By BETTY L. MARTIN, Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle, Nov. 9, 2004, 9:39PM
ON one side of Milby High School's main hallway, photos of graduates who served or are still in uniform — some of them in war-torn Iraq — seem to perpetually watch over the 100 names engraved on the black granite wall across the way.
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Kim Christensen / For the Chronicle Milby High School ROTC Col. Norris Posehn stands in the school's hallway next to the Wall of Honor. On his left are names of former Milby students who died in previous wars. To his right, are photos of former Milby students serving in Iraq. |
Former Milby students who died in combat, World War II to Somalia.
A glance at either side of the hallway, or talks with graduates fresh from Milby's Junior ROTC program, make it abundantly clear that an unusually large group of former students from the 1600 Broadway campus have created a legacy of national duty, honor and sacrifice during the school's 78-year history.
"The last name engraved on the wall was Army Private First Class Richard Kowalewski, killed in 1993 during the 'Black Hawk Down' operation in Somalia. I hope we never have to go back in and add another name," said retired Army Col. Norris Posehn, 60, a resident of Meyerland's Maplewood subdivision and Milby's Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor since 2000.
Kowalewski and his unit were on a supposedly one-hour mission to capture two top renegade lieutenants, but were pinned down and picked off through the night and into the following day. He was one of 18 American soldiers killed in action later described in the book "Black Hawk Down" and movie of the same name.
"His death was portrayed — though he was given another name in the movie — with him taking a rocket-propelled grenade in his side," Posehn said.
On the wall donated by the Milby Alumni Association during the school's 75th anniversary ceremony are, in addition to Kowalewski's, 67 names from World War II; 11, Korean War; and 21 from the Vietnam War.
"This freedom that we take so much for granted exists only because of the efforts and sacrifices of previous generations which must never be forgotten," said Posehn, who retired in 1996 after a 27-year Army career.
There are other stories on the memorial side of the hallway that Posehn has made it his business to unearth before the wall's 2000 dedication. Among them was the story of Sgt. Bobby Preston, who lost an eye in North Africa in 1940 while with the Texas National Guard's 36th Infantry Division, then enlisted in the Merchant Marines, finally losing his life aboard the torpedoed SS Oklahoma in 1945.
"Most of his crew was killed," said Posehn, who called Preston family members and others to get details beyond simple statistics.
One of Milby's star quarterbacks, Raymond Tartt, quit the University of Texas in Austin after a year to enlist in the Army. He was killed in Korea in July 1953, when his unit, the Army's 23rd Infantry Division, was overrun by the enemy.
Felipe Morales received a Bronze Star for his heroism at the battle of Hue in Vietnam, 1970, Posehn said.
Six World War II soldiers and sailors who had left Milby before commencement exercises to join the war effort have later returned to get their degrees. One World War II veteran, a patient at the Veterans Hospital, is scheduled to graduate in May, Posehn said.
Many of the younger veterans who return to Milby — and whose photos are prominently displayed across from the memorial wall — are Posehn's former students in JROTC or children of other teachers.
One of Milby's graduates and a 1994 graduate of Texas A&M University, Air Force Maj. Miguel "Mando" Avila, is the son of Milby Spanish teacher Arcelia Avilo. He returned from a tour of duty in the Middle East in August 2003, when he became the helicopter pilot President George W. Bush.
Also pictured on the veteran gallery is Patrick Hobbs, Milby graduate from 2000, who is stationed in Saudi Arabia. He is the son of a 9-year Milby English teacher, Stephanie Hobbs, who served in the Marine Corps from 1981 to 1989.
"He's a signalman and he patrols the airport there," Stephanie Hobbs said.
"In JROTC, they learn geography, world history, discipline and leadership. It's not a recruiting tool," Posehn said. "I have a broad mission to motivate them to be better than when they came in, to help them find out what their options are."
Nevertheless, several JROTC grads have finished high school to go into the military branches in recent years, earning credits that have led to higher-than-entry-level ranks. One of them is former JROTC cadet, now Army Pfc. Adam David Solis, from the class of 2003. Solis is scheduled in November to go to Iraq, where he could join Army Spc. Angel Musquiz or Marine Lance Cpl. Oscar Ponce, both of the class of 2001, who are serving in Iraq.
There are children of Milby teachers who graduated from other Houston high schools, and they also are included on the veterans' wall. Among these are Navy Petty Officer Jeremy Wilson, stationed in England, the son of Linda Williamson who has taught business computing classes for about 24 years.
Also prominently displayed is the photo of Army Sgt. Adam Jackson, Deer Park High School's class of 2002 and the son of Bernard Jackson, Milby's English department chairman, who is stationed in Baghdad.
Michael Hernandez, one of Posehn's former students whose picture is a new addition to the veteran's wall, graduated in May. He has just completed boot camp and training as an operations specialist at Great Lakes, Mich., and soon will board a frigate, the USS Rentz, in San Diego, when his leave to visit his family in the East End's Magnolia subdivision ends in a few weeks.
"I was a cadet here for four years," he said. "I was the only recruit in my company that had JROTC training and experience, and it really helped me a lot. It's the best program I know of."
Milby has had an ROTC program since 1930, Posehn said, one that has benefited the cadets, the school and the community through classroom instruction, community service and extracurricular activities.
Some of their names have been added to the war memorial, others have gone from the program to the military, using what they have learned to advance in rank. Still others have simply used the training to become better citizens within their Houston communities, Posehn said.
