Memorial Day is the one day of the year when we honor those who gave their lives for our nation, to ensure that the rest of us can experience and enjoy freedom. On this day, InterMat thought it would be appropriate to honor just some of the wrestlers who stepped off the mat to fight for our country ... and paid the ultimate price.
Dale Hanson: Despite being nicknamed "PeeWee" because he was at first too small to wrestle, Hanson became a two-time Iowa high school state champ for Cresco High School, one of the all-time great prep powerhouses of wrestling in the nation. Hanson then headed north to the University of Minnesota, where he was never defeated in 43 dual-meet matches. Hanson earned back-to-back Big Ten titles (1939, 1940) and was a two-time NCAA finalist, winning the 128-pound crown -- and Outstanding Wrestler honors -- at the 1939 NCAAs. An Air Force First Lieutenant, Hanson was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and participated in the Battle of Midway in June of 1942. He lost his life in October 1942 as a co-pilot of a B-17 that was shot down in a battle over Rabaul, New Britian in the South Pacific. He was 24 years old.
Max Silverstein: A Chicago native, Max Silverstein wrestled at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, where he compiled a 20-1 record with 13 falls. He was runner-up at 158 pounds at the 1932 NCAAs. Silverstein was promoted through his Navy career, being named Lieutenant in March 1940. On May 7, 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea, Silverstein's ship, the USS Sims, came under aerial attack. Though knocked unconscious by the first bomb, Silverstein recovered and directed efforts to try to prevent the ship from sinking. He was lost with the ship. Silverstein was posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal for "his relentless determination and inspiring heroism."
Tommy Noonan: One of his friends called Tommy Noonan, " ...the best wrestler Hunter College ever had." Noonan graduated from the New York City-based college in 1966 with a degree in physical education. In 1967 he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve and was subsequently deployed to Vietnam. Marine Lance Corporal Thomas Noonan Jr. was killed in action against the enemy on February 5, 1969. For his valor in that action, Noonan was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a fire team leader with Company G, in operations against the enemy ..." The citation went on to state, "L/Cpl. Noonan moved from his position of relative security and, maneuvering down the treacherous slope to a location near the injured men, took cover behind some rocks. Shouting words of encouragement to the wounded men to restore their confidence, he dashed across the hazardous terrain and commenced dragging the most seriously wounded man away from the fire-swept area. Although wounded and knocked to the ground by an enemy round, L/Cpl. Noonan recovered rapidly and resumed dragging the man toward the marginal security of a rock. He was, however, mortally wounded before he could reach his destination."
Bob Arvin: Winner of a Michigan high school state title in 1961, Bob Arvin went on to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he continued his wrestling career. Arvin served in Vietnam, where he was wounded in battle in September 1967, earning two Silver Star medals for his actions. One month later, First Lieutenant Arvin's unit was pinned down in an exposed position while completing a sweep of an enemy base. He was killed on October 4 while enabling his battalion to defeat an enemy force three times its size. Arvin was promoted to Captain posthumously. In 1989, the gym at West Point was renamed in his honor.
Ray MendozaDoug Zembiec: A native of New Mexico, Doug Zembiec was the first state champion wrestler at La Cueva High School. He went on to the Naval Academy, where he was a three-time NCAA qualifier, earning All-American honors by placing eighth in the 177-pound bracket at the 1995 NCAAs. Zembiec was commissioned a 2d Lieutenant in the Marines immediately after graduating from Annapolis. As a platoon commander, Zembiec's reconnaissance platoon was among the first conventional forces to enter Kosovo during Operation Joint Guardian in June 1999. In April 2004, as a rifle company commander, Zembiec led the first ground assault on Fallujah, Iraq where his heroism earned him the nickname "The Lion of Fallujah" (having been seriously wounded by shrapnel during that battle). On May 11, 2007, Major Doug Zembiec died while commanding a raid on insurgent forces in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. It was his fourth tour in the Middle East.
This list is by no means complete. You may know other former mat stars who gave their all to protect the rest of us. This is the day to remember and honor them all.
Special thanks to uber-wrestling supporter Jim Brown and his "View from Section GG" blog as well as the "Glory Beyond the Sport: Wrestling and the Military" book by wrestling writer Roger Moore, published in 2009 by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
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