Staff Sgt. Christopher Fierce, left, of Dixon, and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dan Milberg stand in front of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. |
Helicopter crews celebrate 'Alive Day' of Veterans Affairs official Tammy DuckworthFORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Nov. 12, 2009) — Tammy Duckworth is now a major in the Army National Guard, a former Democratic Party congressional candidate, and an assistant secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs. But on Nov. 12, 2004, Duckworth’s life was likely saved by the quick action of other National Guardsmen when she was piloting a helicopter that insurgents shot down in Iraq. Those Missouri National Guardsmen assigned to helicopter duty at Fort Leonard Wood attended Duckworth’s fifth “Alive Day” Thursday in Washington, D.C. Staff Sgt. Christopher Fierce, a Dixon resident who was also wounded that day, has celebrated Alive Days with Duckworth in the past, but was not able to attend the festivities this year. “Alive Days” commemorate the anniversary of a near-death combat experience as part of the healing process and have been observed by American service members since before the Vietnam War.
Click here to read more on Pulaski County Daily News ...By Matthew J. Wilson/Missouri National Guard Public Affairs
