Col. Joe Heflin, Veteran of WWII, Korea, Vietnam
Joe Heflin shook my hand! First of all, let’s clear up who Joe Heflin is. Watch this video and you will see. Just click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PrCvY4Jyrw. When done watching stop back here for the rest of the story.
The man in video is Joe Heflin. Colonel Joe Heflin. The video was taken in 2014 at the Chattanooga Market for the Sweet Georgia Sound Veterans Day celebration. I attended that event, and went again this past Sunday, as well. Sweet Georgia Sound does a great job playing each song from all of the branches of the military.
At 92 years old, Joe Heflin is one of a very few living WWII veterans. That alone makes him special, but he is also a veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam and there you have an extremely unique person. And, as you can see by the video, he is very much alive and a lot of fun.
When the band plays the song of a particular branch of military service, Maestro Mike LaRoche asks that all veterans from that branch of service to please stand up. I had the honor of standing with the U.S. Air Force veterans.
Colonel Joe Heflin saw me stand and came over to shake my hand. It made my day. He then proceeded to dance with many of the ladies in attendance, showing off his great dancing moves. It’s only about 362 more days until the next Veteran’s Day celebration at the Chattanooga Market. I can’t wait to see Joe there.
To show what a small world this is, my Uncle Bob, for whom I was named, was another one of a very select few that was decorated for serving in three wars – WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He used to joke that he was born at precisely the wrong moment to be able to accomplish that feat. When I say he was decorated, he was really highly decorated. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, this country’s second highest military commendation, just below the Medal of Honor. He had multiple Purple Hearts, Multiple Bronze Stars, and many more.
He also was Commander of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, better known as the Old Guard. The Old Guard performs all burial duties at Arlington Cemetery, guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and as Commander, serves as official military escort to the President of the United States. It was the assignment of a lifetime, and probably the one Uncle Bob was most proud. He was one of the coolest guys ever.
For many years I always wrote a Veteran’s Day note to Dr. Richard E. Garth, a WWII veteran and the father of my ex-wife. That is a man that really served his country well. He passed away last year, but I think of him often and especially around Veterans Day. 16 million Americans served in WWII. There are now only 855,000 left alive. They are dying at nearly 600 per day. We are only about 20 years away from having no WWII veterans left to thank.
My Brother-in-Law, David Barfield, served in Vietnam and died a couple of years ago as a result of Agent Orange complications. To me, that is the same as dying on the battlefield. He served in the U.S. Navy.
My Dad, William E. Payne, served in the Signal Corp during WWII.
Another WWII Veteran I know is Jack Jordan, from East Ridge. Jack was in the Navy and was stationed aboard a LSM ship, similar to the LST-325 that recently visited Chattanooga. He was on that tiny flat bottom boat for two whole years, going from Texas all the way to Japan and back.
My friend Ray Hudgens also served in WWII in the European Theater and eats breakfast with me on occasion. I can tell you it is a real privilege to eat with Ray and Jack. Their stories are priceless.
A young man that I write about each Memorial Day, PFC Jonathon Hall, was killed in action in 2010. I never knew him, but I did attend his funeral service. He is not forgotten on Veterans Day, I can assure you of that.
My co-worker at Friends of the Festival Captain Mickey McCamish is a veteran, too. He is very active in veteran’s affairs here in Chattanooga and is a true officer and gentleman.
A friend, Andrew Kelsay, posted on Facebook the other day that he wished we celebrated a “peace day” in addition to Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Armed Forces Day. He’s right. We have sent too many soldiers off to fight wars that were not necessary. My only comment is that we should always support the soldier, and take up the fight against the politicians that sent them into harms way.
I leave you with a poem by Rudyard Kipling:
God and the soldier, all men adore
in time of danger and not before
When the danger is passed and all things righted,
God is forgotten and the soldier slighted.
May we never forget our veterans and never slight them or take them for granted. Happy Veterans Day to all veterans and their families.
Bob Payne is the entertainment editor for the Chattanoogan.com and talent/production assistant at Friends Of The Festival. Email Bob Payne at davrik@aol.com or www.facebook.com/davrik2000.
Col. Robert Daugherty, my namesake