(EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece was originally published on February 23, 2024.)
I was fortunate in my somewhat modest military service; while I served in the first Gulf War and President Clinton’s Balkans diversion, I was never in a position where anyone could shoot at me directly; we had Scuds dropped on us in 1991 and spent some time in bunkers, and during the Balkans deal I was reactivated and spent some comfortable time in Germany on the staff of the Command Surgeon, US Army, Europe. So while I put in my time, I was never in the position to be an Audie Murphy-style hero.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t serve with some outstanding soldiers. One was Sergeant Frank Martinez, who worked in the motor pool when I was Headquarters Platoon Leader in a medical company. In December our company was at Fort Carson, Colorado, loading to go overseas. We were given a few free days at Christmas, so…
