Ridgewood Ranch, Seabiscuit’s Home – Howard Family Patriotic Heritage

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by Col Mike Howard US Marines (Ret)

As we approach the 4^th of July and the annual Willits Frontier Days, I’d like to focus on Memorial Day (the honoring of our American military dead) and Veterans Day (the honoring of those who served). I’d like to take the time to remember those who served and sacrificed in defending our freedom. This is not the authoritative list, but it is what honestly came to my mind regarding Ridgewood Ranch.

My Great Grandfather Charles Stewart Howard, who was born in Marietta, Georgia, on February 28, 1877. He faithfully answered the call to duty in 1898 and enlisted in the U.S. Army for the Spanish American War. This, coupled with his having attended Georgia Military Academy as a youth, is what I believe helped mold him into a man of character and integrity. I also believe, as does author Laura Hillenbrand, that US Cavalry service was a reflection of his profound love for horses. This combination of passion and responsibility had an obvious positive impact on him later getting into the Thoroughbred horseracing industry. Yes, his Spanish American War service in Company K, 5^th Cavalry regiment, was a memory that always meant a lot to him. When my Great Grandmother (we knew her affectionately as “Auntie Mar”) Marcela Zabala Howard later gave me his cherished brass cap badge when I was commissioned into the US Marines in 1977, I was deeply honored. She reminded me at the time that the last film he saw at Ridgewood was one of his all-time favorites: John Ford’s magnificent tribute to the United States Cavalry – “She Wore A Yellow Ribbon”.

Another special salute goes to Dr. Raymond Arthur Babcock M.D., born in Ukiah, CA November 18, 1889. He was the devoted Willits doctor and close friend of Charles S. Howard and the Howard Family. ‘Doc’ Babcock served as a volunteer in WWI where he commanded as a Captain the 364^th Masonic Ambulance Corp’s 316^th Sanitary Train Company. This was a new, composite group of volunteers who faithfully served in France and Belgium with the American Expeditionary Force under General John “Black jack” Pershing, US Army. As a captain, Doc Babcock received the Silver Star for “gallantry in action” attending to American wounded in the forward combat areas. He left the Army after the war as a Major. This US Army bond with fellow veteran Charles Howard was an important one. They were both tried and true American patriots. The Willits 4^th of July Frontier Day Parade was their favorite annual event.

My Grandfather Lindsay Coleman Howard Sr., who served in the United States Army in World War II. He ended his service with the rank of Captain. He related to me as an admiring grandson that he had been stationed in San Francisco’s Presidio, and in Aberdeen, Maryland, where he worked in helping to develop a more powerful main gun for the M-4 Sherman tank. I remember as a kid building a Sherman tank model and giving it to him.

My Dad, Lindsay Coleman Howard Jr., who enlisted at the age of 17 (with my Grandmother Anita’s written permission) to become a United States Marine in WWII. He completed Boot Camp at the famous Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego (MCRD) where he was trained as a Browning Automatic Rifleman (BAR Infantryman). He was assigned to the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Salerno Bay, the escort carrier CVE-110. Here he carried out his duties with his fellow sailors and Marines looking for German U-Boats in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Dad was Honorably Discharged a year after the war and was very proud to have achieved the rank of Corporal. He was pretty motivated when I later joined the USMC in 1974 (retired in 2006 following two combat tours in the Iraq War). We both loved the Marines and often compared some things that were still the same (like our 11 General Orders) and many things that had changed. Dad was a highly motivated and proud Marine Corps vet. He really encouraged me in my career, as did my Mom, maternal grandparents and Auntie Mar.

Laura Hillenbrand and I shared a unique story in our early days of her researching and writing her masterpiece: “Seabiscuit: An American Legend”. It was of the two WWII bombers (one Navy, one Army) that were named “Seabiscuit” by their horse race loving crews. Both served in the Pacific. The US Navy twin engine bomber “Seabiscuit” was a Lockheed PV-1 Lockheed Ventura that operated throughout the Solomon’s campaign out of the famous Henderson Field on Guadalcanal Island. This crew sent Charles S. Howard a photo of their aircraft & crew which my Great Grandfather cherished. It now hangs in a place of honor in my home. The Army twin engine bomber also named “Seabiscuit” was a B-25 Mitchell that operated out of New Guinea later in the war around the Philippines. While on a dangerous low level bombing mission, this “Seabiscuit” was tragically shot down by the Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze. All of the American crew were sadly killed in action. Later, the Japanese destroyer was sunk by US Navy aircraft.

I deeply appreciate the patriotic atmosphere in which I was raised within the Howard Family. Even on my Mother’s side of the family, where she had a Great Grandfather and Great Uncle (John Bryant Edwards and George Washington Edwards), who served respectively in the 33^rd Indiana Volunteer Regiment (Company A) and 11^th Iowa Regiments of the Union’s Army of the West. My Mom was actually engaged to a West Point graduate, Lt. Warner Turner “Bud” Bonfoey, from Minnesota who was sadly killed in action in 1951 while fighting in the Korean War. Another tragedy affected my parents when a close college friend of theirs, Capt. Victor Bruce Kelley US Army was killed in action in Vietnam in 1965. His gracious widow Patty gave me his professional reading library of outstanding books. They were an influential blessing to me later as a US Marine.

One unique trivia item that Seabiscuit fans may appreciate is with regard to my two combat tours in the Iraq War. My first tour was as commanding officer of 4^th Combat Engineer Battalion. We were in on the original march up to Bagdad and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. My second combat tour in Iraq, I was serving as the senior combat engineer USMC liaison from I MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force) to the US Army senior HQ at Camp Victory. We were blessed to finally be receiving MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles. These were highly effective V-shaped hull armored vehicles that could protect our crews in dealing with dangerous roadside IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices). They were in high demand so one of my important jobs was to make sure that when they arrived in Iraq, that our Marines out west in Anbar Province received their share. So how to separate and mark MRAPs going to the Marines, so that they were not sidetracked to the US Army? I started naming them and having our staff label them with the names of famous US Thoroughbreds! And who do you suppose was the first one named? You got it: “Seabiscuit”. Laura Hillenbrand loved it!

Yes, we are all impacted by the people we grow up around who positively mentor us. I was truly blessed to be surrounded by family, friends, neighbors and teachers who were patriots and faithful veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. And my roots went back to the Civil War. They took the time to share important and fun stories with me as a child, and mentored me later as I became a man. Their teaching helped make me a better US Marine officer and served me well in combat. Around them, every day was a gift.

Col Michael C. Howard US Marines (Ret)

Our Time In Hell
by Lawrence Mascott

Wherever we went, we went together.
Whatever we did we did together.
Whenever we suffered, suffered as one.
Joined together, trained together, sang together.
Of Montezuma, and Tripoli, and all the rest.
Same squad, same ship, same hell, together.
And if one of us needed help, we rose together.
And if one of us were hurt, brought him back together.
And if he died, cried together.
We lived and fought and died together, and for each other.
What is esprit de corps?
Well, now hear this and pass the word:
The word is brotherhood.