Posted on 06/06/2008 9:32:40 AM PDT by RedRover
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, three "huzzahs" were given by British infantry before a charge, as a way of building morale and intimidating the enemy. The book "Redcoat" by Richard Holmes indicates that this was given as two short 'huzzahs' followed by a third sustained one as the charge was carried out.
Defend Our Marines headline, June 4, 2008: “Verdict in the Lt Grayson trial---NOT GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS!”
Huzzah!
I feel one of the striking impressions of the Haditha case is the lack of leadership demonstrated by the Marine General Officers. One of the principles of leadership is to know your Marines and it is apparent that the generals didn’t know Lt Grayson.
For the Haditha generals to not know their Marines is an unforgivable sin and for this reason I believe they deserve their current embarrassment. When six out of eight legal proceedings end with charges dismissed and a not-guilty verdict, that is a pretty good indicator that the charges were brought for political reasons. Frankly, the generals should know better then to use “smoke and mirrors”.
Most descriptions of Lt Grayson speak of his abilities as an exceptional Marine Officer. I never met or served with the lieutenant but I honestly felt I understood him as a Marine because I have seen many like him.
In my opinion, Lt Grayson is not exceptional but he is typical of the majority of Marines. For young Marines, and especially lieutenants, exceptional is expected and delivered as a matter of routine. In other words, exceptional Marine Lieutenants are SOP (standard operating procedure). Lt Grayson saw his legal issues as a matter of honor and I would argue that is typical of most Marines. What is not typical, is for the Marine Corps senior leadership to forget these values that are instilled in our Marines.
The selection of Marines is never an easy process. For example, if you could poll of a typical high school senior class of maybe 200 to 300 seniors with the question, Do you want to be a United States Marine? Most Marine recruiters will tell you not to expect more than one or maybe two positive answers. Generally speaking, in order to get one of these seniors to make the huge step of getting on the boot camp bus, six to ten other committed seniors will most likely be disqualified for an abundance of reasons. Standard Marine boot camp attrition is 12 to 15%. OCS (Officer Candidate School) attrition can be as high as 50% per class. In the slogan “The Few, the Proud, the Marines”, I think all citizens, Marines and their relatives understand the “Few” part.
Not everyone wants to be a Marine, but the few that do, demonstrate that they possess that kernel of courage, honor and pride that Marine training grows and forges so effectively. Lt Grayson is typical but only from a Marine perspective. A few years back, my wife and I went to see the movie, “A Few Good Men”. In that movie, Demi Moore spoke a warning to Tom Cruise’s character that, “The Marines at Gitmo are fanatical”. My wife giggled when she heard that line and when I asked why she thought it was funny she stated: “The Marines at Gitmo are not fanatical; you’re all fanatical. You can’t be a Marine and do the things you do, unless your are a fanatic.” As a Marine, I understood what my wife was saying. Yes, Marines are fanatics; we are fanatics about pride, courage, honor and we believe with our souls that these traits are not only essential in combat but also make us the best warriors this country has to offer. (I can’t help but think that those same thoughts motivated LtCol Chessani when he made his famous “My Marines are not murders” statement.) Lt Grayson’s courage was instilled by his parents, forge by his Marine training and honed in combat on the Haditha battle field. For these reasons, the associated Haditha generals should have know that Lieutenant Grayson would demonstrate the courage to defeat the legal wranglings and “smoke” of lawyers and political maneuvering and “mirrors” of the HQMC Administrative Command Authority.
For Lt Grayson’s honor and courage, because he did the right thing, in the right way, for the right reason; Lt Grayson, his defense team and his supporters just shouted the second …
Huzzah!
We are now faced with the final two cases: LtCol Jeffrey Chessani and SSgt Frank Wuterich. As hard as the six preceding cases have been, I believe these final two are the main event for the Haditha matter and will be the hardest for the defense to crack. If the Haditha incident is going to be put to rest, these two cases have to be won by the defense. Let us all remember there are two more cases to go and these two Marines and especially their families will need all the support we can provide.
By the way, after giving the order to fix bayonets, I also believe that the Chessani and Wuterich defense teams have the prosecution and the Marine General Officers ears ringing with the third shout of …
HUZZAHHH!
Bob Weimann
LtCol USMC Ret
Former Commander Kilo Company 3/1
Unfortunately, it's even worse than that, and it's more than just a simple "lack of leadership". It's the corruption, cowardice, dishonesty and betrayal by both the civilian leadership (Murtha, et al., and including President Bush) and the Marine General Officers.
God bless all those that served past and present.
God bless these Marines and their families.
Great to see you, del! You were the guy who started the ping list so I think of you often.
Marines come in all shapes, shades, weights, sizes and states of sobriety, misery, and confusion. A Marines is as sly as a fox, has the nerve of a dope addict, the stories of an old sailor, the sincerity of a politician and the subtly of Mt. Saint Helens. They are extremely irresistible, totally irrational and completely indestructible. A Marine is a Marine all their life. They're a magical creature. You can kick a Marine out of your house, but not out of your heart. You can take them off your mailing list, but not off your mind. They are found everywhere. In love, in battle, in lust, in trouble, in debt, in bars... and behind them. No one can write so seldom and yet think so much of you. No one else can get so much enjoyment out of a letter or clean clothes or a six pack. A Marine is a genius with a deck of cards. A millionaire without a cent and brave without a grain of sense. They are the PROTECTORS OF AMERICA, with the latest copy of Playboy/Playgirl in their back pocket. When they want something it's usually 30 days leave, music that hurts the ears, a five dollar bill or someone they can count on. The other branches envy them, mothers tolerate them, fathers brag about them, the government pays them, the police watch out for them and somehow they all work together. You can beat their bodies but not their minds. You can tame their hearts but not their souls. They love the opposite sex! A Marine dislikes small checks, working weekends, answering letters, missing chow, waking up, maintaining a uniform and the day before payday. You may as well give in. They are your long distance lover. They are your steel eyed, warm smiling, blank minded, hyperactive, over reacting, curious, passive, talented, spontaneous, physically fit, good for nothing bundle of worry... and will always be there for you regardless of how long it's been since you've last talked. -Unknown
And that's just PART of the reason I love them all ♥
Damn I could have written this about my sons....excellent
OooRah!
Love that graphic!
Got it from a Marine : ) Don’t know where it came from-but I love it.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for posting this rebuttal to the likes of Walter Cronkite and his ilk and thank you Wasp Man for the ping...
Very good, thank you!
And thanks to All that Venture Into Harm’s Way.
LTC Weimann,
Sir. If you lurk on FR, continue to weild your pen.
Powerful. Absolutely powerful.
May God guide you as you stand in the gap!
Grace to you,
Xzins
Semper Fi, Citizen.
Thank you, again, for putting in so much time, effort and energy in helping us all stay up to speed enough to assist in countering the enemy propaganda campaign that is this Haditha Witch Hunt.
“...the Chessani and Wuterich defense teams have the prosecution and the Marine General Officers ears ringing...”
YOU BET YOUR BOOTS THEY DO!!!! Huzzah
I recall one that I used to have engraved on a lighter:
I may get so drunk I’ll have to crawl home... but by God I’ll crawl like a Marine.
Nice poster, gunny. And my sentiments run close to that... but I am more inclined to want to see Murtha impaled. (Look it up, as a description would not be a good thing to post here if one does not want to get banned for life... it’s that “good.”) There’s a video somewhere which shows an impaling done by our old pals, the Muzzies. Not for the squeamish.
For us it would be abbreviated LtCol. We are not real fans of the doggie style of abbreviating rank.
:>)
What a “doggie” chaplain can’t learn......
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