Perspective for Superbowl Sunday

On this day when a sport takes front and center attention of the American people, take a moment to think of Chris Kyle, a true American hero.  Chris Kyle was a SEAL team 6 member that routinely dropped targets over a mile away and scored over 150 sniper kills during his military career.  He was wounded twice during his 4 deployments.  Insurgents in Ramadi Iraq named the man, "the devil" because of his effectiveness and put a price on his head.  This is a man that decked Jessie Ventura for besmirching the memory of a fallen fellow SEAL.  Chris was killed at a shooting range in Texas.  Like every true hero Chris didn't think he'd served his country enough.  He was at an event that was a fund raiser for a Marine suffering from PTSD.  The story is still evolving, but Chris and another man were shot in the back on the range by that marine.  So while you're cheering for you favorite team today, take a moment to remember that those guys on that football field aren't really heroes.  They are fun to watch, sure, but true heroes are paid far less and face far greater dangers than hard tackles.

Rest in peace Chris.

A Tribute

Watching the ongoing misadventures of the current Commander in Chief has me REALLY missing the only true one in my entire lifetime. Pardon me for getting all sentimental but damned Fox News just ran his address honoring the Rangers on Pointe Du Hoc on the 40th anniversary of D-Day and I got all mushy.

That was a man that was able to give a good speech (even without a teleprompter!). For those who want to know... I was on a patrol along the East German border on the day that particular speech was given. I remember clearly sitting on a castle wall on a hill top that was a frequent patrol stopping point because it overlooked a long stretch the border around Mödlareuth, eating a mess hall bologna sandwich and reflecting on the fact that it was D-Day. The thin line of history that led from those bloody beaches directly to my patrol along that barbed wire festooned border did not escape me even back then in my youth.

Unfortunately, our current Commander in Chief has more in common with the former leader of that, now failed country than he does with Ronald Reagan.

A Little Family History For Memorial Day

Some of you may know that I am related General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (he's my great great...). Some time ago a movie named Gettysburg focused on his actions at the battle of Gettysburg on top of Little Round Top, an action for which he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Here is the section of that film surrounding that part of the battle:

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

It is this kind of selflessness that is recognized on this weekend. Take a moment and reflect on the sacrifices that have been offered up at the altar of freedom. What have you done to deserve those sacrifices?

There are so many these days who are fixated on the things that they feel they are entitled to. In truth, you are entitled to nothing. This nation owes you nothing. YOU owe this nation. You owe it your vigilance. You owe it your toil and if need be your blood. We have been so lucky for so long that we easily forget that. We become concerned with questions like "How should I pay for health care?" and some leap to the conclusion that it would be easiest if such things were just handed to them. Of course it would be easy if that would happen, but such thinking isn't very realistic now is it? The answer to such a dilemma is rarely as gratifying as getting something for nothing. The answer is that we ourselves must be prepared for such eventualities. We must save and put aside a bit for rainy days.

The problem is that we are now pursuing such unrealistic ideas at break neck speed. The ideals that our fore-bearers fought and died to preserve are being discarded like so much worthless chaff all in a pursuit to attain the unattainable, something for nothing.

Look at the action portrayed in those four videos. You see men dying left and right. Ask yourself why are they standing there and putting themselves in such a lethal situation. Do you think that they are doing it to get free health care? Or, are they doing in to preserve the nation and freedom?

Now ask yourself the greatest question. Would you give up your life to preserve freedom for your friends and family? If not, then why? The only reasons I can picture are either selfishness or cowardice. Which applies to you?

Our Finest at Work

I don't normally quote articles in their entirety, but this one is on Yahoo News and they tend to go away after awhile and the contents of this article speaks to the sterling character of our men and women in the armed services and I think therefore needs to be retained. These are the very finest America has to offer. The title of the article is "Silver Star record for unit in Afghan cliff clash". The By line reads "By KEVIN MAURER, Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 12, 2:21 pm ET"

Here is the article any emphasis added is my own.

Capt. Kyle Walton remembers pressing himself into the jagged stones that covered the cliff in northeast Afghanistan.

Machine gun rounds and sniper fire ricocheted off the rocks. Two rounds slammed into his helmet, smashing his head into the ground. Nearby, three of his U.S. Army Special Forces comrades were gravely wounded. One grenade or a well-aimed bullet, Walton thought, could etch April 6, 2008 on his gravestone.

Walton and his team from the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group had been sent to kill or capture terrorists from a rugged valley that had never been penetrated by U.S. forces — or, they had been told, the Soviets before them.

He peered over the side of the cliff to the dry river bed 60 feet below and considered his options. Could he roll the wounded men off and then jump to safety? Would they survive the fall?

By the end of the six-hour battle deep within the Shok Valley, Walton would bear witness to heroics that on Friday would earn his team 10 Silver Stars, the most for a single battle in Afghanistan.

Walton, a Special Forces team leader, and his men described the battle in an interview with The Associated Press last week. Most seem unimpressed they've earned the Army's third-highest award for combat valor.

"This is the story about Americans fighting side-by-side with their Afghan counterparts refusing to quit," said Walton, of Carmel, Ind. "What awards come in the aftermath are not important to me."

The mission that sent three Special Forces teams and a company from the 201st Afghan Commando Battalion to the Shok Valley seemed imperiled from the outset.

Six massive CH-47 Chinook helicopters had deposited the men earlier that morning, banking through thick clouds as they entered the valley. The approaching U.S. soldiers watched enemy fighters racing to positions dug into the canyon walls and to sniper holes carved into stone houses perched at the top of the cliff.

Considered a sanctuary of the Hezeb Islami al Gulbadin terrorist group, the valley is far from any major American base.

It was impossible for the helicopters to land on the jagged rocks at the bottom of the valley. The Special Forces soldiers and commandos, each carrying more than 60 pounds of gear, dropped from 10 feet above the ground, landing among boulders or in a near-frozen stream.

With several Afghan commandos, Staff Sgt. John Walding and Staff Sgt. David Sanders led the way on a narrow path that zig-zagged up the cliff face to a nearby village where the terrorists were hiding.

Walton followed with two other soldiers and a 23-year-old Afghan interpreter who went by the name C.K., an orphan who dreamed of going to the United States.

Walding and Sanders were on the outskirts of the village when Staff Sgt. Luis Morales saw a group of armed men run along a nearby ridge. He fired. The surrounding mountains and buildings erupted in an ambush: The soldiers estimate that more than 200 fighters opened up with rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and AK-47s.

C.K. crumbled to the ground.

Walton and Spc. Michael Carter dove into a small cave. Staff Sgt. Dillon Behr couldn't fit so the Rock Island, Ill., native dropped to one knee and started firing. An F-15 made a strafing run to push back the fighters, but it wasn't enough.

Sanders radioed for close air support — an order that Walton had to verify because the enemy was so near that the same bombs could kill the Americans.

The nearest house exploded; the firing didn't stop.

"Hit it again," Sanders said.

For the rest of the battle, F-15 fighters and Apache helicopters attacked.

Behr was hit next — a sniper's round passing through his leg. Morales knelt on Behr's hip to stop the bleeding and kept firing until he, too, was hit in the leg and ankle.

Walton and Carter, a combat cameraman from Smithville, Texas, dragged the two wounded men to the cave. Gunfire had destroyed Carter's camera so Walton put him to work treating Morales who, in turn, kept treating Behr.

Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer, a medic from Pullman, Wash., fought his way up the cliff to help.

"Heard some guys got hit up here," he said as he reached the cave, pulling bandages and gear from his aid bag.

Walton told Walding and Sanders to abandon the assault and meet on the cliff. The Americans and Afghan commandos pulled back as the Air Force continued to pound the village.

Walding made it to the cliff when a bullet shattered his leg. He watched his foot and lower leg flop on the ground as Walton dragged him to the cliff edge. With every heartbeat, a stream of blood shot out of Walding's wound. Rolling on his back, the Groesbeck, Texas, native, asked for a tourniquet and cranked down until the bleeding stopped.

The soldiers were trapped against the cliff. Walton was sure his men would be overrun. The narrow path was too exposed. He sent Sanders to find another way down. Sometimes free-climbing the rock face, the Huntsville, Ala., native found a steep path and made his way back up. Could the wounded make it out alive? Walton asked.

"Yes, they'll survive," Sanders said.

Down below, Staff Sgt. Seth E. Howard took his sniper rifle and started climbing with Staff Sgt. Matthew Williams.

At the top, Howard used C.K.'s lifeless body for cover and started to shoot. He fired repeatedly, killing as many as 20 of their attackers, his comrades say. The enemy gunfire slowed. The Air Force bombing continued, providing cover.

Morales was first down the cliff, clutching branches and rocks as he slid. Sanders, Carter and Williams went up to get Behr, then back up to rescue Walding. As Walton climbed down, a 2,000-pound bomb hit a nearby house. Another strike nearly blew Howard off the cliff.

Helicopters swooped in to pick up the 15 wounded American and Afghan soldiers, as well as the rest of the teams. Bullets pinged off the helicopters. One hit a pilot.

All the Americans survived.

Months later, Walding wants back on the team even though he lost a leg. Morales walks with a cane.

The raid, the soldiers say, proved there will be no safe haven in Afghanistan for terrorists. As for the medals, the soldiers see them as emblems of teamwork and brotherhood. Not valor.

"When you go to help your buddy, you're not thinking, 'I am going to get a Silver Star for this,'" Walding said. "If you were there, there would not be a second guess on why."

I must admit that I choked up some when I read the last part of that article.

Wrapping up a few loose ends

There have been a number of articles that have caught my attention of the past several days that I've been intending to blog about. Well you know how life ends up keeping you from doing everything you intend... So I've resolved to deal with all of them here and clear them from my plate.

First there's this article. German scientists employing a sophisticated computer model have shown that the temperature at the bottom of cracks in the ice on the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus would be at a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. This explains the image above where plumes of liquid water are seen sublimating into space in the back-lit image of Enceladus. It also goes a long way to proving that liquid water does indeed exist on the tiny world's surface. Scientists believe that the existence of liquid water is a necessary precursor for the development of life. At any rate, the article was pretty interesting....


Second there's this article. On January 14th NASA's MESSENGER probe shot past Mercury, collecting data as it flew by. It imaged a previously spotted surface feature, "The Spider" in greater detail than it's ever been seen, raising some new questions about the feature's formation. Mercury is one of the least known planets of our solar system. the MESSENGER space craft will make the next of several scheduled visits the relatively unknown planet next in October.



Finally, there's this article. The image above is a newly discovered, never before published image of Ernie Pyle's body. Ernie Pyle was the most celebrated war correspondent of the second world war. This man placed his life on the line in order to create news stories that did justice to the life and death struggles of the rank and file grunt. Ernie Pyle died in that pursuit on the morning of April 18th 1945 when a round from a Japanese machinegun pierced his right temple killing him instantly.

Compare the gallant actions of this man, a noble reporter that valued telling the story more than his own personal safety with the "correspondents" cowering in Green Zone hotels in Baghdad pumping out nothing but doom and gloom, if it bleeds it leads enemy propaganda.

Ernie Pyle was a man whose noble pursuit of his ideals superseded his own personal safety. I can assure you that this man did not have a death wish, but he did value the integrity of pure journalism. Our news persons today could learn a few things from this man's life and death.

GI Joe

Hollywood is at it again... It would appear that GI Joe is no longer a hard charging American fighting man. GI Joe is now nothing more than a PC acronym... "Globally Integrated, Joint Operating Entity" that's based in Brussels Belgium. Beyond that, it would appear that GI Joe's enemies are no longer the enemies of the USA... The new nemesis is a Scottish gun runner.

Hat tip goes to the Sniper Blog for this one...

Look some things should just not be fucked with. That scared face on the original GI Joe "action figure" was modeled after a real Marine and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, the late Platoon Sergeant (later Colonel) Mitch Paige. He received the MOH for his incredible actions on the island of Guadalcanal in WWII. The word "heroic" simply does not do justice to what this man did. Here, read the MOH citation and this man's own explanation of his actions and see for yourself.

As a child I wasn't chasing Scottish gun runners as I played at emulating my heroes, dashing through the brackens and mountain laurel... I was after the Japs or the Krauts. I wasn't carrying that pretend gun to serve some effete international co-ed police force based in Belgium... I was pretending to serve my nation. I was pretending to be GI Joe... Mitch Paige.

They say that children learn through play. What are your children learning? Who are they emulating, someone on par with the selflessness of Col. Mitch Paige or someone less deserving of emulation like a musician, movie or sports star... someone motivated to perform in order to serve nothing more than their own avarice? I never held those people in very high esteem at all. Perhaps that's why the very moment I reached the age of majority (OK actually before the age of majority, I was 17 after all) I dashed off and served my nation.

People are motivated to greatness only by powerful ideals. Why is it do you think that a UN force has never been cited for heroism? Where's the tales of any blue hat single handedly holding off a human wave attack? There aren't any. In fact more often than not, your blue hats are known for cowardly, criminal or shameful acts. Their legacy is found in places like Cambodia, Srebenica, Haiti, Sudan or Rwanda.

I'll tell you why that is that way. Your anti-American, global atheistic brain-fart quite simply is not inspiring. If you want to inspire a person to greatness you need to present them with a powerful motivation like hate, love, greed, god or country (or some combination there-of)... As long as you fail to understand that you will be defenseless against someone who is inspired by hate, love, greed, god or country. You will stand there in the midst of your herd, blithely chewing cud while the others are culled until finally it is on your hide that the wolf's fangs find purchase.

Here's a little piece of G-Man's sage wisdom for your cogitation:

"Pacifism is nothing more than indolence or cowardice disguised behind an insubstantial veil of feigned nobility."

D-Day

63 years ago today America threw her heart against the stark walls of oppression with reckless abandon to free those who could not free themselves. She grieved over her loss but still rejoiced with those her sacrifice had set free.

Congradulations Colonel Crandall

Somewhat long overdue President Bush just awarded LTC Bruce "Snakeshit" Crandall the Congressional Medal of Honor. Who's Bruce Crandall you ask. Well if you watched the movie We Were Soldiers that detailed the 7th Cavalry's battle with the North Vietnamese Army in the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam. It was the first major encouter between the US and the NVA. Here is the citation from the actual award:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Major Bruce P. Crandall distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism as a Flight Commander in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). On 14 November 1965, his flight of sixteen helicopters was lifting troops for a search and destroy mission from Plei Me, Vietnam, to Landing Zone X-Ray in the la Drang Valley. On the fourth troop lift, the airlift began to take enemy fire, and by the time the aircraft had refueled and returned for the next troop lift, the enemy had Landing Zone X-Ray targeted. As Major Crandall and the first eight helicopters landed to discharge troops on his fifth troop lift, his unarmed helicopter came under such intense enemy fire that the ground commander ordered the second flight of eight aircraft to abort their mission. As Major Crandall flew back to Plei Me, his base of operations, he determined that the ground commander of the besieged infantry batallion desperately needed more ammunition. Major Crandall then decided to adjust his base of operations to Artillery Firebase Falcon in order to shorten the flight distance to deliver ammunition and evacuate wounded soldiers. While medical evacuation was not his mission, he immediately sought volunteers and with complete disregard for his own personal safety, led the two aircraft to Landing Zone X-Ray. Despite the fact that the landing zone was still under relentless enemy fire, Major Crandall landed and proceeded to supervise the loading of seriously wounded soldiers aboard his aircraft. Major Crandall's voluntary decision to land under the most extreme fire instilled in the other pilots the will and spirit to continue to land their own aircraft, and in the ground forces the realization that they would be resupplied and that friendly wounded would be promptly evacuated. This greatly enhanced morale and the will to fight at a critical time. After his first medical evacuation, Major Crandall continued to fly into and out of the landing zone throughout the day and into the evening. That day he completed a total of 22 flights, most under intense enemy fire, retiring from the battlefield only after all possible service had been rendered to the Infantry battalion. His actions provided critical resupply of ammunition and evacuation of the wounded. Major Crandall's daring acts of bravery and courage in the face of an overwhelming and determined enemy are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

This man's bravery is not his only defining characteristic. When the issue of the medal of honor was first raised, he insisted that he be removed from consideration until his wing-man, Major Ed Freedman was awarded the medal.

If you click the title link you will find an interesting description of the action in the Ia Drang for which Crandall received this award.

If you do not know, there is no higher military award than the medal of honor.

Another Thing I'm Sick of...

Ok, I've about had it with the bleeding hearts whining about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Let's get one thing absolutely clear. Japan picked the fight. We didn't go out and pick the fight with them, they bombed Pearl Harbor. That was pretty much an invitation that amounted to a "bring it on".

Let's put the shoe on the other foot. If the Japanese had beat us to the punch and invented the bomb before we did, do you think that Tojo and the Japanese military would have hesitated for one second to use it? Mushroom clouds would have sprouted from every American city they could reach.

I do feel bad for the people who were killed, but in fact, Japan was preparing for the invasion of the mainland. At that point they were teaching children to attack GI's with sharpened bamboo spears and hence they were combattants. Further, bombing those cities saved countless lives both American and Japanese. The mortality rates during an invasion of the Japanese mainland would have been staggering. One needs only protract the battle for Okinawa to see just how costly an invasion on the Japanese homeland would have been.

In closing, if you pick a fight, you'd better be willing to get your ass kicked as that is always a possibility. If you do wind up getting you ass kicked, don't whine about it. For those on our own shores who have a penchant for second guessing history and blaming America for all of the world's ills... Fuck off you traitorous scum. You should be tried for treason and hung.

MSM Harms the War Effort

It's no secret that I and many others believe that the way the mainstream media portrays the war in Iraq is harming the war effort and endangering the troops who are fighting there. In the above linked article, General Steven Blum explains that the skewed coverage the media is presenting is harming the recruiting efforts for the National Guard. The way things are portrayed, one would think that the mortality rate for Guardsmen serving in Iraq is inordinately high. According to the figures General Blum quotes, 250,000 guard troops have been mobilized for service in Irag and of that number there have been only 262 casualties. That's a casualty rate of one tenth of one percent! For a small comparison let's protract a single battle out of another war and contrast that casualty rate to this one. On Iwo Jima in the Secord World War, 2,400 men of the the 28th Regiment, 5th Marine Division were involved in the 25 days of fighting. When all was said and done, only 600 were left standing. That's a whopping 75% casualty rate!

Further the MSM likes to portray the war as a whole as particularly deadly. Thus far our forces have lost a total of 1,757 over the entire duration of the war. Let's compare that to a few other wars we've fought:

War	Total Casualties
World War I	116,516
World War II	405,399
Korea	36,940
Vietnam	58,000

Clearly the 1,757 casualties we've suffered this far pale in comparison to these numbers. On June 6th 1945 alone at the battle of Normandy we lost 2,500!

I don't want anyone to think that I hold the lives of any of our miltary cheap. I rue the loss of every single one! I am simply attempting to place the current numbers in their proper context.

What if there were another Kaiser or Hitler? Would our nation have the fortitude to fight the wars it has in the past? I doubt it. There are far too many pacifist liberal whimps these days that haven't the balls to do what's required to win the war. The first time we suffered any appreciable casualty count, the liberals would be in standing on their soap boxes screaming "why is it our responsibility to save the Jews from extermination!" The mainstream media would be highlighting the casualty rates and playing the mouthpiece to the liberal pacifists. Simply put if Pearl Harbor happened today, the liberals ould most likely prefer to turn the other cheek. Interestingly enough as I've already mentioned before... We lost more people of 9/11 than we lost at Pearl Harbor!

So let's wrap this up. Although the initial impetus that led the US into the war was LARGER than Pearl Harbor, our forces are suffering unprecedentedly LOW casualty rates in the prosecution of the war. In fact (hearkening back to my post titled "Iraq IS the war on terror") if we calculate the numbers out on a murders per 100,000 rate a National Guardsman is less than twice as likely to be murdered in Iraq as he or she is walking the streets of New Orleans Louisiana! Therefore the way the media is portraying the war is wrong. This impedes recruiting efforts which damages our ability to prosecute the war and endagers those who are fighting it!

4th of July Post, 2005

229 years ago the second continental congress met in Philadelphia and finalized the Declaration of independence. That day the patriots of this nation proudly rose and declared in one strong unanimous voice to their oppressor that they would no longer abide the yoke of tyranny. That day this nation was born.

Brave men took up their rifles, leaving home, hearth and loved ones and marched into harm's way to secure the blessing of freedom for themselves and their progeny. Their blood was the birth price of this nation.

Three and a half decades later, the English returned, hoping to reinstate their king's dominion over the new born nation and again patriots took up arms and offered up their lives as a down payment for the freedom of their children. This war cemented the freedom that was won in the Revolutionary war.

in April of 1861, there came another war with the shots fired on Fort Sumpter. Again American patriots rose to the challenge and made the blood sacrifice. This time, their blood purchased the freedom of those enslaved in this nation.

Beginning on April 6th, 1917 American patriots again took up their arms. They sailed across the ocean to fight and die on foreign soil. They didn't come as conquerors. They didn't come to look for riches or expand an empire. They came to satisfy freedom's thirst for blood and to purchase freedom for the Europeans.

Not thirty years later, the Europeans however again needed aid to protect their freedom and again America's fathers sons and brothers responded to that call and willingly laid their lives upon freedom's altar.

To simplify what I'm saying, first we freed ourselves. Then we freed those held in servitude in our own nation and next we secured freedom for Europe. Our nation now is embarked on a battle to secure freedom for the people of the Middle East.

Now you might ask yourself, "Why is it our business to run around thinking we have to free everyone". The answer is quite simple. It all goes back to the document that started it all. It says:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

So we are charged by the very document that declared our own freedom to secure freedom for all mankind!

In 1941, the fourth of July was made a national holiday and we have celebrated it ever since. As things however normally go, we seem to easily loose sight of the true reason why we are celebrating. The fourth of July is intended to be a celebration of the gift of freedom. Now I'm sure some of my readers are going to think that I'm stating the obvious with those words, but perhaps I place a deeper meaning in them. Allow me to share if you will some of the things that make me revere freedom with such vehemence.

On the 16th of April, 1945 a man named Richard Bush and the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 6th Marine Division was attempting to wrestle Mount Yaetake on the island of Okinawa from the Japanese defending it. Richard Bush lead his men up the face of that steep hill under intense artillery fire. He was the first into the Japanese defenses. The attack he lead evicted the Japanese from their trenches, but unfortunately Corporal Bush was wounded. He was evacuated to a small group of rocks that was serving as an aid station. While prostrate and under medical treatment, he witnessed an enemy grenade landing in the aid station. Without regard to his personal safety, Corporal Bush used his body to absorb the grenade's blast. Saving the lives of everyone else in the aid station.

On the 3rd of October, 1993 SFC Randall Shugart and MSgt Gary Gordon were involved in a fire fight in Mogadishu Somalia. They were flying in a helicopter acting as snipers when another helicopter was struck by an RPG and crashed into the city's hostile streets. They knew that there was little chance that any survivors on that blackhawk would survive long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Disregarding personal safety, they requested not once, but three times, that they be inserted at the crash site, knowing full well that it was likely to be a suicide mission as rescue and reinforcement would be hours in coming. When they arrived they found that all but Warrant Officer Michael Duran had perished in the crash. They pulled Duran from his stricken helicopter and fought valiantly to protect him in the face of impossible odds and overwhelming numbers. Neither survived but Michael Duran did, largely due to their efforts.

On the 4th of April, 2003 SFC Paul Smith together with his unit B Company of the 11th Engineer Battalion were located at Baghdad Airport in Iraq. He was engaged in building a holding facility for enemy prisoners of war when the location was assaulted by overwhelming numbers of members of the elite Republican Guard. The enemy assault threatened not only his unit but also an aid station located in the vicinity. When the track commander of an M113 armored personnel carrier was wounded in a mortar blast, SFC Smith mounted the vehicle's turret to man the M2 machinegun. There he exposed himself to withering enemy fire in the vehicle's turret, expending the macinegun's ammunition supply, and reloading under fire. He continued firing, until mortally wounded by a round in his neck. His actions repelled the enemy attack and saved many lives.

These are the tales of but four men. There are thousands more that tell similar tales of extraordinary heroism. These are the sort of price that freedom demands and that is why I revere freedom as much as I do, because I know the very high price at which it is purchased.

So this year, while you're sitting around attempting to digest that huge BBQ'ed feast and enjoying the fireworks display try to remember what this holiday is all about. Raise your beer in a toast to freedom. Take a moment to reflect on the men and women in harm's way right now trying to extend the gift of freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. If it weren't for these selfless individuals you would not have the freedom that you now enjoy. Then pause a moment and realize how truly precious and priceless freedom really is. It can't be bought with money or talk. It can only be purchased with blood; the willingness of the very best amoung us to lay their lives on the line and if necessary to sacrifice themselves in its attainment. Lastly, take a moment to consider what you are doing with your freedom. Are your actions worthy of the heavy price that's been paid? How noble and selfless are your actions?

I guess I've said my piece, have a happy and safe fourth of July!

Excuse me, you got your ass kicked!

Ok if you check out the above linked article it revolves around a reenactment to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the English victory at the battle of Trafalgar. The organizers of the reenactment in all of their politically-correct grandeur, seemed to think that reenacting the fact that the French and Spanish got their collective asses spanked was a bad idea. This does a disservice to the brave men who lost their lives in that battle! I'm sick of it. It wasn't a case of the red team versus the blue team... It was a case of the British sailing forth and in a moment of military genius and martial prowess, handing the French and Spanish the asses in a basket. If the fucking French are so sensitive about being reminded that they were beaten then perhaps they ought to try the alternative for a change. History is history. Changing it so that you do not offend some overly sensitive putz only dooms you to repeat it!

Grow up people! You seriously are sounding like a bunch of spoiled little brats, who when bested demand "do overs".

It is this same mentality that steals the joy of achievement from our young by creating farces of competitions "where there are no losers". Perhaps these lunatics live on a different planet, but where I live it's kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. Raising our children to believe otherwise is a disservice and only stands to cause them disillusionment when they are faced by the grim reality of life.

These are the same idiots that are insisting that the 9-11 memorial should memorialize American self-hatred rather than standing as mute testiment to the thousands of lives lost on that terrible day.

A Treasure Trove

If you are interested in the Civil War, the Library of Congress is releasing thousands of Civil War era maps and diagrams and having them placed on the internet!

Scott Speicher May Finally be Homeward Bound

US forces appear to have located the remains of Lt Commander Michael Scott "Spike" Speicher in Iraq. This is the only one of our troops not returned at the conclusion of the first Gulf War. I render an old Vet's most solemn salute to this hero of our nation.

LZ X-Ray

I just finished re-watching "We Were Soldiers". That movie seriously rips at my heart, what with me being an old Cavalry Trooper and all. If you do not have that movie in your collection, it is a very definite must have! The book co-authored by General Moore and Joe Galloway should also be on every serious reader's bookshelf.

At any rate, I decided that I would do a little research on the internet to see what I could find. What I found amazed me, so I thought I would share it with you, my readers.

Gen. Hal Moore is a soldier's soldier. He is a man of undeniable character and bravery. I found some video footage of him speaking to reporters following the battle at Ia Drang Valley. The quality of this man's leadership could not be more clearly illustrated than to mention that he was deemed an "Honorary Rifle Platoon Sergeant" by the non-commissioned officers of the 3^rd Brigade, 1^st Battalion, 7^th United States Cavalry. Here is a rather lengthy biography. The part of LTC Moore is played in the film by none other than Mel Gibson.

Julie Moore was an amazing woman. In the movie, you see her taking on the responsibility of handing out the death notification telegrams that the DOD has delivered by taxi-cab. Julie has unfortunately recently passed away. Here is the eulogy delivered by her son. Allow me to present a telling excerpt from that eulogy, an excerpt that shows the very special kind of woman Mrs. Moore was. It is a quote from a letter addressed to her:

You have taught me how I want to live my life. How I want to affect people. How I want to support them. How I want to be in love with my husband. How I want to spread a love for life. I strive to be strong like you. To smile with as much love as you do. To make people feel welcome like you do. To reach out and offer a bit of sunshine to everyone in my path like you do.

In the movie, Julie Moore is played by Madeline Stowe.

Joe Galloway is a fine reporter. He is highly respected by the military and his readers. When asked about Galloway, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf is quoted as saying "The finest combat correspondent of our generation a soldier's reporter and a soldier's friend." That's all it takes for me! Here is an article Joe Galloway wrote about his time working in Vietnam. On May 1st 1998, Joe Galloway was decorated with a Bronze Star with a "V" for valor for his actions during the battle at Ia Drang. He is the only civilian to receive this honor in the entirety of the the Vietnam conflict. Joe is currently the Washington Bureau chief for KnightRidder news. In the movie the part of Joe Galloway is played by Barry Pepper.

I've also learned that one of Moore's men at Ia Drang, Rick Rescorla is a hero of the 9-11 tragedy.

Here's a page containing an interesting piece by Jack P. Smith, who was a PFC at Ia Drang. Unfortunately Jack lost his life in the battle to Agent Orange induced cancer in April of 2004.

Here is a web site dedicated to the battle and here is a virtual memorial to the men who died there. Here is the official movie site and this is is yet another interesting site.

I read all of this and am humbled. These are some of the great men and women of our times. They went half a world away and willingly put their lives on the altar of freedom. This is reflected best by a quote from Galloway and Moore:

We went to war because our country asked us to go, because our new President, Lyndon B. Johnson, ordered us to go, but more importantly because we saw it as our duty to go. That is one kind of love.

Another and far more transcendent love came to us unbidden on the battlefields, as it does on every battlefield in every war man has ever fought. We discovered in that depressing, hellish place, where death was our constant companion, that we loved each other. We killed for each other, we died for each other, and we wept for each other. And in time we came to love each other as brothers. In battle our world shrank to the man on our left and the man on our right and the enemy all around. We held each other's lives in our hands and we learned to share our fears, our hopes, our dreams as readily as we shared what little else good came our way.

These ladies and gentlemen are the sort of people we should strive to emulate! These are true American patriots and I feel humbled to live in a nation with their likes.

Gary Owen!