On the passing of a warrior, Gen. George Patton once said, “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” This week, however, we do mourn the loss of a Patriot — the father of one of our Senior Editors, Jonah Walton. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 and served in the 41st Division in South Pacific combat zones from New Guinea to the Philippines. He was a Patriot who honored his oath and served his country well. To Jonah and other family members he leaves behind, we offer our condolences and prayers.
Posts Tagged ‘Valhalla’
Jonah Walton 41st Division
October 25, 2009Memorial Day
May 25, 2009Out of respect for those that have given all in defense of the freedoms and liberty that I enjoy as well as those that defend those things today I will not be posting today, other than this.
Click on the categories Valhalla, and Profiles in Valor on the sidebar.
Molan Labe!
Navy honors fallen Littleton corpsman
April 30, 2009The Navy has honored Littleton Hospital Corpsman Luke Milam, who was killed during a fierce battle with the Taliban in Afghanistan, by naming a new 504-bed, $60 million “Homeport Ashore” barracks for him at Naval Station Everett in Washington.
The building named in Milam’s honor, which will double the base’s current housing capacity, was dedicated Friday.
“While we know that Luke would absolutely hate the fuss made over him, we’re sure that he would love the building and the wonderful apartments,” said his father, Michael.
In October 2007, hundreds of mourners packed a Littleton church for services for Milam.
He was killed on Sept. 25, 2007, during a battle between U.S.-led coalition forces and Taliban forces near the city of Musa Qula, an area of Afghanistan known for opium-poppy cultivation.
At the time, Milam, a special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman, was assigned to Golf Company, 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion.
During a lengthy tribute at his Littleton service, the Columbine High School graduate was honored for being a “warrior” who fought bravely in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those who spoke said Milam was both an exemplary Navy corpsman and an excellent combat fighter.
They also said he was an exceptional human being, driven by compassion.
In Iraq, where he had served earlier, Milam received the Bronze Star for bravery after his platoon came under attack. He pulled injured soldiers from burning vehicles, arranged a defense perimeter and fought off attackers.
On April 20, 1999, Milam, then a senior at Columbine High School, lost his close friend Isaiah Shoels in the school shooting rampage. Milam was devastated by Shoels’ murder and vowed to go into the Navy, become a corpsman and prepare himself to help others so “he would never be in that position again.”
“Luke was an ordinary kid who fell in love with the Navy as an 8-year-old,” said his father. “He early enlisted at 17 years old, left for boot camp two weeks after high school graduation and never looked back.”
In addition to apartments, the building — called Charles Luke Milam Bachelor Housing — also features seven lounges available to sailors for viewing movies, studying or playing a variety of games, including pool, ping-pong, air hockey and video games.
USS Cole
February 7, 2009There are people that respect the dead, and their sacrifice. Then, there is the Obama. Fair winds and following seas.
| Hull Maintenance Technician Third Class Kenneth Eugene Clodfelter – Mechanicsville, Virginia |
| Electronics Technician First Class Richard Costelow – Morrisville, Pennsylvania. |
| Mess Management Specialist Seaman Lakeina Monique Francis – Woodleaf, North Carolina |
| Information Systems Technician Seaman Timothy Lee Gauna – Rice, Texas |
| Signalman Seaman Recruit Cherone Louis Gunn – Rex, Georgia |
| Seaman James Rodrick McDaniels – Norfolk, Virginia. |
| Engineman Second Class Marc Ian Nieto – Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin |
| Electronics Warfare Technician Third Class Ronald Scott Owens – Vero Beach, Florida |
| Seaman Recruit Lakiba Nicole Palmer – San Diego, California |
| Engineman Fireman Joshua Langdon Parlett – Churchville, Maryland |
| Fireman Apprentice Patrick Howard Roy – Cornwall on Hudson, New York |
| Operations Specialist Second Class Timothy Lamont Saunders – Ringold, Virginia |
| Electronics Warfare Technician Second Class Kevin Shawn Rux – Portland, North Dakota |
| Mess Management Specialist Third Class Ronchester Mananga Santiago – Kingsville, Texas |
| Fireman Gary Graham Swenchonis, Jr. – Rockport, Texas |
| Ensign Andrew Triplett – Macon, Mississippi |
| Seaman Apprentice Craig Bryan Wibberley – Williamsport, Maryland |
Al Qaeda Massacred By Ferocious Leathernecks
January 9, 2009I think that maybe, just maybe, this account will put to rest the “Old Corp” verses the “New Corp” debate that has been going on for as long as I can remember.
Semper Fi Devil Dogs!
Iraq battle yields Navy Cross, 4 Silver Stars
By Gidget Fuentes – Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jan 8, 2009 20:59:38 EST
Posted : Thursday Jan 8, 2009 20:59:38 EST
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The Marine Corps will present the Navy Cross on Thursday to a junior grenadier credited with saving the lives of 10 fellow infantrymen and decimating a force of insurgents during a deadly 2005 firefight inside an Iraqi home.
Three other members of his infantry squad with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, will receive Silver Stars during the ceremony at Camp Pendleton, Calif., according to 1st Lt. Curtis Williamson, a 1st Marine Division spokesman. A fourth Silver Star will be presented to the family of their former platoon commander, who died in the battle against 21 heavily armed insurgents in western Anbar province.
Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter recently approved the Navy Cross for Lance Cpl. Joshua A. Mooi, a grenadier assigned to Fox Company’s 2nd Platoon. The Navy Cross is the nation’s second-highest award for combat valor, after the Medal of Honor.
On Nov. 16, 2005, Mooi’s battalion was targeting al-Qaida operatives in New Ubaydi, along the Euphrates River. The missions were part of operation “Steel Curtain.”
Mooi’s platoon came under attack from insurgents firing automatic weapons and lobbing grenades from several fortified homes, officials said. Mooi fought back and helped recover four Marines hit by enemy fire.
Six times, he “willingly entered an ambush site to pursue the enemy and extricate injured Marines,” his award citation states. “Often alone in his efforts, he continued to destroy the enemy and rescue wounded Marines until his rifle was destroyed by enemy fire and he was ordered to withdraw.”
His “relentless and courageous actions eliminated at least four insurgents while permitting the immediate care and evacuation of more than a dozen Marines who lay critically or mortally wounded,” it states.
To date. 16 Marines and one Navy corpsman have been awarded the Navy Cross for their combat actions in Iraq.
Winter also approved Silver Stars for:
• 2nd Lt. Donald R. McGlothlin, the platoon commander who was killed as he laid suppressive fire against insurgents in an effort to shield the evacuation of wounded Marines from the house, his citation states.
• Staff Sgt. Robert W. Homer, 2nd Platoon’s sergeant, who fended off enemy grenades, small-arms fire and serious shrapnel wounds to lob suppressive fire and help treat and evacuate wounded Marines before he was ordered aboard a medevac helicopter, according to the citation.
• Cpl. Javier Alvarez, a squad leader who directed several magazines of suppressive fire as Marines tried to aid and evacuate the wounded and who himself was seriously wounded after he grabbed an enemy grenade before it detonated, the citation states.
• Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jesse P. Hickey, the platoon corpsman who saved several Marines’ lives, at times running into the kill zone through enemy automatic fire to treat severely wounded members despite suffering injuries to one of his arms, according to his citation.
Marine legend Lt. Gen. Victor Krulak
January 7, 2009I never met the man while growing up on Camp Pendleton, but I certainly did hear about him from time to time. Everything that I ever heard about him from the mostly older Marines, was that he was a “Marines Marine.”
Rest in peace General, you most certainly earned it.
Marine legend Lt. Gen. Victor Krulak dies
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jan 2, 2009 10:14:36 EST
Posted : Friday Jan 2, 2009 10:14:36 EST
SAN DIEGO — Lt. Gen. Victor Krulak, who headed all Marine forces in the Pacific during part of the Vietnam War, has died. He was 95.
Krulak died Monday at the Wesley Palms Retirement Community in San Diego, according to Edith Soderquist, a staff member at the facility. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Krulak commanded about 100,000 Marines in the Pacific from 1964 to 1968 — a span that saw the United States dramatically increase buildup in Vietnam.
Krulak, nicknamed “Brute” for his direct, no-nonsense style, was a decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean War.
After retirement, he often criticized the government’s handling of the Vietnam War. He wrote that the war could have been won only if the Vietnamese had been protected and befriended and if enemy supplies from North Vietnam were cut off.
“The destruction of the port of Haiphong would have changed the whole character of the war,” he said two decades after the fall of Saigon.
Krulak once summed up the U.S. dilemma in Vietnam by saying, “It has no front lines. The battlefield is in the minds of 16 or 17 million people.”
Before assuming command of Fleet Marine Force Pacific, Krulak served as principal adviser on counterinsurgency warfare to then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and the joint chiefs of staff.
“I never got enthusiasm out of war, and I’m convinced that the true pacifists are the professional soldiers who have actually seen it,” Krulak said many years after retiring from the post.
During World War II on the island of Choiseul, Krulak led his outnumbered battalion during an eight-day raid on Japanese forces, diverting the enemy’s attention from the U.S. invasion of Bougainville.
Krulak’s troops destroyed hundreds of tons of supplies, burning both camps and landing barges. He was wounded on Oct. 13, 1943, and later received the Navy Cross for heroism along with the Purple Heart.
At age 43 he became the youngest brigadier general in Marine Corps history up to that time. Krulak received the second of two Distinguished Service Medals when he retired from the military.
For the next nine years, he worked for Copley Newspapers, serving at various times as director of editorial and news policy and news media president of Copley News Service. He retired as vice president of The Copley Press Inc. in 1977 and contributed columns on international affairs and military matters for Copley News Service.
He also wrote the book “First to Fight,” an insider’s view of the Marine Corps.
His son Charles Krulak served as commandant — the Marines’ top post — from 1995 to 1999.
Valor, Navy Crosses, and United States Marines
November 23, 2008Marines to be awarded Navy Cross posthumously
By Dan Lamothe – Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Nov 22, 2008 7:46:45 EST
Posted : Saturday Nov 22, 2008 7:46:45 EST
Two Marines who died in Iraq stopping a small water tanker filled with explosives will be posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest combat honor, a Marine spokeswoman said.
Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, 19, and Cpl. Jonathan Yale, 21, were standing guard April 22 in Ramadi when a truck filled with 2,000 pounds of explosives roared toward a joint Marine-Iraqi headquarters, Marine officials said. The two riflemen opened fire and stopped the vehicle before it reached the gate, but the truck exploded, killing the two Marines.
Maj. Gabrielle Chapin, a Marine spokeswoman in Iraq, confirmed the award decision, first reported Thursday on the Web site of the Los Angeles Times.
Haerter, of Sag Harbor, N.Y., was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. The Sag Harbor-North Haven Bridge on Long Island was renamed the Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter Veterans Memorial Bridge on Nov. 15, according to the New York Daily News.
Yale, of Burkeville, Va., was assigned to Lejeune-based 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines. He was described by family as an outdoorsman who participated in the school robotics and drama clubs in high school, according the Washington Post.
In May, the Corps said the actions of the pair saved 33 Marines, 21 Iraqi police officers and numerous civilians resting beyond the gate of the outpost.
“They saved all of our lives,” Lance Cpl. Benjamin Tupaj, a rifleman with 1/9 on post that morning, said in the Corps’ statement. “If it wasn’t for them that gate probably wouldn’t have held. The explosion blew out all of the windows over 150 meters from where the blast hit. If that truck had made it into the compound, there would’ve been a lot more casualties. They saved everyone’s life here.”
Haerter and Yale were both posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and nominated for “an award for valor,” according to the statement released in May. It did not specify which award they were nominated to receive.
Profiles of valor: U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ashley Henderson Huff
November 14, 2008In October, the Interior Ministry of the Kurdistan Regional Government honored a fallen American soldier with a statue at the opening of a police college in Erbil. U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ashley Henderson Huff of the 385th MP Battalion, based out of Fort Stewart, Georgia, was honored for her work toward establishing the new academy, which will accommodate up to 650 people. Huff had worked on behalf of Coalition Forces with the Interior Ministry to build the police academy, but she was killed by a suicide car bomber in Mosul in 2006. Interior Minister Sinjari said, “First Lieutenant Ashley Henderson Huff was a woman of courage and determination. We are honored to have worked with her. Her family and colleagues should be proud of what she did for her country and for the people of Iraq in the liberation of our country. Her statue will act not only as a remembrance of her but will also inspire our police cadets to live up to her standards of commitment and professionalism.”
Valhalla, another Marine guards the streets of Heaven.
November 2, 2008Gads… I was there. No, not a Marine, I was further west…
John Ripley dead at 59
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Retired Marine Col. John Ripley, who was credited with stopping a column of North Vietnamese tanks by blowing up a pair of bridges during the 1972 Easter Offensive of the Vietnam War, died at home at age 69, friends and relatives said Sunday.
Ripley’s son, Stephen Ripley, said his father was found at his Annapolis home Saturday after missing a speaking engagement on Friday. The son said the cause of death had not been determined but it appeared his father died in his sleep.
In a videotaped interview with the U.S. Naval Institute for its Americans at War program, Ripley said he and about 600 South Vietnamese were ordered to “hold and die” against 20,000 North Vietnamese soldiers with about 200 tanks.
“I’ll never forget that order, ‘hold and die’,” Ripley said. The only way to stop the enormous force with their tiny force was to destroy the bridge, he said.
full story here
Semper Fi Sir! And God bless him and all that was His!
ARMY SPEC. ROSS MCGINNIS, Medal of Honor
June 3, 2008http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/McGinnis/
Citation
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to
Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis
United States Army
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an M2 .50-caliber Machine Gunner, 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in Adhamiyah, Northeast Baghdad, Iraq, on 4 December 2006.
That afternoon his platoon was conducting combat control operations in an effort to reduce and control sectarian violence in the area. While Private McGinnis was manning the M2 .50-caliber Machine Gun, a fragmentation grenade thrown by an insurgent fell through the gunner’s hatch into the vehicle. Reacting quickly, he yelled “grenade,” allowing all four members of his crew to prepare for the grenade’s blast. Then, rather than leaping from the gunner’s hatch to safety, Private McGinnis made the courageous decision to protect his crew. In a selfless act of bravery, in which he was mortally wounded, Private McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion.
Private McGinnis’ gallant action directly saved four men from certain serious injury or death. Private First Class McGinnis’ extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest medal for valor in combat that can be awarded to members of the armed forces. It sometimes is referred to as the “Congressional Medal of Honor” because the president awards it on behalf of the Congress.
The medal was first authorized in 1861 for Sailors and Marines, and the following year for Soldiers as well. Since then, more than 3,400 Medals of Honor have been awarded to members of all DOD services and the Coast Guard, as well as to a few civilians who distinguished themselves with valor.
Medals of Honor are awarded sparingly and are bestowed only to the bravest of the brave; and that courage must be well documented. So few Medals of Honor are awarded, in fact, that there have only been five bestowed posthumously for service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The most recent recipients are Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, Navy SEAL Master-at-Arms Michael A. Monsoor for valor in Iraq, and Army Pfc. Ross A. McGinnis, and Navy Lt. Michael P. Murphy for valor in Afghanistan.
However, since 1998, 15 other Medals of Honor have been awarded to correct past administrative errors, oversights and follow-up on lost recommendations or as a result of new evidence.
Here are just a few examples of Soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor from three wars. Their actions, like the other recipients of the medal, were far and above the call of duty.
During the Civil War, the job of color bearer was one of the most hazardous as well as important duties in the Army. Soldiers looked to the flag for direction and inspiration in battle and the bearer was usually out in front, drawing heavy enemy fire while holding the flag high. On Nov. 16, 1863, regimental color bearer Pvt. Joseph E. Brandle, from the 17th Michigan Infantry, participated in a battle near Lenoire, Tenn. “…[H]aving been twice wounded and the sight of one eye destroyed, [he] still held to the colors until ordered to the rear by his regimental commander.”
Cpl. Alvin C. York, from the 82nd Division, fearlessly engaged the numerically superior German force at Chatel-Chehery, France, on Oct. 8, 1918–just a month before the armistice was signed. His citation reads: “…After his platoon had suffered heavy casualties and three other noncommissioned officers had become casualties, Cpl. York assumed command. Fearlessly leading seven men, he charged with great daring toward a machine gun nest, which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat the machine gun nest was taken, together with four officers and 128 men and several guns.”
Valor is found across the times as well as across the ranks, as World War II 2nd Lt. Robert Craig, from the 3rd Infantry Division, demonstrated. According to his citation, 2nd Lt. Robert Craig volunteered to defeat an enemy machine gun that three other officers before him could not. He quickly located the gun outside of Favoratta, Sicily, but without cover, he and his men found themselves vulnerable to approximately100 enemies. “Electing to sacrifice himself so that his platoon might carry on the battle, he ordered his men to withdraw … while he drew the enemy fire to himself. With no hope of survival, he charged toward the enemy until he was within 25 yards of them. Assuming a kneeling position, he killed five and wounded three enemy soldiers. While the hostile force concentrated fire on him, his platoon reached the cover of the crest. 2nd Lt. Craig was killed by enemy fire, but his intrepid action so inspired his men that they drove the enemy from the area, inflicting heavy casualties on the hostile force.”
Conservative Libertarian Outpost 