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Talking Proud: Service & Sacrifice

"Talking Proud" is a robust platform that celebrates the unwavering commitment and sacrifice of our military, first responders, and others. I bring you stories of courage, resilience, and heroism, showcasing extraordinary people who embody the true spirit of America.

Ed Marek

Syria, a fractured state

Venture into the unfamiliar

Syria and US military involvement in Syria jumped onto my radar screen on December 8, 2024, when an Islamic paramilitary organization known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the Syrian Bashar al-Assad government.

About two weeks later, on December 19, 2024, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced that there were about 2,000 US military members in Syria, more than twice the 900 it had previously acknowledged. What? Why?

I had paid scant attention to Syria over the years and needed to understand it better. This is my report, a primer, an introductory report in which I share what I have learned with those who may not know much about Syria. I cover the period from 2011 to 2024.

February 16, 2025

Earthquake McGoon: Aviator

In May 2007, the US Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) in Hawaii positively identified the recovered remains of James B. McGovern, Jr. in Laos.

Piloting a C-119 "Flying Boxcar" cargo aircraft for the CIA in support of the besieged French garrison at Dien Bien Phu on May 6, 1954, his aircraft was struck by ground fire.

McGovern crashed into a hillside in Laos, about one-half mile short of an old abandoned runway.

James McGovern is famously known as “Earthquake McGoon.” He started as an Army Air Corps fighter pilot, and finished as a CIA Air America C-119 pilot.

“McGovern was more than a comic strip character … He was a superb pilot.”

Larry Doby, Nr. 14: Quiet “courage, dignity”

This story is about Larry Doby, a Major League Baseball (MLB) player. You might wonder why I am including it in “Talking Proud.”

Larry Doby was, as one person said, “a role model for the ages.”

Bill Veeck, the Cleveland Indians owner, told Doby,

“Lawrence, you are going to be part of history.”

And that’s what he was, and is.

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Corpsman down! A fight for life

“Hope can mean anything you want it to mean.”

Her name is Holly Anne Katke, Hospital Corpsman Chief Petty Officer, USN (Ret.). She qualified to serve with special operations forces, so that’s what she did.

Her commander told her the night before her last mission that the enemy knew about her because few women could do what she was doing. She knew she could be an enemy target.

A sniper’s bullet struck her in the head.

“I don't regret anything that happened. I love the Navy. I love my job … This is our job.”

December 11, 2024

“Nobody kicks ass without

a tanker’s gas - nobody!”

Airman First Class (A1C) Lori Wood Davis was a KC-135 boom operator, a “boomer” for short. She had two stripes, the third lowest enlisted rank, but she was in charge when it came time to refuel another aircraft while in the air. She said, “Let’s face it… I laid on my belly and passed gas… I stuck the pole in the hole… I was chauffeured to work and back by officers...When I did get out (of the USAF), I married a Boom Operator. Our kids are ‘Baby Boomers.’ Ha!”

The KC-135 is now almost 70 years old. They’ll probably be with us for at least a decade more. This story is about the aircraft, their crews, and the aircraft that receive the much needed fuel to accomplish their missions.

November 7, 2024

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Linnie Lickrone, “the heart of a true nurse,” WWI

This story is about Miss Linnie E. Leckrone, Army Nurse Corps (ANC), WWI, at the Battle of Château-Thierry, France, in July 1918. It is also a story about the many heroines of this war, caring for so many soldiers whose daily companions were death, stench, rot, and futility. I can only give you a taste of these horrors and the supreme valor, backbone, and spirit of nurses in that war. I have a special place in my heart for nurses, all nurses.

October 31, 2024

“For them, the war was over. But a new war was beginning, the personal war of prison camp life.”

Major Robert Eckman, 168th Infantry, POW

“The experience of captivity was a ‘life within a life.’”

National WWII Museum

The Germans established Oflag 64 at Sczubin, Poland for American Army officer prisoners of war (POW), popularly known as “Kriegies.” This report addresses the “personal wars” of POWs at Oflag 64 during the period January 1945 through liberation in May 1945., for the most part, expressed by them. The stories of the Oflag 64 POWs focus on their "Long march out" and the personal struggles that ensued.

June 4, , 2024

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Drawing by Jim Bickers

The Kriegies of Oflag 64, WWII

I recall hearing the radio station talk about how many MiG-kills our F-86 Sabre jets achieved every day. I remember getting a huge charge from hearing how great the F-86 was against the MiG-15. It was the dawn of the jet age. However, I didn’t know why the F-86s were fighting the MiGs in a place the radio announcer called “MiG Alley.” I didn’t realize where MiG Alley was or why it was there.

This is in three parts.

Part One: Political wheeling & dealing.

Part Two: Military Invasion & the MiG-15 arrives

P art Three: China Air War Plan & F-86 arrives & Kill ratios

October 10, 2024

MiG Alley Korean War

U-223 sank the Dorchester

While driving through Wisconsin, I drove into the Dorchester village, and spotted what, from a distance, appeared to be a carefully arranged pile of stones.

This was a memorial to the US Army Transport, USAT, Dorchester. I did not know about the Dorchester, so I looked to see what happened.

I learned a valuable piece of history not widely known.

April 13. 2024

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The Korean War: My Curiosity

Credit : Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Chase Baran

“Hey, lieutenant. Where are we? Why hell, sergeant. We’re in Korea. How do you know?

Colonel Peter F.C. Armstrong, USMC (Ret.)

About 5.7 million Americans served in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. Many had just served in WWII, and some would go on to serve in Vietnam. I have found the Korean War engaging and compelling, filled with positives, negatives, and many questions. Driven by my curiosity, I intend to present a series of stories about this war.

This is the first: “Joe Darrigo and the Big Surprise”

August 30, 2024

Airborne Peripheral Reconnaissance, Cold War Losses

“Silent Sacrifices”

The “Cold War” followed immediately after the end of WWII. The fact that The US did not know what was going on behind the Iron Curtain to the east formed the foundation of the need to find out. The requirement grew almost immediately to fly airborne reconnaissance over the USSR and around the periphery of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact. This report addresses 12 of 13 US peripheral reconnaissance losses to the Soviets during the Cold War years.

Lima Site 85, Laos: Exceptional Courage Against Impossible Odds

The report covers the NVA attack on LS-85 in March 1968, which resulted in its destruction and the loss of 12 USAF personnel, the biggest loss of USAF people in the Indochina War. Despite the tragic events, the story highlights the exceptional courage displayed by those who fought against seemingly impossible odds. We should honor their monumental service and sacrifice.

March 21, 2024

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Ed Marek, editor

Marek Enterprise

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Eau Claire, WI 54701

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