Duck feet

[Slonda828]

Be careful man, if you keep buying vintage gear you are going to have to stop drinking the kool-aide...

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I thought I'd keep this thread alive with this article about Bill Pitsenbarger, our Pararescue Medal of Honor winner. He is shown with the USD Calypso regulator, and in the door of a HU-16 Albatross with his full scuba gear and Duck Feet fins. I would also ask that you read his whole story, to understand why he won the Medal of Honor.

http://www.mishalov.com/Pitsenbarger.html

SeaRat

 

[DaleC]

Good story John, thanks for sharing.

 

[Slonda828]

I thought I'd keep this thread alive with this article about Bill Pitsenbarger, our Pararescue Medal of Honor winner. He is shown with the USD Calypso regulator, and in the door of a HU-16 Albatross with his full scuba gear and Duck Feet fins. I would also ask that you read his whole story, to understand why he won the Medal of Honor.

William H. Pitsenbarger

SeaRat

I would be remiss if I did not mention that I got my butt chewed by a full bird Colonel for saying he "won" the Medal of Honor. Colonel Robert Nett told me several years ago that nobody wins such a medal, they merely receive it. To call it winning would imply competition. Needless to say I refer to MOH holders as recipients now. FWIW.

The story is amazing BTW, what a noble man.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Slonda828,

First, thank you for the correction. I will not again say that Bill "won" the Medal of Honor. But I did take a look at the on-line Merrian-Webster, just because this perked my curiosity. Here's the definitions:

Main Entry:
1win Listen to the pronunciation of 1win
Pronunciation:
\ˈwin\
Function:
verb
Inflected Form(s):
won Listen to the pronunciation of won \ˈwən\ ; win·ning
Etymology:
Middle English winnen, from Old English winnan to struggle; akin to Old High German winnan to struggle and probably to Latin venus sexual desire, charm, Sanskrit vanas desire, vanoti he strives for
Date:
before 12th century

transitive verb1 a: to get possession of by effort or fortune b: to obtain by work : earn <striving to win a living from the sterile soil>2 a: to gain in or as if in battle or contest <won the championship> b: to be the victor in <won the war>3 a: to make friendly or favorable to oneself or to one's cause &#8212;often used with over<won him over with persuasive arguments> b: to induce to accept oneself in marriage <was unable to win the woman he loved>4 a: to obtain (as ore, coal, or clay) by mining b: to prepare (as a vein or bed) for regular mining c: to recover (as metal) from ore5: to reach by expenditure of effortintransitive verb1: to gain the victory in a contest : succeed2: to succeed in arriving at a place or a state
&#8212; win·less Listen to the pronunciation of winless \&#712;win-l&#601;s\ adjective
&#8212; win·na·ble Listen to the pronunciation of winnable \&#712;wi-n&#601;-b&#601;l\ adjectiv

It took many years of persistence by those whom he had known and rescued for this effort to succeed in getting him to this desired state of having received the Medal of Honor. Bill died in battle on May 7, 1966. He was finally recognized for his actions by Congress on October 6, 2000 when Congress passed a bill awarding the Congressional Medal of Honor to Bill, 34 years later. He had a lot of advocates, and in a sense there was a "win" to gain that kind of recognition to William H. Pitsenbarger. There is also a newspaper article from The Daily Courier describing the ceremony. We have just past Memorial Day, but this is the kind of Memorial that allows all of us to know Bill's contributions to this nation. People lived, raised their families, and got to contribute to our society because of Bill's actions. And now, Bill has succeeded "in arriving at a place or a state," so in a sense there is a "win" there too.

John

 

[Slonda828]

I really think that you are right John. In a way, the MOH represents something far greater than the material object or the person who received it. That's why it gets a hand salute, regardless of who is wearing it.

 

[Jiguad]

As I've to post 5 threads before posting pictures, forgive me guys to pollute this post...

 

[Jiguad]

Another... n°1

 

[Jiguad]

Another n°2...

 

[Jiguad]

Another n°3...