Old Soldier

Wednesday Hero

2011-06-08T20:50:00.000-05:00

Soldiers render salutes through a rendition of taps during a ceremony May 26 at the Mountain Post Warrior Memorial. Fort Carson honors the lives lost in support of Overseas Contingency Operations by adding names to the memorial stones.

Photo Courtesy Army.mil Taken By Dustin Senger

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

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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Christopher Lee (Kawaistiyowa)
Conservative/Geek/Fútbol Fan/Music Addict/Awesome Dude

But beware the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression.

The dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow,
quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the

dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.

Consume you it will.

The Alliance To Restore The Republic

The American Flag Does Not Need Wind To Move

2011-06-02T21:58:00.001-05:00

The American flag does not fly because the wind moves past it...the American flag flies from the last breath of each military member who has died protecting it. American military members don't fight because they hate what's in front of them...they fight because they love what's behind them. Re-Post this if you Support your Troops!!

Paul Ryan Fed up With The Political Bull

2011-06-01T22:02:00.000-05:00

Wednesday Hero

2011-06-01T11:45:00.001-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Pet

Col. Van T. Barfoot
91 years old from Henrico County, Virginia
157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division

In December 2009 Van T. Barfoot made national headlines when he wanted to fly his American flag in his yard but was told to take it down by his homeowners association. It's still flying proudly today. But that's just one small event in the life of Mr. Barfoot. Long before he decided to fly that flag he defended it during W.W.II.

Barfoot joined the Army in 1940 and was shipped to Italy in 1943 where distinguished himself in 1944 when, in the course of a single day, he advanced alone through a minefield, took out a German machine gun with a hand grenade, single handily killed eight German soldiers, captured seventeen, disabled a tank with a bazooka and then returned to his own lines and helped two of his own wounded squad members. All which earned him the Medal Of Honor. So it comes as no surprise that when he wanted to fly the American fly he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

You can read more about Col. Barfoot 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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Christopher Lee (Kawaistiyowa)
Conservative/Geek/Fútbol Fan/Music Addict/Awesome Dude

But beware the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression.

The dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow,
quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the

dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.

Consume you it will.

The Alliance To Restore The Republic

This is my friend and she is dying.

2011-05-28T00:55:00.000-05:00

Wednesday Hero

2011-05-18T11:30:00.001-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Cindy

SSgt. Jason Rogers
28 years old from Brandon Mississippi
2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force
April 7, 2011

"The loss of Jason Rogers is going to make this world an emptier and lonelier and colder place," said childhood friend Brandon Winfield. "I could write a War and Peace-sized story of the kind of person he was. Some people have it — the room just seemed to be dizzier and brighter with him in it."

SSgt. Rogers was KIA on April 7 by an IED while on patrol with his unit in the Helmond Province of Afghanistan.

"He was doing something voluntarily that he loved to do, and he felt like he was making a difference and doing something that made other people proud," said friend Derrick Brownlee.

You can read more about SSgt. Rogers 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.

--

Christopher Lee (Kawaistiyowa)
Conservative/Geek/Fútbol Fan/Music Addict/Awesome Dude

But beware the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression.

The dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow,
quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the

dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.

Consume you it will.

The Alliance To Restore The Republic

Signature powered by WiseStamp

Wednesday Hero

2011-05-11T11:51:00.001-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Kathi

SSgt. James I. Spurrier, Jr. (Left)
61 years old from Tennessee
134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division
December 14, 1922 - February 25, 1984

SSgt. James I. Spurrier, Jr., aka Junior J. Spurrier, distinguished himself multiple times during WWII. One of which, almost single handedly capturing the village of Achain, France, won him the Medal Of Honor. But after the war, SSg. Spurrier had a tough time. Trouble with alcohol and run ins with the law. All due to PTSD.

You can read more about SSg. Spurrier here and here. And if you, or someone you know, is suffering with PTSD there is help.

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.

--
Christopher Lee (Kawaistiyowa)
Conservative/Geek/Fútbol Fan/Music Addict/Awesome Dude

But beware the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression.

The dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow,
quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the

dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.

Consume you it will.

Just another day in paradise

2011-05-03T22:47:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning and that was a sign that it was going to be a good day. I am adjusting to retired life I guess. Funny how you find things to do around the house. Still waiting to see if I am approved for SSDI. I am feeling pretty much back to normal after my surgery and stroke. Forgot a few things, but that is for the best I guess. I went to Lowes and bought a new mail box and put it up. I got tired of hearing my wife tell me how tacky the old one looked. Hell it looked ok to me, it just leaned a little. I told her I was the boss around here, and she said you are, but not when something needs to be fixed.. bull ssss

Wednesday Hero

2011-03-30T12:19:00.000-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Michael

Cpl. Lloyd Oliver
88 years old from Glendale, Arizona
April 23, 1923 - March 16, 2011

"Am I a hero? I don't know. Yeah. I'll be a hero. I'll go for that. Yeah."

Wednesday Hero profiled the Code Talkers way back in 2005. But this week it is honoring Cpl. Lloyd Oliver. Cpl. Oliver was one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers. He joined the Marines in 1942 at the age of 19 because he wanted to serve his country. Which he did, proudly, for three years. In 2001 he received the Congressional Gold Medal for being one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers. He passed away on March 16 of pancreatitis. Cpl. Oliver was only one of two remaining original Navajo Code Talkers.

Not only have we lost a great man, a brave man, but a piece of history is another step closer to being gone forever. We must keep them, and their place in it, alive for future generations.

You can read more about Cpl. Lloyd Oliver 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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Christopher Lee (Kawaistiyowa)
Conservative/Geek/Fútbol Fan/Music Addict/Awesome Dude

But beware the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression.

The dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow,
quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the

dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.

Consume you it will.

This is very sad.. Garth Brooks

2011-03-24T22:55:00.000-05:00

Wednesday Hero

2011-03-23T11:45:00.000-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Inspired By Sgt. Epler

Sgt. Ed Eaton
From Tillamook, Oregon

While many view snipers as the hidden (safe) threats in war based on their forays in First Person Shooter video games and movies like Saving Private Ryan and Enemy at The Gates, the fact of the matter is that snipers like any other soldiers in war are very successible to danger – especially in the case of Sergeant Ed Eaton’s brave protection and rescue of comrade in arms Major Mike Perkins when he had fallen injured in a night assault during the Vietnam war 1969

You can read more about Sgt. Eaton here. A quick caveat though. In doing research for this post this is the best site I could find for information on Sgt. Eaton. It's not a site that I would normally link to for Wednesday Hero, but, like I said, it has the best information. There's nothing really bad on it, but it may have some posts that some may not like.

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.

--
Christopher Lee (Kawaistiyowa)
Conservative/Geek/Fútbol Fan/Music Addict/Awesome Dude

Accidental Fall

2011-03-18T12:46:00.000-05:00

-------Original Message-------

Augusta , GA - A heart-warming story. We need to hear of more similar stories

Orville Smith, a store manager for Best Buy in Augusta , Georgia , told police he observed a male customer,
later identified as Tyrone Jackson of Augusta , on surveillance cameras putting a laptop computer under his jacket. When confronted the man became irate, knocked down an employee, drew a knife and ran for the door.
Outside on the sidewalk were four Marines collecting toys for the "Toys for Tots" program. Smith said the Marines stopped the man, but he stabbed one of the Marines, Cpl. Phillip Duggan, in the back, the injury did not appear to be severe. After Police and an ambulance arrived at the scene Cpl. Duggan was transported for treatment.

The subject was also transported to the local hospital with two broken arms, a broken ankle, a broken leg,
several missing teeth, possible broken ribs, multiple contusions, assorted lacerations, a broken nose and a broken jaw...injuries he sustained when he slipped and fell off of the curb after stabbing the Marine.

Wednesday Hero

2011-02-16T15:17:00.000-06:00

Petty Officer First Class Robert R. Scott
26 years old from Massillion, Ohio
December 7, 1941

Robert Raymond Scott joined the U.S. Navy in 1938. Was was assigned to the U.S.S. California and was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On December 7, 1941 the California was hit by a torpedo during the attack. While other personnel were evacuated, Machinist's Mate First Class Scott remained at his station. He didn't survive. For his actions he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. And the U.S. Navy named the destroyer escort USS Scott (DE-214) in his honor in 1943.

From his citation:

For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and complete disregard of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. The compartment, in the U.S.S. California, in which the air compressor, to which Scott was assigned as his battle station, was flooded as the result of a torpedo hit. The remainder of the personnel evacuated that compartment but Scott refused to leave, saying words to the effect "This is my station and I will stay and give them air as long as the guns are going."

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Michaelbrave 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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Christopher Lee (Kawaistiyowa)
Conservative/Geek/Fútbol Fan/Music Addict/Awesome Dude

What a Letdown

2011-02-05T15:29:00.002-06:00

Everyone got excited about the expected snow the other day. The roads were suppose to freeze and driving conditions were suppose to be hazardous. The cith of Houston brought out all of their equipment to put chems on the roads which they did, and the big freeze was suppose to hit us on Friday. Well Friday arrived and no snow and what a let down it was. Schools were closed due the expected event..Kids were happy about that, but sad about no snow. Well not to disapoint the driving public we had 800 reported accidents and 3 deaths from the ice. We have been in the 20's most of this week and today I am sitting outside in shorts getting a little sun. Texas has some strange weather sometimes.

Can't get onto friends blogs

2010-12-08T11:34:00.003-06:00

I guess things have changed a lot over the past few months. I am finding that I have to be invited to log onto several blogs that I read often i/e fhb etc. If possible please add me so that I may read your blogs. There are many and FHB is just an example. Thanks

Update On My Situation

2010-12-01T12:23:00.002-06:00

Well I am now 155 days into retirement, and I don't like it one bit. The docs told me that I should be back 100% in about a year, well I have a ways to go. I went to a neuro doc yesterday and he said that my brain is forming scars from the operation and that the brain will king of route around the damaged area and that it would compensate. I have only noticed that I have lost my short term memory and started haveing mild panic when around groups of people. They put me on cymbalta and I am doing a lot better. As some may have noticed, I have not been on my blog for some time and the reason is that I have a hard time sitting in front of my computetr for more than a couple of minutes. This cymbalta has make it a lot easier now, so I should be able to get on more often and longer. I did visit some friends blogs yesterday and hope to do more from now on. I am also still having a little problem reading some words and spelling. but over all I am far better off than before.

Wednesday Hero

2010-12-01T12:21:00.002-06:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Steve

Cpl. Ira H. Hayes
3rd Parachute Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 1st Headquarters Battalion, HQMC
January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955

Ira Hamilton Hayes, participant in the famous flag raising on Iwo Jima, was a Pima Indian, born at Sacaton, Arizona, on 12 January 1923. In 1932, the family moved a few miles southward to Bapchule. Both Sacaton and Bapchule are located within the boundaries of the Gila River Indian Reservation in south central Arizona. Hayes left high school after completing two years of study. He served in the Civilian Conservation Corps in May and June of 1942, and then went to work as a carpenter.

You can read more about Cpl. Hayes 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.

--

Christopher Lee

Kawaistiyowa
Conservative/Geek/Fútbol Fan/Music Addict/Awesome Dude

When You Can't Run You Crawl. And When You Can't Do That You Get Someone To Carry You

Official Wednesday Hero Page
Wednesday Hero Facebook Page
SOTW: Rammstein - Mein Teil (Live)

Wednesday Hero

2010-12-01T12:21:00.001-06:00

Wednesday Hero

2010-12-01T12:21:00.000-06:00

Wednesday Hero

2010-11-11T14:06:00.000-06:00

Kathi and I look everywhere and couldn't find the actual branch of the military that Capt. Vujnovich served under but we think it was the Army. Hopefully that's right. Also, head over to http://www.joeonthemove.com/votenow to find out how you can help a lot of Soldiers.

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This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Kathi

Capt. George Vujnovich
95 years old from Queens, New York

66 years after he was instrumental in the rescue of almost 500 bomber pilots who had been shot down over Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia, Capt. George Vujnovich was finally awarded the Bronze Star in October.

You can read the rest of Capt. George Vujnovich's story 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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Wednesday Hero

2010-11-04T11:55:00.001-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested And Written By Michael

Lt. Wilson W. Brown
Company F, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Dec. 25, 1839 - Dec. 26, 1916

Private Wilson W. Brown was part of "The Great Locomotive Chase" or Andrews' Raid. It was a military raid that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia during the American Civil War. Volunteers from the Union Army commandeered a train and took it northwards toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, doing as much damage as possible to the vital Western & Atlantic Railroad (W&A) from Atlanta, Georgia to Chattanooga as they went, pursued by other locomotives. Because they had cut the telegraph wires, no warning could be sent to Confederate forces along their route. The raiders were eventually captured and some were executed as spies. Some of Andrews' Raiders became the first recipients of the Medal of Honor, including Pvt. Wilson Brown who was able to escape and later promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. His citation read:

"One of the 19 of 22 men (including 2 civilians) who, by direction of Gen. Mitchell (or Buell), penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Ga., in an attempt to destroy the bridges and track between Chattanooga and Atlanta".

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

2010-10-27T10:12:00.000-05:00

Reply |Christopher Lee
show details Oct 24 (3 days ago)

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GySgt. Carlos Hathcock
May 20, 1942 – February 23, 1999

Carlos Hathcock was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills. Hathcock's record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a legend in the Marine Corps. His fame as a sniper and his dedication to long distance shooting led him to become a major developer of the United States Marine Corps Sniper training program. He was honored by having a rifle named after him: a variant of the M21 dubbed the Springfield Armory M25 White Feather.

You Can Read More About GySgt. Hathcock Here

You can watch an interview with Gunny Hathcock
Here
Here
and Here

I have to say that it's kind of sad that the best source of info I could find on Gunny Hathcock was on Wikipedia. There should be a lot more sites honoring this man.

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.

--

Christopher Lee
(Kawaistiyowa)
Geek, Conservative, Music Addict
Gooner Till I Die

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

Wednesday Hero
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Wednesday Hero

2010-10-20T12:57:00.001-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By href="http://military.rightpundits.com/2010/10/07/staff-sgt-robert-j-miller-medal-of-honor-recipient-video/">Beth

border="1" alt="SSgt. Robert J.
Miller">SSgt. Robert J. Miller
24 years old from Wheaton, Illinois
Company A, Third Battalion, Third Special Forces Group
January 25, 2008
alt="U.S. Army">

Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller was awarded the Medal of Honor
posthumously in a Pentagon ceremony on Wednesday, October 6, 2010. He
died in Afghanistan saving his fellow soldiers in an act of heroism
that is honored as courage above and beyond the call of duty.

You can read the rest of SSgt. Miller's story href="http://military.rightpundits.com/2010/10/07/staff-sgt-robert-j-miller-medal-of-honor-recipient-video/">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 LivedSIZE>

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 href="http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com/2006/08/wednesday-hero-blogroll.html">here.
border="1" alt="Wednesday Hero Logo">

--
Christopher Lee
(Kawaistiyowa)

When You Can't Run You Crawl. And When You Can't Do That You Get
Someone To Carry You

http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/EchoesOfAOnceLucidMind
http://twitter.com/Kawaistiyowa

Baxter

2010-10-18T10:22:00.001-05:00

This is wonderful and should be seen by all.

Wednesday Hero

2010-10-13T09:48:00.001-05:00

First Lieutenant Gregory F. Ambrosia
28 years old from Knoxville, Tennessee
2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173d Airborne Brigade

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Gregory F. Ambrosia, United States Army, for gallantry in actions while serving as Executive Officer, Company A, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173d Airborne Brigade Combat Team, in action in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, in Afghanistan, on 25 - 26 September 2007. First Lieutenant Ambrosia's gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army. NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD: On 25 September 2007, Able Company, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry air assaulted into the village of Qowru and conducted a search and attack through the village and surrounding caves in order to disrupt Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in the Watapor Valley. The Company Executive Officer, First Lieutenant Ambrosia air assaulted into OP REDSKINS, one of two company observation posts (OP's) overlooking Qowru, in order to establish a command radio relay station and overwatch the mounted assault element in the valley with 60-mm. indirect fire. Upon occupation, ICOM intercepts informed the OP that the enemy was mobilizing and massing for an attack on both company OP's and the mounted maneuver element in the valley. Immediately upon insertion, the 22 Soldiers of 1st Platoon which assaulted OP REDSKINS linked up and moved towards their position overlooking the valley. There were explosions and shots fired across the valley during the night, but no fires were directed at OP REDSKINS. By morning the OP observed the rest of the Company move into position and begin their search and attack through the valley. A fire team plus-sized element of Anti-Coalition Militia was maneuvering to high ground to the east of the company when they made contact with the position at OP REDSKINS. The first individual that came close to the OP was an enemy scout. The individual was engaged immediately and within minutes several of the ACM fighters engaged the observation post with an intense volume of fire. Without any hesitation, First Lieutenant Ambrosia immediately assessed the situation and reported to the Company Commander who was located down in the valley and by this time under fire as well. He gave the enemy situation and without any concern for his own safety remained in place while exposed to heavy enemy fire from ACM forces advancing on his position to within hand grenade range. He continued directing fires and making critical radio transmissions using both FM and TACSAT communication. His timely and accurate calls for 40-mm. and 81-mm. danger close fire were the only effective defense for the OP. While the rest of the element were throwing hand grenades and engaged in close combat with a flanking ACM force, First Lieutenant Ambrosia held his position under heavy direct fire during the 4 hours of the engagement without deviating from his radio transmissions. He requested fire missions, using three different indirect fire assets and close air support simultaneously. First Lieutenant Ambrosia's strong character gave him the tools he needed to repel the enemy attack. First Lieutenant Ambrosia's indirect fire was able to hold the enemy front, which allowed the rest of the OP to fight back the enemy's attempt to turn their flank. First Lieutenant Ambrosia continued providing covering fire simultaneously as he had to make corrections on the 500 pound bombs dropped all within danger close. He gave the Battalion Commander updates of the enemy and friendly situations as they developed. He continued to hold his position even though he was constantly exposed to close heavy enemy fire. First Lieutenant Ambrosia kept keeping Close Combat Air updated on the enemy's location allowing the AH-64 (Apache) to effectively engage and kill three ACM fighters. Despite constant signal intercepts suggesting advancing and flanking maneuver forces, his ability to continue setting the tactical conditions gave the Non-Commissioned Officers and all junior leaders the ability to maneuver their Paratroopers. First Lieutenant Ambrosia's actions throughout the entire engagement were of the highest degree of valor. He performed honorably while under direct enemy fire and effectively engaged the enemy under the most difficult circumstances. First Lieutenant Ambrosia was a key leader during the battle, providing true leadership to the entire element. Even when events became dire, he kept his demeanor and without hesitation took the fight to the enemy. His actions are the true embodiment of the Infantry Warrior Ethos.

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.

--

Christopher Lee (Kawaistiyowa)
Wednesday Hero
Geek, Conservative, Music Addict
Gooner Til I Die

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

Find Me On

Wednesday Hero

2010-10-06T10:45:00.000-05:00

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Sgt. 1st Class Brandon McGuire

The early morning April sky dawned clear over Forward Operating Base Iskandaryia, Iraq. Sgt. 1st Class Brandon McGuire, a platoon sergeant with 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, whose home base was Fort Richardson, Alaska, and his spotter settled in for their third day of looking for insurgents.

"We were observing a stretch of road that had recently been cleared of IEDs (improvised explosive devices)," said McGuire, now first sergeant of Fort Polk's Alpha Troop, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment.

"The area had also seen a lot of mortar activity. We had several Soldiers killed and severely wounded along that stretch of road by IEDs and mortars."

As the two Soldiers gazed across the expanse between their hiding place - an abandoned shed - and their target area, they noticed a man in local garb sauntering up and down through a series of canals. When he dug into a canal bank and uncovered a mortar tube, McGuire said he knew this was a target.

You can read the rest of Sgt. 1st Class Brandon McGuire's story here.

Photo Courtesy Army.mil

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

2010-09-29T13:45:00.002-05:00

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WH Logo - http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/3411/whl2xv3.jpg
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This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Lt. Schneider

Cpl. Brian Downard

Brian Downard was 23 years old, a father, a country music fan, and a corporal of Marines. He joined the Marine Corps in July of 2005, and would do two deployments to two different scenic locales. The first was to Iraq, where he served from November of ’06 to April of the following year. While in Iraq, Brian suffered a concussion from an IED strike while patrolling. Undeterred, Brian stayed in the Marines and deployed to Burma in 2008 when Marines and sailors with the Essex Amphibious Readiness Group provided humanitarian assistance operations to aid the cyclone-stricken country. He would eventually leave the service just last July, after four honorable years of service.

One month after separation, he discovered that he had testicular cancer, and a very aggressive strain at that. The cancer spread quickly to his muscles and fatty tissues, and Brian suffered so greatly with the pain that they put him on morphine. He was released from the VA to enjoy his last days with the love from his mom and his 7-year-old son Jesse.

You can read the rest of Cpl. Downard's story 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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Wednesday Hero

2010-09-29T13:45:00.001-05:00

Wednesday Hero

2010-09-22T11:14:00.001-05:00

I couldn't find a photo of Lt. Markiewicz so that's why there isn't one.

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Mike Golch

The year is 1971. A Lieutenant in the United States Army by the name of Ronald Markiewicz is serving near the Laotian border. He is a helicopter pilot. In March of that year he is sent out to fly two missions. The first one was to resupply a group of Vietnamese Marines and pick up wounded service members. The second mission was to allow troops to recover the crew of a downed helicopter. One both occasions he faces anti-aircraft fire and is wounded each time.

Fast forward to 2010 and Lt. Ronald Markiewicz finally received the Silver Star and a Distinguished Flying Cross. The awards he earned 39 years ago.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From ArmyTimes.com

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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My Status

2010-09-15T11:21:00.003-05:00

As many of you may know or not know, I had a minor stroke which was caused by an absess on my brain. My brain was operated on and the absess was removed. I spent 38 days in hospital, 2 of which were in intensive care. I was discharged on the 24th of July and am now at home. I was placed on long term disability by my company and will not work anymore. That sucks. I am recovering ok, with problems at times. However I will soldier on and do my best. I appreciate those who commented on my previous post about this. My biggest problem now is being bored. I hope to be able to start working around the house in another month or so. As for now I get very tired and very fast. But good Lord willing things will be better soon.

Wednesday Hero

2010-09-15T11:18:00.000-05:00

Pvt. Daren A. Smith
19 years old from Helena, Montana
3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry)
December 13, 2007

Pvt. Daren A. Smith was born in Butte, Montana and lived there until he reached middle school, when he moved to Helena. He graduated from Helena High School in 2006 and completed a semester at the University of Montana-Helena College of Technology. He joined the United States Army in March of 2007 and was deployed to Iraq on November of that year.

Pvt. Daren A. Smith died on December 13, 2007 of non-combat related injuries. His funeral was held on a cold 20-degree Winter's day but that didn't stop hundreds of mourners from his hometown lining the streets to honor him.

"He was the kind of guy who would do anything for you," said a friend of Pvt. Smith. "He was just a great guy."

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

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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Christopher Lee (Kawaistiyowa)
Wednesday Hero
Geek, Conservative, Music Addict
Gooner Til I Die

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

Find Me On

Wednesday Hero

2010-08-11T10:25:00.000-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Greta

This weeks post is a little different from the norm. It's honoring the 13 Men and Women who were awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal. People like George J. Weiss Jr. A World War II veteran who has made it his mission to provide military honors to deceased veterans at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. And Susan Retik who, after she lost her husband on September 11, 2001, started an organization called Beyond the 11th to help women in Afghanistan. And the person Greta wanted to honor. MaryAnn Phillips of Soldiers' Angels Germany who has made it her mission to help wounded service Men and Woman medevaced to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. You can read about MaryAnn Phillips's nomination 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.

--
Christopher Lee (Quisi)
Wednesday Hero
Geek, Conservative, Music Addict
Gooner Til I Die

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

I am doing good thank God

2010-08-04T15:01:00.002-05:00

Well to say the least it is just great to be home and sleeping in my won bed after so long. I don't seem to be having any problems worh speaking of. I am glad to be able to get back on the internet. Had almot 2000 emails to read and clean up, most as you all know was junk, to a few from friends and I thank them. I am not suppose to drive for 6 months or drink (damn) I can live with that though. Feels realy strange to be retired and not have to get up in the morning. I will need to find something to do though. It's going on 2 months I have been out of work, and so far so good, only because most of the time I sleep. Guess that is a side effect of having our head opened up or it could be the meds I have to take, who knows, but getting better day by day. Thanks to those of ou who left me comments re my time in hospital, it ment a lot to me. Thaks.

WednesdayHero

2010-08-04T14:59:00.001-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Aaron

Lt. Dan Cnossen

Standing on his own legs, Lt. Dan Cnossen used to be about 5 feet, 9 inches tall. Now on his two mechanical legs, he is roughly the same height.

Somehow, though, he seems to stand taller.

That isn't what the Topeka man would say. But while this is his story, it is often his mother's telling, and she can't believe how far he has come. His latest feat came late last month when he walked a six-mile race on his prosthetic legs.

You can read the rest of Lt. Cnossen's story 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.

--

Christopher Lee (Quisi)
Wednesday Hero
Geek, Conservative, Music Addict
Gooner Til I Die

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

Find Me On

I am out of the hospital

2010-07-25T11:16:00.002-05:00

I got out yesterday, Saturda and am I glad. 6 weeks was long enough. Only problem is I can't drink any beer, gonna be hard.

I am still in the hospital

2010-07-20T11:31:00.002-05:00

Have not had access to the internet for the past 30 days. I had a siezier(spelling) on the 14 of june while in the emergency room which was brought on by an absess on the left site of my brain which led to a stroke, which lead to brain surgery. I am ok and have been in the hospital from the 14th of June and still am. Hope to get out this Saturday. Been a rough road, but all is well now. Thank God for that. Had minor problems for a few day in that I could not read out loud, but could in my mind. Had rehab and it helped, but strange as it may sound, when I would wake up each morning I was better. Now I am back to full conctionality. Nurse call it spontainous healing. I sure will be glad to get home. My boss said I could come back to work if I want to, but he did not recommend it or I could get 80% of my salary till I am 65 which will be in about 2 yrs and 7 months. I think I will take that offer. This thing has changed my live for sure. While in the ambulance, I looked down and saw myself laying there, strange thing to happen doctors said it happens often to people in my condition. I will not be able to post anymore till I get home. I borrowed this aircard from one of the guys that works here for a few minutes. Damn, I have about 2000 emails.. Well later my friends.

HCSO: Deputy drowns attempting to rescue family dog

2010-06-11T10:14:00.003-05:00

This is very sad.

Credit: HCSO

HCSO: Deputy drowns attempting to rescue family dog

by khou.com staff

khou.com

Posted on June 11, 2010 at 8:10 AM

Updated today at 9:54 AM

BAYTOWN, Texas—Crews found the body of a Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy early Friday who drowned while attempting to rescue his dog from a canal, according to investigators.

Investigators said Deputy Eddie Wotipka lived on West Cedar Bayou Lynchburg at Thompson Road. He had just returned home from his evening shift Thursday around 11:45 p.m. when his wife and the family dog came outside to greet him.

Neighbors told Wotipka about a pack of dogs at a nearby canal and he went to investigate, with his own dog following. The family dog either jumped or fell into the canal and Wotipka jumped in to try and save him, according to investigators.

The wife then jumped in to help her husband and both found themselves in trouble with the strong currents and swift waters. Neighbors were able to pull the wife to safety, but they could not reach the deputy.

Neighbors said Wotipka went under the water twice, and did not resurface the second time.

Emergency crews searched the waters for hours, but could not locate the deputy. They finally found him around 5:30 a.m. and a brigade of deputies rushed him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Deputy Wotipka had been with the force since 1993.

The dog also died.

Wednesday Hero

2010-06-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

Pvt. Carlton W. Barrett
18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division

For The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private Carlton William Barrett, United States Army, for gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, while serving with the 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, in action in the vicinity of St. Laurent-sur-Mer, France. On the morning of D-day Private Barrett, landing in the face of extremely heavy enemy fire, was forced to wade ashore through neck-deep water. Disregarding the personal danger, he returned to the surf again and again to assist his floundering comrades and save them from drowning. Refusing to remain pinned down by the intense barrage of small-arms and mortar fire poured at the landing points, Private Barrett, working with fierce determination, saved many lives by carrying casualties to an evacuation boat lying offshore. In addition to his assigned mission as guide, he carried dispatches the length of the fire-swept beach; he assisted the wounded; he calmed the shocked; he arose as a leader in the stress of the occasion. His coolness and his dauntless daring courage while constantly risking his life during a period of many hours had an inestimable effect on his comrades and is in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

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.

--

Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero
Geek, Conservative, Music Addict
Gooner Til I Die

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

Find Me On BloggerWordpressFacebookTwitter

Houston taco stand owner kills tip jar thief

2010-06-08T15:27:00.001-05:00

Don't touch my stinkin tip jar,, si si.

A mobile taco stand owner shot and killed a man he said stole a tip jar from his truck last weekend.

The shooting happened in the 8300 block of La Porte Road about 2:45 a.m. Saturday, police said.

The suspected thief, identified by police as Benito Pantoja, 24, was shot at least once in the left shoulder and was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he later died.

No charges have been filed, but police said the case will be referred to a Harris County grand jury for review.

When patrol officers were dispatched to the scene they found Houston Fire Department paramedics treating Pantoja.

Officers later determined that Pantoja had stolen the taco stand's tip jar and that the owner, whose has not been released, shot him as he tried to run away.

New Stimulus for We Taxpayers

2010-06-03T08:58:00.000-05:00

Sometime this year, we taxpayers will again receive another 'Economic
Stimulus' payment.

This is indeed a very exciting program, and I'll explain it by
using a Q & A format:

Q. What is an 'Economic Stimulus' payment ?

A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q.. Where will the government get this money?

A. From taxpayers.

Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?

A. Only a smidgen of it.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?

A. The plan is for you to use the money to purchase a
high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China?

A. Shut up.

Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the U.S. economy by
spending your stimulus check wisely:

If you spend the stimulus money at Wal-Mart, the money will
go to China or Sri Lanka.

If you spend it on gasoline, your money will go to the
Arabs.

If you purchase a computer, it will go to India,Taiwan or
China.

If you purchase fruit and vegetables, it will go to Mexico,
Honduras and Guatemala ..

If you buy an efficient car, it will go to Japan or Korea.

If you purchase useless stuff, it will go to Taiwan .

If you pay your credit cards off, or buy stock, it will go
to management bonuses and they will hide it offshore.

Instead, keep the money in America by:

1) Spending it at yard sales, or

2) Going to ball games, or

3) Spending it on prostitutes, or

4) Beer or

5) Tattoos.

(These are the only American businesses still operating in the U.S. )

Conclusion:

Go to a ball game with a tattooed prostitute that you met at a yard
sale and drink beer all day!

No need to thank me, I'm just glad I could be of help.

Wednesday Hero

2010-05-26T08:29:00.001-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested And Written By Beth

Capt. Kyle Comfort
27 years old from Jacksonville, Alabama
Fire Support Officer Company D, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
May 8, 2010

Kyle Comfort had just recently been promoted to Captain and been assigned to a Ranger Regiment in the Army. His accomplishments as a Soldier, in such a short time, were a testament to the fact that he was an excellent Soldier. Unfortunately, in this war, it doesn’t make a lot of difference how good you are at your job. The difference seems to be left to chance. Where you are sitting in your vehicle or which vehicle you are sitting in when you hit an IED or where you are standing on your FOB when the mortars come in. All chance and circumstance.

It has to be that way. The enemy that is fighting us now could never win a legitimate war with our Soldiers. So they fight as insurgents and use tactics that they know make our Soldiers vulnerable.

That is how they got CAPT Kyle Comfort. With an IED just a month into his tour of duty in Afghanistan. If they had fought him face-to-face, they never would have gotten him.

You Can Read The Rest 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.

--

Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero
Geek, Conservative, Music Addict
Gooner Til I Die

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

Find Me On BloggerWordpressFacebookTwitter

Very Funny and Oh so True

2010-05-19T13:14:00.002-05:00

Wednesday Hero

2010-05-19T08:05:00.001-05:00

L/Cpl. Joshua M. Davis
19 years old from Perry, Iowa
1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force
May 7, 2010

Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Davis of Perry, Iowa, was a 2009 Perry High School graduate. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 2009. Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, from Camp Lejeune, N.C., he deployed to Afghanistan in March 2010 and was promoted to Lance Cpl. on May 1, 2010. He was killed in action on May 7, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Afghanistan Campaign Medal. Also killed alongside L/Cpl. Davis were Cpl. Kurt S. Shea, 21, of Frederick, Maryland and Lance Cpl. Christopher Rangel, 22, of San Antonio, Texas.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From 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.

--

Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero
Geek, Conservative, Music Addict
Gooner Til I Die

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

Find Me On BloggerWordpressFacebookTwitter

Quanell X: If you shoot one more black man in Bellaire, your city will go up in flames

2010-05-13T08:49:00.001-05:00

Hummm, that's some pretty tough talk.

HOUSTON – The turnout was low, but the emotions ran high Wednesday for a group of
protesters upset over the not guilty verdict in the trial of a Bellaire cop.

Sgt. Jeffrey Cotton was on trial for aggravated assault by a public servant for shooting Robbie Tolan in front of his Bellaire home on New Year’s Eve 2008. Cotton was attempting to arrest Tolan for driving what he believed to be a stolen car. The car belonged to Tolan, but another officer mistakenly typed in the wrong license plate number.
Tolan testified he was on one knee arguing with Cotton for pushing his mother when he was shot. Cotton told jurors the shooting was justified because he believed Tolan was reaching into his waistband for a weapon as he jumped off the ground.
On Tuesday, jurors acquitted Cotton after listening to a week of testimony.
Local activist Quanell X organized a protest Wednesday outside the Bellaire Police Department.
"This cop is a criminal, this cop should be in jail," Quanell X said. “If you shoot one more black man in Bellaire in cold blood, then your damn city will go up in flames.”
One longtime Bellaire resident showed up at the protest.
“I don’t know what happened and no one is ever going to get the real truth,” Cheryl Grummons said. “I think the City of Bellaire needs to take responsibility for what they did and this (the protest) doesn’t need to happen.
“I hate this (the protest) when it’s all about race. You know what, we all live all over,” Grummons said.
She later got into a heated discussion with several of the protesters.
Many demonstrators disagreed. They likened the Bellaire Police Department to terrorists that should be eyed cautiously.
“We are going to put Bellaire on the watch list, on the terrorists list,” said one elderly protester.
“Call Obama,” someone yelled out in response.
“Sister, Obama can’t do nothing about this, the people in this city are going to have to do something about this,” he replied.

The Tolan family said Tuesday they plan to file a lawsuit in federal court and hinted the City of Bellaire will be named as a defendant.

Soldiers reunite to give Houston war hero final salute

2010-05-13T08:43:00.002-05:00

Citation1st Sgt. McNerney distinguished himself when his unit was attacked by a North Vietnamese battalion near polei Doc. Running through the hail of enemy fire to the area of heaviest contact, he was assisting in the development of a defensive perimeter when he encountered several enemy at close range. He killed the enemy but was painfully injured when blown from his feet by a grenade. In spite of this injury, he assaulted and destroyed an enemy machinegun position that had pinned down 5 of his comrades beyond the defensive line. Upon learning his commander and artillery forward observer had been killed, he assumed command of the company. He adjusted artillery fire to within 20 meters of the position in a daring measure to repulse ??enemy assaults. When the smoke grenades used to mark the position were gone, he moved into a nearby clearing to designate the location to friendly aircraft. In spite of enemy fire he remained exposed until he was certain the position was spotted and then climbed into a tree and tied the identification panel to its highest branches. Then he moved among his men readjusting their position, encouraging the defenders and checking the wounded. As the hostile assaults slackened, he began clearing a helicopter landing site to evacuate the wounded. When explosives were needed to remove large trees, he crawled outside the relative safety of his perimeter to collect demolition material from abandoned rucksacks. Moving through a fusillade of fire he returned with the explosives that were vital to the clearing of the landing zone. Disregarding the pain of his injury and refusing medical evacuation 1st Sgt. McNerney remained with his unit until the next day when the new commander arrived. First Sgt. McNerney's outstanding heroism and leadership were inspirational to his comrades. His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

Wednesday Hero

2010-05-12T08:16:00.000-05:00

Sgt. Kristopher J. Battles

Sgt. Kristopher J. Battles, the combat artist with the National Museum of the Marine Corps, stands in front of his paintings, May 5, 2010, at the John F. Kennedy School of Government for Harvard University. Battles showed several paintings, sketches and portraits for residents and tourists to see the artwork of a combat artist, in Cambridge, Mass., to help tell the Marine Corps story during Marine Week.

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.

--

Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero
Geek, Conservative, Music Addict
Gooner Til I Die

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

Find Me On BloggerWordpressFacebookTwitter

Sheriff: Suspected child rapist hangs himself in Galveston County Jail

2010-05-11T08:34:00.004-05:00

by Michelle Homer / khou.com

Posted on May 10, 2010 at 1:51 PM
Updated yesterday at 6:36 PM
Related:

* Justice for Jennifer: Suspect arrested in 1990 rape of 8-year-old girl
* HPD sketch artist was haunted by 1990 abduction, rape of 8-year-old girl
* Bond set at $1M for 1990 rape case suspect
* Jennifer Schuett: 'I am not a victim'
* Cold case detective grateful for DNA test refusal

DICKINSON, Texas — A suspect jailed for the 1990 rape and attempted capital murder of Jennifer Schuett hung himself in the Galveston County Jail early Monday morning.

Dennis Earl Bradford "fashioned a crude noose from a bed cover" to commit suicide, according to Galveston County investigators.

Bradford was discovered by a deputy and medical personnel on routine rounds shortly after 1 a.m. He was pronounced dead on arrival at UTMB.

"I am shocked and disappointed at the news of Bradford resulting to suicide, as I looked forward to facing him in the court room this Fall, and now feel as though I was robbed of that opportunity," Schuett said in a written statement." I can say that I feel very blessed and grateful that I was able to find out who attacked me all of those years ago, and that he was arrested last year, and taken off of the streets so that he couldn’t harm anyone else."

Bradford, 40, had been in the Galveston County Jail since his arrest in Little Rock, Arkansas last October. It took detectives nearly two decades to solve the Schuett case.

Schuett was 8 years old when she woke up in a field in 1990, naked and covered with fire ants. The man who abducted her from her Dickinson apartment had sexually assaulted her, cut her throat and left her in the field to die.

Schuett was slowly bleeding to death, but she couldn’t scream for help because her voice box had been cut.

Fourteen hours later, some children found her and called for help. Schuett was rushed by helicopter to a Galveston hospital, barely alive.

Investigators found Schuett’s pink pajama top and underwear a few miles from where she was assaulted. They also recovered a man’s T-shirt and underwear. Back then, large amounts of blood or body fluids were needed to test DNA, and there just wasn’t enough.

Dickinson Detective Tim Cromie was assigned to the cold case in 2008. He teamed up with FBI Special Agent Richard Rennison.

They convinced the FBI lab to retest the clothing at their lab in Quantico, Virginia and those tests linked Bradford to the case.

After Bradford’s arrest, a tearful Schuett thanked the investigators for their "hard work and dedication."

"Throughout this journey, I’ve had two main goals and they were to find the man who kidnapped, sexually assaulted and attempted to murder me 19 years ago so that he could not hurt anyone else," Schuett said. "And to use my voice in telling my story to as many people as I possibly could over the years in hopes that I may encourage other victims of violent crimes to stand up and speak out against criminals."

Bradford had been living in Little Rock for seven years when he was arrested. He was married with children.

Bradford served time in Arkansas for the 1996 abduction of a 35-year-old woman he had met at a nightclub. He also raped her and slit her throat. He was released from prison after serving four years of a 12 year sentence.

Doctors initially told Schuett’s mother that she would never talk again because of the damage to her voice box. After weeks in the hospital, she proved them wrong.

Now Schuett believes she got her voice back so that she could speak out about her experience.

"I hope that my case will remain as a reminder to all victims of violent crime to never give up hope in seeking justice, not matter how long it may take or how hard it may be," Schuett said. "With determination and by using your voice to speak out, you are capable of anything."

Schuett hopes to get a degree in criminology so that she can use her own horrific experience to help other crime victims.

Wednesday Hero

2010-05-05T08:31:00.000-05:00

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant Keith Dewayne Andrews, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action during the ground assault of Operation DESERT STORM. Sergeant Andrews showed extraordinary courage once he observed that air support had by-passed two Iraqi machine gun positions, leaving a Humvee with five soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division pinned down by enemy cross fire. Sergeant Andrews negotiated a minefield while fighting his way to the top of the enemy bunker, destroying it with a fragmentation hand grenade. Being out of ammo, Sergeant Andrews resourcefully obtained the enemy machine gun using it to fight his way up the second Iraqi fighting position. Over all, Sergeant Andrews single-handedly killed some twenty-five enemy combatants to secure two enemy bunkers. This allowed for the quick evacuation of the five wounded soldiers thus saving their lives. These brave and selfless actions of Sergeant Andrews bring great credit to himself, his unit and the 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.

--

Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero
Geek, Conservative, Music Addict
Gooner Til I Die

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

Wednesday Hero

2010-04-28T08:06:00.000-05:00

This Post Was Suggested By Mark Bell

Capt. Ed W. Freeman
November 20, 1927 - August 20, 2008

For The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Captain Ed W. Freeman, United States Army, for numerous acts of conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary intrepidity on 14 November 1965 while serving with Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), action against enemy aggressor forces at LZ X-Ray, Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam, on 14 November 1965 As a flight leader and second in command of a 16-helicopter lift unit, he supported a heavily engaged American infantry battalion at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam. The infantry unit was almost out of ammunition after taking some of the heaviest casualties of the war, fighting off a relentless attack from a highly motivated, heavily armed enemy force. When the infantry commander closed the helicopter landing zone due to intense direct enemy fire, Captain Freeman risked his own life by flying his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire time after time, delivering critically needed ammunition, water, and medical supplies to the besieged battalion. His flights had a direct impact on the battle's outcome by providing the engaged units with timely supplies of ammunition critical to their survival, without which they would almost surely have experienced a much greater loss of life. After medical evacuation helicopters refused to fly into the area due to intense enemy fire, Captain Freeman flew 14 separate rescue missions, providing life-saving evacuation of an estimated 30 seriously wounded soldiers -- some of whom would not have survived had he not acted. All flights were made into a small emergency landing zone within 100 to 200 meters of the defensive perimeter where heavily committed units were perilously holding off the attacking elements. Captain Freeman's selfless acts of great valor, extraordinary perseverance, and intrepidity were far above and beyond the call of duty or mission and set a superb example of leadership and courage for all of his peers. Captain Freeman's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

In 2002, Capt. Ed "Too Tall" Freeman was portrayed by actor Mark McCraken in the movie "We Were Soldiers". Capt. Freeman passed away in 2008 due to complications of Parkinson's.

Here is a great article on Capt. Freeman and his award ceremony.

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.

--
Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero - Google It
http://twitter.com/NativePatriot
http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Christhopher-Lee/505116977

Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why
Some are born some men die
Beneath one infinite sky

Wednesday Hero

2010-04-21T09:24:00.001-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Cindy

John "Jack" Agnew (Right)
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division

John "Jack" Agnew, one of the original members of an Army unit that operated behind enemy lines in World War II and is often credited with having loosely inspired the movie "The Dirty Dozen", has died at age 88.

Agnew belonged to the Filthy Thirteen, an unofficial unit within the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He was pronounced dead last Thursday at Abington Memorial Hospital after becoming ill at his home in the Maple Village retirement community in Hatboro, where he and his wife moved about a year ago, his daughter Barbara Agnew Maloney said.

You Can Read The Rest Of The Article Here And More Info On The "Filthy Thirteen" Can Be Found 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.

--
Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero - Google It
http://twitter.com/NativePatriot
http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Christhopher-Lee/505116977

Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why
Some are born some men die
Beneath one infinite sky

Wednesday Hero

2010-04-14T08:13:00.001-05:00

Sgt. Maj. James E. Booker
Second Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment, FIRST Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant Major James E. Booker, United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as Sergeant Major, Second Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment, FIRST Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, U. S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM from February to September 2004. Sergeant Major Booker courageously exposed himself to enemy fire while leading Marines and eliminating enemy forces in several battalion engagements. On 31 March 2004 the forward command element came under intense machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire. With utter disregard for his own safety, Sergeant Major Booker dismounted the vehicle, engaged the enemy and forced their withdrawal. He pursued his attackers down several darkened city streets and mortally wounded a rocket-propelled grenade gunner who was engaging the Command Group. Sergeant Major Booker subsequently led a search that resulted in the arrest and capture of an eight-man cell and several weapons. On 10 April 2004, the forward command element came under fire from insurgents during cordon and search operations. He calmly led a team of Marines in a counterattack, personally clearing several buildings, eliminating one insurgent fighter, and facilitating the evacuation of a severely wounded Marine. Sergeant Major Booker's efforts enabled the forward command element to regain freedom of maneuver and inspired Marines to fearlessly engage the enemy. By his bold leadership, wise judgment, and loyal dedication to duty, Sergeant Major Booker reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

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.

--

Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero
Geek, Conservative, Music Addict
Gooner Til I Die

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

Find Me On BloggerWordpressFacebookTwitter

Girl's stepdad defends 3 accused of raping her

2010-04-09T08:45:00.001-05:00

TRENTON, N.J. — A horrifying case — a gang rape of a 7-year-old girl sold by her teen stepsister to armed men — grew more bizarre when the victim's stepfather showed up outside the Trenton courthouse on Thursday to say that three of the five accused had actually tried to help the girl.

He was summoned to the courthouse by family members of the suspects, who have his phone number on speed dial, a seemingly strange alliance amid a crime that has inflamed a poor community.

“These three had nothing to do with nothing; I don't know why they locked them up,” the stepfather said of Gregory Leary, 20; Timear Lewis, 19, and a 17-year-old whom authorities have not identified because of his age.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people alleging sex crimes and is not naming the stepfather to avoid identifying the girl.

In all, five men and boys have been arrested on suspicion of raping the girl. The other suspects are ages 13 and 14. The 15-year-old stepsister also has been charged with promoting prostitution.

Lewis is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Friday. It was his mother who called the girl's stepfather, imploring him to come to the courthouse to talk to reporters.

“Please tell them my son did not do this,” Tracy Lewis said. “He was there but he didn't touch anyone.”

Police say there is DNA evidence of the crime, but the prosecution may hinge on the word of a little girl, her troubled stepsister and the other men and boys who watched the crime.

According to police, the 7-year-old was prostituted out by her 15-year-old stepsister, who watched as she was raped by as many as seven men and boys at a party at the Rowan Tower apartments on March 28. As many as a dozen people were at the party, held in a vacant apartment in the crime-plagued public housing complex not far from the New Jersey Statehouse.

Investigators said that soon after arriving, the older girl took money to have sex with several men at a party, including Leary. The teen then gave some of the money she had collected to the younger girl to let the men start touching her. It soon escalated to rape, police said, and the men threatened to kill the child if she screamed or told anyone, police said.

The girl later put on her clothes and left the apartment; her older stepsister stayed, police say. Two women found the child crying outside the apartment and walked her home, where police were waiting because the girls' parents had reported them missing.

The girl told police what happened and her sister was soon found and arrested.

“She should have never took my daughter there,” the father said of his 15-year-old.

While the father thinks that three of the men may have tried to get the young girl out of the apartment, he doesn't dispute the fact that she was raped by several men.

“My daughter said these guys were trying to help her,” he said. “If you had a gun pointed to your head, you wouldn't be able to do nothing, either.”

Deputy kills man holding rifle in NE Harris County

2010-04-09T08:34:00.000-05:00

A veteran Harris County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man who had threatened
him with a Taser at a home in the Atascocita area early this morning after an alleged assault at a nearby bar, officials said.

The deputy also shot the man's dog which became very aggressive after the man told the animal to attack the lawman during a confrontation before the fatal shooting.

The shooting occurred at the house in the 3800 block of Beckett Ridge Drive about 12:15 a.m., according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

The man, whose name has not been released, was shot at least once and died at the scene.

The deputy, whose name has not been released, was not injured. He’s been with the sheriff’s office for 19 years.

The deputy drove to the home in northeast Harris County to investigate an assault that had taken place a short time earlier at a sports bar on FM 1960, said Deputy Janie Wagner, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office.

When the deputy walked to the front door the man, who was a suspect in the assault, opened the door and was holding a rifle, Wagner said.

The deputy convinced the man to put down the gun and then tried to take him into custody for the assault at the bar. But the man struggled against the deputy. Wagner said the deputy used his Taser on the man, but he was unaffected and yanked the Taser away from the deputy.

He pressed the Taser against the deputy as if he was about to use it. He also commanded his pitbull more than once to attack the deputy.

Fearing for his life, the deputy fired his handgun at least once, hitting the man, Wagner said.

Then he shot the dog, which had become very agitated and aggressive toward him, Wagner added. Officials did not know the the dog’s condition.

The man's wife was at home at the time of the shooting. She was not hurt.

It is unclear what led to the alleged assault at the bar.

Wednesday Hero

2010-04-07T08:11:00.000-05:00

Airman Sasha Sales and Sgt. Richard Montes

Aviation Support Equipment Technician Airman Sasha Sales, from Gulf Shore, Ala., looks away as Sgt. Richard Montes, from San Antonio, Texas, draws blood samples during a blood drive at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

Photo Courtesy United States Navy taken by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nardelito Gervacio

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.

--

Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

Wednesday Hero

2010-03-31T09:36:00.001-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Toni

LTC Tim Karcher

Lieutenant Colonel Tim Karcher was shot in the shoulder in Iraq back in 2006. After just 5 months of healing at home that included 7 surgeries, he chose to go back to war.

"My unit was over there, they were taking casualties. It felt terrible to be here, it felt wrong," he said.

Reunited with his troops, Karcher was in Baghdad last summer for the historic transfer of power from the U.S. to the Iraqis.

But 10 days after that historic day, Karcher's vehicle was bombed and he lost both of his legs in the explosion.

"I'm very proud of him, he's fought for his life, he fought the whole summer to stay alive and he's taking it and running with it, he's so positive," said Alesia Karcher, Tim's wife.

Karcher says the tragedy of losing his legs made him realize what he still had including a wife and three children who need him.

"I could sit around and have a pity party everyday, but it's not going to grow my legs back," he said. "Life kicks you in the teeth every now and again, you get to decide how you react to it."

You can read more about LTC Karcher here and here.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From 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.

--

Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero

Our Constitution is a document in which
"We the people" tell the government what
it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.

Wednesday Hero

2010-03-24T08:09:00.001-05:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested & Written By Debbie In Honor Of Her Great Uncle.

Sgt. William Robert Cain
August 1, 1922 - July 4, 1944

William Robert Cain (August 1, 1922 - July 4, 1944) was a husband to Genevieve (Anderson) and the only son of Cleveland and Margaret Cain. He was the baby brother to three sisters, Lena Mae, Anna Phyllis (who died in 1932) and Lora Genevieve.

He was born in the town named after his ancestors called Cainsville, Missouri. He grew up, went to school and played baseball there until he decided to join the U.S. Army. He made the decision to join the Army after graduating high school earlier in the year of 1940 but he would not be turning eighteen until August so he waited and enlisted right after his 18th birthday.

The letter his parents received was dated August 27, 1940 asking them to fill out before a Notary Public, Postmaster or Justice of Peace an Age Verification and Consent Papers and sign BOTH PAPERS in PEN or INK. They were asked to kindly give this their immediate attention as this young man cannot be enlisted till the papers were returned.

Sgt. Robert Cain, (lovingly called Billy Bob by his family and Doc by the Army men), enlisted in August, 1940 and ranked as Sergeant in the medical corps. in charge of hospital on shipboard. His last duty was at Letterman Hospital, Presidio, California. In all he had been assigned to four different ships and made 34 trips over the ocean, the last one a supply ship called SS Jean Nicolet. Sgt. Cain was serving aboard the SS Jean Nicolet when it was attacked by the Japanese on July 2, 1944. The Jean Nicolet was sunk and Sgt. Cain was one of many men taken hostage. He was also one of many men who were tortured for two days before he was killed or died in the Indian Ocean.

From Debbie: I have heard family stories about him, one of which of course is how he died in WWII and that he received the Purple Heart of which I am very proud of. More stories where about how he loved his family. I personally, as his Great Niece, have the love of medicine and caring for others as he did. I am a nurse. This is why it means so much to me that he is remembered as well as the others who were on the Liberty Ship Jean Nicolet that fatal day!

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.

--

Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero

Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why
Some are born some men die
Beneath one infinite sky
Contact Me BloggerWordpressFacebookTwitter

Wednesday Hero

2010-03-17T08:11:00.000-05:00

Cpl. Charles Aldieri(Ret.) & 1st Lt. Jack Jewell(Ret.)

Lt. Col. David Hurley, commander of Schweinfurt, Germany's 15th Engineer Battalion, presents unit coins to two 9th Infantry Division World War II veterans -- Charles Aldieri, a former corporal with the 746th Tank Battalion (shaking hands) and Jack Jewell, a former first lieutenant with Company B, 39th Infantry -- during a March 8 ceremony honoring the division's efforts in capturing the famed Remagen Bridge in the closing days of World War II. The commemoration took place in the Remagen Bridge and Peace Museum now housed in the remains of the span, which collapsed 10 days after its capture on March 7, 1945.

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.

Wednesday Hero

2010-03-10T08:10:00.001-06:00

Cpl. Jason L. Dunham
22 years old from Scio, New York
Rifle Squad Leader, 4th Platoon, Company K, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines (Reinforced), Regimental Combat Team 7, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced)
April 22, 2004

For The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Corporal Jason L. Dunham, United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Rifle Squad Leader, 4th Platoon, Company K, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines (Reinforced), Regimental Combat Team 7, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), on 14 April 2004. Corporal Dunham's squad was conducting a reconnaissance mission in the town of Karabilah, Iraq, when they heard rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire erupt approximately two kilometers to the west. Corporal Dunham led his Combined Anti-Armor Team towards the engagement to provide fire support to their Battalion Commander's convoy, which had been ambushed as it was traveling to Camp Husaybah. As Corporal Dunham and his Marines advanced, they quickly began to receive enemy fire. Corporal Dunham ordered his squad to dismount their vehicles and led one of his fire teams on foot several blocks south of the ambushed convoy. Discovering seven Iraqi vehicles in a column attempting to depart, Corporal Dunham and his team stopped the vehicles to search them for weapons. As they approached the vehicles, an insurgent leaped out and attacked Corporal Dunham. Corporal Dunham wrestled the insurgent to the ground and in the ensuing struggle saw the insurgent release a grenade. Corporal Dunham immediately alerted his fellow Marines to the threat. Aware of the imminent danger and without hesitation, Corporal Dunham covered the grenade with his helmet and body, bearing the brunt of the explosion and shielding his Marines from the blast. In an ultimate and selfless act of bravery in which he was mortally wounded, he saved the lives of at least two fellow Marines. By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty, Corporal Dunham gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

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.

--
Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero - Google It
http://twitter.com/NativePatriot
http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Christhopher-Lee/505116977

Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why
Some are born some men die
Beneath one infinite sky

Wednesday Hero

2010-03-03T08:09:00.001-06:00

This Weeks Post Was Actually Written By Sgt. McGowen A Year Before He Passed Away. He Was Suggested By His Granddaughter, Leigh, To Honor Him.

Sgt. Charlie McGowen
August 22, 1921 - December 5, 2009

1940-1945

In 1942 he was drafted into the Army Air Corps. He was sent to England. His trip there took him through Warrior, Alabama, Ft. McClellan, Ft. McPherson, Gulf Port, Mississippi, Chanute, Salt Lake City, El Paso, Alamorgoro, and New York City. Then he took the Queen Mary to the Fifth of Clyde in Scotland. Upon arriving he was sent to the Wending base in England. In his military service he was part of the World War II: 32 Bomb Group 578 and 579 Bomb Squadron Second Air Division, 8th Air Force, ETON 117 Wending, Norfolk, England. While stationed in Wending, he went to Piccadilly Circus in London. While he was there he visited the American Red Cross Center with friends. The center was Rainbow Corner. While there he was introduced to a lovely English lady named Margaret (Peggy) Johnston. It was love at first sight. They were married on January 13, 1945. They moved back to Alabama after the war and raised six children. They have ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

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.

--
Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero - Google It
http://twitter.com/NativePatriot
http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Christhopher-Lee/505116977

Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why
Some are born some men die
Beneath one infinite sky

Wednesday Hero

2010-02-24T08:40:00.001-06:00

Lance Cpl. Andrew Koenig

It is hard to know whether Monday was a very bad day or a very good day for Lance Cpl. Andrew Koenig.

On the one hand, he was shot in the head. On the other, the bullet bounced off him.

In one of those rare battlefield miracles, an insurgent sniper hit Lance Cpl. Koenig dead on in the front of his helmet, and he walked away from it with a smile on his face.

"I don't think I could be any luckier than this," Lance Cpl. Koenig said two hours after the shooting.

You can read the rest of Lance Cpl. Koenig's story 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.

--
Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero - Google It
http://twitter.com/NativePatriot
http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Christhopher-Lee/505116977

Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why
Some are born some men die
Beneath one infinite sky

Oath Keepers

2010-02-19T17:42:00.001-06:00

Well worth watching and listening to.

Wednesday Hero

2010-02-17T08:16:00.001-06:00

Capt. Ferris W. Butler

Capt. Ferris W. Butler, former platoon leader with D Company, 214th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain, 2nd Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Drum, N.Y., talks to the Soldiers at Morale, Welfare and Recreation east Feb. 5 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Butler, a Port Tobacco, Mass., native, participated in Operation Proper Exit, which brings Veterans who were injured in Iraq back to the country to revisit the area and share their stories.

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.

--
Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero - Google It
http://twitter.com/NativePatriot
http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Christhopher-Lee/505116977

Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why
Some are born some men die
Beneath one infinite sky

Wednesday Hero

2010-02-10T08:05:00.001-06:00

This Week's Post Was Written By Mark In Honor Of His Wife's Grandfather

Marvin Glenn & His Wife, Christina

Marvin Glenn was born in Oklahoma, joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939, and married his wife of over 60 years. Marvin enlisted in the Navy in 1944, becoming a member of the Greatest Generation. He chose to serve, despite being exempt due to a heart murmur. He went on to serve on the Escort Carrier USS Copahee. After his discharge Marvin became a brick layer, a job he continued to perform until he was 82 despite only having one eye. Along with being a brick layer, Marvin maintained a garden which he and his wife used to provide for themselves, and those in need. The life Marvin lived, in service to others, inspired his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and anyone who came to know him. Marvin was laid to rest in Henryetta, Oklahoma on January 16, 2010, at the age of 92, with full military honors.

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.

--
Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero - Google It
http://twitter.com/NativePatriot
http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Christhopher-Lee/505116977

Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why
Some are born some men die
Beneath one infinite sky

This is our Air Force

2010-02-05T11:14:00.001-06:00

Houston mom accused of fatally starving 8-year-old girl

2010-02-05T08:27:00.000-06:00

This is very sad

A Houston woman is accused of starving her 8-year-old daughter to death a year ago, authorities said.

Almita Nicole Lockhart is accused of neglecting Halle Smith to the point that she weighed just 15 1/2 pounds when she died, said Estella Olguin, spokeswoman for Children's Protective Services. Lockhart is charged with injury to a child.

Halle, who was born severely premature, suffered a stroke and had underlying health issues that required her to be fed through a tube, was unresponsive when Lockhart took her to an emergency room in January 2009. Her mother was charged on Jan. 14 and jailed Tuesday after autopsy results and further investigation led authorities to believe the girl's condition was intentionally inflicted, Olguin said.

Lockhart, 34, held Halle in an empty apartment off Northborough in the Greenspoint area of north Houston, authorties said, and apparently did not feed her properly.

Lockhart, who has a total of 10 children according to CPS, remains in jail today in lieu of a $30,000 bond. Her next court appearance is set for Feb. 24.

The other children, who range in age from 2 to 18, were living elsewhere and taken into state custody, where five remain today. The four oldest have been placed with their natural father.

CPS visited Lockhart in 2006, when Halle weighed about 46 pounds and conditions at the home appeared satisfactory, Olguin said. Lockhart was convicted on a drug charge that year.

At some point after the CPS visit, Olguin said Lockhart stopped making regular medical appointments and receiving in-home care for Halle.

dale.lezon@chron.com

Wednesday Hero

2010-02-03T08:11:00.000-06:00

Airmen from the Kentucky National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Group help to offload wounded Haitian refugees and medics from Puerto Rico National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters at the air hub Jan. 25, 2010, in Barahona, Dominican Republic.

Photo Courtesy U.S Air Force Taken By Tech. Sgt. Dennis Flora

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.

--
Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero - Google It
http://twitter.com/NativePatriot
http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Christhopher-Lee/505116977

Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why
Some are born some men die
Beneath one infinite sky

Trace Adkins and the West Point Cadet Glee Club

2010-01-30T18:30:00.001-06:00

This is outstanding

Wednesday Hero

2010-01-27T11:32:00.000-06:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Pet

Specialist Brandon K. Steffy
23 years old from Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan
178th Military Police Detachment, 89th Military Police Brigade, III Corps
October 29, 2009

He came into to this world a rather large baby, so big the doctor thought that he’d just walk home with his mother. Brandon was well mannered, polite, and tough with a contagious laugh that lit up those around him. In 2005 he graduated from Brimley High School and in 2006 enlisted in the United States Army, following a tradition of family military service.

He served in Iraq as a gunner from May 2007 until July 2008 and was deployed to Afghanistan in June 2009 where he was a canine tracker handler for Forward operating Base Fenty Kennel in the Laghman Province. He and his K-9 dog Maci were inseparable, working on tracking terrorists; Maci specialized in tracking the scents of IED making materials.

Spc. Brandon Steffy was killed when the vehicle he was riding in was attacked. His decorations and awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal-Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

Spc. Steffy is survived by his wife, daughter, parents and his sister.

Brandon made people laugh and he made them cry. There was not one dry eye at his funeral, from every day townsfolk, to big construction workers to police officers; they all recalled Brandon, this "Gentle Giant." They want everyone to know that if you never knew Brandon, then you really missed out.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com & Freedom Remembered

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.

--
Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero - Google It
http://twitter.com/NativePatriot
http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Christhopher-Lee/505116977

Wednesday Hero

2010-01-20T09:32:00.000-06:00

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Toni

Stephen Cochran
2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force

Stephen Cochran had it all in front of him. Collage, a fiancée and an offer for a professional recording contract. But life had other plans for him. The day was September 11, 2001. "It was just so horrific," Cochran said. "It's like I'd been called. I'd never been pulled so hard to do something."

It may have been the audacity of the attacks, but more likely it was his family's long history of military service that drew him to enlist, he said. Both grandfathers served, as did an uncle and several other relatives.

So he dropped out of college, walked away from the record deal and joined the United States Marine Corps. "I've always been raised very, very patriotic. It's just what I had to do."

After serving in Iraq, he and his entire battalion volunteered to go to Afghanistan with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit where Cochran was injured in an ambush. 20 yards inside Kandahar, the vehicle he was riding in hit an anti-tank mine and he was thrown from the vehicle and broke the five vertebrae in his lower back.

Read The Rest Of The Story

stephencochranmusic.com
@stephen_cochran
facebook.com/stephen.cochran1

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.

--
Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero - Google It
http://twitter.com/NativePatriot
http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Christhopher-Lee/505116977

Wednesday Hero

2010-01-13T08:07:00.001-06:00

Culinary Specialist 1st Class Tremayne Brown

Culinary Specialist 1st Class Tremayne Brown, from Tulsa, Okla., receives stores for the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56). John S. McCain is one of seven ships assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 and is permanently forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan.

Photo By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Mike Mulcare Courtesy of Navy.mil

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.

Col. Bob Howard - American Hero

2010-01-09T16:12:00.003-06:00

I saw this over at Airman Mom and wanted to share this story about this real American Hero

Not even war wounds could keep him down

2010-01-09T15:49:00.002-06:00

Another fine Texas Hero:

Spc. David Hutchinson promised himself he would walk his sweetheart down the aisle without a cane or so much as a limp — a vow that to him was almost as sacred as the one he would make at the altar.

So, each step the 22-year-old Humble native took at his recent wedding — after months of hospitalization and three surgeries to remove shrapnel from his right leg — was a personal victory. It was another demonstration of his unwavering resolve which had also made him only the fifth U.S. Army Reservist to earn a Silver Star during nearly nine years of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hutchinson doesn't think he has done anything that extraordinary and is a little embarrassed that he will be the center of attention today, to be publicly honored at the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio.

Hutchinson will be flipping the coin as the highest-decorated of 100 soldiers from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom being recognized at the game.

There was never any question that Hutchinson was going to enter the military.

“Most of the male members on my mother's side had served in the military, and I thought it was a good thing to do,” he said. “Plus I could use some money for college, because I was paying my own way.”

His time was in 2005, just after he finished his first semester at Blinn College in Bryan in 2005.

His orders came shortly after he'd completed two years at Blinn and had begun working a retail sales job to earn money before finishing his political science degree at Texas A&M University.

He was assigned a one-year tour with a security detail in Afghanistan. Before departing, he was given a few days to say his goodbyes to family and friends.

On the last day before he left, he took his future bride, Jenny, to a gazebo in Eagle Springs near Humble and proposed.

“She had not been a happy camper when I enlisted,” but he added that she quickly answered “yes.”

Never heard the bullets
His yearlong tour turned into only seven days.

On his first mission after arriving in Afghanistan, he would earn the Silver Star and a Purple Heart for what the military described as “actions contributing to the safety of 17 soldiers and showing extraordinary courage, loyalty and selfless-service under fire beyond expectation.”

He was one of the most inexperienced soldiers on patrol when his convoy was ambushed on May 21, 2008.

He and 17 others were traveling in four Humvees along a dirt road from their base in Sharna, where he had barely unpacked his gear, to another base, Orgun-e. Some of the more experienced in the security detail were trying to familiarize the newcomers with the terrain.

Hutchinson was the gunner inside the turret of the third vehicle. He was manning the group's most powerful weapon, the MK-19 automatic grenade launcher.

“This was supposed to be a non-hostile area where they hadn't seen any trouble for 13 months,” he said.

But as they drove between two ridges, an empty truck blockaded their path. Seconds later, they were surrounded by as many as 50 insurgents firing at them.

Hutchinson never heard the hundreds of bullets striking the armored vehicle but later counted more than 300 strikes to his turret alone, where his head and arms were exposed. But he did hear the loud whiz and saw the smoke trails of three or four rockets fly past him, one coming within 2 feet of his head.

But he didn't freeze.

“I had what they call the big adrenalin dump,” he said. “Then everything seemed to go in slow motion. Most of the gunfire wasn't registering — except for the rockets. I never focused on the 20 dudes trying to kill me. I just wanted to protect my friends.”

Hutchinson said he realized the most lethal threat was machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades coming from the top of a crest. He fired four rockets that destroyed that nest, but they also attracted the fire of most of the other insurgents.

Two rockets then penetrated the back of his Humvee and peppered his right leg with shrapnel.

“It was like someone hit my ‘off' switch. Everything went black for a few seconds,” he recalled.

When he awoke, he had no feeling or movement from his waist down and was lying in a sergeant's lap.

“The sergeant was covered in blood. I couldn't stand back up in the turret,” he said.

Hutchinson applied pressure dressings to stop the bleeding from shrapnel wounds to the sergeant's face and chest.

At that point, his convoy pushed past the blockade to get the injured medical attention. No one was killed.

Six months in hospital
Hutchinson was flown back to the United States, where he was hospitalized for six months and underwent intensive rehabilitation to learn to walk again.

There's still no feeling in the bottom of his right foot and he has some balance issues. After walking with a cane for a year, he was finally able to stride down the aisle with his bride on his arm this past July.

The couple honeymooned at Disney World, which required a lot of walking.

“I would limp a little if we walked for long periods,” he said. “But I'm starting to be able to jog some.”

His doctors say he will never run again. But he believes it's still a possibility.

Operation Texas Barbecue

2010-01-09T15:41:00.003-06:00

Ya know if you put a Texan in a war they will find a way to BBQ, it's in their blood.

I was exploring Camp Cropper last week when I smelled something I never expected to smell in Baghdad: Texas barbecue.

I followed my nose and found half a dozen soldiers from the Houston-based 72nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team grilling burgers outside their barracks.

"Everybody likes to barbecue here," explained Sgt. Alberto Salazar, 28, of McAllen, who was manning the grill. "We're Texas boys."

This is Salazar's third tour in Iraq, so he knows his way around a forward operating base. He'd managed to rustle up meat patties somewhere and marinated them using a secret recipe he declined to share with this reporter. "Some things are sacred," he said.

As Chronicle photographer Mayra Beltran and I quickly discovered, the high-calorie food served in chow halls in Iraq is much, much better than expected. The dining facility at Camp Cropper, for example, has a Ceasar salad bar and a short-order grill where you can get cheese burgers or hot dogs and a sandwich line where you can make toasted paninis and wraps. At Camp Prosperity, there's a stir-fry grill for Asian-style noodles and rice. At breakfast there's bacon and omelettes, biscuits and oatmeal ... I could go on and on. The dessert bars are obscene: white chocolate chip cookies, carrot cake, a dozen flavors of ice cream, and my personal favorite: chocolate cheesecake. Mayra and I expect to gain about 50 pounds while we're here.

While infinitely better than a steady diet of MRE rations, all these mass-produced meals tend to taste the same week in, week out.

"It's good, but after a while you go numb with it," Salazar said. "Same old, same old."

Barbecue -- especially for Texas troops -- serves as a sort of bonding ritual, a way of making their Iraq tour pass a little more quickly.

Salazar and his buddies brought some barbecue supplies with them, but they're running low. I'm sure they'd be grateful for any (non-perishable) sauces and seasonings readers of this blog might be willing to send their way.

Texas barbecue care packages can be sent to:

Charlie Company
3-141 Infantry
APO AE 09342

I'm sure they'll share.

Dallas-area officer's killer put to death

2010-01-07T21:07:00.002-06:00

HUNTSVILLE — A man convicted of gunning down a Dallas-area police officer during an attempted bank robbery was put to death Thursday evening in the first execution of the year in the nation's busiest death penalty state.

Kenneth Mosley, 51, was condemned for the February 1997 slaying of David Moore, an officer in the Dallas suburb of Garland. His lethal injection was carried out after his legal appeals became exhausted.

The punishment had been stalled twice last year by technical issues and court appeals.

Mosley shook his head once when asked by a warden if he had any final statement. As the lethal drugs began taking effect, he snored a few times, then gasped slightly. Nine minutes later, at 6:16 p.m. CST, he was pronounced dead.

Moore's widow was among the people in the chamber to watch Mosley die. He did not acknowledge her presence.

Earlier this week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied his request for clemency.

Texas put 24 convicted killers to death last year, accounting for nearly half of the 52 executions carried out in the U.S. Another convicted killer was scheduled to be executed in Texas next week.

Moore, 32, was killed while responding to a 911 call about a bank robbery. The 10-year police veteran and father of three was shot four times after he approached Mosley, who was standing in line to get to a teller. A bank employee had called 911 after recognizing Mosley as the man who robbed it more than month earlier.

Mosley resisted Moore's request to speak with him and opened fire with a 9 mm pistol. One of four bullets to hit the officer struck over the top edge of his protective vest, killing him. Mosley was shot in the wrist by an officer outside and was arrested in the parking lot. Authorities found he was carrying a holdup note.

His lawyers argued at his capital murder trial that the shooting was accidental, saying the weapon went off five times as he was trying to surrender. Prosecutors had witnesses from inside the bank and a videotape of the attack to show to jurors.

Mosley declined to speak with reporters as his execution neared.

The Flint, Mich., native who grew up in rural Arkansas had an extensive criminal record he blamed on drug addiction. Evidence showed he had a record for sexually assaulting a woman and arrests for possession of marijuana, illegal knives and for stealing items from a Home Depot and then returning them for cash refunds.

At the time of the shooting, he was wanted for robbery at a fast-food restaurant five days earlier in nearby Mesquite. He had been fired from his last known job at a Coca-Cola bottler for testing positive for cocaine.

Garland Police Chief Mitch Bates, a lieutenant in 1997 who was the patrol supervisor and the officer who took Mosley into custody at the scene, said he had “no doubt that Mosley would have seriously injured or killed some other citizens and or police officers during his continued life of violent crime.”

About two dozen officers from the Garland police force stood outside the Huntsville prison where the execution took place.

Next week, the state is set to execute Gary Johnson, 59, for the shooting deaths of two men, Peter Sparagana, 23, and James Hazelton, 28, who interrupted his burglary of a ranch near Huntsville in 1986.

Wednesday Hero

2010-01-06T14:13:00.000-06:00

center>Cpl. Carlos E. Gil Orozco
23 years old from San Jose, California
2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force
September 10, 2007

Carlos Gil Orozco wasn’t a great student, but one goal pushed him to hit the books: becoming a Marine.

"He was kind of a troublemaker, you know, he got bad grades and wouldn't do his homework," said his sister, Myriam Johanna Gil Orozco. "But he wanted to be a Marine. So he studied real hard, especially algebra. He'd stay up all night studying.

Cpl. Orozco's parents moved the family from Colombia to the U.S. when he was 8 years old, hoping to give their children a better education. They became frustrated when their son didn't do well in school and thought the Marines would be good for him.

"My dad was actually happy," Myriam said. "He'd rather have him be a Marine than out on the streets being in gangs or doing drugs."

Cpl. Carlos Orozco was killed while conducting combat operations in Ashraf, Iraq when the tank he was riding in encountered an IED. Also killed in the blast was Lance Cpl. Jon T. Hicks Jr. of Atco, New Jersey.

Cpl. Orozco leaves behind his sister, his parents, his wife and two sons.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

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.

--
Christopher Lee
Wednesday Hero - Google It
http://twitter.com/NativePatriot
http://rightwingrightminded.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Christhopher-Lee/505116977

Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why
Some are born some men die
Beneath one infinite sky

Americas got talent audition video MicheleAnn Lean on Me Feb 14th audition live in orlando

2010-01-04T15:00:00.001-06:00

My friend MicheleAnn is one strong and brave lady and I take my hat off to her. She will be additioning for America's Got Talent next month and this is her song.

Wednesday Hero

2009-12-30T15:12:00.001-06:00

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.

The Best To All My Friends Out There

2009-12-24T23:11:00.003-06:00

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.

Wednesday Hero

2009-12-23T10:54:00.000-06:00

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.

Blackbird SR-71 Remote Controled

2009-12-17T15:00:00.002-06:00

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.

Wednesday Hero

2009-12-16T16:43:00.002-06:00

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

Wednesday Hero

2009-12-09T08:37:00.000-06:00

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.

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

2009-12-08T08:13:00.000-06:00

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.

A Date Which Will Live in Infamy

2009-12-07T13:09:00.002-06:00

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. . .

Greater Houston area gets a rare taste of snow

2009-12-04T20:50:00.003-06:00

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.

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

2009-12-03T15:25:00.001-06:00

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

Shooting Victim at Ft. Hood

2009-12-02T16:44:00.001-06:00

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!!!

Wednesday Hero

2009-12-02T08:08:00.000-06:00

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.

Wednesday Hero

2009-11-25T14:07:00.000-06:00

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.

The Sack Lunches

2009-11-24T15:05:00.000-06:00

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

Wednesday Hero

2009-11-17T19:29:00.001-06:00

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.

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

2009-11-17T11:17:00.002-06:00

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.

City workers get Vietnam vet new home

2009-11-16T08:17:00.001-06:00

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.

For Our Heros Past, Present and Future.

2009-11-10T16:51:00.002-06:00

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.

Happy Birthday, US Marine Corps

2009-11-10T09:53:00.003-06:00

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.

From a Recon Marine in Afghanistan

2009-11-05T11:05:00.001-06:00

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

Wednesday Hero

2009-11-04T08:17:00.001-06:00

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.

Best Ford Commercial Ever.

2009-10-30T18:45:00.000-05:00

Wednesday Hero

2009-10-28T08:32:00.001-05:00

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.

Drafting Guys over 60 ...

2009-10-26T16:26:00.001-05:00

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!