Everyday Patriot

  Specialist Stanley Walter Bartusiak was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 18, 1856. He was raised in Calumet City, Illinois, and graduated from Thornton Fractional North High School in 1974. Specialist Stanley Walter Bartusiak attended South Suburban Junior College and the University of Illinois before enlisting in the US Army in August 1985.   He served a five-year Army contract, training as a Heavy Mechanic, and spent most of his service in Alaska. Specialist Stanley Walter Bartusiak remained in the US Army Reserves following the end of his contract. Specialist Stanley Walter Bartusiak reactivated in response to Desert Storm/Desert Shield and the onset of the Gulf War. He deployed to the Persian Gulf on February 13, 1990.   On February 25, 1991, Specialist Stanley Walter Bartusiak died during his service when a SCUD missile hit his barracks. He rests at the Polk Memorial Gardens in Columbia, Tennessee. * Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project her...

  Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone was born on November 4, 1916, in Buffalo, New York. His family relocated to Raritan, New Jersey, and he attended the St Bernard's Parochial School through middle school. Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone worked as a golf caddy for the local country club before enlisting in the US  Army in 1934.  During his US Army career, he was assigned to the 31st Infantry, and his duty station was in the Philippines. Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone was also an interunit boxing champion. He left the US Army at the end of his three-year contract, returned to New Jersey, and briefly worked as a truck driver. Unhappy with civilian life, Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone wanted to return to the Philippines, and so, in 1940, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps. Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone was first assigned to Guantanamo Bay until the attack on Pearl Harbor and the US entry into World War II when Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone was deployed to Guadalcanal with the ...

Staff Sergeant John Perry Blessinger was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 15, 1958. He attended Sachem High School, graduating in 1976. He enlisted in the US Air Force in 1979. He was a lover of cars and trained as a helicopter mechanic before pursuing a position within the special forces units of the Air Force.  Staff Sergeant John Perry Blessinger was assigned to the 16th Special Operations Squadron as an infrared sensor operator on an AC-130H.  Staff Sergeant John Perry Blessinger lost his life in January 1991. His plane, "Spirit 03," was flying a reconnaissance mission near the Iraq/Saudi Arabia border when the plane engaged with a missle site to protect ground troops from missle fire. Unfortunately, the plane was struck by a surface-to-air missle and crashed into the Persian Gulf.  Initially thought lost, the aircraft was located on March 6. 1991, and his appropriated remains rest at the Barracas National Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida.  * Read about a.d. ...

  Sergeant Major William J Haynes was born in May 1866 in Micanopy, Florida. He enlisted in the US Army on October 30, 1930, and was assigned to the 25th Infantry.   He first deployed to the Dakota territories for the Pine Ridge Campaign and then to suppress the Terry Union Miner's Strike before Sergeant Major William J Haynes transferred to Fort Missoula and was recruited to be a member of the "Iron Riders," the 20-member bicycle unit that completed a 1,900-mile journey from Fort Missoula Montana to St. Louis Missouri in 34 days. Sergeant Major William J. Haynes then deployed to Cuba and participated in the July 1898 Battle of El Caney. He was briefly stationed in Ponca, Oklahoma, before Sergeant Major William J Haynes transferred to Fort George Wright near Spokane, Washington. He would help with evacuation and firefighting efforts during the Great Fire of 1910. Sergeant Major William J Haynes retired from the US Army in 1912 and returned to Ponca City, Oklahoma.  H...