Wednesday, February 26, 2003
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Wednesday, February 26, 2003 |
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Former PTC mayoral candidate to ship out to Iraq with 101st Airborne By JOHN MUNFORD
If you didn't know Fred Wellman was dead serious about being a soldier, you'd think he was plum crazy. He laughs recalling a scenario from Operation Desert Storm when his chopper was almost shot down by friendly fire. He tells a friend if he dies, "You will know it's because I didn't duck fast enough." Perhaps it's easier to joke about death when your children are playing your straight men. The former Peachtree City mayoral candidate is now a commissioned major with the U.S. Army in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) based in Ft. Campbell, Ky. He's preparing to leave any day now for parts unknown in the Persian Gulf ready to do battle along with about 18,000 soldiers and 270 helicopters. Wellman's four children understand their dad's going to war. They also comprehend the grave consequences. A recent exchange with 5-year-old son Hunter went like this: "Dad, are you gonna die?" "Well, I don't plan on it." "OK." Then there's 6-year-old daughter Morgan, who brought the house down with this one-liner: "I hope you don't die 'cause I'll have to get another daddy." It's those moments with the kids that Wellman will miss when he leaves them and his wife, Crystal. A 14-year Army veteran, Wellman was almost shot down while scouting targets in Desert Storm for Apache units to attack. He heard the explosions rock his OH-58 Scout helicopter. "We're taking fire!" he shouted into the mike. "We're taking fire." Then he heard another voice on the radio: "Oh, it was me. Sorry." One of Fred's own Apaches had almost shot him down and snuffed him out for good. While he chewed the lieutenant out afterwards, now it's just a wacky memory to him. "Oh, it was funny," said Wellman, who returned to the U.S. Army after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 to help do paperwork at Fort MacPherson. He dropped out of the mayor's race to do it, giving up his wishes to serve the city so he could serve his country. The desk gig was fun and interesting, but it drove him crazy. And that's how Wellman ended up in charge of a bunch of 18-year-old soldiers at Fort Campbell, showing them how to get ready for war if necessary. "I really had the itch to get back down where the rifles were," Wellman said. "I wanted to be defending our country." This time, Wellman will do some flying but he's more on the management side of the equation since he's the unit's operations officer. He has been in charge of training his troops, and their specialty will be in rescue and recovery missions. In other words: "If someone gets shot down behind enemy lines, we got to get them," he explained. "I'm having the time of my life. I'm flying back in the cockpit again, although not often, and seeing these young kids ..." Some of the soldiers in Wellman's unit are only 18 years old. He was surprised how well they turned out, soldier-wise. And teaching those kids gave Wellman a little incentive to work harder. "At the end of the day you feel like you've really helped accomplished something" after training with the youngsters, Wellman said. When Wellman decided to run for mayor of Peachtree City, he wanted to be the voice in the middle. He thought the needed a mayor who was, "somebody nice and quiet who didn't make headlines everywhere, did the business of running the people's government and didn't take credit for it all." After 9/11, however, the call to politics wasn't as strong as the call to fight for America, and Wellman bowed out of the race so he could rejoin the Army. Wellman is particularly excited about the capabilities of the 101st, which uses 270 helicopters to attack targets and transport infantry troops for a surprise ground attack. "We can show up just about anywhere. We'll show up at your back door one day," Wellman said. "It really forces the enemy to fight in a different way."
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