Memorial Day - 2025

Apologies for the dearth of entries in this blog for the last 6th months. We lost my mother last November and I've done nothing but work and exist since then. 

Since tomorrow is Memorial Day, my thoughts have turned to those who lost their lives while serving our nation in our military. I mention this to articulate who Memorial Day is designed to honor. the men and women who dies while serving in the military. Those who have left the service before their passing are recognized on Veterans Day.

I am thinking about the five members of my unit from my tour on Guam from September 1980 through December 1982. IIRC, three of those 5 died because they chose to enter areas of the base that were off-limits to military personnel. 

Today, I saw a reference to the Yellow Sea. It took me back to March 20, 1985.I was stationed at Kwang-Ju Air Base. My primary function was running the orderly room for the 4th Combat Communications Squadron. My additional duties included being unit and base public affairs representative, along with working for the American Forced Korea Network (AFKN) and a military newspaper as a broadcast/print journalist. My workday was nearly over when I received a phone call.

It was from the Base Commander. He told me I needed to get over to the big conference room right away. My technical expertise was needed. I waited until the Colonel in charge of whatever was going on came out of the conference room. He motioned for me to follow him into the room. "Sergeant, I was told by the base commander you are familiar with 3/4" video tape and recorder/viewers." I what the Base Commander told him was true. He then handed me a 3/4" cassette and told me to load it into the viewer and set it up to display on the screen in the conference room. I did and he told me to start the tape when he motioned to me.

He then told the other high-ranking officers in the room that they were about to watch gun-camera film from a plane that had crashed into the Yellow Sea. The tape showed the F-15 fighter jet taking off and then at level flight. Something went wrong and we watched the plane crash into the ocean. Obviously, the tape was recovered. So was wreckage of the aircraft and the body of the pilot.

At that point the officer in charge thanked me and asked me to give him the remote control for the video viewer. "We will be here for hours Sergeant, and I don't want to hold you up." I left.

I later learned that the pilot was Colonel Pat Paxton, commander of the 21st Tactical Fighter Wing assigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. The wing was in South Korea for a major military exercise then known as Team Spirit 85. I've never known what was announced as the official cause of the accident. Guess I will never know.

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Army Sergeant Calvin Wilhite Jr was shot and killed on Beale Street on May 24, 2015. Today is the 10th anniversary of his murder and Memphis PD has finally made an arrest in the case. Hopefully, his mother will finally get the just8ce for her loss.

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I could have listed many more deaths of military personnel while they were serving in the military. But, I think the point is made. Every death is a tragedy. Every death of someone serving in our military is honored on Memorial Day. We mourn all of them.