LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

From Korea to Iraq, a family answers the call

By Ron Russell
NTC Communications

PERU, Ind. – Military service is a source of immense pride, patriotism and kinship that bonds three generations of an Indiana family, beginning in Korea more than a half-century ago and continuing today in war-torn Iraq.

This tradition makes Veterans Day 2007 especially meaningful for Chrysler LLC worker and veteran James Lederle as he prays for his son’s safety as a combat medic in Iraq while honoring his father’s memory for his service in Korea.

“Both my son and I proudly wear a tattoo that states, ‘A Family Tradition’ with the U.S. Army emblem on our bodies,” says Lederle, recording secretary of UAW Local 1166 at the Kokomo (Ind.) Casting Plant. “My father passed away nearly 10 years ago or he would be wearing it as well.”

The late James Henry Lederle, posing with a can of who-knows-what outside a Quonset hut in Korea in the mid-1950s.

Lederle, 45, says the family’s record of service to America is rooted in love of country, the need for sacrifice to defend freedom and appreciation for the lessons learned while wearing a military uniform.

“Once you’ve served,” he says, “you carry yourself differently. My father had that swagger about him, a no-nonsense attitude and dedication to following orders without questioning them. In raising my son, I tried to set the same example.

“The military has a way of bringing out the best in you, character-wise.”

James Henry Lederle was the first to answer his country’s call, serving in Korea in the aftermath of the July 1953 ceasefire agreement that technically ended the war. He was an artillery gunner and military policeman from late 1954 until the end of 1956, and saw combat as hostilities continued despite the ceasefire.

He remained in the Army until 1962 and was stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., and Fort Carson, Colo., in addition to serving in Korea. He mustered out as a private first class.

James Lederele became a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve during the 1980s.

“My father was the youngest of eight children and not old enough to serve in World War II,” says Lederle. “He was a proud man but he didn’t talk a whole lot about Korea. For him, actions always spoke louder than words.”

James Henry Lederle died of lung cancer at age 64 in January 1998.

With encouragement from his father, James Daniel Lederle carried on the family tradition when he joined the Missouri Army National Guard in 1980 around the time of the Iran hostage crisis. He went on to serve in the Texas National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve until 1988.

Rising to the rank of sergeant, Lederle was a combat engineer, tank driver/loader and telecommunications specialist. While in telecommunications, he was assigned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency that responds to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina or other national emergencies.

These days, James Lederle is commander of an Indiana AMVETS post and a sergeant in the Indiana Guard Reserve.

As a veteran, Lederle has remained active in military affairs and civilian efforts to support the U.S. armed services while working at Chrysler’s Kokomo Casting Plant. He is the plant’s quality and environmental champion from the UAW and has been active in Local 1166, serving as chairman of the trustees besides being recording secretary. He has worked for Chrysler more than 16 years.

Lederle is commander of AMVETS Post No. 77 in his hometown of Peru and a member of American Legion Post No. 14 in Peru. He is also the newly-appointed State of Indiana legislative coordinator for the Cold War Veterans Association.

Since September, Lederle has been a sergeant and team leader in the Indiana Guard Reserve, a state defense force that backs up the National Guard in civil emergencies.

“Once the military gets in your blood, it’s like a lightning rod that keeps driving you to push yourself further – to step it up a notch,” says Lederle.

Stephen Lederle, who currently serves as a medic in a combat engineering unit, tends to an injured Iraqi.

Stephen Daniel Lederle’s Army tour in Iraq has given his father all the extra incentive he needs to step up his involvement as a veteran.

Stephen, 24, enlisted in August 2006 and was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Tex., following his training as a combat medic.

He has been in Iraq since last June and currently is with a combat engineering unit that has one of the most critical – and most dangerous – assignments in the war.

Members of the unit seek out and dispose of deadly improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that have taken a heavy toll on American troops and Iraqi civilians.

The Buffalo is a massive mine-disposal vehicle used to safely detonate roadside bombs known as IEDs.

They attack the roadside bombs with a thickly armored mine disposal truck called the Buffalo. It has a 30-foot retractable arm equipped with a camera to help the operator inside see what he’s doing and a claw-like rake for finding and detonating IEDs.

As a medic, Stephen has earned a Combat Action Badge and Army Achievement Medal for Distinction While under Fire.

“Stephen and what he respectfully calls his battle buddies were pinned for three hours during a fire fight,” says his father. “You are a soldier first and your job comes second in Iraq.”

Stephen Lederle, stationed north of Baghdad, was decorated for "distinction while under fire."

Stephen is stationed at Camp Anaconda on the Balad U.S. Air Force Base 40 miles north of Baghdad.

“I am extremely proud of Stephen and his service in Iraq,” says James Lederle. “Do I worry about my son’s fate? Absolutely.  Do I agree with U.S. policy in Iraq? No, we should not be there. But I support our troops wholeheartedly. I get tired of hearing some people say that if you don’t support the war, you don’t support our troops. That’s hogwash!”

Stephen’s tour in Iraq is scheduled to end in January. He and his wife Heather have a 4-year-old son, Tyler.

Stephen is scheduled to return home to his wife Heather and their 4-year-old son, Tyler, in January.

Lederle says he did not encourage his son to enlist and extend the family’s record of military service to the current generation. “Stephen’s decision to join the Army caught me by surprise,” he says. “In civilian life, he was doing well as an emergency medical technician and he was happy with his life.”

But with the war in Iraq raging on, Stephen was influenced by his family’s military heritage and past actions rather than words.

“Stephen said, ‘Dad, I look up to you and I’m proud of the way you carry yourself. I want to experience what you experienced in the Army’,” Lederle recalls from a conversation with his son. “I’m very proud that my dad served our country and that my son followed my example on his own.

“And, if the good Lord is willing, my grandson will probably follow in his dad’s footsteps and keep the family tradition alive.”

Lederle will be thinking of Stephen and his father when he represents the AMVETS and Cold War Veterans Association during a Veterans Day commemoration at the Miami County (Ind.) Courthouse.

“I’ll be out there waving the flag for our country and for our troops,” he says. “We should never forget the lessons from history that freedom isn’t free. This country is what it is today because of the sacrifices of our veterans over the years.

“I’m proud of my occupational duties with Chrysler and my contributions to the UAW, but more important is the fact that I can be counted and stand up as a veteran of this great country.”