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STIVERS BLOG: March 2012
Posted by
Steve Stivers
on
March 26, 2012
There is so much negativity today in the news and everywhere we look that it is always nice when we can pause to recognize good things that are happening in our community. I would like to take the opportunity to use this blog to highlight some of the positive events that are happening in Central Ohio.
One of my favorite parts of my job as your Congressman is having the chance to meet and recognize exemplary Americans who have served their country with distinction or who are striving to make our communities better places to live. I recently had the pleasure of meeting one such man, Sgt. Marion Charles Gray, who was the first Franklin County man to be wounded in battle on D-Day. A man who exemplifies the spirit of “The Greatest Generation”, Marion Gray enlisted in the armed forces the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Upon his enlistment, Gray was originally sent to Camp Roberts to learn Combat Intelligence but was eventually transferred into the Medical Corps due to the education in pharmacology and pre-medicine that he had received at The Ohio State University. After training as a combat medic, Sgt. Gray was fatefully assigned to the 29th Infantry Division of the 116th Regiment, which was part of the first wave of American soldiers to land on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. Sgt. Gray’s regiment was one of the hardest hit, and Gray himself sustained shrapnel wounds in both his left arm and right leg as he heroically dragged a hurt soldier to safety. His arm temporarily paralyzed, Gray was evacuated to a hospital in England. Despite learning the government would allow him to return home on account of his injuries, Gray rehabbed his arm and returned to France to continue to fight, which he did until the war’s conclusion on V-E Day almost a full year later. Just recently, in recognition of his service during the war the French government named Marion Gray a Knight of the Legion of Honor, an award presented to those who have achieved remarkable deeds for France. It was at the presentation of this award that I had the pleasure to meet and congratulate Marion. Marion Gray’s story is one that reminds us of the potential we all have as Americans to do what is right and make a difference. Without his contributions and those of his fellow soldiers, many of whom paid the ultimate price, our world could be very different. Their sacrifices purchased the freedoms that we continue to enjoy today, and we owe each of them a debt of gratitude. I congratulate Marion on his well-deserved honor. |
