I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation UNDER GOD,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.
Prayers going up.
Medal of Honor recipients ROCK!!!
I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation UNDER GOD,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.
Prayers going up.
What an excellent idea for a thread. You've been posting in the Canteen daily the names and history of MOH winners. This is a wonderful way to really allow folks to learn more about them.
*HUGS*
Mornin', everybody ! Happy Monday!
Have a cup while you Freep !
For those who prefer hot chocolate.....
I hope your children know what a wonderful mother they have.
Thank You for your efforts in the Canteen!
Thank you Star for today's thread. Our Medal of Honor recipients deserve all the honor and recognition they earned.
God bless our Troops and Veterans, heroes all!
Thanks, Star, for today's wonderful thread about the Medal of Honor.
FIRST LIEUTENANT
WILLIAM D. HAWKINS, USMC
(DECEASED)
World War II 1941-1945
Medal of Honor Recipient
CLICK HERE OR THUMBNAIL FOR LARGER IMAGE
http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Historical/Whos_Who/Hawkins_WD.htm
First Lieutenant William Deane Hawkins was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for valorous conduct above and beyond the call of duty during the Tarawa campaign. He was killed in action, 21 November 1943, on Betio Island.
Lieutenant Hawkins was born 18 April 1914 in Fort Scott, Kansas. His father was an insurance claims adjuster; his mother, the daughter of a Missouri doctor.
When he was a baby, young Hawkins suffered an accident which scarred him for life. A neighbor upset a can of scalding hot water over him and it was a year before his mother was able to cure the muscular damage by massage, and the boy could walk again.
When the boy was five, the family moved to El Paso, Texas; when he was eight, his father died and his mother had to seek outside employment. She was employed as the secretary to a high school principal and, later, as a teacher in the El Paso Technical Institute.
An excellent student, young Hawkins skipped fifth grade at LaMar and Alta Vista Schools and graduated from El Paso High School when he was 16. He won a scholarship to the Texas College of Mines, where he studied engineering. During summer vacations, he delivered magazines and sold newspapers, and worked as a bellhop, ranch hand, and railroad laborer.
When he was 21, he went to Tacoma, Washington, to work. Here he was married and later divorced, and at 23 was an engineer for a Los Angeles title-insurance company.
After Pearl Harbor was attacked, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, 5 January 1942, and was assigned to the 7th Recruit Battalion, Recruit Depot, San Diego. He had tried unsuccessfully to enter both the Army and the Navy Air Corps, but his scars prevented his being accepted. Now, as a Marine, he joined the 2d Marines, 2d Marine Division, completed Scout Snipers' School at Camp Elliott, San Diego, and on 1 July 1942 embarked on board the USS Crescent City for the Pacific area.
A private first class when he went overseas, he was quickly promoted to corporal and then sergeant. On 17 November 1942, he was commissioned a second lieutenant while taking part in the Guadalcanal campaign in the battle for the Solomons. On 1 June 1943, he was promoted to first lieutenant. Less than six months later, he was killed in action leading a scout-sniper platoon in the attack on Betio Island during the assault on Tarawa.
During the two-day assault, Lieutenant Hawkins led attacks on pill boxes and installations, personally initiated an assault on a hostile position fortified by five enemy machine guns, refused to withdraw after being seriously wounded and destroyed three more pill boxes before he was mortally wounded, 21 November 1943.
Robert Sherrod, then Editor of The Saturday Evening Post, wrote the following about the Marine platoon leader:
"Hawkins had told me aboard the ship that he would put his platoon of men up against any company of soldiers on earth and guarantee to win. He was slightly wounded by shrapnel as he came ashore in the first wave, but the furthest thing from his mind was to be evacuated. He led his platoon into the forest of coconut palms. During a day and a half he personally cleaned out six Jap machine gun nests, sometimes standing on top of a track and firing point blank at four or five men who fired back at him from behind blockhouses. Lieutenant Hawkins was wounded a second time, but he still refused to retire. To say that his conduct was worthy of the highest traditions of the Marine Corps is like saying the Empire State Building is moderately high."
In recognition of his leadership and daring action against enemy positions, the air strip on Betio Island was named Hawkins Field in honor of the Marine hero. With his unit Lieutenant Hawkins also shared in the two Presidential Unit Citations awarded the 1st Marine Division (Reinforced) for heroic action during the Guadalcanal and Tarawa campaigns.
MEDALS OF HONOR AWARDED FOR ACTION IN SOMALIA
*GORDON, GARY I.
Rank and organization: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army. Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia. Born: Lincoln, Maine.
Citation: Master Sergeant Gordon, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Master Sergeant Gordon's sniper team provided precision fires from the lead helicopter during an assault and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When Master Sergeant Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the second crash site, he and another sniper unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After his third request to be inserted, Master Sergeant Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon and his fellow sniper, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Master Sergeant Gordon immediately pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Master Sergeant Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers until he depleted his ammunition. Master Sergeant Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crew's weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that he was critically low on ammunition, he provided some of it to the dazed pilot and then radioed for help. Master Sergeant Gordon continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After his team member was fatally wounded and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the wreckage, recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the pilot with the words, "good luck." Then, armed only with his pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Master Sergeant Gordon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.
*SHUGHART, RANDALL D.
Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army. Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia. Born: Newville, Pennsylvania.
Citation: Sergeant First Class Shughart, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Member, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sergeant First Class Shughart provided precision sniper fires from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive fires at the second crash site, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the site. Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After their third request to be inserted, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Sergeant First Class Shughart pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Sergeant First Class Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while traveling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. Sergeant First Class Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Sergeant First Class Shughart's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.
Audie Murphy! When I was young I had such a crush on him and once saw him in a rodeo parade in Lubbock, Texas. He was a great American, and I am proud that this Texan was a Medal of Honor winner!
Another great thread!
And, as if you don't have enough to do, I want you to NAME THIS FILM!
The quotes:
"I'll hoist the main sail."
"I'll pop the popcorn."
"I'll get the moist toilettes!"
Can you name it? ;)
This time off was eventful, while driving to a friends house for Christmas dinner I noticed something moving on the side of the road. I stopped, with my wife, and we discovered a litter of Chow puppies that was abandoned on Christmas day! Needless to say we picked them up and got them warm ASAP, it was below freezing the night before.
On Christmas day, nothing is open. So we had to improvise getting them food and water. We manged to pull it off and they are healthy. On the 26th we found a shelter for them and before we got there two of the puppies we adopted and as a bonus I gave the adopters a bag of puppy chow for their kindness. I just prey the remaining two gets a home real soon. I guess this was a Merry Christmas for those puppies.
73 days left on active duty
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on December 27:
1555 Johann Arndt German Lutherian theologist
1571 Johann Kepler, Wurttemberg Germany, astronomer (elliptical orbits)
1773 George Cayley, England, found science of aerodynamics
1814 James Henry Carleton Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1873
1816 Eliakim Parker Scammon Brig General (Union volunteers), died in 1894
1822 Louis Pasteur (chemist, scientist: developed pasteurization process, rabies vaccination)
1829 James Clay Rice Brig General (Union volunteers), died in 1864
1831 Lucius Fairchild Brig General (Union volunteers), died in 1896
1855 Paul Ehrenreich, German etnologist/mythologist
1879 Sydney Greenstreet (actor: Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon)
1901 Marlene Dietrich (Maria von Losch) singer/actress (Blue Angel)
1906 Oscar Levant Pittsburgh PA, actor (American in Paris, Dance of Life)
1915 William Howell Masters, sex author/physician
1941 John Amos (actor: Good Times, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Coming to America, Future Cop)
1943 Cokie Roberts, American broadcast journalist
Read: Micah 5:1-4
Bethlehem . . . , out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel. —Micah 5:2
Bible In One Year: Zechariah 1-4; Revelation 18
A lot of attention was suddenly focused on the small town of Bethlehem. Jews from many parts of the world came to be counted in a census. Mary and Joseph traveled there from Nazareth. Shepherds came from the fields to see the Baby lying in a manger (Luke 2:15-16) after a multitude of angels had come to announce, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (vv.13-14).
Every Christmas, in our imagination, we go to Bethlehem to celebrate Jesus' birth. But we cannot stay there; we must leave. The angels returned to heaven. Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem, then sought safety in Egypt.
The shepherds' exit gives a clear message to us. They left the stable and told everyone about the holy Child. "And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds" (v.18).
It's appropriate for us to do the same. Micah prophesied that from Bethlehem would go forth a Ruler of Israel, the eternal Maker of the world, who had come to save mankind from sin (Micah 5:2). This season, let's join those who have gone forth from their visits to Bethlehem to proclaim the good news of Christ, who came to save us. —Dave Egner
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SALUTE!
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Good morning, Star!! Good morning, Canteen Crew! Good morning, EVERYBODY! 
TROOPS!
Today's FEEBLE
YOKE :
There was a lady who had triplets: Shut up, Be quiet, and Trouble.
One day she told the boys to go buy her some milk from the store. They set off. When they got there the walked around looking for the dairy section. Somewhere along the line a big mob of people came and Trouble got lost. Shut Up and Be Quiet went to a police officer that was buying some bread.
Officer: What is your name?
Shut Up: Shut Up.
Officer: What is your name?
Shut Up: Shut Up.
Since Shut Up was not cooperating he asked Be Quiet.
Officer: What is your name?
Be Quiet: Be Quiet.
Officer: What is your name?
Be Quiet: Be Quiet.
Officer:(really getting irritated) Are you guys looking for trouble?
Shut up and Be quiet: YES, YES, HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?
Chicagoland Weather
| December 27, 2004 | |
| Chicago, IL | |
| Sunrise | 7:18 AM (CST) |
| Sunset | 4:26 PM (CST) |
| Hrs. of Daylight | 9 Hrs., 8 Mins |
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Good morning Everyone. Good morning and Happy Holidays to one and all. Especially our AWESOME military, our Allies and their families.
I hope everyone has managed to have a wonderful Christmas. I know some of you have had a white Christmas. This is another drive-by post, since I have a few chores to do today. Plus, I need to try to catch up on what has happened over the last few days here at the Canteen.
I finally got to see Audie's tombstone a few years ago. We took some out-of-town relatives to Arlington Cemetary and spent a few hours there. I never knew who he was until then. He definitely has an interesting story.
We will be picking up our granddaughter from her Mom this evening so that we can have a day with her while she is in Maryland for the Holidays. Oh yeah.....here's one of the pictures I received of our Big Jake's first Christmas.
Isn't it great to have so many new babies who are having their first Christmas?
Gonna run for now. Will try to get back a little later on.
Good Afternoon troops!! Good Afternoon everyone! I just got word from a fellow Sea Cadet. One of my unit's former Sea Cadets, who joined the Marine Corps Reserve a while back, will be shipping out to Iraq on Jan 7th. His name is Isreal Tolentino Jr. Anyway, here is today's humor attempt!
One day, Bill and Tom went to a restaurant for dinner. As soon as the waiter took out two steaks, Bill quickly picked out the bigger steak for himself.
Tom wasn't happy about that: "When are you going to learn to be polite?"
Bill: "If you had the chance to pick first, which one would you pick?"
Tom: "The smaller piece, of course."
Bill: "What are you whining about then? The smaller piece is what you want, right?"
The Home Detachment arrived home - yes, HOME - this afternoon, after a nine-day odd-essy in snow, ice, and BS. We've been doing laundry ever since we got in, showered, and now it's off to bed. I'll deliver a full report tomorrow, but upshot is, we might not get the car back before Sarge leaves. The yokels up there on the mountain are taking their sweet Southern time about getting the parts and starting the work, but they're johnny-on-the-spot demanding payment in advance!
The Christmas spirit is over and done with, where money is concerned. Sarge will check in from the Haunted Armory, so we'll see everyone tomorrow!
SARGE
DISCLAIMER: If you wish to be on/off Sarge's Canteen Daily Report, FReepmail with details!
I called the officer strength manager guy for the 29th Infantry Division (Virginia Army National Guard) the other day....
I'm doing all the paperwork to go back into the Army, kinda, well the Natl. Guard. I get to keep my Captain rank, so that's cool. The past few years, I realized I can sacrifice one weekend of beer drinking and TV watching per month, I might as well get back into the Army. They certainly need the officers from what I've been reading the past few months.
There are 2 Infantry Battalions and 1 Field Artillery Battalion within an hour of me, I requested those units. There's a 75% chance I'll get put into the Artillery unit, though.
I guess I need to get off my ass and start getting ready for that damned P.T. test.....blaaah...
A 32 year old man has to do MORE pushups and situps than a 19 year old?????
WTF is the deal with that ! ! ! ! ! !
