Milwaukee, WI

I hope my readers aren’t tired of hearing about our Veterans, because with one day left before Milwaukee’s Veterans Day Parade and two days until Veterans Day, I still have more to say.

Wisconsin has had its share of very notable veterans through its history. Here are some brief snapshots of three fascinating lives:

John Bradley, one of the six Marines pictured in the image of the Iwo Jima flag raising, was from Antigo, Wisconsin. Bradley gave just one interview in his life. In it he said, “People refer to us as heroes–I personally don’t look at it that way. I just think that I happened to be at a certain place at a certain time and anybody on that island could have been in there–and we certainly weren’t heroes–and I speak for the rest of them as well. That’s the way they thought of themselves also.”

Franklin Van Valkenburg the commander of the USS Arizona when Pearl Harbor was attacked, was appointed from Wisconsin. In February of 1941 he became Commanding Officer of the battleship Arizona. He was killed in action when his ship exploded and sank during the December 7 1941 Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. For his “conspicuous devotion to duty and extraordinary courage” at that time, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr., a Winnebago Indian from Wisconsin, was on a ridge guarding his company command post on November 5, 1950 when he was surprised by Chinese communist forces. He sounded the alarm and stayed in his position firing his automatic rifle and point-blank to check the assault. This gave his company time to consolidate their defenses. After being severely wounded by enemy fire, he refused assistance and continued firing upon the enemy until he was fatally wounded. His heroic action prevented the enemy from overrunning his company’s position and gained time for evacuation of the wounded. U.S. Army Cpl. Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. was honored with the military’s highest honor for his fearless and heroic deeds Nov. 5, 1950 in a battle near Chonhyon, Korea, that saved his comrades and cost him his life.

Please remember all our Veterans this Veterans Day. Consider doing some research about veterans from your own hometown and share what you find with your friends and family so that the endeavors of the men and women who have served our country will not be forgotten.