Remember......

Those of us who have loved ones serving overseas honor and respect the choices our loved ones have made.  We're proud that they've chosen to do something difficult, something necessary, and something that serves everyone in this country.  We're proud of the strength they must have to do the kind of work they're asked to do.  We're proud of their dedication.  Nevertheless, we also fear for their safety; they are, after all, people that we love.  We want the best for them.  We want them to come home, safely. 

Unfortunately, the world is a dangerous place and a war zone is one of the most dangerous.  Sometimes bad things happen.  When they do, loved ones at home have to pick up the pieces and go forward.  It's when that happens that our many in our military families show that those who actually wear the uniform are not the only strong and dedicated members of the family.  Our military family members serve this Country, too.  If you don't think so, just read Mrs P's blog post, "I Will Always Be a Marine Wife."  But I warn you, take a whole box of tissues along with you when you do.

Take time today to say a prayer for those who serve, and for their families who wait.

Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps

On the 10th of November in 1775, at the Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, Captain Samuel Nicholas organized two battalions of Continental Marines; giving birth to one of the most feared, most celebrated, and most professional fighting forces the world has known. (And that's really not hyperbole!) Today, U.S. Marines around the world celebrate the Marine Corps birthday. I'd like to join them in a small way by saying "Happy 234th birthday" to all Marines, past and present. Thank you for serving this Country and her citizens. Thank you to your families for supporting you in your choice to serve. Thank you for 234 years spent preserving our freedoms.

PBS's Frontline & "Obama's War"

The PBS show Frontline has posted a great video on their website. Click here to go to the site. The video, titled "Obama's War," follows Echo Company of the 2d Battalion, 8th Regiment as they moved into Helmand Province in July and the efforts the Company has taken to hold Combat Outpost Sharp (named for a member of their Company who was lost the first day of the push into Helmand). The video is extremely well done and discusses the strategy behind counter-insurgency and what the Marines of Echo Company are asked to do to implement the strategy. The video is actually part 1 of a series that Frontline will air on October 13th. Good stuff and a "must watch," particularly for anyone with a loved one fighting in Helmand.

News

Those of you who follow this blog know that two of my children are currently serving overseas, my daughter in Iraq and my son in Afghanistan. Well, I have some news. Florida-girl, my wonderful daughter-in-law, called me this morning. She let me know she had received a phone call from my son earlier in the morning. She said he sounded wonderful, and apologized for not being able to call on their Wedding Anniversary, which was earlier this week. She said he was his normal self....joking around and teasing her. It was great news! But then she told me that a little bit later in the morning, she received a call from HQ Marine Corps, with a "casualty report." They told her that my son had been knocked unconscious by an IED a couple of days ago, and medevac'ed to a medical facility with a serious concussion and that he was under observation with headaches and nausea. Of course, he hadn't told her any of this news earlier, probably in an effort to protect her, not knowing that the Marine HQ would call. (He's like that....he told his grandmother and I not to watch the news while he's gone; even though he knows we will.) Florida-girl was upset, of course, but she said the worst part was the Marine who called used the term "casualty report" and not something more innocuous like "injury report." She said her stomach had hit the ground, before she realized what the Marine on the phone was trying to tell her. Can't say I blame her. My stomach is still near my ankles. Good thing is that he seems to be OK....at least he was able to call his wife and joke around with her; even if he didn't let her know about his concussion. Gotta love protective men.......their heart's in the right place, even if you want to kick them in the backside for not giving you information!

America's Battalion

The Marine's 2d Battalion, 8th Regiment is fighting in Afghanistan as a part of the "surge" into Helmand province. The 2/8 is called "America's Battalion" and has a storied history, having served at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Okinawa in World War II as well as service in Iraq and other places around the world. Now they're in Afghanistan, doing what Marines do best, taking the fight to the enemy. Check out the 2/8's Official Website for some great information about "America's Battalion."

Although for some reason the "mainstream media" seems to think it more important to report on the death of and memorial services for a suspected pedophile and confirmed strange, weird, sad man, there are some excellent reports on "America's Battalion" and the "surge" in Afghanistan on the internet. National Public Radio has been following the 2/8's deployment into Afghanistan and has been reporting on the 2/8's efforts, as well as the impact of the deployment on families and loved ones. Unlike some of NPR's reporting, this series seems to be pretty balanced. Check out the series articles on NPR's website. Pat Dollard also has a post about the 2/8 Marines on his excellent website.

Yes, DavidM, I'm Angry!

It's been a bit since I blogged. I considered talking about President Obama's inaugural speech, but others (like Lee Cary at American Thinker) have done it much better. Then I thought about discussing the wisdom of such an expensive celebration in a time of economic crisis, but was so disgusted with the way the media has played the expense as a "lifting up" of a depressed nation and that the expense was well paid, I decided I'd use too many bad words. Then I found this tidbit that DavidM posted over at The Thunder Run titled "Are You Ready to Get Angry?", and it made me so mad I did use some of those bad words, and decided I just had to post it here.

It seems that a Marine's mother emailed DavidM to let him know that the 12-person military colorguard scheduled to post the colors at the Super Bowl's opening ceremonies will not be allowed to stay and watch the game from the sidelines, as they have in past games. Instead, they will be "escorted" off the field and out of the stadium. DavidM confirmed the information with a representative of the Tampa Bay Host Committee. It's true, but the Tampa Bay folks have nothing to do with the decision. The NFL decided not to allow the 12 members of the military colorguard to stay and watch the game!

What a travesty! If it were up to me, there would be several sections of the stadium reserved for military members who have just returned from serving in a war zone...but then I don't run the NFL. But, my goodness, the NFL should at least allow the 12-person colorguard (who represent all our serving military members) to stay and watch the game from the sidelines. They're not taking up any seats. This is a ridiculous decision and should be reversed as soon as possible.

In the comments to his post, DavidM has copied an email he sent to Mallory Steinberg at the NFL. According to the Tampa Bay folks, that's who people concerned with this decision should contact. Her email is Mallory.Steinberg@NFL.com . It doesn't appear he's received a reply explaining this very stupid decision, as yet. I'd like to know why they won't let the colorguard stay...wouldn't you? So yes, DavidM, I'm angry!

UPDATE! According to CJ at ASP, the NFL has relented and the 12-person interservice colorguard will be allowed to watch the Super Bowl from the sidelines. GREAT NEWS!

"It was a good day for the Marine Corps."

Military.com had an article on November 18th that described how a group of 30 Marines held off an insurgent ambush in Shewan, Farah Province, Afghanistan and, after an 8-hour battle, defeated about 250 insurgents. It's a great article, but the description of the battle is so good, I'll quote it here.

“The day started out with a 10-kilometer patrol with elements mounted and dismounted, so by the time we got to Shewan, we were pretty beat,” said a designated marksman who requested to remain unidentified. “Our vehicles came under a barrage of enemy RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and machine gun fire. One of our ‘humvees’ was disabled from RPG fire, and the Marines inside dismounted and laid down suppression fire so they could evacuate a Marine who was knocked unconscious from the blast.”

The vicious attack that left the humvee destroyed and several of the Marines pinned down in the kill zone sparked an intense eight-hour battle as the platoon desperately fought to recover their comrades. After recovering the Marines trapped in the kill zone, another platoon sergeant personally led numerous attacks on enemy fortified positions while the platoon fought house to house and trench to trench in order to clear through the enemy ambush site.

“The biggest thing to take from that day is what Marines can accomplish when they’re given the opportunity to fight,” the sniper said. “A small group of Marines met a numerically superior force and embarrassed them in their own backyard. The insurgents told the townspeople that they were stronger than the Americans, and that day we showed them they were wrong.”

During the battle, the designated marksman single handedly thwarted a company-sized enemy RPG and machinegun ambush by reportedly killing 20 enemy fighters with his devastatingly accurate precision fire. He selflessly exposed himself time and again to intense enemy fire during a critical point in the eight-hour battle for Shewan in order to kill any enemy combatants who attempted to engage or maneuver on the Marines in the kill zone. What made his actions even more impressive was the fact that he didn’t miss any shots, despite the enemies’ rounds impacting within a foot of his fighting position.

"I was in my own little world,” the young corporal said. “I wasn’t even aware of a lot of the rounds impacting near my position, because I was concentrating so hard on making sure my rounds were on target.”

After calling for close-air support, the small group of Marines pushed forward and broke the enemies’ spirit as many of them dropped their weapons and fled the battlefield. At the end of the battle, the Marines had reduced an enemy stronghold, killed more than 50 insurgents and wounded several more.

“I didn’t realize how many bad guys there were until we had broken through the enemies’ lines and forced them to retreat. It was roughly 250 insurgents against 30 of us,” the corporal said. “It was a good day for the Marine Corps. We killed a lot of bad guys, and none of our guys were seriously injured.”

Good job, Marines, good job!

"It's what Marines do."

Two Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Lance Corporals Brandon J. Brown and Christian D. Forrest, were recognized by the commanding general of 2nd MLG, Brig. Gen. Juan G. Ayala, for helping save the life of the driver a car that jumped a curb and slammed into a pole then rolled. The two Marines saw the accident and rushed to the driver's aid, pulling her from the car and waiting with her for paramedics to arrive. Read the Marine Corps' official press release here.

These two Lance Corporals certainly demonstrated the courage and personal bravery we've come to equate with the term "Marine." But what impressed me was their humbleness. They acted heroically, but both said that they did what any Marine would do. According to LCpl Forrest, "As a Marine you do what you need to do, when it's time to do it," while LCpl Brown says, "I felt good that I did it, but it’s what Marines do, we help. It’s our job." I wish more of the young people in this Country would have the attitude of these two young Marines. Perhaps the Country would be a better place. Thank you LCpls Forrest and Brown!

h/t Blackfive

Gotta Love the Marines!

I know I'm biased, but I honestly believe that the young men and women who volunteer to serve in our armed forces are special. I also know I'm generalizing; there's always some "bad apples" in every bunch, after all, most of my career has been involved with military discipline in one form or another, but the vast majority of our service members are tough, honest, and dedicated. I do have to admit that since my son has joined the Marines, I seem to have grown a special place in my heart for Marines. Not only to they have the best uniforms, by far, and look really good in them; but they are highly trained and highly motivated protectors of our way of life. They do what they're asked to do the best way they know how. Gotta love 'um.

Well, here's a Marine you should know. Cpl Garrett Jones. Last year, this 21-year old Marine he was on a foot patrol near Fallouja in Iraq when he was injured by an IED. The attack left him without a left leg below the knee. Although his recovery was complicated by infections and fevers, and his weight dropped from 175 to 125 pounds, he did recover. Like a Marine will, he courageously faced months of painful rehabilitation. He also faced being medically discharged from the Marine Corps. But like a Marine will, he fought to stay in. He said he wanted to, as Marine will, pave a path for other amputees to follow. He also said he couldn't bear the thought of not deploying with his buddies and his unit. So when he learned his unit was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan, he demanded the chance to deploy along with them. He fought for it, like a Marine will. Well, he's done it. He learned to use the hi-tech prosthesis available to amputees and has now deployed to Afghanistan with his unit. Now that's courage!

Before being allowed to deploy, Cpl Jones had to pass medical tests and prove during training that he could walk effectively, get in and out of a Humvee, and perform other physical tasks. He passed all the tests, keeping his head even when his prosthesis fell off. In one training session, he was in a simulator designed to teach egress from an overturned Humvee, and his prosthesis popped off. He just put it back on and finished the training. It takes real courage to fight for something that must have seemed impossible, and not let it take over your mind. Cpl Jones even snowboards, and wants to compete as a freestyle snowboarder in the 2010 Paralympics. He says, "I can do stuff on a snowboard I don't think any other amputee can do." He can probably do stuff on a snowboard that a lot of people with two good legs, including me, can't do. He thinks that if he wins at the Paralympics, it would be "good publicity for the Marine Corps." It would.

Cpl Jones knows he will always suffer some pain and discomfort, but he just says, "I've accepted that." As far as his deployment to Iraq, Cpl Jones says he "doesn't want to be a liability." He doesn't demand special treatment; even though he is special. One Marine Sgt says Cpl Jones has earned a special status among Marines because of his demand to be sent back to combat. As the Sgt said, "he didn't just choose to come -- he fought to come. We bled and sweated with this guy in Iraq, and he wants to be with us more than anything. That's awesome." A SSgt says that Cpl Jones, "doesn't want to be treated any different from any other Marine. Everybody respects him for wanting to come back after all he gave."

His job keeps him "inside the wire," but Cpl Jones would love to go on patrol. Even at the risk of being hit with a roadside bomb again. This special young Marine says, "If I were to get the opportunity to leave the wire, I would be throwing gear on in a second, happily. I miss being outside and operating . . . Believe me, the first opportunity, I'll be there." Now that's courage! Gotta love the Marines!

Witchcraft, Wisdom & Marines?

Apparently Code Pink has now resorted to witchcraft to try to chase the Marines out of Berkley. According to FOXNews, Code Pink has asked those coming to their protest rally at Berkley this weekend to wear pointy hats and come equipped with spells and rituals to "impart wisdom to figure out how we're going to end war." OK . For some reason, I don't think that spells and rituals will have an impact on our Nation's toughest. The Marines know how to end a war; you win it. It doesn't take a bunch of crazies wearing pink pointy hats to tell Marines a thing about winning war, or about wisdom (as if these crazies new a thing about wisdom).

Like all good Marines, the Marine recruiters at Berkley can adjust to the situation as needed. As Marine Captain Wheatcroft says in the article, "They're always in pink and wear funny things, half-shaved heads, one side with hair and the other one bald, yeah, I'm pretty much used to anything." For some reason, I don't think that pointy hats, complete with spells and rituals will bother this professional.

After watching Code Pink's antics, I'm glad I always hated to wear anything pink, and if my shiny pink cell phone wasn't so easy to find in my bag, I'd throw it away, too.