CDR Sal, as always, appreciate your bringing these heroes to our attention. Your dad gave you great advice, "treat others with respect", echoes of the Christian "treat others as you would be treated". As he told you, you never know someone's story. Now I know Clarence Sasser's story. And I'm better for knowing it. Thank you.
My father, Irvin Schneider, Army Air Core, Thirty First, Photo Reconnaissance Squadron, WWII, everlasting be his memory. My father was Caucasian, First Generation born in America, Boston, Massachusetts and Jewish. His best friend, from P.S. 6, New York City, was Elliott Goodwin, a WWII Naval enlisted Caucasian man fighting the Japanese, everlasting be his memory too!
My Uncle Elliott and my father were my heroes, smiling and laughing, hiding the traumas they experienced! My father taught me photography including movie making and editing when I was only about 12 years old in the 7th Grade, St Joseph’s School, East 87th Street, NYC, NY 10028.
My Uncle Eliott asked me to pay $125 for my first Singer Sewing Machine. I was only about 13 years old. I was taught “Respect” for working and earning my fifty cents per hour or my $1.00 per day for babysitting, scrubbing baseboards, digging trenches found our Cabin’s Lilac Trees.
New York’s Regents Scholarship helped pay my BS Nursing Education at SUNY Binghamton, NY.
“Respect” for the Jewish Community Center who hired me to teach Gymnastics and manage their Health Spa, Binghamton, New York.
My mother lost her hearing and my father was diagnosed with “Depression” by my eighteenth (18th) birthday. My Uncle Elliott and my father were extremely proud at my Navy Officer Commissioning, July 1976! Stay there, you will be safe!, said both my Uncle Eliott and my father.
This week my twenty-seven (27) year old only son, (only living child), was “Deployed” by his USAF Command for an unspecified amount of weeks to an area where “Communications are sketchy”. Captain, 03, Pilot of a BIG Plane.
Our Tradition… we carried on for three generations! God Bless America!
Shipmates, the Bible was an Oral account until it was written in Aramaic, translated to Greek, Latin, and other Romance Languages. Into Arabic perhaps around 333 A.D.
I kept the “written account” my father gave me “The Story of the Thirty First”. My father put this into my hands with his WWII German footlocker, about 1991. Stuff written, photos, letters from World War Two! That ended about 1945!
Korean Conflict followed by the Vietnam War, by Grenada, and the two Iraq Invasions, 1990 and 2003. That was “Over there”! Minnesota is “Over Here”! So is Chicago, Baltimore, and Jackson, Mississippi!
My son spent hours paging through our Library books, selecting a few to take with him, 2023.
Last week, January 2026, my son explained “Crime and Punishment”, the English version.
Slowly but surely, my son will learn how educated and dedicated to peace, the Russian Federation is, today 2026!
Military Special Operation, 2022 - current! Yes, I’m paying attention.
I’m so grateful for Lebo, who reads and likes my comments! Thank you! Stay safe. God bless my shipmates! Nurse Jane
thanks, sal. little known that 68w, combat medic, is the second most populous military occupational specialty in the army. right behind 11 series, infantryman.
thats sfc fred zabitosky, macv sog recon team leader, just to spc5 sasser’s right. solid company.
There were certainly many more who had the wrong last name or skin color who didn't receive the recognition they had earned on the battlefield. (Or the others where their seniors just didn't like them or took the credit.)
As an aside, the guy at A&M who gave Sasser a scholarship was James Earl Rudder.
Rudder commanded the D-Day assault up the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc. His 2nd Rangers (-), 3 companies, suffered more than 50% casualties in the mission.
The remainder of the Bn, A, B, and C companies, landed on Charlie beach anchoring the right flank of the invasion. A Company suffered 96% casualties. CPT Miller (Tom Hanks) in SPR was in the 2nd Rangers.
Rudder was among the initial members of the Ranger Hall of Fame. He received the DSC for D-Day.
These are always a highlight of the week. Inspiration and good for us all.
We tell hero stories like this to know that we are capable of more, and that great people have walked among us.
Thank you, Clarence Sasser! You are a true American Hero and an Angel!❤️🇺🇸
These stories are healthy reminders that the real hero’s are not in Hollywood and they are not Athletes.
God bless Clarence Sasser. May his soul forever rest in peace.
Excellent pull.
CDR Sal, as always, appreciate your bringing these heroes to our attention. Your dad gave you great advice, "treat others with respect", echoes of the Christian "treat others as you would be treated". As he told you, you never know someone's story. Now I know Clarence Sasser's story. And I'm better for knowing it. Thank you.
High speed, low drag. Modesty and ethos are the sign of a true hero.
Never forget the strongest among you might not wear a crown.
🫡
Good Morning CDR Salamander,
My father, Irvin Schneider, Army Air Core, Thirty First, Photo Reconnaissance Squadron, WWII, everlasting be his memory. My father was Caucasian, First Generation born in America, Boston, Massachusetts and Jewish. His best friend, from P.S. 6, New York City, was Elliott Goodwin, a WWII Naval enlisted Caucasian man fighting the Japanese, everlasting be his memory too!
My Uncle Elliott and my father were my heroes, smiling and laughing, hiding the traumas they experienced! My father taught me photography including movie making and editing when I was only about 12 years old in the 7th Grade, St Joseph’s School, East 87th Street, NYC, NY 10028.
My Uncle Eliott asked me to pay $125 for my first Singer Sewing Machine. I was only about 13 years old. I was taught “Respect” for working and earning my fifty cents per hour or my $1.00 per day for babysitting, scrubbing baseboards, digging trenches found our Cabin’s Lilac Trees.
New York’s Regents Scholarship helped pay my BS Nursing Education at SUNY Binghamton, NY.
“Respect” for the Jewish Community Center who hired me to teach Gymnastics and manage their Health Spa, Binghamton, New York.
My mother lost her hearing and my father was diagnosed with “Depression” by my eighteenth (18th) birthday. My Uncle Elliott and my father were extremely proud at my Navy Officer Commissioning, July 1976! Stay there, you will be safe!, said both my Uncle Eliott and my father.
This week my twenty-seven (27) year old only son, (only living child), was “Deployed” by his USAF Command for an unspecified amount of weeks to an area where “Communications are sketchy”. Captain, 03, Pilot of a BIG Plane.
Our Tradition… we carried on for three generations! God Bless America!
Shipmates, the Bible was an Oral account until it was written in Aramaic, translated to Greek, Latin, and other Romance Languages. Into Arabic perhaps around 333 A.D.
I kept the “written account” my father gave me “The Story of the Thirty First”. My father put this into my hands with his WWII German footlocker, about 1991. Stuff written, photos, letters from World War Two! That ended about 1945!
Korean Conflict followed by the Vietnam War, by Grenada, and the two Iraq Invasions, 1990 and 2003. That was “Over there”! Minnesota is “Over Here”! So is Chicago, Baltimore, and Jackson, Mississippi!
My son spent hours paging through our Library books, selecting a few to take with him, 2023.
Last week, January 2026, my son explained “Crime and Punishment”, the English version.
Slowly but surely, my son will learn how educated and dedicated to peace, the Russian Federation is, today 2026!
Military Special Operation, 2022 - current! Yes, I’m paying attention.
I’m so grateful for Lebo, who reads and likes my comments! Thank you! Stay safe. God bless my shipmates! Nurse Jane
thanks, sal. little known that 68w, combat medic, is the second most populous military occupational specialty in the army. right behind 11 series, infantryman.
thats sfc fred zabitosky, macv sog recon team leader, just to spc5 sasser’s right. solid company.
Much like the story of William J. Crawford....
"Yep, that's me.....It was one day in my life and it happened a long time ago".
Awesome soldier. Wish I'd known him. Rest easy, sir, we have the watch.
America has never suffered a shortage of true heroes. BZ, Sp. Sasser.
There were certainly many more who had the wrong last name or skin color who didn't receive the recognition they had earned on the battlefield. (Or the others where their seniors just didn't like them or took the credit.)
This is why stories matter.
Not just the heroics—but the quiet dignity afterward. Thank you for telling this the right way. Fullbore. Bill
As an aside, the guy at A&M who gave Sasser a scholarship was James Earl Rudder.
Rudder commanded the D-Day assault up the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc. His 2nd Rangers (-), 3 companies, suffered more than 50% casualties in the mission.
The remainder of the Bn, A, B, and C companies, landed on Charlie beach anchoring the right flank of the invasion. A Company suffered 96% casualties. CPT Miller (Tom Hanks) in SPR was in the 2nd Rangers.
Rudder was among the initial members of the Ranger Hall of Fame. He received the DSC for D-Day.
The Drill SGT: Wow. No cushy university president position at A&M. Rudder earned it, big time.
Many of us merchies would snicker at the old A&M maritime school ship being named “General Rudder.” Then I looked him up. Fullbore as well.
To Clarence Sasser: Hand Salute.........................two. They don't make them like that anymore.