Thankful for…

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Sergeant Ray E. Eubanks (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on July 23, 1944, at Noemfoor Island, Dutch New Guinea. His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty at Noemfoor Island, Dutch New Guinea, 23 July 1944. While moving to the relief of a platoon isolated by the enemy, his company encountered a strong enemy position supported by machinegun, rifle, and mortar fire. Sgt. Eubanks was ordered to make an attack with 1 squad to neutralize the enemy by fire in order to assist the advance of his company. He maneuvered his squad to within 30 yards of the enemy where heavy fire checked his advance. Directing his men to maintain their fire, he and 2 scouts worked their way forward up a shallow depression to within 25 yards of the enemy. Directing the scouts to remain in place, Sgt. Eubanks armed himself with an automatic rifle and worked himself forward over terrain swept by intense fire to within 15 yards of the enemy position when he opened fire with telling effect. The enemy, having located his position, concentrated their fire with the result that he was wounded and a bullet rendered his rifle useless. In spite of his painful wounds he immediately charged the enemy and using his weapon as a club killed 4 of the enemy before he was himself again hit and killed. Sgt. Eubanks' heroic action, courage, and example in leadership so inspired his men that their advance was successful. They killed 45 of the enemy and drove the remainder from the position, thus effecting the relief of our beleaguered troops.

Private Coron D. Evans (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on April 6, 1865, at Sailors Creek, Virginia. His citation reads:

Capture of flag of 26th Virginia Infantry (C.S.A.).

Specialist Fourth Class Donald W. Evans, Jr. (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on January 27, 1967, at Tri Tam, Republic of Vietnam. His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. He left his position of relative safety with his platoon which had not yet been committed to the battle to answer the calls for medical aid from the wounded men of another platoon which was heavily engaged with the enemy force. Dashing across 100 meters of open area through a withering hail of enemy fire and exploding grenades, he administered lifesaving treatment to 1 individual and continued to expose himself to the deadly enemy fire as he moved to treat each of the other wounded men and to offer them encouragement. Realizing that the wounds of 1 man required immediate attention, Sp4c. Evans dragged the injured soldier back across the dangerous fire-swept area, to a secure position from which he could be further evacuated Miraculously escaping the enemy fusillade, Sp4c. Evans returned to the forward location. As he continued the treatment of the wounded, he was struck by fragments from an enemy grenade. Despite his serious and painful injury he succeeded in evacuating another wounded comrade, rejoined his platoon as it was committed to battle and was soon treating other wounded soldiers. As he evacuated another wounded man across the fire covered field, he was severely wounded. Continuing to refuse medical attention and ignoring advice to remain behind, he managed with his waning strength to move yet another wounded comrade across the dangerous open area to safety. Disregarding his painful wounds and seriously weakened from profuse bleeding, he continued his lifesaving medical aid and was killed while treating another wounded comrade. Sp4c. Evan's extraordinary valor, dedication and indomitable spirit saved the lives of several of his fellow soldiers, served as an inspiration to the men of his company, were instrumental in the success of their mission, and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.


Thankful Thursday

With his 42nd birthday right around the corner (remember 42, KC?), I wanted to take a minute to say how thankful I am for Sonny. As you know, Sonny has been my big brother for the last 33 years. While it’s true that I have known him my whole life, he had to live almost 9 years before I entered his. I’m sure if you were to ask him about his life before I was born, he would tell you he felt a lot like how Obi-Wan felt on Tatooine before Luke showed up. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m pretty sure I brought hope and joy into his life. But this isn’t about me, it’s about Sonny… and how thankful I am for him. Without Sonny, I wouldn’t have had the chance to play the greatest baseball video game ever (I don’t remember the name, but it was on the Commodore 64). I also wouldn’t have been the baseball player I was without Sonny. I remember Dad used to hit ground balls to Sonny in our backyard. One of my strengths playing baseball in high school was backing up the first baseman… I was only able to do this because of all of the time I spent backing up Sonny during those practice sessions with Dad in the backyard. I’m thankful for the role Sonny played in being a guide for my life. He played baseball at JI; I played championship baseball at JI… He graduated from college; I graduated from a better college… He got married and had two children; I got married and had three children… He got his Masters; I got a better Masters… He went to work at a middle school; I went to work at a university. Bottom line is Sonny blazed the path and I just followed in his footsteps (until I passed him, but that’s not the point). Because of Sonny, I got to go to Braves games while spending a couple of weeks with him back in the day when he lived in the Atlanta area. We saw some great baseball during that time that we’ll probably never get to see again. For the record, we booed Barry Bonds back then before anyone else was booing him. I don’t think the people around us really understood why we were doing it (because he was the best player on the other team… and it was fun), but the fact is we were doing it before everyone else. I became a Cubs fan in large part because he was a Cardinals fan. He became an Army fan in large part because I’m a Navy fan. Some big brothers would be jealous of their little brother’s success… but not Sonny. He saw my star on the rise and decided to grab on and ride my popularity as far as it’ll take him. And I’m thankful for that. While others complained about the names I gave them on here, he embraced his. Fact is, I didn’t really plan on his name sticking… but it did because I called him one night and he answered the phone saying, “This is Sonny”. How great is that?! Unlike some of you, he reads the “Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients” section of the blog because he knows it’s probably the most important thing I post each day. In all honesty, Sonny is a great big brother and a great friend… and for that, I am very thankful.