Littleton story makes KTHV Channel 11’s Saluting Heroes

By Ethan Nahté

Ed Anderson with the Marine Corps League of Mena was interviewed at the war memorial located at the Polk County Court House on Wednesday, June 21. Specifically, he was being interviewed about Polk County’s sole Medal of Honor war hero Herbert A. Littleton by Rolly Hoyt of KTHV Channel 11 out of Little Rock.

Littleton is commonly referred to by his initials as HAL. The memorial at the courthouse is a beautifully inscribed stone marker. Anderson told Hoyt about HAL’s unselfish act of bravery to save the lives of several others, as well as the radio communication equipment during a battle on Hill 44 in Chuncheon, Korea, on April 22, 1951. HAL jumped on a grenade, using his body to absorb the explosion, killing him.

Anderson also spoke about HAL’s family and friends, including one of his best buddies who was fighting that

continued from page 1 same day but was not at the same location when HAL made his sacrifice.

Anderson travel on Thursday to the Medal of Honor Memorial in Little Rock, which honors men from the Civil War through the Vietnam War. He presented a $1,000 check from Rainwater, Holt and Sexton law firm at 11 a.m. to go toward the fundraising effort the Marine Corps League of Mena is raising to replace the dilapidated plaque and podium. HAL is one of 24 honorees at the memorial, including that of Little Rock native General Douglas MacArthur.

HAL served with Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. This was their flag.

Anderson and the news crew then visited the Mena/Polk County Chamber of Commerce. There, he showed photo albums, maps of Korea, more historical ephemera, and a special flag.

The KTHV broadcast of the interview and check presentation aired on the monthly Saluting Heroes special, sponsored by Rainwater Holt and Sexton Tuesday evening and once again on the following morning’s newscast. The segment honors veterans and first responders.

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I recall the parable of the farmer’s donkey that fell into an old well and could not climb out. He cried loudly and the farmer started throwing dirt on him in an effort to bury him and shut him up. After a while the weight of the dirt became excessive, and he shook it off. The dirt fell into the hole and he stepped on it, raising himself in the process.

Dirt was still being thrown on him and he continued to shake it off, climb up, until finally he was able to step out of the hole and walk away unharmed.

The lesson was when you find yourself in a hole and are crying you cannot get out and people are throwing dirt on you, quit crying, shake it off, and rise above the problem.

Often old parables still have lessons for us today. Our former president, Donald J. Trump finds himself in a hole. He was the focus of The Steele Dossier, constant impeachment attempts, and the target of several FBI employees from the top down.

To name a few was the former director, James Comey; former acting director, Andrew McCabe; former agent Peter Strozk; and former FBI attorney Lisa Page.

The Steele Dossier was supposed to be a bombshell report promising to expose then President Trump as being in collusion with Russia. Almost daily, Congressman Adam Schiff of California assured us the evidence would be forthcoming. That evidence never existed.

On June 9, 2023, special counsel Jack Smith held a press conference concerning the indictments recently brought against former President Trump. He made several statements that bear scrutiny. To quote him “We have one set of laws in this country and they apply to everyone”. That was laughable. There have been too many failures to hold other politicians accountable for the same or even more egregious offenses.

He also praised the FBI agents involved for their quick and thorough investigation leading to the prosecution of Mr. Trump.

If I were on the jury hearing these allegations, it would be difficult for me to believe these are fair, factual, impartial indictments and not another effort to keep the former president from office. To be clear, I am not trying to justify any of his actions, nor am I a die-hard Trump supporter. But if he were to say to me as an impartial juror that he took the papers home to protect them from disappearing or being destroyed I may find that plausible given past actions by members of our own government and intelligence agencies towards him. Perhaps one day he will quit crying loudly and shake it off.

Thank you for a forum to express my thoughts though we may at times peacefully disagree.

With respect and kindest regards, Ronald Goss, retired, Mena

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