Hernando: Vet survives many jumps, battle with alcoholism

I first met Messenger at a gathering of friends. He was wearing a hat with the 82nd Airborne Division insignia. I was interested in a possible story, having written about this division many times and the incredible battles its members fought during World War II.

Being a very poor judge of age in men, I figured Messenger had been in the service during the tail end of the Korean War, or at the beginning of the war in Vietnam. I was so sure, I didn't even ask before I scheduled an interview.

I discovered that this real-life survivor -- who needs TV fads and heroes? -- was 59 years old. When we met at the Times' Spring Hill office, wouldn't you know, Messenger immediately told me he had not served in any war. He had enlisted in 1960, during the time of the Cold War and the Cuban missile crisis.

"I remember sitting on my bunk, with my duffel bag packed, ready to ship out when the Cuban thing was going on," he said. "Oh, boy, I thought, this is the real thing, and I was scared. I was really glad when it was all over before our outfit was shipped out."

Messenger lived in Woodside in Queens, N.Y., as a teenager, and when his friends started enlisting in the Army, he wanted to be with his neighborhood buddies. As it turned out, his Army career took many twists and turns, and he wasn't too happy when he discovered that all of his friends were being shipped out to different training camps.

Messenger landed in Fort Benning, Ga., and after basic training he was sent to Fort Hood, Texas, for eight more weeks of training in heavy mortar artillery.

"I didn't like that too much, either," he said. "I used to be a truck mechanic. But the Army said I had no mechanical ability and decided to send me to Fort Bragg, N.C., to train as a parachute jumper in the 82nd Airborne."

He laughed a lot as he said, "Can you believe that?"

"The first thing they did was shave my head and give me a number. I also learned we would get $55 more a month in Army pay every time we jumped after we were trained."

If you ever get to talk to a veteran of any of the airborne divisions, ask him about the training. Messenger said he often wondered what he was doing there as the jump sergeant went nose to nose with him, roared orders into his face and said, "Thirty squat jumps for you, Messenger."

For the 82nd Airborne, squat jumps take the place of push-ups. Someone told Messenger years later that their purpose was to strengthen the ankles, knees and legs of men who would be landing with parachutes wherever they were sent. A squat jump required raised arms, clasped on top of one's head, a squat down as far as the knees could go, and a jump to an erect, standing position.

At this point in his training, Messenger seemed to always be in trouble with the sergeant. "He scared the hell out of me," Messenger said. "Every time I even looked crooked at him, he gave me 20 or 30 squat jumps."

When Messenger's class was about to graduate, he received notice he was to be held over for two more weeks.

"I was ready to quit," Messenger said. "I didn't know how I could do two more weeks, but the guys talked me into staying. I graduated and collected my $55 a month extra pay when I jumped."

Actually, Messenger didn't mind the parachute jumps that much. He thought they were fun; it was the training he complained about the most.

Finally, though, it seemed that Messenger was where he wanted to be. But he courted a traitorous enemy that not only affected his Army status, but also changed his life for many years. It almost defeated him completely.

Like many service people, Messenger loved to have a drink whenever he had a pass or furlough. But alcohol was taking him over at times. And, he said, he must not have done a good job hiding it from the Army.

Eventually, his superiors decided to take him off jump status and gave him a chance to volunteer for duty in the Army in Germany.

Messenger enjoyed his duty in Germany. He was in charge of an armored personnel carrier called "the Hustler" and joined the combat command football team. He was honorably discharged in 1963.

It was time to get on with his civilian life. He married and raised a family of four children. But the steady, inexorable progression of alcoholism continued and brought havoc to his life. In 1976, he found himself standing before a judge in a Long Island courtroom trying to give some credible excuse for the truancy of one of his sons.

The judge told Messenger that the boy had told a social worker that his father was drunk all the time, and the judge point-blank asked Messenger if he had a drinking problem and whether he was willing to go for help.

Messenger told the judge he would seek help, but only gave a halfhearted stab at trying to stay sober.

Then, there was more trouble.

His father had died as a young man from heart failure, and, sure enough, the same disease almost took Messenger's life, enhanced in its severity by his untreated alcoholism.

"I didn't want to die," Messenger told me, "and I was in big trouble."

Finally, Messenger sought the help he needed by joining a self-help group. He was 44 years old at the time.

He has now been sober for 15 years. Sadly, he and his wife are separated. But he has managed to survive an open-heart, five-bypass surgery, has stayed with his self-help group and helped many other people stay sober. He loves to tell jokes and has endeared himself to his friends.

Something that has helped Messenger through his many trials is his belief in God.

"I remember one night when I wanted to drink so bad," he said. "I was desperate. But one of my friends told me to hit the floor on my knees and beg God to help me. He did."

Messenger has one of the strongest beliefs in God I have seen.

His health has not been good for the past year, and he has lost a good deal of weight. But he goes to the veterans hospital regularly for help.

Yes, Messenger might tell you he is a very ordinary guy, lucky to be alive. But in my book, he is a really extraordinary survivor.

Back to Hernando County news

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

From today's
Hernando Times

City reverses its course on hosting Flatlanders

Man charged with exposing his genitals

Vet survives many jumps, battle with alcoholism

Hernando in brief