Cherry Two

by Frank M. Roberts

December 2016

This is a story about coincidence - about heroism - about two war heroes -- and one bigot. I had to rattle my memory cage for this one which, in a sense, was inspired by a Discovery Channel program about small towns, mostly in Indiana and Ohio and, one in Illinois where, several years ago at least, discrimination was a fact of life.

And, it is a story about a man who was a good friend for many years. He was a bank president with a reputation as a 'do-gooder'. Eventually, I found out that he had a 'Jekyll-Hyde' personality. It happened one day when he told me he "would never hire a black." I was surprised to hear that, especially from him.

As time went on it was obvious that his superiors - slowly, but surely -were integrating their place of business. Over the last few years it happened - no problems, no complaints. Actually, two of the officers were African-American.

My friend made up his mind. He was going to leave the Southern town where he and his family were born and raised, and move to a town that he said, proudly, were devoid of African-Americans. He found one - somewhere in southern Illinois.

That said - let me move on to two 'genuine' war heroes, one from Suffolk, VA., one from Hertford, N. C. about 30 miles away. They shared the same last name - Cherry.

The Virginian, Air Force Col. Fred Vann Cherry, a decorated fighter pilot, was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam - seven long years of confinement and torture in behalf of, among others, my friend the banker who, incidentally, never wore a uniform.

This Cherry began his military career as an enlisted man, qualified as a pilot, and flew 52 combat missions. The first black officer captured by the North Vietnamese, he was released in 1973. He shared his prison time with a man named Porter Halyburton. The colonel was commissioned by President Ronald Reagan to serve on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Board.

His life was the subject of the book, "Two Souls Indivisible: The Friendship That Saved two POWs in Vietnam," by James S. Hirsch, and he was featured in the documentary, "Tom Hanks Presents: Return With Honor," the story of Vietnam-era fighter pilots held as prisoners of war.

Col. Cherry was also portrayed in the "Hanoi Hilton" movie, and portrayed himself in the television documentary, "The American Experience."

---- I began this column by mentioning 'coincidence'. There is 'Cherry' one and 'Cherry' two, the latter, the North Carolinian, and a personal friend, was a former chief Army chaplain. He is a decorated Vietnam vet with three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star to his name - among others.

Corbin Cherry's injuries resulted in the loss of a leg, lost during a firefight while saving fellow fellow soldiers. He has been thru 20 prosthetics. He told an area newspaper how he was injured. He and a medical corpsman, "went to pick up three guys who were wounded on a path. We crawled up because (the enemy) was firing. We brought two of them back and the corpsman went to get the third one. He got wounded so I crawled up and pulled him back. When I crawled back to get the other guy the firing stopped and I threw him on my shoulder, and ran down the hill."

The irony is that Cherry stepped on a landmine he had already crawled over six times. "It blew me down, and I looked down to see that my leg was partially gone."

He is an avid golfer, and his first thought was about playing again. He played in the U. S. and British Senior Amateur games. He is also an avid baseball fan and followed, very closely, the games of his good Hertford friend, Jimmy 'Catfish' Hunter.

---- I met Fred Cherry while doing a story about his life for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot (my employer for about 60 years). Corbin Cherry is a long-time personal friend.

* * * *

Fred Cherry received an award for Outstanding Service to the Military Community from the Tuskegee Airmen. His awards and citations: Air Force Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and Prisoner of War medal; Corbin Cherry is a member of the local American Legion chapter (to which I also belong) and, he is an ordained Methodist minister who has used his experience to help other military veterans. He started the Wheelchair Group in Vietnam, working with children wounded by land mines. They have given away a thousand wheelchairs, and they work with children needing surgery.

Cherry and Cherry are genuine American heroes although, years ago, one could not have worked in a certain bank.

Oh - the former bank exec is an active church member.