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Posted: May 31, 2005
“Hey Dad - I never got to meet you since I was born 23 days after your
death, but I’m very proud of you for your valor. I thank you for being the
extraordinary soldier that you were and I’m proud to be following in your
footsteps as a soldier. I am an Infantry Officer leading a platoon with the
1/23 Infantry Regiment. You have three amazing grandchildren who are
starting to learn and understand what a true HERO their grandfather was. I
only hope that I can be at least half the solder that you were and that I
can make you as proud of me as I am you.”
This letter, written by 1st Lt. Russell Steindam Matthews, March 2003, is a
gesture that has been repeated hundreds of thousands of times by children
robbed of a parent who lost their life while serving in the armed forces.
“Behind each of the fallen is a story like this – a story of unfulfilled
dreams and a vacant place at the dinner table, “said Rear Admiral Robert
Smith, keynote speaker at Plano’s Memorial Day Ceremony Monday, May 30.
“This year, with Iraq and the war on terrorism, it is especially fitting
that we take time this morning to remember those whose sacrifice, courage
and valor have given us a life of freedom and liberty.”
Nearly 200 persons gathered at Plano’s Municipal Center to remember loved
ones lost and those who are currently serving in our Armed Forces. Serving
as a posthumous representative for those who have given their lives for our
freedom was 1st Lt. Russell Albert Steindam, August 27, 1946 – February 1,
1970, a graduate of Plano High School and a recipient of the Congressional
Medal of Honor.
As
his mother, sister and brother looked on, Rear Admiral Smith cited the
unselfish act that cost Lt. Steindam his life, leaving dreams unfulfilled,
an empty place at the dinner table and a son he was never to meet.
As a platoon leader, Troop B, 3rd Sqd., 4th Cav, 25 Inf. Div., 1st Lt.
Steindam led his team on a night ambush operation through the rugged terrain
of Viet Nam. They were soon subjected to intense small arm and automatic
weapon fire and hand and rocket-propelled grenades. In an exposed position,
he ordered return fire and ensured the wounded were moved to shelter, a
nearby shallow bomb crater.
In the midst of the cries of the wounded, the fire bursts from weaponry and
the darkness of night a fragmentation grenade was thrown into the site
occupied by his command group. He instantly recognized the gravity of the
situation and shouted a warning to his fellow soldiers in the immediate
vicinity. As everyone scrambled for cover, he instinctively knew the
situation was hopeless. He never hesitated, never faltered. He flung himself
on top of the grenade, his body absorbing its full and fatal force. A mother
lost her son, a brother and sister their sibling, a wife her husband, an
unborn son the chance to know his dad.
The members of his command were saved from certain death or severe injury
and his valor was rewarded by the President of the United States in the name
of the Congress.
“When we remember those who have given their lives, we ensure their heroic
spirit will live on,” said Rear Admiral Smith. A special recognition was
paid to 1st Lt. Steindam’s mother, sister and brother, bringing a standing
ovation and for many, thoughts of the countless millions of persons “left
behind” due to the tragedy of war.
A moving service, led by Mayor Pro tem Ken Lambert, included City Council
representation by Mayor Pat Evans, Deputy Mayor Pro tem Scott Johnson and
Councilmembers Sally Magnuson and Shep Stahel. U. S. House of
Representatives Congressman Ralph Hall, 4th District of Texas joined Rear
Admiral Robert Smith (USNR Ret’d) as a guest speaker. (For photos
click here.)
Congressman Hall cited President Ronald Regan saying that “he once said we
don’t have to look in history books to find heroes – they are all around us
every day.” He cited former prisoner of war Sam Johnson (U. S. Congressman
Texas 3rd District), as a hero who “has sacrificed so much for this country
– not in dying for this country, but in living for this country.”
Congressman Johnson was a POW in Hanoi for seven years, serving in solitary
confinement for three years.
Rear Admiral Smith cited media coverage of the war in Iraq as a contributor
to the negative global perception of the United States. “The media shows
villains or victims on the battlefield. Heroes don’t make the front page
anymore. They are out there but we don’t hear about them.” He advised the
terrorist movement has no way to beat us militarily, but must “wear down our
resolve through our hearts and our minds,” inadvertently aided by the
negative media coverage which makes many Americans waiver in their support
of our military efforts and the positive effect it is having on bringing
democracy to a grateful country.
A children’s march, wreath ceremony, 21-gun salute, riderless horse,
stirring music by the Plano Community Band and the reading of patriotic
essays by several students made for an unforgettable memorial to those who
have lost their lives in the service of our country and to those who serve
to protect us today.
Televised repeats of the ceremony will be on the Plano Television Network,
Comcast Channel 30, on June 1 (9am), June 2 (8pm), June 4 (1am) and June 5
(1pm).
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