FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Hector A Cafferata, Jr ~ 08 May 2017

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[Kathy in Alaska]

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Hector A Cafferata, Jr.
Information from here.

           

Hector Albert Cafferata, Jr., USMCR (Retired) (November 4, 1929 - April 12, 2016)was a United States Marine who received the Medal of Honor for his heroic service at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. In November 1950, Pvt Cafferata single-handedly held off a regimental-strength enemy and saved the wounded Marines by hurling away a live grenade that had landed in their midst, at the cost of serious personal injury.

Hector Cafferata was born November 4, 1929, in New York City to Mr. and Mrs. Hector A. Cafferata, Sr. of Montville, New Jersey. He attended elementary school at Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey and high school at Boonton, New Jersey. Starting as a sophomore in high school, he played football for three years, and following graduation, he continued as a semi-pro.

In 1943, he was employed for the Sun Dial Corporation of Caldwell, New Jersey. He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve on February 15, 1948, and was a member of the 21st Reserve Infantry Battalion at Dover, New Jersey, until called to active duty on September 6, 1950.

After training at Camp Pendleton, California, PFC Cafferata embarked for Korea in October 1950, joining the 2nd Battalion 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division.

Cafferata distinguished himself during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, single-handedly holding off a regimental-sized enemy force and "annihilating two enemy platoons" after most of his comrades had fallen. When a live grenade fell into the shallow entrenchment occupied by his wounded fellow Marines, he grabbed the grenade and hurled it away — saving the lives of many, but suffering severe wounds.  For these heroic actions, he would later be awarded the Medal of Honor. He was evacuated to Japan in December 1950. Cafferata returned to the United States the following month for treatment at the U. S. Naval Hospital, St. Albans, New York. He was placed on the retired list on September 1, 1951.

On November 24, 1952, President Harry S. Truman awarded the medal to PFC Cafferata during ceremonies at the White House.

 

Medal of Honor citation Head and shoulders of a gray-haired white man wearing glasses, a suit and tie, and a star-shaped medal hanging from a blue ribbon around his neck. Cafferata in 2010

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to

PRIVATE HECTOR A. CAFFERATA, JR. UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Rifleman with Company F, Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy aggressor forces in Korea on 28 November 1950. When all the other members of his fire team became casualties, creating a gap in the lines, during the initial phase of a vicious attack launched by a fanatical enemy of regimental strength against his company's hill position, Private Cafferata waged a lone battle with grenades and rifle fire as the attack gained momentum and the enemy threatened penetration through the gap and endangered the integrity of the entire defensive perimeter. Making a target of himself under the devastating fire from automatic weapons, rifles, grenades and mortars, he maneuvered up and down the line and delivered accurate and effective fire against the onrushing force, killing fifteen, wounding many more and forcing the others to withdraw so that reinforcements could move up and consolidate the position. Again fighting desperately against a renewed onslaught later that same morning when a hostile grenade landed in a shallow entrenchment occupied by wounded Marines, Private Cafferata rushed into the gully under heavy fire, seized the deadly missile in his right hand and hurled it free of his comrades before it detonated, severing part of one finger and seriously wounding him in the right hand and arm. Courageously ignoring the intense pain, he staunchly fought on until he was struck by a sniper's bullet and forced to submit to evacuation for medical treatment. Stouthearted and indomitable, Private Cafferata, by his fortitude, great personal valor and dauntless perseverance in the face of almost certain death, saved the lives of several of his fellow Marines and contributed essentially to the success achieved by his company in maintaining its defensive position against tremendous odds. His extraordinary heroism throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

/S/ HARRY S. TRUMAN

Please remember, the Canteen is family friendly and we exist to support and honor our troops and their families, as well as our Allies Troops and theirs.  Thank you to every Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine and Coast Guardsman out there for doing what you do to keep us safe.  We are ever in your debt.  And thank you, too, to the families and friends who support them.  God bless our troops.

[The Mayor]

Hi Kathy and thank you.
Yep, tomorrow be Monday. : )

[luvie]

Hi,there, radu! Glad you had some warm and sunny! Give stuff a chance to grow after the nice rains you’ve gotten! Hope it doesn’t get too warm for you. With all the moisture, the humidity could be a killer.

I think the warmest it got today was 89...but it’s still 79. So, yes, it’s pretty darn warm. We expect a cool-down soon, but not much of one. Maaaaaaybe a bit of rain on Wednesday, unless they’ve changed the prediction again. Our humidity, on the other hand, was a whopping 17%. LOL!

[radu]

Yeeeeeeaaah, I’d say it’s pretty toasty down there. I hope you do get the cool-down AND the rain.

We were glad to see the sun and some warmth. The corn in the fields looks a little wimpy after the chilly past few days and needs some warmth. They’re talking mid-80s this week and no rain until Thurs. so that should make it happy.
It was 68 degrees this afternoon when I went to visit Aunt Clara and it felt quite nice.

Humidity is a way of life for us. I think I’d shrivel up like a prune in 17% humidity. LOL!

[Kathy in Alaska]

In first....Mac grabs the gold!!

[luvie]

Indeed, sometimes I FEEL like a prune. There isn’t enough lotion in town to make my skin feel less like snakeskin. LOL! Not to mention the permanently chapped lips. I have found that Blistex comes the closest to helping tone that down.

Awesome that it’s warming there. In a few days your corn should look happy and strong! Are the outside kitties able to go out some now?

[Kathy in Alaska]

And in second....The Mayor snags the silver!!

[The Mayor]

Thank you!

[Kathy in Alaska]

And rounding out the top three....ML bags the bronze!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

TAPS

RIP

SWOCS KYLE MILLIKEN, USN (Seal)
KIA Somalia, 5 May 2017

Eternal Father Strong To Save - click

[Kathy in Alaska]

TAPS

RIP

SWOCS KYLE MILLIKEN, USN (Seal)
KIA Somalia, 5 May 2017

Eternal Father Strong To Save - click

[radu]

We’ve had a few summers that were dry enough to make the skin dry. Not as dry as there but dry nonetheless.
We tend to be a bit dry during winter and I go through a lot of lotion then.

The corn doesn’t look really bad right now, just obviously not happy with the chilly temps. We’ll dip into the mid 40s again tonight, then have warmer nights. And with the sun and heat this week, those leaves will be standing tall again.

I’ve been letting the outside kitties got out for a little while, though I kept them in when Shags came back. Now that he’s been tested and we know he’s healthy, they go out again. But they still come in at night.

[luvie]

How long before he gets fixed? Of course, he’d have a real hard time finding a mate at your house! LOL!

I heard a Coo-coo bird while watching the Hungarian eagle nest. We heard those every spring in Germany. Then I knew where they got the concept for coo-coo clocks. LOL!

DUH! :)

[radu]

I plan to call tomorrow to make an appointment to have him fixed Thurs. I’ll try to get Arabelle in the same day because I don’t want her to go into heat. Not good to spay if they’re in heat and she’s old enough now. Her brothers can wait until next week to go in.

I had the Hungarian cam up watching the sunrise but had the volume down while watching the news. Dang. Missed the cuckoo bird.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Mac, for the Missing Man Setting as we remember those who have given their all that we may gather safe and secure.

[luvie]

Oh, shoot! I can’t even spell cuckoo. LOL! So much for me being “spellchecker”. :) I wonder if that’s the hoo-hoo bird you’ve been hearing.

I had forgotten that those nearly grown babies were due for their date with the vet. Poor things.

[radu]

No, the cuckoo and the “hoo-hoo” bird are different. I’m pretty sure the “hoo-hoo” bird is some kind of dove. It’s call is similar to a mourning dove but it’s LOUD. Really echoes through the forest.

Yes, Lessa’s kiddos are finally old enough for “the trip”. They’re small cats and don’t look their age, especially Arabelle. She is so tiny! A midget kitty and that makes her cuter than she already is. We had another cat like that for 16 years but lost her a couple of years ago. Everyone thought she was about 5 mos. old. Arabelle looks about 4 mos. and won’t get much larger, if larger at all.

[luvie]

Oh, I guess I have heard that one. Sounds very similar to the doves that hang around here, so I thought nothing more of it. LOL!

I used to have a small cat. I read that she was called a "cobby" because of her size.

Missy...what a sweetheart she was.

[Kathy in Alaska]

There is more skill and experience in Veterans than in our elected officials.

Good evening, mountainlion....you make a good point.

[radu]

They're apparently common around Europe because I've heard them on nest cams at Hungary, Poland, and Latvia.

I've heard the term "cobby" but didn't know it had something to do with size. Learn something new!

Missy was adorable. BIG round eyes.
This is Sapphire, taken when she was 15. She must have liked the smell of daffodils because she sat among them a lot each spring.

We still miss her a lot. We called her Beep because she didn't meow - - she beeped. LOL

[luvie]

Well she liked to sit in them because they complemented her gorgeous amber eyes!

Missy was such a sweety. She live about that long, too. I still miss her.