Randall Paul Jenkins, Esq. » Blog Archive » JT/JFK Day (AKA Memorial Day).

As we have another 3 day weekend full of sunshine and barbecues to celebrate the persons who have died fighting for the country we call home, some people want to talk about politics and what is wrong with this country. I simply present the stories of 2 men whose lives have had an impact on myself, and who I believe are what was and is right about this country. These men did amazing things in many points of their lives; one of them died serving our country, the other’s famed moment in service came saving lives (though his death came serving our country at the highest level).

Jack Turnbull (Bio)

Jack Turnbull has been called the “Babe Ruth” of lacrosse, and few, if any, could equal his playing ability. Billy Shriver, radio commentator, said in 1947, “Jack Turnbull is what I call the complete athlete. By that I mean when he played a game, he gave it everything he had - spiritually, mentally, physically. Although he was an individual standout, he was always the team player, always playing for the best interests of the sport.”

He was admired and looked up to by his teammates, because he performed unselfishly; rarely fouled; and his leadership, skill, character and accomplishment developed an esprit de corps and respect seldom, if ever, attained by others.

Jack Turnbull enlisted in the Maryland National Guard in March, 1940, became a Second Lieutenant in June and a pilot on December 9, 1940. He was promoted to First Lieutenant, Captain, Major and on May 29, 1944, to Lieutenant Colonel. On October 18, 1944, flying from somewhere in England, he and his squadron carried bombs to drop on industrial Germany. On the return flight, German flack downed the plane in Belgium, and the Sisters of a nearby convent, with the help of older men, made caskets and temporarily buried Jack and his comrades.

The Jack Turnbull Award is an award given yearly to the United States’ top collegiate attackman in lacrosse.

and…

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (Bio)

On August 2, 1943, Kennedy’s boat, the PT-109, was taking part in a nighttime patrol near New Georgia in the Solomon Islands. It was rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri. Kennedy was thrown across the deck, injuring his already-troubled back. Still, Kennedy towed a wounded man three miles (5 km) in the ocean, arriving at an island where his crew was subsequently rescued. Kennedy said that he blacked out for periods of time during the life-threatening ordeal. For these actions, Kennedy received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.

Kennedy privately admitted to friends that he didn’t feel that he deserved the medals he had received, because the PT-109 incident had been the result of a botched military operation that had cost the lives of two members of his crew. When asked by interviewers how he became a war hero, Kennedy’s grim reply was: “It was involuntary. They sank my boat.”