A few months ago I started a thread here in US forums asking for assistance for a friend of mine. A fellow teacher that taught French and Advanced Physics was retiring because of his re-occuring problems related to agent orange. I was taken back at the news, not only for the situation my colleague was in, but for the fact that I never knew he was a combat soldier! I was embarrassed. I had talked with "Mac" almost on a daily basis, usually about school matters or current events, but never about his past. I decided to do something about my ignorance and research my friend. What I discovered blew me away. I asked Mac if I could help him make the move into retirement by bringing him his personal items from his classrooms. I told him about my hobby of collecting military items and my interest in history. We talked for hours at his home. He showed me his "War Room" because he too was a collector of historical items. I took pictures with his permission and shared them in the US forum where the active members there came through with period patches and leads for further research. I found a wealth of information thanks to many guys here at WAF. I decided to honor my friend and I sent the following email to the faculty.
Hello Everyone,
I hope this email finds everyone happy and healthy. There is light at the end of the tunnel as this year comes to an end. I’m emailing you today to ask for your help. After several discussions, Mr. Garcia said I could get this project going for one of our own. I gladly accepted the task.
In case you haven’t heard, our colleague John McCormick, also fondly known to the kids as "Mr. Mac," is retiring. He had been having reoccurring health problems due to his exposure to agent orange from when he was in Vietnam. Some of you may not be aware of his past military experiences, so let me enlighten you.
Our John McCormick was a West Point graduate and he earned masters degrees in French from a university in France and from Columbia here in the US. He retired as a Major from the US Army. Mac was quite a soldier. He was involved with special forces that were engaged in covert operations in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. John was a trained officer in advanced armor command, ranger officer operations, and airborne officers operations. Mr. Mac served two tours of combat duty in Vietnam. His decorations include the Legion of Merit and the Army Commendation Medal which he won twice. He won the Bronze Star twice, each time for valor in combat. I believe he is the only tank commander to win the Air Medal for combat air operations and he was awarded it NINE times. The Republic of South Vietnam also honored our colleague the Gallantry Cross and the Service Honor Medal 1st Class. Each of these medals were awarded more than once. McCormick had over 200 ground and air combat missions. Our friend formed the special unit called "McCormick’s Raiders" that took the night away from the enemy. This unit under his command was featured in Reader’s Digest, CBS 60 Minutes, and NBC Nightly News over 30 years ago.
John McCormick was one of the first soldiers to enter Vietnam when our nation called and he was one of the last to leave. Like so many veterans of that time, Mac served proudly and honorably but received no thanks upon his return. Yes, our friend is one of those that were denied a simple "Thanks". There were no parades or crowds of people showing appreciation to our returning soldiers and the 58,000 Americans who would never return home after giving it all.
Since our friend and colleague is retiring after decades here at Moody High we are planning, as a faculty, to honor him for his past service with a walnut presentation case that has a glass top displaying all his awards, medals, and unit patches. The only small problem is the expense. I’ve put everything on my Visa, so if you would like to contribute to this worthwhile project please let me know. This is a surprise so let’s keep this quiet. I'll let you know when and where when Mr. Garcia gives me a date. This will be a special day when we show Mac our appreciation for his years at Moody by honoring his service in Vietnam. It’s long overdue. Thanks in advance for your financial gift to our mutual friend and fellow teacher who is truly a quiet American soldier of honor.
All the best,
Gary Mott
Hello Everyone,
I hope this email finds everyone happy and healthy. There is light at the end of the tunnel as this year comes to an end. I’m emailing you today to ask for your help. After several discussions, Mr. Garcia said I could get this project going for one of our own. I gladly accepted the task.
In case you haven’t heard, our colleague John McCormick, also fondly known to the kids as "Mr. Mac," is retiring. He had been having reoccurring health problems due to his exposure to agent orange from when he was in Vietnam. Some of you may not be aware of his past military experiences, so let me enlighten you.
Our John McCormick was a West Point graduate and he earned masters degrees in French from a university in France and from Columbia here in the US. He retired as a Major from the US Army. Mac was quite a soldier. He was involved with special forces that were engaged in covert operations in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. John was a trained officer in advanced armor command, ranger officer operations, and airborne officers operations. Mr. Mac served two tours of combat duty in Vietnam. His decorations include the Legion of Merit and the Army Commendation Medal which he won twice. He won the Bronze Star twice, each time for valor in combat. I believe he is the only tank commander to win the Air Medal for combat air operations and he was awarded it NINE times. The Republic of South Vietnam also honored our colleague the Gallantry Cross and the Service Honor Medal 1st Class. Each of these medals were awarded more than once. McCormick had over 200 ground and air combat missions. Our friend formed the special unit called "McCormick’s Raiders" that took the night away from the enemy. This unit under his command was featured in Reader’s Digest, CBS 60 Minutes, and NBC Nightly News over 30 years ago.
John McCormick was one of the first soldiers to enter Vietnam when our nation called and he was one of the last to leave. Like so many veterans of that time, Mac served proudly and honorably but received no thanks upon his return. Yes, our friend is one of those that were denied a simple "Thanks". There were no parades or crowds of people showing appreciation to our returning soldiers and the 58,000 Americans who would never return home after giving it all.
Since our friend and colleague is retiring after decades here at Moody High we are planning, as a faculty, to honor him for his past service with a walnut presentation case that has a glass top displaying all his awards, medals, and unit patches. The only small problem is the expense. I’ve put everything on my Visa, so if you would like to contribute to this worthwhile project please let me know. This is a surprise so let’s keep this quiet. I'll let you know when and where when Mr. Garcia gives me a date. This will be a special day when we show Mac our appreciation for his years at Moody by honoring his service in Vietnam. It’s long overdue. Thanks in advance for your financial gift to our mutual friend and fellow teacher who is truly a quiet American soldier of honor.
All the best,
Gary Mott
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