Col. James Kasler, ‘Indiana’s Sgt. York,’ was fighter, survivor

You’ve probably never heard of Col. James Helms Kasler. It’s a pity.

Kasler is Indiana’s Sgt. York. Three times Kasler went off to war. Three times he returned home to Indianapolis a hero, and this Memorial Day is an appropriate time to celebrate him.

The Air Force Cross is an award for conspicuous gallantry in combat. It is second only to the Medal of Honor among American military decorations and equivalent to the Army’s Distinguished Service Cross and the Navy Cross.

There have been 195 recipients of the Air Force Cross. Three men have received the award twice. Kasler alone has earned it three times.

Setting aside recipients of the Medal of Honor, Kasler is the 10th most decorated serviceman in U.S. history. He is No. 1 among Hoosiers, and on April 24, at age 87, he joined what Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg called “our honored dead.”

“The colonel was my mentor and my hero, the most courageous man I’ve ever known,” said John Brodak, his voice flush with feeling. “He was a fierce warrior and a patriot and I’m proud he called me his friend.”

Read more

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

Maine Gives P.O.W. Warm Welcome (Mark Gartley)

Walking next to his father near a lake he fished as a boy, Navy Lieut. Markham Gartley looked up at the clear, blue sky and filled his lungs with crisp autumn air. The 28‐year‐old pilot noted the colors of the northern Maine woods—the McIntosh reds of the sugar maples, the

Read More »

POW/MIA Day events honor missing military members (Dale Raebel)

Jacksonville will remember missing military members Friday and Saturday at events marking National POW/MIA Recognition Day. An open house is scheduled Friday at Jacksonville’s National POW/MIA Memorial at Cecil Airport on the city’s Westside. Speakers on Saturday will include Meghan Wagner, daughter of Navy Capt. Scott Speicher, a Cecil-based aviator who became the

Read More »

Not forgotten (Gary Sigler)

Most probably had seen it before, but the symbol-filled ceremony honoring prisoners of war and service members missing in action that began the penultimate day of the Vietnam Veterans of America National Convention in Springfield still tugged at the emotions of the 200 or so vets who attended the 7

Read More »