Archive for the ‘Hero’ Category

69 Years Ago Today…

Posted: 6 Jun 2013 in Hero, History, Military, Military History, US Army, US Navy, Veterans
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…the invasion of Europe began.

D-Day. June 6, 1944.

On that day, thousands of men and equipment stormed ashore at a place called Normandy.
Brothers in arms fought and died on those beaches by the thousands.
Their sacrifice was heavy, their victory was total.

I choke up thinking about the bravery that these men showed in the face of certain death. Many watched as their friends died right in front of them, or right next to them, wondering if they were next, but persevering until the beach was taken.

Some of those men would die in the heavy fighting that continued after the D-Day landings.

Never forget the sacrifices made by this greatest of generations. The survivors of World War II are dying at the rate of 600 a day. If you have the honor of seeing one, let them know you appreciate their service. Honor their sacrifice.

Please visit the Army’s website dedicated to the D-Day invasion. US Army June 6, 1944 D-Day

Of all the divisions that were involved in the D-Day invasion, I had the honor of serving in 5 of those divisions in my Army career. The 1st Infantry Division, the 2nd Infantry Division, the 4th Infantry Division, the 8th Infantry Division, and the 3rd Armored Division.

D-Day vet: “We made a difference”

By:O’Ryan Johnson

One of the Bay State’s dwindling number of D-Day veterans recalls the Normandy Invasion — 69 years ago today — as a day when he and other young men “made a difference.”

“I’m proud of it. I have a lot of personal satisfaction. If it weren’t for the Rangers, they would have lost the beach,” said James Gabaree, an old Ranger who fought and nearly died in the largest armed invasion in history, known as Operation Overlord.

“We made a difference,” said Gabaree, 88, who landed at Omaha Beach with the 5th Ranger Battalion, part of an invasion force of 160,000 American, British and Canadian troops who established a foothold in Nazi-occupied western Europe.

via D-Day vet: “We made a difference” | Boston Herald.

Remembering D-Day: As WWII veteran ranks thin, those who remain recall invasion

CHILLICOTHE — As Americans mark yet another solemn anniversary of the D-Day invasion, those who fought in World War II, including the ones who stormed the beaches of Normandy 69 years ago today, continue to slip away.

World War II veterans are dying at a rate of more than 600 each day, meaning tales of combat in Europe and the Pacific are more likely to come from a book or a website than from the veterans themselves.

Milestones such as the anniversary of D-Day — the airborne and amphibious assault that began June 6, 1944, launching the Allied forces’ invasion of German-occupied western Europe — underscore how many of these veterans are gone, but also illuminates the contributions of those who remain.

As a member of the Scioto Valley and Ross County veterans honor guards, Carl Jividen, 92, has paid tribute to more than his fair share of deceased veterans.

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Article: Memorial Day…

Posted: 24 May 2013 in Coast Guard, Hero, Memorial Day, Military, US Air Force, US Army, US Marines, US Navy, Veterans
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Memorial Day seems to be forgotten for its original intent. Now people think it’s a long weekend signifying the start of summer and a time to break out the BBQs.

Please remember our fallen brothers and sisters this weekend. Fly the flag. Remember that your weekend BBQ came at a great price. Freedom is never free.

Memorial Day

By RU Rob

While Memorial Day in the United States often induces thoughts of the beginning of summer, BBQ’s and a long holiday weekend, it is not celebrated as intended. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being its birthplace but was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Traditional observance of Memorial Day has sadly diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day as well as its importance to many who have lost someone in the service to the country. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected and have fallen into a state of disrepair. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 50′s on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye’s Heights.

via Memorial Day – Rhino Den | Military Stories, MMA News, Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy.

Facts About Medal of Honor Recipient Clinton Romesha…

Posted: 17 Jan 2013 in Hero, History, Meddal of Honor, Military, Military History, US Army, Veterans
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…is well worth your time.

11 Facts About Medal of Honor Recipient Clinton Romesha

BY: Washington Free Beacon Staff
January 17, 2013 3:59 pm

Former Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha (ROE-muh-shay), 31, will receive the Medal of Honor next month for heroic actions during the day-long attack on Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan.

More than 300 Taliban attacked Keating early in the morning of Oct. 3, 2009, from all four sides and from higher ground. Armed with recoilless rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, machine guns, and rifles, the Taliban swarmed the site, occupied by only 53 Americans and two Latvians. A score of Afghans stationed there had abandoned the site. Mortars hit Keating every 15 seconds during the first three hours of the attack. Taliban breached the site and destroyed 70 percent of Keating with a fire.

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RIP General Schwarzkopf…

Posted: 28 Dec 2012 in Hero, Military, US Army, Veterans
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…rest in peace General.

They’ll be standing at attention at Fiddler’s Green as you roll in. Job well done General.
Desert Storm commander Norman Schwarzkopf dies

WASHINGTON (AP) — Truth is, retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf didn’t care much for his popular “Stormin’ Norman” nickname.

The seemingly no-nonsense Desert Storm commander’s reputed temper with aides and subordinates supposedly earned him that rough-and-ready moniker. But others around the general, who died Thursday in Tampa, Fla., at age 78 from complications from pneumonia, knew him as a friendly, talkative and even jovial figure who preferred the somewhat milder sobriquet given by his troops: “The Bear.”

That one perhaps suited him better later in his life, when he supported various national causes and children’s charities while eschewing the spotlight and resisting efforts to draft him to run for political office.

He lived out a quiet retirement in Tampa, where he’d served his last military assignment and where an elementary school bearing his name is testament to his standing in the community.

Schwarzkopf capped an illustrious military career by commanding the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait in 1991 — but he’d managed to keep a low profile in the public debate over the second Gulf War against Iraq, saying at one point that he doubted victory would be as easy as the White House and the Pentagon predicted.

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Daniel Inouye (Medal of Honor) Dead…

Posted: 17 Dec 2012 in Hero, Meddal of Honor, Military, Senate, US Army, Veterans
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…at the age of 88.

H/T Ace of Spades.

Rest in peace sir.

He was a highly decorated WWII veteran. His Senate career started in 1963.

His Medal of Honor citation:

Second Lieutenant Daniel K. Inouye distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 21 April 1945, in the vicinity of San Terenzo, Italy. While attacking a defended ridge guarding an important road junction, Second Lieutenant Inouye skillfully directed his platoon through a hail of automatic weapon and small arms fire, in a swift enveloping movement that resulted in the capture of an artillery and mortar post and brought his men to within 40 yards of the hostile force. Emplaced in bunkers and rock formations, the enemy halted the advance with crossfire from three machine guns. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Second Lieutenant Inouye crawled up the treacherous slope to within five yards of the nearest machine gun and hurled two grenades, destroying the emplacement. Before the enemy could retaliate, he stood up and neutralized a second machine gun nest. Although wounded by a sniper’s bullet, he continued to engage other hostile positions at close range until an exploding grenade shattered his right arm. Despite the intense pain, he refused evacuation and continued to direct his platoon until enemy resistance was broken and his men were again deployed in defensive positions. In the attack, 25 enemy soldiers were killed and eight others captured. By his gallant, aggressive tactics and by his indomitable leadership, Second Lieutenant Inouye enabled his platoon to advance through formidable resistance, and was instrumental in the capture of the ridge. Second Lieutenant Inouye’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.

He loved America.

In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial…

Posted: 13 Nov 2012 in Coast Guard, Hero, Military, US Air Force, US Army, US Marines, US Navy, Veterans
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…designed by Maya Lin, was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington.

“If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go.

Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own.

And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind.

Major Michael Davis O’Donnell
1 January 1970
Dak To, Vietnam
Listed as KIA February 7, 1978

The Memorial

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands as a symbol of America’s honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War. Inscribed on the black granite walls are the names of more than 58,000 men and women who gave their lives or remain missing. Yet the Memorial itself is dedicated to honor the “courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty and country” of all who answered the call to serve during the longest war in U.S. history.

The Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Fund, Inc. is the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 1980 to fund and build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Incorporated on April 27, 1979 by a group of veterans led by Jan C. Scruggs, who was wounded and decorated for service in Vietnam, the organization sought a tangible symbol of recognition from the American people for those who served in the war.

By separating the issue of individuals serving in the military during the Vietnam era and U.S. policy carried out there, VVMF hoped to begin a process of national reconciliation. Two members of the U.S. Senate, Charles Mathias (R-Md.) and John Warner (R-Va.), took the lead in Congress to enact legislation providing three acres in the northwest corner of the National Mall as a site for the Memorial.  It was dedicated on Nov. 13, 1982.

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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier…

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 in Hero, Military, US Army, Veterans
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…still guarded through hurricane Sandy.
Members of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard, maintain their vigilance through all weather, even hurricanes.
Pride swells for such devotion.
Hooah!

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Remains Guarded Through Hurricane Sandy
Katie Pavlich

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery will remain guarded through Hurricane Sandy. Photos of a soldier diligently performing his duties were posted on the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Facebook page.

(Spc. Brett Hyde, Tomb Sentinel, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), maintains his vigil during Hurricane Sandy while guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Oct., 29, 2012. In 1948 the Old Guard assumed the post following the unit’s reactivation in the nation’s capital. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr.))

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9-11 Remembered…

Posted: 11 Sep 2012 in Hero, Islam, Memorial Day, Muslims, Terrorism
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…eleven years later.


I was driving to Fort Irwin that morning when I heard on the radio as I was pulling into the parking lot that the first plane had hit the WTC. It was just a few minutes before 6:00. I walked into the Training Analysis Facility and every TV in the building was tuned to FOX news watching the first WTC building burning. As we watched, like the rest of America that was glued to the TV, we saw the second plane hit the other tower and everyone in the room knew it was a terrorist attack.

Within just minutes of the second plane hitting the tower Fort Irwin was locked down and all air traffic was grounded.
The thought of those thousands of people trapped in those buildings was terrible, but little did we know it was about to get worse.
When the WTC towers fell the silence in the room was almost deafening. Then the anger and the remorse for those lost souls really hit the place pretty hard.
For the thousands that died that day I feel sad for their shortened lives and the lives that were impacted directly by their loss.

May they all rest in peace, and may their loved ones feel the peace of God in their lives.

Never forget.

World War II…

Posted: 2 Sep 2012 in Coast Guard, Hero, History, Military, Military History, US Air Force, US Army, US Marines, US Navy, Veterans
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…ended today in 1945.
A great victory by a great generation.
How soon we forget.

Thank you to all the World War II Veterans.

Many men and women lost their lives to preserve our freedom.

On this day in 1945, the USS Missouri hosts the formal surrender of the Japanese government to the Allies. Victory over Japan was celebrated back in the States.

As Japanese troops finally surrendered to Americans on the Caroline, Mariana, and Palau islands, representatives of their emperor and prime minister were preparing to formalize their capitulation. In Tokyo Bay, aboard the Navy battleship USS Missouri, the Japanese foreign minister, Mamoru Shigemitsu, and the chief of staff of the Japanese army, Yoshijiro Umezu, signed the “instrument of surrender.” Representing the Allied victors was Gen. Douglas MacArthur, commander of the U.S. Army forces in the Pacific, and Adm. Chester Nimitz, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, now promoted to the newest and highest Navy rank, fleet admiral. Among others in attendance was Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright, who had taken command of the forces in the Philippines upon MacArthur’s departure and had been recently freed from a Japanese POW camp in Manchuria.

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A color video of the celebrations in Hawaii:

Kiwis Send Off…

Posted: 28 Aug 2012 in Hero, Military
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…three of their own.
Their ceremony for sending off their war dead is quite fitting.
You can feel the emotion in the ritual.

This was also the first ceremony with a female soldier from New Zealand that was KIA.

Maori Farewell for Three Kiwi Troops

On 19 August an IED strike took the lives of three New Zealand troops in Afghanistan.  Lost were Corporal Luke Tamatea, 31, Private Richard Harris, 21, and Lance Corporal Jacinda Baker, 26, medic.

Jacinda was the first New Zealand female killed in Afghanistan.  The strike occurred in Bamiyan Province which has become increasingly dangerous.  Two Kiwi troops were killed there earlier this month.  In the past, Bamiyan has been touted as a vacation spot during the war, with regular flights into the region.

The New Zealand Defence Force released the following video of hundreds of troops performing a Maori funeral Haka at the Burnham Military Camp near Christchurch:

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