Joe
Walters, Jim Quinn, Unidentified, Steele (front, right)
(picture courtesy of Joe Walters)
PFC.
Thomas William Steele
Steele
– You were my radio man, and a damn good one. You never
complained even though we worked under terrible conditions.
You were like a kid brother. Captain Pacello paid you the best
compliment when I first met you. He said, ”Lieutenant,
this is Private Steele and everywhere that you go, he goes.”
He patted you on your back and continued, “This is a good
Marine!” Steele, you were [are] a Good Marine, and it
was an honor to have served with you.~Lt. Joseph Walters,
Mike Co. 3/5, 1968
************************************************************
Remembering
Pfc. Thomas W. Steele
Sent in by Peggy Anthony, Thomas Steele's aunt
(Articles are in PDF format, click to open)
The
first news article is about Joe Walters and my nephew, Thomas
W. Steele (Tommy), printed in our local paper, the Punxsutawney
Spirit on 9/11/13. I had help from Michele Huey, an
author that writes a weekly column for the Indiana Gazette called
" God, Me and a Cup of Tea"-and a very good Christian
Friend. She was an editor for our local paper, an English teacher
for our high school and Christian School. I didn't know where
to start when I wanted to write about Joe and Tommy so I met
her at her beautiful log cabin home near here. Going over my
material, Joe's book, "Strength in Numbers,"
she gave me these guide lines, to focus on Joe and Tommy during
their 3 months together and experiences. Then a side bar telling
how Joe and I met. I gave the editor the pictures and he chose
what to use. I was very happy when Michele read the article
in the paper and gave me very high marks, saying that what I
was trying to say came from my heart, and not my head.
Terry
Fye helped me with the second article about when we moved Tommy's
body back to Pennsylvania in 2005 so he could be buried by his
mother. I wrote the article, but Terry polished it and had it
printed.
If
you haven't read Joe Walter's son's book, "Strength
in Numbers," get a copy. For our family, it was a
very emotional time, and one aunt said a "real crying time."
My late brother Bill, Tommy's father, would be so very proud,
satisfied, with a closure to finally "know" what happened.~Peggy
Anthony
**************************************************************
Honoring
Pfc. Thomas William Steele
Killed In Action Sept. 11, 1968
Joe Walters (center) presenting signed
Marine Corps flag to Pfc. Steele's family
(picture
courtesy of Ed Browder)
I
have been in contact with Pfc. Thomas Steele's family for about
three years. They came to the reunion last month in at the David
Johnston American Legion Post in Pickerington, Ohio, and we
met for the first time. They were presented with a flag and
we also had a brick with Steele 's name on it. Peggy was able
to lay the brick alongside the names of many of the men from
Mike Company 3/5. Presenting the flag and the ceremony with
the brick was a very emotional time for me, and I assume for
the family, but in the end, we had a good time. Jim Quinn, DOC
Whitbeck, and Dan Hignight enjoyed spending time with the family.
Tom Wiseman and the rest of the men in the first platoon were
excited to meet them. There were also other people there who
were able to say hello. Semper Fi, Joe Walters
M
Co. 3/5 Marines gathered to honor Pfc. Steele in Ohio
Memorial
Day, 2013
