The stories of Washingtonian war heroes going back to before World War I can now be found in a newly published book released last month.
“Beyond Belief: True Stories of Washington State Heroes that Defy Comprehension” is a compilation of the stories of more than 100 Washington U.S. service members — including several from Lewis and Thurston counties — and is the 12th book in the Beyond Belief series.
With Memorial Day just over a month away on Monday, May 27, this will be the first article in a series where The Chronicle will preview the Beyond Belief Washington edition by sharing some stories of Lewis and Thurston veterans leading up to Memorial Day.
This installment features stories of Winlock residents.
The books are written by a team of authors led by C. Douglas Sterner, a U.S. Army combat engineer who was awarded two Bronze Star Medals and served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War. Now, Sterner is a self-published author of over 100 books on military history.
The Chronicle reached out to Sterner, who lives in Pueblo, Colorado, to find out more about his efforts.
“I recently signed up with the (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) … and they sent me to talk to a shrink,” Sterner said. “I said, ‘I never thought I had PTSD,’ and she said, ‘Well it’s my professional opinion that the reason you’re so driven to write all these stories of other heroes is how you’ve dealt with your PTSD.’ And who knows, she might be right.”
Writing is an art form, and since art can be used for therapy, Sterner has no plans to stop publishing books. Along with his books, Sterner has spent nearly 30 years creating a database for recipients of Distinguished Service Crosses, Distinguished Flying Crosses, Silver Star medals and other highly distinguished awards.
“I started doing this after I found out the services weren’t maintaining a comprehensive list of medal winners aside from Medal of Honor recipients,” Sterner said. “I have more than a quarter of a million citations in there of people who received high awards.”
It is from this database he is now pulling stories from award citations for the Beyond Belief book series.
Along with the Washington state edition, Beyond Belief books are currently available for the states of Arizona, Alabama, Montana and Colorado. Sterner hopes to publish Oregon’s next. Ultimately, his goal is to have an edition for all 50 states.
“Oregon will be in June, and I’ll just keep on going from there as long as I can keep writing these stories,” Sterner said.
Other Beyond Belief books focus on stories of U.S. Navy sailors, U.S. Marines, military chaplains, civilian heroes, U.S. aviation heroes and military families.
Beyond Belief books featuring special operations missions and great escapes are also in the works, Sterner added.
All of Sterner’s work is available on Amazon in both print and digital form. For more information, visit https://www.herobooks.org/.
To access Sterner’s medal recipient database, visit https://homeofheroes.com/.
Edward Watson Leonard, Jr. — The rescue mission pilot POW
Born on Aug. 9, 1938, in Multnomah, Oregon, Edward Watson Leonard, Jr., ended up growing up in Winlock after his family moved there. He graduated from Winlock High School. Following his graduation, Leonard received a U.S. Air Force Academy appointment, which he accepted.
By the end of his Air Force career, he became one of the academy’s most decorated graduates and earned four Silver Star medals along with three Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star Medal and two Purple Hearts.
He was originally trained to fly the C-130 Hercules transport plane. He was first assigned to Rhein Main Air Base in West Germany in 1963.
There, Leonard told his commanders he wanted to fly in rescue missions. He eventually got his wish. He was sent back to the U.S. and trained to fly A-1 Skyraiders — small, single-engine propeller-powered planes that were used to provide protection for rescue helicopters during the Vietnam War.
By 1967, Leonard found himself at the Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in Bangkok, Thailand, flying rescue missions with the 602nd Fighter Squadron. Over the next 13 months, Leonard participated in 266 missions and helped with the successful recovery of 18 downed aircrew members in enemy territory.
Even being shot down couldn’t stop him from aiding in his squadron’s rescue efforts.
“Despite continuous barrages of withering ground fire from a multitude of gun positions, Captain Leonard pressed the search for the downed pilot. Captain Leonard's aircraft ultimately received so much damage that he was forced to abandon it,” read an excerpt from his third Silver Star Medal citation. “His search pinpointed the defending gun positions and materially assisted in locating the downed pilot's position, leading to the eventual success of the rescue.”
On his 267th mission on May 31, 1968, just weeks before he was to finish his tour of duty and return home, Leonard’s Skyraider was hit again and he was forced to eject for a second time. Initially, he climbed into a tree and hid from enemy forces for two days, but he was eventually discovered and captured before he could be rescued.
Leonard spent 1,760 days as a prisoner of war (POW). During his time in captivity, he received his fourth Silver Star Medal for confronting fellow POWs who were collaborating with their captors — which resulted in him being tortured and spending time in solitary confinement.
On March 28, 1973, Leonard was finally released and was able to finally contact his parents in Winlock and wife and daughter in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In a letter to his family, he wrote, “Oh, how I missed Christmas! That was the one day that seemed so empty.” He jokingly told them he expected to get five Christmas gifts from each family member upon his return.
After undergoing dental surgery to repair damaged and missing teeth at Travis Air Force Base in California, he finally returned to Winlock on May 4, 1973, where he received a welcome few others returning from Vietnam got.
The streets of Winlock were decorated for “Christmas in May” celebration, as were many of the homes in the city, and thousands of people from Winlock and the surrounding communities came to welcome Leonard back. Santa Clause was even there, and presented him with a key to the city.
Leonard was also welcomed by Winlock’s mayor at the time, Bill Allegre, before presenting the Winlock School District superintendent with a U.S. flag for the district and addressing those in attendance.
“I stand very humbled before you and tell you all thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being … Winlock. God bless you all, I love you all. Merry Christmas,” Leonard said.
After making a full recovery, Leonard would return to service in the Air Force, flying F-4 Phantom II fighter jets with the 10th Reconnaissance Wing until he retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1980.
Despite dealing with health issues stemming from his time as a POW, Leonard still ended up graduating from the University of Texas law school in 1982 before returning to Washington state to practice law. In 2001, he was elected mayor of Ilwaco.
Leonard passed away on Nov. 11, 2014, in Ilwaco, and was buried in the U.S. Air Force Academy Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Walter William Wall — A run across no man’s land
Born on Nov. 14, 1892, in Winlock, Walter William Wall was the first Washingtonian to be awarded the newly minted Distinguished Service Cross award.
Prior to World War I, the only medal that service members could be awarded was the Medal of Honor, which was created during the U.S. Civil War.
Following a review of Medal of Honor awards at the end of WWI, the U.S. Army decided to establish three new awards so soldiers who showed outstanding bravery and heroism on the battlefield — albeit not to Medal of Honor standards — could still be recognized for their actions.
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest award a soldier can get just behind the Medal of Honor.
Before joining the Army, Wall was a barber until he was drafted and sent to France as a private in Company B, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division of the American Expeditionary Forces.
During a battle near Soissons, France, on July 18, 1918, his platoon had been engaged with the enemy for 12 hours while trying to capture an assigned objective point on the battlefield. Wall and his fellow soldiers were fighting exhaustion, a problem compounded by them also running out of water.
To get more water, someone would have to cross artillery-shell-swept terrain — more commonly known as no-man’s-land — carrying everyone’s canteens, fill them, and make the return trip across no man’s land with the refilled canteens.
Knowing the chances of anyone making it across no man’s land were slim, the platoon commander asked for volunteers.
“Private Wall responded, and, collecting the canteens of his comrades, departed on his precarious mission,” read an excerpt from Wall’s Distinguished Service Cross citation. “Several hours later he returned, utterly exhausted, but bearing with him the canteens filled with precious water. Other men attempting to make similar trips in the same vicinity were either killed or wounded.”
After returning home, Wall married and became an entrepreneur. According to Beyond Belief, he was described as “a pioneer business man in Winlock.” Wall passed away on Feb. 27, 1953, and was buried in the Winlock Cemetery.
