<Beryl> Hello, I'm Beryl Dakers.

Welcome to Palmetto Scene.

In celebration of Veterans Day.

This episode features stories honoring our brave servicemen and women who in our nation's time of need answered the call.

First, we'll travel to Lancaster, South Carolina, where we'll meet specialists third class John A Urevich.

A veteran whose prestigious service is outshined only by his character.

♪ <John Urevich> I was born in New York City in Manhattan, May 28 1934.

And then I guess around just before the beginning of World War Two, we moved to the Bronx and I lived there till I got married and moved away.

It was a nice area, but it was all four and five story walk ups, tenements.

It was a tenement district.

And by walk up, that means that you had to walk up to the fifth floor and walk back down again.

There was no elevators in the buildings.

I went to Cardinal Hayes High School, which was a Catholic high school.

I had to take the subway every day to get there and get back.

While I was in my senior year, I got hired by Royal Globe Insurance Company down on Fulton Street as an IBM operator/ trainee.

I got paid 95 cents an hour.

It was minimum wage back then, with the understanding that when I graduated, they would give me a full time job, which they did.

And then I started at the amazing amount of $32.

[laughs] I had one big incident that happened in 1952.

On a blind date, I met my future wife.

She was 16.

I was 17.

It...worked.

When I turned 19.

I wanted to enlist in the army, but my father was dead against it.

He was a peasant.

He came in from Europe in 1914, via Ellis Island.

I said, Look, if I can get myself drafted or going to be two years, I really want to do this, I want to go away.

And he said, Okay, he'll buy that.

So I went down to draft board.

Back then, the draft was 18 to 26 in that time span.

So I went down to the draft board and I was living in the Bronx, and the pool of guys in my board where I was, was like 1000s of people within that age group.

I said, Can I volunteer to be drafted?

She was the nicest lady you'd ever want to see and she says, of course you can.

You're 18.

And she said, Just give me a form.

You fill it out.

You sign your name, and she says, I'll even let you pick the month you want to go.

She says you know, it's November, now.

Maybe you don't want to be in training during the winter.

I can hold you off till March or April, whatever you want.

So I said when's the next draft?

She says November 3.

I said, that's when I want to go.

So then I got a letter, greetings letter.

Greetings from the President.

You've been inducted, where you're supposed to report and what time and all that stuff, so but I expected it.

It was no surprise.

<Announcer> This is Korea.

[bomp explosion] <Narration> The year prior to John's enlistment.

The United States and North Korea signed the Korean Armistice Agreement, effectively beginning the cease fire of the Korean War.

Though tensions were starting to cool down on the Korean peninsula, escalation of the Cold War was just heating up.

The effort to contain communism required even more resources and manpower as John entered basic training.

<John Urevich> So I got in, and I was sent down to Fort Dix, New Jersey, which was basically about an hour and a half ride away from New York City.

I went through eight weeks of basic training.

And then the second eight would be for what was going to be your specialty, what they were going to train you for.

After we did the eight weeks they then had us give us about three or four days furlough which were able to go home.

When we came back, I reported, I know where I was supposed to go.

So, on the next morning we had our first formation and a young second lieutenant who was a company commander gets out and he says, You men are lucky.

He says you're going to be trained as heavy weapons infantry men.

Then the guys starting to - They could hear him.

What does that mean?

We carry 100 pounds guns on our back.

And he says the reason why you're lucky is because in the next war and when it will come, you gentlemen will be at least 100 yards behind the main line of resistance.

Then the guys felt good.

Hey, that ain't bad.

The company was supposed to go over to Korea was going to replace a similar heavy weapons infantry company that was rotating back.

And before that happened, about eight or nine of us was called out one morning at a formation and said you people are not going to Korea you're going to the Third Infantry Regiment in Fort Myer, Virgina So, we got down later in the evening and I can't explain it but Fort Myer was almost like driving into a college town it was beautiful, tree lined streets, sidewalks.

Why, because maybe 60% of the people that live there were all officers from maybe majors or up who worked in the Pentagon, who worked in DC.

When we got in we were talking to some of the fellas I was in Baga company and I was saying, "What's this formation we have to see tomorrow?

What's that all about?

And they said, "Aww.

that's where the company commander, "A. company, which is the Honor Guard company of the regiment "comes down and surveys all you new recruits and "selects who is going to be in his company."

So, we get down and I do my best to look sharp and shine my shoes and polish my brass.

And we went down there and sure enough, Joseph B.

Love, we call him JB Love, one of the sharpest officers I've ever seen in my life.

And he comes down and he goes through the ranks and he looks at you and talks to you and then if he liked you, he sort of just shook his head and a few of us knew exactly what he meant and a few of us would say, "Fall out.

Go up there.

Quick, double time."

Okay.

So he came in, I happened to be one of the fellows he picked.

So, we get into A. company.

Then we have to spend the next two weeks, we had to learn A. company way of doing things.

We went through the training in the company itself.

We had a sergeant and a corporal who worked us up from reveille until after taps at night, and I wound up being pretty good with manual of arms.

So I wound up in a drill platoon, which was the de facto honor guard platoon.

So, I worked there and I was in the first squad and I did pretty good.

And I was able to make the 24 man drill team.

I worked my way up because again, with so many people being drafted, there was a constant turnover.

So before the end of 54, I wound up being squad leader of the first squad.

I went I think from $70 a month to $90 a month.

[laughs] I used to send half of my money home to my mother, because we were poor.

It helped her out a lot.

Then, in the end of December of 54, they came up with the idea that they wanted to have a special Guard Mount for the Chief of Staff of the United States Army's personal quarters, on a beautiful building it was like three stories almost all brick, very nice.

It had a beautiful view of Washington right from it.

He could just go out his front door and there's all the capital and everything you want to see in Washington is right there.

There was an opening on this new guard detail.

It's going to be now a permanent position and it was called post number one, because he was the chief of staff.

There's always post number one.

The Chief of Staff of the United States Army is the highest ranking officer in the United States Army.

When I say personal quarters, it was personal quarters.

His wife lived there.

So, it was his family home too.

So, not only you have to make sure to General is happy, you have to make sure his wife was happy too.

Don't get involved with her, which we never did.

It was pretty good.

They were very nice people.

So, the company commander had to speak to you.

He spoke to three of us for the one opening and he picked me.

The nice thing about that was now I never, I didn't want duty in the war.

All I did was change the guard.

We had a formal guard change almost like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, every hour during the day every two hours at night.

But it was...interesting for a young guy out of the Bronx, young kid coming out of the tenements.

Wow!

It was a whole new world.

<Narration> John would spend the rest of his time in the military in one of the most prestigious positions a soldier could reach.

During his service, he gartered figures such as Chief of Staff Generals Matthew Ridgeway and Maxwell Taylor.

His duty required precision and excellence during the countless hours of drills and guard changes.

Even though his body and mind guarded our nation's top leaders, his heart was devoted to a special lady waiting for him to come home ♪ <John Urevich> The girl that I met in 52, Arlene Smith, She was my girl.

And I said to her, you know, I'd like you to wait for me.

We were going to be separated.

I don't know, I may go to Europe - I may go to Korea.

I don't know where I'm going to go.

I said, but it'd be nice to know that when I get back, you'd be here for me.

I said, I'd like to give you my high school ring as a token of my commitment.

I said, Will you accept it.

She waited for a few seconds and all of a sudden she said, Put it there.

So, I gave her the ring.

And that was it.

Next year, when I was able to get a little bit of money together and I bought her an engagement ring, Smallest engagement ring you ever want to see.

The stone was like, just about made a half a carat.

But that's all I could afford.

And all the rest of my life, she would never change that ring.

Never.

So, sure enough, she waited and when we got engaged.

And...I got out of the army November 55.

We got married in February of 56.

I just lost her four years ago.

We were married 61 years It was a good time.

Oh, I was very lucky.

Very lucky.

♪ I enjoyed the two years I was in.

By no means can I say, I was in the worse of this and the worse of that.

I for some reason, I lucked out, as a lot of guys did, that worked out.

I'm a veteran.

But I don't try to impress on people and how great a veteran I was.

I was a lucky veteran.

That's all I got to say on that.

♪ America the Beautiful instrumental ♪ <Beryl Dakers> There are many stories of heroism during the Vietnam War.

But for many years, the story of James Green went untold.

But after over 40 years Green who was wounded in the historic battle of Hamburger Hill, finally received his much deserved recognition for bravery in one of our country's most controversial wars.

[guns firing] <James Green> I was engaged in some real rough stuff.

[guns firing and helicopters] We was fighting NVA soldiers.

I'm not talking of Vietcong and stuff, we were fighting natural trained soldiers.

[guns firing] I ain't had nothing but a 45 with my hand messed up, face messed up, you know, concussion.

[guns firing] I was shooting running backwards and stuff.

[guns firing] I couldn't do nothing.

I thought they were going to capture me really and that's one thing I didn't want to be, captured.

[helicopter whirring] Colonel Honeycutt, his pilot flew in embanked to the left and drop the helicopter over me, never touched the ground, told me to grab his skin and I grabbed his skin with my right hand because the other hand was tore up and I had a 45 in the left hand, so I was holding on like this.

He reached out to the back of the helicopter and held me... grabbed me by the neck by the shirt, and he flew me about I don't think it was a click, half a click or whatever.

Half a mile.

And then he did drop me.

They flew me to a medi-vac spot and he dropped me, midair.

He caught me.

I woke up six days later.

♪ <Singer> I was only 18.

Going on 35, ♪ that month of May back in 1969.

♪ ♪ I didn't choose that hill ♪ ♪ It must have chosen me ♪ ♪ and I still don't sleep so well, ♪ ♪ because I've seen the crouching beasts.

♪ ♪ I don't walk alone.

I've got my brothers by my side.

♪ ♪ To this day we're carrying each other through ♪ ♪ the fight.

♪ ♪ guitar solo ♪ <Officer> Mr. Green was wounded during the Vietnam War within the infamous battle Hamburger Hill that took place in 1969.

Because of his emergency evacuation after he was wounded in battle, Mr. Green never received the military declarations he earned in combat.

Today, history will be made for Mr. Green, his family and friends in the great state of South Carolina, as we recognize him for his bravery under fire that fateful day.

Today, we will witness, Mr. Green be given the honor, he so greatly deserves for his actions in defense of our nation.

♪ guitar solo ♪ <Beryl> As we salute the contributions of our military this week, we'll take a look back at one group on the frontlines of the fight against COVID 19, The South Carolina National Guard, long known for their service to our state in times of disasters and emergencies, the guard stepped forward in the early stages of the pandemic, to continue their legacy of service and to help our communities during this crisis.

♪ soft music ♪ <Mccarty> Well, I think like a lot of South Carolinians we were watching what was taking place in other parts of the of the world, obviously in China as we began to see the virus was spreading there.

The reality soon became that it was going to impact the continental US and on around March 13th we were mobilized under an order by Governor McMaster to bring soldiers and Airborne to help support the COVID-19 mission.

♪ <Owens> Since that time, they appointed me as a dual status commander.

You know...we've analyzed this mission just like we would any mission, whether we're overseas or here in the United States.

♪ <Mccarty> We helped distribute supplies from the strategic national stockpile.

That was a partnership between the South Carolina National Guard, the Department of Health and Environmental Control here in South Carolina and FEMA and Health and Human Services Those supplies were delivered here in the state.

They were broken out by county by DHEC and then our soldiers and airmen helped distribute those to the 46 counties here in the state.

[helicopter whirring] <Travis McNeal> We're excited to have the National Guard here at Oliver Gospel today, because we've been experiencing a great uptick in our men, women and children here on the corner of Taylor and Assembly.

That's a little bit challenging when we're trying to observe all of the rules and regulations and the desires of our leadership in our state and to have proper social distancing, and I thought, you know, we can utilize the great services of our National Guard to do this.

So, we were able to facilitate this happening.

We will be able to have proper social distancing.

This is all about keeping those - that we love so much and we want to keep them safe and to keep our homeless community as safe as possible.

♪ soft music ♪ <Owens> We're constantly training with the Department of Education on how to drive their school buses, so we can distribute food and wi-fi capabilities to do tele-education.

We're adapting our hospital staff to provide a joint hospital triage assessment team.

We work with the South Carolina DHEC on what their tent packages look like and how we could assist and expand in that capability.

♪ <McCarty> We've been very fortunate to this point and we have not had to actually implement that plan.

We built that plan out, again as a tailorable, scalable plan to meet those contingencies, but at this point we've been very fortunate in South Carolina not to have to implement that plan.

♪ <Owens> I'm very proud, of what we did with our medical staff and I'm also very proud of the soldiers that we have really, that have been on duty now for over 45 days, that are willing to serve their country, risk their health, if you really get down to it and the way the organization has adapted.

<McCarty> I'm very confident that the state of South Carolina as far as its National Guard and it's state guard and all the other volunteers that help support us are poised or ready to go forward to meet whatever the needs are of COVID-19 and potentially other mission sets.

We are rapidly approaching hurricane season.

So we're already looking at those contingencies and how we may need to balance both of those missions simultaneously ♪ <McCarty> Well, if you look at the last decade and a half, following 9-11, the nation has been very much focused on the war fight, whether in Afghanistan, Iraq or being in position to support that throughout the world the military has been very fortunate to have the support of the American people in that effort.

I think the Department of Defense looked at how we may be able to send a thank you to our, in this case, those that are on the tip of the spear our health care workers, our first responders, and those that are dealing with the pandemic in a very personal way each and every day.

So, the fly-over was one that could be very visible, and that would be a thank you from the entire military construct here in this nation and all of our family members who have been on the receiving end, a lot of that thank you messages, from our communities and our first responders, and others.

So a way to say thank you for the fight that you're making right now for all of us.

[jet sounds] ♪ The legacy of an organization like the National Guard is similar to other organizations.

You want to recognize and identify what your history is.

You want to know your - what you have contributed over the years is a way of doing that, we have been working now with the South Carolina Educational Television to develop a documentary that tells the story of the South Carolina National Guard.

>> There is nothing more critical, but yet nothing more honorable than serving the citizens of South Carolina.

>> We are all over the planet at this time.

>> To get to do this in this unit with these kind of people, I mean I would trade it for anything in the world right now.

>> There's something special about a deployment that brings everybody together as a family.

♪ >> This is just an extension of what that history and what the legacy of the South Carolina National Guard will be.

It will be, at some point in time, it will be a point in reference.

It we'll go back and say that the young men and young women of the South Carolina National Guard, both in the Air Guard, the Army Guard and our members of our State Guard answered the call of what this state asked them to do.

We were glad to be a member of the South Carolina Guard at a very historical point in time in this state and this nation's history.

♪ <Beryl> For more stories about our state and more details on the stories you've just seen, do visit our website at Palmettoscene.org.

And of course don't forget to follow us on social media, whether Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

It's @SCETV #Palmetto Scene.

For all of us here at ETV and Palmetto Scene.

I'm Beryl Dakers.

Good night, and thanks for watching.

♪ closing music ♪ ♪