In Their Honor: The Men Behind the Names of Our Military Installations

 Author's Summary

In Their Honor is a collection of 524 biographies of men who have had a military installation named in his honor. The book gives the reader a glimpse into the lives of military heroes from privates to generals, aviation pioneers, prisoners of war, civilians, astronauts, and explorers and scientists who either gave their lives for our country or in some way made a major contribution to our nation. All branches of the military are included plus bases in Germany, Korea, Army Airfields, Air and National Guard Bases and other overseas installations.
 

MWSA Review

I was busy when this book arrived in the mail. It’s thick and while attractively put together, the cover didn’t grab me. I put it in the stack of books, letters, pictures, and cds beside my bed and forgot about it. Weeks later, as I worked through this tower of tasks, I picked it up and took it to lunch with me. As I settled into a booth at Denny’s and ordered a diet cola, I thumbed through it. “Cool,” I muttered to myself when I found out that Ent Air Force Base was named after Major General Uzal Ent who is a Pennsylvania native. He died a few months before I was born and lived an incredible life of achievement—acquiring a ton of military recognitions, flying everything from balloons to the B24-Liberator, and after becoming paralyzed from the waist down after a crash, designing braces for paraplegics. I immediately made a note to myself to write about this amazing man and dog-eared the corner of that page.

A few pages later, I was surprised to see that there was a Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan. I’d never heard of the place, however, I knew Thomas Selfridge as the first Army officer to die in an air crash back in 1908. I knew that because he was killed testing the Wright Flyer piloted by Orville Wright himself— and I am a big fan of Orville Wright. Wow! I dog-eared that page too. 

At that point, Linda Swink had me. I’m from Arkansas, not far from Fort Chaffee. I flipped the pages until I found it. It was named after Major General Adna Romanza Chaffee, Jr.  Whew! That was quite a name.  Who was this guy? A West Pointer? My mind whirled—remembering all the places I’ve been. I stuck a napkin in the book so I could find it again later. I once worked with a man who was at Clark Field when it was attacked by the Japanese on December 8, 1941. I found the index and ran my finger down the list of names. There it was. Clark Field, page 19, was named for Major Harold Melville Clark who drowned in the Miraflores Lock after a plane crash. Where the heck was Miraflores Lock?  What was he doing there?  I used a spoon to save my place for a future perusal.

When they kicked me out of Denny’s a couple hours later, my copy of In Their Honor was bulging with old receipts, eyeglass chains, pencils, and my AARP ID card retrieved from the bottom of my purse (they made me leave the silverware). As I was driving home, I thought about living in Austin, TX, the year our daughter was born. My husband worked at Bergstrom Air Force Base at the time. I made a note to look that one up.  MWSA member Buddy Cox and his wife Mary met at the Air Force Base in Blytheville, AR, where they were both assigned. I added that one to the list. I remembered the movie The Right Stuff and Edwards Air Force Base up in the high desert of California.  Who did they name that one for?

A couple weeks later, MWSA lead reviewer Jim Greenwald messaged me.  “Did you finish In Their Honor?”

“It’s around,” I evaded his question. 

“We need to get it reviewed and move on,” he scolded me.
  
“Okay, I promise,” I eyed the ragged volume on my nightstand. I’d spent many hours “playing” with that book--finding something that interested me, daydreaming about the places themselves—and the people, scouring the web for more information, making notes for future stories, essays, articles, and books that I intend to write. I owed the author something for the nights that I’d spent with her book instead of working or sleeping. However, the ugly truth was that I just wasn’t ready. I decided to ignore Jim until he came after me with snarling dogs and a sidearm.

Did you know that there’s a Runkle Tactical Site in Alabama? It was named for Lieutenant Colonel Robert Leslie Runkle who died leading the 1st Calvary Division in Operation Pegasus in Vietnam on April 4, 1968. I had a date with a cute guy that night—I remember because I married him less than a month later. I was young and in love and happy—oblivious to what was going on half-a world away. I felt bad about Colonel Runkle when I realized that and now I need to learn more about him.

How about Camp Red Cloud in South Korea? It was named after Corporal Mitchel Red Cloud, Jr. who posthumously received the Medal of Honor in 1950. This is good stuff! Surely we should all know about it.

Linda Swink’s marvelous book tempts me every time I want to hang loose and relax. It’s easy to read and easy to scan through looking for specific information. It’s a handy reference so I don’t feel guilty spending time with it (unless I’m dodging the reviewmiester) and it’s given me dozens of leads.  More importantly, it’s opened my eyes to many different ways the men who people this book have served their country. Like many children of World War II veterans, Ms. Swink dedicates her book to her father, a Marine who fought on Peleliu. I know that she honors him by the huge amount of work that went into this book. However, In Their Honor is more than a personal salute. The author has created a tool for historians, authors, and teachers and opened a door for the blissfully unaware—like me.

Reviewed by: Joyce Faulkner (2010)