Everyday Patriot

  Major Charles Joseph Watters was born on January 17, 1927, in Jersey City, New Jersey. Before entering the Seaton Hall Immaculate Conception Seminary at Darlington, he attended Seaton Hall Preparatory School and University. Major Charles Joseph Watters was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1953. An avid private pilot, Major Charles Joseph Watters enlisted as a chaplain in the New Jersey Air National Guard in 1962. In response to the Vietnam war, he transitioned to active duty with the US Army in 1964.   Major Charles Joseph Watters deployed to Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in 1966, earning a bronze star for valor during Operation Junction City, the only large-scale parachute mission of the Vietnam War. He voluntarily extended his tour in 1967. On November 19, 1967, during the fight to Hill 875, Major Charles Joseph Watters earned a Congressional Medal of Honor while out with the 503rd Infantry. He remained in the field with a unit sustaining heavy casualties...

  Staff Sergeant Tatiana Khaghai Dees was born on July 25, 1956, in Teheran, Iran. She and her family immigrated to the United States during her childhood. Staff Sergeant Tatiana Khaghai Dees attended Nyack High School and then Rockland Community College, where she received an associate's degree in Criminal Justice. She enlisted in the US Army in 1980 and was assigned to the 92nd Military Police. Staff Sergeant Tatiana Khaghai Dees was stationed in Germany. In December 1990, she deployed to Damman, Saudi Arabia, in response to Operation Desert Storm/ Desert Shield and the Gulf War. On January 7, 1991, while investigating a suspicious person photographing military activity, Staff Sergeant Tatiana Khaghai Dees fell off a pier, wearing a complete set of battle gear. Unfortunately, she was unable to be rescued before she drowned. Staff Sergeant Tatiana Khaghai Dees rests in the Novo-Diveevo Russian Orthodox Cemetery in Nanuet, New York. * Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot ...