A Memorial Day Tribute: Three Veterans Who Made a Difference
By Dave Hodges
TheCommonSenseShow.com
May 28th, 2018
Today is Memorial Day. The true purpose of honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and to pay homage to those who have and are serving, has given way to hotdogs, beer and family gatherings. However, for some of us, this is a special day.
A Memorial Day Tribute: Three Veterans Who Made a Difference to Our Country
Today I pay my respects to my father, Gary Byler and Bill Pawelec. I have written extensively about my father’s work as he was involved in the top secret project to rewire the Combat Information Center on the aircraft carrier, FDR, as it was prepared to receive the first nuclear weapons to be placed on board a naval ship. Then, my father was reassigned to work with captured German scientists in order to reverse engineer their advanced knowledge of physics and how they could be applied to weapons systems and transportation. Since I was a boy, learning to hit pitches from my father, he was my hero and still is.
Captain Gary Byler, A Man’s Man
Today, the advocacy work I do is the result of my two late friends, Captain Gary Byler (ret) and Air Force Veteran and intelligence operative, Bill Pawelec. Unfortunately, both men are deceased.
To put it simply, if it were not for Gary Byler, I would be bankrupt. If it was not for Gary Byler, I would have lost my home and savings with all the potential spinoff catastrophe’s that can accompany such an event. If not for Gary Byler, I would have never uttered a word through a radio microphone or written a word that many people have read. I owe a lot of what I am today to my late friend and mentor, Gary Byler. In many ways, Gary pushed me to a higher level in terms of learning the meaning of what it means to be a man who will stand his ground and fight for what is important, no matter what the odds may be.
Humble Beginnings
Gary Byler was a simple, but highly intelligent and courageous man. His handshake was his word and his devotion to friends, family and country was exemplary. Gary died in March of 2014, and I wanted to take a moment and tell the world about my late friend, Captain Gary Byler and how he helped me to become more than I was or thought I could be.
Gary grew up in Missouri and his family was so poor that he literally had to hunt his family’s meals on the way to and from school. His family lived hand-to-mouth with Gary doing whatever it took to survive. Yes, this is actually a true story as verified by his family members that was shared with me by his siblings at his funeral.
Gary joined the Army two years out of high school and achieved the rank of Captain as he served two tours of duty in Vietnam. Gary won the Army Commendation Medal, the Purple Heart and The Silver Star for conspicuous bravery in battle. He was with 5th Battalion, 46th Infantry. In his second tour of duty, Gary stepped on a landmine and lost a leg and an arm. He was triaged to die and by the time the medics got around to him, he was almost gone. By a miracle from God, Gary survived. Upon returning stateside, Gary was told that he would have a relatively short life-span and he would never lead a “normal” life. He outlived their predictions by over three decades. As he was to prove the experts wrong, again, he met his wife-to-be, Barbara, and even became a father multiple times against all odds. He put himself through college and became an ordained minister. Gary was a man who overcame the odds through his entire life.
The Rest…HERE
