|
Meet your Special Someone™
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 | Thought, like all potent weapons, is exceedingly dangerous if mishandled. Clear thinking is therefore desirable not only in order to develop the full potentialities of the mind, but also to avoid disaster.
— Giles St. Aubyn
It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism, while the wolf remains of a different opinion.
-- Dean William Inge
Enjoy my blog!  If you don't, then try my wife's. I met her here on FF and am still amazingly happy after all this time. Meet her at cruiser387 |
|
|
|
| George W.'s War |
Jul 1, 2008 11:01 am
Mood: enthusiastic, 247 Views |  | B]George W.'s War
No one likes war. War is a horrific affair, bloody and expensive. Sending
our men and women into battle to perhaps die or be maimed is an
unconscionable thought.
Yet some wars need to be waged, and someone needs to lead. The citizenry
and Congress are often ambivalent or largely opposed to any given war. It's up
to our leader to convince them. That's why we call the leader "Commander
in Chief."
George W.'s war was no different. There was lots of resistance to it. Many
in Congress were vehemently against the idea. The Commander in Chief had
to lobby for legislative approval.
Along with supporters, George W. used the force of his convictions, the
power of his title and every ounce of moral suasion he could muster to
rally support. He had to assure Congress and the public that the war was morally
justified, winnable and affordable. Congress eventually came around and
voted overwhelmingly to wage war.
George W. then lobbied foreign governments for support. But in the end,
only one European nation helped us. The rest of the world sat on its hands and
watched.
After a few quick victories, things started to go bad. There were many
dark days when all the news was discouraging. Casualties began to mount. It
became obvious that our forces were too small. Congress began to drag its
feet about funding the effort.
Many who had voted to support the war just a few years earlier were
beginning to speak against it and accuse the Commander in Chief of
misleading them. Many critics began to call him incompetent, an idiot and
even a liar. Journalists joined the negative chorus with a vengeance.
As the war entered its fourth year, the public began to grow weary of the
conflict and the casualties. George W.'s popularity plummeted. Yet through
it all, he stood firm, supporting the troops and endorsing the struggle.
Without his unwavering support, the war would have surely ended, then and
there, in overwhelming and total defeat.
At this darkest of times, he began to make some changes. More troops were
added and trained. Some advisers were shuffled, and new generals installed.
Then, unexpectedly and gradually, things began to improve. Now it was the
enemy that appeared to be growing weary of the lengthy conflict and losing
support. Victories began to come, and hope returned.
Many critics in Congress and the press said the improvements were just
George W.'s good luck. The progress, they said, would be temporary. He
knew, however, that in warfare good fortune counts.
Then, in the unlikeliest of circumstances and perhaps the most historic
example of military luck, the enemy blundered and was resoundingly
defeated.
After six long years of war, the Commander in Chief basked in a most
hard-fought victory.
So on that historic day, Oct. 19, 1781, in a place called Yorktown , a
satisfied George Washington sat upon his beautiful white horse and
accepted the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, effectively ending the Revolutionary
War.
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Friday, June 20, 2008 4:20 PM PT |
| |
|
0 Comments | |
| Juan Rubio |
Jul 1, 2008 8:31 am
Mood: enthusiastic, 265 Views |  | Juan Rubio
The citation accompanying his Silver Star Medal detailed how a well-emplaced and determined enemy ambushed Rubio and members of his team along the Euphrates River in a complex attack. As Rubio and an assault element swept through the ambush site, insurgents detonated an improvised explosive device. Rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun and small-arms fire followed immediately after the explosion, wounding three Marines.
Realizing the severity of the Marines’ wounds, and bleeding profusely from his own, Rubio low-crawled across open terrain, exposing himself to enemy fire to provide triage. Simultaneously taking care of three urgent surgical casualties, Rubio coached his fellow Marines who were assisting other casualties as incoming enemy fire intensified.
After stabilizing the wounded for casualty evacuation, Rubio directed the platoon to provide covering fire as he and several Marines began moving the casualties towards safety.
Without regard for his own life, he once again exposed himself to the heavy and accurate enemy fire, moving the
Marines from the ambush site to the shoreline.
Rubio’s Silver Star Medal elevates him to a distinctively exceptional category of valor among Navy corpsmen since the commencement of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Only two others have been awarded the Silver Star, none have received the Medal of Honor, and only one hero has been presented the Navy Cross.
Rubio does not consider himself a hero, though.
While addressing the audience, he revealed who he believes are the true heroes, mentioning his two sons by name and that of the mortally wounded Marine lance corporal who shielded Rubio from 90 percent of the IED's
shrapnel during the engagement.
“When people ask me what it is like to be looked upon as a hero, I don’t see myself as such, because Joshua and Mathew and every son and daughter who’s out there and who has family members in Iraq, they’re the heroes,” he acknowledged while fighting back emotion. “They’re the ones who sacrifice their fathers and their mothers. That takes honor, courage and bravery to go home every night and pray that their fathers and mothers come home safe.
"And Brian Parrillo, this is for you, brother," he said. "Thank you for bringing me home.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, May 1, 2006 —U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Juan M. Rubio, 32, of San Angelo, Texas, was awarded the Silver Star Medal April 27 for conspicuous gallantry against the enemy Jan. 1, 2005, while serving as a Marine platoon corpsman in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The Silver Star Medal is the U.S. Navy’s third highest award for gallantry in combat, following the Navy Cross and the nation’s highest award, the Medal of Honor.
Rear Adm. Thomas R. Cullison, commander, Navy Medicine East and commander, Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Va., made the presentation in front of the Naval Hospital located aboard Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas.
During the ceremony, Cullison spoke about the bond that Navy Medicine, particularly Navy corpsmen, share with Marines.
“When we serve with the Marines and the Marines are with us, it’s a relationship that you can find nowhere else,” said Cullison. “The acceptance between these two groups is like no other. The responsibility that we put on our young corpsmen in battle to perform and to save lives is incredible.”
Clarifying that point, Cullison compared the controlled environment that he and other surgeons work in with the help of many others.
“Young corpsmen who go to Field Medical Service School - usually straight out of high school - perform to save lives in combat, just as Petty Officer Rubio did, and they are amazing!” he said.
Representing the Commanding General, 1st Marine Division, Marine Maj. Gen. R. F. Natonski and Command Master Chief Kelvin Carter hand-carried the award to Texas from Camp Pendleton, Calif., and assisted Cullison with the presentation. He also brought a personal message with him for Rubio.
“I talked to all the Marines and sailors in Iraq before I left, and those back in Camp Pendleton, and they want me to tell you, ‘good job, and outstanding job!’ They are damned proud of you," he said. "Please continue what you have done for our great nation, the Marine Corps and Navy team, and also for the hospital corps community.”
Rubio had already earned the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in the Jan. 1, 2005, engagement while serving with 4th Platoon, Small Craft Company, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, U.S. Marine Forces Central Command. |
| |
|
1 comment | |
| To link to this blog (quietman6706) use [blog quietman6706] in your messages. |
|
|
|
|
| Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
| |
|
12
|
23
|
32
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
103
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
241
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
291
|
301
|
31
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
