Wednesday Hero

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Olga Elliott


Chief Warrant Officer 2 Olga Elliott, a Multi-National Corps-Iraq human resources technician, poses with MNC-I Command Sgt. Maj. Frank Grippe after finishing the Bobby Crim 10-Miler Aug. 22, at Camp Victory in Baghdad. Elliott, a San Diego native, finished the race in 1 hour, 9 minutes, 57 seconds, earning her top female honors.

Photo Courtesy United States Army

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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The Best To All My Friends Out There

I haven't been to much into bloging as of late for many reasons but none worth mentioning. But from this old soldier, I would like to wish those who know me through this blog a very merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. For our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen around the world all my best and you are always in my thoughts. I hope that in the New Year I will get back into this multi year labor of love and continue bloging a little more than I have been as of late. All my best to all you who may read this.

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Wednesday Hero

With only two days until Christmas, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and to remind you to keep our men and women that are not able to be with their friends and families this time of year in your thoughts a prayers. They do so much without ever asking for anything in return.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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Blackbird SR-71 Remote Controled

I got this from a friend and have sent it to a few blog buddies, and thought all would enjoy it. This is just amazing.

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Wednesday Hero

I am sorry, but I was unable to get this weeks copy of Wednesday Hero to work.

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Wednesday Hero

Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Elsey


Abdul Rashid, a 5-year-old resident of the Nawa district of Afghanistan, receives a dressing for a wound on his face from Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Elsey, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, while a linguist translates at a medical aid station at Patrol Base Jaker Dec. 3. Rashid was injured by a motorcycle earlier that day. Navy hospital corpsmen like Elsey routinely see local residents and children here to treat their wounds.

Photo Courtesy United States Marine Corps

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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'I'm dead serious': San Antonio homeless couple calls 911 to report Bigfoot sighting

Ya just gotta love Texas


SAN ANTONIO—San Antonio police have released a 911 dispatch call reporting a "Bigfoot" sighting.

The audio recording between a dispatcher and the homeless couple lasts more than eight minutes. In it, the primary caller appears sober and deliberate as she describes the beast Nov. 30.

"And I know you guys are going to think I’m crazy, but I’m dead serious," she says on the recording. "This big thing was 75 feet away from me, smelled awful, devoured a whole deer carcass, and then took off and screamed, screeched, and took off across the street."

"I’m going to tell you right now, I’ve lived in the woods six years. Swear to God, I’ve never seen nothing like this. I’m 6 feet 3 inches; it’s bigger than me," said her 63-year-old husband.

The couple claims the creature walked upright as it carried the deer carcass off into the woods.

Police reports indicate dispatchers sent an officer by the location that night, but he found no sign of the couple or the beast.

The callers said they were living in a tent in the woods in northwest San Antonio, near the intersection of Highway 151 and Loop 1604. The area has acres of wooded terrain surrounding it.

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A Date Which Will Live in Infamy

President Franklin D. Roosevelt: Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our secretary of state a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese government also launched as attack against Malaya.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Wake Island.

And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander in chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. . .

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Greater Houston area gets a rare taste of snow

Well I guess Al Gore was right about global warming. It has snowed about 33 time in the past 138 years here in Houston. It was nice to look at, but tonight it is suppose to go down to 27 or so and when the freeze comes let the games begin. I am not driving tonight no way.
HOUSTON — Children and adults got a rare treat Friday when an historic snowfall blanketed the Greater Houston area.

It was the earliest snowfall ever recorded in Houston. Some spots got as much as four inches, more than enough for a good snowball fight, snow angels and snowmen. About an inch of snow fell in Houston.

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Henrico Medal of Honor winner, 90, ordered to remove flagpole

Col. Van T. Barfoot, a local Medal of Honor winner, is under the gun from his Henrico County community's homeowner association.

In a five-paragraph letter to Barfoot that he received yesterday, Barfoot is being ordered to remove a flagpole from his yard. The decorated veteran of three wars, now 90 years old, raises the American flag every morning on the pole, then lowers and folds the flag at dusk each day in a three-corner military fashion.

In a priority mail letter, the Coates & Davenport law firm in Richmond is ordering Barfoot to remove the pole by 5 p.m. Friday or face "legal action being brought to enforce the Covenants and Restrictions against you." The letter states that Barfoot will be subject to paying all legal fees and costs in any successful legal proceeding pursued by the homeowner association's board.

Barfoot's daughter said this evening that news reports about the association order have prompted an outpouring of sympathy and offers of help from people following her father's ordeal.

Tonight, the Sussex Square Homeowners Association issued a statement reiterating its position that Barfoot directly violated the association board's denial of his request to erect a flagpole.

"This is not about the American flag. This about a flagpole," the statement reads.

Barfoot lives in the Sussex Square community in far western Henrico; its board of directors rejected a plea from Barfoot in July to approve the pole, disallowing the fixture on aesthetic grounds.

There is no provision in the community's rules expressly forbidding flagpoles, Barfoot's daughter said. But she said the board ruled against her father's fixture and ordered it removed in July, deciding that free-standing flag poles are not aesthetically appropriate. Short flag stands attached to porches dot the community.

"Dad sort of feels like this is the end," said Margaret Nicholls, Barfoot's daughter, who lives a few doors away. But she said this morning that she and her husband are attempting to generate support for her father's cause, a flag-raising rite that he has undertaken for most of his life.

Barfoot received the Medal of Honor on the battlefield during World War II in Italy and fought as well in the Korean and Vietnam wars. A portion of a highway in rural Mississippi, his native state, was named in his honor this fall. A building at McGuire Veterans Hospital in Richmond also carries his name.

Barfoot began regularly flying the flag on Veteran's Day this year despite the Sussex Square board's decision.

He said in November that not flying the flag would be a sacrilege to him.

"There's never been a day in my life or a place I've lived in my life that you couldn't fly the American flag," he said.

For more on this story, see tomorrow's Richmond Times-Dispatch.

-- Bill McKelway

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Shooting Victim at Ft. Hood

A man had a TV on in his office when the news of the military base shootings came on. The husband of one of his employees was stationed there. He called her into his office and the minute he told her what was going on, she got a text message from her husband saying, "I am okay."

The cell phone started ringing right after that. It was an ER nurse. She said , "I'm the one who just sent you a text message, not your husband."She thought the message would be comforting, but she immediately knew she had to let the wife know what was going on.

She said, "I am sorry but your husband has been shot 4 times and he is in surgery."

The wife left Southern Clinic in Dothan and drove all night.

Miraculously, here is the photo I just received from my brother that was taken today in the hospital room. He is awake and will recover. His wife, who lives in Dothan , made it to Ft.. Hood about the time he was waking up. He had visitors. It was NOT Obama!!!

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Wednesday Hero

Spc. Michael P. Garton & Spc. Rolando R. Flores


Spc. Michael P. Garton, a gunner with the Personal Security Detachment, with the 36th Sustainment Brigade out of Temple, Texas, and a Texarkana, Texas, native, relaxes on a Humvee and shares a laugh with Spc. Rolando R. Flores, a gunner with the PSD and a San Antonio native, during a break in preparations for a mission Nov. 23 in the maintenance yard at Contingency Operating Location Adder, Iraq.

Photo Courtesy U.S. Army

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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Wednesday Hero

Rear Adm. Ned Deets


Rear Adm. Ned Deets speaks with Frank Chebatar, president of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, at the conclusion of the base consolidation ceremony. The two bases consolidated to form Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Fort Story.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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The Sack Lunches

Some of you may have seen this, I have, but it is worth reading again.

I put my carry-on in the luggage
compartment and sat down in my
assigned seat. It was going to be a
long flight. 'I'm glad I have a
good book to read Perhaps I will get
a short nap,' I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of
soldiers came down the aisle and
filled all the vacant seats, totally
surrounding me. I decided to
start a conversation.
'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.

'Petawawa. We'll be there for two
weeks for special training, and then
we're being deployed to Afghanistan

After flying for about an hour, an
announcement was made that sack
lunches were available for five
dollars. It would be several hours
before we reached the east, and I
quickly decided a lunch would help
pass the time..

As I reached for my wallet, I
overheard soldier ask his buddy if he
planned to buy lunch.
'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch.

Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base '

His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other
soldiers. None were buying lunch. I
walked to the back of the plane and
handed the flight attendant a
fifty dollar bill.
'Take a lunch to all those soldiers..' She grabbed my arms and squeezed
tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a
soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up
the aisle to where the soldiers
were seated. She stopped at my seat
and asked, 'Which do you like
best - beef or chicken?'

'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why
she asked. She turned and went to
the front of plane, returning a
minute later with a dinner plate from
first class. 'This is your thanks..'

After we finished eating, I went
again to the back of the plane,
heading for the rest room.
A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it.
Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I
saw the Flight Captain coming down
the aisle, looking at the aisle
numbers as he walked, I hoped he was
not looking for me, but noticed he
was looking at the numbers only on
my side of the plane.
When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said,
'I want to shake your hand.'

Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I
stood and took the Captain's hand..
With a booming voice he said, 'I was
a soldier and I was a military pilot..
Once, someone bought me a lunch.
It was an act of kindness I
never forgot.' I was embarrassed
when applause was heard from all of
the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the
plane so I could stretch my legs.
A man who was seated about six rows
in front of me reached out his
hand, wanting to shake mine. He left
another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed I gathered my
belongings and started to deplane.
Waiting just inside the airplane door
was a man who stopped me, put
something in my shirt pocket, turned,
and walked away without saying a
word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the
soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them
and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to
reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich.
God Bless You.'

Ten young men left that flight
feeling the love and respect of their
fellow travelers. As I walked
briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return.
These soldiers were giving their all for our country.. I could only
give them a couple of meals.

It seemed so little....

A veteran is someone who, at one
point in his life, wrote a blank check
made payable to 'The United States of
America ' for an amount of 'up to and including My life.'

That is Honor, and there are way too
many people in this country who
no longer understand it.'



May God give you the strength and
courage to pass this along to
everyone on your email buddy list....

I JUST DID

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Wednesday Hero

Staff Sgt. Dennisur Thompson


Staff Sgt. Dennisur Thompson, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, overcompensates a left turn while on a driving simulator as a part of the Save a Life Tour in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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Long-lost friend to give Conroe man a kidney, second chance at life

Another feel good story. I like good news a lot more than what we are getting most of the time. This is a true friend.


by Rosa Flores / 11 News

Posted on November 16, 2009 at 5:11 PM

CONROE, Texas—A middle school reunion gave a Conroe man a second chance at life.

Travis McGuillian had open heart surgery, diabetes and kidney failure, so he thought his days were numbered. But after reuniting with some old middle school friends, he found more than just support—he found a friend willing to give up a kidney to save his life.

"It was a conviction. I felt a very strong need to find out if I could help," said his donor, Daun Wade.

McGuillian and Wade were best friends during their middle school years. He played football, and she cheered for the team.

Back in 1974, they made a promise to each other that they never forgot.

"We made the agreement that if we had not found anyone to marry that we would marry each other," said Wade.

"I always thought about her. I wondered if she was married or not," said McGuillian.

Then life happened, and they lost touch.

Wade married someone else, and so did McGuillian.

About five months ago, they reunited, but McGuillian had some bad news for Wade.

"I found out about the open heart surgery, the dialysis, the diabetes," said Wade.

She also learned about the kidney McGuillian needed to keep living. Wade said she felt a calling to give him her kidney. After months of tests, the two friends found out they were a perfect match.

"So I told him that as soon as he gets my kidney he’s going to have a female part so he’s going to start laughing at commercials," said Wade.

The transplant is set for Tuesday, and their Facebook page is lighting up with messages. It’s also reminding them of a promise made long ago.

"This is what I had written in his annual back in 8th grade. Love ya forever... now you’re going to have a piece of me forever," Wade said.

Wade will miss work for about 6 weeks while she recuperates from the surgery. McGuillian set up a Web site and hopes to raise enough money to cover his donor’s lost wages. If you’d like to help, just go to www.traviskidney.com.

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City workers get Vietnam vet new home

This is a nice story that I thought I would share. There are still a lot VietNam era vets in need out there.

by By Leigh Jones / The Daily News

Posted on November 15, 2009 at 12:53 PM

Updated yesterday at 2:15 PM
Related:

* Galveston Daily News Web site

LEAGUE CITY — Vietnam veteran Jim Stepanski’s trailer on Willow Lane became unlivable after water damage from hurricanes Rita and Ike caused the walls to peel and wore holes in the floor.

Mold coated the interior. Rats and raccoons infested the structure.

Stepanski, 61, lived in the trailer until a local police officer and fellow Vietnam veteran decided to take action.

City employees officially gave Stepanski the keys to a new trailer Saturday afternoon. His new home sits on the site where his former trailer was.

League City police officer William Gates made a welfare check on Stepanski on June 1 after a family member could not reach the man on his birthday. Gates and Stepanski talked for a while about their war experiences, especially the disconnect from society they felt upon returning home. The two shared an instant bond.

“We’re from a forgotten era,” Gates said. “When I came home in 1970, I was screamed at and spit on. Police officers told me not to wear my uniform in public because it would cause an uproar.”

The new home is handicapped accessible. Stepanski received shrapnel injuries in Vietnam, making it difficult to walk. He also suffers from a chronic lung condition, which was caused by exposure to Agent Orange, Stepanski said. The disabilities keep him from working, he said.

His worst injury was invisible to the human eye. Stepanski withdrew from society and lived alone for years after returning from combat as a way to deal with the horrible memories of war that haunted him. Large crowds and constant loud noises still cause him to suffer panic attacks, he said.

“I now realize that what I had was post-traumatic stress disorder,” Stepanski said. “Back then my doctors just told me to put the war behind me and try to forget about it. There was no counseling for it back then.”

Gates felt a duty to help Stepanski, he said. He went to the city’s animal control and code enforcement departments to see if there was any assistance available.

Code Enforcement Officer Chris Torres stepped up.

When Torres first visited Stepanski’s home, it was hardly visible from the street because of overgrown brush and trash, she said. Torres appealed to other city employees to donate money, or help clean the site.

The Bay Area Builders Association Support Our Troops Inc. and Catholic Charities donated money for the trailer, which came with new furniture.

City employees from about seven different departments volunteered to remove Stepanski’s old trailer, cleaned the site and installed the new one. It was the first time the city has done a volunteer endeavor of that magnitude, she said.

Stepanski’s new home has given him a sense of hope and overwhelming gratitude for the city employees who made it possible, he said.

“I have no words right now,” Stepanski said. “I’m still taking it all in.”
This story was brought to you through our partnership with the Galveston Daily News.

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For Our Heros Past, Present and Future.

Tomorrow is Veterans Day and I wish all those who served a happy Veterans Day and Thank You For your service. This is a nice video I found to honor you.

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Happy Birthday, US Marine Corps

On Nov. 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress resolved to create two battalions of Continental Marines for the War of Independence from Britain. In 1798, President John Adams signed the Act establishing the United States Marine Corps. The 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General John A. Lejeune, issued Marine Corps Order No. 47, Series 1921, directing that on Nov. 10 every year, in honor of the Corps' birthday, the Order's summary of the history, mission and tradition of the Corps be read to every command.

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From a Recon Marine in Afghanistan

This a little long, but damn it will make your glad these men are on our side.

From the Sand Pit It's freezing here. I'm sitting on hard, cold dirt between rocks and shrubs at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains , along the Dar 'yoi Pomir River , watching a hole that leads to a tunnel that leads to a cave. Stake out, my friend, and no pizza delivery for thousands of miles.
I also glance at the area around my ass every ten to fifteen seconds to avoid another scorpion sting. I've actually given up battling the chiggers and sand fleas, but them scorpions give a jolt like a cattle prod. Hurts like a bastard. The antidote tastes like transmission fluid, but God bless the Marine Corps for the five vials of it in my pack.
The one truth the Taliban cannot escape is that, believe it or not, they are human beings, which means they have to eat food and drink water.. That requires couriers and that's where an old bounty hunter like me comes in handy. I track the couriers, locate the tunnel entrances and storage facilities, type the info into the handheld, shoot the coordinates up to the satellite link that tells the air commanders where to drop the hardware. We bash some heads for a while, then I track and record the new movement..
It's all about intelligence. We haven't even brought in the snipers yet. These scurrying rats have no idea what they're in for. We are but days away from cutting off supply lines and allowing the eradication to begin.
I dream of bin Laden waking up to find me standing over him with m y boot on his throat as I spit into his face and plunge my nickel-plated Bowie knife through his frontal lobe. But you know me, I'm a romantic. I've said it before and I'll say it again: This country blows, man. It's not even a country. There are no roads, there's no infrastructure, there's no government. This is an inhospitable, rock pit shit hole ruled by eleventh century warring tribes. There are no jobs here like we know jobs.
Afghanistan offers two ways for a man to support his family: join the opium trade or join the army. That's it. Those are your options. Oh, I forgot, you can also live in a refugee camp and eat plum-sweetened, crushed beetle paste and squirt mud like a goose with stomach flu, if that's your idea of a party. But the smell alone of those 'tent cities of the walking dead' is enough to hurl you into the poppy fields to cheerfully scrape bulbs for eighteen hours a day.
I've been living with these Tajiks and Uzbeks, and Turkmen and even a couple of Pushtuns, for over a month-and-a-half now, and this much I can say for sure: These guys, all of 'em, are Huns... Actual, living Huns.. They LIVE to fight. It's what they do. It's ALL they do.. They have no respect for anything, not for their families, nor for each other, nor for themselves. They claw at one another as a way of life. They play polo with dead calves and force their five-year-old sons into human cockfights to defend the family honor. Huns, roaming packs of savage, heartless beasts who feed on each other's barbarism. Cavemen with AK-47's. Then again, maybe I'm just cranky.
I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is running out of juice, and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in a few hours. Oh yeah! You like to write letters, right? Do me a favor, Bizarre. Write a letter to CNN and tell Wolf and Anderson and that awful, sneering, pompous Aaron Brown to stop calling the Taliban 'smart..' They are not smart. I suggest CNN invest in a dictionary because the word they are looking for is 'cunning.' The Taliban are cunning, like jackals and hyenas and wolverines..They are sneaky and ruthless, and when confronted, cowardly. They are hateful, malevolent parasites who create nothing and destroy everything else. Smart.. Pfft. Yeah, they're real smart.
They've spent their entire lives reading only one book (and not a very good one, as books go) and consider hygiene and indoor plumbing to be products of the devil. They're still figuring out how to work a Bic lighter. Talking to a Taliban warrior about improving his quality of life is like trying to teach an ape how to hold a pen; eventually he just gets frustrated and sticks you in the eye with it.
OK, enough. Snuffle will be up soon, so I have to get back to my hole. Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice, but I'm good at it.
Please, I tell you and my fellow Americans to turn off the TV sets and move on with your lives. The story line you are getting from CNN and other news agencies is utter bullshit and designed not to deliver truth but rather to keep you glued to the screen through the commercials. We've got this one under control The worst thing you guys can do right now is sit around analyzing what we're doing over here, because you have no idea what we're doing, and really, you don't want to know. We are your military, and we are doing what you sent us here to do.
You wanna help? Buy Bonds America .
Saucy Jack
Recon Marine in Afghanistan
Semper Fi
"Freedom is not free...but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your share

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Wednesday Hero

This Week's Post Was Written By Greta

Col. Henry J. Cook


Past National Commander, Military Order of the Purple Heart, after serving over fifteen years with MOPH, gaining invaluable experience while in the positions of National Aide-de-Camp, Chapter Commander, Region Commander, National Junior Vice Commander and National Senior Vice Commander.

He was a career Special Forces (Green Beret) officer for thirty-three of the total forty-two years that he was on combined active and reserve duty. His combat tours began in 1967-68 when he operated behind enemy lines in for extended periods of time conducting operations with native guerrilla troops as the Executive Officer of the 4th Mobile Guerrilla. He saw additional combat in 1969-70 when he led a U.S. Special Forces Mobile Strike Force Battalion (MIKE FORCE), consisting of Green Beret officers and sergeants leading Cambodian mercenaries, again working behind enemy lines as well as reacting to attacks on friendly bases, often requiring that his unit be parachuted into hostile drop zones.


Later, he participated in Desert Shield (Saudi Arabia), Desert Storm (Kuwait) and Iraq, and Operation Provide Comfort (Support to Kurdish refugees in Northern Iraq.

For his valor and military skills, Colonel Cook was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with �V� device for Valor and two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with �V� Device and one Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart with One Oak Leaf Cluster, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Gold and Silver Stars, Joint Services Commendation Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Special Forces Combat Diver Badge, Special Forces Tab, and numerous other U.S. and foreign decorations.

Henry Cook is now twice retired, as a soldier and as a lawyer and resides in Diamondhead, Mississippi. He is a member of the Pro Bono Consortium representing veterans who appeal denial of claims and is a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans� Claims. He�s been a member of the Mississippi Bar Association since 1978 and also serves as a Municipal Judge Pro Tem in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Other significant contributions to veterans by Henry Cook include: a major role in the creation of the Mississippi Vietnam Veterans� Memorial in Ocean Springs and helping raise over $500,000 to help MOPH members in Louisiana and Mississippi who lost everything during Hurricane Katrina. In addition to MOPH, he also belongs to Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Special Forces Association (SFA), Special Operations Association (SOA), Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW).

You can read more about Col. Henry in this PDF file on pages 31 & 32.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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Best Ford Commercial Ever.

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Wednesday Hero

Spc. Justin Slagle


Spc. Justin Slagle returns to Forward Operating Base Lane in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after an air assault mission in the Zabul province of Afghanistan, Oct. 15, 2009. Even as leaders in Washington struggle with the next steps in Afghanistan, troops there are moving to better protect the Afghan people by separating them from Taliban influence and intimidation.

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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Drafting Guys over 60 ...

An oldie but a lot of us fit this mold..

---- this is funny & obviously written by a Former Soldier ----



I am over 60 and the Armed Forces thinks I'm too old to track down terrorists. You can't be older than 42 to join the military. They've got the whole thing
ass-backwards. Instead of sending 18-year olds off to fight, they ought to take
us old guys.. You shouldn't be able to join a military unit until you're at least 35.

For starters : Researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex every 10 seconds. Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a day, leaving us more than 28,000 additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy.

Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a
dangerous soldier. 'My back hurts! I can't sleep, I'm tired and hungry' We are
impatient and maybe letting us kill some terrorists that desperately deserves it will make us feel better and shut us up for a while.

An 18-year-old doesn't even like to get up before 10 a.m. Old guys always get up
early to pee so what the hell. Besides, like I said, 'I'm tired and can't sleep
and since I'm already up, I may as well be up killing some fanatical s-o-b....

If captured we couldn't spill the beans because we'd forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser.

Boot camp would be easier for old guys. We're used to getting screamed and yelled at and we're used to soft food. We've also developed an appreciation for guns. We've been using them for years as an excuse to get out of the house, away from the screaming and yelling.

They could lighten up on the obstacle course however. I've been in combat and didn't see a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do any pushups after completing basic training.

Actually, the running part is kind of a waste of energy, too. I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet.

An 18-year-old has the whole world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to start up a conversation with a pretty girl. He still hasn't figured out that a
baseball cap has a brim to shade his eyes, not the back of his head.

These are all great reasons to keep our kids at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off into harm's way.

Let us old guys track down those dirty rotten coward terrorists. The last thing an enemy would want to see is a couple of million pissed off old farts with
attitudes and automatic weapons who know that their best years are already
behind them.

*** How about recruiting Women over 50 with PMS !!! You think Men have attitudes !!! Ohhhhhh my God!!!

If nothing else, put us on border patrol....we will have it secured the first
night!

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HPD: Dad Kills Son Over Video Game

HOUSTON -- A father has been accused of shooting and killing his 17-year-old-son over a missing video game, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Houston police said the father began arguing with his wife and son about a missing video game at their home on Corporate Drive near Sharpcrest Street at about 4 a.m. Sunday

Detectives said Ofelio Antonio Otero, 40, loaded his gun and when the boy started running away, the 17-year-old was shot in the neck.

Ignacio Otero died at the scene.

His mother, Maria Martinez, said her son was a good kid.

"He's very happy all the time,” Martinez said. “He's always joking. He always do funny stuff."

Martinez said her son was expecting a baby. His girlfriend is six months pregnant.

Police said Otero held officers at bay for three hours after the shooting. He eventually surrendered and was arrested.

Otero is expected to be in court Monday to be assigned an attorney. He's being held on a $50,000 bond.

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OH Hell Yea

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Wednesday Hero

Sailors & Marines Playing Volleyball With Local School Children


Sailors and Marines assigned to the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) play volleyball with students from Sangley Point National High School during a lunch break at a community service project. Tortuga, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) are participating in Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) 2009. PHIBLEX is designed to improve interoperability, increase readiness and develop professional relationships between the U.S. military and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Photo Courtesy Navy.mil Taken By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Geronimo Aquino

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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Porn Links the Referrer on My SideBar

I just noticed that someone has been posting porn in my referrer and I did not notice it. I have removed from my sidebar. I apologize for not seeing it sooner.

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Thank Your Military

I was sent this on Facebook, and I had not seen it before. It is very moving and well worth watching..

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Medal of Honor recipient Bud Day Speaks of Torture

I got shot down over N Vietnam in 1967, a Sqdn. Commander.
After I returned in 1973..I published 2 books that dealt a lot
with "real torture" in Hanoi . Our make believe president is
branding our country as a bunch of torturers when he has
no idea what torture is.

As for me, put thru a mock execution because I would not respond...
pistol whipped on the head...same event.. Couple of days later...
hung by my feet all day. I escaped and a couple of weeks later, I got

shot and recaptured. Shot was OK...what happened afterwards was not.

They marched me to Vinh...put me in the rope trick, trick...almost
pulled my arms out of the sockets. Beat me on the head with a
little wooden rod until my eyes were swelled shut, and my unshot,
unbroken hand a pulp.

Next day hung me by the arms...rebroke my right wrist....wiped
out the nerves in my arms that control the hands...rolled my fingers
up into a ball. Only left the slightest movement of my L forefinger.
So I started answering with some incredible lies.

Sent me to Hanoi strapped to a barrel of gas in the back of a truck.

Hanoi.on my knees....rope trick again. Beaten by a big fool.

Into leg irons on a bed in Heartbreak Hotel.

Much kneeling--hands up at Zoo.

Really bad beating for refusing to condemn Lyndon Johnson.

Several more kneeling events. I could see my knee bone thru
kneeling holes.

There was an escape from the annex to the Zoo. I was the Senior
Officer of a large building because of escape...they started a mass
torture of all commanders.

I think it was July 7, 1969...they started beating me with a car fan
belt. In first 2 days I took over 300 strokes....then stopped counting
because I never thought I would live thru it.

They continued day-night torture to get me to confess to a non-existent
part in the escape. This went on for at least 3 days. On my knees....
fan belting...cut open my scrotum with fan belt stroke. opened up
both knee holes again. My fanny looked like hamburger...I could not
lie on my back.

They tortured me into admitting that I was in on the escape...and
that my 2 room-mates knew about it.

The next day I denied the lie.

They commenced torturing me again with 3- 6- or 9 strokes of
the fan belt every day from about July 11 or 12rh..to 14 October
1969. I continued to refuse to lie about my roommates again.

Now, the point of this is that our make-believe
president has declared to the world that we (U.S..) are a bunch of
torturers...Thus it will be OK to torture us next time when they
catch us...because that is what the U.S. does.

Our make-believe president is a know nothing fool who thinks
that pouring a little water on some one's face, or hanging a pair of
women's pants over an Arabs head is TORTURE.

He is a meathead.

I just talked to MOH holder Leo Thorsness, who was also in my squadron,

in jail...as was John McCain...and we agree that McCain does
not speak for the POW group when he claims that Al Gharib was
torture...or that "water boarding" is torture.

Our president and those fools around him who keep bad mouthing
our great country are a disgrace to the United States . I hope Sean Hannity. He uses this to point out the stupidity of the claims that water boarding...which has no after effect...is torture.

If it got the Arab to cough up the story about how he planned the attack on the twin towers in NYC ... hurrah for the guy who poured the water.

____________________________________________________________________

"Bud" Day, Medal Of Honor Recipient

George Everett "Bud" Day(born February 24, 1925) is a retired

U..S. Air Force Colonel and Command Pilot who served during the

Vietnam War. He is often cited as being the most decorated U..S.

service member since General Douglas MacArthur, having

received some seventy decorations, a majority for actions

in combat. Day is a recipient of the Medal of Honor.

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Sketch artist recalls aftermath of Dickinson girl's hellish attack 10:04 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 14, 2009

It took a long time for this scum to be brought to justice, and now we will see how far it is willing to go. He should die, and not be held in jail for years as is usually the case.

HOUSTON – The man arrested in an infamous local cold case could be back in Texas as early as Thursday.

Dennis Earl Bradford, the 40-year-old former Dickinson High School student accused of raping an 8-year-old girl, slashing her throat and leaving her for dead in a field in 1990, waived his extradition Wednesday.
He was arrested in Arkansas on Tuesday after DNA evidence tested last year led police to his door.

The arrest was a long time coming.

Back in 1990, Houston police sketch artist Lois Gibson did what she could to help catch the man who attacked the little girl, Jennifer Schuett.

Inside Schuett’s tattered file, there are years’ worth of names, numbers and clippings.

Dennis Bradford's driver's license photo and Gibson's sketch
“The girl was unable to respond orally about the attack,” said Gibson. “There were a lot of beep-beeps and tubes. There were tubes in the little girl. IV’s.”

Gibson said Schuett’s case was unforgettable, and as a sketch artist, there was a lot of pressure because the victim couldn’t speak.

Gibson said she had one hour in a crowded ICU room to work magic.

“She’d shake her head. Shake her head no. With her eyes closed,” said Gibson. “I turned it around to her and it was a great relief.”

Now 19 years later, Gibson is able to see the suspect’s 1990 driver’s license picture and her composite sketch side-by-side for the first time.

“She was sure. She was sure and I didn’t know until now, I didn’t know until today. What a relief it looks that close,” said Gibson.

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Wednesday Hero

Cpl. Benjamin S. Kopp
21 years old from Rosemont, Minnesota
3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
July 18, 2009


Ben Kopp has been a fighter since the day he was born. When he was born his mother was given morphine to stop her labor so the doctors could deliver her via a cesarean section. But it caused his heart rate to slow and when he was born he wasn't breathing. But he recovered to the amazement of everyone. "Ben has always been up for a challenge," said his mother, Jill Stephenson. "He came into the world a fighter."

On July 10, 2009, Cpl. Benjamin Kopp was wounded in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. He was hit in the knee that hit his popliteal artery and the loss of blood caused him to go into cardiac arrest on the operating table at a battalion surgical center. As a result of his injuries, Cpl. Kopp developed swelling in his brain was put into an induced coma to try and save his life. But he died on July 18.

But his service didn't end with his passing. Upon his death, by his own desire, his organs were donated to people in need saving their lives.

"Please continue to say prayers for all of the men and women who so proudly serve our country," Stephenson wrote online. "Ben had a deep love of country and has just left a legacy of heroism for all of us to cherish. Be as proud of him as I was as his mother."

You can read much more about Cpl. Benjamin S. Kopp here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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Oregon Man Accused of Sex Abuse Involving Teens, Child, Dog

Oregon Man Accused of Sex Abuse Involving Teens, Child, Dog

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

NEWBERG, Ore. — An Oregon man is accused of sex crimes involving two teenagers and a 4-year-old girl, and police say he used the Internet to line up people to have a group sex with one of the victims.

Darrin Vaughn Daily, 44, of Newberg, faces numerous charges and is being held on $1 million bail in the Yamhill County Jail.

Sgt. Tim Weaver of the Newberg-Dundee Police Department said investigators searched Daily's apartment and seized evidence after a 15-year-old disclosed last month that Daily had sex with her after providing marijuana and alcohol.

Investigators soon learned that another girl, 14, accused Daily of sexually abusing her and photographing it. The girl told them Daily had at times tied her up and forced her into group sex with the men he solicited on the Web site Craigslist.

The girl also told police Daily photographed her having sex with his dog.

Weaver said detectives who analyzed Weaver's computer found images of the girl having sex with adults and the dog. Images of a 4-year-old girl being sexually abused were also found.

Weaver told The Oregonian newspaper he had never seen such a case in more than three decades as a police officer.

"This is certainly at the top of the list of hideous crimes," he said

Police were able to find the 4-year-old, and she told investigators that Daily sexually abused her. She is being cared for at a child abuse assessment center, according to a police statement.

The three men accused of responding to the Craigslist ad and taking part in the sex abuse are Patricio Moreno, 43, of Forest Grove; Robert D. Thompson, 34, of Portland; and David Garcia, 41, of McMinnville. They also were jailed in Yamhill County, although Garcia posted bail.

Police also seek a woman accused of sexually abusing one of the girls.

Daily is accused of rape, sodomy, sex abuse, sexual assault of an animal, delivery of marijuana to a minor, online sexual corruption of a child, endangering the welfare of a minor and using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct.

Thompson, Garcia and Moreno are all charged with sex abuse and third-degree rape. Thompson faced an additional charge of using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct, while Moreno is accused of sodomy.

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Wednesday Hero

Sgt. Michael Egan
36 years old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
104th Cavalry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard
September 19, 2005


News of Egan�s death came to Pennsauken shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday, Krista Egan, Sgt. Egan's sister-in-law, said. His mother, Irene, was on the telephone when an Army sergeant walked up to the door. "My mother-in-law was talking on the telephone to Mike�s wife, Maria, when he came. Maria had just got the news. The Army sergeant told my mother-in-law it was his first time notifying a family."

Sgt. Egan served in the Marine Corps for eight years, was a civilian for a year, then joined the National Guard. As a Marine, he had been previously served in Afghanistan.

"He was well-liked by everyone," Patrick Egan, Sgt. Egan's brother, said.

Sgt. Michael Egan was killed when an IED detonated near his vehicle while on patrol in Ramadi. Also killed in the attack were Spc. William Evans, 22, of Hallstead, PA, Spc. William Fernandez, 37, of Reading, PA and Lt. Mark Dooley of the Vermont National Guard.

Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com & You Can Read Much More About Sgt. Michael Egan Here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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Police: NW Houston homeowner fatally shoots robbery suspect

A homeowner fatally shot a suspected intruder in northwest Houston this morning, police said.

The shooting occurred around 9:30 a.m. in the 8500 block of Norton, near the intersection of Bingle and Kempwood.

Homicide Detective C. Elliott said the resident, spending his day off from work at home, returned from a grocery store errand to find things in disarray. He retrieved his shotgun and searched the home.

The resident found the intruder hiding in a closet. After a confrontation, the homeowner shot the suspect, who had a screwdriver in his possession, Elliott said. The homeowner fired three blasts of birdshot.

"It was a horrible experience, a scary experience," said Mark Brown, the homeowner. He didn't get into details about the face-off with the stranger, except to say he kept the shotgun for security but hoped he'd never have to use it.

"Thank God (the thief) didn't find it first," said Brown, who works for a local beer distributor.

Brown's neighbor across the street, 78-year-old Milton Brandt, said he wasn't aware of a burglary problem in the area but said the confrontation is a reminder that people should be ready to protect themselves.

"I would have done the same thing," Brandt said.

Elliott said the case would be referred to a grand jury without charges, as is customary in shootings that appear to be lawful. No other information was immediately available.

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Where have they all gone

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Deputies: Man robbed his own grandma at gunpoint for $350

Now this guy really has a lot of class, what a dickhead.

08:31 AM CDT on Thursday, October 1, 2009

By Marvin Hurst / KENS 5

SAN ANTONIO -- Keith Grunewald has been accused of robbing his own grandmother with a shotgun, deputies say

According to an arrest warrant, the 33-year-old used the weapon to force the elderly woman to write him a $350 check last week. But the check did not turn into cash as he anticipated. Instead, it landed him behind bars on an aggravated robbery charge.

The warrant said Grunewald wanted money from his 77-year-old grandmother. He reportedly urged her to write him a check. The arrest document said when she refused, her grandson became irate.

According to Bexar County Sheriff's deputies, he continued to demand the check. Investigators said he went to his bedroom in the home he shares with the victim in the 8200 block of Gardner and got a shotgun.

Deputies said Grunewald snatched up the telephone so the elderly woman could not call for help. In addition, they said he even pushed her to prevent his grandmother from yelling to a neighbor out their backdoor. The warrant alleges the victim feared for her safety, so she wrote the check.

Investigators said Grunewald could not cash the check at a local business because it was a personal check. The warrant claimed the business tried to stall the armed robbery suspect until the sheriff's office arrived. But the Bexar County man returned home where he saw the authorities. Deputies said he abandoned his grandmother's vehicle, ran into a wooded area, and discarded the shotgun.

He eluded deputies until Wednesday, when he was finally arrested. Grunewald, who reportedly has a criminal history, is being held on a $50,000 bond.

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Wednesday Hero

This Week's Post Was Suggested By Cindy

1st Sgt. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo
59 years old from Spanaway, Washington
August 18, 2009


Sorry for the presentation of this post, but haven't been feeling well and don't feel much like typing. You can read Sgt. Crisostomo's story here and here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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Man arrested in alleged attempt to bomb Dallas skyscraper

07:21 AM CDT on Friday, September 25, 2009

WFAA-TV report

DALLAS - Police arrested a man Thursday after he allegedly placed an inactive car bomb near Fountain Place at 1445 Ross Avenue in downtown Dallas.

Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, a 19-year-old Jordanian citizen who has been living and working in Italy, Texas illegally, was charged with “attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction,” authorities said.

Alleged Dallas Terror Plot

Man arrested in alleged attempt to bomb Dallas skyscraper
September 24, 2009 View larger E-mail Clip More Video Smadi allegedly drove a truck down into the parking garage below Fountain Plaza Thursday believing it was packed with ammonium nitrate fertilizer, which was the same material used to blow up the federal building in Oklahoma City.

He left the site in a vehicle driven by an undercover FBI agent. They then drove several blocks away, which was where Smadi used a cell phone that he thought would remotely activate the bomb, authorities said. However, that call went directly to the FBI.

Authorities said Smadi had been under FBI surveillance for some time after expressing “his desire to commit violent jihad” numerous times while talking with a group of extremists online. Authorities said he stood out because he said he wanted to serve Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.
Warrant of arrest for Hosam Maher Husein Smadi

Video Slideshows Blogs After learning of Smadi, undercover FBI agents were introduced to him as “sleeper cells,” read a statement released by James T. Jacks, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas. The three agents swapped messages with Smadi.

“By God who created me, there will not be a retreat at all, even if they take me go to Guantanamo for the rest of my life,” a report alleged Smadi wrote under the name “19 Smadi” in March. “I will never forget Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, or any land where the call of ‘There is no God but God, Muhammad is God’s Messenger is raised.”

By May 12, agents said Smadi wanted to take action, writing “I want to destroy targets, everything that helps America on its war on Arabs will be targeted.”

During several months with the 19-year-old, authorities said they learned he had no connection to other terrorist organizations but was intent on a “self jihad” despite efforts of agents to “reevaluate his interpretation of jihad.”

Description Goes Here

In June, Smadi allegedly listed a group of potential targets in the Dallas area. He considered a Dallas-area airport, although the warrant didn’t say whether he meant Love Field Airport or Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Regardless, Smadi found security too tight and settled on a bank, the report stated.

Agents said in July he began to set his focus on a Wells Fargo Bank located inside Fountain Place.

“SMADI stated the credit card is what drives America and he desired to attack one of the main locations,” the report read.

“God willing, the strike will be certain and strong,” Smadi allegedly wrote on July 16.

Hosam Maher Husein Smadi
Five days later, an undercover agent took Smadi to Fountain Place to look over the area. Believing the agents were terrorists who would give him the truck bomb, Smadi met them to plan the attack that he wanted to take place on September 11th. But, the reports said Smadi decided to postpone the bombing until after September 24.

Smadi planned on using a vehicle improvised explosive device (VBIED) to bomb Fountain Place at the end of Ramadan. Authorities said agents worked to ensure “the VBIED contained only an inert/inactive explosive device, which contained no explosive materials.” The FBI said the public was never in danger.

“I will plant it in the foundations exactly under the building,” Smadi allegedly wrote on August 26. “When it explodes, it will shake the foundations so that the building, if it is heavy in weight, tons, all that will come down.”

Last Sunday, Smadi wrote he was ready, agents said.

“I’m glad they caught him and I’m glad that I’m still alive,” said Bonnie Braganzn, an employee who works inside Fountain Place.

With 60 floors, Fountain Place is the fifth tallest building in Dallas and the 15th tallest building in Texas. The building was designed by I.M. Pei and Partners and completed in 1986.

WFAA-TV’s Brad Watson and WFAA.com’s Marjorie Owens contributed to this report.

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Wednesday Hero

Lt. John Madea


Lt. John Madea holds his daughter as she is baptized with holy water from the ship's bell of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46). This is the fourth person baptized aboard Tortuga since the ship's christening in 1988, and her name will be inscribed inside the bell as a tradition of the U.S. Navy.

Photo Courtesy U.S. Navy
Taken By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Geronimo Aquino

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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Obama Awards Medal of Honor to Fallen Soldier

President Obama awarded the highest military honor to a soldier who died trying to save his wounded comrade in Afghanistan — saying Sgt. First Class Jared C. Monti personified the values of honor and heroism.

Obama presented the prestigious Medal of Honor award to Monti's parents during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

Monti of Raynham, Mass., died in Afghanistan on June 21, 2006, while trying to save a young private who was wounded. Obama said the fallen soldier "did something no amount of training can instill."

In an interview with FOXNews.com Thursday, Monti's mother, Janet, said the award is a "tremendous honor," but she called the ceremony "bittersweet."

"We're very proud of him, but we're also very sad," she said.

Monti's platoon — part of the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment — was on an intelligence-gathering patrol when it was ambushed by more than 60 insurgents in Afghanistan's Nuristan province. After calling in artillery support and directing his men’s return fire, Monti braved withering enemy fire to try to pull the comrade to safety from an exposed position. Monti, who was 31, was mortally wounded on the third attempt.

Janet Monti described her son's innate selflessness and desire to help others, saying he "would always stick up for the underdog." She recounted a story in which her son rescued a group of children who were being taunted by Albanian youths while he was stationed in Kosovo.

"He picked the children up in his Humvee and drove them to school," she said. "He had so much compassion."

Embattled U.S. troops in northeastern Afghanistan also paid homage to Monti Thursday by officially rededicating their isolated outpost in the Hindu Kush Mountains in his name.

Thursday’s ceremony in Afghanistan, at Combat Operations Post Monti in Kunar province, was attended by about 50 soldiers not on duty. It was preceded by artillery fire on nearby mountain ridges to ward off Taliban gunmen who mortar and rocket the post.

“Most of us didn’t know him personally and most of us will know him only by his citation,” Maj. Pete Granger, executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, said before a large plaque was unveiled in Monti's honor.

But “We honor his memory by continuing to fight for the same things he believed in: his soldiers, his family, his friends and his country.”

Nuristan Province, like Kunar province, earned a reputation as the “cradle of Jihad” in the 1980s’ mujahideen war against Soviet occupation forces. And the reputation sticks. Taliban insurgents use the rugged regions close to the Pakistan border as transit areas to and from central Afghanistan.

“He was a real hard-nosed NCO (non-commissioned officer),” Staff Sgt. Matthew Wolfanger, who was a member of Monti’s unit, told FOXNews.com. “He really demanded a lot out of his guys … but in the end we loved him for it because he took us from soldiers who were kinda just going through the motions doing our jobs to guys who were passionate about what we were doing.

“He brought the best out of us. We wanted to be the best because of him. He absolutely loved what he did, and he loved us, his soldiers.”

Wolfanger, 25, the keynote speaker at Thursday's Afghanistan ceremony, said he wasn’t tasked to go on Monti’s fatal mission, but he and others listened in on the radio traffic.

“I knew it was bad from what they were saying, but it didn’t really go through my mind that my friends were out there and could actually be hurt. But at the end of it, when they said they had wounded and a KIA (killed in action) … you know … and they gave the roster numbers (of casualties) ….”

Wolfanger never finished the sentence.

The Medal of Honor, he said in prepared remarks, is “final confirmation of something that he had been to his soldiers all along, a hero.”

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