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Breaking Bread Amongst Heroes

By Jeff “Mario” Smith, Guerilla Reporter

May 1, 2005

Yesterday, in Georgetown, KY, I had the distinct honor of enjoying fellowship with several of my heroes, one whom I just met at this event. Most Americans rarely have the privilege and honor of being in the company of several decorated war Veterans at the same time, yet alone befriending them and sharing a patriotic moment with them. That is what I did yesterday. As much as I do these things, I never take them for granted.

Mike and Kathy Ford, proud Americans and Task Force Omega of KY members, had this event at their newly built and quite beautiful log home on several acres in Scott County. This home is a model of craftsmanship, well thought out, and has that wrap around porch I have always dreamed about for my home someday. What a place, the American dream. I can see the Ford family enjoying beautiful sunsets from their porch glider waiting for the light to illuminate their new flagpole on cool autumn evenings.

Mike and Kathy understand that the American Dream they are living is a gift bestowed to them not only by a loving and gracious Father in heaven, but made possible through the human sacrifice of many selfless Veterans who did "what must be done" to preserve our God Endowed Liberty we so richly enjoy in these Untied States of America. These are what I call REAL Americans!

This planned event was attended by at least 25 members of Task Force Omega of KY, a POW MIA activist organization of Veterans and non-Veterans, at least that many members of the American Legion Post 24 in Georgetown to include their honor guard that performed the 21 gun salute that always causes my friend and 1st Air Cav Viet Nam Veteran grunt Greasy to get a little taller as he jumps about 6 inches in the air with every round. Once you have been under immense enemy fire, I guess you just never lose the ability to react with that survivor instinct. Greasy is a tireless freedom fighter waging a thankless war in Washington, DC, and Southeast Asia to bring our abandoned men home. He has been doing this since I was a kid in high school, never once expecting the first ounce of recognition. Well, Greasy, I salute you.

Brigadier General Norman Aflack, Deputy Adjutant General in KY gave the keynote address, which was very correct and pointed. It isn't often we get a Brigadier General to a flag raising, just another indication of what a special event this was. The Mayor of Georgetown had scheduled to be there also, but had an unexpected funeral to attend. Danny "Greasy" Belcher, State Director of Task Force Omega of KY, Inc., (TFO), and Scott Harper, TFO District 2 Director, both Viet Nam Veterans, gave talks about the POW MIA abandonment travesty and explained the mission of Task Force Omega, which can be found on our website www.greasyonline.com. I won't go into a discussion of the POW abandonment travesty here. There isn't enough memory in my computer to hold all the real evidence of how our leadership in Washington left our men in the hands of godless communists. I challenge the reader to do the research.

Mike Ford asked all Veterans in attendance to line up by twos in front of the flagpole and pass Old Glory and the POW MIA flag, reverently handed to us by young Patrick and Andrew Ford, hand over hand until Mike "Hoss" Cartwright of Viet Nam Veterans MC Chapter C and another Veteran raised the two flags with honor. These two flags will fly 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, being lighted at night and will be seen by passers by forever.

There is a sitting bench, some flowers, and a memorial stone at the base of the flagpole. This memorial stone is beautiful, is graced with carvings of the American Flag and the POW MIA Flag, and has the name of the Ford family patriarch, Sergeant First Class Harold W. "Hal" Ford between and below the two flags. Hal served 29 years in the United States Military in four different branches, and raised three great sons who properly revere and honor their Dad. The Ford Family dedicated this stone in his memory and it was a moment to behold.

A hero standing next to me, partly held up by his cane, was WWII Veteran Joe Milliner. As co-pilot of a B-24 Liberator, Joe participated in the deadly 1943 attack on the Rumanian oil fields at Ploesti. Surviving this, his plane was later shot down on another mission and Joe spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of the Germans. He told me that near the end of the war his German guards told Joe and his buddies not to go with the Russians if they liberated the camp because they would keep them. Fortunately, Americans liberated Joe’s stalag. Over 22,500 other Americans weren’t so lucky and spent the rest of their lives in the Soviet Gulag system and coalmines as slave labor. To elevate Joe and his wife Mary’s sacrifice even more, their son WO William P. Milliner was shot down in Laos on March 6^th, 1971 and is one of the POWs abandoned by our Washington leadership. Joe’s book, “The Eagle and the Angel” tells the story. For a copy, contact the webmaster at www.greasyonline.com.

Keith Murphy of Scots-Irish decent played Amazing Grace on the bagpipes, and the National Anthem was well performed by Bob Griffin. Pat Dunnum, of TFO District 2, read a patriotic poem that would bring salt to the eyes of even the least patriotic among our American landscape. At the end of the event we did our traditional circle holding hands while Lee Greenwood performed "Proud To Be An American" remotely from a compact disc, another salty moment.

But, before we ended the event, there was a "special presentation" as was stated in the program. Six years before the Ford family lost Hal to our Father in heaven, the sons presented "Dad" with a U. S. Calvary Sword in honor of his commitment to God and country over the years, and obviously because he truly was a model "dad".

One of Hal's boys, Danny, is a recently retired Master Sergeant Green Beret, that's Special Forces to the uninitiated, or "snake eaters" to we who are "in the loop". The U. S. Army Green Beret are the finest fighting men in the entire world, and SGT Barry Sadler, also a Green Beret, immortalized them in his song "The Green Beret" in the sixties. I grew up playing that 45 on my record player and the song was in my head when my son and I shared tears as I pinned his Airborne Wings on him at Fort Benning, GA a few years ago before he went to Iraq with the 37th Engineer Battalion, Combat, Airborne. "Put silver wings… [bada-da-bump-bump bump] on my son's chest… [bada-da-bump-bump bump]. Make him one… [bada-da-bump-bump bump] of America's best..."

Our Green Beret set the standard for the rest of the world to follow and don't get in their path - lead, follow, or get the he## out of the way. Isaiah 59:19 states, “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” We are the West, and our standard in the Green Beret. MSG Dan Ford has seen action in very corner of the world and has buried some of his best friends in life. He has seen men make the ultimate sacrifice for God and country so don't tell him that freedom is free, because he can prove to you that it isn't free at all. "It comes with a cost..." he said while being honored. Many of my best friends in life, war Veteran's who were in attendance, concurred.

The oldest son, David Ford, presented the sword to his “little” brother, who did not know this was going to happen. Wiping the tears from beneath his sunglasses, MSG Ford moved to the podium and said some very pointed, respectful, and thankful statements. What a moment to behold. What an honor to be there. What a day! We ended the event by breaking bread with one another underneath the tents. Even the wonderful pulled pork barbeque, barbeque chicken, fried banana peppers and mushrooms, and the drinks paled to the reverent moments we all enjoyed in front of SFC Harold “Hal” Ford’s Memorial Flagpole. God bless America and may we never forget the sacrifices made by those who are no longer among us but are honored on the flagpole dedicated at the Mike and Kathy Ford Homestead April 30^th, 2005.

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If all my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

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