Latest news with #AirMedals
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Iowa veteran credited with ending the Vietnam War 50 years ago shares his story
DES MOINES, Iowa — This year marks 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. On Wednesday, Iowans came together for the annual Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day. They gathered at the Iowa Vietnam War Memorial on the State Capitol grounds where the names of 868 Iowans who died in service are listed for all to remember. A decorated helicopter pilot who is credited with 'ending' the war in Vietnam shared his story. 'This is very emotional for me. And I grew up about three miles away from here over on 20th street. So, it was a, uh. This is special. Very special,' said Gerry Berry, a retired Marine Corps Colonel. The Des Moines native holds a special place in history given his role in Operation Frequent Wind, the U.S. military's evacuation of Saigon in the final days of the war. 'This is Lady Ace 09. We're here to get the ambassador,' Berry remembered saying the day he was tasked with evacuating Ambassador Graham Martin. Instead of completing his mission in one trip, Berry was told the Ambassador wasn't ready to go. More than 18 hours later, he was one of only two pilots still making evacuation runs. With tanks from the North Vietnamese rolling in, he knew time was running out. Vietnam Veterans mark 50 years since the war ended 'Go tell the Ambassador that Lady 09 is not leaving the roof until he's on board. And then in my best aviator voice, I said, the President sends. I have no authority to do that, but I did it anyway,' said Berry. Ordered out of Saigon, not by the President or the Secretary of State or the Admiral of the Navy. 'I always tell people, no, he was ordered out by that roguishly handsome global soldier, the sea captain Gerry Berry from Des Moines, Iowa. So that's how I ended our involvement in Vietnam,' he explained. Ending a war and fulfilling a duty to his country, yet never forgetting the sacrifice of so many others. 'What I would like never forget is that we had a tremendous amount of anti-war protesters. We had people burning their draft cards. But I'll tell you, we still had that loyal Americans who went to fight for their government and did what they were told. And I think we should always appreciate those who are willing to serve. So, it's a little different. The Vietnam war was very different from everything else we've had,' said Berry. The husband, father, and grandfather has dozens of medals from his two tours of duty. From three Distinguished Flying Crosses, 46 Air Medals, two single-mission Air Medals, the list goes on. As Berry returns home to Iowa this time, he can't help feeling a little more sentimental as he marks a milestone to the end of the Vietnam War. 'It's gone too fast, I think, and I look back and think, how could it go that fast?' Before he returns to Florida, Berry has one more stop this week in Iowa. He will visit the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown where the majority of the residents are fellow Vietnam veterans. Iowa News: Bison baby boom! New stars bring visitors flocking to Neal Smith NWR Iowa veteran credited with ending the Vietnam War 50 years ago shares his story Iowa lawmaker believes DCI geofenced State Capitol to prep for sports betting investigation Vietnam Veterans mark 50 years since the war ended Iowa House lawmakers send state Medicaid work requirements governor's desk Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Yahoo
‘Made a huge impact.' Retired Muscogee County Superior Court Judge John Allen dies
Judge John Allen, who grew up in a Columbus public housing complex, became a decorated U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and presided in State Court and Superior Court in Muscogee County for a combined 26 years, has died. The Muscogee County Sheriff's Office announced his death in a news release. 'On behalf of the Allen family, we were requested to announce with a heavy heart that Senior Superior Court Judge John Allen has transitioned from labor to reward,' Sheriff Greg Countryman and Superior Court Judge Ben Richardson said in the release. 'The Hon. Judge John Allen made a huge impact in the lives of so many in our city, state and nation. We ask for your continued prayers during the family's time of bereavement.' Allen's cause of death, his obituary and funeral arrangements weren't available before publication. After retiring from the court as its chief Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit judge in 2013, Allen was inducted into the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame in 2020. Superior Court Judge Bobby Peters, the mayor of Columbus from 1995-2002, wrote on his Facebook page that Allen was 82 when he died Sunday at his home. Allen and Peters formed the first integrated law firm in Columbus during the 1970s. Peters described Allen as a 'highly respected civic leader.' 'John was a gift from God to our community,' Peters wrote. 'A dear friend that left an indelible mark on our judicial circuit & me personally.' According to his GMVHOF bio, Allen was a distinguished military graduate from Tuskegee University (1966). He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force and accepted into flight school. After earning his wings, he served two tours in Southeast Asia. He flew an F-4D Phantom, an interceptor and ground attack aircraft. He completed 284 combat missions over hostile enemy zones. He destroyed 'some of the most highly defended vital enemy support holdings, thus seriously deterring further threats to the region,' his GMVHOF induction citation says. Allen was awarded six Distinguished Flying Crosses and 23 Air Medals. He was honorably discharged from the Air Force as a captain in 1973 to attend law school at the University of Florida. After earning his law degree, Allen returned to Columbus in 1976 to begin his law practice. He was a judge in Recorder's Court before State Court and Superior Court. 'He should be lauded for his early contributions to the civil rights movement as well as subsequent service in Columbus community organizations, membership and chair of several judiciary committees and as a recipient of several judicial awards by the State Bar of Georgia and others,' the GMVHOF said in the news release announcing his induction. Allen served as the city attorney for Geneva, Georgia, according to his bio on the Black history website The Institute for Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia selected Allen as a mentor for newly appointed or elected judges. The Georgia Supreme Court selected him to work on the Court Futures Vanguard, drafting proposals to improved the state's courts for the future. Allen's community service included membership on the Columbus Airport Commission, the Columbus High School Vocational Education Advisory Board, the Urban League Board of Directors, the Area Ten Special Olympics Advisory Board and the African American Historic Preservation Society. In 2012, Allen resigned as chairman of the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission, which investigates and prosecutes judicial misconduct, and became the first Black president of the Rotary Club of Columbus. One year later, just before he retired from the bench, Allen wrote to then-Gov. Nathan Deal and urged him to consider race and gender when appointing his successor. Allen was the only Black judge along with five white males in the six-county Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit's Superior Court. If the governor follows his pattern in recent judicial appointments, Allen's memo stated, he would create 'an all-white male superior court bench.' That 'would be egregiously unrepresentative of the population served,' Allen wrote, according to the September 2013 report by the American Bar Association Journal. In December 2013, Deal ended up appointing a white male, Judge Ron Mullins, to replace Allen and a white female, Judge Maureen Gottfried, to fill the circuit's seventh judgeship, created by the Georgia Legislature. Now, the circuit's seven Superior Court judges comprise four white males, two white females and one Black male — Richardson, who was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022, when Judge Ben Land was promoted to the Georgia Court of Appeals. Allen graduated from Spencer High School in 1961. The school summarized Allen's service to his country and community this way in its Facebook post: 'Judge John Allen marched in Selma, dropped over 1.5 million pounds of bombs from his F4 Phantom over North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and served Columbus as a Superior Court Judge. In the tumultuous 1960s, this nation focused on two battlegrounds at once — civil rights agitation and the Vietnam War. John Allen found himself on the front lines of both. In 1965, he was among the Montgomery crowd who took part in the famous march from Selma for the cause of voting rights. 'Life handed Allen's age group the opportunity to become social pioneers, for they were to be the first group of African American youth to break out of a segregated world and become successful in the white mainstream.' Josh McKoon, the Georgia Republican Party chairman who represented the Columbus area in the state Senate (2011-19), said Allen broke barriers. In his tribute to Allen, McKoon wrote on X, 'He was one of the best judges I ever had the privilege to try cases in front of during my time as a trial attorney. Off the bench, he was gracious and kind. He always asked about my family members and took the time to give me valuable feedback as a young lawyer. . . . Columbus and the State of Georgia will never be the same.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Buckingham sends letter to Trump Administration seeking remains of Texas World War II, Korean War hero
Feb. 10—AUSTIN — Texas Land Commissioner Dr. Dawn Buckingham sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump, the Honorable Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, the Honorable Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense, and other key leaders Feb. 10 calling for a joint investigation by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Defense to locate and return the remains of World War II and Korean War Veteran Lieutenant Colonel George A. Davis Jr. This year, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and the Texas Veterans Land Board (VLB) will open the fifth Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Lubbock, where Davis' family resides. In honor of his tremendous courage and sacrifice, the GLO plans to commemorate the grand opening of the new cemetery by holding a special interment ceremony for Colonel Davis. "As Texas Land Commissioner and Chairwoman of the Texas Veterans Land Board, I am responsible for serving the brave men and women who have valiantly defended our nation," Buckingham said in a news release. "Colonel Davis served with incredible distinction, earning multiple military medals while flying during World War II and selflessly made the ultimate sacrifice for his country during the Korean War. I remain determined to help bring him home to rest in Lubbock where his family resides and uphold Texas's legacy of exceptional Veteran care. After 73 long years, Colonel Davis and his family must be reunited." Colonel Davis began his incredible military career fighting in World War II after joining the U.S. Army Air Corps in March 1942. In just three years, he flew 266 combat missions, accrued 705 combat hours, and was awarded several medals, including the Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and nine Air Medals for acts of heroism. Colonel Davis commanded the 334th Fire-Interceptor Squadron during the Korean War while training new pilots and flying air-to-air combat missions. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his leadership and extraordinary bravery in combat with an armed force. He became known as the Korean War's ace of aces. Colonel Davis was shot down 30 miles south of the Yalu River on February 10, 1952, while flying his 59th mission and defending a group of F-84 Thunderjets conducting a low-level bombing mission over North Korea. He was declared missing in action and presumed dead. Colonel Davis was later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valorous actions. Currently, controversy and rumors surround the location of Colonel Davis's remains. It has been reported that the Chinese military recovered Colonel Davis's body but did not return his remains to the United States. There are additional reports that his dog tag and remains are possibly on display in a Korean War Museum in Mainland China. Regarding this critical situation, Commissioner Buckingham stated in her letter: "These rumors are extremely problematic, and if true, the flagrant disrespect shown to Colonel Davis is unacceptable. I'm calling on the United States to use all diplomatic means to demand the Chinese government permit United States investigators to explore the validity of these claims immediately [...] Please help the loved ones of Lieutenant Colonel Davis finally find closure and allow us to provide him a dignified resting place where the free men and women of our country can pay their respects to a hero who defended the freedoms we hold dear."
