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Rodger Young-btt

searcher5searcher5 Member Posts: 13,511
edited May 2014 in General Discussion
I may have posted similar in the past. If so, I first apologise, and secondly humbly request you send me the link to it, as I believe my first draft, several years ago, was better, but it is lost to me. Anyway, here goes.

There was a boy in our class named, let's say, Norman. He came from a poor family, and not one known for breeding intellectuals. Norman was a good kid, pretty much, but wasn't bright and had been held back several years.
In our school, we had mandatory music classes. On Fridays, we would get to pick the songs we wanted to sing. The girls, bless their hearts, always picked more modern, and romantic songs. Us boys were all over patriotic songs, and "Rodger Young" was one most requested. Man, how our little chests would swell with pride, as we sang of the heroics of Private Rodger Young. We would belt out that chorus with all the gusto that our anemic little fifth grade bodies could muster.

The Ballad of Rodger Young

No, they've got no time for glory in the Infantry.
No, they've got no use for praises loudly sung,
But in every soldier's heart in all the Infantry
Shines the name, shines the name of Rodger Young.

Shines the name-Rodger Young!
Fought and died for the men he marched among.
To the everlasting glory of the Infantry
Lives the story of Private Rodger Young.

Caught in ambush lay a company of riflemen-
Just grenades against machine guns in the gloom-
Caught in ambush till this one of twenty riflemen
Volunteered, volunteered to meet his doom.

Volunteered, Rodger Young!
Fought and died for the men he marched among.
In the everlasting annals of the Infantry
Glows the last deed of Private Rodger Young.

It was he who drew the fire of the enemy
That a company of men might live to fight;
And before the deadly fire of the enemy
Stood the man, stood the man we hail tonight.

On the island of New Georgia in the Solomons,
Stands a simple wooden cross alone to tell
That beneath the silent coral of the Solomons,
Sleeps a man, sleeps a man remembered well.

Sleeps a man, Rodger Young,
Fought and died for the men he marched among.
In the everlasting spirit of the Infantry
Breathes the spirit of Private Rodger Young.

No, they've got no time for glory in the Infantry,
No, they've got no use for praises loudly sung,
But in every soldier's heart in all the Infantry
Shines the name, shines the name of Rodger Young.

Shines the name-Rodger Young!
Fought and died for the men he marched among.
To the everlasting glory of the Infantry
Lives the story of Private Rodger Young.

Frank Loesser Songwriter, Composer
In history class, that same year, we were told to give a small talk on our most respected person. I don't remember who I chose. Perhaps it was John Wayne, Johnny Cash, John F. Kennedy, or any of the other myriad of heroes to a ten year old boy. I'm sure the other boys chose similar heroes, and I'm sure that the girls were equally predictable. "Norman", though, chose Rodger Young. I was thinking, as I'm sure were the rest of the boys, "I wish I'd thought of that!" It was "Normans" finest hour, or at least 1.5 minutes, before the teacher stepped in to inform him, and the rest of the class, that Rodger Young was pure fiction. "Norman" was humiliated. Taken from him was his finest moment, one in which he honored a truly heroic person, more so than the others chosen. It was quite probably, no, most certainly, his closest call to academic adequacy. The rest of us were crushed as well, to learn that Rodger Young, one of our heroes, was fictitious. I was thinking, as were the rest I'm sure, "Damn, I'm glad I didn't think of that"

And that was the end of that. "Norman" went on his way, never really achieving any victories in life. His one shining moment had been taken from him. Not that it was a great moment, but likely would have been a success story that he would have told, time and again.

It was stolen from him, by a man that no doubt had a great many shining moments. One that achieved many educational laurels. One that was dead damn wrong about Rodger Young. You see, he was real. And he was a hero. "Norman" was right, and that teacher was wrong. I wish like hell I could meet "Norman" again, and sit down, and have him tell me his story of Rodger Young.

What great harm ignorance causes, especially to its younger victims.

Rodger_Young.jpg

Born July 31, 1943

Rodger Wilton Young (April 28, 1918 - July 31, 1943) was an American infantryman in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was killed on the island of New Georgia while helping his platoon withdraw under enemy fire. For his actions, he posthumously received the United States' highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor. Young is remembered in a song, "The Ballad of Rodger Young" by Frank Loesser, which extolled his courage and willingness to die to protect his comrades in arms.
Young, a member of the United States National Guard, attained the rank of sergeant (as shown by his rank insignia in many photographs), but before going to war, he requested that his rank be reduced to private. As a result of a childhood accident, he had increasing problems with his eyesight and hearing. He had originally joined the National Guard, believing that he would not be accepted into the regular army given his health problems. When his unit was called up, he feared that as a sergeant he would be a liability. After being examined by the company doctor, it was determined that Young was now almost completely deaf and he returned to active duty with the rank of private.
On July 31, 1943, on New Georgia, Young's platoon was pinned down by intense fire from a Japanese machine gun concealed on higher ground 75 yards (69 m) away. The initial burst wounded Young. As the platoon started to withdraw, Young called out that he could see the enemy emplacement, and he started creeping toward it. Another burst from the machine gun wounded him a second time. Despite his wounds, he continued his advance, attracting enemy fire and answering with rifle fire. When he was close enough to the machine gun emplacement, he began throwing hand grenades, and while doing so, he was hit again and killed. By diverting the fire of the machine gun, Young enabled his platoon to withdraw without loss. He was also responsible for several enemy casualties.
In 1949, Young's remains were returned to the United States and he is now buried in McPherson Cemetery in Clyde, Ohio.




From the United States Army's Medal of Honor List
Rank and organization: Private, United States Army, 148th Infantry, US 37th Infantry Division. Place and date: On New Georgia, Solomon Islands, July 31, 1943. Entered service at: Clyde, Ohio. Birth: Tiffin, Ohio. G.O. No.: 3, January 6, 1944.
Medal of Honor Citation: On July 31, 1943, the infantry company of which Pvt. Young was a member, was ordered to make a limited withdrawal from the battle line in order to adjust the battalion's position for the night. At this time, Pvt. Young's platoon was engaged with the enemy in a dense jungle where observation was very limited. The platoon suddenly was pinned down by intense fire from a Japanese machine gun concealed on higher ground only 75 yards (69 m) away. The initial burst wounded Pvt. Young. As the platoon started to obey the order to withdraw, Pvt. Young called out that he could see the enemy emplacement, whereupon he started creeping toward it. Another burst from the machine gun wounded him the second time. Despite the wounds, he continued his heroic advance, attracting enemy fire and answering with rifle fire. When he was close enough to his objective, he began throwing hand grenades, and while doing so was hit again and killed. Pvt. Young's bold action in closing with this Japanese pillbox and thus diverting its fire, permitted his platoon to disengage itself, without loss, and was responsible for several enemy casualties.


Honors
The Night Infiltration Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, is named for him. A requirement for graduation from the U.S. Army Infantry School, soldiers must crawl over 100 meters through sand, mud, and water while live rounds from M60 or M240B machine guns are fired overhead. Soldiers must also react to artillery simulators and flares, set off randomly during the exercise. Originally the live rounds were fired at chest level, but in recent years it was mandated that they pass well overhead of a standing person.
In Robert A. Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers, the troop transport TFCT Rodger Young is named for him, and the song "The Ballad of Rodger Young" by Frank Loesser is featured prominently throughout the book. The ending of the book also contains Young's citation for gallantry. The starship name No. 176 Rodger Young is used in Paul Verhoeven's 1997 film version of Starship Troopers.
From 1946 until the mid-1950s, there was a veterans' housing project in Los Angeles, California known as Rodger Young Village.
Young was also the subject of an episode of the historical TV anthology The Great Adventure. He was portrayed by James MacArthur.
Rodger Young Park in Fremont, Ohio, is named for him.
The Recreation Center across from Foxtrot 2-19 in Fort Benning has a plaque citing his bravery.

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