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Family's history of service traces from Civil War to Iraqi Freedom

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Brian Davidson
  • 447th Air Expeditionary Group
SATHER AIR BASE, Iraq --  A father and son, both serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, recently had a brief family reunion at Sather Air Base in Baghdad.

Master Sgt. Patrick LaDue and his youngest son, Senior Airman Gabriel LaDue, had the opportunity to spend a couple of days together as Airman LaDue was heading home after completing a deployment with the 557th Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron at Forward Operating Base Hammer.

While stories about siblings, husbands and wives, parents and their children, and even grand parents and grand children serving together within the Iraq theater of operations have become fairly common, the LaDue family story of service includes mother and father, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandparents and great grandparents. In fact, their history of service reaches all the way back to the Civil War.

Drawings and paintings by artist and war correspondent Theodore Russell Davis depicting the Civil War are on display in museums throughout the United States, including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.

Historians and artists alike have praised him for being "highly detailed in documenting people and places of the war and for covering more areas of the fighting than any other Civil War artist."

He was employed by Harpers Weekly newspaper, and in 1889 he wrote; "I have found that a sure guide... was to go toward the place where the heaviest musketry fire was heard." Since that time, his relatives have also stepped forward to serve where ever combat operations have occurred.

Mr. Davis is also credited with serving as a spy for the Union Army, providing valuable information on the movement and numbers of Confederate troops. He was wounded twice, and even had his horse shout-out from under him in May of 1863 while sketching scenes of the Union Army during Grant's Vicksburg Campaign. Years later, he wrote; "There is a reminder of the incident in the form of a scar on my left knee as large as a half-dollar made by the bullet that killed my horse."

The Civil War ended in May of 1865, and Mr. Davis was awarded the Grand Order of The Republic Medal for his heroic actions and bravery in documenting the battles that led to the surrender of the Confederacy, bringing to a close a war that cost the lives of more than 620,000 Americans.

Today, 143 years later, Mr. Davis' Grand Order of the Republic Medal hangs in the "Patriot Room" of the LaDue family home in Oliver Springs, Tenn.

The medal serves as the centerpiece for a collection of military awards and memorabilia including artwork and photos depicting a lineage of family member's service through generations since the Civil War--all tracing back to Mr. Davis, and all reflecting his selfless dedication to freedom.

The LaDue family currently has four members serving in the Air Force. Master Sergeant Patrick LaDue is deployed from the Air National Guard's 134th Air Refueling Wing in Knoxville, Tenn. This is his fifth deployment, and he is serving with the 447th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron where he is the Vehicle Management Flight chief. His wife, Master Sgt. Carolyn LaDue, is also assigned to the 134th ARW where she serves full-time as the base knowledge operations manager.

Their oldest son, Jason, is also a master sergeant, and works in the command post for the Air National Guard Readiness Center at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

Their youngest son, Airman LaDue, is now headed home after his third deployment, and is looking forward to reuniting with his wife, Tebryia, and sons Kyle, 7, and Noah, 3. He is a heavy equipment maintainer with the 823rd Red Horse Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla. 

Sergeants Patrick and Carolyn also have two daughters. The oldest, Rosanne, is a nursing student and has talked with her parents a number of times about possibly entering the military after she finishes school. The youngest, Rachel, is a mechanical engineering student who is also involved in the design of manufacturing components for an advanced aircraft under development. When her parents talked with her initially about possibly joining the military, Rachel's reply is a flat "no way."

While Sergeant Patrick is unsure whether Rosanne's path will lead her to a military career, he believes firmly that there's a uniform in Rachel's future. "She can insist she has other plans all she wants," he says with a knowing grin. "But, you just can't ignore a father's intuition."

Working on the development of military aircraft has also become a family tradition. Rachel's maternal grand father, retired Tech. Sgt. Walter Theodore Scarborough, was involved in the SR-71 Blackbird project and also served in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. "I think their involvement in aircraft development is more than just a coincidence," Sergeant Patrick said.

In a very recent e-mail to her father, Rachel admitted that joining the military might be a possibility after all. She also expressed interest in possibly working for NASA one day.
The family tree of military service has many branches and deep roots, beginning with Mr. Davis and growing to include the LaDue family. Sergeant Patrick's father joined the Army in 1937, and retired as a chief warrant officer with service in World War II and Korea. 

In addition to Sergeant Carolyn, Sergeant Scarborough also has two other children who continued the military tradition; Army Staff Sgt. Walter Theodore Scarborough II and Air Force Staff Sgt. Deborah Lynne Scarborough-Blair.

Sergeant Walter II has deployed to Iraq three times and is currently serving in Germany as a computer automation NCO. Sergeant Deborah served both in the Air Force and the Tennessee Air National Guard.

Continuing the tradition is Sergeant Deborah's daughter, 2nd Lt. Julie Teffeteller, who is assigned to the 437th Force Support Squadron, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C.
Lieutenant Julie is married to 1st Lt. Branndon Teffeteller, also stationed in Charleston. 

"I joined the Air Force because it was simply a way of life for me," Lieutenant Julie explained. "So much of my family has dedicated all or part of their working careers to it, and it's the only thing I could picture being a part of. It's not just a way of life for our family--the Air Force family is a way of life."

The newest member of the family to choose a military career is Sergeant Patrick's Nephew; Airman 1st Class Cody Scarborough who is a broad band satellite telemetry specialist stationed at Robbins Air Force Base, Ga. Airman Cody is the son of Sergeant Walter II.

This vast family of military members also has their own unique chain of command that keeps them all informed when they deploy. Sergeant Patrick explained that his son, Sergeant Jason has the "overwatch," because of his position with the National Guard Bureau.

As a Red Horse member, the youngest son, Airman Gabriel, has the forward operations responsibility. "No matter where you are, Red Horse is there to get things done," Sergeant Patrick said. 'They have dug me out of the snow in Italy and even helped me get aircraft out of hurricane-damaged hangars."

Sergeant Carolyn conducts information operations and contact coordination when family members are deployed. "What ever information is needed, she either knows it or knows where to get it," Sergeant Patrick said.

Finally, Sergeant Patrick is responsible for career counseling, leadership and advisory duties; most recently supporting Lieutenant Teffeteller along her commissioning path and speaking with Airman Cody concerning his enlistment decisions.

When asked about his family's history of service, Sergeant Patrick talks about their annual 4th of July celebration. "It's held at the family home in east Tennessee," he begins. "The land has been in the family for a long time, and the celebration takes several days to set up. "Family members in the military arrange for leave and travel from their duty stations all over the country.

Sergeant Patrick goes on to explain that the celebration is more like a "gathering of eagles." In addition to the typical American family games, bon fire and fireworks, family members participate in reading from the Declaration of Independence and other significant documents from which our country was built.

"After the readings, everyone takes turns talking about what being free means to them," he said. "Once the fireworks are done, those of us still serving in the military gather around the fire and speak quietly together. Our thoughts turn to the next year's gathering. We each know that some of us might not make it home because of deployments and other duty responsibilities, and we also understand that those duties may require the ultimate sacrifice for any of us."

The understanding that service for the greater good of the nation requires sacrifice is a part of the LaDue family heritage. Regardless of where they serve or the hazards of duties assigned, they will answer the call. This dedication to duty was best described by Mr. Davis about his battlefield assignments. "To really see a battle," he wrote. "One must accept the most dangerous situations, for in most cases, this can not possibly be avoided."

And so, as his son heads home and Sergeant Patrick does his part to support the building of a free Iraq, his family continues to make their mark in the pages of military history.