Courtesy Photo | U.S. Army 1st Sgt. William Truelove, senior enlisted non-commissioned officer of...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – The old paratrooper Wild Bill tells the story of a young clerk whose enthusiasm changed the Vietnam War for their unit, “Abu” Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry of the Screaming Eagles back when the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) still jumped from planes.
He would change the Iraq war for a company of Fort Bragg Paratroopers as well, but he could not know that of course.
The 19-year-old sergeant’s name was Artavia, Joe. He had volunteered for the Army and for airborne.
With company morale at an all-time low from daily busting many “klicks” or kilometers through the jungle, enduring the rains, the C-rations, the foul water and even personally-addressed hate mail from war protesters in the States, Artavia wrote his sister, Linda Giese in San Mateo, Calif., to ask if she would try to persuade the city to “adopt” his unit. If she could, morale would be “high as the clouds,” he wrote.
Surprisingly, the city just 20 miles from San Francisco formally adopted Artavia’s company March 4, 1968. From that seed city – the only city to adopt and welcome home troops during the entire Vietnam War – grew America Supporting Americans, a program of cities and organizations sponsoring military units, still run by Artavia’s sister, now Linda Patterson.
On Oct. 22, 38 years after San Mateo rolled out the red carpet for the 101st Airborne Division’s Abu Company, the town of Fort Mitchell, Ky., once again welcomed home their adopted sons, Fort Bragg’s Bravo Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, who had recently returned from Iraq.
Fort Mitchell lies just southwest of Cincinnati.
With the repeated deployments of past last eight years, this isn’t Fort Mitchell’s first homecoming for the paratroopers.
“It’s amazing how many people in the area actually wanted to hang out with us to let us know they cared,” said Sgt. Alexander Maynard, who along with Sgt. Michael Gaither was visiting the town of 8,000 for the second time. They were both privates when they came here after their first deployment to Iraq.
“The way they treat you, it does feel like a second home,” said Gaither, an infantry team leader originally from Brunswick, Md. “They give you the works.”
Forty-seven paratroopers and seven spouses were honored over a weekend of celebration that included a parade, a tour of the town’s K-12 school, a high-school pep rally and football game, a fun run, a picnic and of course, the key to the city. Each was made an honorary Kentucky Colonel.
“All the kids outside happy to see you makes you feel pretty good,” said Maynard, who grew up in the eastern Kentucky town of Inez. “Some of these kids have grown a foot since the last time we’ve seen them.”
Over 200 cities and 90 lacrosse teams have been involved with ASA over the years, said Patterson, who ended up marrying her brother’s former platoon leader, Steve Patterson. Now in his 60s, Steve is still an avid lacrosse player, which explains the sport’s involvement in ASA.
The latest city to sponsor a military unit is Graham, Texas, and the most recent city to become active again is Holmdel, N.J., sponsoring Fort Campbell’s 52nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal according to Patterson, whose ASA program has been featured on Larry King Live and "The O’Reilly Factor."
While a number of organizations mail care packages and letters to deployed troops, the ASA is unique in that, by arranging for towns to sponsor a particular unit over time, lasting bonds form between soldiers and citizens.
“I think everyone appreciated the care packages they sent because we’ve met the senders before and also because they’ve figured out what we really need,” said Gaither of the packages his paratroopers received while deployed in Ramadi, Iraq.
Besides toiletries, junk food, t-shirts and homemade knit caps, Fort Mitchell sent a Christmas tree and Christmas hats for every soldier in the company. Soldiers hung the funny cards they received from kids on their lockers.
In return, Bravo Company supported Fort Mitchell by interacting with the community, said senior enlisted soldier, 1st Sgt. William Truelove.
“The homecoming is a chance for us to go back and tell them thanks. It’s a good, healthy relationship,” he said.
Tiffany Smith, secretary for the planning organization, Fort Mitchell Adopt a Unit, said that the interaction that townspeople receive from the soldiers is worth the effort.
“It’s been unreal,” agreed school nurse, Katie Ritter. “They got to visit every elementary classroom. The kids were so excited. Teachers were calling the front desk asking when the soldiers were coming to their classroom.”
Ritter said all the soldiers were tremendously gracious and overwhelmed by the generosity of the people.
“For me, the most special part of the weekend was when they presented us with their company guidon,” said Smith, who has lived in Fort Mitchell seven years. The guidon will be displayed in the municipal building along with a signed 82nd Airborne Division flag, she said.
“A lot of people [across the country] don’t care, especially because this war has been going on for so long, but it seems like this entire community really cares,” said Gaither.
Lack of correspondence had been particularly hard on the single men of Abu Company, Artavia had told his sister Linda; likewise, Gaither said that letters and care packages from Fort Mitchell were particularly important to some in Bravo Company.
“We have some guys who had some rough upbringings. They didn’t have a lot of family or friends back home. They really wouldn’t get anything, so I know they liked getting stuff,” he said.
Not surprising, according to Capt. Terry Matz, behavioral science officer for Bravo Company’s parent brigade. Everyone needs to feel cared about, not just deployed soldiers, but for those who are, the need can be more acute. Even lack of activity on a soldier’s Facebook page can lead him to feelings of isolation, she said.
“I hear every day about soldiers being left out and left behind,” she said.
As it turns out, Facebook is one of the preferred methods for the people of Fort Mitchell to keep up with their adopted sons in Bravo Company, and 40 years after Artavia wrote his sister, she is still keeping up with his old battle buddies online.
“Right now they are sending me Facebook messages wishing me a happy birthday,” said Linda, whose birthday was, Oct. 22.
Unfortunately, Joe Artavia was killed in action three weeks after San Mateo adopted his unit in 1968. Later that same year, Linda traveled to Southeast Asia to meet Joe’s friends.
“When I visited Vietnam [following Joe’s death], I saw 18 and 19 year-old kids showing me letters in their pockets from people in a town they never heard of,” said Linda. “When I see these kids going off to Iraq and Afghanistan now, I go back in time. It’s still difficult for today’s soldiers to be separated from their loved ones.”
Wild Bill, otherwise known as Rick Smith, was wounded during the Tet Offensive the day before Artavia was killed. At the time, he didn’t know Joe had written his sister for a unit sponsor, nor was he aware that she would be visiting the unit over Christmas.
He and his buddy, Jim Grainger, were on a training range when the commandant’s driver came to pick them up. They thought they were in trouble because they often were. In the commandant’s office was their platoon leader Patterson and a woman.
“Who is this gorgeous Hispanic lady?” he remembered saying to himself upon his first meeting with Linda.
Linda had brought each of the Abu Company soldiers a medallion from the city of San Mateo, and Wild Bill still has his. The support they received from the letters and packages was priceless, he said.
“The elements sucked. The loads we carried in our rucks weighed 90-100 pounds, though I got rid of the heavy stuff so I could carry more ammo. We were humping mostly in the mountains and we were in contact with the enemy on a daily basis with up to 80-90% casualties. The terrain, weather, mosquitos and crappy water took its toll. I had dysentery for two weeks, and we were so short-handed, the CO would not medevac me. It was tough, but we were determined to complete mission,” he said.
“[Getting letters from San Mateo] was like hearing from Mom and Dad after being in an orphanage for a year.”
As bad as it was, Wild Bill said he’d take the jungle any day over the deserts of Iraq. The men of Bravo may not agree, but they do heap praise on the ASA program.
As they told the man whom they met at a Fort Mitchell bar – a Vietnam veteran who had never had a parade or homecoming in his day – after buying him a beer and inviting him to come along with them, the 10-hour drive to Fort Mitchell was worth it.
“I’d drive all the way to California for that,” Maynard said.
| Date Taken: | 11.16.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 11.16.2010 15:00 |
| Story ID: | 60263 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 251 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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