The Colonels Kick Off 2015 Service with Honor Tours

Colonels Tim Howard and John Bates - USMC retired

American300 Public Affairs 1/5/15Joint Base Pearl Harbor -  American300 returns to the island with two amazing life stories worth sharing.  The 'Colonels' features Tim Howard and John Bates, both retired 06's who received more then their share of physical punishment during their careers in the United States Marine Corps.   If you ask either of them about their injuries they'll knock off a list of missing and messed up body parts with the same casual tempo associated with going through a grocery list.  But, ask them about what their Marines Corps careers have meant to them… and the list gets longer, the answers get deeper. Ask them about what their wives mean to them and the true heroes in each mans life get talked about. American300's 'Service with Honor' series has been connecting amazing Veterans with today's Service Members for eight years now.  Both Colonels have traveled to bases around the world with the nonprofit in the past.  In an effort to provide a glimpse into the stories that each posses we provide a snap shot from two great stories written about them here: Excerpts from article by Sergeant Sharon G. Angell, Camp Lejeune News - on Tim Howard:  Before he knew it, his bird was hit by anti-aircraft fire originating from a nearby mental hospital, according to an article from All Hands magazine from May 1984.Howard's Cobra had been hit several times, including three shots that injured him. The first shot hit him in the right arm tearing it off from the just below the elbow and down.   The second shot hit him in the right leg, seriously impairing his knee. After a final shot hit the aircraft, a golf-ball size piece of the aircraft became imbedded in his neck.  
Howard said they were forced to land in a field near St. George's beach. During the forced landing, Howard called for his co-pilot to lower the bird, but realized Seagle had been knocked unconscious from rounds impacting the helicopter.   "He must have hit his head when we got hit, because I tried yelling his name, but he wouldn't come to. I knew I had to do something, so I tried everything I could to land safely," said Howard. Read the full story here:  Urgent Fury Remembered Excerpts on Colonel John Bates, USMC 3x Purple Heart Recipient: After surviving machine-gun fire to the chest in Vietnam, Colonel Bates recounts the sensation, "It's like standing over home plate having Mark McGwire wind up and try to hit you out of the ballpark."  After sneaking out of the hospital and returning to his forward deployed unit: "Everyone was glad to see me, they needed more trigger pullers." On Bates second purple heart, which resulted from shrapnel blowing into his legs, "If you've ever been hung up in barbed wire, that's what it's like.  Except it's hot, very, very hot and you can't get it out."   His third purple heart: "We got into a direct action and I needed cover and concealment so I jumped into a depression which ended up being a tiger pit.  Thankfully I jumped in feet first, cause when I landed I was up to my chest in sharpened manure coated stakes… one of which had gone clear through my left foot."  After getting medically retired Bates realized he didn't want to leave the Corps and over the span of seven years obtained several college degrees and improved his physical stamina to the point where he was allowed back in via Officer Candidates School…. he retired with 33 plus years of service as a Colonel. Read a full story here:  Sea of Inspiration Follow the 'Service with Honor - The Colonels' American300 Tour at: American300 Tours American300 is a all volunteer 501c3 nonprofit.  No federal endorsement is implied or intended - American300.org