| Brigade on
February 4, 2003, the 59th anniversary of the death of his
Grandfather, S/Sgt. Leroy Leist. S/Sgt. Leist was KIA on the return
leg of a mission to Frankfurt, Germany with the 100th Bomb Group. Stan’s grandfather is one of over 78,000 men still listed as Missing
in Action. He remains to this day, at his battle station somewhere
off the coast of Holland with five of his fellow crewmembers.
Stan serving as a Maintenance Test Pilot flew aircraft between
Baghdad and Kuwait providing maintenance support to the 2/17th CAV.
After repairing the last battle-damaged aircraft, he left Kuwait on
June 14th to rejoin the 2/17th CAV for the remainder of his tour in
Al Quyyarah, Iraq. Al Quyyarah, nicknamed "Q-West" is located just
south of Mosul.
In Al Quyyarah, he was reunited with six of his fellow
Mississippi pilots. During this assignment, he and CW2 Dennis
Osborne, also of the Tupelo unit were on what he described as a
regular recon mission on July 22, 2003, when they received a call
from the ground commanders for assistance on an important mission.
Here is an excerpt from his diary about this mission.
"It was a two (2) ship mission with CW4 Doug Ford and Maj.
Blackman (in the second ship). We took off at 1100 hrs and proceeded
along the road from about 30 minutes. We had turned north and were
practicing CCA’s, a maneuver where you come in low, do a steep
climb, then nose the aircraft over towards the target. The
loss of airspeed at the top of the steep climb allows you to just
hang there. As you dive towards the target, it improves accuracy.
Around 1130 hrs, we received the call that STRIKE 6 had wounded
and was taking fire. They asked for air support from QRF (Quick
Reaction Force). We were 18 minutes away when we were ordered to
Mosul, Iraq. We arrived and could see the ground machine gun rounds
impacting the side of the building and the smoke rising from where
they had hit it with MK-19s.
We were immediately cleared "hot" and Ozzy and I started our run.
We did our CCA aimed at the large house and nothing! (The rockets
didn’t fire.) We broke right and came around for another run. The
second aircraft hit the top of the house with a 2.75 inch rocket.
The roof was so thick that it did no damage.
We came in hot with .50 Cal machine guns and made three or four
runs firing at the front of the house and through the windows. A
cease fire was called and the ground troops entered the building.
We got back around 3:30 and found out what the whole thing was
about. The Special Ops guys had been watching this house for two
days from a tip of a local Iraqi. Uday and Qusay, Hussain, the sons
of Saddam, were in the house. Number 2 and 3 of the 55 Most Wanted.
Later that night it was confirmed they were dead."
Stan returned to Ft. Campbell, Ky on 23 August, 2003. He and
Dennis were greeted as the true heroes they are, although they play
this down totally. They, as all veterans of any war, feel that they
were just part of a mission simply doing their duty as they were
trained.
Television and newspaper media interviewed them as they passed
through the gates to greet their wives and children. Stan had not
seen his little daughter, Gracie, since she was 5 months old. Now,
she was 13 months old and walking. Dennis had not seen his little
daughter, Lucy at all. She was born three months prior to his return
from Iraq.
Our family received an invitation from Haley Barbor,
gubernatorial candidate to attend a Presidential Luncheon, September
12, 2003, Jackson, Mississippi, as his special guests. Stan and
Dennis were also invited to meet Air Force One at the Air National
Guard Base to personally meet President George W. Bush and join his
motorcade to the Mississippi Coliseum for the luncheon.
As President Bush greeted Stan and Dennis upon his arrival, both
were presented with the Presidential Coin bearing the seal of the
President of the United States on one side and the White House on
the other. As the President presented the coins to each of these
young soldiers, he said, "This coin is reserved for heroes. Thank
you for your service."
I think that his grandfather, S/Sgt. Leroy "Babe" Leist would be
very proud of his grandson if only he knew. I know he does.
Adrian Leist Caldwell, daughter of S/Sgt. Leroy E. Leist
100th Bomb Group, 418th Squadron
KIA 4 February 1944
Memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing
The Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial
Margraten, Holland |
