McMackin Earns Bronze Star

(Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the Nov. 22, 2007 issue of The Crittenden Press and appears here with permission.)

Separated by a couple of years and only a few miles growing up in Crittenden County, Jonathan McMackin and Chase Matthews were never closer than on March 19, 2007.

On that day, McMackin dragged a critically wounded Matthews from a burning humvee north of Baghdad, Iraq, despite his own broken leg and fragmentation wounds from an improvised explosive device. In addition to Matthews, who was driving the scout vehicle for fuel tankers headed south on the main supply route from Baghdad to Basra, the transport’s gunner, too, had been seriously injured in the blast.

“You never know how you might react until you get in that situation,” Lt. Col. D. Mike Farley, commander of 2nd Battalion, 123rd Armor of the Kentucky Army National Guard, said Sunday as he pinned a Bronze Star for heroism and bravery upon McMackin's chest. “He really stepped up.”

McMackin, according to his commendation, also fought off small arms fire during the ambush to assist his fellow soldiers, one pinned in the blazing vehicle and another knocked unconscious in the explosion.

Sgt. McMackin and Spec. Matthews, both graduates of Crittenden County High School now in their mid-20s, were soldiers with Bravo Company of 2nd Battalion at the time of the attack upon their convoy. Matthews, of Dycusburg, lost portions of both legs and much of the mobility in his left arm. The vehicle's gunner, also saved from the blazing humvee commanded by McMackin, was a Guard soldier from Minnesota.

His actions "undoubtedly saved Spec. Matthews' life," read 1st Lt. P. Barkley Hughes as Farley pinned the Bronze Star upon the uniformed chest of McMackin. The sergeant saluted his commanding officer as the 44 other soldiers who deployed with Bravo Company in 2006, as well as their their families, rose to applaud the actions of the Marion native. This all took place Sunday during the National Guard's Freedom Salute to all the citizens soldier who deployed to Iraq with the Marion unit."He was in the right place at the right time," Farley said of McMackin, following the hour-long ceremony held at the Carson Davidson National Guard Armory in Marion.

Matthews, who had just returned in time for the Thanksgiving holiday to his Crittenden County home from almost two months of continued rehab and therapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., did not attend Sunday's recognition ceremony.

Instead, he sat outside the armory, far from the spotlight, in his shiny, new black SUV, patiently waited for his fellow soldiers to stop by for a handshake visit. His shy demeanor did not mask the pleasure he seemed enjoyed as the soldiers and their families greeted the quiet red-head."I don't think this could have happened to another guy in this unit that could have dealt with with this the way he has," the lieutenant colonel said of Matthews' uplifting nature. "I believe you could knock him in the head with sledgehammer, and he'd tell you he deserved it."

McMackin, the man who pulled his hometown buddy from the wreckage on that day in March, patiently waited for the crowd that had gathered around Matthews' SUV to filter away. When he leaned his head through Matthews’ open window, the two shared a few memories and some congratulations. Neither seems comfortable with the attention each has received.With a familiar smile on his face, Matthews said he returns to Washington Dec. 9 for ongoing therapy. His father Rudy, who has been by his son's side the entire time of his recovery, will undoubtedly also return to Walter Reed at that time. Spec. Matthews is still a member of Bravo Company, despite his injuries.

He will remain a soldier until the Army clears him medically. McMackin has recovered, and remains with the Marion unit, though a restructuring of the Kentucky Army National Guard has reorganized the former tanker unit of Bravo Company into an a detachment of A Company, 206th Engineer Battalion in Lietchfield, Ky. McMackin, who lives in Marion with is wife Megan, will likely retrain for duty with an engineering unit and remain in Marion.

Sgt. Mike Little, a former full-time recruiter with Bravo Company who enlisted both Matthews and McMackin, said the Army couldn't ask for two better soldiers. Little, also of Crittenden County, joined the local unit last weekend for its first time back in uniformed training since returning from Iraq this summer.Another soldier assigned to Bravo Company while in Iraq, Sgt. Thomas W. Clemons, 37, of Leitchfield, died of a heart attack last December while in Iraq. His family was also on hand Sunday to be recognized for their sacrifice.

Rachel Catherine Tolley: 1800s Dycusburg Resident

We received this e-mail from David Sullivan of Denver, CO, detailing his great-great grandmother, Rachel Catherine Tolley. She is pictured at right. If you have any information on these families, David would appreciate hearing from you. He can be e-mailed at DSulliII@aol.com.

Born 15 Jul 1839, my GG-Grandmother, Rachel Catherine Tolley, had a son by Robert Tinsley in 1855 named John Alexander Tinsley. We don't know if they were married or not.

On 6 Nov 1859, she married Dycusburg's Nehemiah Grassham (shortly after burying the mother of his children, Mary Polly Clark, who died 20 Aug 1858). At that time, Rachel's last name was "Wells", so she must have been married to somebody by that last name. We've not found who he was or any marriage or divorce paperwork regarding them other than the marriage paperwork to Nehemiah.

On 26 Jun 1870, she married my GG-Grandfather, Isaac Sullivan. Sometime between that date and the 1880 census, Isaac and Rachel moved to Rosiclare in Hardin County Illinois. But until that time, Rachel seemed to be a Dycusburg resident.

We're not sure where she was born although we know it was SOMEWHERE near Dycusburg. She had an older brother, John L. Tolley, who was born in 1817 in Eddyville. She had a younger sister, Nancy Ann Tolley, who was born in Crittenden County on "Old Dycusburg Road." We presume that their parents, at that time, lived between Fredonia and Dycusburg.

She had an older sister, Tabitha Ann Tolley, who married William M. Hill on 23 Dec 1844 in Crittenden County in their parents' house "on old Dycusburg Road." William M. Hill, in addition to being noted as a fair groceryman, also became a Judge in that area.

William and Tabitha Hill had a son named Charles H. Hill who became very instrumental in the Baptist Church in Dycusburg.

So that's pretty much some connecting background to my GG-Grandmother, Rachel Catherine Tolley. If anybody can help us learn about her immediate family (presuming that many of the details I've provided here are hopefully correct), we'd TRULY appreciate it!

Based on her appearance in this photo, she should have been approximately 20 years old. That would be about the time that she married Nehemiah Grassham. So the date on the photo should be circa 1859ish.

We presume that it was a painting. The most likely candidate in that area at that time for her "Mr. Wells" appears to be James W. Wells, step-son of George Washington Markham (of Dycusburg). It appears as though Mr. Wells may have gone to Louisville to study art. Maybe it's possible that HE is the one who painted the picture. We don't know, but it's a possibility. James W. Wells and his Markham step-siblings moved on to San Joaquin County, California shortly after that and got written into their history books. Turns out that Wells became a Minister and Professor.

Well, Dycusburg has been crucial to the research of our family. We sprang up from there. Having no known family there any longer, and now living in Denver, Colorado, I want to tell you that I am utterly thrilled that you have taken the time to make your site available to us.

Thank you SO much. And I hope you can take advantage of this photo and that maybe it will help us to learn about our Tolley/Crider family in Crittenden County.