Reporter's Notebook

War Stories discussion panel

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Wow.

If you weren’t here for the war stories discussion panel, you really missed something. Five veterans from the wars in Vietnam, Korea and Iraq gathered to talk about their experiences and perspectives on military life and culture.

You can download my recording of the panel here.

The panelists, introduced by actor Gary Sinise, were:

Air Force Col. George E. “Bud” Day: The most decorated man in Air Force history, Bud Day has almost 70 decorations including the Medal of Honor. Shot down over Vietnam, Day was tortured severely but escaped his captors and was on the loose for about two weeks before he stumbled, delirious, into an enemy ambush party not far from a U.S. camp. Captured again, Day was finally released after 67 months of captivity.

James McEachin: Known for his more than 150 film and TV credits, McEachin earned a Silver Star and Purple Heart as one of only two survivors of an ambush with his Army unit in Korea.

Dr. Ed Feldman: A Navy Corpsman serving at the Marine bunker at Khe Sahn during the infamous siege, Feldman distinguished himself by surgically removing a live grenade from the abdomen of a Marine, who survived the operation.

Marine Corps Sgt. Jeremiah Workman: The winner of this year’s GI Hero Award, Workman was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions in Fallujah in 2004.

Army Staff Sgt. David Bellavia: Author of “House to House: An Epic Memoir of War,” Bellavia also distinguished himself in Fallujah and was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star. He is currently running for the House of Representatives out of New York’s 26th District.

From left: Sinise, Day, McEachin, Feldman, Workman, Bellavia.

These guys are about as hardcore pro-military, pro-America as anybody living, and in the best way. Here are some choice quotes from each:

Workman, on why he joined the military: “I can tell you why I didn’t join. I didn’t join for life insurance and college money and cool haircut and all that. My father was in the army, my grandfather was in the army. I just felt like it was something I owed the country.”

Workman again: “If you do four years in the military, whatever you choose to do after that … you can feel a sense of pride. You did something for you country.”

Feldman on being drafted: “I was gleeful. I viewed this as an opportunity. … I felt that my generation, it wasn’t about politics, it was about our country was at war, and … we all need to pay back. And it’s not in kind, it’s just doing what we can as individuals for our country.”

Day on the complexity of the Iraq conflict: “The end of [World War II] was gonna be when everyone was belly-up and we were the last ones standing.” This got massive applause.

Bellavia on understanding Iraqi and Afghan culture: “It’s about damn time that they understood OUR culture and our customs. [inaudible] Nothing’s changed since World War II in the way we’re fighting. We still want to leave them belly-up.”
More Bellavia: “All that great glory stuff that we talk about – combat is horrible.”

McEachin on the military: “Nothing can touch having served in the military. Everything I believe I know today… stemmed from the military. I read my first book when I got in the Army.”

McEachin on race in the military: “What happens when you serve in an all black outfit, it becomes a source of monumental pride.” I’ll tell you, seeing him talk about segregation while sitting next to Bud Day – two old guys with nothing in common but that they gave as much of their lives as they could for their country – gave a real sense of the selflessness of military service. They couldn’t have eaten in the same diner as young men, but they shared something no one could separate.