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| Ohio 48 Honors Heroes from Pararescue BY: Ken Mosier, Dayton Daily News 06/14/2005 COVINGTON - As the U.S. Air Force Band of Flight from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base played The Wild Blue Yonder, a green helicopter roared straight down the highway trailing plumes of green smoke - the sign that the Pararescue teams were bringing a downed airman home. Near the entrance to Miami Memorial Park, north of Covington, a yellow ribbon stretched across the highway. As the chopper passed overhead, Gen. John Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, snipped the ribbon. Members of the families of four area Pararescue men who died in the line of duty attended, as did Roger Porter of Dayton, Bill Eby of South Vienna and a group of current and former Pararescue jumpers from across the country. The PJs, as they are called, stood, their maroon berets contrasting with the new green sign that informs motorists that Ohio 48 is now also known as the U.S.A.F. Pararescue Memorial Parkway. "We are here today to dedicate this ribbon of pavement that is going to pay tribute to what I guess is appropriately called the 'Valley of the Jolly Green Giants,' " Jumper said, referring to the nickname given to the rescue helicopters in Vietnam. Jumper talked of watching these "magnificent efforts go in and try to rescue one or two people who were down." Ohio 48 was chosen because it passes near or through the hometowns of four PJs who lost their lives while performing rescues. Sgt. Jim Locker of Sidney, Airman 1st Class William Pitsenbarger of Piqua and Airman 1st Class James Pleiman of Russia, all were killed in Vietnam. Pitsenbarger received the Medal of Honor and the Air Force Cross, while Locker and Pleiman received multiple awards of the Silver Star. Pitsenbarger is buried in the Miami Memorial Park where the ceremony took place. Master Sgt. William McDaniel II of Greenville was killed off the coast of the Philippines as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom. "These are the nation's heroes," Jumper said. "They represent the very best of all of us." "These (Pararescue) men and women serve in one of the toughest fields and the only field that serves so that others may live," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald Murray. "And this means a great deal to me — that air rescue men are enlisted airmen." Murray is the highest- ranking enlisted man in the Air Force. "When I flew, we always knew if something went wrong, Pararescue would come after us," said Col. Andrew Weaver, base commander at Wright-Patterson. "It was comforting to know that they would put it all on the line to pull you out." Gen. Greg Martin, commander of the Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Pat, is also familiar with the PJs work. "I worked with them in Vietnam flying top cover while they were rescuing people," he said. Martin also commanded two Pararescue units. "I used to go down and jump with them regularly and gained a certain amount of respect and understanding the challenges that they faced." State Sen. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, introduced the bill containing the highway designation in December. "The members of the legislature were so impressed with what PJs have done and what they do that the bill passed all in one day. We had sponsor testimony, then we had component testimony and then the bill passed. That very rarely happens." Other political leaders attending included state Rep. Derrick Seaver, R-Minster, and Clark County Commissioner Roger Tackett. The ceremonies included a parachute jump by PJs from the Kentucky Air National Guard, a C-141 flyover, and living re-creations of the Vietnam Combat Nurses and the Three Men statues at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington. Perhaps the most touching tribute came when Dorothy Locker approached the POW/MIA Wall erected by the Chained Eagles of Ohio. The Sidney woman tenderly touched her son's name on the wall before placing a small bouquet of maroon carnations at the foot of the wall. Locker's remains were returned home in 2003. |
