Posts with the tag 'US Military'
And, actually, a tip of the hat to President-elect Obama for having the wisdom to keep at least part of the command structure in place through the transition:
President-elect Barack Obama will keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates in that job for at least a year, according to an official familiar the two men’s discussions.
Obama is expected to announce the selection of Gates and other members of a national security brain trust next week. Gates has served as President George W. Bush’s defense chief for two years.
Gates, a moderate with long-standing ties to Republican administrations and the Bush family, would fulfill an Obama pledge to include a Republican in his Cabinet.
Retaining Gates provides stability for a stretched military fighting two wars during the turbulent changeover in administrations. Gates once said it was inconceivable that he would stay on past the close of Bush’s term on Jan. 20.
But the 65-year-old former spymaster had recently turned mum in public on the circumstances under which he would stay, even briefly, in an Obama administration.
Keeping Gates might afford Obama a sort of extended transition, in which critical military issues are left in trusted hands while Obama focuses most intensely on the financial crisis.
Indeed - and provide Obama a wellspring of good advice when the inevitable challenge comes (which one friend in the know advises might come from Putin over the Baltic States). Obama will still have to take the advice and act with courage, but with Gates at Defense there won’t be any way to say that Obama isn’t equipped with sagacious counselors who know how things work in the military field.
Tags: Robert Gates, US Military
November 26th, 2008
Michael Yon reports:
As we rolled out from dusty Forward Operating Base (FOB) Falcon, I asked how many casualties the unit had taken since they had arrived, from Fort Hood (Texas), in March 2008. The soldiers told me that one Humvee had taken an EFP strike, but that a Private Rafael Martinez had received only a ruptured eardrum.
It represents vast progress to observe that the current rotation in 2008 has lost only two soldiers to an EFP strike. As sad as those losses are, the extreme distinction over the 100 lost in the Dragon Brigade from the previous year is immense and exultant. The area has fallen nearly completely silent. The war has ended. The canary in the mineshaft survived. It is starting to chirp and it is just a matter of time before it begins to sing.
One battalion in the Dragon Brigade was the 2-12 Infantry, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Michael. His right hand man, Command Sergeant Major Charles Sasser, was open to and confident with the press and provided more than just combat expertise. I went on missions with his men, who spent important time educating me about their area when they could have been sleeping. LTC Michael is a native of Guyana in South America. The Guyanese are famously soft-spoken. In fact, Major Kirk Luedeke said of LTC Michael, “Soft spoken guy, but an extremely bright and tenacious fighter.” It was true. The commander seemed gentle and grandfatherly, but he commanded his units with great expertise in what must have been one of the most complicated areas in Iraq. LTC Michael’s battalion took 18 KIAs and more than 150 wounded, mostly during the surge. (2-12 was one of the battalions in the Dragon Brigade.) The 2-12’s old area has fallen quiet now. The soldiers accomplished their mission, though I doubt anyone will ever know how hard they worked.
Read the whole thing - and remember to thank those glorious men and women of our armed forces, and their international and Iraqi allies, who fought so hard to bring this victory to you, my fellow Americans. And, also, the courage of President Bush, Senator McCain, Senator Lieberman and all those others who refused to back down and pressed for victory when many Americans, to their shame, were calling the war a failure and demanding we pull out regardless of consequences.
President-elect Obama will inherit a victory - I hope he knows how to use it.
Tags: Iraq Campaign, Michael Yon, Troop Surge, US Military
November 24th, 2008
Which makes him, initially, smarter than Bill Clinton but also, initially, more of a political coward than bill Clinton:
President-elect Barack Obama will not move for months, and perhaps not until 2010, to ask Congress to end the military’s decades-old ban on open homosexuals in the ranks, two people who have advised the Obama transition team on this issue say.
Repealing the ban was an Obama campaign promise. However, Mr. Obama first wants to confer with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his new political appointees at the Pentagon to reach a consensus and then present legislation to Congress, the advisers said.
“I think 2009 is about foundation building and reaching consensus,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. The group supports military personnel targeted under the ban.
Mr. Sarvis told The Washington Times that he has held “informal discussions” with the Obama transition team on how the new president should proceed on the potentially explosive issue.
Lawrence Korb, an analyst at the Center for American Progress and an adviser to the Obama campaign, said the new administration should set up a Pentagon committee to make recommendations to Congress on a host of manpower issues, including the gay ban.
In other words, “we won’t do it until we figure we’ve got a time when we’ll suffer as little damage as possible over it”. My fellow Americans who are gay and supported Obama - feel proud of your vote, now?
As for me, I’m ok with gay people serving openly in the United States military - provided it is coupled with a strict regulation against in-unit, on-duty and on-base sexual relations between unmarried, active duty service member’s, straight or gay. Meaning - if you’re in the same unit; or if you’re on duty; or if your on a military base and you are an active duty service member, you can’t have sex with any other active duty service member. Gay people are my fellow Americans and just as likely to be stout patriots and brave warriors as any other of my fellow Americans. Their sexual activities don’t please me and I urge them to the life of chastity they are called to by God, but in as much as their sexual activities don’t interfere with good order and discipline, I’ve really got nothing to say about them.
Nothing disgusted me more in the early Clinton years than the way he betrayed those millions of gay Americans who gave him their all, partially based on his pledge to allow gay Americans to serve openly in the United States military. This had nothing to do with whether gays serving is a good or bad thing - it had to do with anger over the worst sort of political betrayal, and it was merely an indicator of the way Clinton would conduct affairs through the 8 years of his term. Now Obama is doing the same thing - let me tell you, I prefer an honest liberal who works diligently to boldly advance liberal causes to a liberal who chickens out and tries to triangulate himself into a second term from day one of his first term. Obama has sunk very mightily in my estimation - not as a liberal, but as a man.
Grow a pair, Barry.
UPDATE: Gay Patriot takes note:
Once again, the lilly-livered Gay Left gets punched in the face while their tongues are firmly up the backside of the Democrat Party Establishment.
High-larious politics…. yet very disappointing, however predictable, from a gay rights policy perspective.
Just HOW many issues does the Hypocrite Rights Campaign and their fellow gay comrades have to lose before they are just laughed at and completely ignored??
Tags: gay rights, homosexuality, liberal lies, US Military
November 21st, 2008
…its now OK to report on the stunning victory we’ve achieved in Iraq:
Sunnis and Shi’ites made an emotional reach across the sectarian divide on Tuesday, reopening a Baghdad bridge between the two communities closed since a 2005 stampede, the deadliest incident of the war.
The Bridge of the Imams connects the Adhamiya and Kadhimiya neighborhoods of Baghdad, named for mediaeval Sunni and Shi’ite holy men whose landmark shrines on opposite sides of the Tigris are surrounded by homes of members of the separate communities.
It had been closed since 2005 when rumors of a suicide bombing panicked thousands of Shi’ites crossing the bridge for a pilgrimage to the Kadhimiya shrine. About one thousand people died in that stampede, clogging the river below with corpses.
But on Tuesday Sunni children from Adhamiya raced to see their Shi’ite friends in Kadhimiya. Women from the two communities met up on the bridge, kissing and hugging each other with joy.
“When the faces met, the lips smiled, hands shook, bodies hugged, the tears flowed out of joy. This is the Iraqi citizen,” said Sheikh Ahmed al-Samaraie, head of Iraq’s Sunni Endowment, which runs Sunni religious offices and mosques in Iraq.
A banner across the bridge read: “The bridge of love and reconciliation between the people of Adhamiya and Kadhimiya.”
God bless them all - and my fondest wish for the people of Iraq to at last have peace, and for our glorious troops to come home to a people who can never show enough gratitude for the quest they have so nobly completed for our nation. And kudos, also, to those in American who never doubted, never wavered - who kept faith with those who fight freedom’s battles.
It is just a pity we had to wade through years of anti-American sh** for us to reach this magnificent conclusion. There are plenty of people who should feel nothing but shame for the disgraceful role they’ve played.
Tags: Iraq Campaign, US Military
November 13th, 2008
Here is a history of the holiday.
And the poem I always think of on Veterans day and Memorial day:
IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields. - Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
Did you enjoy voting this past week? Thank a veteran.
Tags: US Military
November 11th, 2008
Its really important - from NRO’s The Corner:
My son started boot camp for the USMC two weeks ago. He is putting is butt on the line for you and defend the Constitution of the US and defend it from all enemies. He is not asking for your support. He is going into special operations and is willing to die to protect you. A completely incompetent Commander in Chief could put my son in serious jeopardy. American might be resilient, but my son would be put at risk.
As long as you feel absolutely confident that the man you’re voting for is the best person to command the men and women of our armed forces, then you’re doing your duty as a citizen.
Tags: US Military
November 1st, 2008
Democrats are, well, getting more and more creepy all the time:
The patchwork problem of federal and state election regulations strikes again.
Military ballots are being tossed in Fairfax Co, VA because of a “technicality.” Not a lot of them compared to the size of the electorate, but more than a few.
The registrar of voters in a Democrat. He thinks it “stinks,” but the law is the law.
Fairfax general registrar Rokey Suleman said Thursday that he has had to reject some of the ballots because of a Virginia law passed in 2002. That law — then called Senate Bill 113, sponsored by then state Sen. Bill Bolling — requires that when an overseas citizen wants to request an absentee ballot and cast a vote with the same paperwork, it requires not only a witness signature but also the current address of the witness.
The McCain campaign said there’s not even a space for the witness to list an address. Suleman agreed; he said the federal document was changed in recent years and the space for the witness address was removed. But the Virginia law hasn’t changed.
Democrats insist they’re biased towards access… so will they try to intervene on behalf of these voters?
Someone can show up on election day and get a provisional ballot from a Democrat, but let a military member being shot at on our behalf fail to dot an “i” or cross a “t”, and some Donk son of a b**** out there will find an excuse for tossing his likely-GOP ballot. Makes ya sick, doesn’t it?
Look, Democrats, there’s this thing called “morality”, you should look it up - its rather important to adhere to it, or at least attempt to do so. Among the many aspects of this morality thingy is a bit about fair play - about honesty and a sense of justice. You’re taking a big, nasty dump on America in this year of 2008, and you really need to cut it out. There really, really is a limit beyond which we won’t put up with this nonsense anymore.
Tags: conservative truth, Defeaticrats, liberal lies, US Military, Voter Issues
October 24th, 2008
You’ll never see something this fair from its editorial board, but Michael R. Gordon is the chief military correspondent of The New York Times, and he offers his quick analysis of the recent statements by Sarah Palin on “The Bush Doctrine:”
Initially, the Bush Doctrine meant that the United States would hold nations that gave sanctuary to terrorists as culpable as the terrorists themselves. This was the doctrine invoked to justify the American intervention in Afghanistan, and it was called the Bush doctrine. We wrote about this at the time.
Then, as Iraq approached, the Bush doctrine morphed or was further elaborated. It held that the United States was entitled to mount a preventive war to stop a state that had weapons of mass destruction from passing it to terrorists… Hence, preemption or preventive war was justified. Or so the argument went.
President Bush has also talked about a freedom agenda, the notion that the United States will ultimately become more safe if the Islamic nations become democracies. Freedom, it holds, is the ultimate guarantor of security. This is more talk than action, but I suppose it might rise to the status of a philosophy or doctrine.
So when ABC raised the Bush doctrine it was not that obvious to her just what the interviewer. He did not define it initially as it seemed intended as a gotcha question.
He’s not complimentary of Palin’s response, but his overall analysis seems very even handed. He also discussed Charlie Gibson’s NATO question and the Washington Post’s misrepresentation on Palin’s remarks to the troops leaving to fight in Iraq.
UPDATE: The Washington Post also comes to the defense of Palin:
Peter D. Feaver, who worked on the Bush national security strategy as a staff member on the National Security Council, said he has counted as many as seven distinct Bush doctrines. They include the president’s second-term “freedom agenda”; the notion that states that harbor terrorists should be treated no differently than terrorists themselves; the willingness to use a “coalition of the willing” if the United Nations does not address threats; and the one Gibson was talking about — the doctrine of preemptive war.
Tags: Sarah Palin, US Military
September 13th, 2008
On the seventh anniversary of September 11, I encourage our readers to put politics aside for the day and share your thoughts and stories from 9/11 here.
Those of you who can’t, please come back tomorrow.
UPDATE, by Mark Noonan: Sadness in things remembered, joy in triumphs resultant. Its been a long, busy 7 years.
Tags: 2008 Campaign, 9/11, US Military, World Trade Center
September 11th, 2008
The news story:
A U.S. military ship loaded with aid docked at a southern Georgian port Wednesday, and Russia sent three missile boats to another Georgian port as the standoff escalated over a nation devastated by war with Russia.
Georgia’s government said its short war with Russia had caused $1 billion in damages, while European leaders called the Kremlin’s moves in two breakaway Georgian regions an unacceptable attempt to unilaterally redraw the map of the Caucasus region.
The dockings came a day after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recognized the Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, which Georgia answered Wednesday by recalling all but two diplomats from its embassy in Moscow.
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Dallas, carrying 34 tons of humanitarian aid, docked in the Black Sea port of Batumi, south of the zone of this month’s fighting between Russia and Georgia. The arrival avoided Georgia’s main cargo port of Poti, still controlled by Russian soldiers.
Why the Coast Guard? Probably has to do with the mission being more humanitarian than military (Dallas has one 76mm gun and one Phalanx anti-missile gun) and, also, its rather tricky to send combat ships through the Dardanelles. Still, its a sign that we remain committed to Georgia and any American forces in Georgia lessens the likelihood of further unprovoked Russian aggression.
But it is dangerous, and we should say a prayer for our men and women now in harms way in that corner of the world - Russia under Putin has proven itself irresponsible and dangerous, so we cannot rely upon the Russians applying common sense to the issue. They may strike again, and may even deliberately strike our forces in some bizarre attempt to teach us a lesson, or some such chest-thumping by the Bear.
Also good to keep in mind: the world is a dangerous place, and the White House is no place for a heretofor empty suit to learn the ropes.
Tags: Georgia, Putin, Russia, South Ossetia, US Military
August 27th, 2008
We can trust that a veteran who suffers from war wounds will do what is right for our veterans:
John McCain Believes We Must Provide Our Veterans With World-Class Health Care. We must fully fund the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care budget in a timely and predictable manner. Those who have risked their lives in service to their fellow citizens deserve nothing less than the best medical care in the world.
When The VA Cannot Meet Our Veterans’ Needs, Our Veterans Must Be Given Alternative Means Of Access To Health Care And Freedom Of Choice. Too many veterans are unable to obtain health care through the VA because of geographical constraints, unreasonably long waiting lists, or the lack of specialized facilities at local VA hospitals. John McCain will develop and enforce demanding new standards for veterans’ access to health care for injuries or illness related to military service: no more than an hour’s drive for care, routine care within a week, urgent care within 24 hours, and specialty care within a month.
Veterans’ Care Access Card: John McCain has proposed a Veterans’ Care Access Card, which would expand access and choice for those veterans with illness or injury incurred during military service, as well as low-income veterans. This supplement to ordinary VA care — which would not replace or privatize existing programs — would permit those veterans unable to obtain timely and appropriate VA care under the standards set out above, to receive care at a private facility.
That last one is a good idea - its not always possible to get to the VA clinic and I can tell you from personal experience with my father, there are some things the private insurance either doesn’t cover or doesn’t cover as well as the VA, but the VA can be at times an onerous bureaucracy in getting things done. The more flexibility and choice in VA benefits, the better for the veterans and their families.
Outside of that, I also have a proposal of my own, in line with this:
As our veterans get really up in years (75 or older) the amount of care they need expands quite a bit, what I think we should do for our veterans as they enter their final years is ensure that they really do have everything they need. Right now, the old man gets some VA benefits because he was injured during war service, but the father-in-law doesn’t get them because his injury in service wasn’t directly war-related - that plus the records from that time are sketchy and he’s having a hard time convincing the VA that his hearing loss is service-related. Both were once upon a time very young men who joined, and both are now 81 with various service-related injuries made worse by the ravages of age.
What I think we should do is just work out an amount that veterans might need for the time 75 until death and just give it to them. In a three trillion dollar Federal budget, it won’t be that much extra a burden and a lot of the cost might be offset by other VA benefits going unused as the veterans and their families use the stipends to work out their own care arrangements. I understand that after a certain time our World War One veterans were given such a benefit, pretty much no questions asked - and this benefit came in handy for my grandfather in his last few years of life. Anyways, we can never fully repay those who fought for us, and I think this is one of those “least we can do” sort of things.
Tags: US Military, VA benefits
August 11th, 2008
From Rasmussen:
Voters who have served in the U.S. military favor John McCain over Barack Obama by a 56% to 37% margin.
This data, from a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, is based upon interviews with 3,000 Likely Voters, including 588 voters who have served in the military. Voters with no military service favor Obama 50% to 43%.
Its simple, really - those of us who served are much better as spotting someone who is shining us on. A lot of illusions about human nature are stripped away when one is serving in close quarters with hundreds or thousands of other human beings for months on end without a break. I think it pretty fair to say that each of us veterans knew one or two people in service who were complete phonies who sounded like they knew what they were doing…
Tags: Polls, US Military
July 26th, 2008
At what price, saving face?
The Murtha-inspired, media trumped so-called “Haditha Massacre” has had its share of casualties long after the event had transpired. Eight Marines, whose only crime was to follow Rules of Engagement (ROE) and to execute their mission of weeding out terrorist elements in the town of Haditha, have had their reputations and their honor dragged through the mud, not to mention having had the “honor” of treatment that would make Guantanamo detainees look like they’re being put up at the Waldorf Astoria by comparison.
On Tuesday, Military Judge Colonel Steven Folsom, USMC made the right decision when he saw through the undue command influence and dismissed all charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani without prejudice.
Said Richard Thompson, resident and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, who has been defending Chessani,
“This case has turned into the persecution of one of the Marine’s finest combat commanders. LtCol Chessani devoted his life to the Corps and his Nation. He served three tours of duty in Iraq, away from his wife and children in defense of us all. In their attempt ‘to get’ Chessani, prosecutors granted immunity to seventeen Marines, including one they had charged with murder. Still they failed. Sadly, in the process they have destroyed the career of an outstanding officer. Enough is enough.”
WND just had a story published today that Chessani rightfully planned to sue Congressman John Murtha over his slanderous pronouncement of the Haditha Marines guilt of murder in cold blood. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if there is more “undue influence” coming from Murtha to pressure prosecutors to make an example out of Chessani. Murtha, after all, is in charge of defense appropriations in the House and is certainly in a position to exert such influence. Given Murtha’s long history of what was, in my opinion, influence peddling in the form of a legion of earmarks and defense contracts, there is in my opinion nothing too low for the King of Pork to resort to save his sorry fat backside from the consequences of his actions.
The military powers that be, along with the politicians that be, know that the Haditha prosecutions will be considered by historians as one of the largest travesties of justice in military history; a time when the interests of politicians and military leaders were put far ahead of the interests of justice itself. Their pitiful attempts to continue to prop up a false set of charges against one of the great military leaders in the Corps as a means of salvaging face serves neither the honor of the military nor the interests of justice.
It is nothing less than reprehensible.
Lots more on the background of this case here, here and here.
Read more on Murtha’s role in this travesty here, here, and here.
Tags: blogs, Earmarks, Haditha Case, Iraq Campaign, Jack Murtha, US Military
June 19th, 2008
From Thomas Sowell:
Now that Senator Barack Obama has become the Democrats’ nominee for President of the United States, to the cheers of the media at home and abroad, he has written a letter to the Secretary of Defense, in a tone as if he is already President, addressing one of his subordinates.
The letter ends: “I look forward to your swift response.”
With wars going on in both Iraq and Afghanistan, a Secretary of Defense might have some other things to look after, before making a “swift response” to a political candidate.
Because of the widely publicized statistic that suicide rates among American troops have gone up, Senator Obama says he wants the Secretary of Defense to tell him, swiftly:
“What changes will you make to provide our soldiers in theater with real access to mental health care?”…
…Does Senator Obama know how the rate of suicides or homicides among military veterans compares to the rate of suicides or homicides among their civilian counterparts? Do the facts matter to him, as compared to an opportunity to score political points?
Perhaps even more important, do the media even care whether Senator Obama knows what he is talking about? Or is the symbolism of “the first black President” paramount, even if that means a President with cocky ignorance at a time of national danger?
The media have been crucial to Barack Obama’s whole candidacy. His only achievements of national significance in his entire career have been media achievements and rhetorical achievements.
Perhaps his greatest achievement has been running as a candidate with an image wholly incompatible with what he has actually been doing for decades. This man who is now supposedly going to “unite” us has for years worked hand in glove, and contributed both his own money and the taxpayers’ money, to people who have sought to divide us in the most crude demagogic ways.
Sowell notes that the actual suicide rate amongst veterans is lower than the suicide rate amongst the comparable, civilian demographic group - so, the whole “soldier suicide” issue is something cooked up by the MSM in order to: denigrate our soldiers; denigrate our mission in Iraq; slander George Bush by implication. The MSM doesn’t know the facts. Obama doesn’t know the facts - but while its not that big an issue that the MSM is ignorant, it is highly troubling that Barack Obama, who aspires to the White House, doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
This is the problem when you nominate the “un-named Democrat” made flesh. You might recall from 2004 how in poll after poll, an “un-named” Democrat beat President Bush…of course, once the Democrat was named, President Bush clobbered him. For 2008, the Democrats have figured out how to get what they needed for 2004 - a man know one really knows, who can be presented as the alternate, un-GOP answer to all problems. Obama is an empty suit, and a rather ignorant person into the bargain - emerging from the ideological hothouse of leftwing community activism (an effort, by the way, which does nothing for communties but does do a lot for people on the make and on the take), Obama comes to the table without the foggiest notion of what is going on in America and the world - and the more he speaks, the more clear this becomes.
The race we have is between Obama’s facade and McCain’s truth - if we can tear down Obama’s facade and present McCain’s truth to a majority by November, then we will win, and present Obama the opportunity to be ignorant about why he lost. We can do this, and we must do this - America is too important to be entrusted in such weak hands as Obama’s.
Tags: US Military
June 11th, 2008
Today’s speech:
Thank you. Mr. Secretary, thank you for the kind introduction. Members of my Cabinet, members of the administration, Admiral Mullen, members of the United States Congress, Senator Warner and Congressman Skelton, members of the military, our veterans, honored guests, families of the fallen: Laura and I are honored to be with you on Memorial Day and thank you for coming.
A few moments ago, I placed a wreath upon the tomb of three brave American[s] who gave their lives in service to our nation. The names of these honored are known only to the Creator who delivered them home from the anguish of war — but their valor is known to us all. It’s the same valor that endured the stinging cold of Valley Forge. It is the same valor that planted the proud colors of a great nation on a mountaintop on Iwo Jima. It is the same valor that charged fearlessly through the assault of enemy fire from the mountains of Afghanistan to the deserts of Iraq. It is the valor that has defined the armed forces of the United States of America throughout our history.
Today, we gather to honor those who gave everything to preserve our way of life. The men and women we honor here served for liberty. They sacrificed for liberty. And in countless acts of courage, they died for liberty. From faraway lands, they were returned to cemeteries like this one, where broken hearts received their broken bodies — they found peace beneath the white headstones in the land they fought to defend.
It is a solemn reminder of the cost of freedom that the number of headstones in a place such as this grows with every new Memorial Day. In a world where freedom is constantly under attack and in a world where our security is challenged, the joys of liberty are often purchased by the sacrifices of those who serve a cause greater than themselves. Today we mourn and remember all who have given their lives in the line of duty. Today we lift up our hearts especially those who’ve fallen in the past year.
We remember Army Specialist Ronald Tucker of Fountain, Colorado. As a young man, Ronnie was known for having an infectious smile and a prankster’s sense of humor. And then he joined the United States Army, which brought out a more mature side in him. Ronnie transformed from a lighthearted teenager into a devoted soldier and a dutiful son who called his mother every day from his post in Iraq. In his final act of duty, less than a month ago, he worked with other members of his unit to build a soccer field for Iraqi children. As he drove back to his base, an enemy bomb robbed him of his life. And today our nation grieves for the loss of Ronnie Tucker.
We remember two Navy SEALS — Nathan Hardy of Durham, New Hampshire, and Michael Koch of State College, Pennsylvania. Nate and Mike were partners in the field and they were close friends in the barracks. Through several missions together, they had developed the unique bond of brotherhood that comes from trusting another with your life. They even shared a battlefield tradition: They would often head into battle with American flags clutched to their chests underneath their uniform. Nate and Mike performed this ritual for the last time on February the 4th — they both laid down their lives in Iraq after being ambushed by terrorists. These two friends spent their last few moments on earth together, doing what they loved most — defending the United States of America. Today, Nathan Hardy and Mike Koch lay at rest next to each other right here on the grounds of Arlington.
The men and women of American armed forces perform extraordinary acts of heroism every single day. Like the nation they serve, they do not glory in the devastation of war. They also do not flinch from combat when liberty and justice are embattled. Ronald Tucker, Nathan Hardy and Mike Koch make clear, they do not waver — even in the face of danger.
And so today, here in Washington and across our country, we pay tribute to all who have fallen — a tribute never equal to the debt they are owed. We will forever honor their memories. We will forever search for their comrades, the POWs and MIAs. And we pledge — we offer a solemn pledge to persevere and to provide the security for our citizens and secure the peace for which they fought.
The soil of Arlington and other sites is filled with liberty’s defenders. It is nourished by their heroism. It is watered by the silent tears of the mothers and fathers, and husbands and wives, and sons and daughters they left behind. Today we pray for God’s blessing on all who grieve and ask the Almighty to strengthen and comfort them today and everyday.
On this Memorial Day, I stand before you as the Commander-in-Chief and try to tell you how proud I am at the sacrifice and service of the men and women who wear our uniform. They’re an awesome bunch of people and the United States is blessed to have such citizens.
I am humbled by those who have made the ultimate sacrifice that allow a free civilization to endure and flourish. It only remains for us, the heirs of their legacy, to have the courage and the character to follow their lead — and to preserve America as the greatest nation on earth and the last best hope for mankind.
May God bless you and may God bless America.
Tags: US Military
May 26th, 2008
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored.
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps.
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
“As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on.”
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me;
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.
Tags: US Military
May 26th, 2008
Blow out, you bugles, over the rich Dead!
There’s none of these so lonely and poor of old,
But, dying, has made us rarer gifts than gold
These laid the world away; poured out the red
Sweet wine of youth; gave up the years to be
Of work and joy, and that unhoped serene,
That men call age; and those who would have been,
Their sons, they gave, their immortality.
Blow, bugles, blow! They brought us, for our dearth,
Holiness,
