And You Freak Out Over A Paper Cut

Just watched this interview by John Stewart with the most recent Medal of Honor recipient SFC Leroy Petry and I had to smile. I even laughed. Now normally losing a hand and getting shot in both legs is not a laughing matter, but the sort of matter of fact way and modest manner in which this Ranger explained the actions leading to his being awwarded the Medal of Honor, while not funny to most civilians, and I am not exactly sure how most readers of this blog will take it, but at least to me it was priceless.


To his credit Mr. Stewart parked his partisanship at the door.

C'mon admit it! You smiled a little bit.

Finally - Medal of Honor For A Living Service Member

At long last an announcement has been made of the awarding of a Medal of Honor to a living service member. Matt over at Blackfive breaks the news because like, you know, the dinosaur media and talking heads cable news have better things to cover like Koran burnings and the latest celebrity buzz.

Yesterday I brought the story of another service member who had been awarded the MOH posthumously and bemoaned the fact that no living members from the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) had received the award so I feel obliged to recognize the fact that it is now going to occur. I know the last couple of days I have posted quite a bit of military news, but hey that is my background so naturally I am always keeping an ear to the ground for stories about our service men and woman, especially those that don't portray them as victims or those related to the Stolen Valor type.

Anyway congratulation to now SSG Salvatore Giunta, who was a Specialist at the time of the actions which led to the awarding of this Medal of Honor.

Allow me to explain some background on the significance of this point. A Specialist in the Army is normally someone who has between 18 - 24 months in service. I used to always apply what I called the Spec 4 test, which is what we called them way back then, to any situation. It got that name because Specialists have just enough time in service to know how the system works but not enough rank to actually be put in charge of anything. It is the best rank in the Army to have. You can howl all you want about the stupidity of those in charge while not having to worry about being in charge. A Staff Sergeant is two steps above Specialist, which means that this young man has faced two promotion boards and passed them since his actions in 2007.

When an insurgent force ambush split Specialist Giunta's squad into two groups, he exposed himself to enemy fire to pull a comrade back to cover. Later, while engaging the enemy and attempting to link up with the rest of his squad, Specialist Giunta noticed two insurgents carrying away a fellow soldier. He immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other, and provided medical aid to his wounded comrade while the rest of his squad caught up and provided security. His courage and leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon's ability defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow American paratrooper from enemy hands.

Oh BTW in regards to that Spec 4 test, as an NCO I often agreed with Specialist about the stupidity of a situation, and would allow them to explain to all who would listen how stupid it was, while at the same time giving the directives to carry out the orders. They were kind of my voice for venting. Oh and PFC's, don't even think about trying it.

Yet Another Posthumous Medal Of Honor

This has become a pet peeve of mine through our 10 year war with the Islamic extremists. We have yet another soldier being awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. The recipient this time is Staff Sergeant Robert J Miller, a member of the 3rd Special Forces Group.

Why has it now become necessary to pay the ultimate sacrifice in order to be considered for this medal? In all of past wars the medal has been bestowed upon service members who did not, which is why some of them have been awarded it more then once.

I am certainly glad that the actions and sacrifices of the service members who receive this honor is recognized, I just wish we hadn't moved the standards to being one that includes the loss of life of the service member.

Jan. 25, Miller found himself willingly leading a team of Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition soldiers during a combat reconnaissance patrol in Konar Province, near the Pakistan border. Insurgents hiding in a structure attacked Miller’s team. A fellow teammate called for close-air support to drop ordnance on the insurgent position, disrupting their attack. When the combined patrol moved toward the structure to check for any remaining enemy threats, insurgents again fired using heavy weapons.

Miller’s team captain was seriously wounded within the first minutes of the attack. While his commander was moved to safety, Miller returned fire. At great personal risk to himself, Miller remained at the front of the patrol and continued to lay down suppressive fire on multiple insurgent positions, allowing his wounded commander to be pulled out of the line of fire, ultimately saving his life. Miller’s personal courage under intense enemy fire enabled the entire patrol to gain cover and return fire. Even while injured by direct enemy small arms and machine gun fire, Miller continued to employ his M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and grenades to suppress enemy fire and protect his teammates.

For more on SSG Miller's actions which earned him this award visit our friends over at Blackfive.

More here.

I am sure the awarding of this medal will receive at least as much attention as Bristol Palin's appearance on Dancing with the Stars or high school dropout, kiddie breeder, and mayorial candidate Levi Johnson. Or at least more then Snookie's arrest for Public Intoxication.

But probably not.

Robert Howard Finally Laid To Rest at Arlington

Robert Howard was the most decorated soldier of the Vietnam War. He passed away back in December and is just now being laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. I do not know the reason for the delay, but this guy was truly an American hero, from a time when America spit on its heroes.

Here is a nice video from NBC news' Brian Williams that details the heroics of this man who nominated three times for the Medal of Honor.



A palate cleanser for those that endured my previous post.

Obama Awards Medal of Honor To Indian Chief

Is there anybody with at least two functioning brain cells who believes that the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is anything more then a TelePrompter-reading buffoon?

Yesterday Barry O came out for a short press briefing after meeting with members of various tribes from the Indian nation. In the run-up to his comments on the shooting at Ft. Hood he had to give a shout out to some in attendance and then apparently bestowed the Congressional Medal of Honor upon Joe Medicine Crow.



Don't get me wrong, Joe did some pretty amazing things during World War II, even earning the title of War Chief from his tribe, but don't you think 50-something years is a long time to wait for a MOH?

Joe earned the Medal of Freedom and a Congressional Gold Medal, but no, he never earned the Medal of Honor.

A lot of attention was paid to the fact that he went on for two minutes before getting to the situation at Ft. Hood, but without his TelePrompter he managed to even screw that up.

And this guy is making decisions for the rest of us?

Vietnam War Medal Of Honor Recipient On Smart War

In this interview conducted by Past National Commander of the American Legion Dave Rehbein he interviews Vietnam veteran, Gary Lee Littrell, about modern conflicts. In it he voices his opinions on why we have no living Medal of Honor recipients from our current campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. Six Medals of Honor have been awarded, all to service members who paid the ultimate price, and he does bring up a good point about how we are fighting a smarter war.

It is worth the 5 minutes it takes to hear his perspectives on the current war and the awarding of the medal.

Jared Monti - Latest Recipient Of The Medal of Honor

Jared Monti's family will be receiving a Congressional Medal of Honor today for the actions of Jared in 2006 in Afghanistan.

A local paper in Massachusetts described his actions this way.

On June 21, 2006, during a heavy firefight in Gowardesh, Afghanistan, Monti dragged a wounded soldier to safety under fire. He went back to get another critically wounded soldier and was killed by a grenade in the process.

First off the local paper got some facts of the case wrong. There was only one soldier rescued. SFC Monti had to attempt several times to secure the imperiled soldier. For the true details of what happened that day and the actions that earned SFC Monti the Medal of Honor visit The Mudville Gazette for the whole story.

The remaining patrol members coordinated covering fires for SFC Monti, and he advanced a third time toward the wounded Soldier. But he only took a few steps this time before he was mortally wounded by an RPG. About the same time, the indirect fires and CAS he called for began raining down on the enemy's position. The firepower broke the enemy attack, killing 22 enemy fighters. SFC Monti's actions prevented the patrol's position from being overrun, saved his team's lives and inspired his men to fight on against overwhelming odds.

For those unfamiliar with military weaponry, an RPG is a Rocket Propelled Grenade, and is a weapon designed to disable lightly armored vehicles. CAS is Close Air Support.

Jared's family found out only after his death that he had received some other medals for valor for his actions during the war on terror.

Monti previously was awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, five Army Commendation Medals, four Army Achievement Medals and three National Defense Service Medals.

Now allow me a few minutes to editorialize on something that has become an accepted practice in the military now in the awarding of the Medal of Honor. So far every recipient of this medal, in the GWOT, has paid the ultimate sacrifice. No where in the criteria for this award does it state this as a condition of qualifying for our country's highest award, and if you need evidence of this every year there is an annual meeting of all of our living Medal of Honor recipients, which number about 95. There have been numerous service members who have engaged in acts that are truly worthy of MOH consideration, but survived their encounters that while they may be considered, never seem to be awarded the medal.

This is a dangerous trend, in my opinion. We need living heroes as much as we need to recognize the accomplishments of those who pay the ultimate price.

Today let's honor the memory of SFC Jared Monti, but tomorrow we need to once again pick up the debate about looking at the actions of all who have been recommended and not make dying a prerequisite for receiving the Medal of Honor.

A Hero Has Left The Room

WWII vet who earned Medal of Honor at 17 dies
Jack Lucas, who at 14 lied his way into military service during World War II and became the youngest Marine to receive the Medal of Honor, died Thursday in a Hattiesburg, Miss., hospital. He was 80.

Lucas had been battling cancer. Ponda Lee at Moore Funeral Service said the funeral home was told he died before dawn.

Jacklyn "Jack" Lucas was just six days past his 17th birthday in February 1945 when his heroism at Iwo Jima earned him the nation's highest military honor. He used his body to shield three fellow squad members from two grenades, and was nearly killed when one exploded.

"A couple of grenades rolled into the trench," Lucas said in an Associated Press interview shortly before he received the medal from President Truman in October 1945. "I hollered to my pals to get out and did a Superman dive at the grenades. I wasn't a Superman after I got hit. I let out one helluva scream when that thing went off."

He was left with more than 250 pieces of shrapnel in his body and in every major organ and endured 26 surgeries in the months after Iwo Jima.

He was the youngest serviceman to win the Medal of Honor in any conflict other than the Civil War.

"By his inspiring action and valiant spirit of self-sacrifice, he not only protected his comrades from certain injury or possible death but also enabled them to rout the Japanese patrol and continue the advance," the Medal of Honor citation said.

In the AP interview, written as a first-person account under his name, he recalled the months he spent in a hospital.

"Soon as I rest up, I imagine I'll run for president," the story concluded. "Ain't I the hero, though?"

Big for his age and eager to serve, Lucas forged his mother's signature on an enlistment waiver and joined the Marines at 14. Military censors discovered his age through a letter to his 15-year-old girlfriend.

"They had him driving a truck in Hawaii because his age was discovered and they threatened to send him home," said D.K. Drum, who wrote Lucas' story in the 2006 book "Indestructible."

"He said if they sent him home, he would just join the Army."

Lucas eventually stowed away aboard a Navy ship headed for combat in the Pacific Ocean. He turned himself in to avoid being listed as a deserter and volunteered to fight, and the officers on board allowed him to reach his goal of fighting the Japanese.

"They did not know his age. He didn't give it up and they didn't ask," Drum said.

Born in Plymouth, N.C., on Feb. 14, 1928, Lucas was a 13-year-old cadet captain in a military academy when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

"I would not settle for watching from the sidelines when the United States was in such desperate need of support from its citizens," Lucas said in "Indestructible." "Everyone was needed to do his part and I could not do mine by remaining in North Carolina."

After the war, Lucas earned a business degree from High Point University in North Carolina and raised, processed and sold beef in the Washington, D.C., area. In the 1960s, he joined the Army and became a paratrooper, Drum said, to conquer his fear of heights. On a training jump, both of his parachutes failed.

"He was the last one out of the airplane and the first one on the ground," Drum said.

He was diagnosed with a form of leukemia in April and spent his last days in the hospital with family and friends, including his wife, Ruby, standing vigil.

Thank you.

Via AP

SPC Ross McGinnis to Receive Medal of Honor

SPC stands for Specialist in the Army. Old soldiers may know them as Spec 4. While he is truly deserving of the medal I wish that dying wasn't such a prerequisite for receiving the award. So far in the Global War on Terror no Medal of Honor has been awarded to a living member.

Spc. Ross McGinnis, who was killed Dec. 4, 2006, in Iraq when he smothered a grenade with his body, will receive the Medal of Honor, sources told Army Times.

McGinnis, 19, is the second soldier to receive the nation’s highest valor award for actions while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, who was killed April 4, 2003, fighting off insurgents in a fierce firefight south of Baghdad, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor two years after he died.

Now before you get your panties in a knot protesting that there have been 4 MOH's awarded, it is important to note that the phrase soldier is used. A soldier is a member of the Army. The other winners have included 2 Navy SEALS and a Marine.

As he stood up to get ready to jump out of the vehicle, as he had been trained to do, McGinnis realized the other four soldiers in the Humvee did not know where the grenade had landed and did not have enough time to escape.

McGinnis, a native of Knox, Pa., threw his back against the radio mount, where the grenade was lodged, and smothered the explosive with his body.

The grenade exploded, hitting McGinnis on his sides and lower back, under his vest. He was killed instantly. The other four men survived.

Here is more news about this young man along with some comments from his parents shortly after being notified of his death on Dec 4, 2006.

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.

Since he is a native of Pennsylvania, I wonder if Congressman Murtha will bother to recognize the young man and his actions or is he too busy defending himself from the Marines he falsely accused and slandered in the Haditha case?

Petty Officer Second Class Michael Monsoor Awarded the Medal of Honor

Or rather his family will be tomorrow. I wonder if anybody will notice? Will the esteemed members of Congress pause in their grilling of Gen Petraeus to at least mention the actions of this man or will they just keep beating the drum of American casualties with no names and no faces?

Petty Officer Second Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously in a ceremony at the White House April 8, 2008. He will receive the award for his actions in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on Sept. 29, 2006. On that day, Monsoor was part of a sniper overwatch security position with three other SEALs and eight Iraqi Army (IA) soldiers. An insurgent closed in and threw a fragmentation grenade into the overwatch position. The grenade hit Monsoor in the chest before falling to the ground. Positioned next to the single exit, Monsoor was the only one who could have escaped harm. Instead, he dropped onto the grenade to shield the others from the blast. Monsoor died approximately 30 minutes later from wounds sustained from the blast. Because of Petty Officer Monsoor’s actions, he saved the lives of his 3 teammates and the IA soldiers.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - Abraham Lincoln Gettysburg Address

And as always Jim Hanson "Uncle Jimbo" from Blackfive brings us his own thoughts on Michael Monsoor. Jim is with the National Heroes Tour recording it for posterity. They will be in Washington DC tomorrow to show their support for Gen Petraeus.
Here is Jimbo interviewing Marcus Luttrell about Michael.

Previous MOH recipients from the GWOT (Global War on Terrorism) here and here.
So far no living service member has been awarded the MOH during the GWOT, although David Bellavia, who is on tour with the Vets for Freedom is nominated.

Shocka! NY Times Mentions Michael Murphy; (UPDATE) Video Added

Finally, after a couple of weeks of derision from the blogosphere, the New York Times has managed to find space to honor Lt. Michael Murphy.

A Protector as a Child, Honored as a Hero

Today, President Bush will award Lieutenant Murphy, a team leader from Patchogue, the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award. Mr. Bush will present it to Lieutenant Murphy’s father and mother, Daniel and Maureen, in a ceremony scheduled to take place in the East Room.

Thanks for noticing, folks.

In another shocker, even the AP now notices the story. Looks like this item was culled completely from last week's New York Post story.

Previous items on this American hero here, here, and here.

H/T Lawhawk.

More from Michelle Malkin, American Thinker.

***UPDATE*** Video via Hot Air.

Heros The New York Times Won't Tell You About

We noted Lt. Michael Murphy here recently and also mentioned the complete disregard for a local hero by the New York Times, to their eternal disgrace.

Today, the New York Post details the harrowing account of Murphy's final battle, as told by the only surviving member of his unit, Petty Officer 1st Class Marcus Luttrell.

This Monday, President Bush will present the Medal of Honor to Lt. Murphy's parent, Daniel and Maureen.

Don't expect the Times to cover the event.

"They were armed to the teeth," Marcus Luttrell said of the 100 Taliban fighters who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "They were looking for a fight. And they found one."

With that, Petty Officer 1st Class Luttrell and his buddy, Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue, L.I., began the final battle of their Navy SEAL careers in a shootout that would cost Murphy his life. It also earned him the Medal of Honor.

With rocket-propelled grenades exploding all over the grassy Afghan terrain in Asadabad, in Hindu Kush province along the Pakistani border, the four Americans - also including Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Danny Dietz and Sonar Technician 2nd Class Matthew Axelson - took on the Taliban that day and wiped out about half of them.

But the Taliban whittled down the Americans, too, and that June 28, 2005, would become a tragic day for the Navy's Special Warfare Command.

Read the whole thing.

NY Times Ignores Hero

We figure if Lt. Michael Murphy was alleged by John Murtha to have gunned down innocent civilians, the New York Times would have noted the story; in all likelihood, on page one.

But the fact a local hero was bestowed with the Medal of Honor doesn't even merit a mention in the alleged paper of record is disgraceful.

Yet all too predictable.

The posthumous award of the nation's highest battlefield honor to a Long Island war hero has become an other black mark for the Gray Lady.

The New York Times carried not a whisper of news yesterday about the bestowal of the Medal of Honor to Navy Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue - the first time the honor has been given for action in Afghanistan.

Area veterans, as well as Murphy's neighbors, were outraged - but not all that surprised - that the paper carried nothing about Murphy in Friday's editions, unlike The Post, The Daily News and Newsday, which all carried prominent reports and photos.

"If he had killed 15 people, he'd be on the front page of their newspaper," fumed James Casey of Malverne, a Vietnam vet and past commander of the state American Le gion organization.

"It's amazing that a Long Islander and a New Yorker can receive the highest commendation this country can bestow and the Times doesn't see fit to mention it - especially on the heels of the Gen. Petraeus MoveOn.org ad," said Casey - referring to the paper's decision to run a full-page ad from a liberal group con taining the headline words "General Betray Us."

The Times seemed alone in ignoring Thursday's White House announce ment of Murphy's honor.

In addition to the local coverage, some out-of-town papers, including The Denver Post and The Los Angeles Times, covered the news with their own reporters.

One Medal of Honor recipient, Col. Jack Jacobs of Morris County, N.J., who fought in Vietnam, said, "You'd think it would be fairly substantial news that ought to get reported. It's kind of troubling that it's not."

A Times spokeswoman said yesterday afternoon that the paper does plan to run something about the award - though she didn't say exactly what.

President Bush will present the medal to Murphy's parents at a White House ceremony Oct. 22.

It wasn't the first time the Times gave short shrift to such a story. The paper ran just one paragraph about the posthumous awarding of the Medal of Honor to Cpl. Jason Dunham, a U.S. Marine from upstate killed in Iraq in 2004. That paragraph ran in January in the middle of a story about congressional opposition to Bush's Iraq war plans.

Don't expect any of the Times' stable of America-hating columnists to mention this either.

The Post editorial nails it.

By now, most folks know exactly how much The New York Times despises the U.S. military.

How it detests any mission that involves U.S. troops - whether to protect Americans by killing terrorists or to help stave off a bloodbath in the Middle East.

How the paper works tirelessly to promote its anti-war, anti-military agenda - even in its supposedly objective news pages.

So while Bush's announcement merited stories and appreciative editorials in The Post, The New York Sun, the Daily News and even the front page of liberal Newsday, it shouldn't be all that surprising that the Times didn't publish a single word about Murphy's well-deserved honor.

What did the paper of record focus on yesterday? No fewer than three stories reported on how Americans had killed innocent Iraqi civilians.

Regarding the war, of course, the Times' "coverage" was pernicious long before the fighting began.

Since then, it has focused obsessively on the mistakes and sins of American GIs (Abu Ghraib, anyone?) - and rarely has it played up U.S. victories.

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin weighs in.

Lt Michael Murphy USN Medal of Honor Recipient

Here is a profile of this country's latest Medal of Honor recipient, Lt Michael Murphy, USN SEAL who was a part of the SEAL team now immortalized in the book by Marcus Lutrell. Another member of this team was Danny Dietz, who had a statue recently dedicated in his hometown of Littleton, CO, although it was not without controversy.

Exit question. How many Medals of Honor have been awarded so far in this Global War on Terrorism? If you don't know shame on you and this will get you up to date.

Updated 4 PM EST
Word is getting out with mentions over at Powerline complete with a picture of the LT in action.
And over on Michelle Malkin's place in his Sunday go to meeting clothes.