Six American heroes everyone should know this Memorial Day, from Delta Force to a WWII bomber crew

There are six American heroes every citizen of this great country should know about Remembrance Day.

Today is a very heavy day for many people. It is the one day of the year that we set aside to shine a light on all the men and women who fought for our freedom and never made it home.

Our goal is to honor every American who has laid down his or her life for our country, our beautiful flag, and all our citizens. Unfortunately, it is also a very painful day for the family members of the martyrs, and I can tell you that from first-hand experience.

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Death changes the survivors. It is a wound that never heals, and although time may numb it, it can never erase the void left behind when a father, son, brother, uncle, mother, daughter, sister, aunt or friend is killed in action. I know many people who have lost family members and teammates, and today is not going to be easy for them.

To honor our great heroes, I want to take a moment to name six great Americans that I think everyone should know about. I hope this piece puts a smile on the face of anyone who has lost someone in war. We love you, we think of you, and we will never let the memories of our martyrs be forgotten. Be sure to let me know all your thoughts. David.Hookstead@outkick.comand let’s roll.

Joshua Wheeler:

Joshua Wheeler was a member of Delta Force and was killed in action during a hostage rescue mission in Iraq on October 22, 2015.

Members of A Squadron conducted a high-risk hostage rescue operation against an ISIS stronghold to free approximately 70 hostages that the terrorist group would execute.

When Kurdish forces began to falter in the offensive, Wheeler stepped forward and took charge of the situation to turn the situation around.

Accounts vary depending on who you talk to, but it’s pretty widely accepted that his last words were a variation of “follow me.”

Enemy fire leading the attack hit him. Ultimately, the mission was a success, his teammate Thomas Payne earned the Medal of Honor, and Wheeler saved the lives of complete strangers.

I will never forget where I was when I first heard of Wheeler’s death. I was sitting at a table in the Daily Caller office when MSNBC flashed the photo of a service member saying he had been killed. No details were known at the time.

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I turned to my friend and told him he should sign up for Delta Force. I’m not even sure why I said this. I could just see it in his eyes. The eyes of a man who has seen much.

Over the past few years I have met many of Josh’s former teammates from the Rangers and Delta Force. His death seems to have affected people much more than many other deaths. The reason for this is quite simple:

They couldn’t even imagine that a man like Josh could be killed.

Josh wasn’t just a Delta Force operator. Joshua Wheeler was a legend. Former Rangers teammate Mike Burke told me that the idea that a man like him could die seemed impossible to believe.

Former Delta Force boss Jeff Tiegs told me he had no doubt that Josh was smiling and laughing right to the end. I hope this is true.

Joshua Wheeler was a great American, and it is important that we remember him this Memorial Day.

Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart:

Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart. ((Credit: United States Military/Public Domain))

Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart – also members of Delta Force – were killed in the Battle of Mogadishu (commonly known as “Black Hawk Down”) on October 3, 1993.

As an army of heavily armed Somali fighters descended on the area, two Level One snipers entered the crash site of Mike Durant’s helicopter in an attempt to protect him and save his life.

Both men were initially not allowed to enter the scene of the accident. Permission was finally granted after it was made clear that there was no timeline for more forces to arrive. It was a suicide mission.

But they still went, knowing that death was near.

Shughart and Gordon fought as hard as they could until wave after wave of enemy fighters rushed the crash site. Both men devastated the herd, killing everyone they could see.

In what can only be described as a heroic last stand, both men were eventually killed, but Durant survived the battle after being taken prisoner and released.

If it weren’t for Shughart and Gordon’s selfless sacrifices, Durant likely would have been killed by the mob. Both men won the Medal of Honor, and their actions were a key part of the movie “Black Hawk Down.”

They had the kind of courage you can’t teach. Either it is in your soul or it is not. They looked at the scene on the ground and went anyway to save Mike Durant, knowing it would mean their lives. God bless these two American heroes.

Connie Guilfoyle:

Connie Guilfoyle was killed in the Korean War after previously serving in World War II. ((Credit: Domitrz Family))

Cornelius Guilfoyle, known as Connie, was my great-uncle, a legend among legends in my family.

Connie, II. He served as a navigator on a bomber crew in World War II and earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses, raining death from the skies on Nazi forces across Europe.

He helped kick in the door to Europe and free the continent from the clutches of Adolf Hitler.

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After the war, he returned to America to become a lawyer but was recalled to fly a bomber in Korea. He was shot in 1952 and was never seen again.

Connie died at the age of 30, after having done more in her life than the average person would do in 1,000 lifetimes. He was younger than me when he died and spent most of his adult life at war.

Those who watched “Masters of the Air”, II. They know how scary it could be to be on a bomber plane in World War II, but he still couldn’t get enough of the war.

The level of courage in his soul cannot be described in words. Honestly, I’ve never met Connie, but hopefully there’s a cold beer waiting for us on the other side and she can share some stories.

I keep the war medals next to my desk and they will always be with me. He crushed the Nazis and gave his life to save people from communism in a country that did not belong to him. I hope he managed to inflict as much massacre on the enemy as possible before he died in 1952.

Connie’s war medals. ((Credit: David Hookstead))

RIP to an American’s absolute superhero.

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John Chapman:

John Chapman was an Air Force CCT. ((Source: United States Military/Public domain/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._Chapman#/media/File:Airman_to_be_awarded_Medal_of_Honor_180727-F-F3227-1001.jpg))

John Chapman is a name every American should know because this man had the courage of absolute steel.

Chapman was part of Operation Anaconda as the 24th STS CCT attached to the SEAL Team 6 unit. The unit was part of the helicopter deployment package in the Battle of Takur Ghar, Afghanistan.

The Air Force Medal of Honor recipient was left alone by DEVGRU operators after coming under intense enemy fire. I won’t get into the controversy surrounding the SEALs and why he was left alone. There are many different explanations, but the truth is that he was left alone and injured.

However, John continued to fight alone and his actions were detected by a drone. You can see his truly heroic actions in the images below.

Nothing can be achieved if you are not proud to be an American.

I can’t imagine what was going through John’s mind on that mountain. Hurt and alone, he refused to resign. In fact, after falling back for the first time, the SEALs continued to fight to save the lives of the men who got into position. Unfortunately, Chapman’s heroic actions were hidden for too long, leading to some very ugly inter-military disputes. None of this matters today. What is important today is that Chapman is remembered for the actions that earned him the Medal of Honor. He was a very good American.

Bob Horrigan:

Finally, we should all take a moment to remember and honor Bob Horrigan. Horrigan was another member of Delta Force, and I had the opportunity to learn his story from a handful of my former teammates. Their respect for Bob is unparalleled. He was an experienced operator and a wonderful person in every way.

Bob was killed along with Mike McNulty during a raid on a terrorist compound in Iraq on June 17, 2005. The details of Bob and Mike’s death have only been publicly discussed once, and since that’s not my story to tell, I’ll keep it very simple.

Bob and Mike were at the front of the pile after making the breach, and as they approached a gate, they received gunfire from people inside the compound.

Below is a video of former Delta operator Pat McNamara remembering his close friend Bob Horrigan. Definitely worth a listen.

One of the most tragic parts of Bob’s death was that this was his last deployment. Retirement was approaching and it was time to move on with life. He decided to be given another mission and made the ultimate sacrifice in 2005. He will not be forgotten.

Most of all, I hope everyone reading this today will take a moment to remember not just these six great Americans, but all the Americans who did not return home from war.

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As I said before, today is a difficult day for many people, but it is also a great opportunity to smile. These men were all incredible people who sacrificed their lives to protect their country. Each of these things makes me proud to be an American, and I hope you feel the same. Whether they died on the blood-soaked sands of Omaha Beach, in the jungles of Vietnam, in the dry deserts of Iraq, or anywhere else, their sacrifices will not be forgotten.

During the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, Americans from the 1st U.S. Infantry landed on Omaha Beach. Omaha Beach was the toughest of the Normandy landing sites, with 2,400 soldiers killed in the first wave. (Getty Images)

So today, call someone struggling with loss, talk to them, learn the story of a fallen hero, and don’t be afraid to smile. I break a beer and toast each of them because I know that’s what they would do if they were still here. God bless the USA and please let me know your thoughts. David.Hookstead@outkick.com.