said. "These soldiers demonstrated the Warrior Ethos in a very unique and powerful way. I wanted as many cadets as possible to see first-hand the type of young person they will eventually have the immense responsibility and awesome privilege to lead."
Cadets lined up to congratulate and speak with the group after the test. Cadet Brittany O'Connell said she left with a lump in her throat from what she'd witnessed.
"It made me realize that even with things as hectic as they are here, your problems may not be as big as you think they are," she said. "It was truly amazing."
When Daniels told the cadets to remember this event the next time they complained about something being too hard, Cadet Tom Snukis took it to heart.
"It was definitely inspiring, because you see cadets struggle through this every day," said Snukis, who will take the course for score in October. "Then to come out here and see soldiers missing arms and legs, and they destroyed the [course]. 'Inspiring' is definitely the word."
As the sole Marine and only double amputee in the group, Lance Cpl. Joshua Wege said he had even more to prove than his colleagues. He was not expecting such a large audience, he said, but it fueled his performance with an added dose of adrenaline.
"The entire bleachers were filled, and just the sound reverberating off the walls was cool," Wege said. "I've never had crowds cheer me before. I was nervous at the starting line, which I don't get very often, but with everyone watching and the blood pumping, I wanted to do the best I could."
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