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Before You Go. The elderly parking lot attendant wasn't in a good mood. Neither was Sam Bierstock. It was around 1 a.m., and Bierstock, a Delray Beach , Fla., eye doctor, business consultant, corporate speaker and musician, was bone tired after appearing at an event. He pulled up in his car, and the parking attendant began to speak. "I took two bullets for this country and look what I'm doing," he said bitterly. At first, Bierstock didn't know what to say to the World War II veteran. But he rolled down his window and told the man, "Really, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you." Then the old soldier began to cry. "That really got to me," Bierstock says. Cut to today. Bierstock, 58, and John Melnick, 54, of Pompano Beach - a member of Bierstock's band, Dr. Sam and the Managed Care Band - have written a song inspired by that old soldier in the airport parking lot. The mournful "Before You Go" does more than salute those who fought in WWII. It encourages people to go out of their way to thank the aging warriors before they die. "If we had lost that particular war, our whole way of life would have been shot," says Bierstock, who plays harmonica. "Every ethnic minority would be dead. And the soldiers are now dying at the rate of about 2,000 every day. I thought we needed to thank them." The song is striking a chord. Within four days of Bierstock placing it on the Web, the song and accompanying photo essay have bounced around nine countries, producing tears an d heartfelt thanks from veterans, their sons and daughters and grandchildren. "It made me cry," wrote one veteran's son. Another sent an e-mail saying that only after his father consumed several glasses of wine would he discuss "the unspeakable horrors" he and other soldiers had witnessed in places such as Anzio, Iwo Jima, Bataan and Omaha Beach. "I can never thank them enough," the son wrote. "Thank you for thinking about them." Bierstock and Melnick thought about shipping it off to a professional singer, maybe a Lee Greenwood type, but because time was running out for so many veterans, they decided it was best to release it quickly, for free, on the Web. They've sent the song to Sen. John McCain and others in Washington. Already they have been invited to perform it in Houston for a Veterans Day tribute - this after just a few days on the Web. They hope every veteran in America gets a chance to hear it. Turn up your volume and please visit Before You Go: http://www.managedmusic.com/beforeyougo.html Wayne Cross
Dragoon- After Action Report
Headquarteralions Company
3rd Batt Headquarters Co. 3rd Bn. took off from Ortatello,
Italy, at 0240 hours "D" day and dropped near Callian, France at about
0435. The landing area was hilly and covered with terrace walls
resulting in many jump casualties. Those injured were Maj. R. E.
McMahon, Executive Officer of the Bn. 1st, Sgt. Kievet, Pvt.’s Kelesar,
Cyomber and Growsan, Lt. Plassman, PFC Constantine and Pvt.
McAvoy.
Great difficulty was encountered on the ground in
locating equipment bundles due to fault or complete failure of bundle
lights. The light MG platoon located all light MG and rocket
launchers, and the mortar platoon located two 81mm mortars. The
communications section was less successful. Some equipment was lost
and some of that found was useless due to breakage.
The men who could be located, assembled under Lt.
Gibbons of H Co., who was the senior officer present and moved Southeast
toward La Motte about 23 miles away. Among other members of this
group were Lt. Reber, Largan and Garrett. The first two from Hq.
Co., and the latter from H Co.
Platoons were formed as well as possible with the
men on hand and the unit marched until 1900 hours, D day without
opposition. This group then met Capt. McGeever, Hqs. Co. commander
who had assumed command of another force and the units combined totaled
about 320 men. Capt. McGeever took over command of the battalion at
this point. After resting a short while, the Bn. started across the
valley from Callian toward Les Arcs. Most of the communication
platoon had landed about five miles west of Fayence and were under the
command of Lt. Col. Zais. At about 1410 on D Plus 1, joined Lt. Col.
Zais with all of I Co. in the vicinity of La Motte.
At 1946 that evening, the Battalion attacked up
the valley in the direction of
Les Arcs. One Section of rocket launchers was attached to H Company for this operation. That night, most of the Co. remained on the outskirts of Los Arcs. On D Plus 2, the Co. entered Les Arcs proper and most of the day was spent in reorganizing and cleaning weapons and equipment. On D Plus 3, the Co. moved out with the Battalion
to the vicinity of Puget where the Battalion established defensive
positions.
The work of Lt. Plassman and S/Sgt. Chism and Pvt.
Polaski, all of the Medical Detachment was outstanding Lt. Plassman
and S/Sgt. Chism sustained painful leg injuries, but insisted on
administering aid to all other jumpers injured in the Dz.
Lt. Plassman remained at Callian with nine American and British soldiers, six Maquis and one British Lt. and three days later when the troops returned to Callian, he ws evacuated. S/Sgt. Chism remained at Feyence with 25 patients
including one British and seven American soldiers and 17 Frenchmen.
He was evacuated at the same time as was Lt. Plassman.
JOSEPH T. MCGEEVER Cpt. 517Prcht. Inf. Commanding
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