Purple Heart recipient gains national honor
MANSFIELD – Joe Wesner insists he’s not a hero, but his actions say otherwise.
“I just did my job,” the veteran said. The 41-year-old Mansfield resident’s job included tours of duty in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
He earned three Purple Hearts – medals presented to service members who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action while serving in the U.S. military – along with numerous other commendations.
Rising to the rank of staff sergeant, Wesner had to be medically retired because of his injuries. He wanted to continue to serve.
Because of his service, Wesner has been chosen to be one of the nation’s 2021 Purple Heart Patriot Project honorees. The Army veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom will be Ohio’s representative at a multi-day tribute to the courage and sacrifice of America’s combatwounded.
The all-expense-paid trip includes visits to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, historic Washington’s headquarters and a special tour of the newly renovated National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.
“Joe and his fellow Patriot Project honorees are true American heroes,” said Richie Lay, a Purple Heart recipient and chairman of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission. “America’s Purple Heart veterans have given so much to defend freedom, and that sacrifice must always be remembered.
“We are privileged to be able to provide this unique salute to service for our Purple Heart heroes.”
Early interest in service
Wesner was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He joined the Army at the age of 21, inspired by his grandfather’s service in World War II.
He would tell Wesner stories about his military exploits during their fishing expeditions.
“It was just something I always wanted to do,” Wesner said of joining the Army. “Ever since I was little, I played Army.”
Before enlisting, Wesner attended Kutztown University in Pennsylvania for a couple of years. He played football
and baseball there.
“I broke my ankle playing pickup basketball,” Wesner said, adding he lost his scholarship as a result.
Overseas deployments
Wesner’s first deployment was to Kosovo in 2001 and 2002. It was more of a peacekeeping mission, with Wesner spending much of his time on patrol.
“There were a couple of little fights here and there,” he said.
Wesner completed three tours of duty in Iraq, from 2003 to 2004, 2005 to 2006 and 2008 to 2009.
He was part of the U.S. mission to invade the Middle Eastern country.
“We didn’t know what we were getting into,” Wesner said. “We were prepped for it. We kind of knew what was coming.”
Wesner and his unit were stationed in Kuwait, where temperatures reached 151 degrees, before heading to Iraq.
He served as a gunner in the third vehicle that crossed the border. Wesner participated in his first firefight on the second day.
“It’s an adrenaline rush,” he said. “The first one, you don’t really know what’s going on. Your second one’s scary.”
More battles ahead
Wesner said all of his deployments were difficult in their own ways.
“It was the invasion of a country,” he said of the mission to Iraq. “We were there to move them out.”
Wesner’s second tour of Iraq happened during the deadliest year for American soldiers in that country. He spent much of his time in the city of Ramadi.
“It was definitely intense,” Wesner said.
During his 13 years in the Army, Wesner said he lost 23 or 24 friends.
“I have a memorial wall in my office with bracelets,” he said. “In a way, it gives you a motivation to continue, but it’s not easy. It’s hard to explain. You’ve just got to continue on.
“It gets more personal.”
By his third tour of duty in Iraq, Wesner was tired of the country and ready to move on.
“I wanted to go to Afghanistan already,” he said.
Wesner helped train a unit for detainee operations. The soldiers guarded a prison.
For someone used to combat, the adjustment was difficult for Wesner.
“It was slow for me. I had a hard time,” he said. “It was a terrible deployment for me.”
Life and death in Afghanistan
Wesner’s final deployment started in January 2010 and lasted until December.
He said he loved his unit. The company was put together for that specific deployment.
Wesner and his comrades occupied a sector of Afghanistan.
“We had to root out a lot of the Taliban that were in that area,” he said. “There was a lot of fighting, every day, multiple times a day.”
Wesner described himself as one of the more “seasoned guys in the unit.”
“There were four of us who were in Ramadi at the same time,” he said. “A lot of the younger guys, we could tell when they were having issues. We’d talk to them.”
To blow off steam, some of the soldiers lifted sandbags in a makeshift gym.
“You try to have as much fun as you can,” Wesner said.
There weren’t many opportunities to do so.
“The fighting’s bad. As soon as it starts getting warm, the fighting really picks up,” Wesner said. “Our guys were tired. They were going at it for 20 hours a day.”
Perhaps Wesner’s defining moment of his time in the military occurred on July 27, 2010.
“We got some intel that something big was going to happen,” he said. “We had two extra guys up there and me. We didn’t know where, when or how many, but we knew something was up.”
While his troops were manning an observation point in Dandar, a group of Taliban fighters opened fire with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
“They hit us in two different directions,” Wesner said. “That was it; it was on.”
After an extensive firefight, Wesner ran to secure additional ammunitions, when a grenade exploded just a few feet from his position. He was thrown into a trench and knocked unconscious.
When Wesner regained consciousness, he eliminated the rocket-propelled grenade team before they could fire again – despite suffering wounds to both shoulders and his right hip.
“I had to have both shoulders completely rebuilt. Everything came completely out of socket and went back in,” he said.
His suffered tears to tendons and muscles, as well as seven fractures in his back and five ruptured discs.
“It was one of the biggest fights we had that deployment,” Wesner said. “There were six of us.
“We had no deaths, though we were pretty banged up. I probably took the brunt of it.”
The next day, Wesner’s unit recovered 32 bodies of Taliban soldiers. He estimated as many as 50 were killed in the firefight.
End of military career
Wesner could have gone home after his injuries, but he insisted on staying, saying he didn’t want to leave his guys.
Incredibly, he saw combat less than
two months later. Asked how he did it, Wesner replied, “You keep getting hip injections. You get adrenaline. You don’t realize what’s going on.”
Of all days, the Taliban attacked Bagram Airfield, the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan, on Sept. 11.
“They hit the flagpole and blew it up,” Wesner said.
He made it through that battle unscathed, but got hurt again a couple of weeks later. His fighting days were over.
Wesner was sent home in December of 2010.
“They medically retired me in 2014,” he said. “I fought it for a year or two. I tried to stay in.”
His last day in the Army was July 27, 2014, four years to the day of the battle where he earned his Purple Hearts.
Trouble adjusting to civilian life
Like many veterans, Wesner had a difficult time away from the battlefield.
“It was tough,” he said. “I locked myself in the basement.”
Wesner’s first marriage ended. He believes he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder but wanted no part of therapy.
“I couldn’t sit in a room and talk about it. That was not my thing,” Wesner said.
He found an outlet in hunting. “That was my passion,” Wesner said, adding he grew up on a farm and learned to hunt at a young age.
“I don’t care if I don’t shoot something. I’m focused. I’m relaxed. I could clear my head (while hunting).”
Wesner wanted to share the experience with other veterans. A few years ago, he and two fellow veterans started the Ultimate Veteran Adventures Foundation.
“It started small. We’d pay for it out of our own pockets,” he said. “Eventually,
we started getting sponsors.”
The nonprofit organization now operates out of Wesner’s home office. In 2019, the group took veterans on 38 trips both locally and around the country. More than 100 veterans participated.
COVID-19 greatly reduced those numbers last year, though the Ultimate Veteran Adventures Foundation has planned a trip in late August to hunt bears in Maine.
“That’s my passion now,” Wesner said. “It’s a way to help vets and still serve.”
Life today
Wesner settled in Mansfield, close to Ontario, a couple of years ago with wife Emily, a Bellevue native. They have two children, Ella, 4, and Zach, 2.
He thinks he will visit the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in September.
“I’ve never been there. I’ve always wanted to see it,” Wesner said. “It’s an honor to be able to go.”
He said it’s also meaningful to be Ohio’s representative. Wesner is not sure who nominated him, but he has an idea.
“Our Purple Heart recipients have made enormous sacrifices for America, and this is our opportunity to say ‘thank you’ on behalf of a grateful nation,” said Col. Russ Vernon, executive director for the National Purple Heart Honor Mission. “For some, this will be like the homecoming they never had.
“We received hundreds of nominations from across the country, and we look forward to honoring Joe for his lifelong sacrifice and service to his community.”
Given a choice, Wesner knows where he would be.
“I still miss it,” he said of the military. “I’d go back in a heartbeat if I could.”
Barbara Hale Jones, 96, passed from this life with family by her side, on February
21, 2021. She will be deeply missed by her children, Chad (Barbara) Hale,
Sarah (Mike) Eckholt, Olina (Peter) St. Onge, Cathy (George) Davis, Cindy (Don)
Seeley; friend who became like a daughter, Joanne
Eubanks; her grandchildren, Jerry, Clint, Natalie,
Scott, Leah, Noah, Nicole,
Kevin, Helen, John, Will and
Joe; her 20 great grandchildren; and her sister, Greta
Auston. Barbara is predeceased by her husbands
William Hale and Neil Jones and her daughter Barbara
Ann, son Archie (Edna)
Hale, grandchildren Tom was born in Vernon, Texas, one of eight children. With her husband Bill, she moved to Georgia, Pennsylvania,
and then Columbus,
Ohio in 1964 where she remained the rest of her life. Barbara deeply loved and appreciated her family and was very proud of them all. Barbara loved people.
She had many good and faithful friends and enjoyed gathering with them for lunch and games. It was said that Barbara was one of the last remaining
Southern Baptist Democrats.
She stood up for gay rights decades before there was such a thing, she knew black lives mattered long before it became a movement, she always befriended the foreigner, invited in the excluded and spoke up though women were to be silent. Barbara spent decades active in church, teaching women’s Sunday school, supporting missionaries, caring for church members and giving many rides to church, to lunch, and for errands. Barbara put herself out for others, but she never wanted to be a burden or an imposition. to show love and be loved.
Barbara had an attitude of gratitude, always tried to look on the bright side, she would say “don’t dwell” on what hurts you. However, the tragic death of her twin sister in a fire at age 7, and the unresolved grief that followed, would haunt her the rest of her life. Yet
Barbara was a courageously naive, resilient, trusting, tender soul. Barbara received excellent care from the Forum at Knightsbridge
Ambassador Suite and
Ohiohealth Hospice. Many caregivers said that Barbara
was their favorite patient because she was always kind and grateful for even the smallest acts. Barbara’s
family is deeply grateful to these fine caregivers and to our mother’s many friends and churches who played a significant role in her life. Arrangements are made through Shaw-davis, for photos and condolences please go to https://www. shaw-davis.com/. There will be a private graveside service. If you would like to make a donation in her memory, please do so to
Ohiohealth Hospice.