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Wednesday • March 5, 1997
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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
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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.
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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
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