Medal of Honor recipient Lewis Millett, hero of Battle of Bayonet Hill, passes
[Originally published at The US Report]
In 1940, Lewis L. “Red” Millett, a 17 year old native of Mechanic Falls, Maine, dropped out of high school and joined the Army Air Corps in order to fight the increasing fascist threat in Europe. But when President Roosevelt stated that the U.S. would not be entering the war, Millett decided to pack his bags and head to Canada – not to avoid combat, but to seek it out as part of the Canadian army. He was sent to London where he served as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Nazi’s “Blitz” bombing campaign.
“I deeply believe that if you’re a free man, then you should stand up and support freedom wherever it is,” Millett said during an interview on the 2003 PBS documentary American Valor.
When the U.S. joined the war in 1942, Millet was able to transfer back to the American Army. Joining the 1st Armored Division, Millett earned the Silver Star – the nation’s third-highest award for valor – for his actions in North Africa. He also fought at Salerno and Anzio, but paperwork suggesting he had “deserted” in 1940 (by going to Canada) caught up to Millett. He was court-martialed, demoted to private, and fined $52.
However following his punishment, Millett received a battlefield promotion to second lieutenant and a Bronze Star.
Then on Feb. 7, 1951 during the Korean War, Millett – who had been promoted to Captain – was leading an under-strength company of 27th Infantry Regiment “Wolfhounds” against a strongly held enemy position on Hill 180, which is now part of Osan Air Base in South Korea.
“The Chinese had put out the word that we were afraid of bayonets,” Millett told Stars and Stripes in a 1975 interview. “‘Americans afraid of bayonets’ is just ridiculous, I thought, so I intended to prove a point.”
During the attack, one of Millett’s platoons became pinned down by small-arms, automatic, and “buffalo gun” anti-tank fire. Millett ordered another platoon forward, telling his men to “Fix bayonets and follow me!”
Despite being wounded by a grenade blast, Millett charged forward – firing his rifle, throwing grenades, and striking enemies with his rifle and bayonet. When Millett reached a three-man buffalo gun emplacement, he killed all three with his bayonet. Once at the top of the hill, Millett waved his rifle over his head, encouraging his men by shouting “Grenades and cold steel!” – while still fighting the enemy.
Col. Lewis L. Millett in a 2003 Veteran's Day parade in Palm Springs, Calif. (The Press-Enterprise/Terry Pierson)
Millett’s charge was so effective that the remaining Communist forces fled, but not before 47 North Korean and Chinese soldiers lay dead, 18 of which had been killed by bayonets.
Capt. Millett was awarded the Medal of Honor – the nation’s highest decoration for valor – for his actions on Hill 180, which came to be known as the Battle of Bayonet Hill.
“I was surprised, I never expected it,” Millett told Stars and Stripes. “Of course, a lot of real fine people had to die so that a few might get decorated. There’s an awful lot of men who lie buried over here, and the only recognition they received was the purple heart.”
Lewis L. Millett, 88, passed away Saturday morning in Loma Linda, Calif. His passing means that only 93 living recipients of America’s Medal of Honor remain.
In Sept. 2010, the Medal of Honor Society will hold its national convention in Charleston, S.C., giving Americans the opportunity to honor those like Lewis Millett who have given so much for this country.
In: Military History · Tagged with: Battle of Bayonet Hill, Col. Lewis L. "Red" Millett, Korean War, Lewis Millett, Medal of Honor, US Army, World War II
Military Milestones from Tippecanoe to Roosevelt’s Patrol
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
This Week in American Military History:
Nov. 1, 1904: The new U.S. Army War College opens its doors to three majors and six captains, among them Capt. (future General of the Armies) John J. “Black Jack” Pershing.
According to Samuel J. Newland writing for Parameters, during the college’s formative years, “the instructional methodology … was reminiscent of the Prussian system of training general staff officers.”
Nov. 2, 1783: Gen. George Washington delivers his “Farewell Address to the Army” near Princeton, N.J., in which he refers to the Continental Army as “one patriotic band of brothers.”
Of his soldiers, whom he says displayed “invincible fortitude in action,” Washington offers his “prayers to the God of Armies,” adding that “may the choicest of Heaven’s favors both here and hereafter attend those, who under the divine auspices have secured innumerable blessings for others.”
Nov. 5, 1915: Nearly five years to the day after aviation pioneer Eugene B. Ely makes the first airplane takeoff from a ship, Lt. Commander (future Capt.) Henry Mustin becomes the first American to make a catapult launch from a ship underway. Mustin is catapulted from USS North Carolina (the second of six so-named American warships, including one submarine and one Confederate ironclad) in a Curtiss AB-2 flying boat.
Mustin, considered in some circles to be the “father of Naval aviation,” is also the grand patriarch of the Mustin Naval dynasty.
Of that dynasty, Capt. Louis Colbus (U.S. Navy, Ret.) former commander of Destroyer Squadron Two and the former chief of staff for Carrier Battle Group Eight, says, “Mustin flag-officers and others have led our Navy for nearly a century from aviation firsts to shipbuilding design and concepts to nuclear testing at the South Pole to battle-group tactics at sea, and at the same time inspiring generations of American sailors.”
In: Military History · Tagged with: Civil War, US Army, US Navy, W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Military Milestones from Humphrey’s Solo to Thornton’s Swim
In his “This Week in American Military History” series at Human Events this week, W. Thomas Smith Jr. mentions the anniversary of Navy SEAL Michael Thornton’s amazing battle with the North Vietnamese Army:
Oct. 31, 1972: U.S. Navy SEAL Petty Officer (future lieutenant) Michael E. Thornton; his commanding officer, Lt. Thomas R. Norris; and three South Vietnamese Naval commandos are conducting an intelligence-collection and prisoner-snatch operation deep behind enemy lines when they are discovered by a force that outnumbers them at least 10 to one.
Fierce, close fighting ensues. Thornton and Norris are both wounded, Norris badly.
As the team begins a fighting withdrawal toward the beach, Thornton learns that Norris is down, perhaps dead.
Thornton races back through a hailstorm of enemy fire to find and retrieve his commander — dead or alive.
Thornton finds Norris, kills two enemy soldiers who are standing over his wounded commander, then hoists Norris onto his shoulders and sprints back toward the beach for several hundred yards under heavy enemy fire.
When he hits the surf, Thornton ties Norris to his own body and starts swimming. When he sees one of the South Vietnamese commandos shot in the hip and unable to swim, Thornton grabs him too; swimming both men out to sea for more than two hours before they are rescued.
For his actions, Thornton will receive the Medal of Honor.
Norris will survive and receive the Medal himself for a previous action.
I did a radio show on Mike Thornton in January, and the transcript is available here.
The remainder of the article can be found at Human Events or by clicking below.
In: Military History · Tagged with: Civil War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Medal of Honor, Michael E. Thornton, Navy SEALs, SEAL Team 1, Thomas R. Norris, US Army, US Navy, USS Langley, Vietnam War, W. Thomas Smith Jr., War of 1812, World War II
FOD!
PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- Paratroopers from 3rd Platoon, Company B, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division prepare to load a CH-47 Chinook Helicopter in the Bermel District of the Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan, Oct. 13, during an air-assault mission to detain a known militant. (Photo by U.S. Army Pfc. Andrya Hill, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Public Affairs)
Foreign Objects & Debris for those playing along at home.
In: Images, Military · Tagged with: Afghanistan, US Army
The Battle of Debecka Pass
With all of the bad news from Afghanistan, it’s nice to hear stories about the military in the good old days. You know, when Washington allowed our military to kill the bad guys in old-fashioned conventional warfare.
On the 17th day of the Iraq War, 26 Army SF soldiers, along with three Air Force combat controllers, two intelligence operators, and 80 Peshmerga (Kurdish fighters) faced off and beat down Iraqi tanks, APCs, and hundreds of infantry in the Battle of Debecka Pass.
I will update ASAP, but in the meantime, The New York Times actually has a pretty decent account of the battle.
In: Military · Tagged with: Battle of Debecka Pass, Special Forces, US Air Force, US Army
Military Milestones from Second Saratoga to Striking the Taliban
This Week in American Military History (by W. Thomas Smith Jr.):
Oct. 7, 1777: Continental forces under the command of Gen. Horatio Gates decisively defeat British forces under Gen. John “Gentleman Johnny” Burgoyne in the Second Battle of Saratoga (also known as the Battle of Bemis Heights).
According to the National Parks Service, “This crucial American victory renewed patriots’ hopes for independence, secured essential foreign recognition and support, and forever changed the face of the world.”
But the war is far from over.
Oct. 7, 1780: Three years to the day after Second Saratoga, patriot militia forces armed with rifles, knives, and tomahawks decisively defeat musket-armed Loyalist militia under the command of British Army Maj. Patrick Ferguson (who will be killed in the fighting) in the bloody Battle of King’s Mountain on the N.C.-S.C. border.
Among the patriots is John Crockett, father of Davy Crockett.
In: Military History · Tagged with: American Revolution, US Army, W. Thomas Smith Jr., World War I
Operation Jackal Stone 2009
A U.S Army MH-47 Chinook assigned to to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky., is refueled by a MC-130P Shadow airplane assigned to the 67th Special Operations Squadron, 352nd Special Operations Group based at RAF Mildenhall, England, as part of a helicopter aerial refueling mission over the Adriatic Sea as part of the Jackal Stone 2009 exercise being held in Croatia. (Photo by MSG Donald Sparks)
In: Images, Military · Tagged with: 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Chinook, MH-47, US Army
Medal of Honor awarded to SFC Jared Monti
Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor today in ceremonies at the White House.
From NYDailyNews.com:
On a rocky outcrop near the Pakistan border, Monti’s patrol of 16 soldiers fended off an attack by about 50 enemy fighters on June 21, 2006.
Twice, Monti charged out from his covered position in an effort to reach one of his wounded soldiers. Twice, Monti was driven back by heavy fire.
Monti charged a third time and was mortally wounded by a rocket-propelled grenade. His last words were “I’ve made peace with God. Tell my family that I love them,” Obama said.
Eleven of the 10th Mountain soldiers who were with Monti during the firefight were present along with his parents Paul and Janet Monti of Raynham, Mass.
SFC Monti’s citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
Staff Sergeant Jared C. Monti distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a team leader with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3d Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, on June 21, 2006.
While Staff Sergeant Monti was leading a mission aimed at gathering intelligence and directing fire against the enemy, his 16-man patrol was attacked by as many as 50 enemy fighters. On the verge of being overrun, Staff Sergeant Monti quickly directed his men to set up a defensive position behind a rock formation. He then called for indirect fire support, accurately targeting the rounds upon the enemy who had closed to within 50 meters of his position. While still directing fire, Staff Sergeant Monti personally engaged the enemy with his rifle and a grenade, successfully disrupting an attempt to flank his patrol. Staff Sergeant Monti then realized that one of his Soldiers was lying wounded in the open ground between the advancing enemy and the patrol’s position.
With complete disregard for his own safety, Staff Sergeant Monti twice attempted to move from behind the cover of the rocks into the face of relentless enemy fire to rescue his fallen comrade. Determined not to leave his Soldier, Staff Sergeant Monti made a third attempt to cross open terrain through intense enemy fire. On this final attempt, he was mortally wounded, sacrificing his own life in an effort to save his fellow Soldier.
Staff Sergeant Monti’s selfless acts of heroism inspired his patrol to fight off the larger enemy force. Staff Sergeant Monti’s immeasurable courage and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and the United States Army.
The Army has an excellent website where SFC Monti is featured.
In: Military · Tagged with: Jared C. Monti, Medal of Honor, US Army
Robin Sage begins
A U.S. Army Special Forces student, and role players simulating guerilla fighters, conduct pre-mission rehearsals during an iteration of Robin Sage, the culmination exercise for the Special Forces Qualification Course taught by the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne). (Photo courtesy of USASOC Public Affairs)
The year-long Special Forces Qualification Course for prospective Army Special Forces Soldiers culminates today with the ‘Robin Sage’ exercise. The grueling training course set in the woods and towns of North Carolina will last until Sept. 25.
From a USASOC press release:
Robin Sage is conducted eight times annually and has been effectively training students for more than 50 years by the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne). Robin Sage is designed to provide realistic training in unconventional warfare tactics and techniques. It is the final test of skills learned over the past 12-15 months in the Special Forces Qualification Course.
During the exercise, 8,500 square miles of central North Carolina becomes the Republic of Pineland. Over 1,000 people consisting of instructors, students, volunteers, civilian authorities and the citizens from the area participate. Local citizens portray natives and auxiliary forces while additional service members role-play opposing and guerrilla forces to depict a realistic unconventional warfare environment.
In: Military · Tagged with: Green Berets, Robin Sage, Special Forces, US Army
The ramp hover
A CH-47 Chinook lowers onto a roof to receive Afghan Persons Under Control taken by 10th Mountain Division soldiers during Operation Mountain Resolve. The operation, which began on Nov. 7, 2003, took place in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar and Nuristan Provinces. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Greg Heath, 4th Public Affairs Detachment)
The pilot is Larry Murphy of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Murphy is an EMS helicopter pilot when not making daring pickups in Afghanistan. Read the accompanying story at DefendAmerica. Another photo:
In: Images, Military · Tagged with: Afghanistan, CH-47, Chinook, US Army
