Forgotten Soldiers receive burial with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery

Follow up to this story: Buffalo Soldier, Vietnam Medic, and WWII Sailor will finally come home to Arlington

Thanks to the Missing in America Project and others, the remains of three American heroes were buried with full military homors at Arlington National Cemetary today.

Their final journey across America started on May 20 from different states as far away as Arizona and California.


Here is the motorcade in Kentucky.


And this is a story about today's ceremony at Arlington.

They were:
Buffalo Soldier Corporal Isaiah Mays, Medal of Honor recipient
Vietnam War Medic James William Dunn, Silver Star recipient
WWII Boatswain’s Mate First Class Johnnie Franklin Callahan, Silver Star recipient.

Rest in peace, and welcome home.

Carson Daly films "Last Call" episode at National Training Center

TV personality Carson Daly receives a brief from Capt. Bowe Averill, commander of E Troop, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, during his visit to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., May 27. Daly and his film crew visited the NTC to film an episode for his late night show, "Last Call with Carson Daly."

FORT IRWIN, Calif. - Carson Daly, the host of the late night show, "Last Call," visited Fort Irwin to film an episode dedicated to the Soldiers at the National Training Center, May 27.

The former radio DJ and VJ showcased the Soldiers of the National Training Center during an episode of "Last Call" which aired on June 1.

"We wanted to show one full episode of my late night show to tell the Army story, in particular to come to Fort Irwin where so much of that great national training is taking place," Daly said.

Originally, the producers of the show wanted to do just a segment, the idea then ballooned to a full 30-minute episode.

"We wanted to do a full episode to really draw awareness for our young audience of the incredible job the Army men and women are doing for our country," he said.

Daly is no stranger to the military, being the son of a military brat. His grandfather served with the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C., and deployed to Vietnam. His mother, Pattie, was born in Fayetteville, N.C. Daly said he has the Special Forces insignia tattooed on his left arm in honor of his grandfather.

Shell casings fly as TV personality Carson Daly fires an M4 while under supervision of Staff Sgt. John Kilburn, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, during his visit to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., May 27. Daly and his film crew visited the NTC to film an episode for his late night show, "Last Call with Carson Daly."

"Incredible," he said whole heartedly about the Soldiers. "The troops are what you want men and women to be like in the world. ... The way that they talk to each other, the respect for the chain of command, the character, the ethics, the morals, the patriotism; these are the qualities you want in human beings, so when I hang out with these troops, it reminds me of the way I want to be, and the way we all should act, it's been very influential."

If you're on Twitter, please join us every Monday for #MilitaryMon, created by Carson (@carsonjdaly) and SA's own Greta Perry (@kissmygumbo)!

Military horse retirement ceremony

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Possum (the horse) and Sgt. Brent Miller, left, and Master Sgt. Houdini (horse) and Sgt. Brian Forward stand during a horse retirement ceremony at Turkey Creek Ranch on Fort Carson, Colo., May 11, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Rick Emert.

Speaking of horses, this is one of the next books I'm going to be reading:

Horse Soldiers is the dramatic account of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban. Outnumbered forty to one, they pursued the enemy across mountainous terrain and, after a series of intense battles, captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, which was strategically essential if they were to defeat the Taliban.

Back "home" in Baghdad - as an American Soldier

U.S. Army Spc. Forat Aldawoodi, right, originally from Iraq, translates a conversation between an Army officer and an Iraqi police commander. Photo: Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY.

What a great story.

BAGHDAD — In the fall of 2007, Forat Aldawoodi fled Iraq through a special visa program for Iraqis who worked with the U.S. government. He landed in Pawtucket, R.I., where he soon became a New England Patriots fan, traveled to the Atlantic Ocean and enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Today, after a year's absence, Aldawoodi is in Iraq again — this time as an American soldier.

In fact, until recently transferred to a post outside Baghdad, he was assigned to a unit patrolling his former neighborhood, Dora, in southern Baghdad.

"I know it might sound a little strange that I am back in Baghdad so soon after leaving here," Aldawoodi said in an interview at Forward Operating Base Falcon in Baghdad. "But I knew before I came (to the U.S.) that the Army was something I wanted to try."

Aldawoodi, who is an Army interpreter, is one of at least eight Iraqis who fled to the United States in the midst of the war, only to have returned home as members of the U.S. armed forces, according to Lt. Col. Les Melnyk, a Pentagon spokesman. Melnyk said the figure likely understates the actual number of Iraqis in the U.S. military because personnel records don't require recruits to list their nationality.

"Most of us had worked with the U.S. Army for a long time, so we had a good idea of what it's like to be a soldier and what life is like in the Army," said Aldawoodi, who had been a civilian interpreter for the Army before enlisting. He said two other Army recruits who went through training with him are also serving in Iraq.

Aldawoodi's dual identity has provided an interesting dynamic in interactions with his countrymen. Many Iraqis, he said, see the U.S. uniform and assume he's just another American soldier. As soon as they learn of his background, though, they become suspicious of him.

He recalled a recent discussion with an Iraqi police officer speaking candidly to him about possible criminal activity by other police officers. When it dawned on the officer that Aldawoodi was Iraqi, he expressed concern about speaking too freely. Many officials in the security forces are reluctant to speak out about corruption within their ranks for fear of retaliation, Aldawoodi explained.

"I reminded him that I am an American soldier, and that he had nothing to fear from me," Aldawoodi said.

"I reminded him that I am an American soldier, and that he had nothing to fear from me."

Wow. Read the rest about Aldawoodi's work in Iraq, his plans for the future, and becoming a U.S. citizen at a naturalization ceremony in Baghdad on the 4th of July.

Hooyah!

You may have seen this before, but I hadn't. It's Marcus Luttrell, former Navy SEAL and author of Lone Survivor, in fine form speaking at an NRA event in Louisville May 16, 2008. Enjoy!

Thanks to SEAL Strong.

The Few, The Proudest, A Marine Dad

Must read of the day.

West Point Graduation

A cadet at the graduation ceremony for U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. listens to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' remarks, May 23, 2009. DoD photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates hands a diploma and congratulates an honor graduate at the U.S. Army Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., May 23, 2009. DoD photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison.

Full story at Army.mil

Photo of the Day

From this past weekend at Landstuhl. Here's a patient named Aaron who was bored and wanted to help, so I sat him down with Yvonne to sort out hygiene items. They look so funny surrounded by all that stuff. LOL!

Armed Forces Day at Lorraine Military Cemetery

On May 16, Armed Forces Day, my friend Hartmut played Taps inside the Memorial at Lorraine Military Cemetery near St. Avold, France. Hartmut is a security guard at Landstuhl hospital and a member of Bugles Across America. This is just beautiful.

A family's war

Carol Ewens put four stars on the fence at the family’s Gig Harbor home to honor her sons. They lost Forrest, right, in Afghanistan in June 2006. Two sons serve there: Eli, center, and Oaken, second from left. Stephen, left, will deploy soon with a Stryker brigade. Photo: Dean J. Koepfler/The News Tribune.

Gig Harbor, WA - The mood was celebratory at the annual Armed Forces Day parade: the school bands, the old-timers with pins in their hats, the Vietnam vets on motorcycles filing past cheering families waving American flags.

And then Michael Ewens appeared – the father of one fallen soldier and of three more who serve in their brother’s honor. The mood turned somber and respectful. Parents hushed their children. Adults applauded and nodded.

Ewens, a Gig Harbor resident, marched near the front of a group holding large banners in the May 16 parade in downtown Bremerton. On his banner was a photo of a soldier wearing body armor and the patch of the 10th Mountain Division.

The photo is of Forrest Ewens, Michael’s son who was killed in Afghanistan on June 16, 2006.

LT Forrest Ewens was serving with the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division when he was killed in the Pech River Valley of eastern Afghanistan. He and his twin brother LT Oaken Ewens both entered ROTC in 2001, which is also where Forrest met his future wife, LT Megan Ewens.

Oaken later transferred to West Point and deployed to Afghanistan with the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain last December.

SSG Elisha Ewens joined the Washington National Guard in 2002 and served in Iraq in 2004. In 2006 he went Active Duty and deployed to Afghanistan in early 2007 also with the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain. His second OEF tour with the 10th Mountain began in January of this year.

SPC Stephen Ewens enlisted in the Army after Forrest's death and will deploy to Afghanistan with 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis this summer.

For the remaining Ewens brothers, Oaken, Elisha and Stephen, serving in Afghanistan has become a way to honor their brother’s memory. The three soon will be within 150 miles of each other.

“I feel that this is now our family’s war,” said Stephen, a specialist with the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. “All four of us will finally be back together sharing the same fight, walking on the same dusty ground.”