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Here are the stories of some patriots who have served our country. If you see one of these great Americans at one of our
auctions please take the time to say "Thank You!"
I spent
12+ years in the U.S. Army and finished 20 years in the Reserve. I had
two tours in Vietnam, the first was with the 1st Infantry Division and the
second was with MACV down in the Delta. I can thoroughly appreciate our
young men and women in today's Armed Forces. They are doing a fantastic
job under extremely adverse conditions.
- Bob Linthacum,
Lieutenant Colonel, USAR, RET.
This tribute is to my
father, Louie Rubenstein (1908-1995) (photo below) who was my life
mentor and best friend. At age 35, dad was drafted into the Army and
served 37 months as a Staff Sergeant in the Army Corps of Engineers
building bridges in the pacific for our troops. Dad was with General
Douglas MacArthur during the invasion of the Philippines, where he
was wounded and received the Purple Heart.
- Richard Rubenstein
I am a disabled vet, a senior citizen, and a 26-year member of the
American Legion. I entered The US Navy 3/26/51 during the Korean Conflict
and served onboard 2 Destroyers, USS Harwood & USS Hilary P. Jones. I was
Honorably Discharged 6/2/54. I was a MMFN (Engine Room) and even though
my ship did not see any battles, to this day I still am very proud to say
I served onboard her and of my service. I still get e-mails from several
shipmates.
-
James (Jim) Daab
I'm a Viet Nam vet
with two tours Special Forces and Damn Proud of it Let's all support our
boys all over the world protecting us!
I served 1969 to 1971 ;1st
of the 5th 46th S.F group , rank spec 4.
-
Jerry Taylor
I'm a Gulf War
Veteran. I served from 1989 - 1993 in the Army. My rank was E-4 when I
exited the service. Thanks!
-
Don Mack
Service
in US Army 1970 tank commander
-
Richard Saenz
US Army, 1968 – 1972,
Vietnam, Germany, Virginia, Massachusetts, California
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John Lorson
My fiance' served in
Vietnam, and now has been diagnosed with PTSD. For him to be recognized by
someone other than me would be a great surprise. His name is Jeffrey
John Gainey. THANK YOU!
-
Carol Zamecnik
Vietnam
veteran
-
Hugh
J Bonner
In
reply to your email regarding veterans: I served in the army from April
1965 to April 1967 (active duty).
- Jim Dye
My son, James Daab II
is a career (13 yr) Marine 1 tour in Iraq and is up for Gunny Sgt. at
present he is stationed in Yuma, AZ
- Jim Daab
I am a
veteran that has recently retired from the US Army.
- Scott Natvig
Retired Master Sgt, USAF. Sept 7 1976 - 1 Nov 1996.
- James Labita
George Y.
Cunningham Born July 26, 1899 - Died November 22, 1958
read article about him
He joined the U.S.
Navy in 1917 was a Marksman and saw action in the Atlantic as a Gunner's
Mate on the USS Fanning, a Destroyer.
After World War I,
George managed the general store on Sun Up Plantation in Northeast
Arkansas. In the early 1920's he settled in Black Oak working for Ritter
and Bailey Mercantile Company. He married Zepha Rogers, a schoolteacher
from Jonesboro, Arkansas; they had three children, Billy, Sarah and Bobby
(Dad).
When the United States
joined the allied forces in World War II, George signed up again, this
time as a Chief Petty Officer, one of the Navy’s highest ranking
non-commissioned officers in the newly formed Seabees (Navy Corps of
Engineers).
Left to right: Lt. Billy Cunningham (Dad's older brother), George Y.
Cunningham and Bobby Cunningham (Dad)
Bobby Cunningham,
US Navy 1955 – 1957, USS Hancock. Dad is proud to have served on what was
arguably our country’s best aircraft carrier.
The “Hannah” was
Commissioned April 15th 1944 so she only saw about one year of
active duty in the Pacific during WWII; in that short time her aircraft
destroyed 713 enemy planes, another 10 were destroyed by her guns. A
Kamikaze made it to her deck in early 1945 and caused a massive fire that
was quickly controlled by her capable crew. The Hannah was also credited
with sinking 17 enemy warships and 31 merchant ships. That means the
Hannah, on average, sunk an enemy ship about every week and destroyed
about 15 enemy planes per week; an incredible record by any measure. She
lost 221 shipmates in WWII.
In Vietnam the Hannah
was tied with the USS Oriskany for most deployments, twelve; she
participated in Operation "Eagle Pull" evacuation of Phnom Penh, Cambodia
and Operation "Frequent Wind" evacuation of Saigon, South Vietnam in April
1975 One of last Essex class carriers to operate in the attack role.
The Hannah was home to
Vice Admiral John S. McCain (the Senator’s father) on occasion. Elvis
Presley toured the Hannah while Dad was onboard. Dad served on the Hannah
right after she was “modernized”. She was re-commissioned (CVA 19) Feb. 15,
1954 and was the first carrier of the U.S. Navy with steam catapults
capable of launching high performance jets, the same deck systems in use
today. She was the pride of the US Fleet and was even featured in the
Robert DeNiro film “The Deer Hunter”.
Although Dad didn’t
see any “action” he is still a war hero to us. He joined voluntarily
during the tumultuous “Cold War” when the Hannah could have been deployed
to battle duty at any time.
-
George R. Cunningham
"And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned
from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let
them take arms...The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time,
with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"I am one of those who do not
believe that a national debt is a national blessing, but rather a curse to
a republic; inasmuch as it is calculated to raise around the
administration a moneyed aristocracy dangerous to the liberties of the
country."
-- Andrew Jackson
"Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary
Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
-- Benjamin Franklin
"On every question of construction (of the
Constitution) let us carry ourselves back to the time when the
Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates,
and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or
invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"The bold effort the present
(central) bank had made to control the government ... are but premonitions
of the fate that await the American people should they be deluded into a
perpetuation of this institution or the establishment of another like it."
-- Andrew Jackson
"Laws that forbid the carrying of
arms. . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to
commit crimes. . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and
better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent
homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than
an armed man."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"Firearms stand next in importance to
the Constitution itself. They are the people's liberty teeth keystone...
the rifle and the pistol are equally indispensable... more than 99% of
them by their silence indicate that they are in safe and sane hands. The
very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference. When
firearms go, all goes, we need them every hour." (Address to 1st session
of Congress)
-- George Washington |
