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Articles by Pete Mecca
VETERANS STORY: The military and motorcycles Original
Editor’s note: Pete Mecca is a Vietnam veteran, author, and former Conyers resident who frequently interviews veterans and their families to chronicle their stories of service. Paul Shillito was born in Illinois but spent his childhood on Key Biscayne, also known as Paradise Island, a small barrier island just south of Miami. He recalled, “I considered myself a feral island child, free to roam the beach, bicycle, wander the pine forest, swim, or visit the lighthouse on the tip of the island.
VETERANS STORY: The military and motorcycles
Editor’s note: Pete Mecca is a Vietnam veteran, author, and former Conyers resident who frequently interviews veterans and their families to chronicle their stories of service. Paul Shillito was born in Illinois but spent his childhood on Key Biscayne, also known as Paradise Island, a small barrier island just south of Miami. He recalled, “I considered myself a feral island child, free to roam the beach, bicycle, wander the pine forest, swim, or visit the lighthouse on the tip of the island.
•••The Peach State•••
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•••••The Peach State?•••••
By ohtadmin | on January 16, 2024 By Pete Mecca
VETERANS STORY: Veterans Pay the Price for Us All Original
Editor’s note: Pete Mecca is a Vietnam veteran, author, and former Conyers resident who frequently interviews veterans and their families to chronicle their stories of service. Linda Dodd lived across the street from me, always with a smile on her face, always taking the time to wave and say “howdy” to yours truly. About two years ago, she lost her second husband to cancer. I had lost my beloved wife to cancer three years previously.
VETERANS STORY: In search of Vietnam's Big Foot
Hill 868, early 1966, in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, a part of I Corps, the U.S. Marine stomping grounds during the Vietnam War. Seabees had blown the top off Dong Den Mountain to create a Divisional Outpost/Landing Zone and Radio Relay site for the Third Marines. The site was a great vantage point for the Marines, overlooking Elephant Valley to the North and Red Beach and the Da Nang Air Base to the east and southeast.
VETERANS STORY: In search of Vietnam's Big Foot
Hill 868, early 1966, in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, a part of I Corps, the U.S. Marine stomping grounds during the Vietnam War. Seabees had blown the top off Dong Den Mountain to create a Divisional Outpost/Landing Zone and Radio Relay site for the Third Marines. The site was a great vantage point for the Marines, overlooking Elephant Valley to the North and Red Beach and the Da Nang Air Base to the east and southeast.
VETERANS STORY: The catastrophic fate of the Wilhelm Gustloff
Her keel was laid on Aug. 1, 1936, and she was launched on May 5, 1938. Originally intended as a cruise ship for the Kraft durch Freude (Nazi Strength Through Joy organization), she was to be christened with the name Adolf Hitler. On Feb. 4, 1936, in Davos, Switzerland, a Yugoslav Jewish medical student named David Frankfurter, exasperated by the growth of Nazism, assassinated the leader of the Nazi Party’s Swiss Branch, Wilhelm Gustloff.
VETERANS STORY: The catastrophic fate of the Wilhelm Gustloff
Her keel was laid on Aug. 1, 1936, and she was launched on May 5, 1938. Originally intended as a cruise ship for the Kraft durch Freude (Nazi Strength Through Joy organization), she was to be christened with the name Adolf Hitler. On Feb. 4, 1936, in Davos, Switzerland, a Yugoslav Jewish medical student named David Frankfurter, exasperated by the growth of Nazism, assassinated the leader of the Nazi Party’s Swiss Branch, Wilhelm Gustloff.
VETERANS STORY: The catastrophic fate of the Wilhelm Gustloff
Her keel was laid on Aug. 1, 1936, and she was launched on May 5, 1938. Originally intended as a cruise ship for the Kraft durch Freude (Nazi Strength Through Joy organization), she was to be christened with the name Adolf Hitler. On Feb. 4, 1936, in Davos, Switzerland, a Yugoslav Jewish medical student named David Frankfurter, exasperated by the growth of Nazism, assassinated the leader of the Nazi Party’s Swiss Branch, Wilhelm Gustloff.
A VETERAN'S STORY: No longer missing
On Aug. 21, 1943, right waist gunner S/Sgt. Julius F. Greer Jr. of Jasper County, Georgia, climbed aboard the B-17 “Polly Ann” with the rest of its crew for the flight across The Pond to Ridgewell in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Assigned to the 381st Bomb Group, 535th Bomb Squadron, S/Sgt.
A VETERAN'S STORY: No longer missing
On Aug. 21, 1943, right waist gunner S/Sgt. Julius F. Greer Jr. of Jasper County, Georgia, climbed aboard the B-17 "Polly Ann" with the rest of its crew for the flight across The Pond to Ridgewell in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Assigned to the 381st Bomb Group, 535th Bomb Squadron, S/Sgt.
VETERANS STORY: Pinball Wizards in a dirty war Original
April 30 marked the 48th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Vietnam veteran and writer Pete Mecca shares his thoughts on the war in this commentary. The Pinball Wizards worked in a secret place called The Project, Task Force Alpha, Igloo White, and several other code names to hopefully confuse our adversaries while mostly bewildering our own military. The Wizards were not ancient sorcerers, only Air Force Intelligence personnel attempting to accomplish miracles.
VETERANS STORY: The boy soldier Original
“Old men make war; young men fight and die.” — Winston Churchill Most historians claim that 9-year-old John “Johnny Shiloh” Clem was the youngest boy to serve in America’s Civil War as a drummer boy for the Union Army. Odds are that the historians are wrong. Young boys have fibbed and wormed their way into combat since the human species started throwing stones at one another.
VETERANS STORY: The big, bad balloons of war Original
There’s been a lot of worldwide concern lately about balloons, be they Chinese spy balloons or one-eyed-one-horned-flying-purple-eaters from Pluto. Indeed, if we have shot down alien-controlled UFOs from somewhere in the infinite universe with technology far beyond our know-how, well, when they retaliate it’s been nice knowing you. However, I’ll avoid politics since the “spin” recently has me light-headed. Balloons were the granddaddies of air warfare.
VETERANS STORY: War in the Pacific aboard the 'Galloping Ghost' Original
This is the final installment of a two-part story. On June 4, 1942, the tide of the Pacific War was altered for the remainder of the hostilities between the United States and the Empire of Japan. Naval Intelligence had expertly predicted the Japanese move on Midway Atoll.
VETERANS STORY: Wartime aboard the 'Galloping Ghost' Original
This is part one of a two-part series. The USS Enterprise (CV-6) aircraft carrier of WWII fame was the seventh U.S. Navy vessel of the same name. Launched in 1936, she was one of only three carriers commissioned before World War II to survive the war. She and her brave crew participated in more major engagements than any other United States ship, earning her the distinction as the most decorated U.S. ship in WWII.
VETERANS STORY: Old Lang Vei Original
I received the following email via my website from a Mr. Bill Cavin: “I read your articles in the Henry Herald, a paper on the southside of Atlanta. I just finished the article on Leo Chase and Joe Galloway. I read Joe and Hal Moore’s book well before the movie came out. I’m hoping you might write about Eugene Ashley’s heroic action at Old Lang Vei in the shadow of Khe Sanh. Keep up the good work…America needs to know these stories.” Sgt.
VETERANS STORY: Old Lang Vei
I received the following email via my website from a Mr. Bill Cavin: “I read your articles in the Henry Herald, a paper on the southside of Atlanta. I just finished the article on Leo Chase and Joe Galloway. I read Joe and Hal Moore’s book well before the movie came out. I’m hoping you might write about Eugene Ashley’s heroic action at Old Lang Vei in the shadow of Khe Sanh. Keep up the good work…America needs to know these stories.” Sgt.
A Veteran's Story - The Kid Marine
At the age of 14, I had the maturity equivalent to a newly born sea turtle. Footloose and fancy free, I lived the life of a middle-class white kid in a respectable neighborhood. My buddies and I didn’t have to worry about guns, knives, random shootings, or sexual perverts. We rode bicycles four miles to play summer league baseball at the nearest recreation park. Had we been approached by a sexual pervert we were armed with baseball bats and knew how to swing the darn things with authority.
VETERANS STORY: Coming full circle Original
When I introduced “A Veteran’s Story” over 10 years ago, I did not expect so many stories to come “full circle,” especially a “full circle” story in which yours truly played a small part. War produces lasting bonds and stories like no other gathering of teammates.
VETERANS STORY: The Kid Marine
At the age of 14, I had the maturity equivalent to a newly-born sea turtle. Footloose and fancy free, I lived the life of a middle-class white kid in a respectable neighborhood. My buddies and I didn’t have to worry about guns, knives, random shootings, or sexual predators. We rode bicycles 4 miles to play summer league baseball at the nearest recreation park. Had we been approached by a sexual predator, we were armed with baseball bats and knew how to swing the darn things with authority.
VETERANS STORY: D-Day - The Greatest Invasion
The Greatest Generation of America participated in The Greatest Invasion in history on June 6, 1944. The Allies landed in France on the beaches of Normandy to finally liberate Europe. An 18-year-old American soldier who survived the invasion would now be 96 years old in the year of this article, 2022. For most people reading this tribute, they will witness the passing of the last veteran of WWII. We will never see their likes again.
VETERANS STORY: Never forgotten
Perhaps the phrase was borne from scholarly blithering or a highbrow lack of common sense. Possibly the phrase was spawned by a struggling writer with more wit than wisdom, but to trademark the fighting in Korea as “The Forgotten War” flaunts an unacceptable lack of compassion and dishonors the American soldiers that fought there. The hell known as Korea persisted from 1950 until 1953.
VETERANS STORY: Memorial Day - their day, our day Original
The first official observance date for Memorial Day was May 30, 1868, and for Veterans Day November 11, 1954. Many citizens observe the yearly celebrations for the proper reasons, a few citizens are still unaware of the difference, others simply don’t care. The following narrative will confirm the obvious, clarify the difference, and hopefully make others appreciative of the sacrifice of so many. Joseph Plumb Martin was a soldier of the American Revolution for the duration of the rebellion.
A Veteran's Story: No Man's Land
When governments can no longer manage their international responsibilities, militaries are sent to wage the obligatory war to restore failed politics. In order to bring the hostilities to a close, the same politicians must perceive a face-saving solution or event to protect their own political livelihoods. If no such solution or incident materializes, then young men and women continue to fight, and to die.
VETERANS STORY: The Red Cloud legacy
Most likely the most famous leader of the Oglala Lakota Sioux, Red Cloud was born in 1822 near the forks of the Platte River, a short distance from the modern city of North Platte, Neb. Red Cloud’s parents, Lone Man and Walks as She Thinks, died around 1925. His uncle, Old Chief Smoke, took the 3-year-old child into his own household and was a major influence in Red Cloud’s upbringing. As he grew to maturity, a very young Red Cloud clashed with neighboring Pawnee and Crow bands.
VETERANS STORY: The Red Cloud legacy
Most likely the most famous leader of the Oglala Lakota Sioux, Red Cloud was born in 1822 near the forks of the Platte River, a short distance from the modern city of North Platte, Neb. Red Cloud’s parents, Lone Man and Walks as She Thinks, died around 1925. His uncle, Old Chief Smoke, took the 3-year-old child into his own household and was a major influence in Red Cloud’s upbringing. As he grew to maturity, a very young Red Cloud clashed with neighboring Pawnee and Crow bands.
VETERANS DAY COMMENTARY: Honoring all the Greatest Generations
This Veteran’s Day I have a bone to pick with Tom Brokaw. In his celebrated book, “The Greatest Generation,” Mr. Brokaw alleges my parents and their canasta club buddies were somehow special. Really? What did this generation do that was so special? Well, let’s take a brief look at a few of their accomplishments.
VETERANS STORY: The story of one forgotten 'national hero'
Most Americans believe that Sergeant Alvin York of Pall Mall, Tenn., was the most decorated American soldier of The Great War, better known as WWI. Indeed, York was a national hero and a man of extraordinary courage; his feats in combat were certainly worthy of his various decorations, including the Medal of Honor.
A Veteran's Story: The Hibakusha
During the late night of Aug. 5, 1945 and into the early morning hours of Aug. 6, Japanese radar detected a huge armada of American bombers en route to their targets on Japan’s home islands. The city of Nishinomiya appeared to be getting the blunt of the raid with 261 enemy bombers inbound. Maebashi would suffer damage from 102 bombers; Ube-111, Sage-65, and Imabari-66. An alert was sounded in other cities, including Hiroshima, but an all-clear sounded at just after midnight in the doomed city.
A Veteran's Story: The Hibakusha
During the late night of August 5, 1945 and into the early morning hours of August 6, Japanese radar detected a huge armada of American bombers en route to their targets on Japan’s home islands. The city of Nishinomiya appeared to be getting the blunt of the raid with 261 enemy bombers inbound. Maebashi would suffer damage from 102 bombers; Ube-111, Sage-65, and Imabari-66. An alert was sounded in other cities, including Hiroshima, but an all-clear sounded at just after midnight in the doomed city.
A Veterans Story: Low, slow and reliable
Low, slow, reliable. No, I’m not describing myself. Those three words were the motto sewn into the shoulder patch of the 18th Army Aviation Company in Vietnam. They flew the low, slow, but reliable Canadian-built U-1A Otter. Jeffrey ‘Bic’ Bickerton spent 14 months in Vietnam as the crew chief of ‘his Otter,’ otherwise designated as ‘Reliable 713.’ And this is his story. Early childhood: “I was born in Kew Gardens, NY in 1946, one of those illustrious Baby Boomers.
VETERANS STORY: An interview under a pseudonym
The Interviewee: “If you are recording this, will it be for private use or end up on the air? As I’ve mentioned, anything for public awareness has to operate under my pseudonym, Tom McIntosh. If I was making a presentation to a gathering of Vietnam veterans only, I wouldn’t worry about it.” Then Tom McIntosh it is. “What I’m concerned about is my wife’s family in Vietnam. What I’m doing talking about the communist holocaust in Southeast Asia after the fall of Saigon is speaking truth to power.
VETERANS STORY: An interview under a pseudonym
The Interviewee: “If you are recording this, will it be for private use or end up on the air? As I’ve mentioned, anything for public awareness has to operate under my pseudonym, Tom McIntosh. If I was making a presentation to a gathering of Vietnam veterans only, I wouldn’t worry about it.” Then Tom McIntosh it is. “What I’m concerned about is my wife’s family in Vietnam. What I’m doing talking about the communist holocaust in Southeast Asia after the fall of Saigon is speaking truth to power.
A Veteran's Story: My flying history
Bob Jones was born in the cattle country of Oklahoma City, OK in 1923. His father owned a ranch in Osage County, northeast of Oklahoma City. Bob said before he turned 12 he was a bona fide cowboy, including picking up the bad habit of chewing tobacco. Being cattlemen, the Great Depression didn’t affect his family as bad as other Americans. “Two meat packing plants were close by, Armour and Wilson,” he said. “They gave my father an employee card which meant he could buy meat for almost nothing.
VETERANS STORY: Private Mighty Mouse
This is the most unusual yet strangely familiar story I have ever penned concerning a Vietnam veteran. Unusual due to the veteran involved; strangely familiar of the assumed fate of Nam veterans after returning home from the hell of Southeast Asia. Richard J. Flaherty fought for the privilege to enlist in the U.S. Army against almost impossible odds. In basic training, he endured insults and discrimination.
VETERANS STORY: Private Mighty Mouse
This is the most unusual yet strangely familiar story I have ever penned concerning a Vietnam veteran. Unusual due to the veteran involved; strangely familiar of the assumed fate of Nam veterans after returning home from the hell of Southeast Asia. Richard J. Flaherty fought for the privilege to enlist in the U.S. Army against almost impossible odds. In basic training, he endured insults and discrimination.
VETERANS STORY: The last Mig fighter - Part Two
This is the second installment in a two-part series on the military career of Cesar “Rico” Rodrequez. Fighter pilot Cesar “Rico” Rodreguez recorded his first Mig “kill” during the Gulf War on Jan. 19, 1991. Seven days later on Jan. 26, with blinding sand storms swirling at up to 50,000 feet and violent thunderstorms creating near-zero visibility at up to 40,000 feet altitude, Rodreguez recorded his second kill.
VETERANS STORY: Treated like dogs
The Union victory at Gettysburg has gone down in history as the turning point of the Civil War. In fact, there were several turning points, all bloody with high casualties, all considered necessary by both sides to win the war. Nonetheless, President Abraham Lincoln considered a small river town in Mississippi as the real path to victory.
VETERANS STORY: Low, slow and reliable
Low, slow, reliable. No, I’m not describing yours truly. Those three words were the motto sewed into the shoulder patch of the 18th Army Aviation Company in Vietnam. They flew the low, slow, but reliable Canadian-built U-1A Otter. Jeffrey "Bic" Bickerton spent 14 months in Vietnam as the crew chief of his "Otter," otherwise designated as "Reliable 713." And this is his story. Early childhood: “I was born in Kew Gardens, N.Y., in 1946, one of those illustrious Baby Boomers.
VETERANS STORY: Angel from a foxhole
Throughout my training, education and writings, I had never heard the phrase “Angel from a foxhole,” especially pertaining to a war. Yet, in February of 1944, a little angel was found in a foxhole in the middle of a world war. The location was in the insufferable humidity and equatorial heat of New Guinea. An American G.I. named Ed Downey was trying to maneuver a jeep out of a mudhole when he heard what he thought was a dog whine coming from an abandoned foxhole. He decided to investigate.
VETERANS STORY: The last Mig fighter - Part Two
This is the second installment in a two-part series on the military career of Cesar “Rico” Rodrequez. Fighter pilot Cesar “Rico” Rodreguez recorded his first Mig “kill” during the Gulf War on Jan. 19, 1991. Seven days later on Jan. 26, with blinding sand storms swirling at up to 50,000 feet and violent thunderstorms creating near-zero visibility at up to 40,000 feet altitude, Rodreguez recorded his second kill.
VETERANS STORY: Meet the last MIG killer
Cesar “Rico” Rodriguez described his youthful home as, “Where we unpacked our luggage.” An admitted military brat, Rodriguez was born in El Paso, Texas, at Ft. Bliss, the son of a career Army soldier. He recalled, “My father was Puerto Rican and my mother was Cuban. We spent a lot of time in Puerto Rico when my father deployed to places like Thule, Greenland. When people ask me my roots, I use the analogy of the Saguaro Cactus.
VETERANS STORY: Meet the last MIG killer
Cesar "Rico" Rodriguez described his youthful home as, “Where we unpacked our luggage.” An admitted military brat, Rodriguez was born in El Paso, Texas, at Ft. Bliss, the son of a career Army soldier. He recalled, “My father was Puerto Rican and my mother was Cuban. We spent a lot of time in Puerto Rico when my father deployed to places like Thule, Greenland. When people ask me my roots, I use the analogy of the Saguaro Cactus.
VETERANS STORY: A 'Real Dog' among warriors
The Native American Kiowa were a warrior people. Originally from the northern Missouri River Basin, the Kiowa traveled to the Black Hills in present-day Wyoming and South Dakota. The invading Cheyenne pushed the Kiowa tribe south until the Sioux forced them westward into the Great Plains. Obtaining a vast portion of the central and southern Great Plains, the Kiowa and Comanche tribes formed a mutual defense alliance.
VETERANS STORY: A 'Real Dog' among warriors
The Native American Kiowa were a warrior people. Originally from the northern Missouri River Basin, the Kiowa traveled to the Black Hills in present-day Wyoming and South Dakota. The invading Cheyenne pushed the Kiowa tribe south until the Sioux forced them westward into the Great Plains. Obtaining a vast portion of the central and southern Great Plains, the Kiowa and Comanche tribes formed a mutual defense alliance.
VETERANS STORY: The purest democracy
The Region 2 coordinator of the National League of POW/MIA Families, Susie Stephens, keeps me abreast of POW/MIA issues. Last week Susie emailed me an article written for Leatherneck Magazine in March of 1945 by Capt. Frederic Anness Scott recounting his combat experience on Iwo Jima. Capt. Scott’s article, “10 Days on Iwo Jima”, will be featured at a later date on my website. However, within the article was a sermon delivered by Rabbi Roland B.
VETERANS STORY: The story of Lt. Col. Will Coleman - Honor, Duty, Respect
HONOR: First and foremost honor, includes adherence to the Honor Code of The Cadet. A cadet “will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do.” The commitment to honor extends beyond the gates of The Citadel and is a life-long obligation to moral and ethical behavior.
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