Veteran awarded flag in honor of his Bronze Star
The family of U.S. Army Master Sergeant Henry Todd had no idea he had ever been awarded a Bronze Star.
U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer wanted to make sure they knew.
In a ceremony Friday afternoon, Palmer said Todd, a resident at Bill Nichols State Veterans Home, was awarded the Bronze Star many years ago, but the star was lost and another was issued many years later.
“I think Sen. Tim Scott awarded the medal to (Todd), but what I wanted to do to honor him, and really to honor all of you, is present him with the flag that we flew over the Capitol of the United States in his honor,” Palmer said.
Palmer noted of the many awards he has given to veterans, they all had one thing in common.
“You are truly a band of brothers,” he said. “You stick together, and you're together today. And I came today to honor one of your brothers in arms, Master Sergeant Henry Todd.”
Todd, who served in the U.S. Army from 1974-76, was surrounded by his family when he received the flag. Most had driven a few hours to attend the ceremony.
Palmer said his favorite story about serving the country was the story of General George Washington and his men.
“Anytime you hear 1776, you're thinking of the Declaration of Independence, right?” he said. “It's the year we came the closest to losing our country. In August of 1776, Gen. Washington had around 20,000 troops in New York fit for duty. He was pressed on all sides by the British. He built a fort on each side of the Hudson River. On one side was Fort Washington, on the other side was Fort Lee. He had divided his army. The British and Hessians attacked Fort Washington, and within five hours took the fort, captured 3,000 men and all of their equipment, and moved so swiftly on Fort Lee that he had to abandon the fort with everything left behind: entrenching equipment, tents, everything. He divided his army, made a desperate retreat across New Jersey to try to get to the Delaware River, where they commandeered boats up and down the river to cross over to what they thought was safety. There was snow on the ground.
“On Dec. 1, the enlistment of 2,000 of his men expired, and every one of them left. He sent out a call for enlistments, and about 1,200 showed up. In the middle of December, around the 16th, I think, the other half of the army showed up, or at least what was left of it … So he's now down to 6,000 men fit for duty. He lost every battle in New York. Can you imagine what went through the minds of those men when they were told on Christmas Day, that that night, at midnight, they would gather on the frozen banks of the Delaware River, cross over and attack the Hessians at Trenton the next morning?”
Palmer said this story exemplifies servicemen to him.
“When the order came, every man got back in the boat, crossed that river the next morning, saved our country,” he said. “That's what I think about when I think about you guys, and how you stick together.”