'age 5,19) Aggiei Page 3 Wednesday • March 5, 1997 /ed here d Bill Bit ut 60 io. He's ling fa; he iettei weekly ne« limes, mtered * request ere, God.' did notff I read s ago ne’d set .0 perced an. ) show up nerasand ig as •OWS :edHigh :tedLow cpected ights ,ow spicuous letter sta rtunetta ou imagnllantry'and intrepid- your nef (atriskoflife, above and wndthe call of duty These lines precede the cita- llsforcoti mfor the Congressional Medal of onor, the highest military award Jastorc# irbravery that can be given to a and poinpted States serviceman. Since its official inception in 62, over 3,400 individuals have of it," liieen awarded the medal. Of those, everybodi even have been former students ted evere (Texas A&M. Spanning the class- sof’ST.to ’43, all were veterans of erson ctr- ioridWar II. The Medal of Honor was first jrch coilwarded in the Civil War and did not avethe prestige it has today. According to the National Medal fHonor Museum of Military Histo- inChattanooga, Tenn., the medal as used as an incentive to keep aen enlisted during the Civil War. The commander of the 27th ilaine Infantry promised the Medal fHonor to all men who elected to Mend their tour of duty. Of the 864 nen, 309 volunteered to remain, lutpoor record-keeping forced the toy to give all 864 men the medal. In recent years, the Medal of salute to gallantry Seven Aggies have earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. Memories of their valor live upon the grails of the MSC. Hon- or has ^S| made the most loyal Ameri can soldiers yearn to wear the pale blue silk rib bon around their necks. Even President Harry Truman once said, “I’d rather have this medal than be president.” Second Lt. Thomas W. Fowler, Class of ’43, was one of seven Ag gie Congressional Medal of Hon or recipients. Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, Fowler received a degree in agricul ture from A&M College. Lt. Porter L. Oakes, Fowler’s brother-in-law, said in a 1944 article for the Wichita Falls Record News, “Thomas was a ‘boy’s boy’ and grew up to be a ‘man’s man.’” Immediately after graduation in May 1943, the young man reported for military duty and was sent to offi- Story by Aaron Meier Artwork by Dave House First Lt. Turney W. Leonard was a member of the Class of ‘42. He was as- signed to the 893rd Tank Destroyer Batallion and received a Medal of Honor for his bravery in Kommerscheit, Ger many on Nov. 4,5 and 6,1944. candi date school at Fort Knox. The same month, Fowler married his high-school sweetheart, Anne Oakes. On May 23, 1944, in a battle near Carano, Italy, Fowler came upon two nearly-defeated Allied infantry units. Although Fowler was a tank officer, he rallied and organized the two units, who were trapped in a mine field. iMLgw,,.' him- f self, he returned and led his tank battal- G ion through the field, where he accomplished his mission objec- j§||P^ “He then made a personal re- ^ connaissance through the mine field, clearing a path as he went by lifting the anti-personnel mines out of the ground with his hands,” his I medal citation reads. Risking his own life, j v Fowler returned to the crippled units and led V them through the mine V field, one squad at a time. Further imperiling tive and saved the lives of his men. Fowler sur vived the assault at Carano and was promoted to head of the 191st Tank Battalion. However, just 10 days later, Fowler was killed by a en emy sniper bullet. Fowler was a posthumously awarded the medal on Nov. 11,1944, to the pride and sorrow of his family, including his young wife and infant son, who Fowler had never seen. “I'd rather have this medal them be president.” i Former President Harry Truman P First Lt. T ' ^^SjHP^Eli L. Whiteley, . JpT^Tlass of ’41, re- mmT ceived the Medal of Honor for his bravery in an Allied assault on a French town. Leading his platoon through the war-torn streets of Sigolsheim, France, Whiteley was injured twice during the battle. The first injury rendered one arm useless, and the second blind ed him in one eye. Battling these injuries and enemy gunfire, White- ley forced the surrender of Ger man soldiers sta tioned in the town. “By his disregard for personal safety, aggressiveness while suffering from se vere wounds, deter mined leadership, and superb courage, Lieutenant Whitely killed nine Germans, captured 23 more and spearheaded an attack which cracked the core of enemy in a vital area,” his resistance medal citation reads. See Medal, Page 4 Life more precious since brother's car accident ,MSC4M 3R Editor )IT0R )R Editor lings. ^ iey jhne nePI# j courtn®)' in,SteP l,el1 Genei^ ,ers&lW Mallasr .ntPubli- oinP llOI,e: amp* 73. . [tie Bat 01 Maste r ' eisand 35A&M Itie BaT S ome people are risk tak ers. Some people aren’t — and some people don’t have a choice. Everytime people walk out of their houses, they put their lives mdanger.People jump into cars everyday to grab a bite to eat or torun an errand and never think twice about it. I felt the same way until something happened to me that severely altered my outlook on life. Sometimes we don’trealize how precious life is until reality slaps us in the face. About a month ago, my brother was on a business trip in Tennessee and went fur nitureshopping in North Carolina. In an Columnist Melissa Price Senior journalism major instant, my brother’s life changed forever, as did mine. I can play back my mother’s words in my head as if I had used a tape recorder. “Now, Missy, he’s OK, but —,” my mom’s voice was trembling as 1 had never heard it do be fore, and I immediately knew something was wrong. Oh, my God. A thousand horrible thoughts raced through my mind: My dad was robbed at gunpoint; my sweet old dog was near death. But no, it was worse. My oldest brother had been in a car accident — a bad one. He was involved in a head-on collision in which the other driver died. It took only one brief moment, but the effects will last a lifetime. As I was driving to class the next day, a wreck occurred right behind me. As if the screeching tires weren’t enough to send me into cardiac arrest, in my rearview mirror I saw the glass shatter and the car crumple with the ease it takes a person to crumple a piece of pa per — all in slow motion. Humans take life for granted. Students expect their parents to be there for them when they need extra cash or, worse yet, need to be bailed out of jail. Sometimes they don’t return phone calls right away because they figure they can just call the person back the next day. But what if to morrow never comes? This is a nation obsessed with getting things done fast. Fast-food restaurants were not established because the selec tion in the grocery store was not up to par. There have been countless times I have arrived somewhere with no recollection of how I got there. This has probably hap pened to most people. Even though it is easy to get caught up in the hassles of daily life, it is important that we remember to stop and look around every once in awhile. Although activities such as bungee jumping and skydiving are considered by some to be high-risk, some of the seemingly thoughtless routines we fall into have the potential to be far more damaging. It is not uncommon to see a woman driving, putting on her makeup and changing the radio station at the same time. Although it is true that life in itself is dangerous, one cannot be ex pected to stay inside his or her home for fear of dying. People die every day. Everyone has read stories about people who wish they had been given a chance to say goodbye to a loved one. Do not be one of those people who regrets never saying “I love you” or “You make a difference in my life” to someone you care about. Most of us lead such busy lives that all too often we forget to appreciate life and the people we love the most. My brother is one of my favorite people in the world, yet I doubt he knew that — until now. YOU want, this PiflSl nForms of C contraceptives Jl \jltra-Sensitive, Cl Lubricated Latex Condoms , > % DT vaginal Contraceptive j Spermicide Inserts V selfcare \Contmceph Packaged together.for Double Protection CarePlus™ gives you 2 simple-to-use methods to help prevent HIV (AIDS*), sexually transmitted diseases (STD's), and Pregnancy, when used together, each time you have sex. Now available at leading stores. MSC COMMITTEE FOR THE AWARENESS OF MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURE PRESENTS: THE ANTI-IMMIGRANT SENTIMENT: ITS EFFECT ON CURRENT U.S. LEGISLATION Recently, laws have been passed around the nation, specifically in Texas & California that reflect a growing anti-immigration trend. As college students,it is important to be informed on current events in the U.S. Come see how this affects not only immigrants, but all U.S. citizens. eri cafor Am w SPEAKER: / ^ Ul Dr. Elsa O. Valdez Professor of Sociology at California State University ^ “Tiist 05 the scream of immigration has March 5,1997 • Zachary 127B 7:00 - 8:30pm ft er 'can. ,U meaning of imm.granon for .Ke American present and future. 4^ For more information, contact Graciela Castillo or Laura Huerta at the Student Programs Office 845-1514 Persons with disabilities please call 845-1515 to inform us of your special needs. We request notification three (3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our abilities. GET IN GEAR THIS SUMMER So what do you want to do this summer? Work? Travel? Sleep? Get in gear for next year while you're home for the summer. Enroll at Collin County Community College. Our courses will transfer so you'll be way ahead for the fall semester. We offer Maymester, Summer I, II and III sessions. Call 972.881.5710 for more information. Plano . Frisco . McKinney Https//www.ccccd.vdu Collin County Community College PROFITABLE NUMBER! 845-0569 The Battalion Classified Advertising TOOLS FOR THI MIND