Honor Flight reminds veteran of Iraq missions
FREMONT – The honor flight is bringing back memories for veteran Bill Herr; they are contained in photos, a scrap metal ring and a commendation medal.
On April 1, Herr will join 75 other veterans with the Flag City Honor Flight from Northwest Ohio on a trip from Toledo Express Airport to Washington, D.C. They will then visit the memorials spread throughout the capital. It's an opportunity to honor the veterans of the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War eras.
Herr has been collecting photos and memorabilia from his years in the army. The most dramatic piece is a round metal ring with an obvious bullet hole.
Affectionately known by his unit as 'Dad,' Sgt. Herr was 52 when the military called him up for active duty in Iraq.
It wasn't his first activation, but it was his first combat. He had been serving, in various capacities, since 1969.
'We went on some humanitarian aid (missions) after some hurricanes,' Herr said.
He went to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. He helped clear wreckage, build a bridge and build a health clinic.
He lives just outside Fremont, in the house that he and his wife started to build in 2002. It wasn't close to being finished before he would have his last active duty.
In 2003, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Herr received the Army Commendation Medal as squad leader 'for exceptionally meritorious service' under hostilities. The official certificate mentioned his demonstration of 'technical expertise' and 'courage in a hostile situation,' which sounds impressive but doesn't describe what he did.
Herr used a large truck as a defensive shield to help their disabled convoy escape an ambush.
He was originally assigned to the Toledo Unit of the Army Corps of Engineers, but was transferred to the 685th Transportation Company, 371st Corps Support Group out of Indiana. Their convoy of 27 vehicles included large HETs, the biggest and slowest transport vehicles used in that conflict. They were hauling heavy-armored vehicles. Under the best conditions, they could get up to 45 mph.
When the third vehicle in the unit hit an IED, it blew up.
'It was so powerful it blew the guys right out of the cab,' Herr said. 'Luckily, it blew them right out of the front window and all they sustained were minor injuries.'
Another vehicle was also disabled from the explosion, leaving the entire convoy trapped on a blocked-up road.
'(The driver) kind of panicked. When he got out of the truck and grabbed his weapon, he pulled the trigger by accident and shot off a round. It went through the floorboard and the starter, which deadlined the truck and nobody could get around him,' Herr said. 'One of the wreckers we had in that particular convoy had to get him out of the way so the rest of the convoy could get out of the area. We were lucky because, this time, we had a wrecker with us.'
Herr decided to use his 6-wheel transport vehicle as a shield, giving cover by pulling it up next to the open and exposed wrecker crew. They could then hitch the disabled truck and haul it out of the way.
The gambit worked. No one was killed and they completed their delivery mission.
Herr downplays his role, but official documents show that, along with the defensive action, he and his unit returned fire. They rescued the two disabled vehicles and recovered weapons from the enemy, successfully striking back against the ambush.
Herr and his driving partner picked up some souvenirs. Their truck's turn signal was blown out — a bullet through the steel housing. Back at the base, they removed it and sawed the blown-out metal bracket in half. By luck, Herr's wife received his piece in the mail on their wedding anniversary. Thankful that he got home in one piece, she sometimes reminds him of that souvenir.
Herr is modest. He spent most of his time in Iraq driving trucks and doing escort missions, providing the tools, food and weapons needed by our troops. He went all over Iraq, ultimately driving more than 9,000 miles. He served as convoy commander for 20 'critical missions.'
'We hauled anything and everything. Most of our equipment was old Vietnam stuff,' Herr said. 'I changed a lot of tires.'
He estimates changing out 30 to 40 of those large troop transport tires, often in 120-degree desert heat with the threat of combat looming over him.
He is appreciative of some of the sites he was able to visit and have a hand in saving.
'Iraq is the birthplace of civilization,' Herr said.
There was the Biblical city of Ur, with the monument to Abraham.
But there were also sandstorms, heat and stress. Friends from his old Toledo unit withstood almost daily mortar shelling.
'It makes you appreciate being here at home,' Herr said. 'I look at it this way: I came home alive and all in one piece. I didn't go there to get medals. I went there to serve my country. I may sit down there with my granddaughter and she may help me write a book. There's so much stuff, even during peace-time.'
Herr is looking forward to the flight to Washington, D.C. He's hoping to see some of his friends that he hasn't seen in a long time.
rlapointe@gannett.com
419-332-2674
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Sgt. Herr reflects on decades-long military career
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