Posts Tagged ‘US Marines’

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.

Happy Birthday Marines…

Posted: 10 Nov 2012 in Military, US Marines
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…and thanks for a great 237 years. Semper Fi.

Marine Corps Birthday

On November 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia passed a resolution stating that “two Battalions of Marines be raised” for service as landing forces with the fleet. This resolution established the Continental Marines and marked the birth date of the United States Marine Corps. Serving on land and at sea, these first Marines distinguished themselves in a number of important operations, including their first amphibious raid into the Bahamas in March 1776, under the command of Captain (later Major) Samuel Nicholas.

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Medal of Honor Recipient…

Posted: 21 Aug 2012 in Failure, History, Meddal of Honor, Military, US Army, US Marines
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…Dakota Meyer has a new book out that goes after the Army brass for their failure during the battle at Ganjgal in Kunar Province, Afghanistan where he fought and was eventually awarded the MOH for his actions.

There is a US Army Captain, Will Swenson that was there and was submitted for a MOH for his actions that day as well, but the Army in their typical handling of paperwork seems to have lost the packet.

I am pissed off that the Army hasn’t done more to correct a horrible injustice and am not surprised that the actions of a couple morons in the TOC out of 10th Mountain’s 1-32 Infantry screwed the pooch on this. An over zealous captain adhering to a moronic ROE is likely the issue with them not getting the artillery support that they so badly needed. I wasn’t there, but 20 years in the Army and some of that in a TOC environment, can sure make for some educated guesses.

The inaction of a couple officers, and I dare say some NCOs that were in all likelihood there in the TOC may well have cost the lives of a some Marines. This in my mind is shameful and an absolute embarrassment for the Army. I thought 10th Mountain was better than that.

At any rate, go read this, it’s important to know what went on at this battle, the good and the bad.

Dakota Meyer blasts Army brass in new book
By Dan Lamothe – Staff writer

WEST MILFORD, N.J. — During one of the Afghan war’s ugliest battles, Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer was nearly taken prisoner at gunpoint but fended off his would-be captor by beating him to death with a baseball-sized rock, according to the Marine’s forthcoming book.

That is among several revelations in “Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War.” It chronicles the disastrous Sept. 8, 2009, battle in Ganjgal, a mountainside village in Kunar province where U.S. Marines and soldiers, and their Afghan counterparts, were pinned down under fire for hours. The book, due to be released Sept. 25, is co-authored by Meyer and Bing West, a best-selling writer and former Marine infantryman.

Throughout the book, Meyer, a sergeant in the Marine Corps Individual Ready Reserve, takes aim at several targets — especially the Army officers he blames for allowing members of his team to die that day. He describes perceived flaws in the mission’s planning, outlines how officers at a nearby base refused to send help and questions why an Army captain who fought alongside him, Will Swenson, still hasn’t received any valor award despite being recommended for the Medal of Honor nearly three years ago.

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Where Will You Be?

Posted: 25 May 2012 in Coast Guard, History, Memorial Day, Military, Military History, Truth, US Air Force, US Army, US Marines, US Navy
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This is a preamble to Memorial Day. I’ll post more about it when I can. It sometimes hard for me to do this. I lost a friend in Iraq in 2006, so this is always personal.

This comes from Allen West.

Where will you be at 3:00 P.M. on Memorial Day?

Our steadfast and loyal heroes deserve remembrance
by Allen West

The solemn act of honoring those who have fallen in battle is a custom that seems to have faded in importance to our nation over time.

Nowadays, many Americans have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At cemeteries across the country, the graves of the fallen are sadly ignored, and worse, neglected.

While there are towns and cities still planning Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some think the day is for honoring anyone who has died, not just those fallen in service to our country.

Perhaps they do not know how deeply our nation once appreciated those who sacrificed their lives in defense of the principles we hold most dear. Perhaps those very principles of individual sovereignty, freedom and liberty are no longer so important.

It was not always so.

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