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My Favorite Veteran
Last year when I called him he had just finished putting on his dress blues, holding his breath to button that final button. He was going to a Veteran's Day service in Linden, Alabama. This year he'll head to Grove Hill to the gravesite of John R. Lavender, the first Clarke County soldier killed during WWI. Veteran's Day is a special day to my dad. It's the day he gets to honor those who served before him and with him. It's the day he, along with the rest of the country, publicly thanks the men and women who served in the armed services. My dad's military career was a long one. He joined the army when he was just 17 years old and retired after 30 years of service. I have many fond memories of my dad's career. As a young child, I remember watching him meticulously spit shine his black boots 'till you could see your reflection in them. I also remember him packing his gear in enormous, dark green duffel backs heading off to camp in Fulda, Germany which he called the coldest place on earth. I often wanted to hide in those big duffel bags and go with him.
During those years I also learned how strong my mother was. She was a single mom raising three daughters while her husband was at war. I watched her write my dad long letters daily on lined notebook paper. She wrote page after page trying to stay connected to him even though he was thousands of miles away. Sometimes we would go weeks with no news from him. He was in the Mekong Delta and getting mail out was sometimes impossible. When my mom contracted pneumonia the doctor insisted she needed to be hospitalized but she refused to leave my sisters and I alone. She was our rock and she knew how much we needed her. Her strength and my dad's courage made me who I am today. As an army brat, I was able to travel throughout the United States and the world seeing new sites, meeting new people, experiencing new cultures. When I was in art school and had to create a three dimensional self portrait, I knew instantly that I would include my dog tags, my military ID and my fingerprint, all of which had been my identity while growing up. I also went to my doctor's office and asked him to draw a tube of blood for my to include. I knew that I wasn't just including my own but that to me, it represented the blood of all those who had fought and died just so that I would have the opportunity to go to art school. My father's military career ended at the epitamy of an army career. His last duty assignment was at West Point, New York. This year, I've learned so much about my dad's military career. As I continue to try to document our family's history, both through the written and spoken word, I'm asking questions. I've heard my dad talk about the different bases he was stationed at during his career but I often had no idea which cities or states they were located in. For instance, I knew my dad went to basic training at Ft. Jackson, SC (where I now live) but I didn't know he returned years later as a drill sergeant. I also didn't know that my dad participated in the Berlin airlift. One thing I've always known is how proud I am of my dad. In fact, I've asked for one of his cherished belongings, a bronze soldier that he received for being named the honor graduate when he attended the NCO Academy (26th Infantry)in Bamberg, Germany. That small statue, only 12 inches high, represents a lifetime of service that my dad gave to our nation. This year, Veteran's Day has a new meaning for me. As our country is once again at war, I'm more aware of the sacrifices our men and women in uniform make. And once again, early Veteran's Day morning, I'll make a phone call to my favorite veteran.
SGM James "Cliff" Scarbrough Tour of Service/Military Career Aug 1948-Nov 1948 Ft. Jackson (Columbia), SC /Basic Training Nov 1948-Dec 1948Camp Kilmer, NJ Dec1948-Mar 1952Bamburg, Germany /1st Inf. Division Mar 1952 - May 1952Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky Mar 1953-Jan 1957Alabama National Guard/Grove Hill Unit (attended summer training each year at Ft. Stewart (Savannah), GA Jan 1957-May 1957Ft. Bliss( El Paso), Texas /Officer's Basic Training Course May 1957- May 1960Alabama National Guard (Grove Hill) May 1960-Nov 1960Ft. Jackson (Columbia), SC /Basic Training Drill Sergeant Nov 1960-Nov 1961Ft. Riley (Junction City), KS /1st Inf. Division Nov1961-Dec 1962Camp Casey, Korea/7th Inf. Division Dec 1962-Sept 1963Ft. Lewis (Tacoma),WA /4th Inf. Division Sept 1963-Jun 1966Reno, NV /ROTC duty at University of Nevada Jun 1966 - Nov 1967Canal Zone (Ft. Davis), Panama/Operations Sergeant at Jungle School at Ft. Sherman Nov 1967-Nov1968Mekong Delta, Vietnam /9th Inf. Division Nov 1968-June 1971Gelnhausen, Germany/48th Inf. Regiment June 1971-June 1972Tueywau (on South China Sea) and Binwauh, Vietnam Served under Brigadier General Colin Powell) June 1972-June 1974Bad Tolz, Germany/7th Army NCO Academy June 1974- Dec 1974Ft. Bliss (El Paso), TX /US Army Sergeant Major's Academy Jan 1975-Aug 1977US Military Academy, West Point, NY
SGM James "Cliff" Scarbrough Awards/Medals/Commendations + Honor Graduate, NCO Academy, Fort Riley, KS (Nov 1960-Nov1961) + Army of Occupation Medal, Germany + Medal of Humane Action (participated in Berlin Airlift)/ Bamberg, Germany + National Defense Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster + Vietnam Service Medal + Silver Service Star + Three Bronze Service Stars + Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal + Combat Infantryman Badge + Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross + Four overseas service bars + Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster + Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster + Air Medal + Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters + Good Conduct Medal/ 5th Award
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