2/503d VIETNAM Newsletter September 2009 / Issue 5 For the men, and their families, of the 2d Battalion, 173d Airborne Brigade (Sep) ~ We Try Harder! SGT Israel Garcia, KIA SGT Israel Garcia, Long Beach, CA, was KIA on 13 July 2008, in Afghanistan while serving with C/2/503d. On Saturday, August 29, 2009, at the Joint Forces Training Base at Los Alamitos, CA, there was a posthumous award of the Silver Star. His wife, Mrs. Lesly Garcia, received the award. Members of Chapter 14, Southern California Chapter, Association of the 173d Airborne Brigade, held a "Special Meeting" that morning at the Joint Training Base. Chapter 14 provided the 173d Colors for the US Army Honor Guard and Chapter 14 President, Mr. Wambi Cook, A/2/503d presented a 173d flag to Mrs. Garcia as part of the ceremony. Ray Ramirez, HHC & D 4/503d, presented Mrs. Garcia with a Medallion from the 173d Airborne Brigade National Memorial Foundation during the ceremony. Operation Junction City In February 1967, the 2/503d made the only U.S. mass parachute combat jump in Vietnam, the largest U.S. airborne operation since Operation Market Garden during World War II. In a future issue of our Newsletter we will feature this Operation and the men who participated in that historical jump. Troopers: If you made the jump please send in your recollections along with any photos you wish to share. Email to:
[email protected] The 173d Airborne Brigade Memorial We have fought for our nation around the globe with no place in American to call our own. We have left our mark on history, and we need a place in which to preserve our legacy. We remember, but we have no place to reflect. It’s time to change that. We are the ones to change it. The 173d Airborne Brigade Memorial will be located at a prime site on the Walk of Honor at the nation’s new National Infantry Museum, immediately adjacent to Fort Benning, Georgia. The 173d has many markers and monuments. Its Medal of Honor recipients are recognized throughout the nation. Our fallen comrades are named in state memorials and on The Wall , but, there is no place where all this comes together, no place to tell our story. This is our chance to be honored as one unit, the finest airborne troops in history. Dedication of the Memorial is scheduled for 1 June 2010, at 1000 Hrs. Contact Ken Smith with any questions:
[email protected] Donations are needed to complete our Memorial. Please send your tax-deductible check or money order payable to the “ 173d Airborne Brigade National Memorial Foundation” , to: Ken Smith, 1160 Lake Road, Louisburg, NC 27549 The 173d Airborne Brigade National Memorial Foundation is incorporated in the State of Georgia and is a IRS Non-Profit 501(C)3 organization. Corrections In Issue 4 of our Newsletter, the last names of Jarad Monti (KIA), and Hassan Fardan were misspelled. Les Fuller reports the fee assessed by attorney’s processing disability claims with Social Security is 25%, not to exceed $5300. of the initial award. Thanks Les. See SSD claims in Issue 4, Page 7 of our Newsletter. Page 1 of 10