Military Service

I wonder if John Kerry and Wesley Clark wear their medals on their pajamas when they go to bed? They sure have them on all their waking hours when campaigning. Now, I do not in any way diminish their heroism on the field of battle. As a combat veteran myself, I know full well the meaning and merits of Silver Stars and Purple Hearts that both men wear. The military does not lightly hand out Silver Stars. You have to have displayed great courage in saving the lives of your comrades in battle.

Boonsboro High School junior Etta Short said the Veterans Day ceremony that was held Friday in the school gymnasium was a fitting way to honor Americans for their military service. But despite the patriotic music that was played and the speeches that were given, she said she believed veterans hardly get the amount of respect they deserve. “I don't think some people realize how much they did for our country,” she said. Mannie Gentile, a Navy veteran and interpretive park ranger at Antietam National Battlefield, told the students in his keynote address that many of them were no different than veterans who have gone off to fight in the past.

Standing among flags that at one time covered the caskets of U.S. military veterans, two Hagerstown residents talked Sunday morning about the respect and appreciation for the military they learned from their fathers, both military members. “I've been truly blessed by my father's military service,” Kimberlee Smith said. “His military career gave me a solid foundation in life,” said Smith, who talked about her father, the late Air Force Master Sgt. Wilbur Mills, at Cedar Lawn Memorial Park's Memorial Day Service.

daniels@herald-mail.com Lee U. Michael Sr. was a gunner with the U.S. Army in New Guinea during the closing days of World War II. Michael Harrigan was an infantryman with the U.S. Marines in the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The two men, from different wars and generations, stood united Friday morning as they paid homage to the nation's veterans. Neither man spoke during the solemn Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony at Martin L. "Marty" Snook Memorial Park in Halfway.

SMITHSBURG - Blakeley Jackson's first book is a reality. But the 28-year-old Smithsburg woman said "I'll Miss You Daddy" was in her head for many, many years. "I come from a military family ... I grew up saying goodbye," Jackson said. "I'll Miss You Daddy" is written from a child's perspective and for the level of understanding a child would have when a father must be away from home because of military service. In the 20-page book, little Aaron tells how his mother helped him draw a calendar with each day that daddy will be gone.

As the first African-American woman to achieve the rank of major general in the U.S. Army, Marcia M. Anderson helped inspire Letterkenny Army Depot employees Friday as they observed Black History Month. In a keynote speech focusing on “Black Women in American Culture and History,” the 30-year career soldier spoke of her personal philosophy for success. “It's not your ZIP code or your family history that determines where you end up in life so much as what's in your heart and what's in your brain,” Anderson told Letterkenny employees.

Donald I. Divel, 80, of Hancock, died Thursday, June 7, 2012, at his home. A military service will be held Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Grove Funeral Home, Hancock, where the family will receive friends from 1 to 3 p.m.

Army Capt. John P. Ringquist, son of Daniel Ringquist and Sharon Ringquist, both of Smithsburg, has arrived for duty at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar. Ringquist is a directorate of Public Works deputy with 15 years of military service. Ringquist graduated in 1988 from Smithsburg High School, and received a bachelor's degree in 1995 from Mount St. Mary's University, Emmitsburg, Md. In 2004, he graduated from the University of Missouri, St. Louis.

James R. "Tink" Barnhart Sr., 75, of Warfordsburg, Pa., died Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, at his home. A memorial service will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Hancock Assembly of God Church. The Rev. Don Preston and the Rev. Robert D. Smith Sr. will officiate. A military service will be conducted by the Tri-State Honor Guard.

Army Sgt. Matthew Etter, son of Harold and Dorothy Etter of Chambersburg, Pa., has been decorated with the Army Commendation Medal for supporting the mission of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The medal is awarded to individuals who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, have distinguished themselves by acts of heroism, meritorious achievement or meritorious service. Etter serves as a member of the Fires Brigade, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Camp Liberty. Upon completing the deployment, the soldiers will return to their units at Fort Hood, Texas.

John Leather wears earplugs to church, but it's not the sermon that the 88-year-old World War II veteran is trying to muffle. He said he wears the earplugs to drown out the rumble of a drum that's played when the congregation sings hymns. “I've had to leave the service a couple of times,” Leather said with a shiver. “It reminds me of artillery coming in.” Nearly 70 years ago, Leather was a sergeant in the 17th Airborne Division, a unit of paratroopers and glider soldiers who saw some of World War II's most ferocious fighting during the Battle of the Bulge and Operation Varsity.

Walter Eugene "Mickey" McDonough, 92, of Flintstone, Md., died Tuesday, March 12, 2013, at Western Maryland Health System in Cumberland, Md. The family will receive friends Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Grove Funeral Home, Hancock. A Mass of Christian burial will be Friday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Peter Catholic Church, Hancock. Burial with a military service will be at Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery, Flintstone.

James R. "Tink" Barnhart Sr., 75, of Warfordsburg, Pa., died Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, at his home. A memorial service will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Hancock Assembly of God Church. The Rev. Don Preston and the Rev. Robert D. Smith Sr. will officiate. A military service will be conducted by the Tri-State Honor Guard.

When a young man or woman makes a decision to enter military service, they do so for a lot of reasons. They know, however, that this commitment means protecting American freedoms like many generations before them have done. Some of them might sacrifice their lives; some might experience lifetime injuries; and some might suffer mental scars. Thirty years ago, while working at a prison south of Hagerstown, I met a correctional officer named Jack E. Padgett. Jack was a tall, lanky and likeable fellow from South Carolina.

“To the caller who recently said they were offended by the Christmas decorations at the Department of Motor Vehicles: I would like them to realize that this is a season for all beliefs to celebrate in the season, and the residents here in Washington County mostly do celebrate Christmas. So you should please not be offended, and be happy that love is being shown.” - Williamsport     “To the caller that doesn't think John McCain should be loved: During my military service, I saw a lot of examples of exceptional intelligence, compassion and common sense.

Boonsboro High School junior Etta Short said the Veterans Day ceremony that was held Friday in the school gymnasium was a fitting way to honor Americans for their military service. But despite the patriotic music that was played and the speeches that were given, she said she believed veterans hardly get the amount of respect they deserve. “I don't think some people realize how much they did for our country,” she said. Mannie Gentile, a Navy veteran and interpretive park ranger at Antietam National Battlefield, told the students in his keynote address that many of them were no different than veterans who have gone off to fight in the past.

Les Smith told Spring Mills Middle School students Friday that he enlisted in the West Virginia Air National Guard years after he wasn't drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. “I wanted the opportunity in some small way to perhaps pay back what had been given to me by others,”  Smith said at the school's annual Veterans Day assembly. Smith, who is a counselor at Martinsburg High School, along with Sharon Webb, a military flight nurse who works at the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center, were the guest speakers for the hour-long program, which featured performances of patriotic music by the school's seventh- and eighth-grade chorus and individual recognition of area veterans who attended.

Rachel Lawhorne of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., a cadet in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Class of 2016, has joined Virginia Tech's regimental band, the Highty-Tighties. She is majoring in biochemistry in the College of Science. The Highty-Tighties are celebrating their 119th anniversary this year under the direction of Maj. George McNeill. A retired member of the U.S. Army, McNeill joined the Highty-Tighties after 22 years of enlisted military service in the Army Band Program.

Holding the Purple Heart he received Tuesday, Gene Mayer said, “It took 46 years to get here.” U.S. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett's office helped Mayer, 71, of Hagerstown, get nine medals he earned through military service. Bartlett presented the medals to Mayer before holding a town hall meeting at the Funkstown fire hall. During an interview after the meeting, Mayer said he served from 1959 to 1968 in Germany, Korea, Vietnam and Japan. Lisa Wright, an aide to Bartlett, said by phone earlier Tuesday that Bartlett's office is still trying to see if Mayer also will get a Bronze Star.

Leroy Grant Barnhart, 88, of Warfordsburg, Pa., died Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012, at his home. Born Feb. 22, 1924, in Warfordsburg, he was the son of the late Grant and Bertha Virginia Layton Barnhart. He retired in 1985 as purchasing agent for H.B. Mellott Estate Inc. in Warfordsburg. He was a member and elder of Warfordsburg Presbyterian Church. He is survived by his wife, Helen M. Ward Barnhart, whom he married Dec. 27, 1945; one daughter, Ginger Majecki of Pittsburgh, Pa.; and one son, Larry L. Barnhart of Tampa, Fla. He was preceded in death by one brother, Albert Barnhart; one half brother, Fred Barnhart; and two half sisters, Geneva and Stella.