Hero of the Week 86

 Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

John Stark

Live Free or Die

Intro

John Stark was born to Scottish immigrants on August 28, 1728, in Londonderry, New Hampshire. When he was eight, he and his family moved to the growing town of Derryfield (present day Manchester). At the time, Derryfield was a large farming community dangerously close to the American frontier. In 1752. Stark and a friend were abducted by Abenaki warriors. While in captivity, Stark was forced to run the gauntlet, however he angrily defied his captors at every opportunity. His defiance ultimately earned their respect and led to his adoption into the tribe. He was released in the spring of 1753 after a year in captivity. Despite his harrowing ordeal, John Stark's defiant spirit had only gotten stronger. It would become an invaluable asset to his country's future.

Part I

Stark saw combat in the French and Indian War while served as a scout for the British. After the war ended, he retired as a captain. He returned to Derryfield, married his fiancée (Elizabeth "Molly" Page), and tried live as a farmer. However, just 12 years later, John Stark was called to the army again. This time he would be fighting against the same army he had once served. 

After joining up with the Continental Army, Stark was placed in command of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment. During the battle of Bunker Hill, his unit was instrumental in stopping the second British assault on the Patriot line. Stark was able to successfully predict how many redcoats would be attacking their position. He quickly placed his men in a staggered formation and waited for the British to approach. As soon as they were in close, the 1st New Hampshire laid them to waste and drove them down the hill in complete disarray. Stark and his unit successfully repulsed a total of three charges and were the only ones to not be driven from their position by the British.

Stark saw combat at the battles of Trenton and Princeton. However, upon learning that he had been overlooked for a promotion, he angrily resigned from the Continental Army on March 23, 1777. He then returned to New Hampshire. Although Stark intended to never rejoin the Continental Army, he never gave up on the Revolution and vowed to continue fighting against the British. Little did he know, he would not have to wait long.

In the summer of 1777, a large British army under the command of General John Burgoyne invaded from Canada. Their intention was to cut New England off from the other colonies by taking control of New York. After capturing Fort Ticonderoga from the patriots, Burgoyne then laid siege to nearby Fort Stanwix. However, his advance was being constantly heckled by scattered groups of patriot militia (namely the, Green Mountain Boys). He learned that they were getting their ammunition and supplies from a small town at the border of New York and the Vermont territory. It was a little town called, Bennington. 

Part II

Knowing that he needed more supplies, Burgoyne quickly dispatched 1,600 soldiers to seize the town. It was a joint force of British, Hessian, and Loyalist soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum. The plan hit a snag almost immediately when Baum's artillery units became stuck in mud along the trail. Since he expected Bennington to be defended by less than 100 militiamen, Baum decided to divide his force into two groups. He left 700 behind under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich Breyman to recover the artillery. He then continued to march on Bennington with the other 900. 

What Baum didn't know was that the Patriots of Vermont and New Hampshire were well aware of the former's advance. The New Hampshire Legislature quickly dispatched John Stark to raise an army. Within six days, Stark had mustered an army of 1,500 soldiers and marched into Vermont. Before departing, he sent Seth Warner who commanded Vermont's Green Mountain Boys to pick up another 400. 

Instead of waiting for Baum to arrive at Bennington, Stark decided to head him off. On August 15, Stark's army arrived at the Walloomsac Heights where the British had set up camp. The following day, Stark arrayed his army in four groups. He intended to launch a pincer movement (or double envelopment) against Baum. At 3 PM, Stark gathered his men and shouted, "There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories! They will be ours tonight or Molly Stark sleeps a widow!".

Spurred on by Stark's words, the Patriots then launched their attack. They quickly overran the first fortifications and easily wiped out the Loyalist ranks. The Patriots then turned their attention to the British and Hessian fortifications. With their superior marksmanship, they picked off the officers and scattered the force. Lt. Col. Baum attempted to break out by launching a saber charge with his remaining force. But he was mortally wounded by patriot volley. The rest of his command were either killed or captured. 

The Patriots began to celebrate their victory by looting the camp and gathering the prisoners. However, during their celebration another enemy force entered the battlefield. It was the other half of Baum's army under the command of Heinrich Breyman, and they were ready to fight. Stark quickly attempted to pull his men back into formation. But his army was too spread out to mount an organized defense. 

Just when it seemed that the Patriots would be routed a large volume of fire ripped into British/Hessian force. It was Seth Warner and the Green Mountain Boys. Now with an army of 2,000, Stark quickly reorganized his men and launched a counter attack. Under the weight of patriot numbers, Breyman watched his army get cut down in droves. Realizing that he was in danger of being surrounded, he quickly ordered a retreat. He had lost a quarter of his army and all his artillery. After five hours of heavy fighting, the Battle of Bennington was over.

Epilogue

The British/Hessian force had been virtually annihilated. They lost 207 killed, 700 missing & captured, and nearly all were wounded. The Patriots' casualties were: 30 killed and 40 wounded. John Stark's victory at Bennington had devastating consequences for General Burgoyne. The latter had lost a significant portion of his army and his supplies. His plans to cut off New England had been ruined. Two months later, Burgoyne was decisively defeated at the Battle of Saratoga and surrendered with 8,000 soldiers. 

For his part, John Stark was commended by George Washington for his excellent leadership that led to the American victory. He continued to serve with distinction until the end of the Revolution. Stark then retired as a major general and returned to his farm in Derryfield (later Manchester). In 1809, veterans of the battle returned to the sight to commemorate their victory. Although Stark wished to attend, he was in ill health and too weak to travel. Instead, he sent a letter to his former soldiers. It read, "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils". 

John Stark continued to live in Manchester for the rest of his life. He died on May 8, 1822, at the age of 93. At the time of his death, he was the last living general of the American Revolutionary War. In 1945, the state of New Hampshire officially adopted the words, "Live Free or Die" as the state motto. To this day, John Stark is remembered as one of the greatest and most noble leaders of the American Revolution. His courage and patriotism continue to inspire thousands across the country. He truly is someone to be held in high regard.

https://www.benningtonbattlemonument.com/battle.html

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/bennington

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/john-stark

https://www.nhmagazine.com/john-stark-a-hero-for-his-time-and-ours/

https://www.historynet.com/general-john-stark-a-patriot-who-rose-above-rank.htm

Hero of the Week 85

 Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

Enrique Camarena

Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar was born on July 26, 1947, in Mexicali, Mexico. His family immigrated to Calexico, California when he was only six. After graduating from high school, Kiki enlisted in the US Marine Corps. After serving for three years, he received a discharge and joined the Calexico Police Department in 1970. 

While serving in law enforcement Kiki quickly distinguished himself as an undercover narcotics investigator. In 1973, the government established the Drug Enforcement Administration to investigate and dismantle the trafficking of drugs (namely cocaine, marijuana, and heroin) over the US-Mexican border. The DEA began to aggressively recruit Spanish speaking officers to serve as government agents. Due to his experience with going after drug dealers, Kiki was offered a position as a special agent. He readily accepted.

In 1980, Kiki was sent to the Mexican city of Guadalajara. His mission was to infiltrate the local cartel and report the locations of marijuana plantations. For the next four years, Kiki successfully weeded out information of the drug cartels and helped coordinate numerous arrests and killings of Mexican drug lords. In 1984, a tip from Kiki to Mexican police led to the discovery of a 2,500 acre marijuana plantation in the Allende municipalities. It's destruction caused the Guadalajara Cartel to lose more than $8 billion dollars. 

Unfortunately, corrupt officials in the Mexican government betrayed Kiki to the cartel. On February 7, 1985, he was abducted by the drug lords and tortured for over a 30 hour period. When he refused to give any information he was murdered. His body was found on March 5. Little did the Guadalajara Cartel leaders know, that murdering Kiki Camarena would bring about their destruction.

Outraged over Kiki's violent murder, the DEA launched it's largest homicide investigation ever taken. The murderers were quickly identified as having ties to the Mexican government. Under pressure from the DEA, Mexican President, Miguel de la Madrid ordered the apprehension and trial of three high-ranking drug lords. Ultimately at least seven men were arrested, extradited, and sentenced to decades in prison for kidnapping and murdering Kiki Camarena. With the arrest and incarceration of it's leaders, the Guadalajara Cartel ultimately went defunct in 1989.

Today, Enrique Camarena Salazar is remembered as one of America's bravest and most noble DEA agents. For his heroism, he was posthumously awarded the Administrator's Award of Honor. His story was later told in the Netflix series, Narcos: Mexico. He truly is someone to be held in high regard.

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/politics/2020/02/27/enrique-camarena-dea-agent-murder-narcos-mexico/2566023001/

https://www.justthinktwice.gov/article/special-agent-enrique-kiki-camarena

https://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-mexico-gallardo-20170824-story.html

Hero of the Week 84

 Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

William B. Hazen

William Babcock Hazen was born on September 27, 1830, in West Hartford, Vermont. He entered the US Military Academy (West Point) in the 1850s and graduated in 1855. For the next 4 1/2 years he served along the American frontier and fought skirmishes against Comanche natives. Little did he know, this would pale in comparison to what he would face in the winter of 1862.

On December 30, the Federal Army of the Cumberland was camped outside the small town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Confederate Army of Tenessee was camped just 700 yards away. For the last two days, the two armies had been camping directly parallel to each other awaiting orders from their commanders. Both sides knew that the next day, thousands were going to die.

On the morning of December 31, the Confederates launched their attack. They successfully broke through the Union right flank and drove the latter across the nearby Stones River. Most of the Federals fled in disarray but one key point in the Union line held firm. At the left wing, Colonel Hazen pulled the 2nd Brigade into a tight perimeter at the Round Forest. With their backs literally to the river, four regiments from Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio dug in and stopped the Confederate attack. 

Despite being severely wounded, Col. Hazen ordered his brigade to hold their position at all costs. Within minutes of stopping the first Confederate attack, another one quickly followed. For the next five hours, Hazen's brigade repulsed four assaults and drove back the Confederates. Finally at 4:30 PM, the Confederates decided to withdraw. By then both sides had suffered thousands of casualties. After the battle, William Hazen and his soldiers would officially refer to the Round Forest as, "Hell's Half Acre". Of the whole Army of the Cumberland, they were only ones to hold their positions that day.

The stand of Hazen's brigade at the Round Forest had successfully bought time for the Army of the Cumberland to reorganize and regroup. There was little fighting the next day. But on January 2, 1863, when the Confederates launched a new attack, the Federals were ready. They caught the Confederates in a vicious artillery crossfire and forced them to retreat. This concluded what would be known as, the Battle of Stones River (or Murfreesboro). The casualties were >12,900 for the Union and >11,700 for the Confederates.

For his heroism at Stones River, William Hazen was promoted to Brigadier General. He went on to fight in the Chattanooga Campaign and the March to the Sea. After the war, Hazen worked in the US Signal Corps. In 1880, President Rutherford Hayes promoted him to the rank of Chief Signal Officer, a position that he held until his death on January 16, 1887. General Hazen was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

In the summer of 1863 (while the war was still being fought), members of Hazen's brigade returned to Hell's Half Acre and erected a small monument to their fallen comrades. It reads: Hazen's Brigade/ To the Memory of it's Soldiers who fell at Stones River, Dec. 31st 1862/ Their faces towards Heaven, their feet to the foe. It was the very first (and currently the oldest) civil war monument to have ever been erected on the original battlefield. Today it remains a solemn memorial to a brave group of soldiers led by a great commander who made a critical difference in the American Civil War. 

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/william-babcock-hazen

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/wbhazen.htm

https://www.nps.gov/places/hazen-brigade-monument.htm

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1990-01-07-9001034345-story.html

Hero of the Week 83

 Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

Carlos Hathcock 

Intro

Carlos Norman Hathcock was born on May 20, 1942, in Little Rock, Arkansas. While he was growing up, he became an expert at hunting. He decided at an early age that he wanted to join the US Marine Corps. He enlisted on May 20, 1959. Once he completed boot camp, he was chosen to be the sniper of his platoon. It would not be long before his skills would be put to the test.

Part I

Hathcock was deployed to Vietnam in 1966. He was assigned to the 1st Marine Division Sniper Platoon. He was known for putting a white feather on his bush hat which earned him the nickname, "White Feather". His unit was posted at Hill 55 near the border of North and South Vietnam. Their missions were to patrol the area and disrupt enemy operations along the border that were supplying the Viet Cong. While on combat missions, Hathcock's skills as a sniper proved to be invaluable. He successfully broke up enemy ambushes and easily plucked enemy snipers from hidden locations in the jungle. He eventually received a very difficult mission from his superiors. He was to cross into North Vietnam and assassinate North Vietnamese general.

This general had been coordinating ambushes on American soldiers and marines. American intelligence reported that the general was located at a hidden camp just a couple miles north of the 17th Parallel. Hathcock decided that he alone would carry out this mission. For the next four days and three nights, he crawled from Hill 55 across the 17th Parallel into North Vietnam. From there, Hathcock crawled another 1,500 yards towards the NVA camp. In order to avoid drawing attention to himself, he only crawled about an inch every hour (a process he called, "worming"). Once he reached the camp's tree-line, Hathcock scanned for his target. He spotted the general exiting the camp and fired a single shot. It struck the NVA general directly in the chest and killed him instantly. Hathcock then wormed his way back to Hill 55 without being spotted to report the mission's success.

Part II

Hathcock's large number of sniper kills on the Viet Cong and NVA quickly made himself a prime target for the latter's own special operations. They referred to him as, Lông Trâng (White Feather). The NVA became so determined to kill him that they placed a $30,000 bounty on his head. In 1967, a female Viet Cong sniper began hunting for him. 

This sniper (called, the Apache by the Americans) was notorious for brutally interrogating South Vietnamese and American soldiers that were unfortunate enough to be captured. One of her favorite methods of torture was castration. Furious over the Apache's atrocities, Hathcock became determined to find and end her. When the Apache was located by Hathcock's spotter (Edward Land), Hathcock put two bullets in her head. He later stated that out of all enemies he killed in Vietnam, that was the only one he enjoyed.

Carlos Hathcock's most famous kill was a sniper known as, "the Cobra". The Cobra proved to be a highly skilled and elusive warrior. Thus began a cat and mouse game. For more than two weeks, the two snipers stalked and tracked the other. Sometimes, Hathcock was spotted in the same location for an entire day, scanning for the Cobra. When he saw the glint of scope, he realized that the Cobra had spotted him and quickly fired a single round. To his astonishment, his shot passed through the Cobra's sniper scope and directly into his eye. He then dropped his rifle and slumped to the ground. In a fraction of a second, Carlos Hathcock had achieved the impossible.

Epilogue

Hathcock continued to serve in Vietnam for another two years. He was forced to return to the United States after being severely wounded by a land mine. His total kill count was at least 93 enemy soldiers. For his valor, he received the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. He continued to serve in the Marine Corps until 1975 when he was medically discharged. In his later life, he established the Marine Sniper School at Quantico. Carlos Hathcock passed away on February 22, 1999, at the age of 56. Today, he is remembered as one of America's greatest and most skillful snipers.

https://www.military.com/marine-corps-birthday/carlos-hathcock-famous-marine-corps-sniper.html

https://www.pilotonline.com/military/article_86afe846-c10b-5119-9703-2f3f6d75af7c.html

https://historycollection.com/legacy-carlos-hathcock-american-sniper-vietnam-war-took-infamous-enemies-shocked-world/