By Greg Corrales
“To persevere, trusting in what hopes he has, is courage in a man. The coward despairs.”
- Euripides, Heracles, 422 BC
A Pentagon report on whether women should be allowed to serve in direct combat assignments, originally due to Congress on April 15, won’t be delivered until October 1. “Based on the pervasive nature of the requested review and the desire to conduct a thorough and comprehensive review, the department will provide a final report by October, 2011,” Clifford Stanley, the Pentagon’s senior personnel official, informed the House and Senate armed services committees April 14.
A blue-ribbon commission created by Congress recommended in December that all remaining military restrictions on assignment of women be lifted and policies and regulations updated to reflect changing gender roles. The Military Leadership Diversity Commission concluded that the restrictions hurt career opportunities for women.
Lecturer William G. Hillar entranced audiences as a globe trotting, highly trained, retired Green Beret colonel whose attempt to rescue his daughter inspired the hit (outstanding flick) movie, “Taken.” But it was not really his life. It was all lies. Hillar, 66, of Millersville, Md., pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud in a federal court in Baltimore on March 29. As part of his plea deal, Hillar agreed to pay back $171,000 he made by lecturing universities, soldiers, federal and local law enforcement agencies while falsely claiming he was a counterterrorism expert with a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon. He also agreed to perform 500 hours of community service at the Maryland State Veterans Cemeteries.
“William G. Hillar lived a lie and based his teaching career on military experience he did not have and credentials that he did not earn,” U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said. “He was never a colonel, never served in the U.S. Army or the Special Forces, never was deployed to exotic locales, and never received training in counter-terrorism and psychological warfare while in the armed forces.”
A Legionnaire and a San Diego firefighter are working together to fly a massive 30-by-58 foot flag in all 50 states ahead of the flag’s unfurling in Manhattan, Washington, and Shanksville, Pa., on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Dubbed the “Patriot Flag,” the super-sized Old Glory began its trek across the United States last September. The tour is the brainchild of Mitch Mendler, a firefighter/paramedic, and Wayne Louth of American Legion Post 149 in nearby Escondido, along with a growing number of volunteers around the country.
The two men met at the funeral of a World War II veteran. Mendler had a passion for making sure the American people never forget the 9/11 attacks, and Louth handles flag disposal at his post. When a local auto mall decided to replace the massive flag it flew, Louth and Mendler saw an opportunity to refocus the country’s attention on what happened on 9/11. Mendler quickly realized that transporting the flag from state to state would be costly, so he contacted FedEx. “I asked and they said yes,” agreeing to ship the flag free of charge between stops, he says. “If it wasn’t for FedEx, this would never have happened.” The Patriot Flag sends two simple messages, Mendler says: “We stand united, and we will never forget.”
A Congressional Gold Medal was recently presented to the family of a Tuskegee Airman killed in World War II. Second Lt. James A. Calhoun was killed on September 8, 1944, in the Mediterranean and was buried in Italy. He also earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart. In 2007, the remaining Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush, but Calhoun was somehow left off the list. His daughter, Jean Calhoun Royster, reached out to secure the medal in honor of her father.
“Lt. Calhoun’s service to our country is a shining example of the ultimate act of devotion, and it is only fitting that his family accept this medal on his behalf,” Mayor Setti Warren of Newton, Mass., said. “I’m glad I was able to help finally make this happen. It’s my small way of saying ‘thank you’ to the incredible Tuskegee Airmen and that generation of veterans who came before us.”
Police-Fire Post 456 meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 1800 hours. Meetings are held at the Veteran’s War Memorial Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue, room 214. Refreshments are served at the conclusion of every meeting. We are anxious for every veteran in the Police and Fire Departments to join the post. If interested, contact me at Mission Station (558-5455) or at gc1207@comcast.net. Thank you.
