Branson Veterans Reunions

This is a shout out to all our military men and women overseas in Iraq. WELCOME HOME. What a CHRISTmas gift for their families.

May we all send prayers and condolences to the family of police officer Deriek Crouse. Who was also a Army Veteran. Who was gunned down at Virginia Tech on Dec.8,2011 May you rest in peace.

REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR

Commentary by Brig. Gen. Don Bacon
55th Wing commander

11/21/2011 – OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. — The phrase, “Remember Pearl Harbor,” mobilized our nation for total war after our Pacific fleet was severely damaged during the surprise attack on Dec. 7, 1941.

Today, 70 years later, we honor those who fought that terrible day, but as military professionals we should also “Remember Pearl Harbor” for the lessons learned. Our military was caught by surprise despite dozens of intelligence indicators and warnings, and the results were tragic: more than 2,400 Americans killed and more than 18 ships were sunk or heavily damaged.

The following are some key lessons learned:

Bad assumptions can be deadly. Our leaders didn’t think Japan would attack the United States because of our superior strength in manpower, manufacturing and raw resources. If Japan attacked, we knew it would only be a matter of time before our nation would achieve victory, and we thought the Japanese would come to the same conclusion.

We also assumed that if Japan attacked Hawaii, it would be a prelude for a ground invasion or acts of sabotage. Most of our leaders assumed the Japanese were going to attack the British and the Dutch in Southeast Asia. Military professionals must always question their assumptions.

Underestimating the threat can be deadly. Many Americans didn’t respect the fighting abilities or technological innovativeness of the Japanese. We didn’t expect the Japanese navy to modify their torpedoes with wooden fins that would allow torpedo attacks in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor. Even the thought of the Japanese conducting an air raid on Hawaii from carriers seemed farfetched. Not respecting the resourcefulness or toughness of an adversary can be disastrous.

Poor communications and lack of intelligence sharing can be deadly. The Pearl Harbor attack is full of miscommunications between leaders in Washington D.C. and the Pacific, as well as between the Army and Navy leaders working only a few miles apart in Hawaii.
According to Gordon Prange in his book, At Dawn We Slept, vague orders and ambiguous warnings from Washington D.C. were misunderstood, not all intelligence was relayed to Hawaii, and the Army and Navy on the Island didn’t share all of their intelligence nor did they properly coordinate their response plans for the defense of Hawaii. Everyone was out of synch.

Poor operations security can be deadly. Prange also states the Japanese Consulate in Honolulu was able to closely monitor our daily naval and air activities, and was stunned at the predictability of America’s operations. From this, the Japanese knew the best day to attack would always be Sunday. Even the local Honolulu newspaper reported when ships would arrive and depart.

We are always being studied by our adversaries who are looking for weaknesses to exploit. You should always assume someone else is reading your email.

Lack of preparedness can be deadly. The Navy and Army units on Hawaii were well trained for combat operations, but were not well prepared for how to defend against an attack. For example, the new radar installed on Hawaii was used for an hour a day for training, but no one was too sure what to do if enemy aircraft were spotted on the radar, or how to discriminate friendly from enemy aircraft observed on radar. According to Prange, the local leadership put a premium on training, but exerted little thought on defending the Hawaiian Islands.

Plato’s maxim that “only the dead have seen the end of war” remains true. Thus, we should always prepare for what our potential adversaries may do. Exercises, “red teaming” and challenging our assumptions helps us prepare, and thorough preparedness serves as a great deterrence.

The attack on Pearl Harbor may have been 70 years ago, but the lessons learned are no less valuable today than they were that “date which will live in infamy.”

In honor of First Class Sergeant Tony Sparks, 20 years in the Army, served in Iraq, Belguim, 2 tours in Alaska, several stateside.
Thank you for your time in the service.

Family of pilot killed in crash hope his story inspires others
Ziegler, from West Fargo, tried to ‘live life to the fullest’
By: Mike Nowatzki, INFORUM

WEST FARGO – In the high-flying, adrenaline-filled, “Top Gun”-glamorized world of fighter pilots, Capt. Eric Ziegler was the anti-maverick.

The humble West Fargo native was quick to change the subject when someone would mention his accomplishments, his sister said.

The experienced Air Force instructor pilot liked to plan things out and choose his paths carefully, his dad said.

And the new father possessed a strong yet quiet faith, the kind that has comforted his family since he died on June 28 when his fighter jet crashed during a training exercise in Nevada, his widow told The Forum on Thursday in the family’s first extensive public comments about the crash.

Last month, an Air Force investigation concluded Ziegler blacked out because of gravitational forces during a high-speed maneuver.

Finally knowing what led to her husband’s death seemed “kind of irrelevant,” Sarah Ziegler said.

“I’ve always believed, and still do, that everything happens for a reason and a purpose, and so I didn’t need a source or object to blame or anything like that,” she said.

Sitting on the couch at her mother-in-law’s house in West Fargo, surrounded by framed pictures of Eric as their 13-month-old girl slept in the next room, Sarah didn’t hesitate when asked about that reason.

“I think it’s part of God’s plan for all of our lives,” she said. “And it’s I think so others can learn from it, whether it be pilots or just people looking at Eric’s life, and maybe his story can just be an inspiration to a kid in West Fargo who might want to fly airplanes.”
Eric’s desire to fly didn’t develop until college.
Sports were his first love, said his father, Lynn Ziegler. As a senior at West Fargo High School, Eric helped lead the Packers football team to a state title in 1999. He also played baseball and ran track.
Beyond sports, Eric enjoyed fishing and was active in his church youth group, said his mother, Val Ziegler.

He met Sarah Kotte, a student at Fargo South, in June 1998 when both attended the Summer Scientific Academy at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Their mothers worked at a hospital together and, playing matchmaker, made sure Eric and Sarah knew each other would be there.

By senior prom, both had been accepted to the Air Force Academy. For one picture, Sarah wore combat boots to complement her prom dress.

During their sophomore year at the academy, Eric took an interest in fighter pilots’ tales of the challenges and camaraderie their careers offered. He gradually decided to pursue flying, while Sarah, whose imperfect eyesight kept her out of the cockpit, became an aircraft maintenance officer.

After graduating from the academy in 2003, they bounced around several bases as Eric continued his pilot’s training. The couple tied the knot in 2004.

With his training completed, Eric spent about 14 months with a combat squadron in Korea before he and Sarah were stationed in September 2007 at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, where Sarah managed the same F-16 jets that Eric flew.

Eric twice deployed to Iraq, first from January to June 2008 and then with Sarah from May to September 2009. They celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary with dinner in the chow hall at Joint Base Balad on a 110-degree day.

In September 2010, Eric joined the 442nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas. Sarah decided to leave the Air Force for a new career path: mother.

Anna Mae Ziegler was born Sept. 22, 2010, three days before Sarah’s discharge from the Air Force.

June 28 started out as a normal day, Sarah said.

She and Eric ate breakfast with Anna before Eric headed off to work.

His ill grandfather had died the day before, which wasn’t unexpected, but he decided to wait until the next day to fly.

Sarah said she and Eric spoke only briefly about that afternoon’s mission: a proficiency training exercise, his last before heading off to the selective U.S. Air Force Weapons School, to which he’d already been accepted. While it was a prerequisite flight for attending the weapons school, Eric could have received a waiver because of his grandfather’s death, she said.

“He was looking forward to it, and he felt prepared,” Sarah said of the 4:50 p.m. flight.

Twenty-six minutes into the flight, Eric was attempting a high-speed turn that likely involved 8 Gs or more when the jet stopped maneuvering and nose-dived, according to the crash report summary. There was no evidence that he tried to eject or maneuver the jet before it crashed in a wilderness area north of Las Vegas.

At 9:30 p.m., one of Eric’s friends, a family liaison officer, and his wife arrived at Sarah’s door with an Air Force chaplain and doctor.

“All they said is that Eric’s aircraft had gone down,” Sarah said, “and they weren’t sure if he was in it at the time or not, and there were search and rescue helicopters going out to try to find him.”

Sarah called Eric’s family to let them know. Eric’s friend and his wife stayed the night.

The chaplain and doctor returned at 5 a.m. to deliver the tragic news.

“I think it was just shock at that point, and it really didn’t sink in,” Sarah said. “It didn’t feel like reality. Just kind of going through the motions and doing things, and for me it lasted about a month.”

Meanwhile, the support from Eric’s squadron and commander “was just amazing,” she said. They opened their homes, delivered meals and gave rides to Eric’s grieving family.

It was the first time the family from West Fargo had been around the military family of which Eric had spoken so fondly.

“The kindness and compassion was just true. They were all feeling the same,” said his mother, Val Ziegler.

Sarah said the family also deeply appreciated the love and prayers extended by people around the world and in their home communities of Fargo-Moorhead, West Fargo and Sioux Falls, S.D.

Almost four months after the crash, the brigadier general who served as president of the Accident Investigation Board personally delivered the report’s findings to Eric’s parents and Sarah.

According to an executive summary, the general found “clear and convincing” evidence that the cause of the mishap was a loss of consciousness.

Based on the evidence, he concluded that the blackout was caused by Ziegler not adequately performing an anti-G straining maneuver, a technique in which pilots contract their lower body muscles and take quick, deep breaths to keep blood flowing to their eyes and brain to help maintain consciousness.

Ziegler “had excessive motivation to succeed” and “had slight fatigue” during his fourth engagement of the exercise, the summary states.

However, the general also “found no evidence the (pilot’s) physical or mental condition … contributed to the accident,” it states.

Based on how the accident happened, Sarah wasn’t surprised by the investigation results, which she said was “good information to have, but it didn’t really change anything for me.”

In the end, Eric died doing what he loved.

“He loved every aspect of it,” she said. “And I loved the opportunity to be around the planes, too. Just the camaraderie in the Air Force, but really in the fighter squadron is something that’s unique. And a sense of purpose, defending our country is something that we both were very proud of.”

There were easier things Eric could have done with his life, said his older sister, Erin Petersen.

“I think with Eric, he welcomed challenge and succeeded,” she said.

Now, family members see Eric in his daughter’s facial expressions and her brown curls.

On the living room floor – at Anna’s eye level – sat a framed portrait of a smiling Eric holding his flight helmet in front of an F-16.

“He was a man of faith, character … humility …” Sarah said, wiping away tears as she watched their daughter play. “And I think above all he just loved to have a good time and live life to the fullest, whether that was flying an F-16 or … playing on the floor with Anna.

Good morning to all our veterans. Thank you for all that you do and have done. Our freedom is never free. And sometimes we take it for granted. So thank you and God bless you and your families for your for all of your sacrifices.

Good morning all, do you have someone you would like to honor on this blog send a pic or 2 and we will post them on the sight.

This webpage was created  as a place where we can Honor our Veterans and Active Duty men and women. Where veterans and active duty men and women can reach out to each other for support and understanding.