by W. R. Benton
“Huh?”
“I asked if you fought with your siblings.”
“Of course I didn't, see I was an only child.”
Marie smiled and replied, “I’m sure you were.”
Later, back home, David began to do the things he’d always done and for some reason they didn’t excite him as they once had. He missed his dad and while he talked about his feelings with his mother, he had refused to see anyone associated with the mental health field.
A month after the rescue, Sergeant Banks arrived at the door and when he entered, he saw David sitting at the kitchen table. Smiling he said, “David, I’m getting a couple of medals tomorrow and wondered if you would attend. I have a surprise for you once it’s over.”
“Sure, we’ll come, won’t we mom?”
Cathy started to say no, but changed her mind because Banks had done so much for her son. Smiling, she said, “We wouldn’t miss it for anything. What time and where?”
“Fourteen hundred, uh, I mean, two in the afternoon, at the Search and Rescue Squadron.”
Laughing, Cathy said, “John, I know military time. I’ve been around Elmendorf all of my life. If nothing else has rubbed off, military time has.”
“Well,” Banks said embarrassed, “My wife and I would love to see you there.” Then turning to David he added, “Wear something nice for me, it’s a special day.”
At fourteen hundred hours, David and his family were sitting in a big meeting room when a senior master sergeant, with a sleeve full of stripes, stepped in and yelled, “Ten-hut!”
Men and women stood at attention as Colonel Wilcox entered and said, “Be seated.” He moved to the podium and cleared his throat, before saying, “We are here today to honor men of our own. It gives me extreme personal pleasure in recognizing five men this afternoon for their actions in the Wade rescue. At that point, Zee and his crew, along with Sergeant Banks walked in, one behind the other, and stood facing the audience. Each of Zee’s crew was presented medals individually and citations were read for each man. Finally, Colonel Wilcox moved to Banks and stood at attention as a narrator read three citations. At the end of each reading, the colonel would pin the medal to his left chest and then shake his hand. When the ceremony was over for Banks, he wore an Air Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, and an Airman’s Medal. He’d also been promised his next performance report would be endorsed by both General Moores and the PACAF commander.
Turning to face the audience, the colonel grinned and said, “Now, because we had a left over strip on base, Sergeant Banks is now Staff Sergeant Banks.” He handed a set of stripes to the surprised sergeant and said, “Well done, John.”
Returning to the podium, Colonel Wilcox said, “Staff Sergeant Banks now has a special presentation he’d like to do. John, if you’ll come up here, I’ll turn this show over to you.”
Banks walked to the microphone and said, “As most of you know, training to be in pararescue is hard and many of the people who try out don’t have what it takes.” Then, pulling a sheet of paper from his uniform blouse, he continued with, “Mister David Wade, would you come forward, please.”
David made his way to the front of the room and stood looking at the group. He saw grizzled old sergeants with more stripes than a zebra and lots of officers. He suddenly felt nervous.
“This young man survived in the arctic all alone for many long and cold days. He lived on a mountain, following the death of his father, and faced temperatures as low as minus fifty. He made his own shelter, gathered his own water, and even procured his own food. Then, seeing smoke in the distance, he walked for many miles over open tundra toward that smoke and his only chance for survival. The temperature, ladies and gentlemen, was an average of minus twenty and he did it for days! David did something that many of us in this room could not have done. He survived an extremely hostile environment to live another day and it is with great pleasure I award him the position of an honorary P.J. in the United States Air Force, along with an honorary enlisted rank of sergeant.”
Stepping forward, Banks picked up a maroon beret, with the distinguished emblem of a pararescueman on the front. Placing it on David’s head, he saluted him, and then said, “Always remember this moment David and keep in mind our motto.”
“That others may live.” David replied with a serious tone.
There came a loud round of yelling, clapping and catcalls, before Banks raised his hands and said, “That concludes my award, but I invite all of you to stay a while and enjoy the punch and pastries.”
Moving to David’s side a little later, Banks said, “You deserve the honor you received today David.”
An older man moved forward, cracked a big tooth gapped grin and said, “By golly, I was proud of ya both!”
“Vittles!” David cried and moved to hug the man.
“Easy son, ya cain’t hug me like yer doin’ fer long, I’m an old man, remember?”
Laughing, David replied, “I’m surprised, first the beret and now you!”
“Ya didn’t think I’d forget two special men now did ya?”
Banks laughed and said, “Let’s mingle with the crowd a little David and then we’ll all three go out for a drink or burger.”
A little later, as the three of them sat in the Base Exchange Mall, sipping on ice cold drinks. David looked over at Vittles and asked, “Did you find a place to stay for a while?”
“Yup, I did. I’ve decided it’s time for me to live in town fer a spell. I fig’ered at my age it would be smarter for me to live around folks than away from them. I’m too old to be living like I was in the bush.”
“Will you be happy doing this?” Banks asked.
“I think so. I found me a good church, nice apartment, and even met me a woman.”
“Good luck on all three and I’m glad you’re doing so well.”
“Aren’t you?”
Banks grinned and said, “I’m about to be a father!”
“Well, I’ll be doggone, our Sergeant Banks will be a pa-pa!”
David grinned and asked, “Doesn’t it scare you to know you’ll soon be a father? It would me.”
Growing serious, Banks replied, “No, I’m not really scared, but I'm concerned. You know, I jump out of airplanes and that doesn’t worry me as much as the thought of being a daddy.”
“Yep, the little critters don’t come with no owner’s manual or nothin’. The Good Lord drops just them in the middle of our laps and we’re left to do the best job we can on our own.”
“John, you’ll make a good father and I know it,” David said and then smiled.
“How can you know that?”
“Because you’re cut from the same cloth my father was. He was a strong man, just like you are. He was tender when he needed to be, a teacher to me and my sister, and a fair but strict disciplinarian when it called for it. I’m lucky to have had him in my life, especially when I was alive and alone on a mountain.”
THE END
If you enjoyed this book, please leave me a review at Amazon.com
here
Thank you!
Glossary
360: When an aircraft flies 360 degrees, or a circle. Often done when waiting for further instructions, to burn fuel on purpose, or preparing to land.
Abort: To cancel or call off the flight of an aircraft
AC: Aircraft Commander, the pilot
AO: Area of operations
Assistant Team Leader: The number two man in charge of a team of military men.
Band-aid: Often a radio call sign for a medic
BDU: Camouflage field uniform used by military personnel
Bingo on fuel: Running out or low on aircraft fuel.
Bird: Helicopters or any aircraft
Blood trail: A trail of blood left by a person who has been injured
Body bag: Plastic or rubber bag used to transport dead bodies from crash sites
Bush: Military term for the field (woods, mountains, and so on)
Chinook: CH-47
cargo helicopter
Chopper: A slang name for a helicopter
Copy: I understand, hear you, know what you mean, etc…an acknowledgement of understanding.
Countdown: Used the by the survivor to indicate to a rescue aircraft when they fly overhead. Used mostly in areas with limited visibility and is an actual countdown starting with any number, but when the aircraft is overhead, the survivor says, “Overhead now!
CP: Command Post
Doc: Medic, corpsman, or doctor
D-ring: A D-shaped metal snap link used to hold gear together and used in repelling from choppers.
Dust-off: Medical evacuation by helicopter
EM: Enlisted man
ETA: Estimated time of arrival
Expectants: Casualties who are expected to die
Fast Movers: Jet aircraft.
Field Surgical Kit: Kit carried by medics in the field for small surgery and suturing.
Five by five: Used in radio communications to indicate the radio is working and messages are heard loud and clear.
Flaky: To be in a state of mental disarray or disorganized
Flare, MK-13: A flare that had both a day and night end. The night end generated a very bright light that was visible for a long distance, while the day end gave off a thick cloud of bright orange smoke, see smoke grenade.
Flare, Pen-gun: Illumination projectile; hand-fired
Grids: Maps are broken into numbered thousand-meter squares and each is a grid.
HQ: Headquarters
Huey: Nickname for UH-1 helicopters
Hump: Military term walk carrying a rucksack in the field.
IG: Inspector General
Immersion foot: Condition resulting from feet being submerged in water or being wet for a prolonged period of time, causing cracking and bleeding. Easily prevented by keeping the feet dry and using clean socks.
Insert: To be deployed into a tactical area, usually by helicopter
K-bar: Combat knife
Klick: Kilometer
Litters: Stretchers to carry wounded
LT: Lieutenant
LZ: Landing zone. Usually a small clearing secured temporarily for the landing of resupply helicopters or Medevac’s.
Medevac: Medical evacuation helicopter used in combat areas and in peacetime
Meals Ready to Eat (MRE): Military meals. Small sealed pouches that contains an entrée and side dish, along with a dessert and other small food items. They do not require heating but taste better hot. Lightweight with a high calorie count.
MIA: Missing in action. Meaning lost or missing as a result of combat with an enemy force.
Mike(s): Minute or minutes
NCO: Noncommissioned officer.
Number one: The best of anything
Number ten: The worst or no good.
OD: Olive drab is a color of green used by the military
Forest Penetrator: A device lowered by a winch from a chopper to the ground to pick up survivors. Has a safety strap, seat, and can be used in thick forests or in limited visibility situations.
PJ: (Poppa Juliet) Pararescueman, which used to be called Para-Jumpers. A highly trained individual who works as a rescue specialist and medic. Trained for rescue and recovery.
Point: The forward most man on a military patrol
Poncho liner: A quilted nylon insert to the military rain poncho, used as a blanket frequently.
Pop smoke: To ignite a smoke grenade to signal a rescue aircraft or show wind direction.
PRC-25: Portable Radio Communications, Model 25. A back-packed FM receiver-transmitter used for short-distance communications. The range of the radio was 5-10 kilometers, depending on the weather, unless attached to a special, non-portable antenna which could extend the range to 20-30 kilometers
PRC-90: Small portable hand-held survival radio, usually carried in a survival vest or packed in a survival kit for aircrew members. Range was generally line of site and very poor in mountainous terrain.
RTO: Radio telephone operator.
Ruck / rucksack: Term used for a backpack issued to military personnel.
Saddle up: Put a pack on and get ready to move out
Slack man: The second man back, from the point, on a military patrol, directly behind the point man, or first man.
Smoke grenade: A grenade that releases brightly colored smoke. Used for signaling Medevac and rescue choppers. Used mostly by other services and not as much by the United States Air Force. Air Force personnel would use a MK-13 smoke signal, with bright orange smoke.
SOP: Standard operating procedure or the written way things are done.
Stokes litter: A basket looking device, similar to a stretcher that is lowered by wench from a chopper to a survivor for pick up.
Starlight scope: A night scope to intensify images at night by using reflected light form the moon, stars or any other source of light.
SRU-21/P Survival Vest: A mesh vest worn by aircrew members that contains survival gear to keep them alive and to assist in rescue. It has flares, radio, matches and much more for survival.
Strobe Light: Hand held strobe light for marking landing zones at night
Team Leader: The leader of a team of military men and he/she is in charge. The team leader can be either an officer or NCO, depending on the mission.
UH-1H: a Huey helicopter
Wood line: A row of trees at the edge of a field
About the Author
W.R. Benton is an Amazon Best Selling Author and has previously authored books of fiction, non-fiction and Southern humor. Such notable authors as, Matt Braun, Stephen Lodge, Don Bendell, and many others have endorsed his work. His survival book, “Simple Survival, a Family Outdoors Guide,” is a 2005 Silver Award Winner from the Military Writers Society of American. Additionally, this book added to the prestigious Estes Park Library in Colorado. James Drury, "The Virginian," endorsed his latest two Western books, "War Paint" and "James McKay, U.S. Army Scout."
Mister Benton has an Associate Degree in Search and Rescue, Survival Operations, a baccalaureate in Occupational Safety and Health, and a Masters Degree in Psychology completed except for his thesis. Sergeant Benton retired from the military in 1997, with over twenty-six years of active duty, and at the rank of Senior Master Sergeant (E-8). He spent twelve years as a Life Support Instructor where he taught aircrew members how to use survival gear, survival procedures, and parachuting techniques. Gary has attended the following United States Air Force Survival Schools:
Basic Survival Training
Water Survival Training
Jungle Survival Training
Arctic Survival Training
Sergeant Benton also has over 12 years of classroom instruction as a Life Support Instructor, where he trained thousands of men and women.
Mr. Benton and his wife, Melanie, live near Jackson, Mississippi, with three dogs and two cats.
To learn more about W.R. Benton, visit www.simplesurvival.net or www.wrbenton.net.
Other books by Gary Benton
IMPENDING DISASTERS
“How you and your family can survive America's deadly changing weather”
Now available for Kindle, Nook and iPad e-readers:
Kindle version: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ANV97IW
Nook version: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/impending-disasters-gary-l-benton/1113924268?ean=2940015717310
Apple iBooks: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9780985129279
This book covers most major disasters and how to stay safe if you decide to evacuate or stay. It has a section on prolonged survival, which will assist keeping you alive after the natural disaster has done its damage. Many people die following natural disasters, from one mishap or another, but you can learn to survive.
Read Gary's massive but simple survival guide and you'll be ready for nearly anything...
Available now for all ebook formats
Kindle version: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AIX9QPE
Nook version: http://www.barn
esandnoble.com/w/simple-survival-a-family-outdoors-guide-gary-l-benton/1030696328?ean=2940015800777
Apple iBooks: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9780985129262
"Retired USAF Senior Master Sergeant and survivor expert Gary Benton has written the best outdoor guide for families - bar none, that I have read! "Simple Survival - A Family Outdoors Guide" is more than a book - it is an outdoor resource bible that every family should have a copy of. This is one of those books that you should have in your camping bag along with the tent and other equipment. However, reading it at home before you go off on some outdoor adventure would be a great help when potential situations happen.
This book is more than just a camper's manual as it deals with surviving terrorism as well as how to handle bears, snakes and a host of other events and situations.
There is one chapter that deals with the greatest fears that all parents have - having your child get lost in the woods. This is a must read for parents. This information needs to be shared with all their children so they know what to do in the event of getting lost or separated from their parents or the campsite. This is the kind of information that you hope you never need to put into use.
- Bill McDonald - MWSA President