MSG (R) Jeff Fenlason

MSG (R) Jeff Fenlason sat down with me for Heroes Live. Ninety-two minutes. Springfield, Massachusetts. Ranger. First of the 502.

Folks were educators. Dad became a special education director. Mom retired an elementary principal. Catholic high school. He delivered newspapers his whole childhood. Cold did not impress him. Ranger School desert phase they handed out snivel gear at fifty degrees. He did not understand the fuss.

They told him he was going to pre-Ranger in two weeks. Honor graduate. Then Ranger School. Staff sergeant in ninety-six. Korea ninety-seven and ninety-eight. Scout platoon. Scott Granowski. Ski. He has not talked to him in twenty-five years. Ski is still the one who took him under a wing.

82nd, ninety-nine and two thousand. A major walked in. Brigade. You are going to the Audie Murphy board in about a week. Drill sergeant time. Promoted to sergeant first class on the trail.

First of the 502. The Blackhearts. He walked into a platoon in Iraq that had lost four people in two weeks. Private. Team leader. Squad leader. Platoon leader. Battle weary. He took the seat anyway. He does not compare them to anybody. They were his.

Annapolis now. Stepchildren who are bright and funny and adventurous. His people see him for who he is. Thank you, Sergeant. That is why we hit record. Get the story on tape before we are too old or too sick to tell it.