Soul Mx - Veteran's Day

This is part of a series shared ecumenically with members to whom I was assigned; the goal was to start conversation and deep thought, and many of these messages led to great conversations.

Veteran's Day Message
Original Publication Date: 12 November 2021

Let me start off by giving you my thanks for your contribution to defending the Constitution, to supporting our warfighters, and to working hard to make Ellsworth a great place to live and work. I hope you had an impactful Veteran’s Day and reflected on the meaning of the holiday.

As I was thinking about Veteran’s Day I was reminded that several very important dates in American Military history flank November 11th. November 8th, 1965, made famous by the song 8th of November, was one of the first major troop contacts of the Vietnam War. This was followed a few days later by that Battle of the Ia Drang Valley, made famous by the book We Were Soldiers Once…and Young, which became a movie of a similar title. The Battle of Ia Drang was a multi-day hellacious battle that both sides claimed to have won. The Air Force relentlessly provided air support and the battle cost the life of Air Force Captain Paul McClellan who remains MIA to this day.

From the midst of that battle – where many men acted courageously – comes a quote that has shaped my life and motivated and encouraged me in many instances. Helicopter pilot Bruce Crandall, who would later receive the Medal of Honor for his actions during that battle, said,

I made up my mind during this flight that if the 1st Battalion lost this fight it would not be because of the failure of the helicopter support.

Crandall would go on to fly 22 resupply and evacuation missions and his Medal of Honor citation describes it best, “Major Crandall’s voluntary decision to land under the most extreme fire instilled in the other pilots the will and spirit to continue to land their own aircraft, and in the ground forces the realization that they would be resupplied and that friendly wounded would be promptly evacuated.”

The helicopter pilots that day were not required to fly those missions – the established standard operating procedures had led to a large number of medivac aircraft being waved off from the landing-zone – but they knew without their support, the battle was certainly lost.

So as we press on towards future battles (figurative and literal), let’s make up our minds that if the battle is to be lost, it won’t be for the failure of our support. Let’s make up our minds that our actions and attitudes may be the decisive factor in the success of our lives, our coworkers’ lives, our squadrons and organizations, our Air Force, our nation, and our world. Many men and women have gone before us to attempt and accomplish great things, and many will follow us; may our examples and words inspire them to act courageously and inspire and support others.