Home again

The Cincinnati Post ^ | 09-19-2003 | Peggy Kreimer

[mdittmar]

Staff Sgt. Don Chandler cupped two medals in his stocky hand -- a Bronze Star with a small V attached for valor, and a heavy Purple Heart with embossed with the image of George Washington.

"I brought them home so my dad could see them," Chandler said Tuesday as he sat in an easy chair at his parents home in tiny Silver Grove in Northern Kentucky.

The medals say he is a war hero who was wounded in action in Iraq. But Chandler says he was just a soldier, doing what he was trained to do.

"I got the recognition for what the squad did," he said. "It wasn't just me. I believe all eight of us should have gotten medals."

Chandler is home on a six-day leave from his home base of Fort Stewart, Ga., where he was sent to recuperate from shrapnel wounds in his arm and leg. This week is the first time Chandler has seen his parents and Silver Grove friends since he shipped out for Iraq more than eight months ago.

The last time those friends saw Chandler, he was on the front page of The Cincinnati Post -- an unidentified soldier, donning a gas mask.

His dad and firefighters that Chandler had volunteered with before joining the Army recognized Chandler by the sliver of face visible, the shape of his hands, and the few letters of his name that showed in a fold of his uniform.

It was reassuring evidence that Don Chandler was alive.

The picture ran on March 20, a day after the war started. Chandler was wounded 18 days later in a fire fight near Baghdad.

Chandler and his eight-man squad were assigned to block enemy vehicles from moving southward outside of Baghdad and were part of an 80-man company that came under heavy fire.

The paperwork with his Bronze Star recommendation says he led his squad to block the enemy and destroyed 12 enemy vehicles.

"He continued to hold his position and lead his squad throughout the day from an exposed location. He conducted two critical direct lay fire missions with the mortar platoon, which destroyed at least 20 enemy personnel using a building for cover," the recommendation from Capt. Harry Hornbuckle reads.

That recommendation is about the only way anyone at home will learn of Chandler's heroism. Chandler doesn't call himself a hero.

"I'm proud of it," he said. "But it brings memories."

They're memories he doesn't describe in detail, but they're part of a larger soldier's legacy that he now shares with his dad, Don Chandler Sr., and his father-in-law, Carrel Wipfel of Alexandria, both veterans of the Vietnam War.

"My dad has a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. My father-in-law has a Bronze Star, a Silver Star and two Purple Hearts. I'm joining an elite group of Vietnam Veterans in a way," Chandler said.

"I still have my hard times with the memories. My dad tells me in time it'll get better," Chandler said.

In a way, the hardest memory is the moment he was hit.

"The first thing I thought of was my family. Am I going to be crippled for life? When I realized it was nothing major, I realized how close I came to losing everything I value. That scares me more than anything," he said.

He finds himself worrying more about the safety of his wife, Gail, and four teen-agers. "They think I'm over protective," he said with a smile. "But I came too close to losing them."

Chandler's homecoming is a brief return to a pre-war, normal world that was his support system for eight months.

"If it wasn't for my family, the letters and packages from all the people here -- it's hard to explain how important a little card is," he said. "Just holding a card that says "I love you' or "Hurry Home,' it really meant something."

His visit included meeting Sara Dishman, a 13-year-old Campbell County middle school student to wrote to him. On Tuesday, he and Gail stopped by a local church to thank all the people he hadn't met before, who prayed for him all those months.

Chandler Jr. is a graduate of Silver Grove High School and fought in the Gulf War in 1991. When he returned from that war he was cheered as he rode in a fire truck in the Fort Thomas Fourth of July parade.

This time, the homecoming is more low key. A marquee at the city building reads "Welcome Home Don Chandler. Thank You."

The city attorney drafted a proclamation saluting Chandler, and city clerk Kay Wright spent Tuesday taking it to all the council members to get their signatures. The presentation, however, will be simple and timed to give Chandler as much time to visit friends and family as possible. The visits include planning a wedding. He and Gail will renew their vows on Saturday at a formal ceremony for family and friends.

On Monday, Chandler dropped by the Silver Grove firehouse, where he volunteered before joining the Army.

Deputy fire Chief Randy Steinhauer said he wasn't surprised to hear that Chandler came home with a medal for valor under fire. "That's the way he is," Steinhauer said. "Don's always the first one in, even in the fires."

[snippy_about_it]

Nice story mdittmar, thanks for posting it.

Welcome home Staff Sgt. Don Chandler.

[firewalk]

Bttt

[SAMWolf]

"If it wasn't for my family, the letters and packages from all the people here -- it's hard to explain how important a little card is," he said. "Just holding a card that says "I love you' or "Hurry Home,' it really meant something."

Unlike the Democratic candidates who are telling him he doesn't belong there and he's doing a job not worth doing.

[OldFriend]

Sir, you have no idea the depths of our appreciation for your service.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

mdittmar, thank you. Thanks for the ping, snippy. Please ping me, anytime.

"I brought them home so my dad could see them," Chandler said Tuesday as he sat in an easy chair at his parents home in tiny Silver Grove in Northern Kentucky.

The medals say he is a war hero who was wounded in action in Iraq. But Chandler says he was just a soldier, doing what he was trained to do.

Our best and brightest in pain and needing support from home.

 Thanks, Tonkin!

If you want on or off my PRO-coalition ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: it is a high volume ping list on good days. (Most days are good days). All links are added to my homepage, link above.

[opbuzz]

There are too many sevicemen and women that I have met but haven't thanked.

I've bought them beers and shot the sht. Including a female USMC Sgt from Iraq, and my daughters old highschool boyfriend who was a sniper with the Rangers in Afghanistan.

I guess it's just the idea that they are following in footsteps of old farts like me.

But they still make me proud.

[McGavin999]

There are so many who are laying in the hospital right now, I really wish there was a way for us to let them know just how much we appreciate what they have done for us. Can we send cards and letters to Walter Reed?

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[ladyinred]

Welcome home, and thank you so much for your service!

[windchime]

Bump!

[blackie]

Hero ~ Bump!

[TEXOKIE]

McGavin999 wrote:

"There are so many who are laying in the hospital right now, I really wish there was a way for us to let them know just how much we appreciate what they have done for us. Can we send cards and letters to Walter Reed? "

Good question! Does anyone know the answer to that?

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

A very good question!

This link, through the DoD - DefendAmerica.mil website, has some good info:

(click  pic)

 

..including a link to a wonderful 'guestbook' where you can leave a message for our wounded heroes:

Y http://www.caringbridge.org/wounded/heroes/guestbook.html

[radu]

"caringbridge.org"

Now how did I miss this? LOL! This is wonderful. Message posted and site saved. Thanks so much, RC!!

E-mailing the link to friends whom I know will be happy to post a message, too.

[TEXOKIE]

Thanks for the link, Rags! Thanks for the response, radu!