MILITARY STORIES CONTENT AND INTRODUCTION (CLICK HERE)

PDF FILES FOR PRINTING (CLICK HERE)

BESSETTE EXTENDED FAMILIES (CLICK BELOW)

• Jean Brisetout Bessette - The First Warrior
• Olivier Bessette -Soldiers of the Argonne Forest
• Raoul M. Bessette - The Banana Solution
• Raoul R. Bessette - The Police Action
• Raoul R. Bessette Summary-PDF
• Joseph E. Bessette-Deeds Not Words
• Joseph Bessette Summary-PDF
•  George Bessette - Semper Fi
• Gerald Bessette - Airborne with the USS Saratoga
• Ernest Bessette Family
• John Pickrell - Aerial Survey Team
• David Pickrell - Service in Germany

            HOULE EXTENDED FAMILIES

• Pierre Niquette - Flapjack Pete
• Bob Houle - The Luck of the Draw
• Donald Houle - Aircraft Carrier Duty with the Stingers
• Gaston Jacques - Lost, But Not Forgotten
• Edward Beaudreault - Drafted in 1943
• Maurice Rousseau-Surviving Kamikaze Attacks
• James Rousseau-Twenty Years of Service

             MCLEAN FLEMING  EXTENDED FAMILIES

• Mclean Brothers - The Saltwater Siblings
• Linda Thayer - In Her Father's Footsteps
• Charles Mclean - Setting the Example
• Bernard Mclean - In His Brothers' Footsteps
• Wayne Mclean - A Quiet Man Renders Exemplary Service
• Rosaire Bousquet-Ready for Action

                                                            CONTENT & INTRODUCTION

This is the 7^th and probably the final part of the Genealogy Compilation of the Bessette-Houle-Mclean-Fleming Families. My interest in this aspect of our genealogy was piqued by a visit that I had made to the Notre Dame Cemetery in South Hadley [MA] where our daughter Anne Marie, my parents and brother Richard are buried.  During that visit a few years ago I checked out the tombstone of my father’s brother, Oliver who had died in 1960. What drew my attention was that he had inscribed on the tombstone his rank and unit that he had served with during World War 1. He was clearly proud of his service.   Subsequently I spent some time on the internet trying to find out about the unit that he had served with. In that process I stumbled upon a book prepared from the diaries of two men that had served with that regiment in 1917 and 1918. I obtained the book and read it.  It was truly a realistic portrayal of that terrible war and the experience that the men of their regiment, including Oliver, lived through. They had participated in the final battles of that war and suffered serious casualties. It occurred to me that it would be a good way to complete the Genealogy Compilation by telling the stories of those of our families that had served their country.

Inasmuch as the pool of veterans that I am including in this effort contains the four families making up our families (Doris and mine) only our children and their children will feel the attachment to all of the stories included in this collection. There are however,  stories of interest to anybody related to one of these families. While we cannot boast of great military traditions like John McCain and his lineage of Navy Admirals, Douglas MacArthur whose own father was awarded the Medal of Honor for his exploits at Missionary Ridge during the Civil War, or even Teddy Roosevelt,  with his exploits at San Juan Hill,  and his four sons that served valiantly in World War 1, including one that died in air combat, and his eldest son (Theodore Jr.)  who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his services on D Day as Assistant Division Commander of the 4th  Division on Utah Beach. What we do have is a lineage of average Americans that stepped up to the challenge and served their country with honor and in some cases, great courage.

In the stories that follow you will read about the earliest of our military family dating back to the earliest period of settling this great continent and the experiences in the Great War (that’s what they called World War 1) of a gentleman who was born over 115 years ago, who was a little known uncle to most of my generation, but who participated in the serious combat that ended that war. There are numerous stories of my older cousins who served in World War 2 and participated in  the great battles from Pearl Harbor to Okinawa.  They where there on D-day with the 160,000 men that stormed the 5 invasion beaches of  Normandy , fought at the great battle of Iwo Jima, shot down numerous Japanese Kamikaze pilots at Okinawa, and flew missions over occupied Europe. There is a remarkable story of a young man who died when his aircraft was shot down over France and whose family never knew what happened to their son and brother and who now know after 60 years.  We are represented in the police action  on the Korean Peninsula as well in the ill fated Viet Nam conflict and as I write these words, there are members of the younger generation engaged in the conflict raging in Iraq. There are the stories of my wife’s family that included four brothers that volunteered and served in the Navy during World war 2 and the Korean conflict.

JOHN GLENN (ON THE SENATE FLOOR) Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 11:13

Following you will find the response made on the floor of the U.S. Senate to Senator Howard Metzenbaum after this draft dodger made some unflattering remarks about Senator Glen and the U.S. Military.  This is a classic.

Some people still don't understand why military  personnel do what they do for a living. This exchange between Senators John Glenn and Senator  Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a  pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's also a  good example of one man's explanation of why men and  women in the armed services do what they do for a  living.  This is a typical, though sad, example of what  some who have never served think of the military. 

Senator Metzenbaum (speaking to Senator Glenn):  "How can you run for Senate when you've never held a  real job?" Senator Glenn (D-Ohio): "I served 23  years in the United States Marine Corps. I served  through two wars. I flew 149 missions. My plane was  hit by anti-aircraft fire on 12 different occasions.  I was in the space program. It wasn't my checkbook,  Howard; it was my life on the line. It was not a  nine-to-five job, where I took time off to take the daily cash receipts to the bank."  "I ask you to go with me ... as I went the other  day... to a veteran's hospital and look those men - with their mangled bodies - in the eye, and tell THEM  they didn't hold a job! You go with me to the Space  Program at NASA and go, as I have gone, to the  widows and Orphans of Ed White, Gus Grissom and  Roger Chaffee... and you look those kids in the eye and tell  them that their DADS didn't hold a job. You go  with me on Memorial Day and you stand in Arlington  National Cemetery, where I have more friends buried  than I'd like to remember, and you watch those  waving flags.  You stand there, and you think about this nation,  and you tell ME that those people didn't have a job?  I'll tell you, Howard Metzenbaum; you should be on  your knees every day of your life thanking God that  there were some men - SOME MEN - who held REAL jobs.  And they required a dedication to a purpose - and a  love of country and a dedication to duty - that was more important than life itself. And their  self-sacrifice is what made this country  possible. I HAVE held a job, Howard! What about  you?" For those who don't remember - During W.W.II,  Howard Metzenbaum was an  attorney representing the Communist Party in the  USA. Now he's a Senator!  Enjoy the stories.      

                                                     

Raoul R. Bessette
Leesburg, Florida
June 1, 2005