WEBVTT 00:00.870 --> 00:03.092 Welcome to the Fort Polk podcast . This 00:03.092 --> 00:05.314 week , we're talking about the Medal of 00:05.314 --> 00:07.710 Honor , the nation's highest military 00:07.710 --> 00:10.739 decoration awarded for acts of valor so 00:10.739 --> 00:13.149 extraordinary they go far beyond the 00:13.149 --> 00:15.510 call of duty . Since its creation 00:15.510 --> 00:17.510 during the Civil War , the Medal of 00:17.510 --> 00:19.566 Honor has come to represent not just 00:19.566 --> 00:21.500 courage under fire but selfless 00:21.500 --> 00:24.180 sacrifice , moral courage , and 00:24.180 --> 00:27.190 unwavering commitment to others , often 00:27.190 --> 00:29.709 at the cost of one's own life . Behind 00:29.709 --> 00:32.110 every medal is a story of decisive 00:32.110 --> 00:34.950 actions in moment , in moments when 00:34.950 --> 00:37.860 hesitation wasn't an option . Today 00:37.860 --> 00:40.060 we're not just discussing the medal 00:40.060 --> 00:42.700 itself , but the people who earned it , 00:43.020 --> 00:45.740 the legacy they leave behind , and why 00:45.740 --> 00:48.018 their stories still matter to soldiers , 00:48.018 --> 00:50.340 families , and communities across the 00:50.340 --> 00:53.779 army . This is the Polk podcast . Let's 00:53.779 --> 00:54.779 get started . 01:00.919 --> 01:02.975 Good morning , good afternoon , good 01:02.975 --> 01:05.197 evening . Whenever you are watching our 01:05.197 --> 01:07.419 program . This is the Fort Polk podcast 01:07.419 --> 01:09.086 and I am Jeff England . We're 01:09.086 --> 01:11.141 broadcasting right out of the , uh , 01:11.141 --> 01:13.363 Fort Polk studio soon to be a different 01:13.363 --> 01:15.419 studio if we , uh , If we get things 01:15.419 --> 01:17.641 going or if I know what I'm doing , but 01:17.641 --> 01:19.808 normally I don't know what I'm doing . 01:19.808 --> 01:22.030 So I just fake it until somebody says , 01:22.030 --> 01:24.141 oh , hey , look at that . Today we've 01:24.141 --> 01:26.870 got 3 guests with us . I've got Mark 01:26.870 --> 01:28.814 Leslie . He is the director of the 01:28.814 --> 01:32.699 DPTMS or Department of people , trains , 01:32.709 --> 01:34.709 and mechanics and stuff like that . 01:37.569 --> 01:40.089 And uh alongside him we got Command 01:40.089 --> 01:43.250 Sergeant Major Pena . He is the Command 01:43.250 --> 01:44.989 Sergeant Major of the entire 01:44.989 --> 01:47.970 installation of both the Fort Polk and 01:47.970 --> 01:49.970 the JRTC . How are you guys doing ? 01:50.290 --> 01:54.169 Great . Oh , and to my right , I've 01:54.169 --> 01:58.089 got this guy over here . Oh 01:58.089 --> 02:00.422 shoot , what's , what's your name again ? 02:00.422 --> 02:02.533 We'll go by Matt . Matt , yeah , Matt 02:02.533 --> 02:05.940 Lauer . Matt . Hey , Matt , how are you 02:05.940 --> 02:08.107 doing today ? Good . That's good . I'm 02:08.107 --> 02:10.273 glad you guys came in . So what we got 02:10.273 --> 02:12.329 going on , uh , the Medal of Honor , 02:12.329 --> 02:14.440 they have an entire , uh , what month 02:14.440 --> 02:17.009 of , uh , of remembering the Medal of 02:17.009 --> 02:19.120 Honor and to top it all off , we have 02:19.120 --> 02:21.460 streets named after them . We have 02:21.460 --> 02:23.380 medals and signs and pictures , 02:23.699 --> 02:25.643 everything . What's , so tell me a 02:25.643 --> 02:27.643 little about what's going on here . 02:27.643 --> 02:29.755 Yeah , actually , it's Medal of Honor 02:29.755 --> 02:29.490 Day , which is on 25th of March . It 02:29.490 --> 02:32.160 was established in 1990 by Congress . 02:32.529 --> 02:34.585 So actually , but we turn it in Fort 02:34.585 --> 02:36.418 Polk , we take it seriously . We 02:36.418 --> 02:38.362 remember the army's legacy . So we 02:38.362 --> 02:40.473 turned it into a month , uh , here at 02:40.473 --> 02:42.490 Fort Polk . So , uh , there's only 02:42.490 --> 02:45.610 3,547 Medal of Honor 02:45.610 --> 02:48.250 recipients , uh , ever since the 02:48.250 --> 02:51.410 creation in 1865 of the medal . So if 02:51.410 --> 02:53.690 you do the math for that , uh , and , 02:53.850 --> 02:55.850 and Matt actually did it one time , 02:55.850 --> 02:59.139 it's like 0.000001%. 02:59.419 --> 03:01.586 Of the millions of Americans that have 03:01.586 --> 03:03.697 done that earned the Medal of Honor . 03:03.697 --> 03:05.530 So that's some pretty incredible 03:05.530 --> 03:07.808 percentages if you think about it . Um , 03:08.190 --> 03:10.523 it was kind of like winning the lottery , 03:10.523 --> 03:12.857 except you don't win this , you earn it . 03:12.857 --> 03:14.968 Now , what I've seen , and you know , 03:14.968 --> 03:17.079 after we've done , we've done several 03:17.079 --> 03:19.134 of these on the Medal of Honor , and 03:19.134 --> 03:21.079 you know , I've looked up Medal of 03:21.079 --> 03:23.190 Honor , and I've done a little bit of 03:23.190 --> 03:25.246 studying . Uh , the Civil War , uh , 03:25.246 --> 03:27.357 that was one of the first medals that 03:27.357 --> 03:29.690 they started giving out for medals . So , 03:29.690 --> 03:31.912 um , some of the , the Civil War people 03:31.912 --> 03:34.134 or the people , you know , the original 03:34.134 --> 03:36.301 recipients of this medal , they , uh , 03:36.301 --> 03:38.550 they did extraordinary things , but 03:38.570 --> 03:40.792 from what I've seen , some of them were 03:40.792 --> 03:43.014 less extraordinary than the people that 03:43.014 --> 03:45.014 do it now . Yeah , Matt , Matt will 03:45.014 --> 03:46.903 talk a little bit about that in a 03:46.903 --> 03:49.070 second , but you know , out of those . 03:49.070 --> 03:51.237 Medal of Honor recipients . There have 03:51.237 --> 03:53.459 been 19 , I think it was 19 , yeah , 19 03:53.459 --> 03:55.626 double recipients . So you think about 03:55.626 --> 03:57.626 those extraordinary people . I'll , 03:57.626 --> 03:57.220 I'll turn over Matt , talk a bit about 03:57.220 --> 03:59.387 the history of it . Yeah . So when you 03:59.387 --> 04:01.442 were discussing the , uh , the first 04:01.442 --> 04:03.609 Medal of Honor that were awarded March 04:03.609 --> 04:06.419 25th of 1863 , those first recipients 04:06.419 --> 04:08.475 were six of the surviving members of 04:08.475 --> 04:10.641 Andrews Raiders . Andrews Raiders were 04:10.641 --> 04:12.752 a group of Union soldiers who stole a 04:12.752 --> 04:14.975 train and destroyed railroad tracks and 04:14.975 --> 04:17.308 bridges between Chattanooga , Tennessee , 04:17.308 --> 04:19.197 and Atlanta , Georgia . That raid 04:19.197 --> 04:21.252 became known as the Great Locomotive 04:21.252 --> 04:23.086 Chase , and the Secretary of War 04:23.086 --> 04:25.197 presented the medals to that office . 04:25.197 --> 04:27.640 Uh , additionally , just for historical 04:27.640 --> 04:31.040 sake , there were , um , Several Medals 04:31.040 --> 04:33.480 of Honor that were issued and then were 04:33.480 --> 04:36.200 retrieved and taken back , uh , just 04:36.200 --> 04:38.760 due to the changing the curriculum or 04:38.760 --> 04:41.320 changing what the requirements were to 04:41.320 --> 04:43.542 receive the Medal of Honor . And , uh , 04:43.542 --> 04:45.764 so , some of those families were pretty 04:45.764 --> 04:47.764 disgruntled when their , uh , their 04:47.764 --> 04:49.931 veteran had a medal that was presented 04:49.931 --> 04:52.098 to them and then was retrieved later . 04:52.098 --> 04:54.264 Um , lastly , for the Civil War , uh , 04:54.264 --> 04:56.598 time frame , or correction , during the , 04:56.598 --> 04:58.820 uh , yeah , during the Civil War . Um , 04:58.820 --> 05:01.390 there were medals that were presented 05:01.390 --> 05:03.660 from the Confederate States that were 05:03.660 --> 05:06.619 not recognized until later on when they 05:06.619 --> 05:08.619 realized that even , even though we 05:08.619 --> 05:10.397 were fighting ourselves , those 05:10.397 --> 05:12.397 individuals did courageous acts and 05:12.397 --> 05:14.452 deserved it . Yeah , so we've got 61 05:14.452 --> 05:16.508 living recipients still today of the 05:16.508 --> 05:18.619 Medal of Honor . Pretty extraordinary 05:18.619 --> 05:20.841 human beings , and we'll talk about the 05:20.841 --> 05:20.260 Medal of Honor museum that just opened 05:20.260 --> 05:22.093 last year , uh , later on in the 05:22.093 --> 05:24.316 podcast . But people don't realize it , 05:24.316 --> 05:26.538 but Fort Polk's got a pretty good Medal 05:26.538 --> 05:28.704 of Honor history , and we've got a lot 05:28.704 --> 05:31.038 of that here on the installation itself . 05:31.630 --> 05:34.089 So on Fort Polk , we have 10 . Uh , 05:34.359 --> 05:36.470 streets that are in our housing areas 05:36.470 --> 05:38.415 memorializing those Medal of Honor 05:38.415 --> 05:40.526 recipients with Medal of Honor on the 05:40.526 --> 05:42.692 street sign itself . And so we started 05:42.692 --> 05:44.748 this program a couple of years ago . 05:44.748 --> 05:46.915 And so the name of the individual , we 05:46.915 --> 05:46.769 went over and rededicated those streets 05:46.769 --> 05:49.102 and put , uh , an actual Medal of Honor , 05:49.102 --> 05:51.269 uh , symbol on each of those streets . 05:51.269 --> 05:53.325 Uh , one thing that's , uh , kind of 05:53.325 --> 05:55.436 clue that a lot of people , uh , that 05:55.436 --> 05:57.658 work here on Fort Polk or drive here on 05:57.658 --> 05:59.769 Fort Polk . I have passed by a street 05:59.769 --> 05:59.709 called Belle Richard . And Belle 05:59.709 --> 06:02.910 Richard is , is , goes really from our 06:02.910 --> 06:04.854 two one-ways all the way through a 06:04.854 --> 06:06.910 housing area and so forth . A lot of 06:06.910 --> 06:09.132 people don't realize that that actually 06:09.132 --> 06:10.910 is named after a Medal of Honor 06:10.910 --> 06:13.021 recipient , uh , named Les PFC Leslie 06:13.021 --> 06:15.243 Belle Richard . If you lived or work in 06:15.243 --> 06:17.410 Fort Polk , again , you have some , at 06:17.410 --> 06:17.220 some point , you have crossed or driven 06:17.220 --> 06:19.630 down that street . Um , this guy was 06:19.630 --> 06:21.963 one heck of a soldier . Let me tell you , 06:21.963 --> 06:23.852 he , he was from the 4th Infantry 06:23.852 --> 06:25.963 Division . And fought and died in the 06:25.963 --> 06:28.186 Vietnam War . And , uh , so Mark always 06:28.186 --> 06:30.241 brings up , he , he likes to discuss 06:30.241 --> 06:32.019 this , but , uh , what we think 06:32.019 --> 06:34.186 possibly happened was is some guy that 06:34.186 --> 06:36.352 worked at DPW was a Vietnam vet and he 06:36.352 --> 06:38.519 knew of this kid's story and , uh , so 06:38.519 --> 06:40.574 he just threw it out there . So it's 06:40.574 --> 06:42.852 the name of the street , Belle Richard . 06:42.852 --> 06:45.074 Most people at the time didn't even had 06:45.074 --> 06:44.829 not a clue . They were like , what is a 06:44.829 --> 06:46.662 Belle Richard until they started 06:46.662 --> 06:48.496 researching and found out he was 06:48.496 --> 06:50.385 actually . Some people can't even 06:50.385 --> 06:52.218 pronounce it . They call it Bell 06:52.218 --> 06:55.079 Richard , right . Yeah . So this , this 06:55.079 --> 06:57.859 street was dedicated in 1979 . And so 06:58.239 --> 07:00.461 all of our other 10 recipients are from 07:00.461 --> 07:02.795 the state of Louisiana , Louisiana , in , 07:02.795 --> 07:04.739 in , um , in the housing area . So 07:04.799 --> 07:07.690 somebody in , in the command , uh , had 07:07.690 --> 07:11.160 likely , or , or working in DPW had 07:11.160 --> 07:13.438 likely served with this , this soldier , 07:13.438 --> 07:15.760 uh , in Vietnam . And so that's how 07:15.760 --> 07:17.816 Matt and I , that's our , that's our 07:17.816 --> 07:19.649 theory is that , you know , that 07:19.649 --> 07:21.816 somebody at Fort Polk could serve with 07:21.816 --> 07:23.927 him and had a good , had a good . You 07:23.927 --> 07:26.038 know , relationship or it served with 07:26.038 --> 07:28.149 him in Vietnam . So that's our theory 07:28.149 --> 07:30.204 is that , you know , since he wasn't 07:30.204 --> 07:32.427 from the state of Louisiana , that they 07:32.427 --> 07:32.119 had probably served with him . Yeah , 07:32.209 --> 07:34.209 this , the , the stories that the , 07:34.209 --> 07:36.790 that they've done that people were what 07:37.040 --> 07:40.190 people that received this award has 07:40.369 --> 07:44.170 done to , uh , to earn it . And 07:44.170 --> 07:46.392 they , you know , you can't , you can't 07:46.392 --> 07:48.726 get past that . Yeah , they deserved it . 07:48.726 --> 07:50.892 They deserved it big time , you know , 07:50.892 --> 07:53.003 when we name those streets , um . You 07:53.003 --> 07:55.170 know , we , most of them are located , 07:55.170 --> 07:57.170 uh , all 10 of those are in housing 07:57.170 --> 07:59.392 areas . And so , you know , our hope is 07:59.392 --> 08:01.503 that is 11 of the parents are sitting 08:01.503 --> 08:01.489 at a bus stop , you know , with their 08:01.489 --> 08:03.489 kid , uh , and they look up and see 08:03.489 --> 08:05.850 that sign , uh , that hopefully they'll 08:05.850 --> 08:08.017 have that discussion , uh , with their 08:08.017 --> 08:10.183 child or when they're going for a walk 08:10.183 --> 08:11.961 in the evening , they'll have a 08:11.961 --> 08:11.679 discussion with that child . It's like , 08:11.929 --> 08:14.096 why is that street sign different than 08:14.096 --> 08:16.151 all the others ? And so they'll look 08:16.151 --> 08:18.373 that up and say , You know , explain to 08:18.373 --> 08:20.540 them , you know , why that's different 08:20.540 --> 08:22.651 and what the , a little bit about the 08:22.651 --> 08:24.707 army legacy . And most of the street 08:24.707 --> 08:26.651 signs have a QR on the pole of the 08:26.651 --> 08:28.707 street sign itself have a QR code on 08:28.707 --> 08:30.929 there . They take their phone and it'll 08:30.929 --> 08:30.559 take them straight to your website , 08:30.809 --> 08:33.119 Jeff , uh , where you hung all of the , 08:33.130 --> 08:35.880 uh , 29 Medal of Honor recipients from 08:35.880 --> 08:38.102 the state of Louisiana and they'll look 08:38.102 --> 08:40.324 at that and they can read the story and 08:40.324 --> 08:42.547 then talk to them , uh , about each one 08:42.547 --> 08:42.219 of those Medal of Honor recipients . I 08:42.219 --> 08:44.163 like that idea . That's , that's , 08:44.163 --> 08:46.330 that's pretty cool . I get a QR code . 08:46.330 --> 08:46.280 I didn't even know that . I've been 08:46.280 --> 08:48.391 here for 18 months . That's something 08:48.391 --> 08:50.447 new . So on each one of those street 08:50.447 --> 08:52.669 signs there's a QR code . They can take 08:52.669 --> 08:52.219 the phone . It'll take them straight to 08:52.219 --> 08:54.386 your website and , uh , talk , talk to 08:54.386 --> 08:56.497 them about each one of those Medal of 08:56.497 --> 08:58.719 Honor recipients . Yeah , that's really 08:58.719 --> 08:58.190 cool . Maintain the army legacy and 08:58.190 --> 09:00.357 tell them why . Uh , each one of those 09:00.510 --> 09:02.677 people are heroes , real heroes , real 09:02.677 --> 09:04.677 heroes . Well , you , we abuse that 09:04.677 --> 09:06.677 word a little bit today , but those 09:06.677 --> 09:08.454 guys are real heroes , not some 09:08.454 --> 09:10.732 character . That's right , superheroes , 09:10.732 --> 09:12.843 superhero , like real American hero , 09:12.843 --> 09:15.066 right ? Yeah , and you know what , what 09:15.066 --> 09:17.177 a lot of people fail to realize too , 09:17.177 --> 09:19.343 it's not just the roads , right ? Um , 09:19.343 --> 09:21.510 everybody , when they , when they talk 09:21.510 --> 09:23.732 about headquarters , the headquarters , 09:23.732 --> 09:23.280 the headquarters , they , they , as the 09:23.280 --> 09:25.447 CG likes to say , we are they , me and 09:25.447 --> 09:27.613 the CG are they now , um , they , they 09:27.613 --> 09:29.919 always mention Building 350 . But it 09:29.919 --> 09:32.150 has a name . It's not Building 350 , 09:32.200 --> 09:34.640 it's , uh , Woodfield Hall , right ? Uh , 09:34.760 --> 09:37.093 Woodfield Hall is the post headquarters , 09:37.093 --> 09:39.390 uh , uh , better known as Building 350 . 09:39.640 --> 09:41.807 Uh , we probably need to take that out 09:41.807 --> 09:43.918 of the , uh , the vocabulary and just 09:43.918 --> 09:46.140 go ahead and say , hey , it's Woodfield 09:46.140 --> 09:48.307 Hall , right ? Um , there's a , a , An 09:48.307 --> 09:50.251 amazing plaque that , uh , that we 09:50.251 --> 09:52.760 rededicated to building last year . Um , 09:52.900 --> 09:54.956 Mr . Mark Leslie and his team , uh , 09:55.020 --> 09:58.010 the entire DPTMS team put together a , 09:58.049 --> 10:01.000 um , a plaque , uh , to , to rededicate 10:01.000 --> 10:02.944 it and to commemorate , you know , 10:02.944 --> 10:05.260 Woodfield , Mr . Woodfield , um , First 10:05.260 --> 10:07.371 Lieutenant Woodfield , as a matter of 10:07.371 --> 10:09.427 fact . Um , he , uh , he enlisted in 10:09.427 --> 10:11.593 the army in 2001 , serving in Alaska , 10:11.593 --> 10:13.816 served in the Philippines , uh , fought 10:13.816 --> 10:16.038 Pancho Villa along the Mexican border , 10:16.038 --> 10:18.204 and then , um , was sent off to France 10:18.204 --> 10:20.260 like most of the , the soldiers back 10:20.260 --> 10:22.204 then during World War One with the 10:22.204 --> 10:24.260 American Expeditionary Forces . Uh , 10:24.750 --> 10:26.806 when asked , General Pershing , uh , 10:26.806 --> 10:28.472 the commander of the American 10:28.472 --> 10:30.694 Expedition Air Force , said that , uh , 10:30.694 --> 10:32.917 Samuel Woodfield , uh , better known as 10:32.917 --> 10:35.028 Lieutenant Woodfield , was one of the 10:35.028 --> 10:37.139 most outstanding soldiers of the , in 10:37.139 --> 10:38.972 World War One . First Lieutenant 10:38.972 --> 10:38.669 Woodfield was awarded the Medal of 10:38.669 --> 10:40.890 Honor on 12 October in 1918 for his , 10:40.950 --> 10:43.849 uh , acts of gallantry and , um , uh , 10:44.229 --> 10:46.062 out in France , leading , uh , M 10:46.062 --> 10:48.229 Company , 60th Infantry Regiment , 5th 10:48.229 --> 10:51.020 Infantry Division . Uh , and , uh , he 10:51.020 --> 10:53.298 is from Indiana , Bryansburg , Indiana . 10:53.609 --> 10:55.831 And was presented his Medal of Honor or 10:55.831 --> 10:58.090 his medal on February 19 , 1919 there 10:58.090 --> 11:00.201 in France , uh , presented by General 11:00.201 --> 11:03.729 John George or John J . Pershing . Um , 11:03.849 --> 11:06.390 he died in August on August 10th , 1951 11:06.390 --> 11:08.390 and is buried in Arlington National 11:08.390 --> 11:10.390 Cemetery . So if you're ever out in 11:10.390 --> 11:12.612 Arlington National Cemetery , look up , 11:12.612 --> 11:14.612 uh , Lieutenant Woodfield . Um , we 11:14.612 --> 11:17.929 also have , uh , what most of our 11:17.929 --> 11:20.729 rotational units , uh , come to know 11:20.729 --> 11:23.070 and , and grow fond of , maybe not fond 11:23.070 --> 11:25.237 of , but , uh , they learned to , uh , 11:25.237 --> 11:27.514 That they're gonna die , um , you know , 11:27.514 --> 11:29.900 in a simulation environment , simulated 11:29.900 --> 11:32.011 environment out there at the box . We 11:32.011 --> 11:34.122 got Shoegaard and Gordon , uh , which 11:34.122 --> 11:36.233 is a mount site , uh , dedicated to , 11:36.233 --> 11:38.456 uh , Master Sergeant , uh , Gary Gordon 11:38.456 --> 11:40.400 and Master Sergeant , uh , Randall 11:40.400 --> 11:42.678 Schgaard for their gallantry and their , 11:42.678 --> 11:44.820 their , uh , um , their feats , uh , 11:44.940 --> 11:47.539 during , uh , October 3rd , 1993 in 11:47.539 --> 11:50.210 Mogadishu , uh , when they , uh , You 11:50.210 --> 11:52.321 know , everybody's watched Black Hawk 11:52.321 --> 11:54.488 Down . We've all seen that , that part 11:54.488 --> 11:56.543 in the movie where , you know , they 11:56.543 --> 11:58.377 were told to go ahead and , uh , 11:58.377 --> 12:00.599 retrieve , go back to home station , or 12:00.599 --> 12:02.821 go back to the base , but they opted to 12:02.821 --> 12:04.932 land and go and protect their , their 12:04.932 --> 12:07.099 own , uh , which were the two pilots , 12:07.210 --> 12:09.043 right , uh , with the Task Force 12:09.043 --> 12:11.043 Rangers , uh , during the Operation 12:11.043 --> 12:13.210 Restore Hope . Um , so we do have that 12:13.210 --> 12:15.210 training side out there . Um , some 12:15.210 --> 12:16.988 people , especially our younger 12:16.988 --> 12:19.099 generation , uh , don't recognize who 12:19.099 --> 12:21.321 Schart and Gordon are , uh , but , uh , 12:21.321 --> 12:23.599 it is , you know , as Mr . Leslie , uh , 12:23.599 --> 12:25.849 mentioned , um , hopefully parents 12:25.849 --> 12:28.489 share this , uh , the his , part of our 12:28.489 --> 12:30.600 history , especially those , uh , who 12:30.600 --> 12:32.822 have , uh , earned the Medal of Honor , 12:32.822 --> 12:34.878 uh , with their children , so they , 12:34.878 --> 12:37.210 Understand what it , uh , what they did 12:37.340 --> 12:39.580 and the , uh , the , the true heroes , 12:39.630 --> 12:41.574 as we mentioned earlier , the real 12:41.574 --> 12:44.340 heroes of , of the American populace 12:44.590 --> 12:46.590 are , and that's our Medal of Honor 12:46.590 --> 12:48.701 recipients . Yeah , that , that movie 12:48.701 --> 12:50.923 is , uh , that movie's intense . And if 12:50.923 --> 12:53.750 that's even , and if it's even a little 12:53.750 --> 12:56.270 bit close to what went on there , it's 12:56.270 --> 12:58.750 just , that's crazy . It is if you read 12:58.750 --> 13:01.799 their citations , um . The movie 13:01.799 --> 13:04.070 doesn't even come close to telling you 13:04.070 --> 13:06.237 what they really did . I mean , yeah , 13:06.237 --> 13:08.348 the citations are incredible . Yeah , 13:08.348 --> 13:10.459 they've got , they've got some movies 13:10.459 --> 13:12.514 out there that do justice , and then 13:12.514 --> 13:14.681 there's just some that , uh . They try 13:14.681 --> 13:16.681 and they show a lot , but there was 13:16.681 --> 13:18.681 just too much to too much to show . 13:18.681 --> 13:20.792 It's like these are crazy , crazy . I 13:20.792 --> 13:23.126 always wanted to , I when I was younger , 13:23.126 --> 13:25.403 it's like , oh , yeah , that'd be cool . 13:25.403 --> 13:27.514 I could if I had a Medal of Honor , I 13:27.514 --> 13:27.159 could get all the generals to salute me 13:27.159 --> 13:29.270 and all that stuff . And , and , uh , 13:29.320 --> 13:31.487 and then I looked into . Yeah , that's 13:31.487 --> 13:33.487 what I do . And then I . In what it 13:33.487 --> 13:35.820 takes and it's like , wait a minute , I , 13:35.820 --> 13:38.042 I work for AFRTS in the Air Force . I , 13:38.042 --> 13:40.042 I ain't getting close to combat . I 13:40.042 --> 13:42.153 think you mentioned something there . 13:42.153 --> 13:44.414 Um , most people fail to realize that 13:44.474 --> 13:46.696 it doesn't matter who you are . You can 13:46.696 --> 13:48.863 be the , you know , the senior ranking 13:48.863 --> 13:50.918 general or the senior ranking senior 13:50.918 --> 13:53.252 enlisted on , you know , name your camp , 13:53.252 --> 13:55.252 post or station . Um , if you see a 13:55.252 --> 13:57.474 Medal of Honor recipient , uh , wearing 13:57.474 --> 13:57.460 that around their neck , you salute , 13:57.719 --> 13:59.941 right ? It doesn't matter who you are . 13:59.941 --> 14:01.941 And , uh , as mentioned before , we 14:01.941 --> 14:03.997 have , uh , you know , in the double 14:03.997 --> 14:05.775 digits of living Medal of Honor 14:05.775 --> 14:07.997 recipients , and so we need to , Ensure 14:07.997 --> 14:10.219 that everybody understands that because 14:10.219 --> 14:12.163 I think , uh , I know I've had the 14:12.163 --> 14:14.330 opportunity when I was a SARM Major at 14:14.330 --> 14:16.219 Fort Hood , uh , the 12th Cavalry 14:16.219 --> 14:18.163 Regiment had several , uh , living 14:18.163 --> 14:20.219 Medal of Honor recipients , and they 14:20.219 --> 14:20.109 came and , you know , soldiers , and 14:20.109 --> 14:22.276 you have to go remind them , hey , you 14:22.276 --> 14:24.498 got to salute them . Of course , them , 14:24.498 --> 14:26.831 them , uh , Vietnam vets were like , no , 14:26.831 --> 14:26.109 no , no , no , no , it's like , no , 14:26.179 --> 14:28.401 it's , it's respect , right ? So , uh , 14:28.500 --> 14:30.667 it's , it's interesting . Yeah , I , I 14:30.667 --> 14:32.778 think so . I think it's , it's , it's 14:32.778 --> 14:35.440 amazing and it . I've actually got to 14:35.440 --> 14:38.049 meet a couple of uh recipients and it 14:38.049 --> 14:40.160 is just , it's amazing and it's quite 14:40.160 --> 14:42.700 an honor to be able to meet them and uh 14:43.090 --> 14:45.201 one of my favorite stories was when , 14:45.201 --> 14:47.368 uh , when one of them , I forget where 14:47.368 --> 14:49.257 I was , but he goes , so here's a 14:49.257 --> 14:51.423 little bit of trivia if if anyone ever 14:51.423 --> 14:53.599 asks , uh , What's on the back of a 14:53.599 --> 14:56.219 Medal of Honor . It's like this , that 14:56.219 --> 14:58.441 medal that you get , which , you know , 14:58.441 --> 15:00.386 I've gotten achievement medals and 15:00.386 --> 15:02.497 stuff , but they just here , here's a 15:02.497 --> 15:04.719 generic achievement medal . No , theirs 15:04.719 --> 15:06.830 is engraved with their name and their 15:06.830 --> 15:06.780 rank and everything on the back . So 15:06.780 --> 15:09.010 it's , it's personalized and uh it's , 15:09.140 --> 15:11.251 they're hard to come by and you can't 15:11.251 --> 15:13.473 just go get one in a , in a pawn shop . 15:13.473 --> 15:15.251 Oh no , you can't buy it at the 15:15.251 --> 15:18.849 clothing sales . No . Yeah . So 15:18.849 --> 15:21.760 Matt , what's up ? So I , I actually 15:21.760 --> 15:23.760 thought it was you , Mark , talking 15:23.760 --> 15:25.760 about the 29 . 0 yeah , I'm sorry . 15:25.760 --> 15:27.704 Yeah , so we got 29 Medal of Honor 15:27.704 --> 15:29.871 recipients in the state of Louisiana . 15:29.871 --> 15:31.871 They are all listed on our web page 15:31.871 --> 15:34.038 that Jeff so gracefully designed . And 15:34.038 --> 15:36.204 so if you , if you go to the Fort Polk 15:36.204 --> 15:38.316 home page and you click on the menu , 15:38.316 --> 15:40.482 you'll see a drop down that has , um , 15:41.000 --> 15:43.270 uh , Medal of Honor recipients . You 15:43.270 --> 15:46.090 click on that . Uh , and you'll see 15:46.090 --> 15:48.201 that , you'll see , you'll see the 20 15:48.201 --> 15:50.368 ML recipients , our most recent , uh , 15:50.368 --> 15:52.929 named , uh , I think it was , uh , last 15:52.929 --> 15:55.520 year or year in 24 , uh , Colonel 15:55.520 --> 15:57.798 Parish Davis . He was a Special Forces , 15:57.799 --> 16:00.729 uh , team leader at the time . He , he 16:00.729 --> 16:03.210 was on a , he was on a raid . In that 16:03.210 --> 16:04.988 raid , he killed over 100 enemy 16:04.988 --> 16:07.169 soldiers . Uh , on the way back , uh , 16:07.250 --> 16:09.650 they were ambushed themselves . Uh , he 16:09.650 --> 16:11.640 was , he saved , he saved , uh , 3 16:11.640 --> 16:13.696 Americans , including , uh , his own 16:13.696 --> 16:16.090 team sergeant under fire , saved 16:16.090 --> 16:18.146 multiple Vietnamese . He carried his 16:18.146 --> 16:20.201 team sergeant back and was wounded 3 16:20.201 --> 16:22.312 times himself in that raid . And then 16:22.312 --> 16:26.109 later on in 2024 , I think he 16:26.109 --> 16:28.869 was , um , he got his , uh , he finally 16:28.869 --> 16:30.980 received his Medal of Honor . He , he 16:30.980 --> 16:33.091 did this action in , in 1965 . Yeah , 16:33.091 --> 16:35.147 so it took him about 21 years to get 16:35.147 --> 16:37.313 him his , uh , Medal of Honor . Yeah , 16:37.313 --> 16:39.480 there's some people that have been 3 , 16:39.480 --> 16:41.702 39 years . I'm sorry , don't do math in 16:41.702 --> 16:44.190 public , Mark , uh , but , uh , he , he 16:44.190 --> 16:46.190 got his Medal of Honor finally , so 16:46.190 --> 16:48.412 it's definitely earned , uh , he's from 16:48.412 --> 16:50.468 the state of Louisiana , so . Uh , I 16:50.468 --> 16:52.801 don't know why it took so long , but he , 16:52.801 --> 16:55.023 but he , he finally , he finally earned 16:55.023 --> 16:57.190 it . So he's our most recent one . and 16:57.190 --> 16:59.357 I think he's from , uh , Shreveport is 16:59.357 --> 16:59.239 where he , where he , uh , but he's 16:59.239 --> 17:01.406 accredited to the state of Louisiana . 17:01.406 --> 17:03.683 I don't think he lives here any longer , 17:03.683 --> 17:03.640 uh , but it was where he enlisted the 17:03.640 --> 17:05.751 army . He came in the army from . And 17:05.751 --> 17:08.084 that was , that's another thing to , to , 17:08.084 --> 17:11.199 to be a living recipient of the Medal 17:11.199 --> 17:14.599 of Honor is , is a feat in itself . And 17:14.599 --> 17:16.710 that's like , they should get like an 17:16.710 --> 17:19.089 oak leaf cluster or something . Little 17:19.199 --> 17:21.380 bronze star on it . He retired as a 17:21.380 --> 17:23.491 colonel . Uh , I've heard him speak , 17:23.491 --> 17:25.547 uh , pretty amazing , pretty amazing 17:25.547 --> 17:28.119 and humble as most of them are , humble 17:28.119 --> 17:29.969 individual . Yeah . So I'm gonna 17:29.969 --> 17:32.136 correct myself because Mark said , you 17:32.136 --> 17:34.358 don't do math in public . It's 59 years 17:34.358 --> 17:36.191 from the time of his that he got 17:36.191 --> 17:38.358 awarded . What did you try saying 39 , 17:38.358 --> 17:40.636 39 , and I had my math was not mathing . 17:40.636 --> 17:42.802 So 39 years ago is like the nineties . 17:42.802 --> 17:44.858 Yeah , yeah , I only had a couple of 17:44.858 --> 17:47.760 cups . All right , there is something 17:47.760 --> 17:49.982 that's kind of nice that most people on 17:49.982 --> 17:52.093 this installation do not know about . 17:52.560 --> 17:54.671 So we have these signs , these street 17:54.671 --> 17:56.893 signs , and so forth . We do this Medal 17:56.893 --> 17:59.004 of Honor podcast and so forth , but , 17:59.004 --> 18:01.338 um , we have a place called Honor Field , 18:01.338 --> 18:03.282 and Honor Field is where they do a 18:03.282 --> 18:05.449 bunch of , uh , change of commands and 18:05.449 --> 18:07.504 so forth . They , they prep to go to 18:07.504 --> 18:09.616 the field for deployment , so forth , 18:09.616 --> 18:11.782 but on Honor Field . The bleachers are 18:11.782 --> 18:13.949 actually dedicated to two Medal of 18:13.949 --> 18:15.959 Honor recipients that came from 3rd 18:15.959 --> 18:18.319 Brigade 10th Mountain Division prior to 18:18.319 --> 18:20.520 them being stationed here . We used to 18:20.520 --> 18:23.079 be 410 . Uh , when they transferred and , 18:23.160 --> 18:26.160 and , uh , redesignated as 310 , they 18:26.160 --> 18:28.271 kind of took this history with them , 18:28.271 --> 18:30.216 obviously , for , but you have two 18:30.216 --> 18:32.327 individuals , one that was , uh , KIA 18:32.327 --> 18:34.493 and received it posthumously , and the 18:34.493 --> 18:36.716 other one that was living . And that is 18:36.716 --> 18:38.882 Staff Sergeant Travis Atkins , who was 18:38.882 --> 18:41.660 in 214 infantry , 310 , earned , um , 18:41.770 --> 18:44.400 in Iraq in June 2007 . 18:45.680 --> 18:47.680 He was manning a static observation 18:47.680 --> 18:49.902 point . I'm not going to read the whole 18:49.902 --> 18:52.069 thing , but he was , uh , uh , manning 18:52.069 --> 18:54.236 an observation post with a team . Uh , 18:54.236 --> 18:56.069 they were informed through radio 18:56.069 --> 18:55.800 contact that there were 4 individuals 18:55.800 --> 18:57.911 that were maneuvering down the road , 18:57.911 --> 19:00.078 walking side by side . They decided to 19:00.078 --> 19:02.244 go investigate , cover down and try to 19:02.244 --> 19:04.467 interdict the individuals . Uh , one of 19:04.467 --> 19:06.189 the individuals began behaving 19:06.189 --> 19:08.300 erratically and , uh , prompted Staff 19:08.300 --> 19:10.133 Sergeant Atkins to disembark his 19:10.133 --> 19:12.022 vehicle , uh , and approach for a 19:12.022 --> 19:14.150 search . Both individuals responded 19:14.150 --> 19:16.150 belligerently toward Staff Sergeant 19:16.150 --> 19:17.817 Atkins , and they engaged the 19:17.817 --> 19:20.039 individual he had intended to search in 19:20.039 --> 19:22.640 hand to hand combat . Staff Sergeant 19:22.640 --> 19:24.862 Atkins tried to wrestle the insurgent's 19:24.862 --> 19:26.918 arms behind his back when he noticed 19:26.918 --> 19:28.640 the insurgent was reaching for 19:28.640 --> 19:30.640 something under his clothes . Staff 19:30.640 --> 19:32.862 Sergeant Atkins immediately wrapped him 19:32.862 --> 19:34.807 in a bear hug and threw him to the 19:34.807 --> 19:36.973 ground away from his fellow soldiers . 19:36.973 --> 19:39.084 So again , this is another indication 19:39.084 --> 19:41.307 of these individuals that when they say 19:41.307 --> 19:43.307 rising above and beyond the call of 19:43.307 --> 19:45.473 duty . He wasn't thinking of himself . 19:45.473 --> 19:47.640 He was thinking about his soldiers and 19:47.640 --> 19:49.584 how he was going to protect them . 19:49.584 --> 19:51.696 Staff Sergeants had him on the ground 19:51.696 --> 19:53.473 away from his fellow soldiers , 19:53.473 --> 19:55.640 maintained his hold on the insurgent , 19:55.640 --> 19:57.807 placing his body on top of him further 19:57.807 --> 19:59.862 and sheltering the patrol . While he 19:59.862 --> 20:02.029 was on top , the insurgent detonated a 20:02.029 --> 20:04.599 bomb . Uh , which obviously , uh , the , 20:04.719 --> 20:07.119 the , the shrapnel and everything , um , 20:07.250 --> 20:09.306 Staff Sergeant Atkins took that up , 20:09.306 --> 20:11.361 you know , onto himself , uh , which 20:11.361 --> 20:13.920 killed him at that time . He acted with 20:13.920 --> 20:16.142 complete disregard for his own safety . 20:16.660 --> 20:19.540 This is critical and , and , and 20:19.540 --> 20:21.979 selfless act of valor that , that these 20:21.979 --> 20:24.090 individuals , whether they earn their 20:24.090 --> 20:26.219 Medal of Honor posthumously or while 20:26.219 --> 20:29.040 they're living , is what separates them 20:29.500 --> 20:31.667 from everybody else . The other one is 20:31.667 --> 20:33.889 Captain William Swanson , who is one of 20:33.889 --> 20:35.889 our , uh , 61 living Medal of Honor 20:35.889 --> 20:38.000 recipients . He was in 132 infantry . 20:38.000 --> 20:40.111 He earned his , uh , Medal of Honor , 20:40.111 --> 20:42.339 uh , 8 September 2009 in Afghanistan . 20:43.560 --> 20:45.893 Um , again , won't read the whole thing , 20:45.893 --> 20:48.004 but while serving in Kunar province , 20:48.004 --> 20:50.004 uh , in the morning , there were 60 20:50.004 --> 20:51.949 well-armed , well positioned enemy 20:51.949 --> 20:53.949 fighters ambushed Captain Swanson's 20:53.949 --> 20:56.116 combat team as it moved on foot to the 20:56.116 --> 20:58.282 village of Kanjal , uh , for a , for a 20:58.282 --> 21:00.338 meeting with the village elders . So 21:00.338 --> 21:02.449 again , people do not understand that 21:02.449 --> 21:02.109 we're not always just out there in 21:02.109 --> 21:04.109 fighting positions and shooting and 21:04.109 --> 21:06.220 killing and so forth . While we serve 21:06.220 --> 21:08.498 over in these areas Iraq , Afghanistan , 21:08.498 --> 21:10.442 and even in Vietnam and so forth . 21:10.442 --> 21:12.498 You're working with local leaders to 21:12.498 --> 21:14.553 try to help them build their country 21:14.553 --> 21:16.665 and regain control and so forth , and 21:16.665 --> 21:16.589 that's what Captain Swanson was doing 21:16.589 --> 21:19.689 that day . But as the enemy unleashed a 21:19.689 --> 21:21.856 barrage of rocket propelled grenades , 21:21.856 --> 21:23.800 mortar , and machine gun fire , he 21:23.800 --> 21:25.467 immediately returned fire and 21:25.467 --> 21:27.578 coordinated and directed the response 21:27.578 --> 21:29.522 of his Afghan border patrol police 21:29.522 --> 21:31.633 officers while simultaneously calling 21:31.633 --> 21:35.630 in suppressive fire . What is 21:35.630 --> 21:37.741 interesting when you look at the , at 21:37.741 --> 21:39.908 the big picture of all of these , uh , 21:39.908 --> 21:42.130 Medal of Honor recipients , again , the 21:42.130 --> 21:44.390 individual that took responsibility is 21:44.390 --> 21:47.000 thinking of everyone around them and 21:47.000 --> 21:48.833 not themselves . And that's what 21:48.833 --> 21:51.599 Captain Swanson did . Um , he received 21:51.599 --> 21:53.710 his Medal of Honor a lot shorter time 21:53.710 --> 21:55.932 period than our Vietnam veterans . Some 21:55.932 --> 21:58.099 of those did . Uh , and this has to do 21:58.099 --> 22:00.540 with the fact that we , Have 22:00.540 --> 22:02.651 individuals that receive Silver Stars 22:02.651 --> 22:04.762 and Distinguished Service Crosses and 22:04.762 --> 22:06.651 so forth , and the Secretaries of 22:06.651 --> 22:08.818 Defense and now Secretary of War , the 22:08.818 --> 22:10.739 Army Chiefs of Staff and military 22:10.739 --> 22:12.795 chiefs of staff said , hey , go back 22:12.795 --> 22:14.795 and review these . Let us make sure 22:14.795 --> 22:17.072 that we're honoring and taking care of . 22:17.072 --> 22:19.128 These service members and and really 22:19.128 --> 22:21.295 giving them what they deserve and that 22:21.295 --> 22:23.517 is to be a true so you , we have Silver 22:23.517 --> 22:25.461 Star recipients that are are being 22:25.461 --> 22:28.449 upgraded to the Medal of Honor for for 22:28.449 --> 22:31.089 right so they have to give the Silver 22:31.089 --> 22:33.200 Star back and then they get the Medal 22:33.200 --> 22:35.200 of Honor . Do they keep that also ? 22:35.200 --> 22:37.422 It's a good question . And , and one of 22:37.422 --> 22:39.849 them , um , one of them is , uh , one 22:39.849 --> 22:42.020 of the most recent ones , uh , it's 22:42.020 --> 22:45.459 been 1st Class Cash , uh , 3rd Infantry 22:45.459 --> 22:48.060 Division , uh , 1st Platoon , Baker , 22:48.140 --> 22:50.084 or I want to say Hard Rocker Baker 22:50.084 --> 22:52.307 Company , one of them , uh , but , um , 22:52.307 --> 22:54.418 one of our own commanding generals of 22:54.418 --> 22:56.819 Fort Polk and JRTC , uh , was his 22:56.819 --> 22:58.763 battalion commander at the time as 22:58.763 --> 23:01.540 General Britto . And , uh , during , 23:01.709 --> 23:04.589 during that , uh , that deployment , uh , 23:04.750 --> 23:07.550 Sergeant Cash was , uh , uh , mortally 23:07.550 --> 23:09.819 wounded , uh , you know , over half , 23:10.109 --> 23:12.165 well over half of his body , I think 23:12.165 --> 23:14.339 it's like 85 , 90% of his body was , 23:14.469 --> 23:17.069 was burnt , and he spent some time in , 23:17.109 --> 23:19.609 uh , in San Antonio in the burn center , 23:20.089 --> 23:22.630 um , received the Silver Star , uh , 23:22.750 --> 23:25.869 but , you know , as Matt mentioned , Um , 23:26.040 --> 23:28.151 several of those silver , uh , Silver 23:28.151 --> 23:31.219 Stars were , um , vetted 23:31.479 --> 23:34.750 and looked at through a panel , uh , 23:34.959 --> 23:37.070 through a different lens , and , uh , 23:37.070 --> 23:39.181 you know , some of them were upgraded 23:39.181 --> 23:41.292 and General Britto had a huge part in 23:41.292 --> 23:43.570 that , uh , was a huge advocate for it . 23:43.570 --> 23:45.681 Um , he felt like he , he owed us our 23:45.681 --> 23:48.015 first Class and his cash and his family . 23:48.015 --> 23:50.119 Uh , the due diligence to fight for 23:50.119 --> 23:51.952 what he felt was the right thing 23:51.952 --> 23:54.008 because Sergeant Clash , or Sergeant 23:54.008 --> 23:56.230 Cash did some amazing things . So , you 23:56.230 --> 23:58.508 know , to , to Matt's point , is a lot , 23:58.508 --> 24:00.563 some of those Silver Stars have been 24:00.563 --> 24:02.619 upgraded . Um , don't know the exact 24:02.619 --> 24:01.949 number , but I know that one 24:01.949 --> 24:04.005 specifically , just having served in 24:04.005 --> 24:06.227 3rd Infantry Division , uh , that , you 24:06.227 --> 24:08.171 know , as , and being part of some 24:08.171 --> 24:10.449 associations , that's one of them that , 24:10.449 --> 24:12.671 uh , that I recall from , uh , recent , 24:12.671 --> 24:14.671 uh , years that , uh , was upgraded 24:14.671 --> 24:16.949 from a Silver Star to a Medal of Honor . 24:16.949 --> 24:19.171 Wow , that's well , well deserved . And 24:19.171 --> 24:21.479 uh yeah , the , the , it's just I get , 24:21.540 --> 24:23.839 I get so overwhelmed by these stories 24:23.900 --> 24:25.733 that , that , you know , of what 24:25.733 --> 24:28.579 they've done . They , it's just crazy . 24:28.780 --> 24:31.979 I mean , like 60 some people taking on 24:31.979 --> 24:35.219 60 some insurgents and , and throwing 24:35.219 --> 24:37.839 themselves on a bomb to just to protect 24:38.060 --> 24:40.760 their other , their troops and , and 24:40.939 --> 24:43.219 It's amazing . And , uh , and then to 24:43.219 --> 24:45.859 hear somebody , then to hear the people 24:45.859 --> 24:48.489 that aren't really versed on the Medal 24:48.489 --> 24:50.711 of Honor say , oh , he won the Medal of 24:50.711 --> 24:52.822 Honor . No , he received the Medal of 24:52.822 --> 24:55.045 Honor , or he earned it . And , uh , or 24:55.045 --> 24:57.267 the Congressional Medal of Honor is the 24:57.267 --> 24:59.267 one that gets me . It's like , uh , 24:59.267 --> 24:59.260 last time I heard , I don't think 24:59.260 --> 25:01.750 Congress was giving them out . Yeah . 25:02.770 --> 25:05.280 Yeah , all right , so there is some 25:05.280 --> 25:07.400 history behind that . OK , so I knew 25:07.400 --> 25:09.733 I'd get mad on something , right ? Well , 25:09.733 --> 25:11.844 when they first started , it , it did 25:11.844 --> 25:13.956 require congressional approval . They 25:13.956 --> 25:15.900 went through and that's why at one 25:15.900 --> 25:15.640 point it was called the Congressional 25:15.640 --> 25:19.040 Medal of Honor . Uh , however , it's 25:19.040 --> 25:21.262 given on behalf of the President of the 25:21.262 --> 25:24.510 United States and the US Congress . So , 25:24.959 --> 25:27.070 like you have the Congressional Medal 25:27.070 --> 25:29.079 of Honor Society , OK , but it is 25:29.079 --> 25:31.209 actually called the Medal of Honor . 25:31.280 --> 25:33.760 And there's a , so there's debate on 25:33.760 --> 25:35.760 that . But , however , at one point 25:35.760 --> 25:37.704 when it was first back in the late 25:37.704 --> 25:40.079 1800s and so forth , because Congress 25:40.079 --> 25:42.439 authorizes war or approves , you know , 25:42.520 --> 25:44.631 you have to go through Congress for a 25:44.631 --> 25:46.853 war . They wanted to have their name on 25:46.853 --> 25:49.260 it and then of course it over the years 25:49.260 --> 25:51.619 it just kind of dropped off so yeah 25:51.619 --> 25:53.619 Congress always wants their name on 25:53.619 --> 25:55.675 something yeah . But to your point , 25:55.680 --> 25:58.599 that's why we do this , and that's why 25:58.599 --> 26:01.199 Fort Polk , GRCC and Fort Polk want to 26:01.709 --> 26:05.239 highlight Medal of Honor Day and make 26:05.239 --> 26:07.406 it a month-long thing . So we're doing 26:07.406 --> 26:09.350 a lot of great things for Medal of 26:09.350 --> 26:11.461 Honor Day during the month of March , 26:11.819 --> 26:13.875 uh , and some of those things , uh , 26:14.160 --> 26:16.479 our Medal of Honor book reading at the 26:16.479 --> 26:18.701 Allen Memorial Library , which is named 26:18.701 --> 26:20.923 after and dedicated for another great . 26:21.800 --> 26:24.969 NCO , uh , that was at Fort Polk . Um , 26:25.329 --> 26:27.250 we're going to be doing some 26:27.250 --> 26:31.140 educational . Things for the Medal 26:31.140 --> 26:33.251 of Honor , a couple of our schools at 26:33.251 --> 26:35.209 Parkway , Vernon Middle School and 26:35.209 --> 26:38.290 Pickering Middle Schools . I'll be 26:38.290 --> 26:40.401 doing a presentation to those classes 26:40.401 --> 26:42.623 on the Medal of Honor . We'll have , of 26:42.623 --> 26:44.623 course , an article in The Guardian 26:44.650 --> 26:48.520 that , that , um . That month , we'll 26:48.520 --> 26:51.640 be posting things on social media to do 26:51.640 --> 26:53.751 that and then all the marquees on the 26:53.751 --> 26:56.400 24th of the 26th I have something um 26:57.040 --> 26:59.151 dedicated , dedicated to the Medal of 26:59.151 --> 27:01.373 Honor to educate our community and then 27:01.373 --> 27:03.151 we'll be going to our two radio 27:03.151 --> 27:06.800 stations on 16th March 105.7 and 93.5 27:06.920 --> 27:08.976 and then our culminating event . I'm 27:08.976 --> 27:11.198 pretty proud of this . So we managed to 27:11.869 --> 27:13.980 partner with the Louisiana Department 27:13.980 --> 27:16.036 of Veterans Affairs and they've been 27:16.036 --> 27:18.910 great . Um , but our DFMWR will be 27:18.910 --> 27:22.030 turning our old museum , um , into an 27:22.030 --> 27:24.030 event center , and it's going to be 27:24.030 --> 27:26.030 called the Louisiana Medal of Honor 27:26.030 --> 27:28.589 Event Center . So we're going to honor 27:28.589 --> 27:31.660 all of 29 Louisiana Medal of Honor 27:31.660 --> 27:35.060 recipients . Um . In this , in this 27:35.060 --> 27:37.116 event center . So it's going to have 27:37.116 --> 27:39.180 their , their photo , um , their 27:39.180 --> 27:42.500 portrait and their , and their citation , 27:43.180 --> 27:45.347 and then where they're from , and some 27:45.347 --> 27:47.959 other cool things , uh , from . In the 27:47.959 --> 27:50.126 state of Louisiana and some other cool 27:50.126 --> 27:52.070 things with the Medal of Honor and 27:52.070 --> 27:54.181 we'll actually have a non . Dedicated 27:54.181 --> 27:56.348 Medal of actual Medal of Honor in that 27:56.348 --> 27:58.569 museum , um , and we'll do a ribbon 27:58.569 --> 28:00.791 cutting on 25 March with the commanding 28:00.791 --> 28:02.625 general , uh , and the Louisiana 28:02.625 --> 28:04.680 Department of Veteran Affairs . Oh , 28:04.680 --> 28:06.902 that's cool . So you'll have , you'll , 28:06.902 --> 28:09.069 people will actually get to see a real 28:09.069 --> 28:08.770 Medal of Honor . Yes , that's cool . So 28:08.770 --> 28:10.770 we've , we've been able to find one 28:10.770 --> 28:12.770 that's non-commissioned . And we'll 28:12.770 --> 28:14.881 have that in the museum . They'll get 28:14.881 --> 28:17.214 to see all 29 Medal of Honor recipients , 28:17.214 --> 28:16.469 and then they'll be able to , they'll 28:16.469 --> 28:18.469 be able to rent this venue to hold 28:18.469 --> 28:20.691 events in , in there , right ? And then 28:20.691 --> 28:22.913 we'll have some other cool historical , 28:22.913 --> 28:25.025 uh , artifacts in there , but they'll 28:25.025 --> 28:27.136 be able to rent this place out , uh , 28:27.136 --> 28:29.302 and so it'll be a nice . Uh , venue to 28:29.302 --> 28:31.525 dedicate and remember the legacy of the 28:31.525 --> 28:33.580 Medal of Honor and the US Army and , 28:33.580 --> 28:35.802 and of course all we've got other Medal 28:35.802 --> 28:35.494 of Honor recipients . They're not US 28:35.494 --> 28:37.716 Army , uh , from the state of Louisiana 28:37.716 --> 28:39.550 as well , but all Medal of Honor 28:39.550 --> 28:41.772 recipients will be , will be in there , 28:41.772 --> 28:43.716 be able to see them . So it'd be a 28:43.716 --> 28:45.938 really nice , uh , venue , the Military 28:45.938 --> 28:47.605 Legacy and the Medal of Honor 28:47.605 --> 28:49.661 recipients . Absolutely , you know , 28:49.661 --> 28:51.827 it's , it's , it's funny you mentioned 28:51.827 --> 28:54.105 that , uh , Mr . Leslie , because , uh , 28:54.105 --> 28:56.216 this morning as I was preparing for , 28:56.216 --> 28:58.438 for the podcast , you know , mentally , 28:58.438 --> 29:00.494 um , I was like . I've been in other 29:00.494 --> 29:02.605 posts , uh , camps and stations , and 29:02.605 --> 29:04.438 I've , you know , as part of the 29:04.438 --> 29:06.327 integration , uh , program that I 29:06.327 --> 29:08.760 typically , uh , um , am a part of , we 29:08.760 --> 29:11.880 always have something that , um , you 29:11.880 --> 29:13.824 know , commemorates those Medal of 29:13.824 --> 29:15.880 Honor , uh , awardees . And , uh , I 29:15.880 --> 29:17.713 was thinking to myself , we have 29:17.713 --> 29:19.769 Woodfield Hall and we do have some , 29:19.769 --> 29:19.439 you know , I didn't know the , the , 29:19.560 --> 29:21.839 the number of , of roads , uh , that 29:21.839 --> 29:24.319 were dedicated . But , uh , as I was 29:24.319 --> 29:26.319 reading the script and I saw that , 29:26.319 --> 29:28.541 That is gonna happen on the 25th . It , 29:28.541 --> 29:30.708 it warmed my heart to know that we are 29:30.708 --> 29:32.875 actually dedicating something for them 29:32.875 --> 29:35.579 to preserve that history , uh , um , 29:35.709 --> 29:38.189 for , for our younger generation and 29:38.189 --> 29:41.010 hopefully our children , uh , to come . 29:41.069 --> 29:43.270 Um , so thank you for that . Thank you 29:43.270 --> 29:46.709 to the DFMWR and to , uh , everybody 29:46.709 --> 29:48.931 involved because , uh , it matters . It 29:48.931 --> 29:50.931 truly does . And we got to preserve 29:50.931 --> 29:52.987 that legacy . Yeah , it's gonna be , 29:52.987 --> 29:55.209 it's gonna be a really good event . I'm 29:55.209 --> 29:55.150 glad we're able , the team was able to 29:55.150 --> 29:57.372 pull that together . They worked really 29:57.372 --> 29:59.317 hard on it and thanks to Louisiana 29:59.317 --> 30:01.317 Department of Air Affairs for , for 30:01.317 --> 30:03.539 stepping in and willing to partner with 30:03.539 --> 30:02.430 us on that . I think it's gonna be , 30:02.630 --> 30:04.797 it's gonna be a good event . Hopefully 30:04.797 --> 30:06.686 we'll be , we'll pull some , some 30:06.686 --> 30:08.852 offpost people in to take advantage of 30:08.852 --> 30:10.963 that center and be able to see that , 30:10.963 --> 30:13.186 you know , and , and spread the word on 30:13.186 --> 30:15.297 that , on those , uh , those heroes . 30:15.297 --> 30:17.352 Yeah , that'd be great . Well , uh . 30:17.352 --> 30:19.574 Matt West , thank you for coming in . I 30:19.574 --> 30:21.408 appreciate it and uh I do have a 30:21.408 --> 30:23.510 closing comment . Oh no , always 30:23.510 --> 30:25.621 wanting to say something . It's gonna 30:25.621 --> 30:28.069 be great . OK , go ahead . So there's a , 30:28.189 --> 30:31.500 there's a saying that goes . A soldier , 30:31.579 --> 30:33.439 but generally a service member 30:33.819 --> 30:36.500 experiences two deaths . The physical 30:36.500 --> 30:38.959 death when we have to lay them to rest 30:39.380 --> 30:42.060 in the day they are forgotten . This is 30:42.060 --> 30:44.227 something that we do to make sure that 30:44.227 --> 30:46.449 these individuals are never forgotten . 30:46.449 --> 30:48.616 Awesome . Very , very well said . Very 30:48.616 --> 30:52.530 well said , uh . Mark Leslie , Command 30:52.530 --> 30:56.310 Sergeant Major Horacio Pena . Er , they 30:56.310 --> 30:59.130 call you a ratio . Either or matter . 30:59.640 --> 31:01.751 I've had , I have different nicknames 31:01.989 --> 31:04.322 from different platoon sergeants . Well , 31:04.349 --> 31:06.516 thank you for coming in . I appreciate 31:06.516 --> 31:08.469 it . And , uh , this has been very 31:08.469 --> 31:11.670 enlightening and very awesome to hear 31:11.670 --> 31:14.589 about all these great people , these 31:14.589 --> 31:17.189 great soldiers , and , uh , maybe we 31:17.189 --> 31:19.356 can , if we , uh , if we continue , we 31:19.356 --> 31:21.689 can , uh , we can do this again someday . 31:21.689 --> 31:23.800 One final plug , Jeff , uh , just for 31:23.800 --> 31:25.967 your website . So if you want to learn 31:25.967 --> 31:29.729 more about the 29 Louisiana State Medal 31:29.729 --> 31:31.785 of Honor recipients , go to the Fort 31:31.785 --> 31:34.007 Polk Jersey and Fort Polk website . You 31:34.007 --> 31:36.118 can learn about them . If you want to 31:36.118 --> 31:38.229 learn more about Medal of Honor Medal 31:38.229 --> 31:38.170 of Honor recipients , period . You can 31:38.170 --> 31:40.337 go to the Congressional Medal of Honor 31:40.337 --> 31:42.930 website with CMOHS.org . You learn 31:42.930 --> 31:45.263 about all the Medal of Honor recipients , 31:45.263 --> 31:47.319 and then the Army has one , which is 31:47.319 --> 31:49.263 army.mil/ Medal of Honor . You can 31:49.263 --> 31:51.208 learn about all the Medal of Honor 31:51.208 --> 31:53.208 recipients . And then , uh , by the 31:53.208 --> 31:55.410 time this comes out . We'll be saying 31:55.410 --> 31:59.150 farewell to One of the best 31:59.729 --> 32:01.729 post command star measures we had , 32:01.729 --> 32:03.840 we've ever had who really appreciates 32:03.840 --> 32:06.810 all of our workforce , not only the 32:06.810 --> 32:08.810 soldiers , but the officers and the 32:08.810 --> 32:10.977 civilians . So commandar Major , thank 32:10.977 --> 32:13.199 you for everything you've done for this 32:13.199 --> 32:15.199 installation . I'm grateful and I'm 32:15.199 --> 32:14.969 sure everybody here is . I appreciate 32:14.969 --> 32:16.770 the human touch that you put on 32:16.770 --> 32:18.826 everything in this installation . It 32:18.826 --> 32:21.689 does not go unnoticed . Thank you . I 32:21.689 --> 32:25.130 agree.ar Major , last word , um , you 32:25.130 --> 32:28.589 know . As I mentioned before , the , uh , 32:28.709 --> 32:30.765 the podcast , you know , and , and , 32:30.765 --> 32:32.987 and we're preserving our legacy and our 32:32.987 --> 32:35.219 history with , uh , dedicating that , 32:35.229 --> 32:38.260 uh , that building there , um , but , 32:38.270 --> 32:41.550 uh , thank you to all of you , uh , to 32:41.550 --> 32:43.217 our civilian workforce , most 32:43.217 --> 32:45.439 importantly , um , because none of this 32:45.439 --> 32:47.494 is possible . We can't , we as Green 32:47.494 --> 32:49.661 Shooters can't do our jobs without the 32:49.661 --> 32:51.828 continuity of our civilian workforce , 32:51.828 --> 32:53.828 um , and our families , when we are 32:53.828 --> 32:55.910 gone , our families are safe and 32:55.910 --> 32:58.699 protected . Um , you know , a large 32:58.699 --> 33:01.010 part of that is because of our civilian 33:01.010 --> 33:02.954 workforce on the insulation and on 33:02.954 --> 33:05.121 every installation , and I , I think , 33:05.121 --> 33:07.288 uh , we take that for granted as green 33:07.288 --> 33:09.399 suitors , uh , quite often . I know I 33:09.399 --> 33:11.343 have in the past , but coming to a 33:11.343 --> 33:13.510 small installation as Fort Polk , um , 33:13.510 --> 33:15.843 it , it has given me a newfound respect . 33:15.843 --> 33:17.899 And so , as I mentioned before , the 33:17.899 --> 33:20.121 legacy lies with y'all . Um , it is our 33:20.121 --> 33:22.177 job as green suitors to carry on the 33:22.177 --> 33:24.177 legacy that y'all left behind , you 33:24.177 --> 33:26.399 know , Sarmajoder retired , Matt West , 33:26.399 --> 33:26.255 Lieutenant Colonel . Colonel , uh , 33:26.314 --> 33:28.984 retired Mark Leslie , you know , y'all 33:28.984 --> 33:31.594 walk around as Mr . or , you know , as 33:31.594 --> 33:33.875 Matt , you know , as most know you , or 33:33.875 --> 33:36.104 Mr . Leslie as most people know you , 33:36.354 --> 33:38.465 and Jeff , as most people know you as 33:38.465 --> 33:40.743 just Jeff , the guy on podcast , right ? 33:40.743 --> 33:43.185 Uh , but they don't know , uh , the 33:43.185 --> 33:45.185 history behind what you've done and 33:45.185 --> 33:47.352 what your family's endured there and , 33:47.352 --> 33:49.463 uh , During your time in service , so 33:49.463 --> 33:51.407 thank you , uh , for continuing to 33:51.407 --> 33:53.518 serve us and serve our families , and 33:53.518 --> 33:55.741 it has truly been an honor to be a part 33:55.741 --> 33:57.907 of this podcast , but most importantly 33:57.907 --> 33:59.963 to be a part of your team , uh , the 33:59.963 --> 34:02.185 JRTC and Fort Polk team , and my family 34:02.185 --> 34:04.352 and I are gonna miss this place . Uh , 34:04.352 --> 34:04.280 it's gonna be hard to leave . I'm sure 34:04.280 --> 34:06.447 there'll be some tears , uh , from all 34:06.447 --> 34:08.550 of us , uh , but , uh , we truly 34:08.550 --> 34:10.606 appreciate everything y'all do every 34:10.606 --> 34:12.772 day and , uh , for us and our family . 34:12.772 --> 34:14.883 So thank y'all . Oh , thank you . And 34:14.883 --> 34:17.106 be sure to uh come back and visit . And 34:17.106 --> 34:19.217 when you do come back to visit , uh , 34:19.217 --> 34:21.678 be sure to stop in and say hi . But in 34:21.678 --> 34:23.734 the meantime , I'm Jeff England from 34:23.734 --> 34:25.845 the Fort Polk Public Affairs Office . 34:25.845 --> 34:28.067 We're having a great time . We've got a 34:28.067 --> 34:30.011 brand new , uh , Facebook page out 34:30.011 --> 34:32.358 there . It's US Army Fort Polk , and 34:32.358 --> 34:34.414 that's where , uh , you're gonna get 34:34.414 --> 34:36.469 all your garrison , uh , information 34:36.469 --> 34:38.414 and updates and news and community 34:38.414 --> 34:40.636 events . And uh I'm sure you'll be able 34:40.636 --> 34:42.858 to watch this on , uh , on our Facebook 34:42.858 --> 34:45.025 page and our YouTube page . But in the 34:45.025 --> 34:47.025 meantime , uh , stay with us , stay 34:47.025 --> 34:49.358 Fort Polk first and uh people , passion , 34:49.358 --> 34:51.358 purpose , and all that good stuff . 34:51.358 --> 34:53.358 Have a wonderful day and we will be 34:53.358 --> 34:55.247 seeing and talking to you later . 35:00.929 --> 35:01.830 That was easy .