JS Tip 477: Celebrating Memorial Day

Celebrating Memorial Day

Monday is Memorial Day, the day we remember those who died while serving in the country's armed forces.  

Let us remember one of the fallen to remember all of the fallen. 

On the day after Christmas, 1944, First Lieutenant John Fox was serving as an artillery observer in the northern Italian village of Sommocolonia. 

German forces attacked the village, and most of the American defenders were forced back. 

Lieutenant Fox stayed at his post and directed American artillery fire to stop the attack. The attacking forces were overwhelming, and Lieutenant Fox had to adjust the fire closer and closer to his own position. 

His final call for fire was on his own position. When the artillery-battery radioman objected, Lieutenant Fox answered, “Fire it.”    

When the Americans retook the village, they found the lieutenant’s body surrounded by a hundred enemy dead. 

He left a wife and a young daughter. He was a Buffalo Soldier. He was not awarded the Medal of Honor until 1997. 

You’ve never heard of John Fox before. 

Now you can remember him. 

He and the others who gave their lives for this country are real. Their sacrifice is real. We need to remember that.

Next week, we’ll go back to our regular tips.