The Paradiso Insurance Blog

“Shifty” By Chuck Yeager

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy

Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st

Airborne Infantry.  If you’ve seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the

History Channel, you know Shifty.  His character appears in all 10

episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the  Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn’t

know who he was at the time.  I just saw an elderly gentleman having

trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was

at the right gate, and noticed the “Screaming Eagle,” the symbol of

the 101st Airborne, on his hat.

Making conversation, I asked him if he’d been in the 101st Airborne

or if his son was serving.  He said quietly that he had been in the

101st.  I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served,

and how many jumps he made.

Quietly and humbly, he said “Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so,

and was in until sometime in 1945 …” at which point my heart

skipped.

At that point, again, very humbly, he said “I made the 5 training

jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into  Normandy … . .  do you know

where  Normandy is?”  At this point my heart stopped.

I told him “yes, I know exactly where  Normandy is, and I know what

D-Day was.”  At that point he said “I also made a second jump into

Holland , into  Arnhem …”  I was standing with a genuine war hero ..

and then I realized that it was June,  just after the anniversary of

D-Day.

I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from  France , and he said

“Yes…  And it ‘s real sad because, these days, so few of the guys are

left, and those that are, lots of them can’t make the trip.”  My heart

was in my throat and I didn’t know what to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in

coach while I was in First Class.  I sent the flight attendant back to

get him and said that I wanted to switch seats.  When Shifty came

forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have

it, that I’d take his in coach.

He said “No, son, you enjoy that seat.  Just knowing that there are

still some who remember what we did and who still care is enough to

make an old man very happy.”  His eyes were filling up as he said it.

And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on Jan. l7 after fighting cancer.

There was no parade.

No big event in  Staples   Center …

No wall-to-wall, back-to-back 24×7 news coverage.

No weeping fans on television.

And that’s not right!

Let’s give Shifty his own memorial service, online, in our own quiet way.

Please for ward this email to everyone you know.  Especially to the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty.

Chuck Yeager, Maj. General [ret.]

Yesterday, Sgt. 1^st Class Leroy Petry was awarded the military’s highest distinction- the Congressional Medal of Honor.  Petry, a member of the US Army’s 2^nd Battalion, 75^th Ranger Regiment, received his medal from President Barack Obama at the White House in front of family, friends and a swarm of media and other military personnel.  Standing at attention the entire time the president spoke of his bravery and dedication to his fellow comrades and country, Petry modeled a true American hero.

He became only the second living soldier to be awarded the Medal of Honor for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the ninth overall recipient.  Petry lost his right hand on May 26, 2008 in a conflict when he picked up a live grenade and threw it back at the enemy, saving the lives of his fellow soldiers.  He did this all with gun shot wounds in each leg.  His prosthetic hand was visible throughout the ceremony, serving as a reminder to all of the sacrifice this man made while saving his fellow brothers in arms.

Petry now wears a high-tech robotic artificial hand. “I could shake people’s hands today. I’m meeting people all the time,” he told the Army News Service. “It feels great to actually shake their hands with my right hand.”

An elite Army special operations force, Army Rangers serve four-month tours of duty in the war zones and rotate more frequently than conventional forces given the intense combat operations they experience.  Since enlisting in the Army in 1999, Petry has served almost his entire Army career as a Ranger and has deployed twice to Iraq and six times to Afghanistan. That sixth deployment occurred this past year.

He continues to serve on active duty as a liaison officer with wounded warriors and plans to remain a soldier. The married father of four recently re-enlisted for another eight years of Army service.

We at Paradiso Insurance salute Sgt. Leroy Petry for his gallantry and dedication in protecting our great nation and the freedoms bestowed upon us because of the service men and women at home and abroad.

Story courtesy of the Associated Press

Each year on November 11, Veterans Day we honor our United States Military Veterans.

Did you know that this holiday was originally celebrated as Armistice Day? Armistice Day was the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. It was first incorporated as by President Wilson as Armistice Day in 1919.

After WWII however, citizens felt that the veterans of all wars should be recognized, not just those of WWI.  So in 1954 Congress changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.  In America, the holiday now celebrates the approximate 2.9 million U.S. veterans with parades and ceremonies among other events.

At Paradiso Insurance, we would like to thank all of the war heroes who gave their lives to defend this great nation of ours.  We recognize our veterans not just on this holiday, but any chance we can.  Being patriotic is just one way we recognize the biggest heroes of all.

“From the world wars of Europe to the jungles of the Far East, from the deserts of the Middle East to the African continent, and even here in our own hemisphere, our veterans have made the world a better place and America the great country we are today. “- John Hoeven

In our constant efforts to spread military awareness, Paradiso Insurance wants you to Nominate Your Local Hero!

Through monthly submissions sent to ParadisoVeterans@gmail.com, our staff will choose one Connecticut Hero.  We are honoring past and current members of any branch of the U.S. Military Services.  We encourage you to nominate a grandfather, school teacher, neighbor, or anyone else who has previously served our country.

Please send a picture of your Hero and a half page explanation on what makes them a “Hero.”  We will take September submissions until the 25th.  Please spread the word as we look forward to spotlighting local Connecticut heroes for months to come!

If you have any questions feel free to contact our Stafford Connecticut office at 860-684-5270.

As you all know, tomorrow marks the 9th anniversary of the tragic incident that shook our country. Nineteen men hijacked at least four planes, deliberatley crashing two planes into the world trade center and one into the pentagon. The fourth plane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania thanks to heroic efforts of the passengers who refused to lose control of the plane.  The destination for the fourth plane was said to be the Capitol in Washington D.C. The estimated death count is 2, 977 excluding the hijackers. More than 90 countries were affected because their citizens were killed in the attack on the World Trade Center.

Following the attacks, the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island was temporarily reopened to receive and process the debris from the destruction of the World Trade Center. This debris contained the remains of many of the victims; much of it in the form of dust and small fragments. On March 26, 2010, families of 9/11 victims received notice that the city will conduct a sifting operation for World Trade Center remains at the Fresh Kills landfill. The operation is scheduled to take three months at an estimated cost of $1.4 million.  This will allow the families of the victims to possbily have some closure.

At Paradiso Insurance, our hearts go out to the families who lost loved ones during the attack.  This was truly a horrible day and a day that will never be forgotten.  We all must remember that “Freedom Isn’t Free” and that our soldiers are still out there fighting for this freedom and they should not be forgotten.  God Bless America!

“I cannot tell you immediately what was on my mind…except that they were wrong.”    -Rick Monday

America’s favorite past-time and the red, white and blue; what a play!  Rick Monday was quite the Patriot at the April 25, 1976 game at Dodger Stadium.  A former Marine, Monday always will be remembered for what he did on the baseball field on April 25, 1976.  Two protestors, William Thomas and his 11-year-old son, ran onto the field and laid out an American flag like “a picnic blanket,” and began dousing it with lighter fluid.

At Paradiso Insurance, we are very patriotic.  We take pride in being free Americans and fly our flag high.  We constantly try to raise military awareness and are currently putting together a fall fundraiser for the troops. 

This video was sent to us by The Rough Notes Company, an Insurance publication which aims to develop products, services, technical and educational information, which will assist the independent agency system.  As an independent agency, we are so thankful for Rough Notes; their innovation and product development help keep independent agencies on top.  Rough Notes provides free subscriptions!  Subscribe here! 

For more information on this 1976 play, please visit the full article at http://www.azcentral.com/sports/articles/2010/07/03/20100703rick-monday-stopped-flag-burning-1976-patriotism-as-strong-today.html.

You have got to check out the heart-warming story of Jack Leroy Tueller, World War II vet, The Power of Music.

This is a very moving story of an American shooter out on the battlefield with a German sniper.  Realizing that his enemy was simply a lonely, scared man very similar to himself, he decided to relieve his enemy by playing a tune.  Hearing the powerful song, the German sniper was reminded of all of his loved ones back home, and simply could not shoot.  The song actually formed a strong bond between the two men; when US troops came up the beach with German POWs, the soldier was asking for the American who played the song the night before.  He shook the American’s hand and burst into tears.

An interesting tale from the battlefield, it can teach us a lot about our every day life. The power of music uniting two enemies…that is truly powerful.  This moving story deserves to be passed on; feel free to share.

Paradiso Insurance supports our troops and the men like Jack Leroy Tuner, fighting for our freedom every day.