because I remember the poem.

Here's something for you:

The Soldiers Medal is the highest honor a soldier can receive for an act of valor in a non-combat situation, held to be equal to or greater than the level which would have justified an award of the Distinguished Flying Cross had the act occurred in combat.

November 18, 2005

Cynthia Salinas
Retired Sgt. 1st Class John T. Slovenz received the Soldiers Medal Nov. 10 for airborne heroism performed in 1961 when he was 21 years old and stationed at Camp McCall, N.C.

Soldier waits 44 years for medal

Donna Hyatt
Bayonet staff

Choosing to save another person's life while risking his own was a decision Spc. 4th Class John T. Slovenz made in a split second in 1961.

That act of heroism was recognized 44 years later on Eubanks Field at Fort Benning before an Airborne School graduation ceremony Nov. 10.

A fellow Camp McCall, N.C., Soldier lost the supporting lift in his parachute and collapsed onto Slovenz's canopy seconds after Slovenz stepped out of a transport plane at 1,200 feet for his 28th jump.

With his parachute hanging over one side of Slovenz's chute, Pfc. Charles E. Johnson was helpless.

Slovenz immediately began yelling instructions to the less-experienced Johnson, but Johnson wasn't responding.

"I was concerned about Johnson's life," Slovenz said. "He was panic-stricken. About 250 feet up, he grabbed the skirt of my canopy, which inverted my canopy. Ironically, the air rushed from my parachute into his."

Thanks to the air that filled his chute, Johnson managed to slow his fall and land with few injuries.

Slovenz was now scrambling to save his own life. He hadn't deployed his own reserve chute earlier for fear of fatally injuring Johnson.

"Surprisingly, I wasn't scared. I was too concerned about Johnson. I started working on pulling my reserve chute," he said.

"I thought about my parachute training, and my instructors telling me to do a good parachute landing fall," Slovenz said. "So I put my feet and knees together and started praying."

With his reserve chute unfolding, Slovenz prepared for the worst as he quickly approached the ground.

"I needed about 50 more feet for the chute to open up properly," he said. "It took roughly six or seven seconds to fall 250 feet. On impact, witnesses said I bounced 15 feet in the air."

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Aaron Gelber said it was incredible Slovenz survived the fall.

Slovenz's left arm was embedded in the ground, elbow first, and his left leg passed under his body with the boot pressed against his face. Gelber said he did not expect the heroic paratrooper to survive.

Slovenz's back broke on impact, his pelvis broke in seven pieces, and his left femur was crushed from hip to knee.

He spent 239 days in the hospital recovering from his injuries.

His superiors nominated Slovenz for the Soldiers Medal, an honor given to military personnel for heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy.

"The award was processed in 1961 for saving a guy's life," Slovenz said. "But because I was reassigned to a hospital, the paperwork, everything, got lost and I never pursued it until just a few years ago."

When finally healed, Slovenz was discharged from the Army, but two years later he re-enlisted and started jumping again.

"The Army thought I was crazy to come back in and jump again," Slovenz said. "They made me take a psychological test. I told them I wanted to jump out of planes because I'm a paratrooper and I like it. They finally said OK, so I came back in."

Slovenz stayed in, volunteered for two tours of duty in Vietnam and was awarded a Purple Heart before retiring as a sergeant first class in 1980.

A few years ago, Slovenz decided to follow up on the whereabouts of his Soldiers Medal in order to collect an increase in his retirement pay.

"It took a little while to get all the paperwork back together," he said. "But I'm patient."

Finally, just prior to the Airborne School graduation of D Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry Regiment, Lt. Col. Sean McCaffrey, battalion commander, presented Slovenz the Soldiers Medal he earned 44 years ago.

"I still think being a paratrooper is a pretty safe thing to do, especially today," Slovenz said.

"I'd jump again in a heartbeat."

--
Esse sine metu in facie inimici tui. Sit fortis et rectus quod Deus ut amo te. Veritatem dico semper etiam si eam ducit ad mortem tuam. Tuendam inops et facere no mali.