Memorial Day message: ‘Just another sailor’

BY RICHARD BURKHALTER, COL, USA, Ret.

Branson Veterans of America 913

Memorial Day 2025 was a sad day for many in the Tri-Lakes area. The inclement weather prevented the gathering of family and friends for a cook-out or a day on the lake. For others, the weather caused the cancellation or relocation of Memorial Ceremonies in which service members lost their lives while serving their country. Absent were the visuals of American flags waving at cemetery markers and the array of flowers throughout the cemetery. It was a sad day, but not a forgotten day.

Many are aware of the origin of Memorial Day and the reason for Memorial Day. Some might even remember when it was called Decoration Day. We have come a long way since 1868 and the Civil War. We’ve had two World Wars, a Police Action in Korea, and conflicts in Vietnam, the Gulf and Middle East, and Afghanistan. There have been other deployments such as in Kosovo and Grenada. The legacy has been the same for all engagements. According to the Defense Department, Memorial Day has evolved to honor all those who have died in service to the U.S. during peacetime and war. Generally, we recognized that “All gave some and some gave all.”

I would like to share a short story.

Several years ago, I attended a conference and, true to form, a motivational speaker was a part of the agenda. That speaker was a retired Navy fighter pilot which really caught my attention.

This is the true story of Charlie Plumb.

Charlie grew up as a farm kid from Kansas with dreams of becoming a pilot. After graduating from the Naval Academy and completing his training, he became a part of the program which is now known as “Top Gun.”

During the course of his career, he flew 74 successful combat missions over North Vietnam.  He was five days away from the end of his tour when he took off on his 75th mission…it didn’t go as planned.  He was shot down somewhere over Hanoi and was taken prisoner and tortured. He spent the next 2,103 days of his life (around six years) in a cell that measured 8 feet by 8 feet. He survived that awful experience and continued flying for a few more years before retiring as a Naval Captain in 1991 after a total of 31 years of service.

One day he and his wife were sitting at a restaurant and a man from another table came over and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down.”

“How in the world did you know that?” asked Captain Plumb.

“I packed your parachute,” the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, “I guess it worked.”

Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.

That night, Plumb couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking about that man. Plumb says, “I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform. A white hat, a bib in the back, and bell bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said ‘Good morning. How are you?’ or anything, because, you see, I was a fighter pilot, and he was just a sailor.”

This story was very sobering, and I wondered if I had ever thought of those who provided support to the warfighters were ever fully recognized. I know, growing up, that I admired my uncle because he was a gunner on an amphibious tank in WWII. He fought in the invasions of Tinian Saipan and Iwo Jima. Like most warfighters, he never talked about his experience much, but I knew he had experienced some pretty heavy “stuff.” Memorial Day stood out in my mind because of him.

On the other hand, my father was part of the ground base support for the airstrip on Tinian where B-29s were located, including the Enola Gay. He never saw combat, rather, spent many of his days and nights trying to keep the refrigeration and the electrical service operational in that jungle environment. When I heard Charlie Plumb’s story, I gained a greater appreciation of the critical work that my father and his co-workers did in the everyday functioning of the air base. Without them, the base would not have functioned well and the B-29s would not have been able to accomplish their mission. After all, he was just a Tech Sgt.

Just think how much we focus on the warfighters. They are the ones who dodge enemy fire and take life-threatening risks. Don’t get me wrong, they deserve our upmost admiration and respect. Without them, we would not have what we have today. Over the years, the warfighters have been the edge of the knife that cut the very heart out of our enemies. And, yes, this Memorial Day we honor them as we should. But I can’t help but think about all of the others, the “Just Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen.” As a general rule of thumb, it takes three to seven military personnel to support one warfighter. These are cooks, maintenance personnel, engine men in the bowels of a ship and parachute packers. Sometimes these service members were on or near the “front lines,” and sometimes not. In our later military engagements, there really hasn’t been a front line, so many support personnel were working in a high-risk area.  There is no “just a sailor.” Just ask Charlie Plumb.

As we go on with our busy lives, let us not forget any of our military personnel who put their life on the line, one way or another. Let their remembrance be etched in our mind so that there will never be “just another soldier, just another sailor, or just another airman.” And, let every day be Memorial Day. They deserve it.