American Legion honors Danville Desert Storm veteran with grant

By DENICE THIBODEAU, Danville Register & Bee
Published: February 5, 2008

In 1991, during the height of Operation Desert Storm, a young Danville man trained as a combat medic was sent from the Army hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, to serve in Iraq.

Tracy Holland was sent to the front lines, where his job was to rescue soldiers wounded in battle - but one night, Holland said, opposition forces decided to ignore the Geneva Convention’s law about not shooting at medics, and he and his fellow medics had to run for their lives.

“We were told to run,” Holland said. “It was at night, someone had dug a 12-foot hole and I fell in it.”

Seriously injured, Holland was sent back to Germany and then back to the United States, where he had surgery at a veterans hospital. That surgery, Holland said, “didn’t go so well.”

“I was paralyzed for a number of years,” he said, adding that he still has no feeling in his leg. “With the grace of God, I was able to walk again.”

American Legion Post 29 in Danville recognized Holland’s service and sacrifice Monday night with a $500 grant and membership in the American Legion.

Post 29 Commander Royger Robertson, 6th District Commander Kermit “Lee” Mayberry and Virginia Vice Commander Jimmie L. Edwards were all on hand for the ceremony and thanked Holland for his service.

The American Legion received a $500,000 check from the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes to be awarded to veterans who have been rated with at least a 30-percent degree of disability as a result of injuries sustained while serving in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars, according to Mayberry.

Holland said he served three years in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of E-4 specialist.

“I loved it,” Holland said, talking about his time as a medic.

He said he really didn’t consider it dangerous work then, and when he and his fellow medics were sent to Iraq they were excited, ready to get to work and “ready to get it over with.”

Holland encouraged members of American Legion Post 29 to tell everyone they knew to think about the troops in Iraq now and do everything they could to support them.

“I tell everyone to write letters, send non-perishable items, just reach out,” he said. “They need the support. It’s such a big thing when they see a letter - that’s how I felt (when I got a letter), like Christmas!”

Contact Denice Thibodeau at or (434) 791-7985.