Maj. Horace S. Carswell rode his B-24 bomber into a mountainside along the China coast rather than abandon a crewmember whose parachute had been destroyed by flak on the night of Oct. 26, 1944.
Cpl. Charles F. Pendleton was a machine-gunner with Company D, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, near Choo Gung-Dong, Korea, July 16-17, 1953, when, although wounded, he refused evacuation and continued to fire on advancing enemy forces until he was killed.
Spc. 4C Robert D. Law, Company 1 (Ranger), 75th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, was on a long-range reconnaissance patrol in Tinh Phuoc Thanh province, Vietnam, Feb. 22, 1969, when he threw himself on an enemy grenade that landed in his unit's position.
All, in the language of medal citations, demonstrated courage above and beyond the call of duty. All hold the Congressional Medal of Honor, and all grew up in Fort Worth, attended high school here and entered the service from here.
Carswell is well known in the city since the Air Force Base here bore his name. All three now will be recognized by the Fort Worth Medal of Honor Monument in the Camp Bowie Veteran's Memorial Park, thanks to the National Leadership Foundation, founded 20 years ago by Elliot Goldman.
"I was not able to serve in the military, but owe a deep debt of gratitude to those who did," Goldman said. "I feel that everyone can and should do their part. Personally, I feel it is my duty to help preserve the legacy and history of those who did serve."
The monument, made of four tons of Texas Red Granite, will be dedicated at 10 a.m., Nov. 18, at the park, 4100 Camp Bowie Blvd. The Foundation paid for the memorial through its Remember Our Veterans program. No city money is involved.
"For years I have been passionate about recognizing the sacrifices made by veterans, and particularly combat veterans," Goldman said. "I wanted to do what I could. It was once said that the willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by our nation."
"I believe this is true and think it is important to remember. While this memorial may be small, in my mind it has enormous significance because it demonstrates that we care," Goldman said.
