A True American Hero

You may have read one of my previous blog posts about my uncle, Alfie Fripp who passed away in 2013 at 98. A WW II veteran, he was the oldest surviving and longest-serving British prisoner of war. He was “Uncle Bill” to me and my brother Robert Fripp. I would like to introduce you to another hero of WW II, Van T. Barfoot who died at the age of 92 on March 2, 2013.

Remember the guy who wouldn’t take the flag pole down on his Virginia property a while back?

You might remember the news story about a crotchety old man in Virginia who defied his local Homeowners Association, and refused to take down the flag pole on his property along with the large American flag he flew on it.

Now we learn who that old man was.

On June 15, 1919, Van T. Barfoot was born in Edinburg , Texas . That probably didn’t make news back then.

But twenty-five years later, on May 23, 1944, near Carano , Italy , that same Van T. Barfoot, who had in 1940 enlisted in the U.S. Army, set out alone to flank German machine gun positions from which gunfire was raining down on his fellow soldiers.

His advance took him through a minefield but having done so, he proceeded to single-handedly take out three enemy machine gun positions, returning with 17 prisoners of war.

And if that weren’t enough for a day’s work, he later took on and destroyed three German tanks sent to retake the machine gun positions.

Van T. Barfoot, was awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor for his actions while serving in the United States Army during World War II.

May he rest in peace.

Executive Speech Coach and Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker, Patricia Fripp is hired by individuals and companies who realize that powerful, persuasive presentation skills give them a competitive edge.