The death of General Norman Schwarzkopf in late December reminded Americans of a great American military figure who served his/their country for over 45 years. For one Logan Countian, it had special significance.
Jim Dauley of Lewisburg cherishes a letter and a gift he received from the man known as “Stormin’ Norman” to many and “The Bear” to closer associates.
In 1993 Dauley went through connections with a mutual friend of his and Schwarzkopf to send the general a framed copy of a touching tribute to soldiers entitled “A Testament of Warriors.” The commander in chief of Operation Desert Storm, General Schwarzkopf had recently retired.
Before long a package came to Dauley with a book and the following letter from the general:
Dear Mr. Dauley:
I want to thank you for the poster that you sent to me. I had it framed and it is hanging in my office behind my desk. It was an honor for me to receive such a gift from a truly great and dedicated soldier as yourself. It would have been an honor to serve with you. In return I am sending you this book that was given to me by a great soldier. He told me that if I ever found another soldier that I thought to be in a class by himself to pass it on. That soldier was General William Westmoreland. I want to thank you for serving your country bravely and with honor. Again thanks for the gift I will cherish forever.
Thank you,
H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Jim Dauley treasures the letter and the book, which is entitled Vietnam: A History, and subtitled “The first complete account of Vietnam at War”, by Stanley Karnow. It had been published 10 years earlier. General Westmoreland, who was commanding officer at nearby Fort Campbell from 1958-60, served as commander of U.S. Forces in Vietnam. Schwarzkopf, who also served at Fort Campbell, was part of those forces in Vietnam.
That gives Dauley a connection with those two warriors. He also served in Vietnam as a Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class. “Most Vietnam vets idolize Schwarzkopf because he later insisted, ‘We can’t commit troops without the will of the country,’” Dauley says, since it became painfully apparent to those who returned from Nam that the wills of the majority of Americans at the time did not appear to be in favor of that ‘conflict.”
Dauley had a strong military background. His grandfather, Charles Dauley, had been an ambulance driver in World War I, and young Jim had often gone to his American Legion post with him. His dad, Charles Gordon Dauley, flew 53 missions under legendary General Jimmy Doolittle in Africa as a member of the Army Air Corps and became a major in the Reserves.
Jim had grown up in Endicott, N.Y., but his family moved to Lexington before his senior year, and he graduated from Henry Clay High School there. He volunteered for service shortly afterwards in the middle of America’s involvement in Vietnam, serving 19 months. A patch on his jacket reads, “I was a Vietnam Veteran before it was popular to be one.”
He and his wife, Ruth Scroggins Dauley, moved to North Logan in 1978 where he farmed. He then became a trainer in the National Guard, “teaching troops what I learned in Nam.” He served in the Guard for 14 years. He now teaches Concealed Weapons classes to civilians.
When he learned that former Warrant Officer and pilot Gene Pendley had published “A Testament of Warriors” in 1989, Jim ordered four copies, three of them framed. He kept one for himself and gave the other two framed copies to his dad and to a close friend, the late Wayne Capps of Lewisburg.
The beautifully written dcopyrighted ocument tells of the pride taken in serving one's country in war but the agony that goes into taking the lives and property of others while watching brothers in arms die on the battlefield. One stanza says, "Yet every soldier must face the paradox between the love of life and liberty, and the risk of defening that love. It is the pain that a soldier must endure; it is this irony that only a soldier will understand."
When General Schwarzkopf retired, Dauley wanted him to have a copy of the emotion-evoking document. His friend Ken Williams of Clarksville, a highly decorated Gulf War veteran, knew Schwarzkopf and helped Jim send the unframed copy to the general. Schwarzkopf not only accepted the gift but cherished the document.
When Cpl. Joshua Moore of North Logan lost his life in service in Iraq in 2007, Dauley gave his framed copy of Pendley’s work to Josh’s parents, Carolyn and Jeff ‘Seymore’ Moore. By then, Jim had his late father’s copy.
The Logan Countian who may have known General Schwarzkopf best is retired General Jerry Humble of Russellville, who was deeply involved in the planning of Desert Storm strategies. “That strategy is going to be taught for a thousand years in military classes,” Dauley believes.
The Dauleys’ son Charles, now a Logan County law enforcement officer, continued the Dauley military tradition by serving in the National Guard. One of his duties as a military policeman was to guard dignitaries visiting the Kentucky Derby. An assignment he cherished was serving in the Circle of Protection for General Norman Schwarzkopf and the general’s daughter one first Saturday in May.
“Charlie will get my copy of ‘A Testament of Warriors’ when I’m gone,” Jim Dauley says. He will be in distinguished company.