Something different...

If you are under 60-years of age, most likely you've never heard of her.

If, like me, you are a Baby Boomer and a Vietnam vet, you know her as a Hollywood film comedienne, during the 1940's and WWII.

She bears the distinction of being the ONLY Hollywood celebrity casualty of the Vietnam war, AND... Hollywood blacklisted her because of her support of the troops and the war.

Performing with the USO during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Making 5 qualifying jumps with Army Green Berets, wounded in combat, while assisting Army Field medics, she was given the honorary rank of Colonel in 1967.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton awarded her the highest decoration for civilians who have served their country: the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Her name is is Martha Raye... but the Green Berets called her, I call her, "Colonel Maggie".

Why am I blogging about her?

FLASHBACK TO... late December 1966.

Yours truly is lying on his back, feeling like ten pounds of crap in a five pound bag, in the Malaria Ward, at Navy, 1st Hospitals Company, in Chu Lai, South Vietnam.

For those who have never had Malaria, you're NOT missing a thing!

As it worsens, so does the fever you already had when you were admitted.

You lose complete control of your bladder and bowels, AND my personal favorite... you are so weak, you can't lift yourself up to sit on the bed pan. Yes, BED PAN... those were the old school days when cathaters weren't a staple in Navy/Army field hospitals. If a hospital corpsman wasn't there to assist you (not their fault, there were a bunch of us on that ward) you can imagine how ripe the odor was.

Against medical advice, Col. Maggie walks in the ward, and in a loud, cheerful voice says, I told the CO, I wasn't leavin till I said hello to ALL my boys!"

I tear up now as I remember her stopping by each cot, and spending a few minutes with each of us. Asking our names, where we were from, how long we'd been in country, when do we rotate home - then... giving each of us a kiss on the forehead. Then pointing to the Corpsman she said, "You take good care of my boys, right?"

A bunch of Corpsman were on the ward that day, just to see her, and all responded with a salute and, "Yes Mam." She gave them a kiss and a hug, asked them the same things she asked us, then she left.

FAST FORWARD TO mid 1986, Oxnard, CA.

I was working with a startup television station - KTIE, the first in Ventura County at that time.

The station had new owners and they were launching the presence of the station - a big party.

As those in the "in crowd" are being introduced, there's a little bit of a stir as "an old 1940's movie star" tried to make her entrance unnoticed, but wasn't successful.

It was Col. Maggie - Martha Raye.

Relating the story of how I first met her, one of my colleagues said, "get over there and introduce yourself to her".

"She isn't going to remember me", I answered.

"Let's go", he says, getting behind me and pushing toward the table she was sitting.

Well, there I was... "Col. Maggie. I know you couldn't possibly remember me, but..." I gave her a brief version of how I knew her.

Before I could finish, she got out of her chair, and with tears in her eyes, gave me a bear hug, saying, "You're one of my boys! Thank God you made it home!

"Here, sit down. You and I are going to have some of this free food, and you're going to tell me what you've been doing with yourself!

We talked as if we known each other for years.

Col. Maggie... made me feel like the "special guest" at that party that night.

Col. Maggie was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

RIP, Col. Maggie... Hand Salute.

Yeah... not my typical blog, but a story I wanted to tell.

Thanks for reading my blog!