Rutherford Weekly - Shelby NC
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ISSUE NO. 12 • March 23, 2023 ISSUE NO. 12 • March 23, 2023 • • RutherfordWeekly.com • 828-248-1408 RutherfordWeekly.com • 828-248-1408 Weekly newspapers remain the preferred media source for trustworthy, reliable information and advertising, ranking highest among mediums people use to plan for shopping. A study by Newspaper Association of America found nearly 80% of adults acted on a call to visit a local store after seeing an ad in the last month. W t h A a a Call Today! 828-248-1408 140 W. 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"High Achievers Are Not Born - - They Are Made" "High Achievers Are Not Born - - They Are Made" Spring SPECIAL Our 31 st Year • Over 25,000 Weekly Readers Herman Douglas Logan of the Chase community is a quiet kind of guy with a story that makes the listener thankful to hear it and wished it had been made public years ago. In addition to joining the Army and fi ghting in the Vietnam War after graduating from Carver High School and receiving the Silver Star while in Vietnam, Logan worked at several jobs until his retirement at age 66. He's never stopped working and is still making a difference. Logan volunteers in several areas to help others fi nd a better life — the same way he was helped many years ago. Logan, 76, is a native of Rutherford County and was assigned to Ft. Bragg and later Ft. Jackson after enlisting in the Army. He served in Vietnam one year and earned the respect of offi cers who recognized his leadership skills soon after he arrived. He recalled how an Army captain told him he could walk along the fi elds and detect "booby traps" and that he also knew where the snakes were. For his service in Vietnam he earned a Silver Star which is the third-highest military decoration for valor in combat and awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States. The scenario of Logan being chosen for the Silver Star came during two days of enemy fi re on his platoon. During the second night of the fi ghting, fi ve guys from his platoon were sent about 100 yards from camp. "They were trapped by the enemy. They were shot and the radio fell on the ground," Logan continued. The captain told Logan he would have to go out and retrieve the radio. A fl are went out into the area that night and Logan saw the soldiers shot lying in the fi eld as he approached the area of the gunfi re. "One guy was alive and he asked me to get him out of there," Logan said. Logan got the radio and was able to turn it off so the enemy would not hear it if someone from their company called out to him. Logan, smaller than the soldier who was still alive, carried him and the radio back to safety. Some time later Logan got orders to board a helicopter to go see the colonel. "I didn't know what I had done," he said. During that meeting, Logan received the Silver Star for his bravery. "They told me that by going out and getting the radio, the whole platoon was saved," he quietly said. After Vietnam he had other assignments in California, Germany and Istanbul, Turkey to the nuclear weapons site. Three years after joining the Army he returned home, "only by the grace of God." He married Victoria Simpson Logan, also a Carver High School graduate, 54 years ago and the couple has two children. Their only son Dwayne spent 20 years in the military. "Although his father went to the war and could have been killed, he (Dwayne) joined," said Victoria. During his career, Logan worked at Spindale Mills as a weaver, sold cars for several dealerships and worked for Freightliner Trucking Company in Gaffney, S.C. Logan talked about the time he had lost his way because of excessive drinking and smoking marijuana. He was depressed and didn't want to work. His life was going downhill. Soldiers didn't talk about their Vietnam experiences and Logan thought about the war and kept it to himself. During this time he was incarcerated in the Rutherford County jail. One day while in jail he was visited by a group of men who shared the gospel of Jesus. They talked to Logan about changing his life. "I reached out to God then and said, 'I need help'. I believed what the men were saying and I asked the Lord to come into my life and change me." Logan's testimony touched others he met along the way as he told them how God had changed his life. He and Victoria have been members of Father's Vineyard for 30 years after fi rst attending New Bethel. "God has really blessed us at Father's Vineyard," he said. After he turned his life over to the Lord, Logan was asked if he'd consider visiting the detention facility to talk with the male prisoners about his personal life change. He agreed and later was asked to talk with inmates at the North Carolina Department of Correction in Spindale. He still visits the jail on a regular basis and when he receives a special request. Logan also shared his redemption story with former co-workers at Freightliner who felt there was no one else to help. These days Logan is helping Victoria in the yard with her fl owers and keeping up with work around the house. Continued on page 3. Article by Jean Gordon Vietnam War Silver Star Vietnam War Silver Star recipient shares his stories of recipient shares his stories of redemption and helping others redemption and helping others Doug Logan with his veteran's hat and a symbol of the Silver Star medal. IN GOD WE TRUST