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- Michael Yon : Online Magazine - http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp - Men of Valor: Part I of about VIII November 20, 2007 “Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valor, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar.” —Winston Churchill “Bizarre” is an accurate word to describe how quickly a man can fly from, say, Orlando and land smack in the middle of a minefield. Not a metaphorical minefield, but a big, real minefield. The transition occurred in a matter...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2007 – When Army Staff Sgt. Jason Fetty put himself between a suicide bomber and the bomber’s intended targets at the grand opening of a new medical facility in Khost, Afghanistan, he wasn’t thinking of the strategic, or even tactical, importance of his actions. Army Staff Sgt. Jason Fetty (center) is the first Army reservist to earn the Silver Star for actions in Afghanistan. With him are Army Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie (left), senior enlisted advisor for the Army Reserve, and Navy Cmdr. John F.G. Wade, commander of Joint Provincial Reconstruction Team Khost, Afghanistan, when...

Many quilters and guilds across the US are participating in this worthy endeavor. If you quilt (or know of some one who does) you might want to contribute to the project for the benefit of our wounded Troops. Not a very flattering photo, but the quilts are beautiful. We meet every Tuesday at the Baker Community Center in Millington from 10-Noon. Milllington Quilter's Guild

Critics say the medals system has been weakened by inconsistencies, including a failure to recognize service members’ most valiant actions with the Medal of Honor. Some blame politics, suggesting that a desire to highlight how well the war was going in its first weeks led military and government officials to play down acts of heroism performed during fierce fighting. Others say the nature of the war in Iraq has limited the kind of direct combat that leads to Medals of Honor. Inconsistencies in the medals system have surfaced in previous wars, too, though the current conflicts have called attention to...

ExclusiveWar crime: FBI targets fake heroes BY THOMAS ZAMBITO DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERSunday, May 6th 2007, 4:00 AM The FBI is using a new law to nab phonies like Georgia's Richard Thibodeau, who was outed as a fake marine. Federal agents are taking aim at phony war heroes who tell tall tales of battlefield valor and pin bogus medals upon their chests, the Daily News has learned.The FBI's Washington headquarters receives at least 15 tips a week about fake heroes - and most of the information comes from veterans who are furious that the scam artists are demeaning real...

BAGHDAD — “Men, you have one second in your life where you can decide if you are going to be a coward or if you are going to fight. The time to decide is now.” That sentence is something that Maj. James “Jim” Gant, who serves as the chief of the Iraqi National Police, Quick Reaction Force Battalion Transition Team, tells his policemen all the time, encouraging them to fight for what they believe in. Though most the time he was talking in generic terms, this time he knew the fight was waiting for them. For six weeks his patrol...

This is a very short thread to remind you all about this wonderful organization (which was also highlighted on the last ABC's "HOME MAKEOVER" with Ty Pennington). Adopt a soldier and show your support to our men and women in uniform in a personal way. http://www.adoptasoldiernow.org/Home.html

[On 21-22 January 1879, immediately after the disaster of Isandlwana, Zululand, where Britain's initial invading force was wiped out by the Zulus, aproximately 150 British soldiers, wounded and volunteers defended a supply depot and hospital against 4000 Zulu warriors at a place called Rorke's Drift.] [snip] .... From a position on top of the store's roof, Private Fred Hitch shouted he could see some four to six thousand Zulus advancing towards the post. One wit, Private Augustus Morris, retorted from below, "Is that all?" Chard withdrew the infantry picquets and the Zulus came in sight. Ranged against Chard's command of...

LEXINGTON, Ky., Feb. 21, 2007 – A Kentucky Army National Guardsman has become the first Guard soldier -- and only the fifth servicemember overall -- to receive the Distinguished Service Cross. Kentucky Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein, left, remains at attention after receiving the Distinguished Service Cross from Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, in Lexington, Ky., Feb. 17. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy, USA  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The Distinguished Service Cross is second only to the Medal of Honor among awards for valor in battle. Staff...

Everywhere you looked November 9 to 11 at the Hyatt Regency in Arlington, Va., you saw a hero. Gathering there for the American Veterans Center’s Ninth Annual Conference were distinguished veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. They met and spoke with their fellow veterans from across the generations, a grateful public and hundreds of high school and college students. The conference proved to be a who’s who of American heroes and featured such legends as veterans of the “Doolittle Raiders” and the “Band of Brothers” from World War II, former prisoners of...

Spc. Ashley Pullen wasn't thinking about the dozens of Iraqi insurgents who had just ambushed the convoy. Or their piles of guns and grenades or the bullets ripping through the air around her. Her bloody comrade lay on the road south of Baghdad, and she had to help the gravely wounded soldier — fast. So she hustled as quickly as her short legs would carry her, ignoring the heat, the ferocious battle and her heavy gear. She ran 100, 200, 300 feet — the length of a football field. It was March 20, 2005, the day Pullen, a member of...

Inscribed on the base of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington D.C. is the tribute of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz to the fighting men on Iwo Jima: "Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue." That simple statement says a lot about the character of the boys (as they were called then) who went to war two generations ago. These boys grew up fast. And when they returned home, they proceeded to build the greatest economic and industrial power anyone had ever seen. Truly they were the Greatest Generation. In a time when political mudslinging and the total lack...

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Three Fort Bragg soldiers were honored Tuesday with the Silver Star — the Army’s third-highest award for valor in combat — for their actions in Afghanistan. Sgt. 1st Class Bruce Holmes and his team sergeant, Master Sgt. Keith Logsdon, received the medal for a 14-hour battle in a village in southern Afghanistan last year. Staff Sgt. Matthew Keefe received the medal for a separate battle. “I went in and did my job. No one expects to go and get a Silver Star,” Holmes said.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Army News Service, Aug. 10, 2006) – Thirty-one Soldiers from the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) were decorated with honors to include three Silver Star Medals for valorous actions in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in a ceremony here, Aug. 8. The three Silver Star Medal recipients were Master Sgt. Keith Logsdon, Sgt. 1st Class Bruce Holmes and Staff Sgt. Matthew Keefe. The Silver Star Medal, the Army’s third highest award for combat valor is awarded to Soldiers for distinguished gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States during military operations. Maj. Gen. Thomas R....

Staff Sgt. Nathan Reed had one hope as he worked through daily physical therapy sessions after losing his leg to a car bomb in Iraq. He wanted to his commanding general to present his Purple Heart medal. On Tuesday, Reed stood at attention as he balanced on crutches before Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman, the 4th Infantry Division's commander. After Thurman pinned on the medal, he hugged Reed and told him he would like to have him back in the fight as soon as he feels up to it. "I would go with him any time, any where, anything," Reed...

FORT HOOD – Though pockets of violence are a problem in Iraq's capital city, Baghdad is not out of control as some news reports have indicated, the 4th Infantry Division's commander said Tuesday. While home from Iraq for a two-week rest and recuperation leave, Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman said sectarian violence, which appears to have escalated in recent days, has been caused by a political and economic power struggle. Iraq's government – which is composed of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, the three main Islamic sects in Iraq – was seated in May, and Thurman said coalition forces need to...

FORT HOOD – Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman keeps a special list of names in his right hip pocket. Every day, the 4th Infantry Division's commander reminds himself of the soldiers he has lost in Iraq by looking at that list. On Tuesday, at home on two weeks of rest and recuperation leave, Thurman joined the 4th Infantry's rear at a memorial service remembering 13 soldiers who died in Iraq since May. Thurman also added a new name to his list. Staff Sgt. Jason M. Evey, 29, of Stockton, Calif., died Sunday in Baghdad after his Bradley fighting vehicle rolled...

This is a MOH nomination for a true American hero. Wouldn't it be great to see this on the front page? NARRATIVE NOMINATING SSG DAVID BELLAVIA FOR THE MEDAL OF HONOR DURING OPERATION PHANTOM FURY FALLUJAH, IRAQ On the night of 10 November 2004 Third Platoon, A Company, Task Force 2-2 IN near OBJ Wolf in Fallujah, Iraq, was ordered to attack to destroy six to eight Anti Iraqi Forces (AIF). 1LT Edward Iwan, the A Company Executive Officer, had identified six to eight AIF who had entered a block of twelve buildings. These AIF had engaged A55 and tanks...

The day was winding down for most Iraqis as Pfc. Kameron Coleman was drowning in fuel inside a burning Bradley fighting vehicle. A group of soldiers from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division had just received a new platoon leader earlier that day and were showing him their operations area. At 5:15 p.m., a few minutes after their patrol began, their Bradley exploded and flipped upside-down after rolling over a roadside bomb. The first thing Spc. Wesley Whitehead saw after he jumped out of the smoking Bradley was the lifeless body of...

ARLINGTON, Va., May 29, 2006 – America's top military leaders -- the commander in chief, secretary of defense, and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff -- commemorated this Memorial Day by paying tribute to generations of Americans, past and present, who have "answered the call to serve and stepped forward to protect the nation they loved." Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace, accompanied by Pres. George W. Bush and the Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, addresses the audience during Memorial Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery May 29. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles...