Who's Your Hero Blogfest

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Heroes?  Wow...I've got several.

I'm going to talk a little about my mother-in-law's husband, Vincent Rios.

"Vince" enlisted in the Marines shortly after graduating high-school in 1964.  He did a tour and came home, and almost immediately 're-upped' again.  He spent a couple of years stateside, and then returned to Viet Nam.  This tour, he received 3 Purple Hearts.

1.  He was shot in the left shoulder with only a minor injury.

2.  He was shot in the right shoulder which required more extensive treatment.

3.  In 1969, as leader of his platoon, he had the misfortune to step on a land-mine, which vaporized both his legs.  His right arm hung by threads and several knuckles on his left hand were gone.

He remained in his position, giving orders to his men and protecting them with cover fire.

Many soldiers would not have survived such extensive wounds.  But such was the determination of Sgt. Rios.  He went on to drive vehicles (with hand controls), walk on prosthetics, and earn two advanced degrees, serving his comrades in the DAV for years.  I've not once witnessed him bemoan what happened.  His philosophy is basically, "It could have killed me, but it didn't."

Each year on the 4th of July, the remaining members of his old unit gather at Vince's house to celebrate and commemorate.

Every time I get down on myself (which is far too often), I remember Sgt. Rios, and the tremendous example he set back then and continues to set today.

This is a more timely picture of Vince:

(I must confess I do not know copyright on these photos, but they belong in the family, and I'm hoping no one will get upset at me using them here.  I found them at the Austin, Texas, chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.)