For most of our veterans it’s what ‘we’ did not what ‘I’ did

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For most of our veterans it’s what ‘we’ did not what ‘I’ did <br />
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By Gary Larson <br />
Mille Lacs County Times <br />
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Marine Corporal Duane M. Larson <br />
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Last Friday while watching presidential campaign...

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WWII prisoner of war escaped on third try <br />
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By Dawn Slade <br />
Mille Lacs County Times <br />
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“I was a prisoner of war for 14 months, 14 days, eight hours and 31 minutes,” George Cline told the Mille Lacs...

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Marine returns from Iraq to meet newborn son

By Dawn Slade
Mille Lacs County Times

Ben Matthews is on his way home from Iraq to meet his six-week-old son for the first time.

The 1996 Milaca High School graduate joined the Marine Corps in 2005 and has been serving in Rawah, Iraq for seven months. It was his first tour in Iraq.

He is the son of Rick and Mary Jane Matthews. His brother Jon, who is also a 1st Lt. Logistics Officer, is an advisor to the Iraqi Army and is out in the field on different missions fairly regularly. Their brother Dan coaches football in North Carolina.

The following is a Q&A, via e-mail, Matthews sent from Kuwait as he prepared to return to the states.

Can you share some background information with us?

I graduated from Milaca High in 1996 and Bethel University with a business degree in 2000. I then worked a couple jobs and played one season of football in Germany before joining the Marine Corps in 2005.

Why did you join the Marines?

After I came back from Germany in 2002, I had a hard time deciding what to do next. I saw the movie “Black Hawk Down” and something clicked inside me and I knew I was supposed to join the military. After looking at each of the different branches of service, I decided the Marine Corps Officers program would be the best fit for me.

What is your military background? After getting commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in 2005, I injured my knee and needed surgery. When I completed my rehabilitation, the timing worked out that my brother Jon and I ended up going to The Basic School (TBS - six month program in Quantico, Va. that all Marine Officers must go through to learn basic infantry skills) at the same time. Near the end of TBS, Jon and I both found out we were going to be Logistics Officers and ended up going to the Logistics Operations Course together in Camp Lejeune, N.C. Despite the relatively small size of the Marine Corps to other branches, it is still quite rare to have two brothers end up going to TBS and Military Occupational School together. We had a good time.

I graduated Logistics school about a year ago on Oct. 30, 2007. I immediately started the deployment work up with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines in Camp Lejeune, N.C. as the Assistant Battalion Logistics Officer. We did two weeks of training at Fort Pickett, Va., six weeks at 29 Palms, Calif., and then I deployed to Iraq in April.

The tough part of the deployment tempo is that we are gone a lot during workups to deployments too, not just during the deployment itself.

What is your family status?

I’ve been married to Andi Matthews of Winona since 2000. We met at Bethel in 1998 and got married 18 months later. We have a daughter, Allie, who is two, and a son, Drew, who is six weeks old.

The separation from family has easily been the toughest part of being a Marine. Andi and I knew when I signed up that we’d be in for at least one deployment, but we didn’t know we’d have a daughter and a son on the way when I deployed.

It was tough watching Allie change so much during the deployment. She went from saying just a couple words to full sentences and singing songs to me on the phone.

I must say though that Andi did a great job of keeping “daddy” involved while I’ve been gone. We videotaped me reading different books, singing songs, and other parental reinforcement messages (i.e. “daddy says ‘listen to mommy!’”) prior to my leaving. Using those videos, Allie would have “daddy time” at least a couple times daily where she would watch them intently. I really think this will go a long way to ease my transition back to the family since Allie is used to seeing me a couple times a day anyways.

During the deployment, I missed Andi’s birthday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, my birthday, our anniversary, Allie’s birthday, and finally Drew’s birth on Sept. 20. I’m very proud of Andi for being so strong through this. I always say that the families of military personnel who are left behind have it tougher than the people who deploy. Andi is no exception and she’s done a great job with our family while I’ve been away.

Drew’s birth was the hardest thing to miss. However, we made the best of it using webcams and phones to bring me right into the delivery room (virtually). I was able to talk to Andi throughout the delivery and see Drew right after the birth. Certainly not ideal, but not bad considering the circumstances. Hopefully I’ll be meeting him for the first time this weekend!

What were your duties while you were there?

As a logistics officer for an infantry battalion, my main responsibility is supporting the infantry companies with food, water, fuel, ammunition, and whatever other supplies they require to sustain operations. I ran a shop of 29 enlisted Marines from the various areas of logistics including motor transportation, supply, ammunition techs, armorers, maintenance, and embarkation. I did a lot of the planning, but the credit for the work that gets accomplished goes to the enlisted Marines in my shop who get the job done. Any success that I had was a direct reflection of their efforts.

Besides logistics, I also did a lot of general engineering work including managing two large camp expansion projects. This involved working with Seabees from the Naval Construction Regiments as well as numerous other contractors. These responsibilities were new to me but certainly kept things interesting.

Throughout the deployment, my job responsibilities were always changing with new challenges around every corner. Overall it was a great deployment professionally.

Where is the infrastructure at now in Iraq? Do you feel progress is being made?

Progress is definitely being made, especially with the security situation. Violence is at its lowest levels since the war began which is allowing infrastructure improvements to make big gains. One of the projects I worked was supervising the paving of a road that was previously notorious for IED’s (improvised explosive devices). The civil affairs team in our location also rebuilt a couple schools, opened a youth center, and brought in some specialists to help the locals improve their agricultural situation. I just hope the Iraqis can continue to build on what they are doing now as we start reducing our troop levels.

Do you feel the mainstream media is portraying our presence in Iraq accurately? Was there anything that surprised you when you got there (maybe misconceptions based on media reports).

Very little has been made of the recent improvements in the mainstream media. Let’s face it, civil military operations like infrastructure improvements don’t make riveting headlines, so much of what we are doing now goes unnoticed by the media. I get frustrated by mainstream media so I don’t watch or listen to much of it.

Besides family and friends, what did you miss the most while serving in Iraq?

I really had it pretty good. However, I did miss fast internet, sports and my full sized guitar (I brought a small one). I didn’t see a single one of Michael Phelps gold medal races, which kind of sucked.

What did you receive or wish you would have received or would have brought with you while you were there? (This is helpful for those of us who want to send packages to military personnel serving abroad).

I had everything I could have asked for. However, it’s always nice to get mail and packages, no matter what’s in them. If I didn’t want it, another Marine in my shop usually did.

Have military men and women who have served before you affected you? If so, in what ways?

Both my grandparents served in WWII. My mom’s dad, Carl Johnson, was a Marine in WWII and drove the duck boats in the Pacific. My dad’s father, Willard Matthews, was in the Army and went through Europe. As I’ve learned more about the history of our nation, I’m extremely proud of the veterans who have gone before me serving this country. Reading about WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam, I’m proud of our veterans and humbled to be recognized among them.

How long do you plan on serving in the military?

I plan on transitioning back to the civilian world when my contract is up next spring. It has been a great experience, but with two kids at home and the deployment tempo being high, I’d basically be agreeing to more time away from my family if I stayed in.

Please feel free to elaborate (parents’ support, support from community, or whatever you want to get across to readers back home).

My parents have been extremely supportive throughout and I cannot thank them enough. It cannot be easy having two sons in the Marines, both deployed to Iraq at the same time. They have always been supportive of whatever I’ve chosen to pursue in my life, which has empowered me to follow my heart wherever it leads. Many of the successes I’ve had are a direct result of my parents.

The one benefit my parents did have from me deploying was that Andi moved back to Minnesota. This enabled them to spend quality time with their granddaughter Allie and see Drew right after he was born (at Unity hospital in Fridley).

On a side note; my brother Jon and I ran into each other in Iraq. He was escorting an Iraqi General around and happened to stop by a location adjacent to my base. We only got to see each other for about a half hour but it was still fun.

Semper Fidelis,

Ben Matthews

Ellie

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Milaca’s Battery D celebrates Lindbergh’s homecoming

By karen schlenker
Milaca Area Historical Society

Signa section on range at Camp McCoy, July 1927.

Last month, members of the Milaca Area Historical Society toured historic sites in Little Falls, including the Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site. This site includes the childhood home of aviator Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr. as well as a visitor center with a museum, and is run by the Minnesota Historical Society.

In May of 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the most famous man in the world when he was the first to fly across the Atlantic, from New York to Paris, which he accomplished in 33 1⁄2 hours. Following that flight, Lindbergh toured the U.S. in his plane, “The Spirit of St. Louis.”

A map in the visitor center’s exhibit showed the tour’s route, and it looked as though the flight from Minneapolis to Little Falls on Aug. 25, 1927 might have passed over Milaca. Thinking that the passage of any airplane in those days, much less Lucky Lindy’s “Spirit of St. Louis” would be a noteworthy event, I looked through the Mille Lacs County Times for that date. While no sightings were reported, the Lindbergh homecoming was in the news on Sept. 1:

BATTERY D TOOK PART IN WELCOME TO FAMOUS FLYER

Members of Local National Guard Unit Left Early Thursday Morning to Join In Celebration

Local Boys Were Picked for the Honor Guard Duty at the Banquet to Col. Lindbergh

(By Alan Kling, Correspondent.)

Battery “D”, 125th Artillery, spent a very eventful day at Little Falls last Thursday, August 25th. Of the 50,000 people who attended the Lindbergh Homecoming celebration, our battery played a very important part. Lindbergh himself made favorable comment on the handling of the traffic and this was one of the big duties of Battery “D.”

All of the members who wanted to go to Little Falls met at the armory at six o’clock Thursday morning [Aug. 25]. Quite a few drove their own cars so there was room for everyone. On the way over they passed the truck which was hauling the cannon to the celebration. They had started almost an hour earlier.

Shortly after the Battery arrived, they were directed out to the flying field for guard duty. There was very little to do as the crowd did not start together [sic] until past noon time. At 10:30 a light lunch was served, which later proved to be the only dinner which the boys received.

As the time for the arrival of Lindbergh drew near, cars began to stream in from every direction. These were driven as close as possible and then deserted for places of better view. Airplanes were continually landing, the prettiest formation perhaps being that of the 109th Aero Squadron which formed the advance guard for Colonel Lindbergh.

At two o’clock the Spirit of St. Louis came in sight. Flying low, it circled over the town a few times and then flew to the landing field. Battery “D’s” firing squad for the occasion, consisting of Sgt. Andy Carlson, Corp. Roy Lundstrom, Privates Clem Schmitz, Paul Schweiger, Roy Tingblad, Virgil Henschel, Ted Telander, and Ervin Hogan, started firing the salute of twenty-one rounds as Lindbergh’s plane came into sight.

As the plane neared the ground a mighty cheer arose which lasted until Lindbergh left the field for the fair ground. In the jam which followed, Battery “D” kept a close control on the traffic and handled it in such shape that not a single accident or smash-up occurred in their territory...

The banquet in the evening was held in the ballroom of the Elk’s Hotel. Battery “D” was picked as the unit that should do the guard duty. This was quite an honor and the boys thus got in much closer contact with Lindbergh. Some of the guard posts of the various men were as follows: Pvt. Earl Mikkelson and Pvt. Harold Solberg, upstairs hallway and door to Lindbergh’s room; Pvt. Harry Peterson, lobby way; Pvt. Roy Tingblad, front entrance to ballroom; Corp Alan Kling, Privates Clem Schmitz, Virgil Henschel and Erling Johnson, Lindbergh’s table at banquet; Privates Paul Schwieger and Ervin Hogan, side entrance; Pvt. Ted Telander, Sgt. Andy Carlson and Pvt. Howard Folsom, fire escape. The banquet ended shortly after nine o’clock, and the men were relieved from then on.

At twelve o’clock that night as many people were celebrating the triumphant return of their “Lindy” as there had been at twelve o’clock the previous noon.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Taps Buglers at Arlington National Cemetery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G1FvlPakkU&eurl=http://www.blackfive.net/

http://www.tapsbugler.com/


USMC Silent Drill Platoon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y90UPLLo6nY&eurl=http://www.blackfive.net/


Amazing Grace - Bagpipes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V84STSWVp3g&eurl=http://www.blackfive.net/


Military Taps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn_iz8z2AGw&eurl=http://www.blackfive.net/

Ellie