European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 29, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday december 29, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 9 recognition sought for Vietnam hero medal Winner s deeds like War seem forgotten Yakima. Wash. Apr would War i hero Alvin York a a statue on the grounds of he Tennessee Capitol. His life like that of world War ii hero audic Murphy was made into a Hollywood movie. Joe Hooper has nothing. The most decorated . Soldier of the Vietnam War lies nearly forgotten near the Tomb of the unknowns it Arlington National cemetery As another Symbol of a War the nation would just As soon forget. In Washington state where Hooper lived much of his life there is no individual Monument to his memory and the deeds that won him 37 citations. Plans to rename Public buildings or Parks after Hooper have been in the works for years. It in t that anyone opposes them bul More often they seem to stall for Lack of interest. That May change soon. Rep. Rod Chandler r-wash., plans to introduce a Bill in january to rename the substance abuse Wing of the veterans administration Hospital in Seale after the Man who won the medal of Honor the nation s highest military Honor plus two Silver stars and ii purple hearts. The office Ofsan. Brock Adams d-wash., is Lead ing a separate drive to gel the a to do the same thing without Congress having to pats a Bill. And some efforts have started in Moses Lake. Where Hooper grew up to rename a City Park or Creel a memorial to him. Why has it taken so Long the unpopularity of the War has shifted Over to a Bias against the individuals who served in the War speculated Jim Gunsolus the Adams aide working on the Hooper Effort. Part of the reason May have been Hooper himself who drank his Way out of the military and a variety of jobs after the War failed to play the part of War hero for the government and died from a fall in a Motel room in Kentucky in 1979 Al age 40. Donald Ross a medal of Honor historian in port Orchard who knew Hooper Well said a Small num Ber of recipients arc unable to live and Honor inc medal of he was one of them said Ross who served at Pearl Harbor and is a medal of Honor Winner. It was Loo much of a Load for another Friend said Hooper could t Bear what he witnessed As an employee of the a Hospital in Seattle. It just got too much for him and he could t stand All inc misery around Here said Joe Feldman of the american legion in Seattle. Hooper s peacetime life was in Sharp contrast to his 30 months in Vietnam. The medal of Honor citation covering six hours of combat near Hue on feb. 21, 1968, relates Aston Ishing exploits killing two dozen enemy soldiers rescuing six of his men and suffering seven wounds. Hooper then a 29-year-old sergeant crossed a River through enemy fire and with his men overran several Bankers. He then ran into heavy gunfire to help his wounded men suffering serious wounds bul refusing he single hand edly stormed three enemy bunkers destroying them with hand grenades and Rifle fire and also killing two enemy soldiers who had attacked his unit s chaplain. Leading his men Forward. Hooper destroyed three buildings housing enemy riflemen and killed a North vietnamese officer with his Bayonet. His initial wounds now compounded by grenade fragments Hooper raced Down a Small Trench hurl ing hand grenades to destroy four enemy bunkers. He then ran across a Field still under enemy fire 10 Rescue a wounded Man. Upon reaching that Man. Hooper was attacked by an enemy Soldier and then shot the attacker then killed three North vietnamese officers with Rifle fire reorganized his men and did not con sent to evacuation until the following morning. What the citation does t say is that 189 . Soldiers began the River crossing and that Hooper was among just 114 who survived. After evacuation he broke out of the Hospital to return to his unit. In the nest two Days Hooper and id other soldiers ambushed 600 enemy tighten. Hooper earned a Silver Star and another Bullet wound. He was discharged shortly afterwards but he found civilian life Boring and re enlisted a few months later. The army which had been unable to locate him after the discharge awarded Hooper the medal of Honor and he became a celebrity. He served in los Angeles As a Recruiter and in the Panama canal zone As a courier. But things went badly and he opted to rejoin the 101st airborne div in Vietnam. He won a second Silver Star and More medals received a Battlefield commission to lieutenant and ultimately returned to the United state to work at a Basic training company. But he did t like being an officer and eventually resigned ending is years of service that began in 19s6 when he enlisted in the Navy. V he returned to the Yakima area where friends said he often drank and carried a pistol. He also was arthritic and suffered 60 percent disability because of his wounds. Friends tried to help Hooper with jobs and sup port but he often failed to show up for work before his fatal fall in a Louisville Motel room on May 6, 1979, Ross said. I know it was ,1 Ross said. Hooper who left behind a wife and a daughter was buried at Arlington with full military honors. H is name was put on a plaque honouring All washing ton medal of Honor winners Al the slate Capitol in Olympia. Other than thai he was mostly forgotten. Both York and Murphy the most decorated . of world War ii have a hospitals named after them. People look at audic Murphy and people like that and these Guys Are National heroes said Steve Witter a Chandler spokesman. It s appropriate that Hooper be recognized for what he film director Hal Ashby Dies of liver cancer by the los Angeles times Hollywood Hal Ashby director of such idiosyncratic films As Harold and Maude shampoo coming Home and being there died tuesday at his Home in Malibu after a Battle with liver cancer he was 59. Ashby had been hospitalized several limes during the past Floc months business manager Larry Rey nolds said. Known As a Man of fiercely Independent nature Ashby gained stature in Hollywood As an editor of films that included the Cincinnati kid 1965the russians Are coming the russians Are coming 1966 and the Thomas Crown affair 1968. He won an Oscar for his editing of the 1967 Norman Jewison film heal of the his directing career began in 1970 when Jewson gave him a direct Beau Bridges and Peart Bailey in the landlord the following year Ashby made Harold and Maude a Light hearted treatment of death and the bizarre Romance Between a boy and ans Ingoman. Then came the Jack Nicholson film the last de Tail 1973 and shampoo 1975which starred Warren Beany As a philandering Hairdresser. Ashby also directed bound for glory the 1976 film about folksinger Woody Guthric and the depression Era. He was nominated for an Academy award for the 1978 anti War movie coming Home which starred Jane Fonda As a Marine officer s wife in love with a paraplegic Vietnam Veteran played by Jon Voight. One of his most successful directing efforts was being there the 1979 film in which Peter Sellers portrayed a sheltered Gar Dener whose childlike utterances were interpreted by others As words of deep Wisdom. But after several years of turning out successful films the bearded shaggy haired Ashby seemed to have trouble reaching the movie going Public. He directed two films Lookin to get out 1979 and second i hand hearts 1981 Ashby i but neither was a hit. Their handling by Lorimar films led to a bitter falling out with i Ashby found himself being asked whether he was burned out. Nevertheless in 1983 he put together footage from three 1981 rolling stones concerts to make let s spend the night then he directed slug Ger s wife 1985 and eight million ways to die fl986. Reynolds said Ashby was preparing to direct a film called hand carved coffins when he died. In a 1982 interview Ashby said he had heard the rumours that he was through and that he was dying but declared i can t recall the last thing i Hanl about myself that was Ashby was born in Ogden Utah. He became a drifter hitchhiking from stale to stale to do Odd jobs and finally coming to Hollywood where he lived in a $7 a Wick room while he sold magazines and encyclopedias. He said he did not last Long at any of those jobs because you were always doing a con telling a he. I Don t like to Tell he then got a Job running a press Al Republic Stu Dios finally working his Way into the editing rooms where he managed to get apprenticed to Robert Wmk who did editing for director William Wylor eventually Ashby became Jewison s editor. Ashby leaves a sister Ardith Thomson of Ogden. And a. Brother. Jack Ashby of Fresno Calif. He was Divorcee. Bldg wifi dec Are Buddha new Delhi India up1 the Flam Boyant guru of free love Bhagwan sri Rajnesh has declared he is the reincarnation of the founder of buddhism and will no longer use the title Bhagwan which in the hindu language Means god it was announced wednesday. A statement from rain Cash s commune of Raj Neesham located in punch 735 Miles Southwest of new Delhi India said the sett Leader s new name would be Raj Cesh Gautama the Buddha. It said the Silver bearded guru who was deported from the United slates in 1985 revealed to 10,000 followers on tuesday thai he is the reincarnation of Prince Sid Khanha also known As Gautama who was Bora the son of the ruler of a Small King Dom in Eastern India in the 6th Century . According to Buddhist scriptures Siddhartha renounced worldly possessions became an ascetic and wandered in search of enlightenment which he found while seated beneath a Ricc. From then on he became the. Buddha or the enlightened one. The Rayne Cashdam statement quoted Rajneesha As saying that Alzue Tishira a japanese prophetess of zen a Branch of buddhism recently declared that he was the reincarnation of the Buddha. It said he accepted her pronouncement. Rajneesha said he would no longer use the title Bhagwan claiming he had adopted it just As a Challenge to this country to christians to Mohammedans moslem to he hindus Rajneesha was forced to abandon a com a inc on a 64,000-Acrc ranch in Antelope ore., and nearly 100 Rolls royces and leave inc United slates in november 1985 after pleading no contest to immigration Fraude Harges
