Oh What A Night...

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Private David F. Day (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 22, 1863 at Vicksburg, Mississippi. His citation reads:

Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."

Major George E. Day (US Air Force) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on August 26, 1967 in North Vietnam. His citation reads:

On 26 August 1967, Col. Day was forced to eject from his aircraft over North Vietnam when it was hit by ground fire. His right arm was broken in 3 places, and his left knee was badly sprained. He was immediately captured by hostile forces and taken to a prison camp where he was interrogated and severely tortured. After causing the guards to relax their vigilance, Col. Day escaped into the jungle and began the trek toward South Vietnam. Despite injuries inflicted by fragments of a bomb or rocket, he continued southward surviving only on a few berries and uncooked frogs. He successfully evaded enemy patrols and reached the Ben Hai River, where he encountered U.S. artillery barrages. With the aid of a bamboo log float, Col. Day swam across the river and entered the demilitarized zone. Due to delirium, he lost his sense of direction and wandered aimlessly for several days. After several unsuccessful attempts to signal U.S. aircraft, he was ambushed and recaptured by the Viet Cong, sustaining gunshot wounds to his left hand and thigh. He was returned to the prison from which he had escaped and later was moved to Hanoi after giving his captors false information to questions put before him. Physically, Col. Day was totally debilitated and unable to perform even the simplest task for himself. Despite his many injuries, he continued to offer maximum resistance. His personal bravery in the face of deadly enemy pressure was significant in saving the lives of fellow aviators who were still flying against the enemy. Col. Day's conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Armed Forces.

Corporal James L. Day (US Marine Corps) received his Medal of Honor for his actions from May 14-17, 1945 on Okinawa, Ryukya Islands. His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a squad leader serving with the Second Battalion, Twenty-Second Marines, Sixth Marine Division, in sustained combat operations against Japanese forces on Okinawa, Ryukya Islands from 14 to 17 May 1945. On the first day, Corporal Day rallied his squad and the remnants of another unit and led them to a critical position forward of the front lines of Sugar Loaf Hill. Soon thereafter, they came under an intense mortar and artillery barrage that was quickly followed by a ferocious ground attack by some forty Japanese soldiers. Despite the loss of one-half of his men, Corporal Day remained at the forefront, shouting encouragement, hurling hand grenades, and directing deadly fire, thereby repelling the determined enemy. Reinforced by six men, he led his squad in repelling three fierce night attacks but suffered five additional Marines killed and one wounded, whom he assisted to safety. Upon hearing nearby calls for corpsman assistance, Corporal Day braved heavy enemy fire to escort four seriously wounded Marines, one at a time, to safety. Corporal Day then manned a light machine gun, assisted by a wounded Marine, and halted another night attack. In the ferocious action, his machine gun was destroyed, and he suffered multiple white phosphorous and fragmentation wounds. He reorganized his defensive position in time to halt a fifth enemy attack with devastating small arms fire. On three separated occasions, Japanese soldiers closed to within a few feet of his foxhole, but were killed by Corporal Day. During the second day, the enemy conducted numerous unsuccessful swarming attacks against his exposed position. When the attacks momentarily subsided, over 70 enemy dead were counted around his position. On the third day, a wounded and exhausted Corporal Day repulsed the enemy's final attack, killing a dozen enemy soldiers at close range. Having yielded no ground and with more than 100 enemy dead around his position, Corporal Day preserved the lives of his fellow Marines and made a significant contribution to the success of the Okinawa campaign. By his extraordinary heroism, repeated acts of valor, and quintessential battlefield leadership, Corporal Day inspired the efforts of his outnumbered Marines to defeat a much larger enemy force, reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.


So there’s really not a ton to tell about my great adventure from last Tuesday night. People have asked me, “Greg, what did you do while you were out there?” Mainly, I did a lot of nothing. And it was pretty good. I got lucky… the weather was pretty good. Clear night, temps in the low 50s/high 40s. My very good friend Michael came by to hang out with me for a little while (and bring me a HUGE box of books). Part of me figured Michael called the police after he left me to report stolen books... but the cops never came by so that was good. Speaking of people who didn't come by... no, I won't say anything about Danny (yes, that Danny) not coming out to see me. There was only really about an hour or hour and a half (between 3:00am and 4:00 – 4:30am) when there wasn’t much traffic going by the church. So I would watch cars go by. I also got to listen to the train go by (which was nice because it reminded me of spending the night with Granny at Aunt Sister’s house when I was little). While I am, for the most part, a non-violent person I did have my trusty knife with me in the event something bad started to go down… but nothing happened. I don’t remember when other people started to get out there. Since I had been there since 6:30pm Tuesday night, it’s safe to say I was the first one there by a long shot. Which was fine with me. My goal was to make sure Daniel and Susie got signed-up. So if I got there right before someone or hours and hours before someone, it didn’t matter… what mattered was being first. And I was first. So the night was a success. After signing them up (around 7:00am), I went home and took a shower and changed my clothes and went in to work. I got into work at 8:30am and lasted until 2:30pm at which point I stood up, clapped my hands one time and yelled, “That’s it! I’m out!” My co-workers all stood up and started clapping for me. Ok, that didn’t happen… but they did laugh (they knew where I’d been the night before). I went to sleep about 6:15 Wednesday night and didn’t wake up until 6:00 Thursday morning. Best night of sleep EVER. Below are some pictures from my adventure.


Picture Tuesday

Where I spent the night last Tuesday night...

A look at the sky from my seat...

A picture of me from early in the night.

A picture looking out from my seat.

Me and Michael... Note that Danny (yes, that Danny) is not in this picture).  fyi... I took this picture... Not bad, eh?

A picture of me after the temp entered the 40s...

A picture of the clock

Another picture of the clock...

A picture of my protection... my trusty Bootjack knife...

One more shot of the night sky...