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Illinois State Rifle Association
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CHAIRMAN'S COMMENTS
The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest award that can be bestowed upon a person in the military. It is awarded for acts of extreme valor, actions way above and beyond the call of duty. Unfortunately, all too often, it is given posthumously to the recipient; the person lost their own life saving their fellow soldiers from grave danger. An example of this would be a soldier jumping on a grenade, sacrificing his own life, knowing he would perish in order to save his “buddies.” Back in 2007, there were one hundred sixteen Congressional Medal of Honor recipients still alive. As of September this year, that number diminished to ninety-five. Sadly, there is now another to report is gone.
02/25/47 – 10/18/09 Sergeant Leonard Keller, 62, was killed in a motorcycle accident a few weeks ago in Florida after leaving a veteran’s club. I was able to meet and talk to him in September of this year, so I felt a little personal loss at the passing of this “real” hero. A “real” hero; not a movie star who is idolized for their acting abilities or an athlete playing a sport; nor a politician who is good at telling the masses what they want to hear and then doing something completely different. Sgt. Keller risked his life to save his unit (in Viet Nam) from very intense, enemy automatic fire from fortified bunkers. His unit was taking on heavy casualties and some soldiers were even calling for a retreat. Seeing all the dead and wounded soldiers surrounding him, Keller became angry and yelled, “let’s go get them!” He and another soldier armed with M-60 machine guns and grenades, charged the enemy and amidst heavy enemy gunfire, managed to destroy seven enemy bunkers. Eventually, the entire remaining enemy force broke rank and ran. I met Sgt. Keller by attending the annual meeting of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Each year the meeting is held in a different city and Chicago was chosen for 2009. The co-chairman of the event is a good friend of mine and suggested that I volunteer, as I would meet some pretty extraordinary people. And, that I did! While I was speaking with Sgt. Keller in September, he was enjoying a cigarette and complaining about all of the rights that our present government is trying to take away from us, including our Second Amendment rights and the right to smoke (even though the President is a smoker). He mentioned that he kept his hair quite long as part of his protest against the mainstream establishment. For the opening ceremonies, our military vehicle club was asked to bring some military vehicles to Soldier Field for a backdrop. I brought my WWII armored Scout car. It was a stirring sight to see over fifty living “heroes” all together. The Governor and Mayor were there along with many other dignitaries, including the top General of the Marine Corp, who gave an excellent speech. The Army’s “Golden Knights” parachute team gave a fantastic precision jump with all its members touching down within a 3-foot square zone. A Chicago high school drill team offered a superb performance that included a very difficult routine of passing their rifles from one member to another as the rifles twirled through the air. As the drill concluded, everyone applauded heartily…except the Mayor. Following the opening ceremonies, the recipients had an autograph session. Here, anyone could purchase the Medal of Honor book that highlighted the members, those who are still living and those who have already passed on. One recipient present was 100 years old! It was heartwarming to have the opportunity to speak with all of these proud, yet humble, Americans. Every one of them took the time to speak with those getting their books signed. The volunteers had a special shirt to wear and I noticed that every time we would talk to a recipient, they would thank us for out support. We were all amazed that they would take the time to thank us, when we were doing so little compared to what they had accomplished. The entire week was filled with activities for the recipients, including golf, luncheons and, probably most important, visiting local schools to instill upon the impressionable young students a sense of pride in country and in one’s self. The grand finale on Saturday evening was a formal dinner with several hundred supporters present. A great line-up of entertainment followed, along with some political speeches. I went out in the hallway to take a break and a minute later, Sgt. Keller came out. He approached us and said, in his typical unconventional manner, “…we need action, not politics in this country. But now, I want a cigarette.” With November 11th being Veterans’ Day, I believe it is appropriate to honor all veterans in America. Not just the Heroes awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, but all veterans. All of them…career soldiers or those in for just two years, drafted or enlisted…gave their full time service for our great country, often with great sacrifice to their family and financial well being. Many, literally, gave of their life or limb so we could be free. Let’s honor them not just on Veterans’ Day, but remember them every day. A couple of good ways are to donate your time or money to groups that support our soldiers such as the USO, Wounded Warriors, etc. I’m sure you’ve heard this many times before, but I’ll say it to you again. Freedom is not free. Thank you, to all of the veterans that have kept this country free!. Doug Mayhall
*** All opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the ISRA, Will County Grassroots, or any of it's members or officers.*** ------
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