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Dominion Post
30-05-2025
- General
- Dominion Post
Leon Trenton Pauley
Leon Trenton Pauley, 80, of Grafton, passed away Saturday, May 25, 2025, in his home, with his loving family by his side. He was born September 4, 1944, in Charleston, a son of the late James Meredith and Mary Louise Hamric is survived by his wife, Nancy Warder Pauley, whom he married May 10, 1967, spending more than 58 years was a graduate of Morgantown High School, Class of 1962 and from West Virginia University, Class of married the love of his life, Nancy Warder, May 10, was commissioned a 2LT in the U.S. Air Force May 14, 1967 through USAF ROTC Detachment 915 at WVU. Trenton was awarded USAF Pilot wings June 1968. He flew 196 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom and 50 combat missions in the A-7D in Vietnam (1971-1973). Trenton was awarded his Parachutist badge July 1975, was an Air Liaison Officer to the 82nd Airborne Division 1975- 1978, awarded master parachutist badge and Command pilot wings. He was assigned to the United Nations as a UN Military Observers between Israel and Egypt, Lebanon, Syria. Trenton returned to the States as an instructor pilot for the A-10 Thunderbolt III (Warthog). He returned to the Mid East as deputy chief of the U.S. Military Mission in Kuwait and USAF Advisor to the Kuwait Air Force. Upon arrival to Shaw AFB, he took command of the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron flying the 0-2 Cessna Sky Master and the OT-37 Scorpion. He retired from the USAF in August 1988 as a Lieutenant Colonel. Trenton received many military awards and decorations during his career including a Distinguished Flying Cross, Defense Military Service Medal, two Military Service Medals, 16 Air Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Korea National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm and the United Nations retiring from the Air Force, he flew with Eastern Air Lines until it went out of business. He earned a Middle Grade Teaching Certification in all subjects, teaching sixth grade for 11 years inFayetteville, then retired to Grafton, where he and his wife purchased her grandfather's farm. Desiring to continue service to his country, he moved his membership in the VFW to Grafton. Grafton VFW Post 3081 elected him post commander. He was elected 3rd VFW district commander and in 2018 was elected VFW state commander earning the Coveted All American State Commander Award, Gold Legacy Life Member, member of Taylor County Honor Guard and has participated in over 950 funerals plus numerous patriotic was selected to be the general chair of Grafton's Memorial Day activities three times and was appointed to the Taylor County Health Board serving on the new building addition to his wife, Trenton is survived by two children, Heather Houlden (Richard), and Derek Pauley; three grandchildren, Noah Warder Houlden, Ryan Hamric Houlden, Autumn Sloan; one sister, Sue Anderson (Stu); three brothers, W. Kent Pauley (Christine), Dwight James Pauley (Susan), David Winnonda Pauley (Sheila); and many nieces and addition to his parents, Trenton was preceded in death by his brother, M. Brent and friends may call at Bartlett Funeral Home, 202 McGraw Avenue, Grafton, from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 1, and Monday, June 2, from 9 a.m. until the 12:30 p.m. hour of the funeral service, with Pastor Todd Jarman officiating. Interment will follow at the West Virginia National Cemetery, with full Military Honors accorded by the U.S. Air Force and the Taylor Honor may be sent to the family at Bartlett Funeral Home is honored to serve the Pauley family. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Taylor County Honor Guard or the West Virginia State VFW.
Epoch Times
27-05-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
50 Years Later, Vietnam POW Shares Hard-Won Lessons of Captivity
Commentary April 30, 2025, marked the Fast-forward to May 21, and I had the honor and pleasure of attending a presentation given by a Vietnam veteran who had been a prisoner of war (POW) in North Vietnam's infamous Hỏa Lò Prison, better known as the Preliminaries and Backstory Opening remarks were given by Halyburton's Remarks Related Stories 5/26/2025 5/26/2025 Cmdr. Halyburton spoke for over an hour, and though he's now 84 years old, he was full of pep and vigor in his speech delivery. I couldn't possibly do justice to the entirety of his talk within the short confines of this article, but I shall at least attempt to convey what stood out for me as most memorable and salient points. Halyburton started off by introducing his lovely wife, Marty, to whom he has been married for 62 years. From there, he mentioned that the first time he truly feared for his life as a POW was the Halyburton was not allowed communications with his family for the first five years of his captivity; it wasn't until after Ho Chi Minh's death in 1969 that family letters were allowed and the treatment of the POWs improved. Leadership and communication (especially the Back home, Halyburton was initially presumed to have been killed in action, and indeed a tombstone was engraved to honor his supposed death. 'Not too many people have their own tombstone, but I do, and it feels good to be able to look down on the damn thing!' he joked during his speech. 'Marty found out I was alive about the same time I found out that I was dead!' One day, his captors told him 'You must care for Cherry.' The 'Cherry' in question was then-U.S. Air Force Maj. (later Col.) However, the captors' assumption proved faulty, as Halyburton and Cherry became very close friends, and Halyburton credits his cellmate experience with Cherry as being a life-changing event: 'I saved his life, but it also saved me in terms of my outlook on life as a POW.' Book-Signing and Personal Conversation Afterwards, Cmdr. Halyburton stuck around for a book-signing, inscribing copies of both of his books, ' For example, the gentleman standing immediately in front of me in the line—who coincidentally was one of my fellow U.S. Air Force Officer Training School graduates—asked the author if he knew why When my turn came, being the military aviation technology geek that I am, I asked Halyburton a question true to my geekish nature. I asked him what his professional opinion was on how much of a disadvantage the early versions of the F-4 Phantom had against the North Vietnamese 'Well, if we had ever run into any MiGs, it would've made a big difference,' he replied. 'Because we had to do a visual identification we were going to shoot down, and that negated Thank you for that, Cmdr. Halyburton. As I type these words, it's Memorial Day weekend. God bless all who served. Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Joint Chiefs of Staff chair nominee John Caine promises to be 'apolitical' and candid
April 1 (UPI) -- Retired Lt. Gen. John "Dan" Caine promised to stay out of politics and only provide President Donald Trump with honest assessments if confirmed as general and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Members of the Senate Armed Forces Committee subjected Caine to a 2.5-hour confirmation hearing Tuesday morning at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. During opening comments, ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said he was "deeply concerned" that the Trump administration fired former JCS chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown and several other JCS members with no reason cited. Reed suggested the firings were politically motivated but said he is "encouraged" by Caine's qualifications as a former F-16 pilot with thousands of flight hours and multiple deployments followed by many years of experience in the Pentagon. Honest assessments, even when unpopular "If confirmed, you will serve as the principal military adviser to the president, the National Security Council and the secretary of Defense," Reed said. "I expect you to pledge to always provide your best military advice to the president and secretary of Defense, even if that advice is not what they want to hear." He said the military has been dragged into political fights, public trust in the military is eroding, and military trust in civilian leadership has been shaken. "I'd like to know how you would improve the civilian-military relationship," Reed said. Caine said his father flew F-4 Phantom fighters in Vietnam, his mother was a pediatric critical care nurse, and he learned about service from his parents and other family members who served. He said the nation faces a rising global threat and mentioned the then-current times in Beijing, Moscow, Pyongyang and Tehran. "Our nation faces an unprecedented rising global risk," Caine said. "Our adversaries are advancing, global nuclear threats are on the rise, and deterrence is paramount," he added. "Our national defense requires urgent action and reform across the board." He said the nation's number-one job is to "create peace through overwhelming strength and if need be fight and win our nation's wars." 'Proper information' only in 'proper channels' Reed asked if the Yemen strikes on Houthi positions should have been conducted using the unsecured Signal app. Caine said he always has "conveyed the proper information in the proper channels" and the military always should preserve the element of surprise. Reed also asked Caine if he ever said he "loved" Trump, would "kill" for him and wore a Make America Great Again hat. Caine said he never said such things and never wore political merchandise. He agreed with Reed that the military should stay "apolitical" and said he would keep the military non-partisan and "speak truth to power every day." Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., asked Caine how he would improve the military's nuclear efficiencies and maintain the nuclear threat. He said it would be an area of "emphasis" and supports adding options to the nation's nuclear arsenal to enhance the military's deterrence capabilities. Caine told Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., he does not consider the Women Peace and Security legislation as a "DEI program" when asked if he does and said it helps the military understand the "full spectrum of challenges ahead of us." Shaheen asked if the United States should continue to control NATO, to which Caine said he would defer to the president on policy but said it's important for U.S. forces to be commanded by U.S. leaders. "I value our allies and partners," Caine said, adding that consulting with them regarding NATO-related decisions is a "significant portion of the job." 'Candid and best military advice' only Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., described Caine as the kind of person who did not seek the nomination as chairman of the JCS and asked if Caine would provide his "candid and best military advice" even if it's not what the president of secretary of defense want to hear. Caine said he attended the Virginia Military Institute and his barracks overlooked a statue of Gen. George C. Marshall. "If I failed to provide my candid advice to the secretary [of Defense], the [National Security Council] or the president, I think Gen. Marshall would climb out of his grave and hunt me down." The matter of the recent Signal app chat among members of the Trump administration continued to be raised, but Caine declined to comment further and noted that an inquiry into the matter is active. Caine became a commissioned officer after completing the ROTC program at VMI in 1990 and earned a master's in Air Warfare from the American Military University, according to his U.S. Air Force biography. He served as an F-16 pilot and logged more than 2,800 hours of flight time, including more than 150 combat hours. Caine also was a part-time member of the National Guard, an entrepreneur and an investor from 2009 to 2016. He has been a national security adviser and taught courses related to national security, military leadership and joint warfare.
