Page 22 - Valley Life & Health

22 SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2019 THE MORNING CALL

honoringourheroes

Monsignor Joseph Paul Dooley
T/Sgt 82nd Airborne, O.S.S., 42nd Infantry Division,
66th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, WWII 1943-1945

Msgr. Dooley attempted enlistment in the Navy but was refused because he was 17.
Walking into the Army enlistment office, he said he was 18 and they accepted him.
He volunteered for Airborne and, convincing his C.O. he was fluent in French (he
knew just a few words), was assigned to Intelligence & Reconnaissance with the Free
French Forces and Ground Forces. Prior to D-Day, Sgt. Dooley made several jumps
behind Nazi lines into occupied France to meet with the Free French and to find and
tap enemy communication lines and bring out intelligence on German forces. On
D-Day, his unit jumped behind enemy lines and, as evidenced by the scene in “The
Longest Day” proceeded to get lost (remember the clicker?). From 1943 until D-Day,
he had an additional 5 combat jumps. In 1946 he transferred to the Navy because “the
Army wanted to make me a *#@%& officer.” Leaving the Navy early, he entered the
Seminary to study for the priesthood.
Sgt. Dooley’s awards include the Purple Heart, French Croix de Guerre, Bronze
Star and SilverStar.
Bob Austen

Kenneth E. Wesner
T/Sgt, U.S. Army Air Corps, World War ll

My military hero is my father, Kenneth E. Wesner. He was a veteran from the “Greatest
Generation” who served with the rank of T/Sgt in the U.S. Army Air Corps during
World War II. He was a radio operator-gunner on a B17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber
with the 8th Air Force, 306th Bomb Group, called the “Clay Pigeons” stationed in
Thurleigh, England. His squadron, the 367th, called “The Reich Wreckers,” engaged in
heavy bombing missions over enemy occupied Europe. He was awarded the Air Medal
with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Good Conduct Medal, European and American Theater
Service Medals with 2 Bronze Stars, and the Victory Medal.
He never talked much about the war when my siblings and I were growing up, but
did speak of it more as we got older. I remember him taking me many times as a child to
the Memorial Day service at Bethlehem Memorial Park Cemetery, where he is now laid to
rest. It wasn’t until I became much older that I realized what those services meant to him.
I am so very proud to call him my father and for all he accomplished in his 92 years.

Carol Lutz

Captain Mark T. Resh
Army, Operation Iraqi Freedom
KIA Jan. 28, 2007, Najaf, Iraq

Mark was born on July 22, 1978 and grew up in Fogelsville and graduated from
Northwestern Lehigh HS, where he played soccer and was very active in school life.
He was also an Eagle Scout. He attended the University of Pittsburgh on a ROTC
Scholarship and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Mark was a respectful and loving person and very respected by his peers. He was
quiet, but when he had something to say it was usually funny. His personality showed in
his smile, which he always wore. He set goals and always reached his goals.
Mark realized his dream of being an Apache Pilot. He worked very hard to fulfill this
dream and to be the best he could be in every aspect of his life.
Mark was shot down during a reconnaissance mission on January 28, 2007 along
with the other pilot, Cornell Chao. They protected their wingman by taking the fire
on their aircraft so the other Apache would be safe. They were both posthumously
awarded the Silver Star for their actions that day. In addition they received the Purple
Heart and The Bronze Star.
Carol Resh