Latest news with #BattleofKheSanh
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chattanooga museum announces opening date for exhibit on East Tennessee Medal of Honor winner
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WATE) — The Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center (MOHHC) in Chattanooga is adding an exhibit on Medal of Honor winner Captain Larry L. Taylor. The grand opening of the exhibit is scheduled for Saturday, March 29. It honors Taylor, a Chattanooga native and University of Tennessee Knoxville graduate who performed a daring helicopter rescue in the Battle of Khe Sanh during the Vietnam War. Taylor was awarded the medal of honor in 2023. Maynardville Police, TBI investigate two deaths in possible domestic incident On June 18, 1968, Taylor landed a helicopter under heavy enemy fire in order to save four men. Since no evacuation helicopter was available, he instead used an AH-1G Cobra which was not designed for extractions. The four men had to cling to the helicopter's skids as Taylor flew them to safety. 'Like other exhibits inside the Heritage Center, we designed the Captain Taylor exhibit to serve as a lasting tribute to his courage and bravery on June 18, 1968—helping to ensure that future generations understand the legacy of our nation's heroes,' said David Currey, Executive Director of the MOHHC. Taylor was originally awarded the Silver Star which was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor. Taylor died just a few months later on January 28, 2024, at age 81. 'Chattanooga is the birthplace of the Medal of Honor. The first Medals of Honor were awarded for action in and around Chattanooga nearly 162 years ago, and Captain Larry Taylor is the latest of several American heroes from our area who has received the Medal of Honor,' Currey said. Several activities are planned for the grand opening on March 29 including a special preview for MOHHC members at 8 a.m. and a 'Bricks of Honor' dedication in the Aquarium Plaza at 11 a.m. The public is invited to the ribbon-cutting for the exhibit at 1 p.m., but guests must buy a ticket. Man accused of shooting two Blount County deputies indicted 'Captain Larry Taylor's extraordinary heroism is a testament to the bravery and selflessness that define Chattanooga's finest,' said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. 'We are honored to play a role in supporting this incredible exhibit that preserves Captain Taylor's legacy and shares his story that will help inspire the leaders of tomorrow for years to come.' In a press release, MOHHC thanked the city of Chattanooga, the Hamilton County government and Taylor's widow, Toni Taylor for making the exhibit possible. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Decades after returning from war, Killingly veterans are welcomed home
Killingly — When Henry Fusco came home from Vietnam, he said people shoved him, spat on him, and even tried to tear his uniform. In an auditorium at Killingly High School Tuesday evening, Fusco and roughly 60 men and women who served during the Korean and Vietnam wars finally heard the words that had been absent from so many lips when they returned — 'Welcome home.' Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, Connecticut Veterans Affairs Commissioner Ron Welch and State Sen. Mae Flexer, D-29th District, joined town officials to honor local veterans from the Korean and Vietnam eras with a hero's welcome that was long overdue. It was the latest community that Bysiewicz has visited to honor veterans from past wars. 'Neither group of veterans got the same welcome home compared to the kind of greeting that our World War veterans got,' Bysiewicz said. 'When they came home victorious, there were ticker tape parades, there were celebrations in every town and city across America. And when our Korean veterans came home … they did not get this celebration that their predecessors had gotten in World War II.' 'Our Vietnam veterans faced protests. They were spat upon, they were called unspeakable names,' Bysiewicz continued. 'People had divided opinions about the war, and our country had not yet learned the very important lesson that our Vietnam veterans taught us, which is no matter what you might think of a particular war or the leaders who sent our soldiers there, we must always, always support the men and women who serve our country and who put their lives on the line for the precious freedoms that we have in our country.' During the ceremony, veterans sat beside their friends and families to share stories of close calls and loved ones lost. Fusco, who served as a Navy fighter pilot from 1965 to 1975 with the 'World Famous Pukin' Dogs,' spoke of how he barely made it to base after his plane lost its radio capabilities and started to smoke after taking a heavy hit from enemy forces during the Battle of Khe Sanh in 1968. When he landed, Fusco said, he was met by a cigar-smoking sergeant major who tallied up the damage. 'He stopped every now and then, made a little note on his pad, came all the way around and he said, 'Son, you have 43 holes in that plane. … This plane can't fly,'' Fusco recalled. 'He said 'How did you get here?' I said, 'God was my copilot.'' Others spoke of those they knew who did not make it back. David Smith served in Saigon in 1964 and in the Army Security Agency in 1965 but he said his 'worst day' in the service happened after he was reassigned to Germany. 'I got a phone call that I had to take … and I was read was a telegram that told me that my brother-in-law, my wife's brother, who was a Marine, had been killed in an ambush,' Smith said. 'He was 19 years old and he's been dead for 60 years and it feels like yesterday.' This year is the 75th anniversary of the start of the U.S. involvement in the Korean War, which killed more than 36,000 Americans between 1950 and 1953, including 326 from Connecticut. Next month also marks 60 years since the first U.S. combat forces were deployed to Vietnam. More than 58,000 Americans died in the war, including 612 from Connecticut and two from Killingly. U.S. Marine Corps Private First Class William Francis Burdick Jr. died on June 9, 1968, in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. He was 18 years old and less than five months into his tour of duty. That same year, Richard Paul Graveline, also a private first class in the Marines, died on Sept. 9, 1968, in the Quang Tri Province, eight months into his tour. He was 19 years old.
