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On Veterans Day, we honor those who have served in the United States Armed Services. This is a brief story of one young man’s military career from half a century ago.
The youngest of four, Joseph Gary Stansell came of age during World War II and the Korean conflict. Both of his brothers served in the Navy and his sister served as an aircraft spotter in the Civil Defense Aircraft Warning Service. They no doubt influenced his initial career choice. Less than three weeks after his nineteenth birthday, on July 27, 1954, he enlisted in the United States Army.
He earned his parachutist wings early the next year and by the fall of 1955, he earned promotion to Corporal. Early on, he distinguished himself as a soldier who took the initiative to learn new tasks and make improvements where he could. For a young Corporal to receive two separate letters of appreciation as a command driver at the end of his first operational tour illustrated his resourcefulness.
Over the next several years, he served the first of two tours in Germany, tours or deployments in Korea, Japan, and Panama, attended the Non-Commissioned Officer’s, (NCO) Academy, earned his Expert Infantry Badge, distinguished himself as a top graduate at the Chemical, Biological, and Radiation, (CBR) School, and served as the NCO in Charge of the Chemical Training Division at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina.
His hard work paid off with promotion to Sergeant First Class, E-7, on January 31, 1963. The senior enlisted corps, E-7 thru E-9, are the backbone of any military service. These are the soldiers, sailors and airmen who directly train and lead the junior ranks, often directly train junior officers in procedures and protocols, manage the hundreds of programs, and ensure that the troops and equipment are ready to perform their assigned mission when the time comes. It is in this capacity where Sergeant Stansell truly set himself apart from his peers. Multiple letters of commendation, the number one graduate in his class at advanced NCO chemical school, and his first Army Commendation medal all bear evidence to this.
Gary spent nearly the entire year of 1968 in Vietnam. Any service member will tell you that the truest test of one’s self comes under extremis, especially in combat. On May 1 of that year, Specialist First Class Stansell proved his mettle in the back of a UH-1 Huey helicopter during the battle of Phouc Yen in the Quang Dien Province of the Republic of Vietnam. His heroic actions that day earned him an Air Medal with the V device, for valor. The citation speaks for itself.
Throughout the year as the Mission Operations Sergeant in the 101st Airborne Division Chemical Section, his hard work, efforts at improving CBR training systems, flexibility in constantly changing counterinsurgency operations, and calm demeanor under hostile conditions earned him the Bronze Star, one of the higher personal awards in the US military.
At the end of the 1968, Gary Stansell returned home safely to his growing family, a young son and daughter, and his wife of seven years.
His next duty station was at Ft. Leavenworth where he was immediately promoted to Master Sergeant, E-8, on Valentine’s Day of 1969 no less! No doubt, they were as happy to be celebrating Valentine’s Day together that year as they were at his promotion.
At Ft. Leavenworth, he served in a variety of staff positions culminating as the First Sergeant at the Headquarters Company of the Command and General Staff College.
In the spring of 1972, he packed up his family for their next to the last move they would make as military family and headed to Wurzburg, Germany. There, he served as the Chief Operations Sergeant of the 3rd Infantry Division Chemical Section. He was responsible for the section’s smooth and effective operations during numerous field exercises, including REFORGER V, the fifth of a major annual exercise conducted by NATO. During each of these tours, Master Sergeant Stansell continued to lead and train his troops with dedication, innovate, and improve the programs, and distinguish himself with exceptional professional knowledge in his combat specialty of CBR warfare. His performance earned him his second and third Army Commendation Medals.
Master Sergeant Stansell and his family returned to the states in August, 1975 to Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. He served his final year in the Army as the Chemical Operations Sergeant at the Manufacturing Technology Directorate until he retired from active duty on December 31, 1976. Despite the stresses of setting up a new home, yet again, the birth of his youngest son, and the associated distractions as one nears military retirement and prepares to transition to civilian life, he remined the consummate professional to the end.
Throughout his career, Master Sergeant Joseph Gary Stansell’s actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, reflected great credit upon himself, every unit he served with, and the United States Army.
Gary Stansell lived another four decades after he retired from the Army, eventually settling in eastern West Virginia on a mountainside property he became very attached to.
Sadly, his last years were fraught with health challenges, including a series of strokes, all of which the VA directly attributed to the chemicals, including Agent Orange, that he dealt with in Vietnam. He passed away just after his 80th birthday. Had it not been for the effects of the chemical defoliants and riot agents, he probably would have lived at least another decade, if not more. His oldest brother lived to the age of 92.
Joseph Gary Stansell lies in rest next to the forest on his property in West Virginia.
Endnote
This was adapted from the eulogy that I read at my father’s funeral. My younger sister and brother each recounted their own memories of our father. My sister focused on traveling with dad and his love of history; my brother on life in West Virginia. He was found of Native America, so in addition to customary biblical readings, we had a traditional Indian cleansing ceremony, followed by the reading of the eulogies, and finally military honors.
Namaste and thanks for reading folks.
😌🙏
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