A REAL LIFE HERO...

Honoring Clinton Witter……

I’ve often wondered how someone can be a hero. How do you go about studying for that? How do you place yourself in a circumstance that calls for heroism? Rarely in life does one meet a real “hero”, someone who has surpassed the ordinary, and walked among the “extra ordinary”.

One such man lives among us at the Metro Church. To look at him, you would see a small, bent over, well dressed man with graying hair, dimming eyesight, diminished hearing and wrinkled skin. His voice is quiet and unassuming. His demeanor is timid and giving. He has no enemies….only friends. To look into his eyes you would never know the horror of life they have seen. To talk to him is nothing more than ordinary, yet his past life is everything BUT ordinary. He is a wonderful man who will be sorely missed when his time comes to meet his Maker. My regret is that many people will never get to know him.

This is his story:

Clinton was born in Oregon in 1918. He will turn 89 this year. He was much like you and me in his early life; going to school and finding adventure more appealing than sitting in a classroom. He decided to quit college in his second year and travel, which he did for almost a year. Upon returning home he enlisted in the Army.

Clinton’s first assignment was for a 2-year hitch in Hawaii, leaving there in April 1941 just 6 months before the Pearl Harbor attack. He was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. As the war escalated, Clinton achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant.

In 1942, his Division participated in the invasion of French Morocco, West Africa. He then received orders to be a part of the security detail at the Casablanca Conference in Morocco, January 14 to 24, 1943. This was a high security event called to plan the European strategy of the Allies. In attendance was, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. Stalin had been invited to the conference, but declined to attend. Also present was Henri Giraud of France. One of the topics of discussion was to agree to invade Sicily.

After the conference, some of the members of the 3rd Infantry Division were sent to replace casualties that the 1st Infantry Division had suffered in their invasion of Algiers. Clinton was among those sent, and remained in the 1st Infantry Division under General George Patton for the remainder of his time in Military service.

Following the invasion of Africa, his Division participated in the Invasion of Sicily. Clinton said he had been lucky to this point not to have had any injuries.

From Sicily, Clinton participated in the Normandy Invasion and was in the second wave to cross the beaches and push into France.

I cannot but imagine the horror of storming a wide, sandy beach, overrun with dead bodies of our first wave fighting men; the air filled with screams of pain, odors of dying and burned bodies and the unforgiving noise of exploding ordinance.

During the Normandy invasion, “my luck ran out”, he said. “I received the first of three injuries”. His next wound occurred somewhere in France, and the third, which ended his military career, occurred in Germany”, at the Battle of the Buldge.

He was discharged in 1945, having lost one eye and being classified as legally blind in the other. He married in 1947 and has outlived his wife and daughter.

So how do you honor a man like Clinton Witter? To me, he is a hero of times past, when defending freedom was the order of the day, and a way of life. Today’s generation has all but forgotten men like Clinton. Many of our younger generation cannot fathom what he has done and are afraid to go up and talk to the “old man” with the gray whiskers and cane. But if they DID………. Well, they would find a great story!

As a Veteran of the Vietnam era, I feel a great sense of pride in men like Clinton. I appreciate what he did. When the Flag goes by, I stand a little bit taller knowing men like him bled all across our world to defend our country. I have no place in my heart for those who disrespect and desecrate our Flag, if only because of men like Clinton, who gave themselves for it.

I want to honor this man by writing about him. He would not want me to, because he is a humble man who does not look for notoriety. I did honor him at a school function one year by telling the audience of parents and students his story, with his permission, of course. I wanted to show the kids....

a REAL LIFE HERO.

B U S Y....

I have an update for all my friends..........BOTH of you, actually!

I did start back to work and have almost finished my second week. I took a job with one of the companies who had courted me to come to work for them over the past 3 years. Besides, they gave me the best offer, not to mention that I CAN BE BOUGHT!!

I am doing exactly what I want to do in sales and service. I make the same money and work less hours. It's closer to home and that cuts 1 1/2 hour off of my drive time each day.... so that's like a pay raise, too!

So.......... I say, God is good!! He is amazing! I solicited jobs from 3 places and had 4 job offers before it was over. I was very pleased. They gave me a new van to drive and several other perks. All in all, this was a good move and a great place to work!

Thanks for all the prayers out there!!