Honoring Sgt. Matthew Leonard
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Union Square News
Ruby Johnson
Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles! The Eagles flew high and smoothly. Bravo to Jalen Hurt and DeVonta Smith. Alabama sends out some great guys all over the cities, and not just Philadelphia. However, Alabama loves that our Alabama guys are the champs of Super Bowl 59. We are proud of all the Eagles guys, wherever you come from.
To you deer hunters, you need to hunt a little better (LOL). Too many of them are running loose into people’s cars (haha).
This Black History Month we honor a special man from Alabama, a hero born in Eutaw, Alabama, in 1929, Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Leonard.
Leonard grew up in the midst of the segregated South, but rose above it. Matthew Leonard served in the Korean War from 1950-1953 and was nearing his retirement from the U.S. Army when he volunteered to go to Vietnam.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Leonard was presented the Medal of Honor for military valor during the Vietnam War, and he posthumously received America’s highest military decoration on February 16, 2021. Sgt. Leonard earned the Medal of Honor February 28, 1967, for his heroic acts during the Vietnam War, making him the first Black American First Infantry Division soldier to be awarded the medal. The First Infantry Division remembers and celebrates the achievement and life of Sgt. 1st Class Leonard, who had completed 20 years of service when he died in a fire fight.
Black history consists of all colors and races, and not just Blacks. Mr. John Mitchell, a white man of Alabama, served with Sgt. Matthew Leonard and cried when he heard of Leonard’s death. I thank Mr. and Mrs. John Mitchell for reading my column weekly in “The Coosa News” and enjoying it.
Children’s Corner
My nephew was in the Dollar General store with his 3-year-old grandson buying a large package of toilet tissue. When they got to the cash register to pay, his grandson told the lady, very loudly and with many people in line, “These are for PawPaw. He boo boo all the time.”
Happy birthday to all February babies.
“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” – Bill Copeland
Call Ruby at 256-935-1330 to spread your good news.
