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Welcome to Veterans Radio. I am Jim Fossone. I'm the officer of the deck today.

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about them by going to vetbizcentral.org 810-252-6200 and now on to our programs.

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We want to welcome to Veterans Radio today US Army Colonel Clifford Worthy

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retired. Cliff Worthy or Colonel Worthy has written a book called The Black

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Night an African-American Families Journey from West Point a life of duty honor

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and country. Colonel we're glad to have you on Veterans Radio this morning. Thank

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you very much glad to be here. Well we're gonna talk about a unique slice of

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time in military history. You went to West Point in 1949 graduated in 1953 and

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continued to serve in the active duty army until 1976 so we've got a lot of

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ground to cover. Yeah but I for the record I don't regret a minute of it

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it was just a great great experience. I have all at Mara West Point and its

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principles and and I had just a great career. I'm happy to be able to share

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that with you. Well you know and before we start into that let me back up because

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there's everybody's story is really about their family story and your family

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moved from Georgia up to the Detroit Michigan area when Henry Ford started

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paying $5 a day to people to work on the assembly lines and and that brought

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your family north and that's a pretty common story for a lot of southerners

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who moved up to to the Midwest and particularly Detroit and you found your

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way to what now is called Wayne State University at the time was Wayne

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University and we're kind of headed in a pre-med direction. I think the extended

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family wanted a wanted a doctor and you were you were kind of the guy. Exactly

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right. I was an only child but I had a huge extended family. I have a friend who

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for instance a couple years ago I counted my cousins and and there were 51 of

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them that I could recall so you can see that was a big family and and they all

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wanted to have a family doctor. I was 16 years old when I graduated from high

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school and they had already decided that I was going to be a family doctor not

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just a music family but the extended family doctor. Certainly certainly. I went to Wayne as you say it was Wayne that time

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it became Wayne State later on but clearly was my family status there was

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little or no chance of I ever going to med school or maybe I would go or getting

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into going and so that's how I ultimately became a got the West Point.

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Well wait a minute you're skipping over a few things here Colonel and I've

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had the opportunity to read the book and do some studying and this wonderful

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gentleman who's 92 years old now and there are a lot of there's a lot of

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wisdom that your book has that comes out of your life that I don't want people

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to skip over and that is just the role that chance sometimes takes in one's

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life. You had no idea what West Point was about and in the 19 it wasn't until

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1948 that President Truman's executive order desigrated the

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military but it was his chance opportunity in 1946 where you bumped into

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somebody and West Point kind of got put on the map for you took a few years to

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get there but tell us about how chance just played into a role here. Well that's

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a good word chance because it was a totally it was like an opportunity it

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was thrust upon me I had no military background whatsoever and so I met this

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young man who had been to West Point but didn't make it through and I was at

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the main old main building there at the administration building at the

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time and we talked and I recognized him because he had to uniform on and so we

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talked and I told him my background and after realizing that he was

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realizing that my chances of going to medical school were pretty slim he says

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why don't you apply for an appointment to West Point. Well before that minute

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that's second I had never given West Point a thought the only thing I knew

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about West Point was at that time the movies which of the movies they they

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was sort of a always there cadets marching as an introduction to the

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movie of the night and so that was my experience and that's how it all got

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started. And it takes another sort of chance meeting but but maybe chance

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isn't the right word but determination. Hello. Yes Colonel are you there? The

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volume went down. Okay yeah let me work on that we'll come back and edit that out

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not a problem. So Colonel not only was this chance meeting with this former

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cadet but you had to get an appointment to West Point and at that time that

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wasn't easy for a black man to get it was really the West Point was sort of

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beyond the the dream of any black family. How did you get the appointment? Well

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that's that's how it got started. Meeting this young man who had literally

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flunked out of West Point and and suggested that right to my congressman

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which I did not expecting ever to hear back from the congressman. Three cents

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stand back in those days so I sent a sent request to him and not expecting to

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hear back but three weeks later I got a response back from him saying send me your

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grades and talk to a couple local politicians and what was to go from

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there which shocked me and my family as well but anyway I did that

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expecting not to hear back but I did and and that was the beginning of the

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process now I didn't get into West Point in 1946 but that was how it got

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started and I didn't actually get into it to 1949 but due to congressman

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Dingles persistent persistent I have ultimately got got into West Point now

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maybe I left out some DCO's you'd like to hear about. Well no I just want to

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remind some people because they've probably forgot this history and we're

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talking about John Dingle senior John Dingle Jr. who passed away recently it's

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this is his father and another lesson I think your life shows us right there

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Colonel is you sort of don't get up you don't give up you might get rejected

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once but you stayed on the path to get in in 1949. That's exactly right and I

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were a lot of credit to Congressman Dingle who just had decided he was gonna

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get me into West Point no matter what and so as a result it actually happened

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in 1949 and thank God for him for his efforts I never met him I never saw him

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we talked in fact we never talked just just just a male but through a male

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until we got the ball rolling and then I was able to meet the requirement

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requirements I had to meet. And you get into West Point and again this is 1949

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there's a lot of discrimination occurring in the country but you write

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that you never felt discriminated at West Point except in the housing area

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talk to us a little bit about how they handled housing. Okay well before 1948

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the military was not integrated but segregated there were black units and

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there was white units and even the black units were commanded by white

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officers but when President Truman issued the edict in 1948 that changed

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everything there but there was some resistance on the part of the military

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but it happened West Point apparently got it so in 1948 after in 1949 I

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entered West Point and as a result of that I for four years I never had any

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instance that I can recall and I'm sure that's something maybe I've forgotten

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where I have had a problem because of my race was black except for and it wasn't

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a problem but that's just where it was policy was back in those days black

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cadets room together no matter what their height was well they had assigned

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cadets to companies based on the height for perfect parade purposes make sure

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everybody looked make sure it looked nice you know but in our case the black

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cadets room together and it just so happened that one of my roommates was

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about four inches shorter than the other two of us and of course which created

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some problems for him and I won't go into the details there but that's that's

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how it all happened we we we four years there I people have asked me about that's

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basically the same question about what what racial concerns what was problem

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there was a there and I I to my memory I don't know of anything that one thing

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that can point to as a matter of fact the reverse is true or as I'm concerned

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I became the captain of the squash team and I was on the tennis team and I I

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felt that I was well treated now I'm not nice so naive that I don't think that

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there were more instances where the racing showed up but I just can't

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recall any right now well and again it may not have been to your face it may

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been behind you to the back but I did want to talk about squash and tennis as a

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kid who picked up tennis myself on this on the public courts around Metro

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Detroit I was fascinated early to learn that you you turned to tennis in high

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school but it sort of felt it kind of followed you through life it allowed you

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at West Point because you were a racquet sport guy right you could you played

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tennis you had never played squash but it allowed you to fit in with a different

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group of people it ultimately you were the I think I read you were the first

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black captain of a sports team at West Point on the squash squad and and it you

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you played you played tennis kind of all over the world in some interesting places

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but isn't that one of those things where it's just you have to allow yourself to

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enjoy what you're doing and let that lead you in new directions absolutely you

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know just to talk a little bit about the tennis situation I just happened when

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they were walked past the tennis course watching their connected team practice

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and I looked at that and I said well I can do about play by as well as that so I

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just walked up to the coach and introduced myself and tried out and made

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the team I was squash I had never played before and I didn't know anything about

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the game but I was a racquet guy and so I was on the squash team and then the next

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year of the captain of the squash team so that's my history at my athletic

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history at West Point well then let me put this in context we're to our veteran

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radio listeners we're talking to Colonel Clifford Worthy retired US Army

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officer he's talking about his time at West Point and we're going to turn to his

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military career here shortly but he's playing tennis and squash at West Point

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there isn't a professional black tennis player until Elphia Gibson in the mid

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1950s and there's not a professional male tennis player until Arthur Ashe in

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the mid 1960s so you kind of have to put into context this getting on the team in

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1949 or 1950 you're really at the vanguard of those sports for African

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Americans aren't you yes that's right as a matter of fact I after my squash

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time at West during my squash time at West Point I was ranked probably number

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23 based on a ranking system among collegiate squash players and so I had

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a very successful question question career at West Point and of course you

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mentioned the tennis part of it but it was we played most of the teams were

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that were on the Ivy League circuit and they were all very good squash and

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tennis players because they were raised playing squash and tennis and so it was

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that was quite an experience and I think it made my time at West Point a lot

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more unbearable and that's true today the the military academies all

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encourage extracurricular activities they encourage one or two sports for all

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of their cadets in part for building collegiality in part for making the

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the that difficult environment more tolerable and it's interesting to see

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that this one no I didn't realize that that was sort of a philosophy for

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decades and decades in front of my own awareness of it

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let me let me move to I want to I want to mention this and I want to move to

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your career I want to mention that you also had the typical West Point

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experience of marrying your beloved fiance then wife Lillian at West Point

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right at the time of graduation and had the traditional cross swords coming out

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of the chapel I mean this was just unfathomable to probably your family

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back in Detroit just a few years earlier that you would have arrived at that

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point it had to be amazing to everybody it was a major turn of events I met

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Lillian the year before I entered West Point and for the four years that I was

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there of course we we dated and as much as you can at being at West Point and

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and a day the day after graduation we were married at the Cadet Chapel and

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probably the first black couple married at the chapel with a saber bears and

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all the pomp and ceremony that goes with it and it's interesting to that you

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brought that up because 20 other cadets were married that same day at the same

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chapel so what one would wonder how could that be done well it they were so

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disciplined and organized and that that we we had about 20 minutes or so of time

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to Lillian I have to have a just a typical wedding and then we would come

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outside and as soon as we were had finished I'm taking pictures and done

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done the usual things another couple would go into the chapel and and be

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married and yes my family from from Detroit and other places came to West

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Point for the ceremony and it was first time they ever actually most of them

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ever been out of Georgia or or or Detroit and they and they were you know

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because that was like a fish out of water but they there was quite quite a

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quite a big van I never forget it well it had it had to be a very proud moment

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for the family and and now I want to turn to the post West Point time because

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it's it is here out in I guess I'll call it the real world that assignments

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start taking you places and you particularly off base run into issues of

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segregation and comments of being called boy or told to go to the back door for

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food and and this is I suppose in hindsight not surprising probably at

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the time it was happening it was at times both surprising and expected but

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but let me put this in context for our veteran radio listeners Colonel Worthy

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you had and I don't have the number right I'm gonna list off some of the

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places but you had what 20 some assignments over your career and moves

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that's probably true I never never kind of counted them but that's about right

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but there are many I I can give you a quick summary of that if you like please

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please do I think again it would it will help people understand what military

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services like and and sort of how you move across the country to do it well

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that's that was the problem West Point was no problem but traveling was a big

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problem for black cadets and officers when you went from one place one I want

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to sum it to another you had to really plan your trip and and find do some

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research where you could go today we could stay when you had to stay in where

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you could eat and where you had to eat and those kinds of things they weren't

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you just couldn't stop at a motel because you just liked it the looks of it

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you had to get some advanced world warnings so and in one case I mentioned

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in a book in a little town called Clayton, New Mexico went I had to heck I went to

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the gas station there and had to pass for some got some gas and asked for a

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place that where I could eat and my wife and I was my wife and I were together

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we we made a mistake in leaving our New York license place on our car but

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anyway we he told us to go to this restaurant we thinking well if he said

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that you know we could go he was looking at us you can see that we were black I

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guess it's okay so we went to the place and as we got to the front of the

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building you could see inside through the glass windows there and everybody was

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having a good great time you know in jolly time and everybody enjoying your

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food and everything I walked in and the place was dead silent I mean it wasn't

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it wasn't you couldn't hear you could hear a pin drop even the thought it was

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clean in the place the black fellow cleaning up the place he stopped and

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froze and the person that the lady that was attending she was just absolutely

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furious that I would even dare come in there order some food and she makes

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negative women and racial comments about coming in the back door and all of

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that so but her boss the manager I assume I guess he felt it was starting to

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think so he said go ahead and give away want so she threw the food that makes

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them a couple of hamburgers and as we walked out we could hear the chair

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scrubbing the floor so every man in that in the restaurant got up and and we

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walked out the door and they were gathering you could tell and we got no

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car and I did we're now and I didn't know what to expect because in a

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situation like that the sheriff if there was one he probably would be leading

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leading the practice behind me there but anyway we we got in the car and it

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we drove drove off and all of these about 10 or 12 pickup trucks were

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following us down the road and of course we we didn't know what was gonna happen

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to us but we got too close close to the Colorado border some somewhere along

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that way where we turned off and then they turned around went back but that

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was the kind of experiences we wanted kind of expression we had at that time

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same with combinations were the same way so yes that was that was not not very

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enjoyable well and again because the way the military moves folks around and

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this is common today but the traveling is a different there are planes for most

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folks and not that kind of discrimination at public accommodations but

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you went to Colorado you went to Fort Nax in Kentucky you went to Fort Sill in

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Oklahoma you went off to Germany you came back to Oklahoma you got sent off to

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University of Arizona you go off to the Pentagon I mean you have a lot of moves

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in this 23 year career yeah I can well went left went went to camp it was camp

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Carson at that time but therefore a while then the Fort Knox and then from

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Fort Knox I went to jump school where everyone school went from there to Fort

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Meade, Maryland and we joined a I was signed to the Second Armored Cavalry

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Regiment and we were ready to ship out to go to Germany they had a program called

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Gyroscope that got started back in those days where we would move from the US to

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Germany taking no equipment bringing our families right along with us and then

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the counterpart in Germany would move to the US and we would leave there they

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were equipment there so we that was in Germany for that then after Germany

257
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went to back to Fort Sill for some more training and class

258
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just before training at Fort Sill and then from sort to Fort Sill we went

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to let's see to Fort Bliss Fort Bliss to to commanding General Staff College and

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Fort Leavenworth Kansas I was and I was that was a major at that time and then

261
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from there went to Vietnam for a year promoted to Lieutenant Colonel along

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the way and I commanded an artillery battalion in at at in Vietnam left Vietnam

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went to the Pentagon and I skipped one step there I also was sent to University

264
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of Arizona where I got a master's degree in mechanical engineering nine years

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after I graduated from West Point and then when I got to the Pentagon I was

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assigned to the officer chief of research and development and then from

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there I was assigned as one of the military assistants to the undersecretary

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of the Army and but then to another school of course seniors and selected

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both officers and civilians to the industrial college of the armed forces

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and by the way while it went a while I was at Leavenworth with the commanding

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General Staff College one of my classmates was a Colen Powell and we were

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there at the same time and so I didn't really get to know them that well because

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of the way they had a section off we he was in another group at the college at

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the same time so we didn't see each other that much but we were there at the

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same time and then after back to the Pentagon but then from there's the

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industrial college of the armed forces where there was a school for senior

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officers as well as civilians where they studied the resources and and and and

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that kind of thing for other countries they broke us up into teams we visited

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these countries and that was quite an experience and then back to Fort

280
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Hill and at that time as a full colonel and what Fort Hill and because of my

281
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wife my son we had a special needs son and there's a lot of history there and

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I want to come back to that let me finish the military side first and then

283
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we'll come back to that because I think that deserves its own discussion and

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what I wanted to point out to people is this kind of moving around is is it's

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hard on the military member it's hard on the family but it's not unusual and

286
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it's a it's full of interesting new opportunities and I want to back you up

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to Germany you went to when you got assigned to Germany it gave you in the

288
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family an opportunity to travel and see Europe and and you went to Garmisch

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part again an uber-ammergau which even today are highly visited well maybe not

290
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today in the in the pandemic world but are highly visited sites by US military

291
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I know my wife and I went to both of them when she was over at the NATO school it

292
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gave you a chance to go to Paris but you have to be again willing to accept

293
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those kind of random opportunities that exist and really take advantage of it

294
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and it sounded like that was your philosophy was that the way you went

295
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after it Colonel yes exactly you know I welcome that kind of the transitioning

296
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of the going to an industrial college of the armed forces was a terrific

297
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opportunity to do to do exactly there I went to Africa on it with a team there

298
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and we were there for three weeks to study resource management within that

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those countries and and yes while we were in Germany we did travel around we

300
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we we did go to you mentioned the passion play that not every ten years

301
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that's a very rich program that they have every ten years and we were

302
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fortunate enough to be an uber-ammergau at that time and so we got to brush those

303
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for the for the world's fair that was occurring during that rough time but and

304
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and the advantages of being in Europe at that time at any time is Europe is

305
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relatively small when you think in terms of ground to cover that as you as we

306
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do when you measure with the United States we could go from one end of Germany

307
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to the other one day as far as the travel time is concerned so anyway it was

308
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it was quite an experience and Germany's a lot of a lot of stuff I could talk about

309
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Germany but our mission was unusual and different there but we're in the middle

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of the Cold War and we were we had to protect the border between our us and in

311
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East Germany that was our mission there's another there's another aspect of

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military life I want you to talk about because I suspect this was somewhat

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surprising to your family and friends back in the States but but also I think

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today people worry about this is well if my son or daughter goes into the

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military they're not going to have any friends and your your book is really

316
00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:25,040
replete with talking about individual and generally couples an army officer and

317
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a wife at that time and the friendships that get formed among army wives and

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friends that makes these multiple moves and deployments and things bearable but

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that was really strong in your experience wasn't it Colonel absolutely very very

320
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strong we we had lifetime friendships of course we lose track of no over time

321
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but with people that we'd never met and they're for the most part white

322
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couples as and otherwise and it was interesting because the experience for

323
00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:13,160
them was just as different than as it was for us and and we learned a lot from

324
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each other and we realized that yes there's some bad apples out there in

325
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the military and in barriers of all kinds of racial barriers but they're also

326
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some good people and then and we we we cherish the time we spent with some of

327
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those folks I as far as in the military that aspect of our career

328
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one of the things about in Vietnam I'd like to mention is assigned to my

329
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Albert's battalion commander and assigned to my battalion was a young doctor

330
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who just out of medical school had no no military experience with swell of foot

331
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soldier experience and so it was interesting how my executive officer

332
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how he brought him along and and which and brought about one of the best

333
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experiences of my career period and what happened in Vietnam this young man

334
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with a doctor he just had just all kinds of potential he knew nothing about

335
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soldiering but my executive officer took took care of that well while he was

336
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there he went out and to the civilian side of things and in Vietnam and got

337
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associated with some people that were administering to them and and these

338
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were just innocent citizens they were not military people and he got involved

339
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with that with them and they found out that they were most of us were

340
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sleeping on the floor of these tents and things like that in Vietnam and and they

341
00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:08,560
were being they were coming out sick and didn't nobody knew what was causing it

342
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turns out that they were being bitten by rats and while they're late on the

343
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floor and as a result they were getting the poops with a plague and plague had

344
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not been no no not all people didn't know much about the plague but anyway he

345
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he started working with these civilians that were had no medical

346
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assistance at all until we got involved and as a result he became not just the

347
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United States but one of the world's experts in on the plague and and he he

348
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he's well he was well known and respected and and just a terrific young

349
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man and I wish I could tell you more about that well it's it's an interesting

350
00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:03,200
it brings up an interesting point I've talked to a lot of folks Colonel and I

351
00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:09,880
at times I don't think the American public realizes the humanitarian effort

352
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that military men and women do on a daily basis beyond their job right he's

353
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out helping the civilian population because of his heart not because of an

354
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order he's out there helping people because they need it he can offer it

355
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and and something is calling him to do it and I know you're a man of faith but I

356
00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:37,920
think that's a great story to remind people of how the military is so

357
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involved in humanitarian efforts it was a great experience and and with a sad

358
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ending unfortunately I maintain contact with him after we got packed home and

359
00:35:50,720 --> 00:36:03,560
but just about oh four or five years ago I called him and found out he had died

360
00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:10,080
in a car accident and it was I was you know quite a shocking thing for me

361
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because we had become very close and highly respected for the work that he

362
00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:21,600
had done and but that was that occurred you know the people that he was treating

363
00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:27,560
while he was in Vietnam they could have been the Vietnam what we call a VC of

364
00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:36,440
vietcong and you but they didn't he was able to do what it helped them as much

365
00:36:36,440 --> 00:36:41,800
as he could one of the reasons one of the things about that they did I think

366
00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:49,840
our soldiers are the reason that I think our military is the great the troops

367
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are the greatest troops in the world is because they they are the most resourceful

368
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troops in the world and there it's not just a matter of having the best equipment

369
00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:09,480
always it's just the ability to to when you find an answer or fix the problem

370
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where there is no answer or problem to be fixed or could be fixed it's just a

371
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resourcefulness of our troops and and I just just thoroughly appreciate the fact

372
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that that that is the heart of to me the heart of our military as the fact that

373
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they are can will solve problems where that had nothing to do with weaponry or

374
00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:38,200
that sort of thing I'm not knocking on a weaponry I'm thinking we're fine but

375
00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:44,040
what we don't we always think about it says we got great tanks and but we have

376
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great troops we really do yeah yeah just enjoy the time I spent with us so let me

377
00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:54,160
let me bring this around so we have a little time to talk about another

378
00:37:54,160 --> 00:38:02,560
passion of yours the Colonel worthy made full bird Colonel in about 1974 and

379
00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:09,160
unfortunately a little over a year later his beloved wife Lillian passed away as

380
00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:14,440
a result of some of the spinal neck surgery problems which obviously is a

381
00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:20,560
life-changing thing for anybody he the Colonel had three children at that point

382
00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:26,680
and had to make a decision at about the age of 47 to have his career bring him

383
00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:31,640
back into the Metro Detroit area where he went to the tank command to post but

384
00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:39,200
he knew by going into that area it really would end his career his aspirations

385
00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:45,840
of becoming a general officer and he retired in 1976 he went on the Colonel

386
00:38:45,840 --> 00:38:50,840
went on to work for a division of General Motors and had a very successful

387
00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:58,880
career there and subsequently remarried and had a wonderful wife Mildred but a

388
00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:06,560
lot but I want to move now to one of his three children had Mark Kim and Jennifer

389
00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:11,920
the girls are very accomplished in their own right and I'm not ignoring them

390
00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:18,080
but we're gonna focus on mark because I think it tells us something about children

391
00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:22,160
with disabilities back in that period of time in the military treatment in the

392
00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:29,440
medical treatment of that so tell us a little bit about Mark's story well mark

393
00:39:29,440 --> 00:39:41,840
was it was stayed in the hospital on it was the equipment I think I don't know

394
00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:49,360
because there was later diagnosed as lack of oxygen to the air it was didn't

395
00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:55,360
have the oxygen content he should have had which was basically the cause of his

396
00:39:55,360 --> 00:40:07,960
is becoming a special needs young youngster he we at that time there were

397
00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:14,800
not the kind of service that he needed available very much but rare to go to a

398
00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:23,320
place anywhere and find a really help to for kids and our children like that they

399
00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:28,360
were they were marginalized and and and we just had to have in addition to my

400
00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:34,840
military duties we always had to think in terms of what how it would affect mark

401
00:40:34,840 --> 00:40:38,760
and what we had to do about his situation and there's a lot of story to be

402
00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:45,840
told about that but anyway he we we everywhere we went and we would go to

403
00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:51,600
we went to Johns Hopkins and Walter Reed we went we even in Heidelberg Germany

404
00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:58,320
which had a reputation for having great medical service we went there to try to

405
00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:04,960
get help for him it turns out we didn't really but but just pointing out that

406
00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:10,480
the issues we had to deal with in addition to our normal expected military

407
00:41:10,480 --> 00:41:19,320
function my wife I think part of the reason she was it became ill is I think

408
00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:27,880
part of it is concerned about him and I mean the more I could die so it it makes

409
00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:32,520
the big difference in and managing your career when you've got a special needs

410
00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:37,800
child particularly back in those days that I suppose it's better now but it

411
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:45,360
certainly wasn't very good at that time I think I mean I think the story and I

412
00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:51,600
want to have folks go by the black knight in African-American family's journey

413
00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:56,960
from West Point a life of duty honor and country by Clifford Worthy the book

414
00:41:56,960 --> 00:42:01,600
really talks a lot about those experiences and the difficulties they

415
00:42:01,600 --> 00:42:05,920
caused in the family because nobody ever knows if they're doing the right thing I

416
00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:10,840
mean I think that's what really grinds you down you don't know if you're doing

417
00:42:10,840 --> 00:42:17,560
the right thing but Mark ultimately found a good spot you were able to find a

418
00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:24,560
good spot for me and I think I wrote down that he lived till he was 59 so it you

419
00:42:24,560 --> 00:42:28,120
know all you wonder whether or not you did the right thing and you can look

420
00:42:28,120 --> 00:42:34,560
back and say no we he had a had a good life for what was in front of him and

421
00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:39,080
he lived a long life for what was in front of him that must give you some

422
00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:45,560
consolation and I'm ready to it and as you point out the last few years of his

423
00:42:45,560 --> 00:42:52,440
life he got good care we weren't able to keep him at home but we found a

424
00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:59,560
great got involved with a great service and from Michigan there was offered by

425
00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:07,560
the Komekai in Michigan and we he was there in a group home there for until

426
00:43:07,560 --> 00:43:16,360
he passed and he was he was it was just a wonderful and young man who was a

427
00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:23,840
benefit not just for for us for us it was he he was beneficial to the folks

428
00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:31,520
that he was with for a number of years he was I can't I can't and just a few

429
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minutes justify the impact he had on on other people's lives which a matter of

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fact there was a group of middle-aged men who called themselves over the hill

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bunch there was the plate softball in the in the Romeo Otton Romeo Michigan there

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was a recreation center they had that going for them mark which we go there

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and and watch them play and they got very much attached to mark and mark became

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like a whatever the word it would be anyway they loved them into care for

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and when mark died at the funeral we had the service and in the middle of the

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service three gentlemen got up and stood up and and introduced themselves with

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and they came without in without my knowledge but they came and who they

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were once they stood up and they came and they gave a wonderful testimony about

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their relationship with mark he was really loved in fact the recreation

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center in Romeo Michigan has a bench that's been established permanently bench

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with words on it in honor of mark and the home where he stayed they planted a

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tree in the backyard of the house so you can see the impact he had on on people

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period but you you have in the book a photo of mark with the over the hill

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bunch posing for a team photo and he's sort of an honorary member of the team

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and he's a tall guy he's a big guy he's in the back row and he's given a

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military salute and it just to me that sort of brought home full circle if you

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will some of those experiences that he had with you all over the world whether

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you were teaching it or not but for him giving that military salute was was an

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honorable act well there's nothing that mark would rather have done it with his

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life than to be in the military he was so

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enamored with the military that he wanted to go to the local recruiting

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station sign up well he was not anywhere near mentally equipped to or even

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physically equipped to to be in the military but the house where he was

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staying they made some arrangement with the recruiting station to take mark

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there and he was taken there and thinking that he was being considered for

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enlistment in the army but of course he wasn't but they they said well the

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00:46:26,960 --> 00:46:32,600
recruits the recruiting sergeant said well when we have an opening that's what

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00:46:32,600 --> 00:46:39,840
they told him we have an opening we'll let you know so he believed that and it

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00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:45,680
was it reminds all of us to find the joy in life where it is right yeah that's

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00:46:45,680 --> 00:46:50,360
exactly don't keep don't keep putting the joy off find the joy now and I think

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00:46:50,360 --> 00:46:54,440
again when I read the book there were moments in it when you're recounting

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00:46:54,440 --> 00:47:01,440
family stories that where you just go that that joy is coming out and this is

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when you should really really seize that joy now we didn't have a chance to remember

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wrap this up I've kept you longer than I said I was gonna but I had a lot I wanted

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to talk to you about you are a man of faith and you talk about it from right

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at the time of West Point to devotional services over in Vietnam and through the

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rest of life and I suspect that that also has not only made your military

468
00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:32,800
career but your family challenges and everything in life is kind of tied

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together with that isn't it yes absolutely so thank you that you would

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even would consider myself my experience and the part of your program and I

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00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:53,200
wanted to want to say that what you're doing is is important to me I'm sure

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00:47:53,200 --> 00:47:57,160
there are a lot of veterans that need legal assistance and whatever else you

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00:47:57,160 --> 00:48:06,400
do that having been close to troops and love troops as much as I do I know how

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much that would be appreciated how much needed much like the kind of services

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00:48:11,800 --> 00:48:18,640
my son needed you know when you couldn't get it otherwise you so thank you very

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00:48:18,640 --> 00:48:22,960
much I appreciate it thank you Colonel worthy we're glad you were able to spend

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00:48:22,960 --> 00:48:26,680
so much time with us here on veterans radio today and we're we are honored

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00:48:26,680 --> 00:48:31,920
to talk to men like you who serve before us and we are honored to assist

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00:48:31,920 --> 00:48:35,920
veterans with their legal disability claims all around the country so thank

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00:48:35,920 --> 00:48:41,160
you for your time today thank you and I want to thank everybody for listening

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00:48:41,160 --> 00:48:45,920
to veterans radio today I am Jim Fawcone it's been a pleasure to be your

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00:48:45,920 --> 00:48:50,600
host I'm a veterans disability lawyer at legal help for veterans and you can

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00:48:50,600 --> 00:48:58,880
reach us at 800-693-4800 or legal help for veterans dot com on the web you can

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00:48:58,880 --> 00:49:03,280
follow veterans radio on Facebook and listen to its podcasts and internet

485
00:49:03,280 --> 00:49:10,680
radio shows by going to veterans radio net and until next time you are dismissed

486
00:49:10,680 --> 00:49:15,240
you have a VA claim denied by the board of veterans appeals contact legal help

487
00:49:15,240 --> 00:49:21,240
for veterans at 1-800-693-4800 their experts in handling cases before the

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00:49:21,240 --> 00:49:26,840
US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims their number again 1-800-693-4800

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00:49:26,840 --> 00:49:32,880
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00:49:32,880 --> 00:49:37,080
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00:49:37,080 --> 00:49:42,680
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00:49:42,680 --> 00:49:47,880
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