"He instinctively can find the shining greatness of our American culture and does a good job of highlighting it (although he also does have those rare lapses when he writes about hockey, but that is something caused by impurities in the Eastern waters or something)." Erik Keilholtz
Under the patronage of St. Tammany
Mark C. N. Sullivan is an editor at a Massachusetts university. He is married and the father of three children. Email
The Medal of Honor Citations for both men tell roughly the same story. They pulled the crew from the aircraft, and they saved the pilot. They established a protective perimeter, putting themselves in the most vulnerable position. Each used his long-range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while protecting the downed crew. "First Class Sergeant Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded." His own ammunition nearly depleted, Gordon found a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition. This he handed to the dazed copter pilot with the words, "Good luck." Then, armed only with his pistol, "Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded."
She feared at first, Randall Shughart's mother recalled, that her son would be forgotten. He had not been, of course; but there were all the others who had also fought and been killed that day, she reflected--what of them? In one regard, she said, "my son was lucky."
He had, she explained, at least known happiness. "He was married for just two years. A good marriage."
The Medal of Honor ceremonies and everything connected with them now seem a long way off, but certain memories remain vivid. There had been one event when she had to face Les Aspin. She thought she would not be able to shake his hand. "I finally did. I just couldn't do that." Her husband had been less inhibited, and had refused to shake President Clinton's hand at the Medal of Honor ceremony in 1994. "You are not fit to be president," Mr. Shughart told Mr. Clinton. The president did not reply, Mrs. Shughart reports.
![[SMMMHDH]](http://www.mgilleland.com/music/smmmhdh.png){kind=small}
