Send Sargent Taphorn home
For lack of a better term, this is a “Red Starburst Cluster”
Those of you that are familiar with the term, know it NEVER means anything good.
Depending on the horse you ride into battle, it means different things, but it is always bad.
To those who rode a rotary-winged horse, it was usually preceded by a frantic call on Fox-Mike, hollering “MAYDAY-MAYDAY-MAYDAY.”
Every gunship would turn their sights to the area to provide a steel umbrella
Dog-faced grunts would move swiftly as possible to provide ground protection for exfill of the downed crew, or surrounded platoon.
– The “Red Starburst cluster” is a call for help, it means a brother is down and needs immediate QRF.
Today I’m sending a Red Starburst cluster up on behalf of SSG Frank J. Taphorn, of the 601st Tank Killer Bn, 3rd Infantry Division.
Frank is a 98-year-old WW2 Veteran.
Frank made the crossing in a troop ship then took part in five (5) seaborn invasions including North Africa, Anzio and France. In that time Frank earned Five (5) Bronze Stars – Two (2) Silver stars and a gaggle of minor awards to go with his THREE (3) Purple Hearts.
Frank’s Physical health has taken a turn for the worse and he can no longer live alone in the High Sierras. - the choices are a county home (he will not survive long there) or his family can take him into their home if we can find a way to get him there.
His mental acuity is not affected, he is a lucid and conversant as any of us but he requires 24/7 care and he has no family in the area.
Frank does have family near Atlanta GA, who are prepared to take Frank into their home as he goes into hospice, the problem is getting him from Sacramento Ca to Atlanta, GA.
The airlines do not want responsibility for a non-ambulatory senior citizen, and private air ambulance services are cost prohibitive.
We need 11,000 to send Frank home, with a Comercial escort .
Ir could be cheaper if there were nurse, Corpsman or Medic out there willing to volunteer their time to escort him to Georgia.
