He gave his life for the U.S.A.

My father-in-law is from the small town of Walker, IA. Saturday we went to the Walker Cemetery to visit Lee’s parents’ graves. Seth Crawford is buried about 100 yards away. His monument reads:

“1891 – 1918
Killed in action at Veslie River, France
He gave his life for the U.S.A.”

My great uncle was severely wounded in WWII and hated everything German the rest of his life. My father fought in Korea. I lost 2 high school classmates in Viet Nam. Last summer the son of my best man was badly wounded in Afghanistan.

My father taught me to respect the young men and women we send off to war. In his later years he became an advocate for veterans benefits and I remember going with him to the Portland (OR) veterans hospital as he was nearing the end of his life. He saw a couple of doctors, had some tests done and then got some prescriptions to fill. Dad, my brother, Jeff, and I went into the pharmacy. The waiting room was packed. There might have been upwards of 50 people in there and just one pharmacist on duty. We waited for over an hour. I was struck by the patience of these men – men who had fought in Europe, the South Pacific, Korea and Viet Nam.

After we picked up Dad’s prescription and got out the front door his anger finally erupted – not over his own wait – but that of the others, “That’s just horse****! Those poor bastards shouldn’t have to wait like that! They deserve better!”

It has become the tradition of this blog on Veterans Day to pay tribute to those who have walked off the mat and gone on to serve our country and on Memorial Day I honor those who have wrestled and have fallen in our service. Past Memorial Day editions have remembered posthumous Medal of Honor winner “Tommy” Noonan who was called by his friends “the best wrestler ever at Hunter College” and who was killed in Viet Nam, Naval Academy All-American and Silver Star winner, Doug Zembiec (The Lion of Fallujah), Patrick Lybert, a high school wrestler and Eagle Scout who was posthumously awarded a Silver Star for his actions in Afghanistan and Christopher Adeslperger whose family was given his Navy Cross for his actions in Iraq.

Last September President Obama awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor to Sgt. Jared Monti of Raynham, MA. Sgt. Monti had been a championship wrestler at Bridgewater-Raynham High School and was killed in the same engagement as Sgt. Lybert. Go here for a full description of the battle.

I wish I could stop adding names every year, but tragically, I can’t. Earlier this month Marine Lance Corporal Joshua Davis of Perry, IA was killed in action in Afghanistan. In an article in the Des Moines Register, his wrestling coach, Steve Hamilton, observed, “’The thing that was cool about him was that he had no quit in him.’” Even though he wasn’t the best wrestler on the team, “’he didn’t get discouraged; it didn’t break his will.’”, said Hamilton.

Again from the Register article:

“Hamilton, the wrestling coach, said he wasn’t surprised when Davis told him he wanted to join the Marines.”

“’I told him it was a good fit for him’ Hamilton said, because he was disciplined, took direction well and was a good leader. ‘I thought he’d do well in that arena.’

“’ It’s just unfortunate’”.

I don’t care about your politics – whether you’re a “Hawk” or a pacifist. When someone goes off to war in the name of freedom, we owe them our respect and our thanks. And for those families who lost a son or daughter or a brother or sister – we owe them our sympathy. It’s the very least we can do.

In honor of Sgt Arthur Brown Jr (shown in Korea).

A day to remember

A day to remember




I was there when Doug Zembiec became an All-American. Wrestling for the US Naval Academy in the NCAA championships in Iowa City in 1995, Zembiec finished eighth and earned his AA status. I wish I could say that I remember all of his matches – it would make for a better story. In fact – I don’t remember any of them.

The son of an FBI agent, Doug Zembiec was a two-time state champion at Albuquerque La Cueva High School. In an interview in the Albuquerque Journal, his wrestling coach, Ron Owen, remembered, “Whatever you asked of him he was going to do it, and then he was going to do a little more. He had a super work ethic and led by example. He was one tough kid.”

Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, Zembiec was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. In 1999 his Force Reconnaissance Platoon was one of the first special operations forces to enter Kosovo. In 2004 (then Captain) Zembiec became famous as the “Lion of Fallujah” – a name given to him by his comrades.



He was decorated for bravery for his actions as a rifle company commander during the month-long campaign. He would receive the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with Combat V, the Purple Heart and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. In November of 2004 he was rotated home for a stateside assignment and in July of 2005 he was promoted to Major. He would not be home long. Doug Zembiec felt that his ultimate role was that of a combat leader, so he went back to Iraq. On May 11, 2007 – just a little more than a year ago – Major Doug Zembiec was killed by small arms fire in Iraq. He left behind a wife and young daughter.



Too often we forget that the young men and women who go to war and die are sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters, and husbands and wives, and moms and dads and – yes – wrestling teammates.

Lance Corporal Randy L Newman was a high school wrestler in Oregon before joining the Marines. He was killed August, 2006 by a roadside bomb.

Marine Sgt. Brian McGinnis’ high school wrestling coach tried to convince him to go to college. Instead, McGinnis enlisted in the Marines. He died March 30, 2003 when his helicopter crashed.

Army Sergeant Damien Ficek was captain of both the football and wrestling teams at Beaverton (OR) High School. Two months after graduating in 1996 Ficek enlisted in the army – eventually becoming a Ranger where he served until the end of his enlistment in 2000. In July, 2002 Ficek enlisted in the Army National Guard. He was a student at Washington State University when his unit was called up and deployed to Iraq. He was killed by small arms fire December 30, 2004 near Baghdad.

Army Staff Sergeant Patrick Lybert was an Eagle Scout and a high school wrestler. On June 21, 2006 in Afghanistan his unit came under a sudden violent attack. The unit was in the process of stowing recently arrived supplies and was caught off guard. Sgt. Lybert was the first to be able to return fire and did so until the rest of the unit could join him. Sgt. Lybert was killed in the action and posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his valor.

While in high school, Marine Sergeant Glen Martinez finished third in the Colorado state high school wrestling tournament. Less then a month ago he was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

So, today – before you head to the Memorial Day furniture sale or before you fire up the grill for the family picnic – take a few moments to remember the fallen – and their families.