Doughboy Awardees

Three infantrymen were awarded the Doughboy Award for outstanding contributions to the U.S. Army Infantry according ot the Columbus, GA Ledger;

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. William H. Acebes is a veteran of multiple combat assignments including Vietnam and Grenada, and was a 2003 inductee into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame. A member of the original training cadre for the 75th Ranger Regiment, Acebes later served as the Infantry Center command sergeant major at Fort Benning. When he retired from active duty, Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., saluted his 30-year Army career on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Retired Gen. Edward S. “Shy” Meyer, who commanded the first air cavalry divisions in Vietnam, served two tours of duty in which he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism and the Silver Star for gallantry.

The third Doughboy Award recipient is likewise an American hero. The difference: Joe Galloway has never been a soldier. But like the late Charlie Black, whose Vietnam dispatches in the Ledger and Enquirer newspapers were “must” reading, especially for Army families, Galloway was more than just an observer.

You know Joe Galloway if you’ve seen the movie “We Were Soldiers” or read the book “We Were Soldiers Once And Young”. You might not know CSM Acebes, but I know him too well. He was my first squad leader, oh so many years and miles ago.

The night I retired and left Fort Benning for the last time, I was fortunate enough to bump into him at the Benning PX and tell him how much he’d influenced my career. His response? “You drank that much beer?”

Category: Real Soldiers