Remember Them

BY RAY VAN COR

The Greenville Standard

 

Veterans Day is once again upon us, this holiday is designed to serve for reflecting and thanking those who stood on the preverbal wall so that the rest of us could enjoy the freedoms that most of this world doesn’t know or have.

Lord knows Butler County has had our share that volunteered to stand on the wall and a few that did a lot more for instance;

Sidney Manning, 1892-1960. Born in Butler County, Manning earned the Congressional Medal of Honor during his service in France during World War I. “When his platoon commander and platoon sergeant had both become casualties soon after the beginning of an assault on strongly fortified heights overlooking the Ourcq River, Corporal Manning took command of his platoon, which was near the center of the attacking line.

Though he was severely wounded, he led forward the 35 men remaining in the platoon and finally succeeded in gaining a foothold on the enemy’s position, during which time he had received more wounds and all but seven of his men had fallen.

Directing the consolidation of the position, he held off a large body of the enemy only 50 yards away by fire from his automatic rifle.

He declined to take cover until his line had been entirely consolidated with the line of the platoon on the front when he dragged himself to shelter, suffering from nine wounds in all parts of his body.

Danny Wayne Hare was born Nov. 28, 1946 at Stablers Hospital in Greenville and served as a U.S. Marine, serving aboard helicopters in the Republic of Vietnam in Quang-Tri, DaNang, Khe Sahn and the A Shau Valley from 1966 – 1970.

On May 17, 1968 Hare’s helicopter took sniper fire and the pilot was shot and killed and Hare was shot and wounded, while the helicopter crashed killing the sniper.

Hare received the Air Medal for a single act of heroism in aerial operations against the enemy.

Men who stood on that wall so we could sleep well at night are walking all around us. If you pause and take stock in what they sacrificed or went through, at the very least say thank you.

Happy Veterans Day, thank you and God Bless.