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Wednesday, June 6, 2001 Fayette filled with war veterans By JANET
McGREGOR
This Prime Timer edition is spotlighting just a few of the many Fayette County residents who have served in the Armed Forces over the past 60-plus years. Here are their stories.
Bill Beckwith joined the Army in 1964, retiring as a captain in 1970. During his year in Vietnam he flew a fixed wing single-engine "L19 Birddog" doing visual reconnaissance. After separating from the military he served in the Reserves until 1995, retiring as a lietutenant colonel.
Hughie Bray served aboard a destroyer in the South Pacific from October 13, 1943, to January, 1946. Bray's ship monitored the waters ten to fifteen miles outside of Tokyo looking for downed pilots. It was the first ship to reach the city when the Japanese surrendered in 1945 and had the unique honor of carrying all of the allied envoys to sign the peace treaty, including French, Dutch, Russian and Canadian representatives. All who signed were there, according to Bray, with the exception of one noteworthy individual General Douglas McArthur, who traveled on his own ship. "I had a very interesting career," said Bray. Watch the Prime Timer pages for a more in-depth story regarding Bray.
Fred Brown Jr. served in World War II and Korea. The former mayor of Peachtree City joined the Navy in 1942 and was commissioned an ensign and Navy pilot in June of 1944. He served as an instructor until leaving the military in January, 1946. In October of 1957 he was recalled into the Navy for the Korean War. During his second tour of duty he flew supplies and personnel into Seoul, Korea. He stated, "The military was good for me and was good to me." Although he did not serve on active duty during the Vietnam War, he did have some involvement. His duties with the Federal Aviation Administration gave him the responsibility for "safe flight of air carriers in and out of Vietnam." Although he was primarily located in Honolulu, Hawaii, he says, "I had an office in Saigon and spent plenty of time there." Today he says of the military, "I have all the respect in the world for our service personnel."
Mike Calderella was drafted into the Army in 1967 and served for two years during the Vietnam War. Calderella arrived in Cameraon Bay, Vietnam, right in the middle of the Tet Offensive. As a Military Occupational Specialist (MOS) he drove a landing craft and was stationed in Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam. He notes, "I arrived right in the middle of the Tet Offensive" the largest enemy push made during the war. Due to the untimely death of his father, Calderella was transferred back to California for the remainder of his military service. Regarding the military he said, "I have a high regard for the military. If it weren't for their power and might, we could all be speaking a different language right now."
Greg Dunn was drafted into the Army in 1965. His intentions were to serve his obligatory two years and "come home." However, he says, "That didn't happen." After basic training the Fayette County Commission chairman attended Advanced Individual Training (AIT) as an Armor Crewman, and then attended Infantry Officer Candidate School. He served in Vietnam as a Platoon Leader and later as a Company Commander. The list of medals he received is notable. It includes a Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, an Air Medal, eight Meritorious Service Medals, two Army Commendation Medals, a Humanitarian Service Medal and a Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. He commanded a battalion in the 101st Airborne Division and commanded a brigade at Ft. Riley, Kansas. Dunn has many interesting stories regarding the times he provided security for President Johnson on a visit to Vietnam and for President Reagan on several occasions later in his career. While serving as the Senior Military Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, he was part of a team that worked with the Russians regarding control of nuclear weapons after the "wall came down." He also was part of pre-negotiation efforts to set up Arab-Israeli peace talks. He was with the Military Police Corps the majority of his career and was inducted into the Infantry Hall of Fame at Ft. Benning, GA in 1991. He retired as a colonel in December of 1994.
Olen Gunnin and five of his eight brothers served in the military during World War II. Born and raised in East Point, Gunnin volunteered for the Army in October of 1942. One brother served in the Navy, three in the Air Force and one in the Army. Olen met his wife of 58 years, Ora Jean, in 1933 at church and says, "She finally ran me down and caught me in 1943." They were high school sweethearts. "I was a 'big' corporal when we married," he said. "I got back after leave and realized I couldn't support a wife on Corporal pay so I went to OCS (Officer Candidate School)." Gunnin's tour of duty revolved around training recruits stateside. He was in an officer pool in Cheyenne, Wyoming, waiting to go overseas when the war finally ended. He was a first lieutenant when he separated from the military, serving as a training officer, police and prison officer and executive officer. Watch the Prime Timer pages for a special profile on this interesting family.
Hollis Harris, CEO of Peachtree City-based World Airways, joined the Army in 1951. He first tried to join the Air Force, hoping to fly. However, due to an enlistment freeze he volunteered in the Army. "I asked to be a forward observer in Korea," he said. "But they must have thought I was crazy so they sent me to Germany." He spent two years in Germany as a battery commander in the 567th Field Artillery Battalion of the 35th F. A. Group. He returned to his home state of Georgia, and then was transferred to the Pentagon. In 1954 he was honorably discharged from the Army as a first lieutenant in the artillery. "The military needs our support," he said. "We need to support the proposals being considered by the Bush administration. The Clinton administration so depleted our military capability, we could not handle even a Kosovo type situation now effectively." Harris was profiled in the Prime Timer pages Sept. 1, 1999.
Frank Hyde, current Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Peachtree City, served in the South Pacific. He tried to sign up in the Navy the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor along with thousands of young Americans. He was told to "go home and stay in bed" by the doctor who took his blood pressure during the physical. Rejected due to high blood pressure, he went home and, rather than go to bed, he dieted to try and get his blood pressure under control. Since the Navy didn't want him, he tried the Army. They said no at first also. His determination to join ultimately swayed them with the caveat that he serve in the Medical Corps. He said he would go wherever as long as he could go. Serving in Saipan, he took care of war casualties.
John McMenamin, called "Mac" by friends, joined the Marine Corps in 1956 on a bet. His foreman bet Mac and a friend $20 that they wouldn't join the Marines. Mac joined. After basic training Mac took the tests for flight school and, after being accepted, went to Pensacola for training. He served three tours in Vietnam, "mostly flying helicopters." He received the Distinguished Flying Cross, 38 air medals, two Navy Commendation medals, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with a Silver Star plus numerous campaign medals. He retired from the Marines as a Lt. Colonel in 1985. McMenamin was profiled in the Prime Timer Pages August 5, 1998.
Jim Steinbach was a ROTC graduate in 1957 from Xavier University in Ohio. He began active duty in the Army in 1958, retiring as a Lt. Col in 1986. He served in Vietnam from 1962-63 as a Signal Advisor with the Vietnamese Rangers, in Korea from 1968-69 as XO Signal Bn, 2nd Inf. Division, and in Belgium from 1981-84 as XO to the Deputy Director responsible for NATO communications Operations. His assignments in the U.S. included, Ft Lee, Va.; Ft. Monmouth, N.J.; Ft Ord, Calif.; Ft Devens, Mass.; Ft. Bragg, N.C.; Ft. Ritchie, Md. (Director Telecommunications Operations NMCC and later as XO to CG 7th Signal Cmd); Pentagon and the US Army Center of Military History Washington, D.C.; Ft. McPherson, Ga. (Signal Planner for Third US Army); Carnegie Mellon University (Asst. Professor of Military Science); U.S. Army War College (Chief Special History Project for the Chief of Staff Army), He is a graduate of the U.S. Command and General Staff College. His awards include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service medal, two Meritorious Service medals and four Army Commendation Medals.
Stan Zeimer tried to enlist in the military when he was in high school and was told to "go back and finish." He told the Army they would have to draft him if they wanted to get him again - which they did in 1943. His initial training was in the Signal Corps, but he somehow wound up in the Infantry. Zeimer considers himself "one of the lucky ones." He was one of the 267 survivors from a battalion of 1500 that survived the Saipan combat mission. "They [the Japanese] put civilians in front to use up all of our ammunition," he said. The Japanese would let the civilians take the brunt of the offensive, then move out when they felt they had the advantage. Zeimer says when it was all over, the Japanese buried their dead in mounds on the beach 750 in one mound, 550 in another. Zeimer also served in Okinawa in the infantry. The day after the bomb dropped in Hiroshima, the 27th division flew into Japan as occupation troops. He stayed there until the end of his two years, arriving in Tacoma, Washington, on Thanksgiving Day, just in time for a strike. During the war strikes were illegal. He was stuck in Tacoma for two weeks before being able to continue home. In 1950 the 805 Signal Depot Company was called back into service for the Korean War. Zeimer didn't belong to the company although he had friends who did. He decided to volunteer and ultimately ended up at the Atlanta General Depot (now Ft. Gillem). The company was initially responsible for training recruits, a duty that took longer than expected with the need for additional training. While in the Atlanta area he "decided this would be the Chicago of the South - and there was no snow to shovel" so he decided to stay when he was discharged in 1950. He said, "I tell all my rebel friends the only reason I stayed was that I could never get bus fare home." He has been here for 51 years and says his Southern born wife "considers me a Rebel."
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