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Timothy Darrel
"Tim" Hinkle
Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas | 
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HONORING GENERATIONS OF HEROES
by Justin Ozuna
For many, Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of
summer. For all, it’s a day to honor the fallen men and
women who first honored America, veterans who advanced,
expanded and breathed life into the meaning of freedom and
who’ve modeled the concepts of sacrifice, discipline and
bravery to generations young and old. It’s a day to cherish
the memories of our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters,
sons and daughters, whose legacies we pass down through the
display of American flags, Memorial Day parades and chorus
of patriotic songs and tributes.
To some veterans, Memorial Day is a time of reflection, a
vivid reminder of the personal sacrifices and losses of
close friends, respected leaders and fellow servicemen and
women. It’s a recall to the perils of war and fragility of
life, once naïve concepts offset by the youth of
invincibility, duty and commitment to country.
From 1975-78, Oncor Mexia Distribution Crew Supervisor Tim
Hinkle served as an Army Combat Engineer for the 23rd Combat
Battalion in the 3rd Armor Division during the Cold War. He
is one of Oncor’s 222 military veterans that once served the
country and now serve the communities in Oncor’s service
territory.
For two and a half years, Hinkle and his division defended
the strategic Fulda Gap that divided democratic West Germany
and communist East Germany. As a Combat Engineer, he was
trained to demolish strategic bridges and plant mine fields,
tactics he would have needed to use to slow a potential
advance from Eastern European forces. His unit trained in
simulated exercises for half of each year and patrolled the
Western Germany border the other half. The shared experience
with fellow soldiers created an unbreakable bond that still
resonates decades later.
“The guys I served with were like brothers to me,” Hinkle
said. “The bond you acquire with those you train, live, eat
and sleep with is one that’s never broken.”
For years, Hinkle and his battalion watched East German
forces patrol a guard tower across the minefield that
divided them. Hinkle said the border looked like the biggest
prison he’d ever seen, miles of impenetrable fence manned by
walking patrols with guard dogs.
“It was an experience. They’re looking at you through
binoculars, and you’re looking at them through binoculars.
You’re both patrolling your side.”
Because opposition forces outmanned the Americans by more
than 100,000 troops, it was understood that should the
Eastern Allies decide to invade Western Europe, the life
expectancy of Hinkle and his fellow soldiers was a mere 12
hours. They were strategic mercenaries, a military failsafe
should diplomacy between the American and Soviet Union
superpowers collapse.
The conditions of deployment reinforced the squadron’s bonds
of friendship and interdependence with one another. Those
bonds were fully realized when Hinkle’s close friends were
killed in a vehicle accident that occurred during a training
exercise. A once seemingly invincible 18-year-old young man
quickly awakened to the casualties of war.
“[The accident] impacted me. We had a memorial service for
them and it really made me think,” he said. “That could just
have easily been me. It was then that I realized that
anything can happen to you at any time.”
Decades later, the bonds of military service still unite
Hinkle with veterans he met while in the Army. However, what
Hinkle is most proud of is his family’s long lineage of
military service. Hinkle’s father is a Korean War veteran,
his older uncle was a Prisoner of War for all of World War
II, his younger uncle is a Vietnam War veteran and his son
is a recent Iraqi War veteran.
“They’re the ones that are heroes,” Hinkle said. “They
sacrificed way more than I did. They did what they signed up
for and were trained to do. Every Memorial Day, I always
think of them.”
On Monday morning, a bugle will sound a somber reminder of
the lives lost through generations of American war and
conflict. People throughout the country will solemnly
glimpse into the same stars and stripes that, for
generations, have lined the caskets of hundreds of thousands
unsung local and national heroes who made the ultimate
sacrifice for liberty and freedom. This Memorial Day,
remember that we’re forever indebted to so few who have
bestowed freedom upon so many.
Justin Ozuna began working for Oncor six years ago as a
meter reader but transferred in 2013 to Oncor’s
communications team, bringing a unique perspective to the
team and The Wire. He is a long-suffering Dallas sports fan. |
Notes:
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Navarro County TXGenWeb
© Copyright
February, 2020
Edward L. Williams
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