A Tribute to Real Heroes

Michelle Malkin ^ | 07/08/2009 | Michelle Malkin

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My column below memorializes some true American heroes whose funerals won’t get wall-to-wall cable coverage. But first I wanted to share an e-mail from reader Noelle, who wrote me yesterday:

We spent a nailbiting Sunday wondering if one of the men killed at [Combat Outpost] Zerok in Afghanistan on July 4th was our son. God bless the Casillas and Fairbairn families in this hour of grief over futures that now will never come to pass. The privates who died were mortarmen, the guys who go outside and return fire. I’m sorry about Michael Jackson’s totally wasted life, but he’s not worth the national crying and hair pulling that will never be done for the two young mortarmen. My son is a third tour “listener” and 33 years old. The base is very small and he said they bond quickly under these circumstances and are bent over with grief as they have to carry on in hostile territory…He called us late evening on Sunday after the Casillas and Fairbairns had been notified about the deaths.

[From The Deer Stand]

E-mail received today:

With no disrespect intended to the Jackson family, this sure does reveal the shallowness of our value system in this country.

This puts things into perspective:

While the focus today, tomorrow and for the next God-knows-how-many-days will be the death of a pop culture icon; while many will mourn, wail and quite literally make fools of themselves over it and while as many will speak endlessly about it, allow me, if only for a moment, to remind us all that others have died this month; others whose lives were cut short; others who leave behind loved ones and whose families will dearly miss them; families who'll suffer with much more dignity and honor than we'll be exposed to on the tube in the coming days.

Yes... it's true... we've suffered a great loss... but forgive me while I tell you that I'm not talking about the king of pop music.

These American military members died in Iraq this month:

Sergeant Justin J. Duffy Specialist Christopher M. Kurth

Specialist Charles D. Parrish

Lance Corporal Robert D. Ulmer

Staff Sergeant Edmond L. Lo

Sergeant Joshua W. Soto

Captain Kafele H. Sims

Specialist Chancellor A. Keesling

And these members of our U.S. Armed Forces died in Afghanistan this month:

Sergeant Jones, Ricky D.

Specialist Munguia Rivas, Rodrigo A.

Command Master Chief Petty Officer Garber, Jeffrey J.

1st Sergeant Blair, John D.

Sergeant Smith, Paul G.

Staff Sergeant Melton, Joshua

Sergeant 1st Class Dupont, Kevin A.

Specialist O'Neill, Jonathan C.

Chief Warrant Officer Richardson Jr., Ricky L.

Specialist Silva, Eduardo S.

Lance Corporal Whittle, Joshua R.

Major Barnes, Rocco M.

Major Jenrette, Kevin M.

Staff Sergeant Beale, John C.

Specialist Jordan, Jeffrey W.

Specialist Griemel, Jarrett P.

Specialist Hernandez I, Roberto A.

Sergeant Obakrairur, Jasper K.

Staff Sergeant Hall, Jeffrey A.

Private 1st Class Ogden, Matthew D.

Private 1st Class Wilson, Matthew W.

Let's remember and honor this day those whose deaths are truly impacting our Freedom and Liberty .