Midlands Voices: Remembering and honoring Nebraska's heroes

John Joseph Parle was a 1942 ROTC graduate of Creighton. He gave his life off the coast of Sicily during the amphibious invasion of Sicily during World War II. Parle jumped into a boat carrying high explosives, detonating fuses, and ammunition to put out flames that had been accidentally ignited. He successfully prevented injury to his fellow sailors, as well as a fire that would have alerted the enemy to the U.S. force’s presence. A week later, he succumbed to the effects of the smoke and fumes he inhaled. He was only 23.

Edward Gomez graduated from Omaha High (now Central High) in 1949 and enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was 17. During an intense fight on Hill 749 in Korea, Gomez repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to keep his machine gun supplied with ammunition. When a grenade landed near his position, he grabbed it and dove into a ditch, fatally absorbing the blast with his body and protecting nearby Marines. Gomez Heritage Elementary School in South Omaha is named after him.

Robert John Hibbs was born in Omaha in 1943. On March 5, 1966, he led a platoon in a fierce battle in Don Dien Lo Ke, Vietnam. Wounded and moments away from safety himself, Hibbs learned that a patrol member was hurt, dazed, and trapped between two opposing forces. He returned to successfully recover his comrade but was fatally wounded during the rescue. Hibbs stayed behind to provide covering fire while the rest of his team escaped. His last act was to destroy the telescopic sight attached to his rifle in order to prevent its use by the Viet Cong.

James Fous attended Central High and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, joining the Army in 1967 and deploying to Vietnam shortly after. Like Gomez, Fous smothered the blast of an enemy-thrown hand grenade with his body, sacrificing his life to protect the soldiers around him. He was 21.

Miguel Keith attended North High and joined the Marine Corps in 1969. During combat in Vietnam, Keith (already seriously wounded) braved concentrated hostile fire to charge 25 enemy soldiers and secure victory against a much larger force. Only 18, he was killed during the attack.

A separate plaque further down the marble face of the memorial honors Bob Kerrey, the only servicemember whose Medal of Honor was not awarded posthumously. Kerrey was born in Lincoln and served as a Navy SEAL during Vietnam. During a 1969 mission, Kerry and his team scaled a 350-foot cliff to gain an advantage on the enemy. During the intense fight that followed, Kerrey was seriously wounded by an enemy grenade but continued to lead “despite his near-unconscious state, until he was evacuated by helicopter.” Kerrey would go on to serve Nebraska as governor and U.S. senator.

Omaha, we have a heroic heritage. Let’s not forget these six men — and hundreds of other Nebraskans who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. May their stories inspire us to serve one another, our communities, and our nation.