Professional Documents
Culture Documents
We would like to express our appreciation to all of the fighting men and women in the United States
Military. Thank you for your service to this country.
We would like to express our appreciation to all of the fighting men and women in the United States
Military. Thank you for your service to this country.
Rescuing Memories
Paratrooper, man he saved from prison camp speak for first time since 1945
From: Adele Krhovsky and www.mlive.com Monday, May where his family was from:
26, 2008 Grand Rapids.
War is often the story of things gone wrong: A As a former resident of
missed drop zone. A jammed rifle. A shift in wind or nearby Ionia, Krhovsky didn't
weather. These things happen. And people die. have to ask where that was.
But the dice sometimes tumble into place in ways "What are the odds?" he asked.
that defy the odds. In February 1945, 2,147 starving Frank Krhovsky, 82, is a retired
captives in a Philippine prison camp were rescued on the physician in East Grand Rapids.
day of their execution, perhaps minutes before their death. Below, in 1945, he served as a paratrooper on a daring
Those spared included a Grand Rapids missionary family rescue of 2,147 prisoners in the Philippines.
of five. Krhovsky, 82, did not talk to anyone from the
The raid came off with such stop-watch perfection family after that day. He has no recollection of speaking
that Hollywood would have thrown back the script: Not to David DeVries, who sat farther back in the truck and is
one prisoner died. In a brief, fierce battle, Allied forces the lone family member from the prison camp alive today.
overcame about 250 Japanese soldiers at the Los Banos But 63 years later, the retired physician and East
camp. Not one American soldier died. "It's God's plan, Grand Rapids resident spoke with David DeVries, a Cali-
let's put it that way, that we be liberated," said David fornia resident, in a phone call arranged by The Press.
DeVries, 83, who walked out of the compound at age 20 "It's unbelievable," Krhovsky told DeVries. "This is abso-
weighing 92 pounds, along with his parents, sister and lutely remarkable." Said DeVries: "Frank is one of my
brother. heroes."
DeVries looked up that morning to see a white Grand Rapids in common
string of paratroopers, including 19-year-old Sgt. Frank The DeVries family returned to Grand Rapids in
Krhovsky, swing out of a blue sky just outside the camp. May 1945, curious about the paratrooper they knew as
"This raid was done to perfection," Krhovsky recalled. "Frank Khooshsky" -- their best guess at the spelling --
"There was not one thing that went wrong." In the pande- whom they hoped to thank. They didn't get the chance.
monium of the rescue, Krhovsky climbed aboard one of Krhovsky was discharged from the Army in 1946,
54 amphibious trucks used to ferry the prisoners to safety. thinking from time to time he would like to find the
He struck up a conversation with a 15-year-old boy who DeVries family. But he was soon absorbed in school, at
happened to sit next to him up front. Aquinas College, the University of Michigan and medical
Henry DeVries Jr., David's brother, told the paratrooper school at Marquette University in Milwaukee.
Short video from www.tricare.mil that explains some back ground information
about TRICRAE.
View this video to get a better understanding of what TRICARE is. Or Click Here.
We would like to express our appreciation to all of the fighting men and women in the United States
Military. Thank you for your service to this country.
We would like to express our appreciation to all of the fighting men and women in the United States
Military. Thank you for your service to this country.
About the Brain Injury Association of Michigan (BIAMI): BIAMI is celebrating its 30th Anniversary as it continues
to strive to provide persons with a brain injury and their families, healthcare professionals, and the general public with
the resources necessary to enhance brain injury awareness, education, prevention, and support. BIAMI is also fields the
first and only dedicated Veterans Program staff within the Brain Injury Association of America.
If you wish to purchase one or more of these volumes or are interested in more information, please contact MAGHA at
Phone: 586-239-6768, Fax: 586-239-6646, Email: 127.wg.selfridgeairmuseum@ang.af.mil
MANGBANG
From: Eugene (Gene) A. Simon- Command Chief Master Sergeant USAF (Retired) & Matthew X. Hauser
As you may have seen in past editions of the newsletter, MANGBANG has been one of our sources. We are
thankful for the source and so we just wanted to pass the information along for MANGBANG in case anyone is interest-
ed in joining the Michigan Air National Guard Historical Association.
You can contact Lou Nigro if you are interested. We think it is a worthwhile investment-it supports the history
of the Michigan Air National Guard and his monthly publications are very informative.
For those who want to view it on our website (www.selfridgeairmuseum.org, http://
www.selfridgeairmuseum.org ), Lt Col Lou Nigro, MI ANG (Ret) Executive Director, Selfridge Military Air Museum
Email: louis.nigro@ang.af.mil
"Veterans Voices"
24 lines with 60 character width. Stories no longer than
10 pages, typed using double spacing.
This is a brief detail of what HVWP is about. It
From: Dept. Hospital Chairman Merridy Lewis may be an interest you would like to share with a Veteran
Hospitalized Veteran‟s Writing Program on a volunteer basis. This is part of our history for genera-
(HVWP). This program helps veteran‟s get their poems tions yet to come we are losing World War 11 Veterans
and stories down on paper is one of the goals for our every day and we need to hear their stories. For more in-
volunteers. Volunteer aides help both with a one on one formation visit their website at www.veteransvoices.org.
or with groups of patients to help them put their thoughts
and feelings into stories and poems.
The stories and poems can be submitted to veter-
an‟s voices, a magazine that publishes the articles that
have been submitted. The HVWP does its very best to
publish every article that has been submitted following
the guide lines.
It is important to submit the author‟s name,
VAMC facility and state, the authors permanent address
the branch of service and duties along with the serial
number or social security number. Manuscripts must be
original and unpublished, except in VAMC publications.
Writers can submit up to three poems, each no longer than
All proceeds donated to the Brain Injury Association of Michigan (BIAMI – Veteran’s Program)
AND
Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America
To Register as a Boater for this Event: All Participants ages 17 and older must have in
Contact Eric Smith @ possession an applicable valid Michigan Fishing
License and State Identification.
eric@bassinwitheric.com
Motor Vehicles must have a State Park Recreation
-or- Passport, Check “Yes” when renewing your plate.
call Eric at 616-318-9814
We would like to express our appreciation to all of the fighting men and women in the United States
Military. Thank you for your service to this country.
We would like to express our appreciation to all of the fighting men and women in the United States
Military. Thank you for your service to this country.
We would like to express our appreciation to all of the fighting men and women in the United States
Military. Thank you for your service to this country.
May 1, 2011-By: Elizabeth M. Collins going to behavioral health, but Porter believes those pla-
From: www.army.mil toon- and company-level leaders are acting out a misguid-
Soldiers take care of Soldiers. Period. ed attempt to protect their Soldiers. That's not the message
It doesn't matter whether it's a commander or non- Army leaders want them to receive, however; they want
commissioned officer keeping an eye on a young special- to erase any stigma and eliminate even the best-
ist, or two battle buddies watching out for each other. It intentioned obstacles to care.
doesn't matter if it's carrying a wounded comrade off a Some senior leaders have themselves come for-
battlefield, or making sure a traumatized warrior gets the ward after receiving behavioral health treatment. Maj.
help he or she needs. Gen. David Blackledge, the assistant deputy chief of staff,
And that means that, "suicide prevention fits into G-3/5/7, for Mobilization and Reserve Affairs, has under-
what they do every day," said Col. Rebecca Porter, a clin- gone treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. He start-
ical psychologist and chief of the Behavioral Health Divi- ed experiencing flashbacks and nightmares after he was
sion at the Office of the Surgeon General, especially be- injured during two deployments to Iraq. Porter said Black-
cause research shows that the earlier someone gets help, ledge came forward to show young Soldiers they had
the better his or her chances of healing. nothing to fear.
The Army suicide rate-despite programs and "I think that's what's really encouraging...that the
training in place and senior leader' efforts to reduce the leadership...has taken this on as a responsibility for look-
stigma associated with seeking behavioral health care-has ing out for Soldiers, and returning to what Vice Chief of
left many officials scratching their heads and asking, Staff of the Army Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli's task force re-
"Why?" port refers to as 'the art of garrison leadership,'" Porter
Porter believes that when the Centers for Disease said.
Control and Prevention next releases the national suicide While she and other doctors mostly see cases of
statistics, those numbers will show an increase in suicides depression, substance abuse and anxiety disorders like
across America, not just the Army. (2010 active-duty sui- PTSD in veterans, Porter said that all Soldiers should ex-
cides actually dropped for the first time in several years to pect some changes following a deployment. Individuals
156, down from 162 in 2009. However, reserve- can experience symptoms including difficulty sleeping,
component suicides almost doubled from 80 to 145.) De- discomfort with crowds and hyper vigilance of their sur-
spite the availability of programs and training, and tireless roundings-all traits that help Soldiers stay alive in a war
efforts to eliminate the stigma associated with seeking zone, and all normal reactions when readjusting to garri-
behavioral health care, the numbers indicate these aren't son or civilian life. Porter added that it's common for the-
just Army issues, but national ones. se symptoms to last anywhere from six months to two
Some young Soldiers have reported receiving years.
mixed signals from their junior leaders when it comes to
If anyone has any other sites or link they find to be a good source please let us know we
will gladly work it in. Please contact us anytime at mhauser@migop.org.
We would like to express our appreciation to all of the fighting men and women in the United States
Military. Thank you for your service to this country.
From: http://www.jpac.pacom.mil
The mission of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all
Americans missing as a result of the nation's past conflicts. The highest priority of the organization is the return
of any living Americans that remain prisoners of war. To date, the U.S. Government has not found any evidence that
there are still American POWs in captivity from past U.S. conflicts.
JPAC is located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The command was activated on Oct. 1, 2003, created from the
merger of the 30-year-old U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii, and the 11-year-old Joint Task Force -
Full Accounting. Commanded by a flag officer, JPAC is manned by approximately 400 handpicked Soldiers, Sailors,
Airmen, Marines and Department of the Navy civilians. The laboratory portion
of JPAC, referred to as the Central Identification Laboratory (CIL), is the
largest forensic anthropology laboratory in the world.
JPAC also maintains three permanent overseas detachments to assist
with command and control, logistics and in-country support during investiga-
tion and recovery operations. They are Detachment One located in Bangkok,
Thailand, Detachment Two in Hanoi, Vietnam and Detachment Three in
Vientiane, Laos. JPAC has a fourth detachment, Detachment Four, located at
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, responsible for recovery team personnel when they are
not deployed.
For those of you unable to attend who still wish to donate to the Michigan Air Guard Historical Association
and/or the Selfridge Military Air Museum, please contact Lt Col Lou Nigro.
Your donations are tax deductible and very much appreciated.
We would like to express our appreciation to all of the fighting men and women in the United States
Military. Thank you for your service to this country.
We would like to express our appreciation to all of the fighting men and women in the United States
Military. Thank you for your service to this country.
In Closing
Thank you for your service to our country. It is truly the men and women like you who make
this nation great, and we must never forget that.
Thank you to everyone for all the help you have given us with the newsletter. We have been
able to reach more people because of your help. Compared to when we first started, the amount of
input and ideas we receive has increased greatly. For that we are very thankful. If you have anything
you would like to share, any questions, or have an article idea, please let me know. You may contact
us anytime at mhauser@migop.org.
Sincerely,
Matthew X. Hauser and Lt. Col Hank Fuhs If you don‟t want to receive these emails or wish to be removed
from the list please reply “remove” to mhauser@migop.org.