Page 8 - Edwards AFB Desert Wings 9-25-15

Desert Wings September 25, 2015
8 www.aerotechnews.com/edwardsafb
facebook.com/EdwardsDesertWings
3ULVRQHURIZDUVKDUHVZRUVWGD\V

by Rebecca Amber YHKLFOHJXQQHUVSRWDQG6WDII6JW $LU)RUFHSKRWRJUDSKVE\5HEHFFD$PEHU
&KULVWRSKHU6WRQHDVWKHJXLGHWKH\
Staff writer $ FHUHPRQ\ KRQRULQJ VHUYLFH PHPEHUV ZKR DUH SULVRQHUV RI ZDU RU PLVVLQJ LQ DFWLRQ ZDV KHOG LQ WKH %DVH
drove the route to become familiar ([FKDQJH6HSWIRU1DWLRQDO32:0,$5HFRJQLWLRQ'D\
$ FHUHPRQ\ KRQRULQJ VHUYLFH
with it. What they did not know is VHDUFKHGWKUHDWHQHGERXQGE\]LS would listen to air raid sirens and him with an ability to provide his
members who are prisoners of war WKDWRQHVPDOOYLOODJHRQWKHURXWH ERPEVKLWWLQJQHDUE\EXLOGLQJVDQG
RUPLVVLQJLQDFWLRQZDVKHOGLQWKH ZDVVHWWLQJXSDQDPEXVK ties and threatened some more. students with an example of deter-
%DVH([FKDQJH6HSWIRU1D- 7KHQH[WWKLQJ5DPLUH]UHPHP- wondered if he would die in an ex-
WLRQDO32:0,$5HFRJQLWLRQ'D\ “When we first entered the vil- mination and self discipline.
ODJHZHKDGDQHHULHIHHOLQJ,WZDV EHUV LV DQ HHULH TXLHW DQG EHLQJ plosion in that very prison.
The ceremony, hosted by the Air “I hope that I can make a differ-
)RUFH6HUJHDQWV$VVRFLDWLRQZDV different than when we first went placed on his knees side-by-side At one point, he was able to speak
DWWHQGHGE\WKH$PHULFDQ/HJLRQ WKURXJK LW EHFDXVH QRERG\ ZDV ence in their lives and that each and
DQG32:0,$3DWULRW*XDUG RXWVLGH RI WKHLU KRPHV´ UHFDOOHG with his troop mates. with a Red Cross representative
5DPLUH]DERXWWKHQRUPDOO\EXV- ZKREURXJKWPHVVDJHVIURPKRPH every one of my students learns
*XHVWVSHDNHU$QGUHZ5DPLUH] WOLQJDUHD “All I could think about was VRPHWKLQJIURPPH,KRSH,FDQ
ZDWFKLQJRQHRIP\IULHQGVWRWKH Twice he saw Rev. Jesse Jackson EHRQHVPDOOVSDUNWKDWKHOSVLJQLWH
shared the story of the 32 worst $Q ROG PDQ FDPH RXW \HOOLQJ OHIWRUULJKWRIPHEHLQJH[HFXWHG 6U DQG KLV UHOLJLRXV GHOHJDWLRQ WKHLQWHUHVWRIOLIHORQJOHDUQLQJLQ
VFUHDPLQJ DQG ZDYLQJ KLV DUPV EHFDXVH,ZDVLQWKHPLGGOH´KH
days of his life, when he was held 7KRXJKLWVSRRNHGWKHPDWWKHWLPH On their 32nd day of captivity they these children. I hope even more so,
DVDSULVRQHURIZDU)ROORZLQJKLV WKH\ODWHUUHDOL]HGWKHPDQPD\KDYH said. “Luckily, I did not have to die WKDWP\VHUYLFHWRWKLVJUHDWFRXQWU\
SUHVHQWDWLRQWKH%OXH(DJOHV+RQRU EHHQWU\LQJWRZDUQWKHPRIWKHLP- ZLWKWKDWLPDJHLQP\PLQG´ were released to Jackson and re- PDNHVP\IDPLO\SURXG´
*XDUGVHWDFHUHPRQLDOWDEOHLQUH- SHQGLQJGDQJHU7KHLUXSDUPRUHG WXUQHGWR*HUPDQ\
+XPYHHVWDUWHGWRWDNHGLUHFWVPDOO The Soldiers were taken across 5DPLUH]ZDVMRLQHGDWWKHFHU-
membrance of those who are prison- DUPV¿UHZKLFKVRXQGHGOLNHURFNV WKHERUGHUWKH\ZHUHJLYHQPHGLFDO ³,WZDVWKHPRVWVXUUHDOWKLQJ7R HPRQ\E\KLVZLIH'HEUD
HUVRIZDUDQGPLVVLQJLQDFWLRQLQ KLWWLQJWKHYHKLFOH$V5DPLUH]WULHG DWWHQWLRQDQGLQWHUURJDWHG(YHQWX- JRIURPQRWKLQJWRDOORIWKHSHRSOH
DOO\WKH\ZHUHSUHVHQWHGWRDJURXS 2EVHUYDQFHVRI1DWLRQDO32:
all branches of the military. Master to evade the attack, they turned into all of the attention, they were very 0,$ 5HFRJQLWLRQ 'D\ DUH KHOG
6JW*HUDOG/RFNZRRGQG7HVW of media and his family and friends KDSS\WRVHHXVEXWWKDWZDVYHU\
DQG(YDOXDWLRQ6TXDGURQFORVHGWKH a full platoon of infantry that opened ¿UVWOHDUQHGRIKLVFDSWXUH RYHUZKHOPLQJ´ across the country on military instal-
FHUHPRQ\E\SOD\LQJ³$PHULFDWKH ¿UHRQWKHP
%HDXWLIXO´ ³7KDWWLPHIRUPHLVTXLWHEOXUU\ And that was only 32 days, lations, ships at sea, state capitols,
6WRQHWULHGWRVHQGWKHLUJULGOR- ,WVRUWRIUXQVWRJHWKHUEHFDXVHIRU 5DPLUH]FRQFOXGHG0DQ\SULVRQ-
5DPLUH]¶V VWRU\ EHJDQ 0DUFK schools and veterans’ facilities. It is
ZKLFK VWDUWHGRIIDVD cation, but only half was ever re- 10 days they kept us bound and ers of war spend months or years
FHLYHG$QGVLQFHWKHHQJLQHZDV KRRGHGDQGRQWKHÀRRU´KHVDLG traditionally observed on the third
beautiful day. Then, Army Staff in captivity and some never return
6JW5DPLUH]ZDVGHSOR\HGWRWKH not up-armored at the time, their “We were moved three times, inter- Friday in September each year.
HQJLQHZDVGLVDEOHGDQGWKH\ZHUH URJDWHGQXPHURXVWLPHVDQGDVNHG home.
Macedonia-Serbia border in an ob- VWXFN %HFDXVH RI WKHLU UXOHV RI WKLQJVZD\DERYHRXUSD\JUDGH´ ³1RQHRIXVFDQHYHUUHFDSWXUH This observance is one of six days
HQJDJHPHQWWKH\ZHUHUHVWULFWHG WKURXJKRXWWKH\HDUWKDW&RQJUHVV
servation post. IURP ILULQJ WKHLU ZHDSRQVXQWLO At the end of that 10 days, they the past, we can only learn from it, KDVPDQGDWHGWKHÀ\LQJRIWKH1D-
³:HZHUHWKH¿UVWOLQHRIDODUP ILUHGXSRQWKH\ZHUHDOVRRXW- UHPHPEHULWPRYHRQ´ WLRQDO/HDJXHRI)DPLOLHV¶32:
JXQQHG were taken to a prison where they 0,$ IODJ 7KH RWKHUV DUH $UPHG
incase Serbians decided to invade ZHUHIHGWZLFHDGD\DQGJLYHQORWV 7RGD\5DPLUH]LVDVL[WKJUDGH )RUFHV 'D\ 0HPRULDO 'D\ )ODJ
0DFHGRQLD´VDLG5DPLUH] “I lost control of the vehicle and RIWLPHWRWKLQN$WQLJKW5DPLUH] 'D\,QGHSHQGHQFH'D\DQG9HWHU-
teacher at Yucca Elementary School DQV'D\
$WWKDWWLPH5DPLUH]VDLGWKH\ crashed into a crowd of bushes and LQ3DOPGDOH&DOLI+HLVWKDQNIXO
ZHUHGRLQJ$PHULFDQERPELQJUXQV ZHVDWKHOSOHVV´VDLG5DPLUH]³,
WKRXJKWORQJDQGKDUGDERXWZKDW that his military service provided
and missile strikes into the former
<XJRVODYLDQFRXQWULHVRI.RVRYR happened next, especially as I sat
6HUELD$OEDQLDDQG0RQWHQHJUR
+HUHFDOOVEHLQJVHQWWRREVHUYHWKH in a prison cell all day for the next
ERUGHUZLWK³YHU\OLWWOHHTXLSPHQW´
DQGYHU\VWULFWUXOHVRIHQJDJHPHQW month, but I really can’t see where
ZHFRXOGPDNHDQ\RWKHUGHFLVLRQ´
To be better prepared, his troop was
PDSSLQJRXWHVFDSHURXWHVLQFDVH The Soldiers were removed from
WKHYHKLFOHEHDWHQGUDJJHGWKURXJK
of an enemy invasion. WKHYLOODJHDQGSODFHGLQDVWDEOH
7KHQH[WGD\ZLWK5DPLUH]DWWKH
behind a home. Then, they were
ZKHHO6SHF6WHYHQ*RQ]DOHVLQWKH

*XHVWVSHDNHUDQGIRUPHU32:$QGUHZ5DPLUH]VKDUHGWKHVWRU\RIWKH

7KH%OXH(DJOHV+RQRU*XDUGVHWVDFHUHPRQLDOWDEOHLQKRQRURIVHUYLFHPHPEHUVWKDWDUHSULVRQHUVRIZDURU ZRUVWGD\VRIKLVOLIHGXULQJWKH(GZDUGVREVHUYDQFHRI1DWLRQDO32:

PLVVLQJLQDFWLRQLQHDFKEUDQFKRIWKHPLOLWDU\ 0,$5HFRJQLWLRQ'D\6HSW