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Charles Hosking Jr ran away from home as a teen and  found his destiny in a career lasting almost  2 1/2 decades.

3/30/2015

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The horrible tragedy is that he paid for it with his life!

His family and friends, his neighbours and country, you and I now benefit from this man's heroism and we also share in his loss. Each Medal of Honor Day (March 25th) we need to take the time to remember the story of Charles Ernest Hosking Jr, and almost 3500 others that gave so much that their Commander if Chief, the highest ranking official in the country... their President... honoured them with the highest medal he... or someday hopefully... she...  can award... The Medal of Honor!

In past blogs I have quoted form a speech General George Patton made in his last year of life. He was at a Memorial Day service at a military cemetery in Europe and said that...  "In my mind, we are here to thank God, that men like this lived, rather than regret that they died."

We need to thank the "Snake" for living!

If you pick up the book by one of his daughters,  Gail Hosking Gilberg, called... "Snake's Daughter: The Road In And Out Of War," you can read all about the incredible life that Charles led... and how he earned the nickname..."Snake."

Last Sunday I started to tell you about the Snake. He ran away from high-school and his New Jersey home, made it to Canada and enlisted in the famous infantry regiment known as The Black Watch. He was underaged but got in anyway. By fluke, after he was missing from home for about 3 months, he was found and with the help of a New Jersey Congressman, the wheels started turning and he was quickly released and sent home. But he ran away again and yet again headed north. This time he got stopped at the border and family again recovered him. Next we hear he was serving in the US Coast Guard... still underaged,  and a few weeks before his 18th birthday he enlisted in the US Army, at Fort Dix NJ.

(Note...last week I received information correcting my statement in the last blog that the Black Watch was a special forces unit that followed in the footprints, if you will, of the famous First Special Service Force, AKA... the Devils' Brigade, of which you hopefully have recently read much in this space. I am now told that the Black Watch was a front line infantry unit and not related in any way with the brigade. Though no doubt due equal fame. (The unit I meant to mention in the last blog was in fact the Green Beret.)

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In December of 1944 The Allies had many successes under their belt as they continued to push the Germans back eastward towards their own country. The map above shows a bulge in the German front line shown in red. To protect the line the Germans had brought in over 200,000 troops and upwards of 1000 tanks.They were hoping to force the Allies back westward and into the English channel and beyond.

This bulge in the line would be where heavy fighting eventually became known as the Battle of the Bulge and thousands of Allies found themselves knee deep in the horrid snow and chilling conditions of December and January. Charles Hosking was one of these soldiers, and is shown above, still at an age too young to even vote. (Note the paratrooper wings he proudly wears.) Before the battle would be over in late January of 1945 Charles would be wounded. It was miner but he'd still be one of 75,000 Allied casualties. Almost 8,500 would be killed.

Another one of the wounded was a fellow who's name I hope you remember from past blogs. He was another Charles. But his surname was McGillivary and he was from PEI, Canada and his bravery in January at this very battle resulted in his being awarded a Medal of Honor. He would later also serve as President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, and play an important role in the design of MOH recipient's grave markers. (Including Hosking's, many years later.)


"Snake" would survive the war and continue serving in the military for years to come. He had to sit out the Korean war due to leg injuries sustained during training excercises. He'd still be wearing the uniform of the day and would find his expertise being sought during the Cold War in Europe. But his boots would be soon back on the ground during the terrible Vietnam era.
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Over 2.7 MILLION Americans made the above journey from the US to serve their country. During the Vietnam era these numbers would represent almost 1/3rd of the total then serving in the US military. Over 58,000 would pay with their lives, more than 60% being under 21 years of age.  23,000 would become disabled. 

Like so many Americans, Charles would serve multiple tours, his being three. He would fight within many groups and formations and would wear the internationaly famed green beret of the equally famous men depicted in 1968 by a fellow who the miltary rejected. But that fellow still did his bit for his country. His name was Marion Mitchell Morrison. But we all knew him by his stage name... John (the Duke) Wayne.

And two years before, from coast to coast in Canada and the US we were singing...

"Fighting soldiers from the sky,
Fearless men who jump and die,
Men who mean just what they say,
The brave men of the Green Beret..
."

It started out as a poem written while a medic was recovering from his war wounds. That medic was a serving Master Sergeant in the Green Beret. His name was Barry Sadler and his song became #1 on the charts in 1966.

Have a listen...  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSmUOj_CnrQ 
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After spending his entire adult life in uniform, briefly with Canada, with the United States Coast Guard and then the US Army, raising a family of three girls and one boy, he died a hero for his country. Initial thoughts of an Arlington burial were changed to a burial and ceremony closer to home and family in New Jersey, were he rests today at the Valley Cemetery in Ridgewood, Burgen County. Shown here is his original marker. 

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Master Sergeant Charles Ernest Hosking, pictured here, at age 43 found himself with the 111 Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam, Special Forces. He was acting as an adviser in the Civilian Irregular Defence Group Reaction Battalion during combat operations in the Phuoc Long Province, Republic of Vietnam.

It was March of 1967, as we were still singing... "fighting soldiers from the sky.'  But Snake wasn't singing. His men were preparing a captured soldier for escort up the lines. He was a high valued prisoner as he was suspected, and later confirmed, to be a deadly enemy sniper.

A scuffle broke out and the prisoner managed to grab a grenade from Charles' belt, armed it and ran towards a group of four American soldiers. Charles immediately gave pursuit, jumped the man, crushed the grenade between the two in a bear hug and forced the man to the gound.

While the four other soldiers were saved, both Charles and the sniper were instantly killed. The date was  21 March, and that was 48 years ago last week!


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In 1969 newspapers across the US told the world that Charles E Hosking Jr was being awarded the Medal of Honor for his incredible heroism and loss of life for the freedoms we cherish today.

His medal would be one of about 250 awarded for actions in Vietnam.

It was on  Friday 23 May 1969 that President Nixon held a private ceremony in the oval  office at the White House. (Reasons explained at left.) Two soldiers were presented Medals of Honor that day. Both were posthumous awards.

The Hosking family attending included  Charles' mother, his children and a brother with family. While the song called for placing " wings on my son's chest,"  President Nixon in fact presented a Medal of Honor to Charles' 8 year old son Wesley. That medal still is in the proud possesion of the family in the United States.


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Here is another of Don's photo's. It shows the monument dedicated to the memory of Master Sergeant Charles E Hosking. It was unveiled in 2000 by the Ramsey New Jersey Policemen's Benevolent Association.

The community of Ramsey can also remember this hero as they drive along Hosking Way, named in his honour.


A famous Canadian statesman by the name of Joseph Howe played a key role in the creation of Freedom of the Press in Canada. He was also one of our Fathers of Confederation.

Mr. Howe once said that....  "A wise nation preserves its records, gathers up its monuments, decorates the tombs of its illustrious dead, repairs its great structures, and fosters national pride and love of country by perpetual references to the sacrifices and glories of the past."

Sometimes we must question if we are doing enough of this. The day is here when we must do much more.

Thank you Charles Hosking for your service to mankind. 


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Past Blogs have brought you the story of Charles McGillivary's role in a later design of the grave markers for Medal of Honor recipients such as that shown above. Charles, as noted above, earned a Medal of Honor for action at the Battle of the Bulge. He later served as President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and it was during that term that he contributed to the new design, shown below and later mounted at Master Sgt Hoskin's grave site.

A US historical group of which I am the only Canadian member, called the Medal of Honor Historical Scoiety of the US, has many objectives. One of these is to do its best to locate lost MOH recipients grave locations. They have a long list of success in this regard. Another is to try to have the newer versions of these markers set in place with the permission of descendants  and cemeteries involved.

A key player in this work is a fellow named Don Morfe who has literally visited and photgraphed thousands of MOH grave sites over the years. He has also played a major role in the identifying of those graves that lack the notification that the soldier buried on the spot is a MOH recipient, and taking steps to do something about it. The Hosking new marker is yet another of his success stories. A few of the images in this very blog are originally taken by Don.

It should also be mentioned that it was the President of this very society... Mrs Gail Alvaraz that brought to my attention daughter Gail's book about her father and thus tipped me off on the fact that he originaly served with the Canadian Forces, albeit brief as that service was.


See you next week
Bart


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Many claim he was running away from home. Maybe he was really running towards something.    His destiny!

3/23/2015

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It was May 21 1941 at Ottawa, the capital city of Canada. The Ottawa Journal newspaper of the day, shown below,  predicted it would be "decidedly warm", at 81 degrees.  If you could afford the incredible  three cents, you got 18 pages of reading to take home. 

Page one carried 19 stories, 17 of which covered the horrific conditions of the war in Europe that Canada had been fighting for over two years. One of the 19 stories called for public help in housing the hundreds of clerks that had been called into the city to help with all the massive paperwork that red tape called for. The public were urged to help house the clerks. Government suggested bed sitting should be offered at $15... for a whole month. Food and lodgings ought to go for between $30 and $35 for the month, they said.

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The most prominent picture on the cover was of famous 41 year old New Yorker James Cagney. He was playing the lead role in a big screen movie, advertised at above left, and being filmed in Ontario.

The character was about a daredevil bush pilot who wanted to get into the war effort. The movie was designed not only to entertain but to put the message in front of those in all of North America, of serving age, to step forth and enlist. The picture was produced by the Warner Brothers family from Poland who emmigrated to the US, then some coming to Canada, two being born here, and the family later pioneering in the film business back in the US. (It was the same firm that recently released  the highly acclaimed  American Sniper movie, about Chris Kyle, whom many argue is worthy of the Medal of Honor.


The captioned picture above and its story no doubt made it to the covers of papers across Canada. And perhaps Charles saw it when he walked the streets of Montreal that sunny day back in 1941. Charles was a teen and he was from Ramsey New Jersey.

Just 2 months past his 17th birthday, Charles was supposed to be in highschool. But the family told me he ran away from home, and thanks to many a trucker, found himself in Montreal and somehow convinced the authorities that he was of legal age (18) and signed up with the famous Black Watch to head off to the battlefields of Europe. (The Watch was a special force that later in the war followed in the footsteps of the Devils Brigade, noted in many recent columns in this space.)

Charles was not the first underaged to join the military with the hopes of heading off to do his bit.  Nor was he the first to head north from the US and serve with the Canadian Forces of the day.. before..and since.

It's been said that some 20% of all soldiers who fought in the US Civil War were under the legal age of 18.  Research Johnny Clem of the 2nd Michigan who dropped his drum to pick up a rifle and shoot a Confederate Colonel. Clem was only 10 years old at the time. Many a year earlier in a Battle called Waterloo, 4,000 boys fought. Each was well under the age of 18. And in WW11 Canadian forces boys numbered  between 4 and 5 THOUSAND, and under 18 years of age. A few were only 13. More recently, in the Battle of the Falklands, there are claims of OVER 65% of those wearing the British uniform, started their service at an age below that of an 18 year old.


Of those coming north to join the Canadian Forces in times of war, columns in this space have brought you many of these stories. Some involving heroes who, two years into the war, switched over to serve in US units when America joined the war effort, and then went on to earn Medals of Honor.

In early 1941, almost  a year before the US joined the war, some 6000 Americans were alrerady serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Some 600 of these being instructors to boot. Famed American Joe McCarthy of the Dambusters wore the Canadian uniform of an airman, as did High Flight's writer John Gillespie. At the same time some 10,000 were wearing  the uniforms of Canadian soldiers. Thousands more would join the ranks of the Canadians before the war came to an end.

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Charles had been missing just under three months before a bizaar incident resulted in the family discovering he was in the Canadian army. Above, in what must be a rare picture,  the youthful soldier wears the berret of the famed Black Watch.

The family tells me that he was found by complete fluke. An insurance agent was having some dealings with the family when it was mentioned that Charles was missing. Soon thereafter that agent went on holdiday... to Montreal, of all places. Sitting in a pub were several soldiers. One mentioed a hometown of Ramsey. The agent was also from Ramsey, a small community of about 15,000. What were the odds of the two bumping into each other in a Montreal pub. But met they did. And soon the agent was telling his client, Charles' parents... where the youth was.

Wonder if the agent increased his premiums for rectifying the loss!     Hehe.


The family notes that Congressman J. Parnell Thomas of New Jersey was asked to help get the Canadian government to release Charles and send him back home to his family in Ramsey. It is not known what part Parnell took, but as a WWl veteran himself, no doubt he was of some assistance. From the above Discharge Certificate it is noted that letters were received, from probably the family or possibly Congressman Thomas. The very next day Charles Ernest Hosking Jr was released from further service in the Canadian Army.

He had served a whopping  25 days with the Black Watch!

Back home he returned to high school. But soon he was off again. And again northbound he went. But this time he was detained by border agents and the family called to recover him, yet again.

Destined to put a uniform on again, he would join the United States Coast Guard for a short period. By May of 1943 Charles had left the USCG and travelled about 100 miles south to Fort Dix New Jersey to sign up with the US Army. It would be just a few months less than 2 years after he joined the Canadian army. He was now of age and I guess a 100 mile hitchhike was better than a 350 mile hitchhike in the other direction  to Montreal.


But more on this on Sunday.

In the mean time please give some thought on Wednesday to the over 3,500 men and one woman who earned the Medal of Honor over its more than 150 year history. Well over 100 of these men came from, or had connections to Canada. That aside, scholars have said that today, over 3 MILLION Canadians are from, or have traces to the United States.

And Wednedsay that country, as we should, will be celebrating National Medal of Honor Day. It was on March 25 1863 that the first ever MOH was presented, and it went to a fellow named Jacob Parott, who's relative I have had a priviledge in interviewing several times and duly noted in this space in the past.

Give thought also to the incredible accomplishments of Doctor Mary Walker the only female recipient of the MOH, in this month of March. It is Womens History Month in the United States. Thanks to three Victoria BC women, my late mother being one, we celebrate the month in October of each year.

see you on Sunday next.
Bart


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Family remembers and honours the late Sergeant Maurice De Macedo, First Special Service Force, Killed in Action at Mounte la Difensa, Italy 

3/16/2015

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Several columns in this space have brought you part of the story of the First Special Service Force, aka... the Devils' Brigade. In its first battle experience, this joint Canadian and American commando unit climbed the unimaginable 3000 ft. peak of Mounte la Difensa. In 2 hours the famous unit drove off the enemy that had kept the Allies at bay for months. But they did so at very high costs.  Hundreds of men from across Canada were in this elite unit, with about 90 from this province of British Columbia. Recent blogs and those going back 2 years tell of the Richard Hilton and Maurice De Macedo stories. Richard survived. Maurice became one of the first victims, in the first day of battle for the brigade. Maurice was from Victoria BC.

Two years after the war finally came to an end, the brigade held its first ever reunion. Veterans and families, dignitaries and the public numbering in the thousands attended. At the unveiling of a massive memorial, a Canadian and an American woman, both having lost sons with the Brigade, had the honour of unveiling the important structure that to this day reminds the world of the price these men and their families paid, and continue to pay,  for our freedom. The Canadian woman selected was Maurice's mother May.

Many years later May's grand-daughter, Marie Mitchell, walked in not only her grandmother's  footsteps, but also in those of her later uncle, Maurice de Macedo.

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On December 3, 2013, exactly 70 years after the battle of 1943 took place on Mounte la Difensa, Italy, veterans of the brigade visited the site and held a ceremony to unveil the image at the left. Five months later about 70 veterans, familes and others visited many of the WWll Italy battle sites and war memorials in memory of those who fought so bravery.

The image at the right shows Marie Mitchell at the peak of the mountain that Maurice died on. She proudly clutches a picture of her uncle in hand. On her left is tour guide John Hart who also holds a photo of one of the veterans. At their far left is an actual veteran of the very battle... Mr. Eugene  Gutierrez Jr., from Texas, who holds a picture of himself back in war days.

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Among other important stops, the group, also traveled about 140 kms sough east of Rome to visit the Cassino War Cemetery wherein over 4200 commonwealth service men are buried. Within the cemetery a commonwealth monument contains the names of another 4000 plus who's grave whereabouts from the Italian Campaign are unknown.

Marie's Uncle Maurice rests in a marked grave. Marie told me with considerable emotion that there were many students at the cemetery who had traveled from Ottawa and elsewhere on their own tour and each had been assigned a few veterans to research. They were at the cemetery to find "their veterans" graves while Marie was doing the same thing. She broke down when telling me that she was wondering if any one of these youth was research her Maurice.

When she found the grave, she saw a student placing a poppy. He indeed was researching Maurice, and since that day the student Jacob Martin, and Marie have kept in touch and continue to share further information about the late Sergeant. She and Jacob are shown above, standing behind Maurice's grave marker. To the right is the massive memorial to those with unknown graves.

Marie was the only one of the 70 on tour who lost a relative at la Difensa and was asked to lay a wreath for those lost and does so at the memorial, shown in the bottom right image above. 

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In the Fall of 2014 Marie again went on another journey of discovery when she went off to Helena Montana, original home base and training center of the Devil's Brigade. The occassion was  the 70th annniversary of the la Difensa battle, and the force's landing in the Aleutiens previous to heading off to Italy. The event also hosted the 68th annual reunion of the force, which meets annually, one year in the US and the next in Canada. 

A past post of grandmother May's unveiling contained the above image, complete with a news article of the day.

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Here you see Marie back at the very site her grandmother stood so many years ago for the original unveiling. Behing the original monument is a cenotaph that was erected in the early 1990's. It lists  the names of those perished. Since some were mistakenly missed, their names were later added. More keep joining the list.

While the photo has lost some of its clearness in publishing, Marie is shown pointed at the name of her Uncle Maurice, who's surname is mispelled. Marie did not realize something  till I saw the image and did some further research. While only a small portion of the entire cenotaph, this portion has names of Canadians listed from PEI, NB, Ont, Man, Sask, Alta and BC. There are at least 26 Canadians enscribed on this portion of the monument.

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Marie was not finished her travels yet. In early February of this year she was back in the United States, but this time in Washington DC for the very ceremony where the US Congress presented its Congressional Gold Medal to the First Special Service Force, aka the brigade. The media across North America covered the event. Many local papers in Canada also wrote about the local connection, be it with one of the 19 Canadian veterans attending at DC, or the many others who were unable to attend.

Events took place at a number of venues including at the Canadian Embassy which I was privileged to visit during my recent research trip to Gettysburg and the DC area.

At above left the Canadian embassy hosted all 40 vets, both US and Canadian, at a special ceremony wherein each was presented with a copy of THE Congressional Gold Medal that the force would later in the program, receive and cherish. Each vet got a bronze medal, an exact duplicate, except not in gold, and also made by the US mint. At the right officials presented and congratulate two of the vets representing the entire brigade. The fellow on the left should look familiar. He is Texan Eugene Gutierrez who sat atop Mount la Difensa with Marie shown in the top picture of this blog.  Representing Canada at that same podium was brigade veteran Charles Mann from Kincardine Ontario.
Canadian flags are not in the picture unfortunately, but be assured they were displayed farther along on the platform.
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House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio is shown presenting the medal to the two veterans. The mint's gold medal, shown here, depicts not only the Canadian and American involvement but veterans mountain climbing, dropping by parachute and landings by sea.
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Marie stands along side a very large image of the Congressional Gold Medal and again holds a picture of her late uncle, Sergeant  Maurice de Macedo of Victoria BC.

While in DC Marie and many of the other veterans and families ordered there own copies of the medal from the US Mint.

Not long ago Marie received her medal and most graciously showed me the medal a few days back on the occassion of yet another trip to honor this brigade and the brave men who fought so valiantely and at such increfbly high costs.


This next trip was in joining me and another military researcher as we all ventured north up the Vancouver Island to Courtenay were Richard Hilton lives.

Richard, the subject of many blogs here, is 99 years old and the oldest Canadian veteran of the brigade. For some time it was thought, in error, that he was the oldest of the American vets as well but a vet in California is in his 101st year of life.


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On March 8th Richard was presented his congressional Gold Medal duplicate in a small ceremony at his retirement home. Over a dozen dignitaries and perhaps close to 100 attended to witness the ceremony. He was awarded cerificates, a set of jump wings and of course the medal. Shown above are most of the dignitaries. To the right Richard is seated as retired Canadian Major General Brian Vernon presents the gold medal. The general retired with some 39 years of service, briefly with the reserves and  mostly with the regular army at the officer level. He was an active parachitist for over 30 years and at retirement was the highest ranking paratrooper in the CF. His list of commands included the 2nd Airborn Commandos, the 3rd PPCLI, the 1st Mechanized Brigade Group and Mobile Command.

Assisting him in making the presentation was a 93 year old veteran by the name of James "Stocky" Edwards shown at far right, above. Lt Colonel Edwards was a highly medaled air ace. At the far left of his most impressive medal group, difficult to see above, is the Order of Canada. Wing Commander Edwards was a combat air fighter in WWll and was the top air ace in the Western Desert Campaign. To his credit are no less than 19 victories, 2 shared, 6 probable, 17 damaged and 12 craft destroyed on the ground. 


While several dignitaries took to the podium to praise Richard and the brigade, some could not attend. One of these was a represenative from the US Counsulate General Office at Vancouver BC. At my suggetion, the organizer at Courteney requested I contact the embassy for representation. I did so but it was learned schedules would not allow attendance. A very nice letter of congratulations was forwarded  to me to take to Courtenay. It was then decided that I would not be allowed to read the letter and that it would fall to the hands of the area Member of Parliament. He later discovered he could not attend and so it was read by a office staffer.  I stood by and listened.

Hmmm!

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After the ceremony both Marie and I had the opportunity to talk briefly with Richard as he proudly displayed his Congressional Gold Medal. Hero ace "Stocky" Edwards looks on.

As do I to the next blog.
Bart


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Returning to the famous First Special Services Force, aka... the Devil's Brigade

3/7/2015

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Last week I brought you some information and sites to visit to honour our men and women in the armed forces, both in Canada and the United States. I hope you had a chance to check out the links. They are very moving.

While on the topic of honouring, I hope readers recognize the flaw in the oft comments about our male heroes, when we tend to forget our female heroes with the same compassion. But regular readers of this blog know that I try to give considerable space to also honour the fairer sex. These blogs have covered many of these women, even going back to Civil War days when they could be arrested for wearing mens clothes, but wearing they did as they stood in the face of the enemy beside their "fellow" soldiers. Stood and I should add, also fell! 

That being said, tomorrow we should all be setting aside some time to reflect and show appreciation for our "foremothers." Tomorrow is International Womens Day, and has been so proclaimed for many years. Over 100 countries participate in events to honour the day... and the women of today... and our many yesterdays.

For those of you in the United States, you also have the priviledge of honouring these women all month long as it is Womens History Month. It started out as a week of celebration many years ago but was expanded to a month back in 1987. In Canada we celebrate the month in October as it was in that month that in the famous Persons' Case of 1929 was decided. Lord Sankey made the ruling that the silly MALE politicians and judiciary of the day should pull their heads out of the sand. He then went on to say OF COURSE women were  "Persons."    Dah!

Much has also been written on this site about the month, how three BC women, my late mother being one of these, advocated for a year for the creation of such a month of celebration.

So, with this said, today's column picks up on where I left off with the Devils Brigade 2 weeks ago. It spoke of one of these women that should be remembered. Her name was May de Macedo and she lived in Victoria BC. Living with modest means, she encouraged her young son Maurice, who was born and schooled in Victoria, to leave a labourer's job in the local mill and join the army. Perhaps it would lead into a better paying and longer lasting career. Sadly it didn't. He was killed in action serving with the brigade in Italy. It was just a few years after joining up.

The last blog told that May was selected to play a most prominent role in the unveiling of a monument to the Brigade. It was built at Helena Montana,  the town of their old training grounds. The monument was drapped with a parachute, in honor of the many hundreds of paratrooprers in the brigade that lost their lives. At the unveiling she, as the mother of a deceased soldier, would be representing upwards of about 4,000 men, when she did the unveiling. The next day things changed for the better when Mrs John Fitzpatrick of Rhode Island, who lost a son, of the same name, was selected to participate in the unveiling, and would thus represent the Americans who were killed in action or later dying from battle wounds.

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May's grandaughter Marie (Maurice's niece) very kindly has provided me with quite a bit of information about the brigade and her famiy connection. She tells me that Sergeant Maurice De Macedo was not always a Sergeant. In the greater Victoria area as a pre-teen he is shown crouching down and doing some target practices with his cousin. Years latter he would be practicing his rifle drills at the brigade camp in Montana. At the right he stands in front of the building used to dry parachutes.
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Like all soldiers in the Devil's Brigade Maurice came to the unit from another regiment. At above left he is proudly wearing his Canadian WWll style battledress uniform and was at the time probably in the 55th or 60th Heavy Artillery stationed at several locations around the greater Victoria area. It is possible he served in both units. He is shown at both ends with his mother May. In the centre he is apparently on a leave of absence, probably then  with the rank of Sergeant in the brigade and happily strolling  along the bussiness section of downtown Victoria, possibly in front of the Bay store. At the right he is now wearing the uniform of the brigade and also proudly  wearing the service stripes of a Sergeant.

Maurice would soldier with the brigade in  several US camps, then was sent of to the Aleutians and then with the unit continuously till sent off to Italy.
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Not far from a place called Casino there were many very high mountains, and most were occupied by the Germans. These soldiers were very well dug in and knew that their grounds, offering excellent views in all directions, were critcal strategic points to be held. They covered the area that could protect...or destroy the main route on to Rome, and an allied invasion of Rome would soon see the war come to an end.

The allies had been bogged down on gaining any ground, pardon the pun, in this area for a long period of time. Lost time, manpower, resources and morale were all costly to the allies and something had to be done.


The map gives you an idea where the Brigade would be sent. It was most rugged going but EXACTLY what the paratroopers had been training very hard to do.

Plans would be drawn up to take the larger of two mountains and then turn their attention on the others. But it would be a Canadian Colonel that suggested that perhaps they ought to attack the toughest one, and from the hardest side. No one in their right minds would expect such an attack. And in fact the Germans would have their backs to the men if the climb could be made. 


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The black arrows indicate the numerous attempts to take the mountain but being constantly pushed back by the enemy.

The new brigade plan, as shown with the red arrow had the men climbing  the very steep and trencherous rock face shown. 

First they had to get well over a thousand men into place at the base or as close as possible. It was muddy and they were tired from a long march. It was raining and the going was rough. It was difficult to see in front, but then again, the enemy must have had even more difficulty seeing them hiding in the brush and moving towards the base.

Before the climb the heavy guns pounded the mountain. One reference said that at least 900 cannons fired away for about four hours. One vet would later say that the mountain was almost aglow from the heat of the cannon shells.

Then the climb started by sending up about a dozen, including some natives, to secure and drop climbing ropes.  Then the brigade's first regiment started their climb. It was most rugged. At any moment a rock could let go and the soldier sent tumbling to death carrying about 100 pound of supplies with him. And dropped rocks might have alerted the enemy.

When the climb was done the men had to quickly organize and move some 300 meteres away to engage in an enemy all stunned at the enemy at their backs, and shown above. The mountain was taken for the most part in just a few hours but at incredibly high costs. Some say one in four, others say 4 in ten would fall. One of these early casualties to the brigade was Sergeant Maurice de Macedo from Victoria BC. The ridge in which he apparently died was so narrow that when on it you could not go backwards, and as the ridge twisted at one point the advancing men  were lead right into very heavy enemy fire.

The newspapers back home would first learn that Maurice was missing in action. It would take days to find the bodies of some of the men. Maurice's body was found a few days later and the press soon learned that rather than MIA, he had in fact perished in action.


There is still  more to this story and I will wrap this up with the Sunday blog next.

Bart


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For all those who earned Medals of Honor, the Victoria Cross, the Congressional Gold Medal, and those who did not...

3/1/2015

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Like so many times in the past, one of my most loyal followers sent me a link today that made me stop and think. And to do something never done before in this blog.

Most of the more than 300 blogs in this space have brought you stories of the heroes and recipients of the above medals and more. But so often what does not get much attention is those who fell between the cracks, yet nevertheless stood in danger's way so that you and I can enjoy the freedoms earned, not by a pen and paper, but from the ends of their rifles.

Today I want to share with you the video link given to me and ask you to please have a look at it and then pass it on to others. They will, be glad you did.
Here is the link...  http://www.youtube.com/v/ervaMPt4Ha0&autoplay=1

Please come back after viewing, and I'll bet you will not have a dry eye when you do. The video was made back in 2006 by a 15 year old teen in the US. Recently a web site claimed it had by then been seen over 29,000,000 times.

TWENTY NINE MILLION..by a 15 yr old!

Now take a look at what an older fellow has done. He's a news anchor by the name of Tom Brokaw, and this short clip has been on this site before.. and will hopfully come again. Check this out. It was made just before the Olympics in Vancouver BC many years ago. Here it is....   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrA4V6YF6SA   

Now, listen to this very emotional song by Jack London at...   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34n4AJu2mkg

And finally listen to Trace Adkins with a tear jerker song about Arlington National Cemetery, where you can visit thousands of veterans graves, and go back every day of the year to see a different Medal of Honor grave marker. A handful of these came from Canada. (Our Minister of Veterans Affairs was in the cemetery last month but the press releases say nothing of his visit to those graves.) The video is at... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGzuvmut3Hs

Today's blog is dedicated to those who have worn the uniforms of our two nations in the past, those that wear it today, and those who will wear it tomorrow. It is also dedicated to their families and friends back home who gave them that support they needed when they were out risking, and since 2001, almost 5,000 losing their lives so that we can sit back and do our thing.


Many of these were women. While doubtful to be noted in the Canadian press, and with millions of Americans living in Canada, they and you should know that today is the start of Womens' History Month in the US. In Canada we celebrate this in October.

It has been estimated that beteen 400 and 1,000 women fought disguised as men during the Civil War. One figure says it could be several thousand. Many of these came from Canada...one serving in 8 different regiments. In many years of researching the Canadian MOH recipients I do not recall ever finding a case of a man serving in so many army units. That, with exception of the one fellow who was a scoundrel  and joined about 30 or more for bounties and then deserted till caught and being sent of to jail.

Watch this space mid week for today's normal blog.

Bart


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    Author;
    Bart Armstrong, C.D.,
    Recipient, Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers 

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