Galloway spent 22 years with UPI and retired in 2010 after working as a military affairs correspondent and columnist for the newspaper chains Knight Ridder and McClatchy, where he wrote critically of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. A baby girl, Karen Doranne Metsker, who was just 17 months old and would never know her father, but like every child who has suffered such a loss in war would miss him forever. And that was one reason the General [Hal Moore] and I wrote the book, and that's one reason Randall Wallace has made the movie; to give the veterans a chance to see something they can be proud of and say, "By God, that's the truth.". The Thomas C. Metsker Leadership Education Fund was created to honor the His wife, Grace Galloway, confirmed the heartbreaking news, announcing that Journalist Joe Galloway, best known for his book recounting a pivotal battle in theVietnam Warthat was made into a Hollywood movie, has died on Wednesday morning after being hospitalized near their home in Concord, North Carolina. For GOD does indeed work His Miracles in very Loving Ways? We know that Karen is single at this point. They had two sons, Joshua and Lee. And you'd get two beers to celebrate at the end of the day. Then his second marriage to Karen Metsker ended in 2012 when they divorced, and then he married Grace Liem Lim Suan Tzu, who was working as a nurses helper during the Vietnam War. I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed the book. He always puts his own stamp on the words he's going to say in a speech. View Details. Reverse postal code. She called her daughter. Memorial ID. And so when the panel was over, we had a cocktail, and I found this guy and introduced myself. The Marines, of course. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. So I guess my warring days are over. Disclaimer: I walked away from that battle in November of 1965, but 79 young men died on that field, and 130 others were grievously wounded. My Great Grandfather Galloway lost his right leg at the Second Battle of Manassas in the Civil War, and Great Grandfather Reid lost his left leg at the Battle of the Wilderness. I found myself sitting in my chair, shaking like a leaf, with tears rolling down my cheeks at the sight and the memories, he told Vietnam Magazine in 2017. They just don't get it. Your email address will not be published. pg.acq.push(function() { taught to cadets by The Citadel. eventAction: 'click_adunit' (Laughter) In some ways, I look at what has transpired in Afghanistan and I think I ought to be there. }); So much was taken from us, and yet so much was given. You can contact Karen by sending an email to kmetsker@comcast.net Main Address 206 Washington Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93308 County: Kern County FIPS: 60290002002006 Possible connections via main address - Debrah Craig, Chanel Jewlean Hanley Latitude, Longitude: 35.4157758, -119.024002 eventAction: 'click_ads' He gave his life for his friend. Karen Lynn Metsker, age 61, Covina, CA 91724 Search . Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The families of others who died in those terrible November days 38 years ago will join us in this annual voyage of remembrance and healing. 2023 Stars and Stripes. His actions are depicted in the film We Were Soldiers in which he is portrayed by actor Barry Pepper. Proceedings: And that's the common thread among heroes of all wars? Jim Webb writes beautifully. late Tom Metsker, '61. You have permission to edit this article. Tom was wounded in the shoulder and ultimately ordered to board a Huey helicopter full of other wounded Americans. Together they had two sons, Joshua and Lee. The private was evacuated but died in a hospital two days later. Met the Man and he is what he says, Man of Men. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. I know a lot more because my wife, Karen Metsker Galloway, is one of them. Karen and the kids and I will go over to Arlington National Cemetery where Metsker rests, just downslope from the Tomb of the Unknowns, and we will visit with him. And I think it will be well received, September 11th or not. And I assume he carries a lot of baggage. Karen, who is also Metsker's daughter. If they watched closely and followed the main characters, they might have noticed a young Army Captain named Thomas C. Metsker who was Moore's battalion intelligence officer. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Karen has been found in 10 states including California, Arizona, Indiana, Virginia, Florida, and 5 others. It always has; that's how it operates. The 2002 film 'We Were Soldiers', starring Mel Gibson, is based on Galloway's book. And the reporters will come out with a knowledge deep enough and strong enough so they can do their jobs without creating risk or danger to those they cover. The least likely guy out there may be the one who does something worthy of a Medal of Honor. Next month, the Ia Drang band of brothers Karen's honorary uncles and the kids' honorary granddads will come to town as they always do this time of year. [3] During the fighting, he risked his own safety to assist wounded soldiers. Fleming, an executive vice president at Mercer College Alumni I wrote the foreword to it. His granddaughters, Abigail, then 9, and Alison, then 11, were their mother's attendants. wounded than he. Our thoughts and prayers are with great Joe Galloways family, friends, fans, and all of his loved ones on these tough days. It contained the details of how Metsker died, giving his seat and his life for a brother. In addition to his wife, of Concord, survivors include two sons from his first marriage, Lee Galloway of San Antonio and Joshua Galloway of Houston; a stepdaughter, Li Mei of Concord; and three grandchildren. Tom got out, gave his place to Capt. He said he ran a good company, and Oliver Stone was a good soldier who did his duty. Bakersfield. During the Vietnam War, he often worked alongside the American troops he covered and was awarded a Bronze Star Medal in 1998 for having carried a badly wounded man to safety while he was under very heavy enemy fire in 1965. The families of others who died in those terrible November days 38 years ago will join us in this annual voyage of remembrance and healing. So I know where to go to look. But the easy things are the ones that scare you later. I picked up the phone the next morning and called General Moore at his home in Colorado. You just cant turn your back on something like that, not if youve seen it with your own eyes.. Who were Joe Galloway's wives? You can also leave a condolence message below the comment box to honor him. Both he and Lt. Gen HAL G. MOORE, Co-writer of ..'WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE and YOUNG'.. about our Battle say it together in this 1993 Commandant of the Marine Corps' Book of the Year. Please enter a valid Memorial ID. Galloway wrote the book 'We Were Soldiers Once and Young' about the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam in 1965. So much was taken from us, and yet so much was given. and ethics to generations of Citadel men and women still to come.". might live. This is a story about love and war. This Find 3 people named Karen Metsker along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok search on PeekYou - true people search. Few memories of Ia Drang were more painful for Galloway than the death of Pfc. Another tweeted: Oh no. Joe Galloway. [15], Galloway married his first wife, Theresa Magdalene Null, in September 1966 and they remained married until her death on January 26, 1996, from cancer. [13], In 1991, Galloway received a National Magazine Award for a U.S. News cover article on the Ia Drang battles in Vietnam. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. The next evening was the Ia Drang dinner, and someone said, You two have got to meet. Suddenly we were face to face. He seems determined to address every ghost from that war. (Ret.) Username. Stepping off the chopper, he arrived at a battlefield that one Army pilot later called hell on Earth, for a short period of time.. Karen asked: "Why didn't you write this story 25 years ago?" I accept it, he said at the time, in memory of the 70-plus reporters and photographers who were killed covering the Vietnam War, trying to tell the truth and keep the country free.. a letter written by Randall Wallace, director of We Were Soldiers, to And how they saw it and how they saw themselves, before and after, this is the stuff of literature, in the case of O'Brien and in the case of many others. The couple got divorced in 2003. Twenty-five years after these events, I wrote a cover article for U.S. News & World Report on a battle America had forgotten in a war it didn't really want to remember. And I think something like that shapes the way you see the world all your life. This spring the cadets at The Citadel named their new football mascot, a bulldog puppy, "General Tom Metsker.". He then worked for U.S. News & World Report magazine and Knight-Ridder newspapers in a series of overseas roles, including reporting from the Persian Gulf War in 1991. to the help of the many people who have contributed to the Thomas Metsker Like the war stories, it is something I have lived. He was dead when that helicopter next touched ground. They're profane, and theyas you saycarry a lot of baggage. Stitt expresses 'strong disagreement' with Oklahoma AG over Catholic charter school, Meet the 2023 Mr. Inside/Mr. He fell forward into the helicopter, and, as it took off, Tom's legs dangled out of that bird. posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. And, thank you, too, for your service to our country. The upshot was: Cathy and Karen and Tom's sister, Ibby Hall, all came to a reunion of the Ia Drang band of brothers on Veterans Day weekend, 1990. Who is Maki Kaji's wife? Show More . Karen Doranne Metsker Military Hal Moore Greg Dillon Cathy Laplante Metsker War Basil L. Plumley privacy policy Tulsa World, 315 S. Boulder Ave. Tulsa, OK 74103 | Terms of Use | Privacy. Galloway immediately embraced the idea as did his wife, But the Palestinian-Israeli situation also is very high. a soldier, and an outstanding human being. And that's as it should be. Five years ago this week, on October 24, 1998, Karen and I were married in the backyard of General Sam Wilson's home on the campus of Hampden-Sydney College in southern Virginia, under the spreading arms of an ancient Osage orange tree. I've been giving military-media talks for 15 years, and I've found that the military usually listens, and the media does not. Army. The Marines, who had 30% of the mission, got 70% of the press. After the war, they got together once a year and went to town to buy boots. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), }); Joseph Lee Galloway Jr. was born in Bryan, Texas, on Nov. 13, 1941, three weeks before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Proceedings: You did a lot of difficult things in Vietnam. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. and Moore and Galloway gave an interview on the book at the Pritzker Military Library on September 17, 2008. Posted on 02/01/2002 10:52:04 AM PST by Stand Watch Listen, Galloway: I read a collection of Ernie Pyle's material from World War II when I was a kid, and I thought: "If my generation has a war, this is something I want to do." Karen became increasingly important in my life. Facebook gives. 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