Honoring Army Legacy Veteran of the Year Jake McNiece of Ponca City
If you honorably served our country during times of war or in peace, you know, and cherish, a camaraderie rarely found elsewhere in society. The oath we swore. The commitment we made. The discipline we endured. The joy and pride we feel. The accomplishments of our missions are all a part of the Legacy we will leave behind. A legacy that has changed the world and made our military the fighting force it is today.

The largest land battle ever fought by the U.S. Army was the Battle of the Bulge during WWII. Weather conditions at the time were brutal. Heavy snow and temperatures averaging below zero were prevalent. "The Filthy Thirteen” was a name given to a sub unit of the 506 th parachute infantry regiment of the 101 st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. They fought in the European theatre in WWII. This unit was selected and trained to remove targets behind enemy lines. They were assigned many missions and were air dropped by the aircraft of the US Army Air Force in the Normandy Invasion of Europe, a mission that cost the lives of most of these men.

The unit was best known for the famous photo which appeared in Stars and Stripes, showing two members wearing Indian style Mohawks and applying war paint to one another. This inspiration came from Jake McNiece, who was part Native American.

McNiece, the US Army’s famous rebel, joined the “Pathfinders”. These were paratroopers sent in ahead of the main force to guide them in. Expected casualties were 80-90%. The pathfinders were dropped into the encircled city of Bastogne at the height of the Battle of the Bulge. Their equipment enabled them to guide in subsequent airdrops of supplies crucial to the continued resistance of the trapped 101st Airborne Division.

When questioned about how he stayed alive so long throughout the war, McNiece stated, “It was because God didn’t know whether to put me in Heaven or Hell in fear of me messing it up”.