June 10, 2008
Medal of Honor to Private First Class Ross Andrew McGinnis
Army Pfc. Ross A. McGinnis packed only 136 pounds into his 6-foot frame, but few have ever matched his inner strength.
McGinnis sacrificed himself in an act of supreme bravery on December 4, belying his status as the youngest soldier in Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
The 19-year-old amateur mechanic from Knox, Pa., who enjoyed poker and loud music, likely saved the lives of four soldiers riding with him on a mission in Baghdad.
McGinnis was manning the gunner’s hatch when an insurgent tossed a grenade from above. It flew past McGinnis and down through the hatch before lodging near the radio. His platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas of Longview, Texas, recalled what happened next.
“Pfc. McGinnis yelled ‘Grenade! … It’s in the truck,’” Thomas said. “I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down.” McGinnis did so even though he could have escaped. “He had time to jump out of the truck,” Thomas said. “He chose not to.”
Thomas remembered McGinnis talking about how he would respond in such a situation. McGinnis said then he didn’t know how he would act, but when the time came, he delivered. “He gave his life to save his crew and his platoon sergeant,” Thomas said. “He’s a hero. He’s a professional. He was just an awesome guy.”
Three of the soldiers with McGinnis who were wounded that day have returned to duty, while a fourth is recovering in Germany.
For saving the lives of his friends and giving up his own in the process, McGinnis earned the Silver Star. His unit comrades paid their final respects in a somber ceremony here Dec. 11.
McGinnis was born June 14, 1987, and joined the Army right after graduating from high school in 2005. He had been in the Army 18 months and made his mark even before his heroic deed.
“He was a good kid,” said C Company’s senior enlisted soldier, 1st Sgt. Kenneth J. Hendrix. “He had just gotten approved for a waiver to be promoted to specialist.” He also appeared on the Nov. 30 cover of Stars & Stripes, manning his turret.
Besides his military accomplishments, McGinnis leaves his friends and family with memories of a fun-loving, loyal man.
Pfc. Brennan Beck, a 1-26 infantryman from Lodi, Calif., said McGinnis made others feel better. “He would go into a room and when he left, everyone was laughing,” Beck said. “He did impersonations of others in the company. He was quick-witted, just hilarious. He loved making people laugh. He was a comedian through and through.”
While having a witty side, McGinnis took his job seriously.
He was not a garrison soldier. He hated it back in garrison,” Beck said. “He loved it here in Iraq. He loved being a gunner. It was a thrill; he loved everything about it. He was one our best soldiers. He did a great job.”
Beck has memories of talking all night with McGinnis about where they wanted their lives to go, and said McGinnis always remembered his friends. “When I had my appendix removed, he was the only one who visited me in the hospital,” Beck said. “That meant a lot.”
Another 1-26 infantryman, Pfc. Michael Blair of Klamath Falls, Ore., recalled that McGinnis helped him when he arrived at Ledward Barracks in Schweinfurt, Germany.
“When I first came to the unit, … he was there and took me in and showed me around,” Blair said. “He was real easy to talk to. You could tell him anything. He was a funny guy. He was always making somebody laugh.”
McGinnis’ final heroic act came as no surprise to Blair. “He was that kind of person,” Blair said. “He would rather take it himself than have his buddies go down.”
The brigade’s senior noncommissioned officer, Command Sgt. Maj. William Johnson, also had high praise for McGinnis. “Any time when you get a soldier to do something like that - to give his life to protect his fellow soldiers - that’s what heroes are made of,” Johnson said.
It also demonstrates, Johnson continued, that the ‘MySpace Generation’ has what it takes to carry on the Army’s proud traditions.
“Some think soldiers who come in today are all about themselves,” Johnson said. “I see it differently.”
Words from his Mother:
McGinnis' mother said her son drew a soldier in kindergarten when he was supposed to picture what he wanted to be when he grew up.
"Ross decided at a very young age that he wanted to join the Army," she said.
On his 17th birthday -- the first day he was eligible -- Ross McGinnis stepped into the recruiting station and joined the Army through the Delayed Enlistment Program, she said.
Statement from the Father of of SPC Ross A. McGinnis, December 23, 2006
When the doorbell rang Monday evening December 4th, about 9:30, I wondered who would be visiting at this hour of the evening. But when I walked up to the door and saw two U.S. Army officers standing on the patio at the bottom of the steps, I knew instantly what was happening. This is the only way the Army tells the next of kin that a soldier has died.
At that moment, I felt as if I had slipped off the edge of a cliff and there was nothing to grab onto; just a second beyond safety, falling into hell. If only my life could have ended just a moment before this so that I would not have to hear the words they were about to say. If only I could blink myself awake from this horrible dream. But it wasn't a dream.
As the officers made their way into our living room, I rushed back into our bedroom and told my wife Romayne to get up; we had company. And they were going to tell us that Ross is dead. I knew of no other way to say it.
We rushed back out to meet the officers, and then the appointed spokesperson recited the standard message that Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis had been killed in action in Baghdad, Iraq, that day. They could tell us nothing more except that Army regulations required that the family be notified within 4 hours of the event. They offered their sympathy and support, and the Chaplain prayed for our strength in the days to come, and then they left us alone in shock, grief and disbelief.
In the days that followed, we were informed of the details of his death. The entire world probably knows those details now, since there was so much excitement about his heroic deed. Hundreds of family, friends and acquaintances offered us their words of prayer and comfort. But only time will take the edge off the knives that have wedged into our hearts.
Ross did not become OUR hero by dying to save his fellow soldiers from a grenade. He was a hero to us long before he died, because he was willing to risk his life to protect the ideals of freedom and justice that America represents. He has been recommended for the Medal of Honor, and many think that he deserves to get it without the typical 2 years that Congress has required of late. We, his parents, are in no hurry to have our son bestowed with this medal. That is not why he gave his life. The lives of four men who were his Army brothers outweighed the value of his one life. It was just a matter of simple kindergarten arithmetic. Four means more than one.
It didn't matter to Ross that he could have escaped the situation without a scratch. Nobody would have questioned such a reflex reaction. What mattered to him were the four men placed in his care on a moment's notice. One moment he was responsible for defending the rear of the convoy from enemy fire; the next moment he held the lives of four of his friends in his hands.
The choice for Ross was simple, but simple does not mean easy. His straightforward answer to a simple but difficult choice should stand as a shining example for the rest of us. We all face simple choices, but how often do we choose to make a sacrifice to get the right answer? The right choice sometimes requires honor.
Our Bible tells us that God gave up his only son to die for us so that we may live. But Romayne and I are not gods. We can't see the future, and we didn't give our son to die, knowing that he will live again. We gave him to fight and win and come home to us and marry and grow old and have children and grandchildren. But die he did, and his mother, dad and sisters must face that fact and go on without him, believing that someday we will meet again. Heaven is beyond our imagination and so we must wait to see what it's like.
God bless everybody that has comforted us in our time of grief. But we must not forget the men and women who are still putting their lives on the line; we must keep them in our prayers and keep reminding them with gifts and letters that they are loved and that we want them to return safely to their families.
His family has suggested for anybody who wishes to make a memorial donation to send something to a service member overseas, a veteran or local service member and present it as a gift from PFC Ross McGinnis.
Gifts to his unit may be sent to:
SFC Cedric Thomas
1st Platoon, C/1-26 IN
Task Force Blue Spader
APO AE 09390-1537
Posted by Wild Thing at 03:27 PM | Comments (4)
June 06, 2008
President Reagan's Speech on 40th Anniversary of D-Day
June 6th,1984
Pointe du Hoc, France
"All of these men were part of a rollcall of honor with names that spoke of a pride as bright as the colors they bore: the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Poland's 24th Lancers, the Royal Scots Fusiliers, the Screaming Eagles, the Yeomen of England's armored divisions, the forces of Free France, the Coast Guard's "Matchbox Fleet'' and you, the American Rangers.Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.
The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge--and pray God we have not lost it--that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.
You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you."
"Today, as 40 years ago, our armies are here for only one purpose--to protect and defend democracy. The only territories we hold are memorials like this one and graveyards where our heroes rest.We in America have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars: It is better to be here ready to protect the peace than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We've learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent.
But we try always to be prepared for peace; prepared to deter aggression; prepared to negotiate the reduction of arms; and, yes, prepared to reach out again in the spirit of reconciliation. In truth, there is no reconciliation we would welcome more than a reconciliation with the Soviet Union, so, together, we can lessen the risks of war, now and forever.
It's fitting to remember here the great losses also suffered by the Russian people during World War II: 20 million perished, a terrible price that testifies to all the world the necessity of ending war. I tell you from my heart that we in the United States do not want war. We want to wipe from the face of the Earth the terrible weapons that man now has in his hands. And I tell you, we are ready to seize that beachhead. We look for some sign from the Soviet Union that they are willing to move forward, that they share our desire and love for peace, and that they will give up the ways of conquest. There must be a changing there that will allow us to turn our hope into action.
We will pray forever that some day that changing will come. But for now, particularly today, it is good and fitting to renew our commitment to each other, to our freedom, and to the alliance that protects it.
We are bound today by what bound us 40 years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. We're bound by reality. The strength of America's allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe's democracies. We were with you then; we are with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.
Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.''
Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their value [valor], and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.
Thank you very much, and God bless you all."
Wild Thing's comment........
I love Reagan's speech and since he is my favorite President I thought it would great to share his speech from the past here today.
Posted by Wild Thing at 02:45 AM | Comments (6)
May 08, 2008
Navy Names New Guided-Missile Destroyer USS Michael Murphy
Navy Times
LAKE RONKONKOMA, N.Y.
Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter announced on May 7 at a ceremony in Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y., the name of the newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be USS Michael Murphy. Designated as DDG 112, the name honors Lt. Michael Murphy who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during Operation Red Wing, in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005.
"Michael Murphy's name which will be forever synonymous with astonishing courage under fire will now be associated with one of the U.S. Navy's most technologically advanced, most powerful and most capable warships," Winter said.
Michael Murphy's hometown of Patchogue, N.Y. held a dedication ceremony memorializing a park bearing Murphy's name. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Park contains a black granite wall dedicated to the men lost in Operation Red Wing with each member's name inscribed. In the center of the memorial, a black granite stone is embedded into the floor of the plaza bearing the picture of Murphy and his Medal of Honor.
"Every Sailor who crosses the brow, every Sailor who hears the officer of the deck announce the arrival of the commanding officer, and every Sailor who enters a foreign land representing our great nation will do so as an honored member of USS Michael Murphy," Winter said.
USS Michael Murphy will be one of the U.S. Navy's most advanced, state-of-the-art warships in the fleet. With the combination of Aegis, the vertical launching system, and advanced anti-submarine warfare system, advanced anti-aircraft missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Arleigh Burke-class continues the revolution at sea.
Utilizing a gas turbine propulsion system, USS Michael Murphy will be able to operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups.
USS Michael Murphy will be the 62nd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. She is 509.5 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, displaces approximately 9,200 tons, has a crew size of 323 (23 officers and 300 enlisted) and she will make speed in excess of 30 knots.
WASHINGTON (May 7, 2008) A photo illustration of the guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112). The ship will be named after Lt. Michael P. Murphy (Sea, Air, Land) who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during combat in Afghanistan on 27 and 28 June 2005. U.S. Navy Photo Illustration by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jay Chu
Murphy and three fellow SEALs were searching for a terrorist in the Afghan mountains on June 28, 2005, when their mission was compromised after they were spotted by locals, who presumably reported their presence and location to the Taliban. A fierce firefight ensued, with more than 50 anti-coalition militia firing on the outnumbered SEALs. Despite the intensity of the firefight, Murphy _ already wounded _ is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his comrades by moving into the open for a better position to transmit a call for help. While continuing to be fired upon, Murphy provided his unit’s location and the size of the enemy force. At one point he was shot in the back, causing him to drop the transmitter. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call and continued firing at the enemy who was closing in. Murphy then returned to his cover position with his men and continued the battle.
By the end of the two-hour gunfight, Murphy and two of his comrades were dead. An estimated 35 Taliban were also killed. The fourth member of their team managed to escape and was protected by local villagers for several days before he was rescued.
And this from The NewsDay article says:
" ...The unit was reported to be trailing a high-ranking terror leader near 10,000-foot peaks when they were ambushed and overrun by scores of insurgent fighters on June 28, according to Newsday interviews and media reports. The newspaper Navy Times reported in October that Murphy's actions -- "far outnumbered and surrounded by enemy" -- were being reviewed for the U.S. Navy's first Medal of Honor awarded since the Vietnam War.A troop transport helicopter that sped to their rescue with eight Navy SEALs and eight Army commandos aboard crashed after being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. All aboard were killed. A single member of Murphy's team managed to elude capture, and eventually was reunited with U.S. forces.
Relatives of the SEALS have said the lone American survivor told them that Murphy came to his rescue when he was trapped by insurgents during the battle, according to the interviews and reports.
The survivor also told relatives that Murphy was shot when he climbed to higher ground and into the open to send an electronic call for help. Wounded, Murphy completed the call, then continued fighting. It is this action that is believed to be at the heart of his consideration for the Medal of Honor.
Two of Murphy's colleagues who were killed in the firefight -- Sonar Technician 2/C Matthew G. Axelson and Gunner's Mate 2/C Danny Dietz -- were awarded the Navy Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor, during a posthumous ceremony in September.
The lone survivor, whom the Navy has not named because he has returned to covert duty, also received the Navy Cross in a private ceremony. "
Posted by Wild Thing at 10:47 AM | Comments (12)
May 03, 2008
Marine Sgt. Merlin German ~ "Miracle Man"~ Rest in peace, brave Marine
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Sergeant Merlin German (USMC) was born in Manhattan, New York on Nov. 15, 1985. He enlisted in the Marine Corps 08 September 2003 and received a meritorious promotion to Private First Class out of boot camp. in April 2004, Sergeant German transferred to his first permanent duty station, 5th Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division where he served as a Field Artillery Cannoneer.
Shortly after, Sergeant German was assigned to his unit, he was sent to Machinegunner's Course. Among the Corporals and Sergeants, he was the only Private First Class to attend the course. Sergeant German's outstanding leadership skills helped him to graduate second in his class.
In September 2004, Sergeant German's unit was attached to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines and became part of Weapons Platoon for convoy security. His unit was charged with safely transporting prisoners and cargo, and Sgt. German participated in over 150 successful missions. Sergeant German's Platoon Sergeant and Company Commander applauded him for his keen sense of spotting improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
In the first six months of deployment, Sergeant German found 8 IEDs without anyone sustaining injuries. On 21 February 2005, Sergeant German's squad was on a mission to recon an unknown route from Jordan to Baghdad. While en route to Camp Ramadi, Sergeant German spotted an IED while standing in the turret at his Mk-19 machine gun. With no time to alert the driver, their HUMVEE was hit on a left side by a gas-fed shape charge explosive. Sergeant German was blown clear of the vehicle, and his fellow Marines helped extinguish the flames that had quickly burned 97% of his total body surface area.
NEW YORK
Marine Sgt. Merlin German, who became a symbol of resilience as he strove to recover from a roadside bomb blast in Iraq that blanketed 97 percent of his body with burns, has died, the Defense Department said.
German died April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, where he was continuing treatment for the injuries he suffered in combat on Feb. 22, 2005, the Pentagon said Thursday. He was 22.
A memorial service was held Friday evening at Woodlands High School in Hartsdale, N.Y., the school from which German graduated in 2003. In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that the state Capitol's flags would be flown at half-staff in German's honor, saying the sergeant's "courage and unfailing loyalty serve as an inspiration to Americans everywhere."
The former turret gunner was dubbed the "Miracle Man" for his determination in facing his wounds, which cost the former saxophone player his fingers and rippled his face with scars. He endured between 120 and 150 surgeries, spent 17 months in a hospital and had to learn to walk again.
Meanwhile, he started a charity, Merlin's Miracles, to aid child burn victims, and considered college and a career.
For more on the charity, visit MerlinsMiracles.com
"Sometimes I don't think I can't do it," he told The Associated Press last year. "Then I think: Why not? I can do whatever I want...Nobody has ever been 97 percent dead and survived, and lived to walk."
Born in Manhattan, German moved to New York City's northern suburbs as a teenager.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps in September 2003, according to his charity's Web site. He was medically retired four years later, the Defense Department said.
A llittle more from the San Antonio Express
Serving in the military is all that anyone can remember Merlin talking about wanting to do as he grew up.
"He always wanted to be in the military," remembers Jedd Chesterson, his best friend from high school.
He joined the Marines after graduating from high school. When he went home after boot camp, his brother Fred teased him that the Iraqi soldiers would take his rifle away from him. Merlin grabbed a broomstick and challenged his brother to try to take it away from him, which Fred quickly did.
Surprised, Merlin said, "They're not that strong in Iraq."
He got stronger. On Feb. 21, 2005, Merlin had been in Iraq for nine months and was two weeks away from coming home.
"He'd already bought his ticket," said his father, Hemery.
His Humvee hit a roadside improvised explosive device in Baghdad and he suffered burns over 97 percent of his body.
"Every part except the top of his scalp and the soles of his feet," said his sister Lawren.
Whenever he was hospitalized he'd go to the rooms of other wounded veterans to encourage them to keep going and getting better.
He designed a T-shirt that in the front read, "Got 3 percent chance of survival, what ya gonna do?" The back of it read, "A) Fight Through, b) Stay Strong, c) Overcome Because I Am a Warrior, d) All Of The Above." D is circled.
In October 2006, the artist Thomas Kinkade learned about Merlin and, impressed with his spirit, gave him a signed, limited edition of his painting, "Heading Home," which shows a soldier walking toward a light.
Two months later, at BAMC's Christmas Ball, Merlin, after weeks of agonizing practice with Guerra, surprised his mother by dancing with her to, "Have I Told You Lately."
Merlin was featured in USA Today as well as this and other newspapers and became a bit of a celebrity magnet, meeting, among others, President Bush and, most recently, Dennis Miller during the Final Four.
Wild Thing's comment........
This is so sad. He fought such a long battle to stay alive. We have lost another Hero but he will never be forgotten. Prayers for his family and loved ones. Rest in peace Marine Sgt. Merlin German.
It’s really too bad the names of these great Americans are not on the lips of more fellow citizens.
....Thank you Lynn for sending this to me.
Posted by Wild Thing at 04:50 AM | Comments (14)
April 28, 2008
Patriot Guard Welcomes Home SSG Keith Matthew Maupin ~ Rest in peace, faithful patriot!
Some notes from PGR:
"Just got home . It was a great experience to see the crowds that turned out for Matt . PGR PRIDE ... thats what we showed them today . I heard that Law Enforcement estimated 2500 bikes . I counted several long stretch limos & 24 Motor Patrolmen in the procession . When the bikes were parked downtown they streched five Cincinnati city blocks . What a sight ."
April 27, 2008
Cincinnati, OH
Video's of the Funeral Procession with the PGR and other supporters. You can see the many bikes going by.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YRuoJq3Mp-8
Staff Sergeant Matt Maupin was remembered in a public funeral ceremony at Great American Ball Park, April 27th,
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Thousands attend Ballpark funeral held in Ohio for long-missing soldier (Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin)
Military workers and supporters from across the country joined in memorials Sunday for a slain Army reservist who had become a poignant picture of the war in Iraq after he was captured by insurgents.
Thousands walked past Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin's casket during a daylong visitation at a civic center in Clermont County, east of Cincinnati, where he grew up. Many of them headed to Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds, for an afternoon memorial service.
The crowd occupied the lower portion of the 42,000-seat stadium, behind home plate, stretching from first base to third.
Maupin's flag-draped casket was on a platform in the area of the pitcher's mound. The only people on the field were members of the 338th Army band and about 100 family members, military representatives and dignitaries.
"Matt Maupin was the all-American kid," said retired Lt. Gen. James Campbell, representing the Army at the service. "We are so proud of you. You have served your country with honor and distinction."
Maupin's remains were found in Iraq last month, nearly four years after he was captured when his fuel convoy was attacked near Baghdad on April 9, 2004. He became the face of the war for many Americans after the Arab television network Al-Jazeera aired a videotape in April 2004 showing him wearing camouflage and a floppy desert hat, sitting on a floor surrounded by five masked men holding automatic rifles.
Members of his unit, the Illinois-based 724th Transportation Co., were among those on the field Sunday.
"In his service, he became a son to all of Batavia and a son to all of Ohio," said Gov. Ted Strickland. "The Maupins heard the prayers of people from across the state and across the world."
Maupin, a 20-year-old private first class when he disappeared, was listed as missing-captured until a tip from local Iraqis led to the discovery of his remains on the outskirts of Baghdad, about 12 miles from where the convoy was ambushed.
The Army had promoted Maupin three times since his capture, to keep his military career on a par with his contemporaries in case he survived. At a private ceremony with his family on Saturday, the Army awarded Maupin the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, the POW Medal and other commendations.
Posted by Wild Thing at 04:47 AM | Comments (8)
April 18, 2008
Maupin’s Parents Told Son’s Captors Are in U.S.Custody
Army officials have told the parents of Sgt. Matt Maupin that some of the Iraqis believed to be responsible for their son’s capture four years ago are in custody, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Thursday.
“I know that there are at least two who are supposed to be put on trial, if they haven’t been already,” Keith Maupin, father of the Ohio soldier, told the Enquirer. Maupin’s remains were found March 20 in Iraq by U.S. soldiers, nearly four years after he was captured in a convoy attack near the Baghdad airport.
Keith Maupin and the soldier’s mother, Carolyn Maupin, left Cincinnati on Wednesday for Washington, where they will have a full day of briefings from Pentagon officials on their son’s disappearance, the paper reported.
The soldier’s father told the Enquirer that he expected to learn more Thursday about the Iraqi insurgents believed to be responsible for the then-20-year-old Army reservist’s capture; and more about how and when their son died.
They also will have a video conference with soldiers from the 1st battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment who discovered Maupin’s remains on March 20 northwest of Baghdad, working on a tip from an Iraqi civilian, the Enquirer reported.
Keith Maupin said he was told by Army officials soon after the remains were discovered that some of those believed responsible for their son’s capture and death had been detained, the Enquirer reported.
The Maupins plan to return to Cincinnati on Friday to continue with planning for their son’s visitation and funeral, the paper wrote.
Wild Thing's comment........
Hopefully knowing that some of SSgt Maupin's captors are in prison will bring some comfort to the Maupin Family. I hope they put these terrorists to death and they don't sit in jail for years and years.
Posted by Wild Thing at 02:47 AM | Comments (4)
April 17, 2008
Phelps & "God Hates Soldiers" to Desecrate Funeral of SSG Matt Maupin
Army SSG Matt Maupin
We have all heard and read about the church of Phelps and his signs that says, "God hates Soldiers" protesting the funeral of hero.
From Phelps' own website, which I won't link to, because I don't want to give him traffic, comes this gem:
"Great American Ball Park 100 Main This is for the funeral of Army Staff Sgt. Keith M. Maupin. Thank God for another Dead Soldier! Whoohoo! That is some goodness right there! "
One item that I noticed only recently comes from Matt's family, and is information they received early on about Matt's capture. In addition to the disturbing threat of someone being executed, and the military's inability to actually confirm that it was Matt was a message that the executioners permitted Matt to make. In it Matt said that all he wanted was to return to his wife and child.
The truth is that Matt had no wife or child.
Matt was signaling that he was being tortured and forced to speak. It was important for him to let his nation know that anything he said or did should be discounted.
Also significant is that Matt was taken prisoner in the Abu Ghraib region of Iraq. The media, which made a big deal of a phony, torture-atrocity at Abu Ghraib prison, in which prisoners were stripped of their clothing, has not mentioned the real atrocity of Abu Ghraib, the torture-death of an American Prisoner, SSG Matt Maupin.
This young hero deserves our support as he is laid to rest. His last known words were an attempt to uphold the dignity of his nation. What can we do for him?
Cincinnati, Ohio, Great American Ball Park, Sunday, 27 April, approximately at noon.
President intends to attend the visitation with family on 26th April.
If you all are in the vicinity, PLEASE don't let these vermin desecrate this funeral.
The PGR have been invited to attend the services for SSG Maupin. Here's a link to the mission thread:
Patriot Guards and Maupin Funeral:
From PGR email:
' It is indeed truly sad to think of people so heartless that they must try to inflict more emotional torment at a time when the emotional pain is already great.
Many of our members don't ride bikes, the only prerequisite is respect. '
The Maupins have given much for the WOT. Not only have they been instrumental in sending almost 10,000 care packages to Iraq, but they helped raise scholarships for students in memory of fallen servicemen and women. And even more significant, they will endure another son continuing his service in the war.
Matt Maupin's Brother Re-Enlists In Marine Corps on the anniversary of his brother's capture.
Thank you everyone. If you know of anyone in the area could you please email them this post or tell them about it. They do not have to ride a bke or have one to attend.
~ Wild Thing
Posted by Wild Thing at 03:45 AM | Comments (6)
April 08, 2008
Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor
To a true American Hero,
Rest in Peace and may God bless and take care of you and your family. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten. ~ Wild Thing
President Bush Attends Medal of Honor Ceremony for Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor, U.S. Navy
CLICK Video to watch Ceremony
Summary of Action Petty Officer Second Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor For actions on Sept. 29, 2006
Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor, United States Navy, distinguished himself through conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a Combat Advisor and Automatic Weapons Gunner for Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian Peninsula in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on 29 September 2006. He displayed great personal courage and exceptional bravery while conducting operations in enemy held territory at Ar Ramadi Iraq.
During Operation Kentucky Jumper, a combined Coalition battalion clearance and isolation operation in southern Ar Ramadi, he served as automatic weapons gunner in a combined SEAL and Iraqi Army (IA) sniper overwatch element positioned on a residential rooftop in a violent sector and historical stronghold for insurgents. In the morning, his team observed four enemy fighters armed with AK-47s reconnoitering from roads in the sector to conduct follow-on attacks. SEAL snipers from his roof engaged two of them which resulted in one enemy wounded in action and one enemy killed in action. A mutually supporting SEAL/IA position also killed an enemy fighter during the morning hours. After the engagements, the local populace blocked off the roads in the area with rocks to keep civilians away and to warn insurgents of the presence of his Coalition sniper element. Additionally, a nearby mosque called insurgents to arms to fight Coalition Forces.
In the early afternoon, enemy fighters attacked his position with automatic weapons fire from a moving vehicle. The SEALs fired back and stood their ground. Shortly thereafter, an enemy fighter shot a rocket-propelled grenade at his building. Though well-acquainted with enemy tactics in Ar Ramadi, and keenly aware that the enemy would continue to attack, the SEALs remained on the battlefield in order to carry out the mission of guarding the western flank of the main effort.
Due to expected enemy action, the officer in charge repositioned him with his automatic heavy machine gun in the direction of the enemy’s most likely avenue of approach. He placed him in a small, confined sniper hide-sight between two SEAL snipers on an outcropping of the roof, which allowed the three SEALs maximum coverage of the area. He was located closest to the egress route out of the sniper hide-sight watching for enemy activity through a tactical periscope over the parapet wall. While vigilantly watching for enemy activity, an enemy fighter hurled a hand grenade onto the roof from an unseen location. The grenade hit him in the chest and bounced onto the deck. He immediately leapt to his feet and yelled “grenade” to alert his teammates of impending danger, but they could not evacuate the sniper hide-sight in time to escape harm. Without hesitation and showing no regard for his own life, he threw himself onto the grenade, smothering it to protect his teammates who were lying in close proximity. The grenade detonated as he came down on top of it, mortally wounding him.
Petty Officer Monsoor’s actions could not have been more selfless or clearly intentional. Of the three SEALs on that rooftop corner, he had the only avenue of escape away from the blast, and if he had so chosen, he could have easily escaped. Instead, Monsoor chose to protect his comrades by the sacrifice of his own life. By his courageous and selfless actions, he saved the lives of his two fellow SEALs and he is the most deserving of the special recognition afforded by awarding the Medal of Honor.
Posted by Wild Thing at 07:27 PM | Comments (4)
March 31, 2008
SSgt Matt Maupin Remains Found ~ Rest in Peace, Brave Warrior
The nightmare began on April 9th, 2004
U.S. soldier captured in Iraq
Name: Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin
Branch/Rank: U.S. Army Reserves / Pfc - Spc - Staff Sgt
Unit: Army Reserves 724th Transportation Company, Bartonville, Ill
The insurgents ambushed a convoy guarded by the 724th and took Private First Class Maupin, then 20, captive. The attack on Maupin's convoy came Friday near the village of Abu Ghraib. They were ambushed by attackers using rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.
Arabic television station Al Jazeera broadcast a video tape that showed U.S. Private Keith Matthew Maupin held by masked and heavily armed guerrillas after being captured in an attack on a convoy last week.
"A group of mujahideen (holy fighters) has succeeded in taking an American soldier prisoner...and he will be treated in the Islamic tradition of treating prisoners and he is in good health," one guerrilla read from a statement.
The poor-quality tape showed Maupin dressed in military fatigues sitting on the floor.
Something about Matt
By all accounts, Matt Maupin was a highly regarded young man in the small western Clermont County community.
"Matt is a great kid, and he comes from a great family," said Dennis Ashworth, the principal of Glen Este High School, where Maupin graduated in 2001. "All of us here are extremely concerned about his well-being."
The young man was a scholar-athlete in high school who maintained a 3.5 grade-point average while playing three years of football, mostly as a wide receiver.
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From October 31, 2005
Fort Drum Soldiers Search For Sgt. Maupin (only American soldier listed as captured in Iraq)
They kept low to the ground, their backs hunched, inching over the terrain. Some crept on hands and knees. They sifted sand in their fingers, overturned rocks and probed the scraggly bushes that survive in a desert.
The sun battered them. Out here, they seemed to move as slowly as the hours. They sought a scrap of clothing or a fragment of bone. Some really weren't sure what to look for, but kept to the search, clinging to the faith that, somehow, when they saw it, they'd know it.
So it went Saturday, in the ceaseless search for Sgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin, a 20-year-old Army Reservist from Batavia, Ohio, who remains the only American soldier listed as captured in Iraq.
In April 2004, insurgents attacked Maupin's convoy in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad. Soon after, a grainy video turned up on the Al-Jazeera television network showing a man being held at gunpoint. The man identified himself as Maupin.
"I am married with a 10-month-old child," he said, apparently reading from a sheet of paper. He was not heard from again.
To the soldiers of the Army's 10th Mountain Division, who have studied his picture and read his story, finding Matt Maupin has become a quest that transcends war and peace; it is a mission that defines their values as soldiers.
"He needs to go home to his family," said First Sgt. Joseph Sanford, 38, a native of Poughkeepsie. ". . . And there needs to be closure for his family. Those are the two things we're trying to bring: closure to his family, and a way to send this young man home."
Sanford's Alpha Company of the 2-22 Infantry the "Triple Deuce" combed a stretch of land between two highways in the Abu Ghraib section. A recent tip suggested that Maupin's body might lie here, so they parceled the tract into sections and moved systematically through them.
Thirty-two soldiers went out Saturday, 30 the day before, and 28 on the day before that. The soldiers formed a line and inched forward, scouring the ground for clumps of hair or bones or subtle mounds that might suggest movement of dirt 18 months earlier.
"The physical search is the key," Sanford said. "It's all hands-on. It's picking up every rock, it's looking under every bush, it's turning over every piece of clothing or trash that we find out there. And we've found many indicators."
They had dug 45 holes and bagged and tagged 10 items that could hold the answers to Maupin's fate a scrap of military clothing, a clump of hair and several pieces of bones. Each will be shipped to a lab for analysis.
"They could be anybody. They might be Sgt. Maupin." Sanford cited the Warrior Ethos, in which a soldier vows never to leave a comrade behind. Sanford said he learned the meaning of the creed from his sergeant, during the invasion of Panama in 1989.
"When it comes down to it, it's not about fighting for your country," Sanford said. "It's not about fighting for their freedom over here. When it all comes down to it, it's about the man on your left and the man on your right. It's all about protecting their flanks and making sure they get home."
"In the back of your mind, he said later, as the search wore on, "you're always hoping. And the search does get stressful after you dig for three or four days, and every hole you dig comes up dry. But you keep going back. . . . You're hoping that this is the one, and you'll bring closure to his family and send this boy home."
Sanford never knew Matt Maupin. He has never met Maupin's family. Still, he thinks of them often. And among his men, most of whom are near Maupin's age, the fate of their lost comrade is always in their minds.
Some say the tedium of the search mirrors the day-to-day grind of the war. "This is a very patient war," explained Sgt. Bryan Hatfield, 27, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. "I mean, you may go 15, 20 patrols like we've been doing, and you may not see anything. Then comes that one time that you do. "
"So we may go out there day after day, time after time, scouring the grounds . . . Then comes that one time, you might find something, and it'll be worth it. The hope is always there that, yeah, he could be here. So I'll go and look."
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March 5, 2006 ....more searching and with more troops
Marines assist in search for Army Sgt. Keith M. Maupin
Marines from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, assisted recently in the search for Army Sgt. Keith M. Maupin remains. The recovery team consisted of U.S. Army and British soldiers.
Test results confirmed that several partial sets of remains that were recovered were not American. Still, Marines and soldiers were proud to take part in the search to recover Maupin.
“It is the noblest of missions,” said Gunnery Sgt. Brett A. Turek, a 37-year-old Mobile Assault Platoon commander from Hinsdale, Ill. “Fifty years from now, when we’re bouncing our grandkids on our knees and they ask what we did in the Marine Corps, we’ll be able to say this is what we did to make a difference.”
Marines searched several possible grave sites south of Fallujah. Maupin was taken captive by insurgents April 9, 2004, when his convoy was attacked near Abu Ghraib, south of Baghdad. He was shown on insurgent propaganda films and insurgents later claimed to have executed him, although the video was never authenticated.
“We exploit every single one as if it’s the one,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class James Haftmann, a 37-year-old from Charleston, S.C., assigned to Multi-National Corps Iraq’s Personnel Recovery Detachment. “But we don’t stop searching.”
The recovery team was comprised of Marines from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Logistics Group, as well as soldiers from MNCI’s Personnel Recovery Detachment and British soldiers from the Joint Forces (United Kingdom) Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group, 32 Engineer Regiment.
Maupin is the only U.S. servicemember listed as missing in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher is still listed as missing from Operation Desert Storm.
Efforts to find Maupin have been ongoing since June 2004, shortly after his capture. A total of 72 grave sites were excavated, unearthing remains. Still, the search for Maupin continue.
Haftmann said hundreds of servicemembers behind the scenes have been dedicated to recovering Maupin. Intelligence gatherers and analysts down to infantrymen and engineers pored over multiple sites, hoping each hole would yield the answers for which they searched.
British engineers 1st Lt. Chris Elworthy, Cpl. Iain Hammond and Lance Cpl. David Berry dragged a ground-penetrating radar over the protruding mounds of sand and confirmed that anomalies – disturbances – lay beneath the sand. This was the proof they sought that remains might actually lay beneath the ground.
Marine engineers were called in and began digging the sand away, scraping away the sand and shards of limestone. Marines and soldiers searched each bucket for signs of remains.
Nearly an hour into the digging, the first bones were unearthed. Marines and soldiers crowded closer, carefully combing through sand. The chugging of the diesel engines from the construction equipment nearly drowned out the Marines’ whispers and they bent closer, examining nearly every grain.
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August 9th, 2006....Matt Maupin Promoted
Keith “Matt” Maupin, the only soldier listed as captured in Iraq, has been promoted to staff sergeant, the Army announced Tuesday. Maupin was a private first class when he was captured.
The Army, in announcing Maupin’s promotion, said it is “unwavering in its commitment to find Maupin.
Until he is found, Maupin remains on active-duty status with all rights and privileges for pay and promotions, the Army said.
March 30,2008
Maupins Confirm D-N-A is from Body of Son, Missing Soldier Matt Maupin
Union Township, OH
Keith Maupin, the father of Matt Maupin, confirmed Sunday afternoon that the remains of his son, Matt Maupin, have been identified by the army in Iraq.
In a statement Keith said "We are proud of the continued efforts of the military and the army to return Matt to us. We must now work on efforts to return Matt.'
"Please keep the military and our family in your prayers."
Carolyn Maupin, Matt's mother said, "Thanks to everyone for their prayers and continued strength of the family."
"It hurts after four years of hope and this is what happens it is like a let down for me and I'm trying to get thru that right now."
"Pray. This is going to be very difficult and stay by our side in support."
Keith says that the family was informed this afternoon about 1p-m by a three star general. The body was identified by the D-N-A remains.
n a Sunday evening press conference, Staff Sergeant Maupin's parents Keith and Carolyn said they were told of the news around around 1 p.m. Sunday.
"My heart sinks, but I know they can't hurt him anymore," Keith Maupin said.
* Here is the website his parents have had
* This is their Gusetbook where you can leave a message
Posted by Wild Thing at 02:55 AM | Comments (12)
October 23, 2007
Medal of Honor Ceremony For Lt. Michael P. Murphy
Navy SEALs (Sea, Air, Land) operating in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. From left to right: Sonar Technician -- Surface 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew G. Axelson, 29, of Cupertino, Calif; Information Systems Technician Senior Chief (SEAL) Daniel R. Healy, 36, of Exeter, N.H.; Quartermaster 2nd Class (SEAL) James Suh, 28, of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; Hospital Corpsman Second Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell; Machinist Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Eric S. Patton, 22, of Boulder City, Nev.; LT (SEAL) Michael P. Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y. With the exception of the lone survivor, Luttrell, all were killed June 28, 2005 by enemy forces while supporting Operation Redwing
We can NEVER repay them for their devotion to duty and to US. Marcus Luttrell’s survival is miraculous.
President Bush will award a posthumous Medal of Honor to the family of Navy LT Michael P. Murphy. For Operation Red Wing he led a 3-man SEAL recon team that was taken under fire by several dozen Taliban in June 2005. When his commo man was wounded, Murphy had to expose himself to enemy fire to radio for a rescue chopper (shot down upon arrival; all aboard killed). LINK for his website HERE
On Tuesday October 23 at 11:00a.m., LT Murphy will be inducted into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes, where all Medal of Honor recipients are honored.
Though shot in the back while doing so, he completed that call and, multiply wounded, returned to the team, now engaged in a desperate battle. Some 2 hours later, only one, Luttrell, remained alive.
A brief memorial to those lost on the 28th of June, 2005
SEAL Team 10 Memorial
Marcus Luttrell describing that day
Marcus Luttrell writes LONE SURVIVOR 2 Honor Fallen Brothers
Marcus Luttrell and his three buddies had to make an impossible decision. Afghani goat herders disrupted their secret mission to track a Taliban leader. Killing them would be a violation of the ROE (Rules of Engagement). Holding them would reveal their position. Letting them go would likely bring the Taliban upon them. Luttrell, who’s riveting new book ‘Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10’ is fast top seller, talks to Breitbart.tv in front of the U.S. Capitol about courage, the consequence of decisions, and the meaning of his Navy Cross.
His Brietbart interview
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=1774
"As an Officer, Murph chose to use Engine 53 and Ladder 43 as a symbol for his teammates. Shortly after being deployed, Mike requested enough company patches to distribute to his fellow SEAL members. We were informed that Mike wore our patch with pride on every mission, on every deployment."
President Bush Presents Medal of Honor to Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, U.S. Navy
On Monday, President Bush said:
"The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration that a President can bestow. It recognizes gallantry that goes above and beyond the call of duty in the face of an enemy attack. The tradition of awarding this honor began during the Civil War. And many of those who have received the medal have given their lives in the action that earned it. Today, we add Lieutenant Michael Murphy's name to the list of recipients who have made the ultimate sacrifice. "
Video here, it is the second story with the video in the middle of the page.
If you would like you can pay your respects to Lt. Murphy’s family here:
http://www.legacy.com/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=14469233
Fox News covered it. I cried while I watched it, what brave men we have, our American troops.
And the book, "LONE SURVIVOR" by Marcus Luttrell.........Marcus was part of Lt. Murphy's team and was the only one to survive the ordeal. Unbelievable book and makes me furious everytime I hear or see the traitorous democrats.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:55 AM | Comments (4)
October 12, 2007
The Warriors of the USS Cole
On October 12, 2000, the USS Cole (DDG 67) was attacked/bombed in the Port of Aden in Yemen by terrorists.
Think about the USS Cole, think about that ship and what those sailors were going through at that moment with that impact. In the dark, there was twisted steel, they had gaseous fumes, toxic fumes. They were operating under all kinds of adverse conditions, and then the power generation went out and they had to bail the water out by hand. And they were doing it all while they were saving other members who had been injured, and trying to recover those who had been killed.
Let us never forget our Heroes and never forget those that gave their all on the USS Cole.
- Wild Thing
A tribute to the men and women of the U.S.S. COLE
My cargo, so precious, I carried with pride;
Brave men and women who stood side by side.The stars and stripes, waving so high up above;
My country, my mission, any vessel would love.My sailors all knew their assignment, full well.
They performed at top merit, their Captains would tell.As a unit, they stood all together as one;
So deserving of honor, America's daughters and sons.This wasn't a war, just a bright sunny day.
A sudden shudder tore my hull away;A gaping hole, letting water inside.
With that thunderous blast, some had died.My sirens were screaming, flames reaching high.
Sailors were moaning and so was I!Work hard men and women! We must not fail!
Seal off the compartments! It's too much to bail!All the medics were working, at a feverish pace;
Scenes of pure heroism all over the place!The strongest were praying, while their muscles of steel
Assisted in any way they could see or feel.When darkness fell we scarcely noticed at all,
Aching to hear every voice at roll call.Finally, the moving memorial came,
Only because of those heroes so brave.My stars and stripes, (lower), still flew just the same;
All our beautiful children accounted for by name.Now I stood naked, before the whole world;
Men working feverishly where bombs had been hurled.My heroes are living and healing and dead
And I will come home, just the way I am led.You'll welcome me home, as you always do.
The cheers will be heard by all of my crew.We're still wounded, still healing, but proud just the same
And the U.S.S. Cole will serve you again.For you'll build back my hull, with a star and a story,
To the tip of the flagpole raise high Old Glory.We'll always remember FREEDOM'S NOT FREE!!!
And we'll never forget HEROES LIKE THESE!
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:47 PM | Comments (8)
September 29, 2007
Sgt. Emerson Brand ~ We Will Never Forget Your Sacrifice
Patriot Guard Escorts Fallen Soldier form Caddo MIlls, Texas
Sgt. Emerson N. Brand, 29
Sgt. Emerson spent the last nine years of his life in the Army, serving once in Kosovo and this was his second deployment to Iraq. His life was tragically cut short when an IED struck his unit, killing Emerson and three other soldiers March 15, in Baghdad.
He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
The song is:
"Go Rest High On The Mountain" by Vince Gill
From Patriot Guard Riders:
"Sgt. Emerson Brand was killed in Iraq last week by an IED. I got a call from an associate asking if I could film the plane arriving yesterday in Greenville, Texas. I was honored. I found out the procession had grown and this was to be an "event" for Greenville and the area, with businesses closing and allowing employees to line the streets in honor of Sgt. Brand. Many people and organizations offered to volunteer their time and assistance to making this a reality.The Patriot Guard Riders would be present for the procession and the funeral today, but never imagined the patriotic feel I found when watching the Patriot Guard Riders in the procession. Seeing the people lining the streets with American flags and businesses closing down, I found hope for our country that people still care about what our soldiers are fighting for. An emotional day for me as this was the first "real contact" with the war in the Middle East and seeing a fallen soldier."
"History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid" -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
.....Thank you Tom for sending this to me.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:44 AM | Comments (7)
July 23, 2007
Defense Sec. Gates Talks of Maj.Doug Zembiec at Marine Corps Dinner
MUST SEE video of Sec.Def. Gates speaking at the Marine Corps Association dinner this week .. he breaks down, very emotionally describing the heroism and gallantry of Capt. Doug Zembiec (promoted to Major posthumously), the Lion of Fallujah. It’s very moving. Marine Douglas A. Zembiec, a Marine who asked to be sent back to Iraq, and died there.(July19)
You arfe invited to also see my other post about Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec the Lion Of Fallujah dated May 29th,2007.
Rest in peace, brave warrior. God bless and protect our awesome troops!
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:40 AM | Comments (3)
June 03, 2007
Rest in Peace, Brave Warrior ~ Rest in Peace
Memorial Service for Joe Anzack, 20, kidnapped & killed in Iraq recently
Votive candles, flowers, messages and other offerings adorn a sidewalk shrine in honor of Army Cpl. Joseph Anzack Jr., including a photo of him in his high school football uniform. Joe was a 20-year-old soldier found dead last week after an ambush in Iraq. There was a public funeral service at his old high school in Torrance, Calif., Friday, June 1, 2007. Joe, a private first class who was promoted to corporal after his death, was to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. The Army gunner vanished with two other soldiers May 12 when their combat team was ambushed about 20 miles outside of Baghdad.
The door of Joseph Anzack's home is adorned with a yellow ribbon and sign that says, 'United We Stand'.
Devin Week, 19, said he was on Anzack's wrestling and swim teams at South High School, and had known him since he was a freshman.
"He wanted to be in the military as long as I've known him," said Week, who met up with the procession in front of Rice Mortuary. "I brought flowers today and said goodbye. Earlier, I was angry at the war. We have no choice but to support it - our good buddies are out there. It's sad that it takes this to make the war real."
Outside South High School, hundreds flooded into the athletic field for the 5:30 p.m. service. Many milled outside, watching from behind a chain-link fence.
Nine-year-old Molly Blank hugged her grandfather, Jim Reinhardt.
"He lived one block from us," said Reinhardt, 79.
David Adams, 21, said Anzack was one class behind him in high school.
"He was a real nice guy, a real intense athlete," Adams said. "Seeing everyone's faces, his dad's face in the limo - it hits pretty hard. I just respect how much he gave for his country."
Wild Thing's comment...........
Thank you, soldier. I’m grateful for your service and sacrifice. I will not forget you.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:55 AM | Comments (8)
May 29, 2007
Lion Of Fallujah Is Laid To Rest
Capt. Doug Zembiec, the commanding officer of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, gives orders to his men over a radio prior to leaving their secured compound for a short patrol in Fallujah, Iraq April 8, 2004. The company entered Fallujah April 6 to begin the effort of destroying enemy held up in the city.
Marine Corps News
By Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva, MCB Camp Pendleto
Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, who once told reporters in the din of battle his Marines “fought like lions,” was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery May 16. A crowd of more than a thousand gathered at the U.S. Naval Academy’s chapel to honor the fallen warrior.
Zembiec was killed in action May 10, 2007. He was 34 years old.
In attendance were more than 30 of Zembiec’s Marines from his tour as E Company’s commander, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. The pallbearers were led by Sgt. Maj. William Skiles, Zembiec’s former first sergeant. Zembiec’s Marines wore dress uniforms adorned by medals marking their combat tours. They came from across the nation, from Marine bases on both coasts to bury their leader.
“There is no one better to go to war with,” Skiles once said of Zembiec.
They came to honor a man who roared life, who led them into combat in Fallujah and who climbed upon a tank to gain a greater perspective of the battlefield, all the while defying rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire smashing around him. They honored a man who considered it his greatest honor to fight in combat with his Marines.
Zembeic told Los Angeles Times reporter Tony Perry that battling insurgents was “the greatest day of my life. I never felt so alive, so exhilarated, so purposeful. There is nothing equal to combat, and there is no greater honor than to lead men into combat. Once you’ve dealt with life and death like that, it gives you a whole new perspective.”
At times during the battle, Zembiec’s Marines tossed grenades within 20 feet of insurgents.
“My Marines have fought like lions and will continue to do so,” he said following the battle. “Ten million insurgents won’t even begin to fill the boots of one of my men.”
Shortly before 9 a.m. and under blue skies and puffy white clouds, Zembiec’s lions brought their leader home.
A Navy-Marine honor detail carried Zembiec to hallowed and venerated halls of the maritime chapel here. It was the same chapel where he attended Catholic mass as a midshipman and the same chapel he took his bride, Pamela.
This time, the proud warrior was carried in. Marine and Navy officers gripped the rails of his flag-draped casket, silently gliding down the narrow carpeted aisle. Zembiec was placed at the front of the chapel where prayers and blessings were offered.
Navy chaplain Capt. Pete McGeory led the service, telling the gathering Zembiec was a “genuine patriot” and a “genuine hero.”
“You can shed a tear because he is gone or smile because he lived,” McGeory said.
Eric. L Kapitulik, Zembiec’s best friend of 17 years, offered a eulogy. He said Zembiec kept a series of journals, often scribbling notes on leadership, pearls of wisdom he collected by those he respected.
One entry, Kapitulik said, came from Col. George Bristol. It read, “Never forget those who were killed. Never let rest those who killed them.”
Kapitulik read another. “Be a man of principal. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country.
“Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society,” Zembiec’s message in his journal continued. “Lead from the front. Conquer your fears. Be a good friend. Be humble and self-confident. Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle and take responsibility for your actions.”
The vows of Zembiec’s life, written by his hand, according to Kapitulik, were titled, “Principles my father taught me.”
Zembiec’s lions honored him in fitting memory. They carried him from the chapel to an awaiting hearse. A miles-long procession of cars snaked their way to Arlington National Cemetery. There, among countless rows of white headstones lined on manicured green lawns, a place was prepared.
This is where the lion will rest for eternity. He would take his place in the long line of patriots who consecrated the grounds. It was a place of peace and honor for a warrior who dedicated his life to his nation’s battles.
Navy chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Scott Radetski led a brief graveside service. The sharp crack of three rifle volleys pierced the warm spring air. Solemn strains of “Taps” followed while Marines held salutes in white-gloved hands.
The following moments were hushed. Marines folded the flag that covered his casket. They gracefully, purposefully and meticulously folded the flag into a triangle.
It was offered to Pamela. With that, Zembiec was given to his nation one final time.
Zembiec, the Lion of Fallujah’s lions, was brought home by his Marines. They carried him home. He was buried in the soil of the nation he loved.
Now, among rows of white stones on green fields, the Lion is at rest.
* Something......and Half of Something
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:44 AM | Comments (3)
May 25, 2007
Special Thank You This Memorial Day Weekend
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Since some may be traveling to spend this weekend with special remembrance to someone that gave their all for our country. I wanted to Pay a Tribute today for our brave military and those that paid the highest price for our freedom. There will be other posts throughout the weekend as a Tribute to American's Heroe's for Memorial Day.
The music in the video is " Some Gave All" by Billy Ray Cyrus. It is an amazing song.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:55 AM | Comments (6)
October 12, 2006
USS Cole ~ "Determined Warrior"
USS Cole
(DDG 67)
"Determined Warrior"
On October 12, 2000, the USS Cole (DDG 67) was attacked/bombed in the Port of Aden in Yemen by terrorists.
Think about the USS Cole, think about that ship and what those sailors were going through at that moment with that impact. In the dark, there was twisted steel, they had gaseous fumes, toxic fumes. They were operating under all kinds of adverse conditions, and then the power generation went out and they had to bail the water out by hand. And they were doing it all while they were saving other members who had been injured, and trying to recover those who had been killed.
Let us never forget our Heroes and never forget those that gave their all on the USS Cole.
- Wild Thing
It wasn't until a few days ago though, that we started doing something that I feel may be the first thing I've seen in my short Naval career that has truly made a difference. Right now we're supporting the USS COLE and her crew in Aden.
When the attack occurred we were a day away. Just by luck we happened to be on our way out of the Gulf and headed towards the Suez and could get here in a relatively short amount of time. I know what you all have seen on CNN, because we have seen it too. I just want you all to know that what you see doesn't even scratch the surface.
I'm not going to get into it for obvious reasons. But I will tell you that right now there are 250+ sailors just a few miles away living in hell on Earth. I'm sitting in a nice air conditioned state room, they're sleeping out on the decks at night. You can't even imagine the conditions they're living in, and yet they are still fighting 24 hours a day to save their ship and free the bodies of those still trapped and send them home.
As bad as it is, they're doing an incredible job. The very fact that these people are still functioning is beyond my comprehension. Whatever you imagine as the worst, multiply it by ten and you might get there. Today I was tasked to photo rig the ship and surrounding area. It looked so much worse than I had imagined, unbelievable really, with debris and disarray everywhere, the ship listing, the hole in her side.
I wish I had the power to relay to you all what I have seen, but words just won't do it. I do want to tell you the first thing that jumped out at me - the Stars and Stripes flying. I can't tell you how that made me feel...even in this God forsaken hell hole our flag was more beautiful than words can describe.
Then I started to notice the mass of activity going on below, scores of people working non-stop in 90 plus degree weather to save this ship. They're doing it with almost no electrical power and they're sleeping (when they can sleep) outside on the decks because they can't stand the smell or the heat or the darkness inside. They only want to eat what we bring them because they're all scared of eating something brought by the local vendors.
Even with all that, the USS COLE and her crew is sending a message guys, and it's that even acts of cowardice and hate can do nothing to the spirit and pride of the United States. I have never been so proud of what I do, or of the men and women that I serve with as I was today.
There are sixteen confirmed dead sailors who put it on the line for all of us, and some of them are still trapped here. Please take a minute to pray for their families and say a word of thanks for their sacrifice - one made so that we can live the lives that we do. All of you that serve with me, thank you. All of you that have loved ones that serve, thank you.
A tribute to the men and women of the U.S.S. COLEMy cargo, so precious, I carried with pride;
Brave men and women who stood side by side.The stars and stripes, waving so high up above;
My country, my mission, any vessel would love.My sailors all knew their assignment, full well.
They performed at top merit, their Captains would tell.As a unit, they stood all together as one;
So deserving of honor, America's daughters and sons.This wasn't a war, just a bright sunny day.
A sudden shudder tore my hull away;A gaping hole, letting water inside.
With that thunderous blast, some had died.My sirens were screaming, flames reaching high.
Sailors were moaning and so was I!Work hard men and women! We must not fail!
Seal off the compartments! It's too much to bail!All the medics were working, at a feverish pace;
Scenes of pure heroism all over the place!The strongest were praying, while their muscles of steel
Assisted in any way they could see or feel.When darkness fell we scarcely noticed at all,
Aching to hear every voice at roll call.Finally, the moving memorial came,
Only because of those heroes so brave.My stars and stripes, (lower), still flew just the same;
All our beautiful children accounted for by name.Now I stood naked, before the whole world;
Men working feverishly where bombs had been hurled.My heroes are living and healing and dead
And I will come home, just the way I am led.You'll welcome me home, as you always do.
The cheers will be heard by all of my crew.We're still wounded, still healing, but proud just the same
And the U.S.S. Cole will serve you again.For you'll build back my hull, with a star and a story,
To the tip of the flagpole raise high Old Glory.We'll always remember FREEDOM'S NOT FREE!!!
And we'll never forget HEROES LIKE THESE!
On February 3, 2006, 23 suspected or convicted Al-Qaeda members escaped from jail in Yemen. This number included 13 who were convicted of the USS Cole bombings and the bombing of the French tanker Limburg in 2002. Among those who reportedly escaped was Al-Badawi. For more on this, please read this article on the escape by Jane Novak, of Armies of Liberation.
Other Tributes to the USS Cole are at Linda's, Something...and Half of Something. Linda has an awesome tribute and the photos of the brave men and women we lost but never forgotten that horrible day.
Posted by Wild Thing at 10:55 AM | Comments (8)
September 26, 2006
Salute a Hero....Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson
On September 28, 2005, Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson was providing convoy security near Camp Bucca, Iraq, when the vehicle she was riding in was hit by an improvised explosive device.
"We're only on earth for a little while, so live life to the fullest and carry a smile."
-- Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson
Airman Jacobson was raised in California, but lived here in South Florida before joining the Air Force. The Palm Beach Post tells us:
In Iraq, she was a security guard, surveying military perimeters from elevated guard towers. But relatives say the 21-year-old volunteered for a more risky assignment guarding convoys, a job that would ultimately kill her.On Wednesday she died outside the Iraqi city of Safwan when a bomb exploded near her convoy, making her the ninth Iraq casualty from Palm Beach County or the Treasure Coast. Her death hit hard with relatives, even as they spoke with pride about her decision to leave behind the relative safety of guard towers for perilous duty on the open Iraqi roads.
"She could have stayed there, but she was trained to do convoy duty and asked to do that," said her stepmother, Alison Jacobson. "I think it speaks to her bravery."
Airman First Class Jacobson was the first female Airman killed in the line of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I didn't know Elizabeth, but I wish that I had. Elizabeth sounds like the kind of person I would have liked to be my friend and I feel the loss of this bright and beautiful young woman who gave her all for her Country, and for my personal freedom.
Her resting place shall be in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, the Master of mercy will care for her under the protection of His wings for all time And bind her soul in the bond of everlasting life. God is her inheritance and she will rest in peace and let us say Amen.
Linda at Something.....and Half of Something, received an email from Elizabeth's Grandmother telling me there will be a Memorial for A1C Elizabeth N. Jacobson at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens on Copans Road in Pompano Beach, FL at 5:30 on Thursday the 28th, 2006. Please attend if you can and if you can't attend, please leave a note for the family at the Elizabeth N. Jacobson Online Memorial. And please, spread the word!
Wild Thing's comment.....
This was a previous post about Elizabeth Jacobson when she was killed.
ONE MORE ROLL
We toast our hearty comrades who have fallen from the skies, and were gently caught by God's own hand to be with him on High.
To dwell among the soaring clouds they've known so well before. From victory roll to tail chase, at heaven's very door.
As we fly among them there, we're sure to head their plea. To take care my friend, watch your six, and do one more roll for me.
— Commander Jerry Coffee, Hanoi, 1968
* Something......and Half of Something
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:45 AM | Comments (3)
May 07, 2006
Military Helicopter Crashes in Afghanistan, Killing 10 GIs
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KABUL, Afghanistan — A U.S.-led coalition military transport helicopter crashed while conducting combat operations in the remote mountains of eastern Afghanistan, killing all 10 American soldiers on board, a U.S. military spokeswoman said Saturday.
The CH-47 Chinook crashed late Friday while on a mission in support of Operation Mountain Lion, an offensive to root out Taliban and Al Qaeda militants near the border with Pakistan. The crash was not the result of hostile fire, said Lt. Tamara D. Lawrence, a coalition spokeswoman.
"The remains of all the 10 soldiers have been found and there are no survivors," she told The Associated Press. "There is no indication that the helicopter came down due to some enemy action."
The soldiers were part of a more than 20,000-strong coalition force, mostly operating in the volatile south and east of Afghanistan. About 18,000 of those forces are American.
The helicopter was conducting "operations on a mountaintop landing zone" when it crashed near Asadabad in Kunar province, about 150 miles east of Kabul, the capital, the military said in a statement. Rescue and recovery operations began at daybreak Saturday, Lawrence said. An investigation into the crash is under way.
(Story continues below at......."continued".......)
It is hard to post about injuries or death's of our service men and women. It rips my heart out. Such hard and sad news to read. Heroes, every one of them and I'm humbled by their service and sacrifice. You will be missed. You will not be forgotten.
One of the guys I write to it is his 3rd deployment into Afghanistan and he's in that region of 'stan.
He's been in this fight from the get go...he's also had 2 tours in Iraq. He just had a birthday this past week. I pray he is ok and all of those here that have loved ones serving in Afghanistan and Iraq I pray every day several times a day they will always be ok too.
Some 2,500 Afghan and U.S. soldiers are conducting a joint military operation in Kunar, one of the biggest since the ouster of the hardline Taliban regime by U.S.-led forces in late 2001 for hosting Al Qaeda.
Asadabad is surrounded by rugged mountains, and a large U.S. military base there houses hundreds of troops.
The police chief of Kunar province, Gen. Abdul Ghafar, said the helicopter crashed about 10 miles northwest of the U.S. base in Asadabad. He said the crash was a day's walk from any passable road.
"The area of the crash is a mountainous area and it is difficult to reach," Ghafar said.
A military statement said that other aircraft and crews were near the landing zone during the crash and confirmed that the helicopter was not shot down. Lawrence said that although it was dark, the other coalition aircraft would have known if an enemy rocket had been fired.
The military did not say what unit the U.S. troops were from, only specifying that they were soldiers, meaning from the Army, and not Marines.
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:55 AM | Comments (3)
March 09, 2006
Patriot Guard Riders For Our Troops
One of our friends here at Theodore's World is Cuchieddie. He was with the 4/23rd 25th Infantry Division and then with the Robin Hoods for his second tour, as a Huey door gunner. He decided to stay just so he could do that and was up almost constantly during Tet, 1968. All told he was there from 66-68. He wasn't drafted, he asked to go.
Our friends, Cuchieddie and Tom another dear friend of ours here at Theodore's World, sent me this, and I am sure you all will remember the post on here about the Patriot Guard Riders that came to the funeral here in Sarasota for Chief Warrant Officer Kyle Jackson. That is when I learned about the Patriot Guard Riders and I joined immediately to give them my support. It is such a great group.
Well they showed up again as they do at so many of the funerals for one of our troops. This time one of the riders was a Tomahawk bud of Cuchieddie that attended the burial of a recently deceased soldier in Kokomo, IN.
For more information on this soldier my post.....Sgt. Ricky Jones.
The Patriot Guard Riders were in attendence due to the actions taken by the vile man Fred Phelps and his church.
I thought you would like to see the report that Cuchieddie's friend sent him. It is very moving and so very special! Thank you for sending this to me.
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The Patriot Guard Riders sign-in sheet showed 200+ bikes and 100 cages with over 800 riders names registered for Monday's mission.
06 MAR 06
THE MISSION:
0430 HRS: Reveille. Temps; 37 degrees. Snow accumulation; 2 inches. Streets; wet but not frozen. Cold mist in air.
0730 HRS: Departed bivouac area. Traveled 5 miles to checkpoint Kilo (Kokomo High School).
0805 HRS: Riders meeting with local law enforcement.
0845 HRS: Convoyed 8 miles to checkpoint Charlie (church) (Convoy length: 2 K)
OPLAN:
To arrive ahead of mourners and get 400 flags set up along the church drive.
Crowd of over 1000 began arriving immediately on the convoy's trail motorcycle.
Troops deployed in skirmish line.
Flags set up along the drive and around church before Ricky's mother arrived.
0930 HRS: heavy fog set in. Visibility under 100 meters.
Due to inclimate weather, protestors' 150 meter set-back would be well beyond visible range.
(God's Fire Mission: Fire For Effect.. Fire mission complete and provided the ultimate cover to protect the Jones family.)
1010 HRS: Funeral conducted with 4 honor guard units (101st Airborne, VFW, American Legion, Air Force)
1110 HRS: Sgt Jones' procession embarked on 16 K (10 miles) procession to his final resting place under full escort.
1115 HRS: Fog lifted just before convoy cleared their emplacements. Visibility 800 meters.
THE PROCESSION:
What an awe inspiring sight!
I was riding rear guard on this leg of the mission.
The city of Kokomo and all businesses were literally shut down at 1030 HRS on Monday.
The funeral procession traveled from the Crossroads Community Church, on Kokomo's far Southside, 3 miles, up US 31 North, then turned west onto Business US 31 (Washington St).
The 3.5 mile long procession was viewed by thousands of flag bearing mourners, along the entire 10 mile route through the heart of downtown Kokomo.
At every intersection, there were law enforcement officers from every agency in the city and state.
At every major street intersection there were two Fire trucks with honor guards, in full dress, standing at parade rest.
At Defenbaugh and Washington St (BUS 31) the Fire Department had two Snorkel Trucks with a cable strung across the street and a 20 X 40 US Flag hanging vertically above the intersection.
Along the route were all types of signs displayed in honor of Sgt Jones, in support of his family and in support of all of America's heroes in uniform.
AAR:
Sgt Ricky Jones', his last patrol for his country, in one huge patriotic gesture, brought the entire city of Kokomo, the State of Indiana, the surrounding States and this great Nation together in unison for a lasting tribute to his life.
He was rewarded with a true heroic send off, that many of us can only dream of..
Epilog:
Due to community sentiment over vandalism done in their name, the Westboro Baptist Church cancelled it's appearance.
The WBC stated, that they were not behind the vandalism of Ricky's families homes and have offered a reward of $5000 for the capture and conviction of those responsible...
YEAH RIGHT!! Like someone would actually try to claim their filthy reward money!
God have mercy on whoever these vandals are.
They will be caught!
Considering the local sentiment, they had better hope and pray, they are caught by law enforcement.
Final report:
Almighty God. (Supreme Commander)
Mission Complete Sir!
We transfer Sgt Ricky Jones to your command.
Take him into you fold with love.
He is a good soldier with a loving and pure soul.
In Gods name we pray
AMEN
Rest your head now, weary soldier.
Cast your weapons to the ground.
Close your eyes and feel the peace.
The light of Jesus fold around.Heed not our earthly battle cries.
There is no post for you to stand.
So rest now as he carries you,
within His loving hand.Do not look back upon us.
Disregard our selfish tears.
Walk in the sunlight of the spirit,
free of war, pain and fear.Your duty here is done now,
as ours will someday be.
so, go with Him now,
to places, only heroes ever see."
.
The Patriot Guards are a wonderful group. I thank you for all your efforts. And please thank your friend Cuchieddie.
They objective first is : Honor and Respect
Posted by Wild Thing at 03:47 PM | Comments (8)
February 14, 2006
Please Join Us With A Tribute to Cpl.Brett Lundstrom USMC
This is a tremendously moving and well deserved tribute to Cpl. Brett Lundstrom. It was created by SparkS and as he said credit is also given to MarcM and SondraK
One of the marvelous things about being online are the friendships that are made and I cherish that. To those of you I have met at my blog and at other blogs you have all touched my heart. I love you all. Your respect for our Military, and our Veterans means everything to me.
And now please click HERE to see the tribute to Cpl. Brett Lundstrom
OK now here is what I found how to make it work.
1. click on the link
2. when it opens up you will see the first page
3. once the music starts then go to the tiny box in the upper right corner to enlarge the screen
4. the music will keep playing all the way through
5. however, if you want the tribute to fill your entire page then just click the back button in your upper left corner and a small box will come up and it quickly loads the file for you
.
Posted by Wild Thing at 01:44 AM
January 22, 2006
Protesters To Attend Funeral of Chief Warrant Officer Kyle Jackson of Sarasota
Kyle Jackson died near Al Sukar, Iraq, on January 13, 2006 when his OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter came under attack by enemy forces using small arms fire.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York
Twenty-eight-year-old Chief Warrant Officer Kyle Jackson died while flying a helicopter in Iraq. Kyle’s father, Gary, says Kyle loved helicopters even as a child. His dream of flying came true when he joined the US Army.
from our local paper, the Sarasota Herald Tribune about Kyle Jackson.....................
"Thank you," for starters. Kyle Jackson died on behalf of his country -- all of us. It's an act of extraordinary sacrifice that most Americans, so removed from battle, are never called on to make. Jackson and his family have thus given far more than their share. We owe them a debt of gratitude and remembrance for their immeasurable loss.The death of Jackson, an Army helicopter pilot, represents more than a war casualty; he was also a son, father and husband -- roles that go to the heart of society. His absence casts a giant shadow, but his children can take inspiration from the way he lived.
In their grief, we hope Jackson's family can count on the community's help -- just as the community counted on his.
But it cannot be where a family can be left alone in their time of grief and pride as well in their son.
Because of people like what you will now read about.
Sarasota Herald Tribune
Anti-gay group to protest at soldier's funeral
Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket, but Patriot Guard group says it'll protect family.
By WILL ROTHSCHILD
SARASOTA -- The Sunday funeral service for a Sarasota soldier killed in Iraq could be turned into a spectacle of screaming protesters from an anti-gay group and the roaring Harley-Davidsons of a nationwide veterans organization.For the second time in a month, members of the Westboro Baptist Church, a Kansas-based group which claims the United States is being punished by God for being friendly to homosexuals, plan to protest in Southwest Florida. The group, whose Web site says the country should outlaw sodomy and impose the death penalty for offenders, protested the newly formed Gay Straight Alliance at Port Charlotte High School last month.
This time, Westboro is taking aim at the funeral of Army helicopter pilot Kyle Jackson, 28, who was killed Jan. 13 when his helicopter was shot down by insurgents near Mosul, Iraq.
Westboro claims to have held more than 22,000 anti-gay demonstrations since 1991. But in the past year it has tried to connect its anti-gay rhetoric to the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq, holding protests at more than 20 soldier funerals across the country.
Shirley Phelps-Roper, the daughter of Westboro pastor Fred Phelps, said the group had already planned to be in Tampa this weekend for a protest of Gay Straight Alliance groups there.
"And then here came this opportunity to help the people of Sarasota connect the dots, and they certainly deserve that opportunity," Phelps-Roper said. "We're going to remind them that there is a God and a heaven and a hell and a day of choice."
Phelps-Roper said America is "feeling the sword of God" because it is pro-gay. A disapproving God "has become America's terrorist" and is sending soldiers home in body bags as proof, Phelps-Roper said.
Fred Phelps claims the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States were God's punishment on a "gay-enabling" nation.
"From the beginning, Phelps' group has been the single most vicious anti-gay group in America, bar none," said Mark Potok, who directs hate group investigations for the Southern Poverty Law Center, a Montgomery, Ala.-based civil rights organization.
"But in recent years," Potok added, "Phelps has spiraled downward into utter madness. He is a walking hate crime."
The funeral protests have been roundly criticized by communities across the country. Some communities and states have gone so far as to consider drafting legislation to stop them.
Potok said the Southern Poverty Law erty Law Center is trying to determine if any such legislation could be crafted to pass constitutional muster.
Kyle Jackson's father, Gary Jackson, said sheriff's officials alerted him to the protest.
"I expected stuff like this," Jackson said. "What it is, is they want to take advantage of the high media situation to make their statement."
He said his son's funeral will go on without a problem.
"Kyle is an American hero," he said. "The bigger stir they make, the bigger the hero he becomes. It won't hurt my feelings; we will deal with it. We have a great and caring community here and this is something that is in God's hands."
Westboro Baptist Church consists mostly of Phelps family members; only one other family in Topeka has joined the church.
Phelps has 13 children, but four are estranged from their father and have nothing to do with the church, according to Potok.
Phelps-Roper said about 10 church members plan to be at Jackson's funeral, planned for 1 p.m. Sunday at Phillippi Estate Park, 5500 S. Tamiami Trail.
If they want their message heard, they'll have to raise their voices above the din of perhaps hundreds of motorcycle engines.
The Patriot Guard is a nationwide coalition of veterans formed last year in direct response to Westboro's picketing of soldier funerals.
Their goal is to shield the family and friends of the soldiers from seeing or hearing Westboro's screaming, sign-waving protesters. The Patriot Guard tries to position its members between where the Westboro group demonstrates and the path of mourners.
"We're not counterprotesters or protesters," said Clayton Murphy, a Patriot Guard coordinator and a Coast Guard veteran who lives in Tampa. "We're there for one objective only and that's to protect the family.
"... We'll fire up the engines and drown them out so other people don't have to hear their hatred."
From their totally sick website
It is a PDF file just to let you know..........I will do the best I can do put what it is on here in case you cannot open a pdf file.
Westboro Baptist Church
3701 SW 12" St. Topeka, Ks. 66604 785-273-0325 www.godhatesfags.com
Friday, January 20,2006
AMENDED NEWS RELEASE
(Supplemental info: background, photos, audio sermons & hymns, and video footage -- available free at:
mvv.godhatesfags.com, godhatesamerica.com, fredthemovie.com, and hatemongers.com).
Thank God for IEDs
(Improvised Explosive Devices)
God Himself Has Now Become America's Terrorist, Killing Americans in Strange Lands for "Brokeback Mountain Fag Sins.
WBC to picket funeral of Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle Jackson
- at 1 p.m., Sunday Jan. 22, at Phillipi Mansion,
5500 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida.
Killed in Iraq for America's fag sins and bombing WBC in a terroristic effort to silence our anti-gay Gospel preaching by violent intimidation.
America bombed our church with an IED made by fag students at Washburu U. in Topeka. In his retaliatory
wrath, God is killing Americans with Muslim IEDs:
God Almighty killed Army CWO Jackson. He died in shame, not honor - for a fag nation cursed by God: Cast into Hell with his soldier pals.
They turned America Over to fags;
They're coming home
In body bags.
They come night & day, steel-gray cargo planes, bringing IED dead. America became WBC's terrorist. Now God Himself is America's Terrorist.
Kyle's wife Betsy Jackson.....................
For three days after Army officials told Betsy Jackson her husband had been killed in an Army helicopter crash in Iraq, she didn't get out of bed or greet visitors.She was inconsolable because she had lost her soulmate.
Then she realized that her husband would be upset that her grief was preventing her from being a good mother to their 2-year-old daughter Keira.
"I have to be there and be strong for her," Betsy Jackson said Tuesday evening, wrapped in a blanket on her mother's couch. "It's not going to be easy, but I'm going to do it for Kyle."
Kyle Jackson was an intelligent man and good father who meticulously prepared for everything -- even his death.
The pair met as teenagers. To get Betsy, then 15, to go out with him, Kyle Jackson made a heart-shaped pizza and arranged the toppings on it to make a face. It worked.
They dated through high school. The couple stood out: He had a green Mohawk and she had purple hair. Even back then Kyle knew he wanted to be a pilot.
They stopped dating, and he went into the Marine Corps. They got back together and married three years ago.
Kyle Jackson joined the Army mid-January 2002 to get flight training.
When he got orders to go to Iraq in October he simply told Betsy, "It's my job, and that's that."
He wanted to go to Iraq to support his "brothers," the close-knit group of 19 men who also piloted two-seat armed OH-58D Kiowa helicopters.
Betsy Jackson said her husband had great respect for Mitchell Carver, the co-pilot from North Carolina who also died in the crash. They were roommates for several weeks when they first got to Iraq.
Their helicopter crashed Friday after Iraqi insurgents shot at it, the Department of Defense said. Jackson and Carver were supporting a group of Iraqi police who were under fire, family said.
Betsy and Keira returned to Sarasota to live with Betsy's mother while Jackson fought in Iraq.
And here is a video from the Tampa Bay News....VIDEO.....
Just look on the right side of the screen for VIDEO and click on it.
Here are comments from those who knew Kyle some from the video.............
Gary Jackson, Kyle’s Father:
“I'm so proud of him, it was a huge loss. He could have done so much for the country.”
Kyle took pride in being a husband and father of two girls. On Friday the 13th, it all came to an end. When his parents watched reports of a helicopter crash in Iraq on national television, they worried it was their son.
Gary Jackson, Kyle’s Father:
“She had been very anxious for an hour. I think she could feel it. I was cold during that time, I told somebody I felt like I was freezing to death.”
Four hours went by without a call. They thought they were ok, but then the phone rang with the devastating news.
Gary Jackson, Kyle’s Father:
“They were ambushed from several directions at the same time, they were set up. I think the whole thing was a set up.”
Kyle is described as fearless, yet funny.
Gary Jackson, Kyle’s Father:
“He had a sparkle in his eye and he was always trying to make everyone laugh.”
A hero until the end, doing what he loved most.
Gary Jackson, Kyle’s Father:
“I believed the angels came down and carried him away when it was his time.”
Kyle’s wife Betsy understands her husband’s sacrifice, but says he will be deeply missed.
Wild Thing's comment...........
There has to be a special place in hell for people belonging to the Westboro Baptist Church and their leader Phelps.
The Patriot Guards are a wonderful group. I thank you for all your efforts.
They objective first is : Honor and Respect
Posted by Wild Thing at 12:17 AM | Comments (20)
November 07, 2005
Twenty-Two, Forever - Specialist Hoby Frank Bradfield Jr.
“Day by day, fix your eyes upon the greatness of Athens, until you become filled with the love of her; and when you are impressed by the spectacle of her glory, reflect that this empire has been acquired by men who knew their duty and had the courage to do it.” - Thucydides, The Funeral Speech for Pericles
Hoby Bradfield Jr. graduated high school in 2001 in Virginia Beach, VA. Immediately after witnessing the World Trade Center towers fall from his home in New Jersey, he called a recruiter and enlisted in the US Army. A member of the warrior caste, Bradfield's father was a retired Navy veteran, his older brother an Army Cavalry Scout and his younger brother is now a Marine.
Hoby left his home and entered the Army on August 20th, 2002. He trained to be a Cavalry Scout and was assigned to the Sabre Squadron of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Carson, Colorado. In a few short months, Bradfield went from raw recruit to leader among his peers.
Not long after joining the famed regiment, the 3rd ACR was sent to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom I. There, Hoby Bradfield earned a reputation for being a fierce Scout. As a Private First Class he was awarded the ARMCOM with V device for valor in combat and had been recommended for two Bronze Stars.
After returning from OIF, Hoby met a girl, Crystin, fell in love and got married. He also trained to be a Combat Life Saver.
Crystin became pregnant and Hoby was thrilled.
"...not even subzero temperatures at downrange Fort Carson can keep the smile from a man’s face when he tells his best friends he’s going to be a father,” said 1st Lt. Brian Oman, Bradfield's Troop platoon leader.
He knew the day would come when the regiment would back to Iraq. Even though Crystin was pregnant, Bradfield volunteered to go back to Iraq.
On July 9th, 2005, Grim Troop of the 2nd Squadron moved into a neighborhood in Tal Afar to destroy a terrorist bombing cell. During the cordon and search, one of Bradfield's team was hit and, as one of the Combat Life Savers, he raced to perform first aid. Then, Specialist Bradfield was shot.
Medics were called to the battle. They stabilized Hoby, put him on the ambulance and raced to the hospital.
Terrorists were watching. They detonated an IED and destroyed the ambulance instantly killing Hoby and the medic that was saving his life, PFC Eric Woods.
"There are troopers in the regiment who most definitely owe their lives to him," LTC Christopher Hickey, Commander, 2nd Squadron, 3rd ACR said about Hoby in the memorial service held in Iraq where over 200 Cav Troopers attended.
On July 26th, 2005, Specialist Hoby Frank Bradfield Jr. was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.