Event Raises Awareness For Wounded Warriors

The special guest of the night was Medal of Honor Recipient, Colonel Joe Marm.

Left to Right: Dale Punch, PG Gentrup, Medal of Honor Recipient, Joe Marm and Brian Gentrup. Photo provided.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - A private event was held at the Skyline Club at One American Square in downtown Indianapolis, to bring awareness to our wounded warriors on Friday, May 24, 2019. With a beautiful view from the glass enclosed room on the 36th floor and overlooking the Soldiers’ Monument, the Honoring Our Heroes Reception was held from 6:30 to 9:30 PM. There were several speakers who talked about what they are doing to help those who have been wounded seriously in battle.

This was a private reception with only 50 people in attendance. Sergeant Dan Rose was paralyzed from the chest down in an IED explosion on April 27, 2011. It was estimated the bomb was 1000 pounds of explosives. SoldierStrong has partnered with Dan and provided him with the Elso Bionics GT robotic exoskeleton, which enables individuals with any amount of lower extremity weakness or paralysis to stand up and walk. Dan is now the spokesman for SoldierStrong.

Rahal Racing Team was represented by Indy 500 driver, Graham Rahal and his brother and owner, Bobby Rahal. Their United Rentals Racing Team is well known and their Turns for Our Troops Fund and is funded by a donation for each lap completed by this racing team and its drivers. There were other speakers for the American Legion and other sponsors of the event. A gift from the American Legion was presented to each person in attendance of a commemorative proof coin from the United States Mint for the 100th anniversary of the American Legion.

The special guest of the night was Medal of Honor Recipient, Colonel Joe Marm. Joe was awarded his medal for actions in the Ia Drang Valley in November of 1965. Serving with the 1st Cavalry Division, he was wounded and received the Purple Heart for charging the enemy to save the lives of his fellow soldiers. One year later he was awarded the nation’s highest award for Gallantry in Action, the Medal of Honor. This battle was made famous by the book We Were Soldiers Once…..And Young, written by Lt. Col. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway, and the movie, We Were Soldiers, starring Mel Gibson.

PG Gentrup and his son, Brian, attended the reception as the guests of Dale Punch and Joe Marm. Brian lives in Brownsburg, IN. Dale Punch makes the challenge coins for the Medal of Honor Recipients and is a big race fan. Dale and Joe Marm attend many racing events around the country, especially Nascar events.

PG and Dale have been friends for several years. Dale was in Lawrenceburg in 2018 attending the reunion of his Marine Corps buddies from Vietnam and that reunion was planned and hosted by Marine Ebbie Roberts and PG. The Marines made PG an honorary member of the 1/12th Marines of the 3rd Marine Division.

Joe Marm signed the book, We Were Soldiers Once….and Young and also the book We Are Soldiers Still for Brian and PG.

It’s such an honor to be able to chat with a Medal of Honor Recipient and hear the stories about his time in Vietnam. They also talked about another friend they have in common, Sgt. Sammy Davis, Indiana’s only living recipient of the Medal of Honor.

An invitation was extended to Joe Marm to come to Southeastern Indiana, with Dale Punch, to visit with our outstanding veterans and hopefully, that will happen sometime soon.

A highlight of the evening was when Joe Marm presented PG with one of his challenge coins for the Medal of Honor.