... as the Purple Heart presentation began, Josh Hargis struggled to move his right hand and lift it into a saluting position. Military protocol calls for a soldier to salute when he receives the Purple Heart.Freedom is not free....
“We didn’t come this far not to get in,” one veteran proclaimed.It was the right thing to do.
The scene was both emotional and comical at once. After it was clear they had lost control of the situation, Park Police officials stood aside, telling press that they had “asked for guidance on how to respond” to the breach of security.
As 80-something veterans slowly walked around the massive war memorial, Park Police stood quietly to the side, advising other tourists that the site was technically still closed. But they made no moves to stop the wishes of the war heroes.
Maj. Gen. John F. Campbell, Commander of the 101st Airborne Division, announced Thursday the deaths of six 1st Brigade Combat Team soldiers killed March 29 during a battalion-sized operation in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.Our prayers and thoughts go out to the families of these American heroes. Freedom is not free.
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The names of two soldiers were released Wednesday — Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Burgess, 29, of Cleburne, Texas, and Pfc. Dustin J. Feldhaus, 20, of Glendale, Ariz.
On Thursday, the Department of Defense released the names of the other four — Sergeant 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga, 28, of Hialeah, Fla.; Staff Sgt. Frank E. Adamski, 26, of Moosup, Conn.; Specialist Jameson L. Lindskog, 23, of Pleasanton, Calif.; and Private Jeremy P. Faulkner, 23, of Griffin, Ga.
All six were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team.
Another of the World War II greatest generation has died at the age of 91. Called the silent heroes, another of the Navajo Code Talkers is gone:Lemuel Bahe Yazzie, a member of the Navajo Code Talkers who confounded the Japanese during World War II by transmitting messages in their native language, has died. He was 91. Navajo Nation officials said Wednesday that Yazzie, who lived in Whitecone, Ariz., died at his home last Friday.The story of the Code Talkers is an amazing one ... find out about these young men here. The 2002 movie Windtalkers was based on their story.
Staunton's Stonewall Brigade returns from Iraq, 2008.Lance Cpl. Jason Redifer, 19, USMC, KIA, January 31, 2005May we also remember those who are currently halfway around the world in the line of fire or stationed here at home or on standby when needed or who protect the homeland ... and may we never forget our veterans.
Lance Cpl. Daniel Bubb, 19, USMC, KIA, October 17, 2005
Lance Cpl. Daniel Morris, 19, USMC, KIA, February 14, 2007.
Reunited with families at the Staunton Armory....
It has been almost a year since US Airways pilot "Sully" Sullenberger successfully maneuvered his damaged aircraft onto the Hudson River's icy waters, saving over 150 lives.I humbly devote this space to remembering ...H/T to From On High
... Private Johnathon Millican ... First Lieutenant Jacob Fritz ... Private First Class Shawn Falter ... Specialist Johnathan Bryan Chism ... and Captain Brian S. Freeman ...
... and I encourage you to join me in demanding the full story behind why the filth who orchestrated their murders are walking around free. We won’t get those answers unless we push for them, with the same courage and dedication our fallen heroes gave to their duty. This story will go away, unless you keep it alive. Love the warriors, by making it clear to Washington that their lives are worth more than any politician’s career.
If I may borrow a few words from Private Falter’s brother: Rest, my friends. You’ve done your part. Your countrymen will take it from here.
Dear Mitchells,He added that he had a photo of the flag flying that he would pass along once he knew we had received the flag. That will be special, too.
This flag flew over Camp Ramadi, Iraq, on Sept. 11th, 2009. I thought it might be a special way to thank ya'll for the letters, packages, and loving support that you have always given to me.
Thank you.
Love,
Nate
Nate Salatin (right) of Augusta County.
Cpl. Nate Salatin, USMC (right) from Augusta County ... home school graduate ... a special young man. He is now on his second deployment in Operation Iraqi Freedom which has twice interrupted his schooling at Virginia Military Institute.
Notice "The Culpeper Minute Men 'Don't Tread On Me' " flag in the living quarters.
At work in the Iraqi desert....
Sleep comes when they find a place and opportunity. Nate is on the roof.
This is one reason why they are there. Nate has been mailed soccer balls and other goodies to share with local children.
After a dust storm....
VMI sent a banner signed by Nate's classmates.
There he is at the top of this formation.
The smiling Marine in the middle front is Nate. Notice the terrain behind them.
In full battle gear ... these are the guys who watch his back and he watches theirs. Nate is on the left.
Cold weather gear. Notice the sunrise behind them. Nate's eyes still laugh. I was worried that war would wear away at the young man I had known since he was a boy and that he would return from Iraq somehow older, somehow wearier, somehow not Nate. And while battle a half-world away can't help but leave an impression on those who serve, and it certainly leaves them wiser, it didn't scar him ...And he shared with us his feeling that, yes, the U.S. needed to be in Iraq and had been good for the country.
... because Nate's eyes still laugh.
As he sits in my living room or in the back yard talking ... as he does back flips off the diving board, gathers his fellow home school friends for a volleyball game, or canoes with those same friends on the Shenandoah River ... he's still the Nate we love. He jokes, tells war stories, and warmly remembers his Marine buddies ... those guys he depended on to watch his back in life-and-death situations. And somehow you know he's leveling with you and, at the same time, protecting you.
Three generations of military veterans.
D.E. Hite, a young 90-something and affectionately known to Augusta County residents as "Speedy," is a military veteran and patriot. A career Army officer who served through three wars, he honors his country and those who served her along with those who died for her.
Saturday found Mr. Hite in Goshen, a small town west of Staunton, as the community gathered to honor American heroes during this Memorial Day weekend:
On Saturday, after the singing of the national anthem, residents spoke of the sacrifices veterans have made, then placed a wreath at the site of the plaque, which lists the more than 150 Goshen residents who served in World War II.May we never forget to honor those who died....
"The men and women on this memorial readily and willingly gave a sacrifice to this nation," said D.E. Hite, who chaired the committee that helped bring the memorial to Goshen in 2005. "They proved this town and this nation is worth fighting for and even dying for."
Augusta County Honor Guard waits for ceremony to begin.
