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Changing the Military Culture of Silence

By Samuel M. Rhodes

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Samuel M. Rhodes
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-4273-8

Contents

Introduction.........................................................................ixChapter 1 Biography of Samuel M. Rhodes, Sr..........................................1Chapter 2 Headed to the Army.........................................................5Chapter 3 Road to War................................................................9Chapter 4 Feeling the Loss One by One................................................23Chapter 5 Coming Home with a Lifetime of Memories....................................29Chapter 6 The Death of a Best Friend's Son...........................................35Chapter 7 Veterans Day...............................................................41Chapter 8 First Responder............................................................45Chapter 9 Breaking the Silence of PTSD Struggles.....................................53Chapter 10 Stigma....................................................................59Chapter 11 Battle with PTSD and Suicidal Thoughts....................................67Chapter 12 Second Generations of his family suffering with PTSD!.....................73Chapter 13 Reconnecting and Moving Forward...........................................79Final Thoughts.......................................................................87

Chapter One

Biography of Samuel M. Rhodes, Sr.

On January 29, 1961, I was born in Ringgold, Georgia, to Martha McClure Rhodes and Willie Burl Rhodes, as life would have it. Let's begin by talking about my hero father, Willie B. Rhodes, and his twin brother Earl Rhodes, born on Independence Day, July 4, 1920. They decided to join the war at a young age. Burl and Earl left to go to war by way of Camp Stewart. Burl decided to become a medic in the Army, not knowing what the future held, just wanting to defend his country and do his part. As it turns out, he may have done just that without a lot of effort. During the Battle of New Guinea, Rhodes was put to the test. A fellow Soldier, his Commander, Marvin Griffin, was seriously injured. Without hesitation, Rhodes made a decision that would impact his life forever. Griffin was bleeding from his wounds; Burl's natural instinct of caring kicked in; he maneuver through fire, though seriously injured himself, to Griffin's side. He stabilized him enough to prepare him to move back toward a safe area for evacuation. Rhodes carried Marvin Griffin to safety, and he fully recovered. Rhodes did not know the impact of what he had done; he received numerous Presidential Citations for bravery and was awarded the Silver Star for his actions that day as well as many other military medals. Burl liked to talk about democracy and the home of the brave, but he rarely spoke of his own unique courage in World War II and his individual suffering from nightmares and symptoms of PTSD in the late seventies until his death on May 19, 1984.

Marvin Griffin later became Georgia's Lieutenant Governor and was seen as the successor to Governor Herman Tallmadge; Griffin won the governorship in 1954. Governor Marvin Griffin would not forget his friend. When the Governor was sworn in, Willie B. Rhodes was standing on the podium beside him. In 1955 and each following year, Marvin Griffin travelled to Burl's hometown to ride in the Independence Day parade with Burl Rhodes. A self-educated man, much like his fellow hero Alvin York, the Medal of Honor winner from Jamestown, Tennessee, Burl was proud to have served his country in its time of need. Like his son, he still had nightmares about his fiercest battles in war, but it didn't deter his love for his country and his fellow man. Willie B. Rhodes was flag-waving American for sure.

At the age of six years old, I started receiving contact with Mr. Marvin Griffin's wife. "How are you doing?" she asked. "I am Mrs. Griffin, Marvin's wife. He wants me to see how you're doing and send you something. What do you need?"

I remember those words like it was yesterday. I was born to a poor family, and my mom and dad separated when I was five years old, in 1966, so I found myself amazed by her words. I didn't know what to say; I remember asking my mom to talk. The next thing I remember, about two weeks later, I received a package of clothes. I was surprised; it wasn't my birthday or Christmas. My other brother and sisters looked at me and asked, "Why is Marvin getting something?" Yes, my father named me after the Governor, so I had big shoes to fill from the start. I would receive calls, letters, and packages, mostly from Mrs. Griffin, for the next decade until she passed away in 1978. The entire time I was growing up, I was mentored by Mr. Griffin as well as both of his wives. They encouraged me toward being a successful individual in life. My values were born of great mentorship from the Governor and his wife and my own parents. Governor Griffin offered to pay for my college; however, he developed cancer soon after his first wife's death in 1978. He later died in 1982 after a long battle with cancer.

Truly a different life for a poor country boy from north Georgia. I grew up knowing what was right and wrong. I also realized that a lot of kids around us had more than we could dream of. My mom decided not to get divorced from my father for thirteen years. Right before I graduated from high school in 1979, she got divorced from him. Prior to graduation, I only made one call to Mr. Griffin. I wasn't a genius in high school, so science and English always got the best of me. As I inched closer to getting out of school, it became tougher. At the age of sixteen, I moved out of my home and into a studio apartment in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. I worked for both the Red Food grocery store as well as a local bowling alley. I found myself in a tight dilemma: I had to pass an English class to graduate my senior year. The teacher, Mrs. Marsh, gave me an assignment to write something about my life and how it helped me get to where I was today. I contacted my father and asked him if he thought it would be okay to write about him and Mr. Griffin. He said yes.

I wrote about the Battle of New Guinea and explained how my father had saved the future Governor's life in that battle. The teacher read my paper in front of the entire class, and then she began to question whether it was fiction or fact. In the end, she gave me a low grade, which kept me from passing. I contacted my father and asked his advice; he said, "Let me make a call." The next day, Mrs. Griffin contacted me and asked for the school's number and the name of my teacher.

Little did I realize what would happen next. I was sitting in class when an announcement came over: "Mrs. Marsh, you have an important call in the office."

I thought to myself, "Could it be?"

A short time passed and she returned to the class; she sat down for a minute and then stood up. "Class," she said, "the other day I read Marvin's paper to all of you, and I gave him a low grade because I did not realize that it could be true. I have now talked to the former Governor personally and know it's very true." She apologized to me and changed my grade so I could pass. I have never forgotten that experience.

I graduated high school in June 1979 and continued to work as a night stock manager at the Red Food store.

Chapter Two

Headed to the Army

An Army Recruiter in the local area contacted me over and over again. Finally he convinced me that the Army was the way...