Published 11/8/07 in The Times-Herald

By W. WINSTON SKINNER
winston@newnan.com

The Veterans Day program at Arnall Middle School included a presentation in support of the Veterans Plaza, a tribute to a Coweta-born Medal of Honor recipient and recognition of five World War II heroes.

Col. Brent E. Bracewell, commander of the 78th Aviation Troop, Georgia Army National Guard, was the keynote speaker for the program, which included vocal and instrumental music and dance. Sixth grade student Jennifer Osorio also read a poem she wrote.

Six World War II veterans — Paul Deverick, James Dockery, Edward Duda, Frank Forth, Michael Grasso and Leonard Thomas — attended. They were seated in the front of the assembly along with Bracewell and Principal Rick Waggoner.

"We are so honored to have these men. Every day we lose hundreds of World War II veterans," said Pamela Ridge, the Arnall teacher who takes the lead in organizing the Veterans Day program each year.

The morning ceremony was held in the Arnall gymnasium. Veterans and their families were also guests at a reception prior to the ceremonies and were treated to lunch at the Arnall cafeteria.

Bracewell, who served 19 years of active duty in Desert Storm, Bosnia and Iraqi Freedom, told the students about a recent experience in a grocery story. An elderly woman, walking with a cane, made her way to him, touched the sleeve of his uniform jacket and said, "Thank you for my freedom."

Bracewell's daughter, Savannah, is a student at Arnall.

Bracewell focused his comments on the life of Stephen W. Pless, a Newnan-born Marine whose bravery in Vietnam brought him the Medal of Honor. "He was the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor. He was the only Marine aviator to receive the Medal of Honor," he said.

On Aug. 19, 1967, Pless "was flying a UH1 gunship" — a helicopter popularly known as the Huey, Bracewell said. The Huey had a crew of three and carried machine guns and rockets.

"He heard an emergency call go out," Bracewell related. "Four American soldiers had gotten pinned down on a beach" at Quang Ngai.

"They were running out of ammunition. They were getting ready to be overwhelmed," he said of the soldiers.

Air Force planes were flying overhead, but the 30-50 Viet Cong correctly surmised the Air Force planes would not bomb the area, fearing they would hurt the Americans. The Vietnamese forces were "actually taunting" the surrounded Americans, Bracewell said.

Pless took the Huey to the area and fired at the Viet Cong. When he saw one of the Americans wave, he knew they were alive and needed to be rescued. He then set the craft on the beach, which meant he was putting himself and his crew in danger.

At that time, "you could just about put a hole in a windshield with a screwdriver," Bracewell said. Pless and the crew "started hitting the treeline with rockets." The Vietnamese eventually began to rush the location as helicopter crew members "started bringing those poor wounded guys into the helicopter," Bracewell said. At times, the enemy were only a few feet from the helicopter.

Because of the weight in the helicopter, Pless could not simply lift the craft into the air. He tried "a running takeoff" into the nearby ocean, the speaker said. Four times, the helicopter settled into the water, but using "spectacular airmanship," Pless got aloft and delivered the men to safety, Bracewell said.

Pless and the crew also were safe, although the helicopter was "so damaged it couldn't be used in the future," Bracewell said.

"What makes guys so willing to lay down their lives for other people?" Bracewell asked.

He reflected on the ethos of military people. "We'll never quit," he said. "We'll never leave a fallen comrade."

Bracewell also spoke of Pless' "loyalty, dignity and respect," as well as his personal courage. "It's the soldier that makes the uniform," Bracewell said.

Bracewell recalled reading about Pless, who died in a motorcycle accident in Florida after returning from Vietnam. When he first read about the hero, Bracewell "didn't realize he was from Newnan," he recalled. Bracewell said the characteristics Pless exhibited on that fateful day in 1967 began back in Newnan when he was a boy.

"Whether it was Valley Forge or Vietnam, whether it was Korea or Kuwait, there have always been brave Americans willing to step forward," Ridge said.

"Why is our country a selfless, service-type country?" Bracewell asked. He said the Judeo-Christian values held by the nation's founders have continued throughout the country's history. "You put other people before yourself even at the risk of your life," he explained.

Bracewell drew a great round of applause when he said those Judeo-Christian values "make our country as great as it is today." After completing his comments, Bracewell asked the military personnel and veterans to rise and again recite the military oath.

The program included music by the Arnall chorus, directed by Terri Sanders-Finlinson, and the Arnall band, directed by Gena Wayne. At the close of the ceremony, "Taps" was played by Bethany Nickelson, a Northgate High School student.

One of the musical numbers featured a ballet sequence and students using streamers of bunting and inflatable red and blue stars to punctuate the melody.

Bracewell presented commander's coins to Osorio, Ridge and the World War II veterans.

Waggoner presented a check in support of the Veterans Plaza project, which will be a permanent tribute to veterans at the city park at Jackson Street and Temple Avenue in downtown Newnan. If sufficient funds can be raised, the site will include a sculpture depicting Pless and Joe M. Jackson, the other Medal of Honor recipient from Coweta County.

Accepting the check, Rob Tornow, the retired brigadier general who is chairman of the planning committee, said the Veterans Plaza was planned "so that veterans may always be remembered here in Coweta County."

Bracewell "captured the essence of the day perfectly," Tornow said. "It's good to live in a community where we're not afraid to thank God for everything we have and to show our patriotism and wear it on our chest."

Waggoner told the veterans that the day's events were planned to "show respect for you and your families." He thanked the veterans for "your service and devotion to our county and your service and devotion to each one of us here."

The principal reflected on "how America would not be nearly as great without the sacrifice you have made on our behalf." He added, "You have fought for freedom, which has allowed the United States of America to become the greatest nation on Earth."

http://content.times-herald.com/315967463327065.bsp