Honoring the heroes

After serving five hellacious years in Iraq, Folsom’s Michael Savoie has come face to face with death, his desert days in 125 degree heat spent dodging bullets, launching grenades and saving bloody, dying comrades.

At 29 years old, he’s no longer the same man.

In his first tour alone he and his caravan were ambushed. Savoie, a machine gun runner on a Humvee, was shot in the head, but somehow he managed to survive. His comrades had all fallen, sans one he pulled to safety while rattling off machine gun rounds at the enemy.

Moments later, he stormed into what he thought was a safe house. Instead, it was filled with six insurgents. Ten minutes later he emerged alive and alone, the last man standing. The government gave him a Purple Heart. His, however, was broken.

A year later he drove over an IED, also known as an Improvised Explosive Device, that exploded and sent gases and flames shooting down his nose and mouth. To his day, he has trouble breathing because of the enormous blisters on his lungs, he said.

He also frequently has black outs, dizziness and at times goes temporarily blind from the bullet wound that produced a 1/4-inch skull fracture on his right side. Four years later it still drips spinal fluid, he said.

For the rest of his life, he’ll collect military disability checks.

And yet “I rarely get thanked for my service,” he said.

Last Thursday, all that changed.

Savoie was just one of roughly 25 soldiers either killed or wounded who were honored Thursday night at an event a the D-Day Museum in New Orleans dubbed “In the Company of Heroes” and sponsored by the Northshore organization Support our War Heroes.

More than 300 people attended, including soldiers’ friends and family members and a host of local political dignitaries that included Slidell Mayor Ben Morris, New Orleans Council President Arnie Fielkow, state Sen. Jack Donahue, D-Covington, state Rep. Scott Simon, R-Abita Springs, U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, Assistant State Treasurer Tom Schedler, former St. Tammany Parish Councilwoman Pat Brister, and Jefferson Parish Councilman John Capetelli. Ann Dale, a local jewelry designer, also attended.

The event, featuring war hero turned Fox News war commentator, soldier right’s activist and New York Times best selling author Oliver North, dished out patriotic tunes and food donated from high-class restaurants such as Chef’s John Besh’s Restaurant August.

But once the mingling ended and the presentation began the mood turned bittersweet, a mix of hope and sadness.

“Words can’t describe the honor that it is to have this amount of people came out here tonight,” Savoie said. “There is no greater honor for military man than for people to come out and show their love. We don’t hear people say thank you very much. It’s very touching, very emotional.”

One by one, names of soldiers were called out and they, alongside their parents, stood up to deafening applause. At times, some parents stood up alone.

Paula Carruth was one such woman. Her daughter, Casey Casanova, a 20-year-old aspiring musician from McComb, Miss., died six months ago in Iraq when an RPG hit her. A week before the tragedy, she sung Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel” at a military talent show. She won.

Carruth, on Thursday, burst into tears.

“She’s only been gone for six months,” Carruth said of her daughter. “This is really new to me. She was an awesome girl, but if you could say anything, say chicks go out there and do what guys do and are awesome at it.”

Suzy McDaniel, the event organizer, seemed to direct her comments at Carruth.

“War Heroes was founded for you,” she said from the podium. “This event is your event. To your children: What you have done in your life will always be remembered by those who are here tonight and millions of others around the world. We salute you and thank you. “

The crowd erupted into a standing ovation.

Then North stepped to the podium. The crowd fell silent.

Calling American soldiers a “national treasure,” he rallied for better veteran benefits for the wounded and family members of deceased. He also called for private and governmental agencies to provide more jobs after soldiers are discharged.

As is, the national unemployment rate hovers around 6.5 percent, he said. But for veterans of Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, that rate is 24 percent, roughly four times as high, he said.

“That’s outrageous,” he said. “The future of this nation is going to be determined by how we treat our allied forces. If we don’t (do good) we will cease to be the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

North dispelled rumors that soldier moral is down: Current reenlistment rates are 117 percent, he said.

“Everyone is saying this is a war that can’t be won,” said North, who has taken 14 trips to the war zone in the last 20 months. “I disagree. I’ve been there.”

He predicted the “war in Iraq will be won with the blood of young Americans, our heroes.”

“My heroes don’t wear skinsuits and capes,” he said. “They wear flap jackets and helmets and go to work in harm’s way in 125 degrees every day.”

Again, the crowd erupted into applause.

Later, Matthew King, a 23-year-old soldier from Abita Springs whose leg was nearly severed from a rocket propelled grenade, said chills shot down his spine.

“It’s breathtaking to see something like this happen,” he said, recieiving congratulations and thanks from well wishers. “All this time, the manpower, the admirers, just for a handful of us when there are thousands of us across the United States. It’s extremely heartfelt.”

Lisa King, Matthew’s mother, stood nearby and smiled.

On May 3, 2005, she thought she never see her son again.

At 11 a.m., she received a call from her boy. He sounded loopy, drugged. She was scared. Then he said the words no mom wants to hear: “I’ve been shot.”

Matthew, who was discharged with a two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star and spent a year in and out of surgery at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, now works part time at the Tap Room in Covington. He jokes that a shark bit him “because the crescent shaped hole in my leg looks dead on.”

His mother doesn’t think it’s as funny. The event Thursday made her all the more thankful for his life.

“These things are so necessary because it reminds us of everybody out there fighting for our freedom,” she said. “Sometimes you hear about something and you file it. It gets stale. It gets old. But when you do this, it keeps it fresh. Sometimes I take my son for granted, that he’s just my son, but he’s a hero. They all are heroes.”