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Cadets meet Hero Marine and Viet Nam Prisoner of War

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr would have been proud. Amongst the people celebrating his life were heroes of past wars. David M. Calder of Holiday, a Marine Prisoner of War who served his country in Viet Nam told his story of disembarking from a helicopter in 1967 and getting shot in the groin and captured by the Viet Cong. He considers himself fortunate because many of those that made their way down the ropes were killed before they hit the ground. Calder was turned over to the Chinese who tortured him in unimaginable ways. Tears welt up in his eyes as he whispered “they pulled my teeth out”. But the Marine, who was honored by the Pasco County Afro-American Club on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day, was glad to have been able to come home and thanks to a recent operation, had the ability to walk normally. He encouraged the young cadets, with his quiet assuredness and review with them the proper way to salute, to stand at attention and at ease. You can tell by the look in their eyes, these cadets had met a true hero and it made quite an impression on them and everyone there.

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