Memorial Day Stories - Please Post Any Stories To Help Us Remember These Brave Souls:

[Fictious Actor]

This is not a political thread...... This is not a moral thread....... this is not a religous thread......

This is a thread aimed towards reading and remembering

For example:


May 30, 2005
By Michael M. Phillips
© Parade

The shadow of war never lifted during Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham's last Christmas at home.

The family trudged through the usual holiday routine in Scio, N.Y., a hamlet of 1900 residents. They shoveled a path to the barbecue and grilled steaks in the snow. Jason's mother Deb, a home economics teacher, then 43, hung the stockings cross-stitched with the children's names-Jason, Justin, Kyle and Katie.

Heading outside one day, Jason turned to his father Dan, 42, a factory worker, and announced that if he didn't make it home from Iraq, Dan should use the military insurance money to build a garage, put a porch on the house for Deb and send the kids to college. Then the 22-year-old told Dan that if his wounds left him incapacitated, he didn't want to live attached to a machine. "Dad," Jason said, "don't let me lie there for a day if I'm going to be that way forever."

In the evening, the family watched the movie Black Hawk Down. Jason, a 6-foot-1 former star athlete with a disarming grin, pointed out a machine gunner firing at swarms of Somali fighters. "That's what I do," he said.

Deb was appalled. "You have to tell them you need a different job."

"Why?" Jason asked.

"There's not enough protection," Deb insisted.

Jason laughed. "Mom, I can't do that."

Deb walked our, unable to watch more. At the doorway, she turned back to Jason and asked coldly, "You want your dress blues?"

"Yep."

"And you want a full military service?"

"Yep."

Nothing more was said. They both knew they were talking about Jason's funeral.

There are Marines who lead through intimidation. And there are Marines who lead through example. Corporal Dunham was the kind of infantry squad leader who picked up a shovel in the desert heat and helped the junior Marines fill sandbags at the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment's outpost on the Iraq-Syria border. He loaded his pack with spare batteries so none of his Marines would patrol without night-vision goggles. He jotted down tips in his notebook.


Enemy will withdraw unless 1st attack a success.

Don't sep. females from family.

Stay away from kangaroo rats.

Shortly after the 3rd Battalion made its way to Iraq early last year, Corporal Dunham extended his four-year enlistment so he could stay with his men through their entire combat tour. "I want to make sure everyone makes it home alive," he told a buddy. It was a decision he didn't share with Dan and Deb, to whom he wrote: "Don't worry too much, Mom. I'll be home as soon as the time's right. Love you all."

The top Marines in Kilo Company pegged Dunham as a born leader and put him in charge of a squad of frontline grunts, the guys who head toward the gunfire instead of away from it. So on April 14, 2004, during a patrol through Karabilah, Dunham's men clambered into their Humvees when they heard that insurgents had ambushed a Marine convoy.

Soon Dunham and six other men were zigzagging through a sun-baked stretch of walled compounds and rutted dire streets, until they came upon a line of vehicles stopped on a dusty lane.

Dunham and PFC Kelly Miller, a 21-year-old from Eureka, Calif, charged up the lane to search a white Toyota Land Cruiser for weapons. The driver, a slender Iraqi man in a black crack suit and loafers, leaped from the SUV, grabbed Dunham by the neck and cocked his arm to punch the corporal. Dunham caught the man's fist and drove a knee into his stomach. The Iraqi doubled over, and both men fell to the ground.

PFC Miller pulled out his telescoping police baton, snapping it down to extend it to its full length. The Iraqi was lying face-up, so Miller planted his knee in the man's ribs and twice slammed the butt of the baton into his forehead Lance Cpl. Bill Hampton, a big 22-year-old rifleman from Woodinville, Wash., raced toward the melee, his adrenaline surging. He aimed his rifle but worried that he might hit Miller. So Hampton decided to spear the man's head with his rifle barrel. He pulled his M-16 back to get some force behind it.

At that instant, Dunham apparently saw the Iraqi drop an armed hand grenade. "No, no, no!" Dunham yelled. "Watch his hand!" Hampton caught a fleeting glimpse of Dunham's helmet on the ground.

Dunham was on his stomach, his arms wrapped around the sides of the helmet. Jason had evidenc1y covered the grenade with his helmet to protect his Marines from the blast.

The explosion shredded the helmet and peppered Miller and Hampton with shrapnel, wounding-but not killing-them. Dunham lay in a halo of his own blood, a metal fragment the size of a pencil eraser buried deep in his brain.


Dunham extended his enlistment so he could stay with his men. "I want to make sure everyone makes it home alive," he told a buddy.


A week later, Deb and Dan Dunham arrived at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., hours before Jason was flown in from an Army hospital in Germany. He had been in a deep coma since the day he was wounded, able to breathe only with a machine. The Dunhams expected to spend months at Jason's bedside. Deb brought a Harry Potter novel to read aloud to fill the long hours.

Instead, the next morning the Navy surgeons bluntly told Deb and Dan the damage to Jason's brain was so severe that he would never know they were by his side. The doctors mentioned the unmentionable: They should consider removing Jason from life support.

Deb and Dan held their son's hands, then wandered the hospital grounds in shock. Dan, designated the decision-maker in Jason's will, looked at Deb, tears streaming down his face. "I know how you feel about Jason," he said. "I don't want you to hate me. I need to know you're with me."

"I could never hate you," Deb assured him. "I love you. We have to help him. He's hurting. He trusts you. I support anything you want to do."

They had made their decision.

Word of Corporal Dunham's fate reached Marine Corps Commandant Michael Hagee two hours before Jason was to be removed from life support. The 59-year-old general didn't know that Corporal Dunham had sacrificed his life to save his men. He didn't know that the corporal's battalion commander would soon nominate Dunham for the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, for bravery far beyond the call of duty.

The commandant had seen men die in combat and had comforted the parents of the wounded. Never before, however, had the general sat with parents who knew their son was about to die. He didn't know what to say. He just knew he had to be with parents who had given so much.

General Hagee met the Dunhams in Jason's hospital room, then called "Attention to Orders," and his aide read the citation for the Purple Heart, (for history of the Purple Heart click here) which has been given to military personnel wounded in combat since the times of George Washington.

Hagee clipped the purple ribbon to the pillow next to Jason's bandaged head. Then he embraced Deb, who wept on his creased khaki uniform. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Marine commandant's medallion. "This is a Marine coin," he told her. "This is a part of Jason. I want you to have this to keep with you."

Deb stuffed it into her pocket and told the general that her youngest son, Kyle, 15, wanted to be a Marine like his big brother. To Hagee's amazement, the Dunhams said they would support his decision if that's what Kyle really wanted.

Memorial Day in Scio, N.Y., is rich with small-town comforts. The Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and T-ball players march with the school band to the cemetery. There are Popsicles and balloons, American flags, the volunteer fire department and the VFW'.

But this year feels different. Scio is still raw from the loss of its son. After the parade, the Dunhams will climb cemetery hill to a black headstone that reads: Jason L. Dunham, 1981-2004. Next to Jason's is an empty plot and a stone with Dan's and Deb's names engraved on it.

On Memorial Day, Dan will polish the granite; Deb will water the flowers. The Dunhams, the people of Scio and the Marines of Kilo Company will make sure that Jason is never forgotten. Dan and Deb will make sure he is never alone.

http://www.parade.com

[Fictious Actor]

"Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men." -- Pericles (c. 600 B.C.E.)

Our coverage of Memorial Day continues below.

Read the Entire Entry...»




Posted by: Todd | Link to this Entry | Comments (6)
May 26, 2005
Deuce Four Fallen Warriors
LTC Kurilla, commander of 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, forwarded the following comments he will make during a memorial service for 1LT Aaron Sessan, SPC Tyler Creamean, and SGT Ben Morton on Saturday, May 28th in Mosul, Iraq. He said, "I offer these comments to give everyone a small glimpse into the lives and sacrifices of three incredible men."

*****
GEN Rodriguez, GEN Bergner, COL Brown, Sergeants Major, friends of Deuce Four, and most importantly the men of Deuce Four. Thank you for coming today to honor and remember three of our fallen warriors.

Forgive me if I go long but these were extraordinary men.

Again we are drawn together as a band of brothers to mourn the loss of three Deuce Four warriors and sappers. We are truly a band of brothers. The bonds of camaraderie and friendship that we share from fire team to battalion are as strong as the very bonds of marriage. These bonds are forged and bound under the stress and fire of daily combat. We are bound together in shared friendship, shared hardship, shared loss and a desire over any other to ensure you care for the man on your left and right flank.

William Shakespeare in Henry V describes the bond that we all share. At the battle of Agincourt in 1415 AD, the English were outnumbered 5 to 1 and faced a formidable French foe that blocked their return route to England. The English were certain that no one would make it out alive. Henry V turned to his men to tell them about the uncommon bond that is shared in combat. He states –

“From this day to the ending of the world. But we in it shall be remembered; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me today shall be my brother.”

Today we mourn the loss of three brothers in arms – 1LT Aaron Sessan, SPC Tyler Creamean, and SGT Ben Morton.

Deuce Four with our Sapper brothers have done extraordinary things for one reason and one reason only. It is because of extraordinary men. There is no piece of equipment that makes us successful, there is no technological advantage that is the key to winning, there is no special training we possess that turns the tides against the enemy. It is for one reason and one reason only that we are successful – the extraordinary men that make up this organization. Men who know that leadership means just that – leading – out front, in harms way where they are at the greatest risk. Extraordinary men who would sacrifice their own lives for their fellow soldiers. Men who place the needs of others above their own. Men who accomplish every mission for no reason other than they do not want to let down their brothers in arms.

LT Aaron Sessan and SPC Tyler Creamean were out front leading on a Stryker sweep. These were men who knew the cost of leadership – out front exposing themselves to risk. A Stryker IED Sweep by its very name implies great danger and risk. You are traveling the most heavily mined and bombed roads in Iraq not trying to avoid the mines and bombs, but actually trying to find them. Why? So that others can travel safely without fear of attack. Stryker sweeps are not an exact science as the enemy has become very adept at hiding his mines and bombs. It requires experience, incredible skill, patience and being out in front of the other combat patrols and logistical convoys. Sappers LT Sessan and SPC Creamean were out front leading a Stryker IED sweep in the early morning hours of 22 May. They risked their lives so that others might be safe. Our brothers in arms, LT Sessan and SPC Creamean made the ultimate sacrifice for others when their vehicle was hit by one of the very IEDs they were looking for. But it did not end there, while they were mortally wounded LT Sessan and SPC Creamean kept trying to direct medical attention to each other and PFC Buck who was also wounded. That is what leaders do – they place the needs of others above their own, even when they are mortally wounded. These Sappers were incredible men that will never be forgotten.

I would now like to talk about a very special person and leader with whom I had daily interaction, someone I fought next to, and one of the finest men I have come had a chance to get to know – SGT Ben “Rat” Morton.

If there was someone who defined the term quite professional it was Rat.

Rat was special and quite frankly I do not think I ever heard him called anything else. I remember one time someone said “Morton” and I said, "who?" " Rat sir". "Oh"…I didn’t now we had a Morton, but I damn sure knew we had Rat. I am not sure he even knew he had any other name. It even extended to the battlefield. I am not sure what day it was – but we were somewhere in northwest Mosul doing a cordon and search. Rat was carrying the radio – I heard the call on the net on my PRC-148 “Hunter Three Romeo, this is Hunter Seven over..there was a pause for about 3 seconds…more agitation in his voice, Hunter Three Romeo, this is Hunter Seven over…another pause of about 3 seconds. Damn it Rat answer the radio!…then came the calm response,… this is Rat over…” that was Rat.

Rat knew about leadership and courage under fire. On the night Rat fell, he was leading his team clearing a house of a terrorist cell that specialized in car bombs. They quickly detained three of the terrorists on the first floor and moved rapidly up the stairs with Rat in the lead. The house had at least three women and 5 children on the first floor, some of them infants so they decided not to use flash bangs which can kill an infant. There were two terrorists hiding in a back room and then moved to the balcony in the hopes they would not be caught. Rat was the #1 man into the room, followed by his team. The terrorist hiding on the balcony knew they would be certainly caught and reached around the corner and fired an AK-47 on full automatic through the window hitting Rat four times. The team returned fire and cleared the rest of the house. Rat’s sacrifice resulted in killing one terrorist, wounding one, and detaining 5 members of a car bomb cell. Rat was awarded an ARCOM with Valor device for his actions that night. Rat knew that leaders lead from the front. I also know there is not a man in Deuce Four that would not want to be the #1 man entering and clearing a room of terrorists.

Rat also showed me how to laugh in the worst of situations. It was 11 Dec and we had just been hit by a suicide car bomb followed by very heavy small arms, RPGs, and mortars from 3 directions. We now had seven wounded and a Stryker was on fire. Rat and Plum were the first ones on the scene with fire extinguishers in hand putting out the fire, caring for wounded comrades, and then rejoining the fight. Strykers with dismounted teams were holding a tight perimeter against 25 insurgents who were attacking from 3 directions. An RPG had just hit one of the Strykers and two mortars landed right behind Rat’s Stryker. We had a fix on one enemy position to the SW. We were doing our best to rubble the building with .50 cal and Mark-19 and fast movers were still 5 minutes out. Rat grabbed a SMAW-D which would certainly rubble the building. As he raised the weapon, 2 more mortars landed in our perimeter within 20 meters of Rat’s Stryker. He fired and the SMAW-D impacted about 30 meters in front us – we even thought it was a larger enemy mortar. Rat smiled, laughed and yelled out over the fire fight – “This one was defective – what do you expect from a Marine weapon…” You see, the SMAW-D was designed by the Marines; however it has to be aimed to hit its target…

Rat did many more amazing things that day that I do not have the time to share. Rat was awarded the Bronze star for Valor for his actions on 11 Dec. He was a hero to all of us. He is now in heaven taking pictures from an incredible vantage point. He is finding and collecting things so that when we join him and go to him and ask if he has a certain item – he will smile and return with just the item you needed.

To the men of Deuce Four we now honor our 14th warrior and sapper to die defending the freedom of an oppressed people that truly do not understand the sacrifices that we make. The only words I think that can describe their sacrifice are not even my words. They are the words of Winston Churchill in WWII describing the sacrifices warriors make. He states:

“Never was so much owed by so many to so few”

You see – there are 26 million people in Iraq whose freedom we are fighting for, against terrorists and insurgents that want a return to power and oppression, or worse, a state of fundamentalist tyranny. Some of whom we fight are international terrorists who hate the fact that in our way of life we can choose who will govern us, the method in which we worship, and the myriad other freedoms we have. We are fighting so that these fanatical terrorists do not enter the sacred ground of our country and we have to fight them in our own backyard. We fight for 296 million US citizens in America. We fight for the man on your left and right so that he can return home to his family and loved ones --we fight for each other. LT Aaron Sessan, SPC Tyler Creamean and SGT Ben Morton fought for all of us. Never was so much owed by so many to so few.

These three warriors joined the rest of the Deuce Four Advance Party. CPT Bill Jacobsen is in charge of the formation while 1SG Bordelon called out the names to make sure all are present. SPC Tommy Doerflinger, CPT Bill Jacobsen, SGT Robert Johnson, CPL Jonathan Castro, SPC Lionel Ayro, PFC Oscar Sanchez, SGT Nathanial Swindell, SGT Adam Plumondore, SPC Clint Gertson, SGT Anthony Davis. 1SG Mike Bordelon, SPC Tyler Creamean, 1LT Aaron Sessan, and SGT Ben “Rat” Morton. These 14 warriors now stand high above us overwatching us, providing guidance and direction in the most difficult times. Never was so much owed by so many to so few.

On this day, we ask almighty God to grant us patience and steadfast resolve in all that is to come. We ask the Master Physician to reach down and use his healing hand to heal our wounded brothers. May God Bless Deuce Four, 1st Brigade, and may God Bless America.

[Fictious Actor]

Memorial Day Tribute
The following remarks were delivered today at a memorial service in Washington, D.C. by Allen K. Hoe, Esq., in honor of his son 1LT Nainoa Kealiiho'kuhelelani Hoe who was killed in action on January 22, 2005 in Mosul, Iraq.

Our thanks to COL Brown for bringing this to our attention.

Read the Entire Entry...»




*****
Aloha:

Mr. Secretary, Mr. Scruggs, fellow veterans; my ancestors are honored by my invitation to be here today.

Jan, thank you again for your timely visit to Hawaii in 1991. Your presence made a difference in establishing Hawaii's Vietnam Veterans Memorial, now a prominent part of our State Capitol.

A quote from it reads:

Aia ho'i lakou mau

Inoa I mahalo 'ia

ko Hawai'I Mohai aloha

Pau ole

"America's greatest sacrifice is before us in their names."

On a day much like today 15 years ago, a 12 yr. old boy stood on these hallowed grounds. He touched the names of 1Lt. Fred Ransbottom, William "Skip" Skivington, and a dozen others, on Panels 47, 55, 58, & 59. They were the men from Long Range Recon Platoon, 2nd Battalion 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade. He knew the story of how they came to be on this sacred wall.

Mother's Day, 1968 at a remote Special Forces Camp called Kham Duc.

They were the men of Recon team "Snoopy" and this was our battle flag.

Something stirred in his soul that day connecting him to this legacy; at that moment he knew what he would do with his life.

He dedicated himself to being the very best; he earned top honors in high school JROTC at Kamehameha. A Business Degree with honors at the University of Hawaii.

The path to his commission began from the enlisted ranks. Basic training at Ft. Jackson; as the soldier of the cycle. Ft. Gordon for AIT; as the Class honor graduate. Then service with the United States Forces Korea. Selected as its Soldier of the Year and the 9th RSC Soldier of the Year, the United States Army Pacific Reserve Soldier of the Year, and the runner-up for the United States Army Reserve Soldier of the Year for 2001.

"Dad, you're enlisted." "I need to succeed as an enlisted soldier before I can lead as an Officer." With a pure heart like that, the stars would surely guide him in his future army endeavors.

He returned to the University of Hawaii for an MBA degree on an academic scholarship. He was a platoon leader with the 100th Battalion 442nd Inf., of "Go For Broke" fame, now serving in Iraq, and he led University of Hawaii?s Army ROTC Cadet Corps as its Command Sergeant Major, Battalion S3 and Battalion Commander.

He earned a SCUBA badge from the U.S. Navy Dive School at Pearl Harbor and he was the 4th ranking ROTC graduate in the nation, when he received his Gold Bars on May 17, 2003;

Then IOBC at Ft. Benning with Jump School and Ranger School in a whirlwind of time and place.

He knew he was to be a soldier, his ancestors had been warriors for 200 years; they came to his beloved Hawaii from the four corners of the globe, Massachusetts, Scotland, England, Germany, China, Japan and the Azores. His U.S. Army heritage descends from his great grandfathers, a grandfather and his father?s service with Team Snoopy of Recon 2/1.

It was cool, that grandma in 1942 at age 17 served with the Army Signal Corps in the Women's Air Raid Defense command and grandpa's sister earned her "gold bars" as a member of the first group of women officers in the WACs.

Hawaii women serving their country is a proud family legacy continuing with cousin Army Captain Courtney Blake Sugai, who served with the 101st ABN Division in Afghanistan and Iraq; Courtney and husband, Army Captain Iven Sugai, join us today, thank you for your service Courtney and Iven;

Count me among the thousands of veterans who are proud of our service in Vietnam. However a greater pride is our children?s gift to the world. They are brave these young men and women who sacrifice daily for the cause of freedom.

America's daughters set new benchmarks daily with their service. Heroes like Army Blackhawk pilot, Major Tammy Duckworth, a University of Hawaii graduate, shows us what personal courage is really all about. They, like the legions of women we honor have not only worn the uniform, they have also birthed a generation of our finest soldiers and have also borne the heavy price of freedom whose roots run deep upon these hallowed grounds.

13 months ago, Nainoa called, "Dad, I got a platoon in Charlie Tigers of the Gimlets." He knew their history; the 3rd Bn. 21st Inf., 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Vietnam. To be part of dad?s legacy, to serve with a unit which served with Recon 2/1 in Vietnam, was all he hoped for.

How do these things happen, is it karma, luck, good fortune, or simply fate.

Here, we remember the 339 "Gimlets" who gave their last full measure on the battlefields of Vietnam. I am comforted in the belief that they have welcomed my son to their heavenly ranks. Nainoa joins with them as our guardian angels, vigilant always in the cause of freedom and liberty.

When Nainoa and I stood here, how could we ever imagine that he also would be bound to this place?

Panel 54 honors American Hero, 1Lt. Edward F. Guthrie, of Idabel, Oklahoma, who died on May 2, 1968 while leading the 2nd Platoon, C Co. 3/21 Inf., "Charlie Tigers" in the Battle for "Nhi Ha Village near the DMZ." His CO, "Tiger 6", Denny Leach, ret'd. Brigadier General, recalls, "Ed never asked his troops to suffer any hardship that he himself would not endure. He was always up front and had his face in the mud just like his shooters. He led by example and was incredibly brave. He never beat his chest and there was no bravado on his part. He was a proud warrior, but was very humble and always gave his troops the honors for the platoon's heroics. I could not have asked for a better platoon leader."

1Lt. Guthrie was the only officer killed from "Charlie Tigers" while the Battalion served with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam between 1966 and 1972.

On January 22, 2005, a single American Hero died in the war on terrorism. It was my precious son, 1Lt. Nainoa Keali?ihokuhelelani Hoe. Like 1Lt. Guthrie, he too was killed while leading the warriors, of 2nd Platoon, Charlie Tigers, on a patrol in northern Iraq in the battle for the city of Mosul.

Is it fate after 37 years that the Platoon Leaders of 2nd Platoon Charlie Tigers, are now linked together because of their commitment to duty honor country and the desire to make a difference in the lives of others.

The current "Tiger 6", CPT Robert Born, shared the following. "2nd Platoon Charley Tigers were the most cohesive infantry platoon that I had seen in 8 years. Often referred to as 2nd Ranger Platoon for the amount of platoon leadership who served with 2nd Ranger Battalion and the number of Ranger SOPs and TTPs. The Charley Tigers "Outlaws" were strongly led and even stronger willed." "Nainoa took charge and never looked back. He was the perfect man for the job and he was a natural fit. He earned their respect and the trust of his men, his peers, and superiors. Everyone saw the same man. If you asked a private to describe Nainoa you would get the same description as the Battalion Commander."

The other Platoon leaders of Charlie Tigers reflected upon him as "fiercely competitive, but he never micromanaged his soldiers, he trusted and empowered his NCO's and allowed his men to succeed and fail on their own merits. He never accepted credit for his men's accomplishments, and never deflected the blame for any deficiencies his platoon encountered. His men were the most important thing to him. This was true in both training and combat. Nainoa led from the front in Mosul, no matter the mission, he would be in the first vehicle leading his men or right up front with the lead element in a dismounted patrol. He never asked his men to do anything he would never do first himself. He was not out seeking glory or spotlighting he was just doing what he knew was right, leading from the front."

Is it also fate that 37 years ago in the sky above Kham Duc, a young air force pilot with the call sign Helix, would be on station directing covering air strikes while the men of Recon Team Snoopy tried desperately to escape the NVA which had over run their positions.

Is it fate that the Helix pilot, James Gibler's son LTC Mike Gibler would become Gimlet 6, Nainoa's Battalion Commander.

Is it fate that this sacred battle flag which protected me through the grim days of 1967 & 1968 in Vietnam, would be carried by my son and his platoon the day he was killed in Iraq. "Dad I want to carry your Recon flag to honor the men who served with you in Vietnam."

Is it fate?, whatever it is, the bonds that bind the brotherhood of the American soldier like a father and son, is a special one.

To Steve Fainaru, Washington Post writer, mahalo for your incredible tribute to my son. "On Campaign Trail ~ A Single Shot."

To the Outlaws of 2nd Platoon Charlie Tigers, you are my heroes, SFC. Corey Meyers, SSG. Victor Birdseye, SSG. Steve Siglock, SSG. Evans, SSG. Hank Moreno, Doc Mauney, Phil Fassieux and Darren Glenn; to Pfc. Jerome Roettgers, Pfc. Robert Layton and Pfc. Darrin Gooding your heroic efforts in holding your ground against the fusillade of bullets to save Nainoa, was above and beyond, my family will hold each of you in our hearts forever.

A very special tribute to Blackhawk pilot, 1Lt Jeremy Wolf, a fellow ROTC cadet who preceded Nainoa as the Battalion Commander for the University of Hawaii. Is it also fate that Jeremy also preceded Nainoa in death when he was killed in Iraq in November, 2003.

I now have a better appreciation of Churchill's quote, "never was so much owed by so many to so few". A grateful nation thanks each of you, Gimlets, 3/21 Infantry and all of the brave men and women in uniform who risk it all to share our country's legacy of freedom and liberty each day.

"Grieve not for lost youth,

Carved in memory and stone

We dwell in your dreams."


SSG Thomas Kaulukukui

[Rightwingnut]

I remove my hat to the following family Members.


My Grandfather on my fathers side who fought in World War II and was a cold warrior. Grandpa flew Backseat on the SR71 Blackbird. His job was top secret and we always thought he was a machinist. When his involvement was declassified in the late 80s we also discovered the hell my Grandmother went through. Praise to her as well.

My Grandfather on my Mothers side who fought in World War II.

My Uncle Larry who served 2 tours in Vietnam and eventually paid the ultimate price.

My Uncle James who Served in Vietnam.

And to all American Service men and women of all eras.

Thank you fellas, and thank you ladies. You did good.

[Rightwingnut]

Didnt include myself in mine, and I shoulda.

Me, United States Army.



Yah...

My father, US Navy, WWII and Korea.
Uncle Bob, US Navy, WWII and Korea
Uncle Dink, US Marines, WWII
Uncle Whitney, US Marines, WWII and Korea
Cousins Tad and Ty, US Army, GWI
Cousin Butch, KIA, US Navy, WWII
Numerous other cousins, mostly US Navy
My Brother, US Army
Me, USAF.

[el_diablo]

Uncle Melvin: fought in and survived the Battle of the Bulge. Died awhile back.

Uncle Louie: Marine in the South Pacific during WWII. Was operating the radio at the base of the mountain when that famous Iwo Jima picture was taken. Died two years ago.

Uncle Joe: also a Marine in the South Pacific; still alive

Cousin Larry: Vietnam

Among others...

[PROGENY]

I would like to dedicate this post to:

War on Terror: cousin Jeffrey, US Army, cousin John, US Army, cousin Dennis, US Army

Gulf War: cousin Tom, US Army

Viet Nam War: father Michael, US Navy, step-father Fred, US Navy, uncle Bob, US Air Force

WWII: grandfather Sylvester, US Navy, grandfather Jack, US Army

Those are all family members that I can remember, though I know many more have served dating back to the Civil War on both sides of my family. I have a cousin that served in the CIA during the Cold War, and we still do not know what his fate is. Though we assume he is either still out there somewhere, or a star on the wall in CIA Headquarters. Many women in my family have served as military nurses too.

I look forward to enlisting in the Marine Corps as soon as school is finished.

[Bman]

This is not a political thread...... This is not a moral thread....... this is not a religous thread......

This is a thread aimed towards reading and remembering

For example:


May 30, 2005
By Michael M. Phillips
© Parade

The shadow of war never lifted during Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham's last Christmas at home.





UPDATE:

DUNHAM, from WESTERN NY, AWARED MEDAL OF HONOR :happy_12:


Marine to receive Medal of Honor for Iraq heroism

(CNN) -- President Bush announced on Friday that the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, will be awarded posthumously to Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham.

In April 2004, Dunham was leading a patrol in an Iraqi town near the Syrian border when the patrol stopped a convoy of cars leaving the scene of an attack on a Marine convoy, according to military and media accounts of the action.

An occupant of one of the cars attacked Dunham and the two fought hand to hand. As they fought, Dunham yelled to fellow Marines, "No, no watch his hand." The attacker then dropped a grenade and Dunham hurled himself on top of it, using his helmet to try to blunt the force of the blast.

Still, Dunham was critically wounded in the explosion and died eight days later at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.

"As long as we have Marines like Corporal Dunham, America will never fear for her liberty," Bush said Friday as he announced that Dunham would receive the award. Bush spoke at the dedication of the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia. (Watch announcement of award at museum -- 1:27)

"His was a selfless act of courage to save his fellow Marines," Sgt. Maj. Daniel A. Huff of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, was quoted as saying in Marine Corps News that April.

"He knew what he was doing," Lance Cpl. Jason A. Sanders, 21, of McAllester, Oklahoma, who was in Dunham's company, was quoted as saying by Marine Corps News. "He wanted to save Marines' lives from that grenade."

In various media accounts, fellow Marines told how Dunham had extended his enlistment shortly before he died so he could help his comrades.

"We told him he was crazy for coming out here," Lance Cpl. Mark E. Dean, 22, from Owasso, Oklahoma, said in Marine Corps News. "He decided to come out here and fight with us. All he wanted was to make sure his boys made it back home."

"He loved his country, believed in his mission, and wanted to stay with his fellow Marines and see the job through," Vice President Dick Cheney said when speaking of Dunham's heroism at a Disabled American Veterans conference in July 2004.

The Scio, New York, native would have been 25 years old on Friday.

In a letter urging Bush to honor Dunham with the Medal of Honor, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, called the Marine's actions "an act of unbelievable bravery and selflessness."

Dunham's story was told in the book "The Gift of Valor," written by Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Phillips.

Dunham will be the second American to receive the Medal of Honor from service in Iraq.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith was the other, honored for action near Baghdad International Airport in April 2003, in which he killed as many as 50 enemy combatants while helping wounded comrades to safety. Smith was the only U.S. soldier killed in the battle.




Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/10/medal.honor/index.html