Gentleman Warrior Lt. General Hal Moore Passes Away at 94

As many of you may now have already heard, a true American Hero has left us. Lt. General Hal Moore (who commanded the 7th Cavalry during the Battle of the Ia Drange Valley of Tears November 1965) has quietly passed away just shy of his 95th birthday. He has now boarded the last chopper for a final flight out of the LZ with his beloved wife Julia and his trusted friend CSM Basil Plumley to a better place where he will be greeted by formations of his former Sky Troopers who stand at attention awaiting to salute his arrival. He represented the best of us during the worst of times.He was a true Gentleman warrior. He will forever bear a special place in the heart of this proud son of a former 1st Air Cavalry Sky Trooper and many others who descend from them. Like his best friend Joe Galloway, many of us owe Lt. General Hal Moore a debt of gratitude. For if he had not told his story many of us whose fathers served there and could not speak while they were alive we would never have known of the sacrifice and bravery of the American Soldier at the base of the Chu Pong Massif. For now that he is gone, there will never be another Gentlemen Warrior like him. Godspeed General and thank you for a lifetime of service and the example you set of which we could only dream of emulating. God Bless & Godspeed.

 

Garry Owen

Obon Passing: U.S. Congressman Mark Takai 1967-2016

 

U.S. Congressman Mark Takai of Hawaii lost his battle with pancreatic cancer at his home in Honolulu Hawaii. He represented Hawaii's 1st District January 2015 to his death on July 20th 2016. He had served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve and served in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom.On May 19th, 2016 he announced he would not seek re-election having discovery of his pancreatic cancer but vowed to serve out his term. Takai is said to have embodied the Aloha spirit and worked hard to the improve the lives of people. His career included notable efforts to benefit the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community. This also included efforts to reunite Filipino World War II veterans with their loved ones, secure treatment for veterans suffering from service-related radiation exposure, and commemorate the patriotism of Japanese Americans during World War II. He leaves behind a wife and two children. 

Remembering My Father

It was three years ago that I got the call that my father had passed away in the night. He went quickly from Pulmonary Fibrosis which doctors link to a scarring of his lungs from a "toxic substance" at the ages of 25-26. It was during the ages of 25-26 that my father Luis Eduardo Rosas-Luca was then an Avionics Specialist 4th Class serving in the United States Army in Vietnam where he had been repeatedly been exposed to the toxic defoliant Agent Orange in an effort to deprive the Viet Cong of the sanctuary of the jungle for cover. My father lived an extraordinary life despite being shortened by ten years, he left large shoes to fill which to this day I continue to struggle to fill.

Since that time I had attempted to unite the surviving family in vain. No one can say I didn't try. But in that time I did accomplish one mission he never completed and that was to return of W.O. Douglas Niles's dog tags which I took to the Vietnam Memorial Wall when I went there this last June to induct my father into the Vietnam Memorial Fund's Virtual Honor Roll. And while some of my efforts bore no lasting fruit, the work continues as we work on a screen play dramatizing the story of his tour in Vietnam and continue to sell copies of his book MY FATHERS WAR IN VIETNAM AND THE LONG SHADOW OF THE HON CONG MOUNTAIN. And as we hold a private memorial service for him today at our Koyasan Buddhist Temple (for which he was given the honor of being presented a posthumous Buddhist name) we continue to remember all that he had taught us and the example by which he chose to live by. We hope somewhere out there he's pleased with our efforts. But there is much more to do and we must be ever mindful that as we continue to carry on his legacy, we too are creating our own legacy and must never forget those who came before us and showed us how to live. Until we meet again, smile from heaven dad because we are thinking of you.

Just as my fingernails are stained with the pigment from balsam flowers,
my heart is painted with the teachings of my parents.
Although the stars in the sky are countable,
the teachings of my parents are not.
Just as ships that run in the night are guided to safety by the North star,
I am guided by my parents who gave birth to me and watch over me. 

-Chinsagu No Hana

Meet Retired Captain William Albracht: Former Green Beret & Author

This past weekend, we had the distinct honor and privilege of meeting former U.S. Army Green Beret Captain William Albracht, the commanding officer of Firebase Kate in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Captain Albracht's book Abandoned in Hell - The Fight for Vietnam's Firebase Kate is the true story of a small band of 28 American Soldiers and 150 Montagnards who were left to hold off an assault on a small hilltop firebase against 3000 North Vietnamese & Viet Cong Forces! Sounds incredible? It is!

Mr. Albracht  seen here together with co-author and former U.S. Army Captain Marvin Wolf who also served in Vietnam with the 1st Air Cavalry (1965-1966 - the same time and place my father served) conducted a book signing in Pasadena. Mr. Wolf is no stranger to book signings as he has many books of his own he has authored. For Mr. Albracht, he was quite comfortable presenting his book and happy to be out of the Illinois winter weather here in Southern California. The event drew a small welcome crowd at Vroman's Bookstore which also included a short reading followed by a Q&A session. It was truly and honor to hear these gentlemen speak. In an age full of fake heroes, men like these are the real deal.

We had a great time meeting these gentlemen warriors. We at American Mishima hope you will take the time to learn more about Mr. Albracht's book and also wish to see this harrowing true story be made into a major motion picture. You just can't make stuff like this up. But don't take my word for it. Read the book! You'll be glad you did!

To get your hard cover copy of Abandoned In Hell - The Fight for Vietnam's Firebase Kate by William Albracht & Marvin Wolf,
Please visit their link at:

Abandoned in Hell: The Fight For Vietnam's Firebase Kate 

To see other books by author Marvin Wolf, please visit:
Marvin Wolf