Marine awarded Bronze Star

Marine Net Online ^ | Lance Cpl. Brian Kester

[annyokie]

Nice! Thanks for posting this!

[Ramius]

Bronze with the "V" for valor, I hope. Sounds more like silver star or better material to me. Bronze stars are given to lesser things than this.

He says he doesn't deserve it, which of course means that he does. Where do we get guys like this? If I'm lucky maybe I'll get to buy somebody like this a beer some day.

[Texas_Jarhead]

oorah

[Ramius]

"It is a really nice honor, and it is greatly appreciated," said Ferguson. "They gave me more credit than I deserved. I did what I had to do for my Marines. They were trained well and took care of me, and I took care of them. We had worked together for quite some time. So when it was time to go, they were on top of it."

Tearing up on this one.

[Doe Eyes]

I hope they questioned him and found out his politics. The last thing we need is another liberal getting some kind of award.

[VOA]

He says he doesn't deserve it, which of course means that he does.

Ain't that just about always the truth!?

[SandRat]

Yep!

[Lancey Howard]

BUMP!!
Great post!

I was in 1st Battalion, Bravo, next door to Alpha at PI., long ago.
Of course, my DIs back then were Vietnam vets.
Articles like this take me back. Not that I'd want to GO back or anything.....

Ah, yeah I would.

[SandRat]

Marines don't accept much less produce those.

[Lancey Howard]

Good evening, troll.

[SandRat]

You're like all the rest of us.

If they called me today, even after being retired for 14 years, and said I had 30 days to report back on active duty, I'd ask them what all the extra days were for.

[Ramius]

Ain't that just about always the truth!?

Yes, it is. And the sad truth is that whatever got written up probably wasn't half the story, something tells me.

Gotta love our Marines, our Soldiers, and Sailors. They're the best there is on so many levels.

[Ramius]

I hope they questioned him and found out his politics. The last thing we need is another liberal getting some kind of award.

I sure hope you were drunk off your @$$ when you wrote that and didn't really mean it.

Some things aren't about politics, sport.

I'm sure there have been even Medal of Honor winners that have political views very different from mine. That doesn't mean I wouldn't still give them the respect that they have earned.

[GretchenEE]

I'm so glad to read this. I saw a special (heavy on critique but very interesting in going over the major events of the whole war) of the ops in Iraq on PBS the other night and they highlighted some of the amazing action of our soldiers at Nasiriyah (sp?) and I was impressed big time with how they took the bridge ... and wondered what type of medals were being given for it.

[IGOTMINE]

The Marine Corps awards program pendulum has swung too far the other way. I've heard that the Bronze Star is the highest award the Corps is issuing for OIF. Colonel Hackworth threw the BS flag on this.

[Ramius]

One thing you can count on is that there are not nearly enough medal recommendations that are actually written up. Most times the action is recognized within the group but the paperwork to make the actual medal happen is forgotten in the rush of other pressing issues.

For those times when the medal really does come through it means that lots of pieces of paper have crossed many desks in time.

[Ramius]

I've heard that the Bronze Star is the highest award the Corps is issuing for OIF.

I sure hope not.

I don't know that I'd trust Hackworth on this or anything else. He's become too valuable to himself as an activist. Anybody that values his own U.N. "peace" medals over and above his service to the U.S. is someone that I wouldn't put on the same podium with another U.S. serviceman.

Like I said upthread, I give Col. Hackworth the respect he deserves from what he has earned. He's also done his best to stick the knife into others that have earned beyond his example.

I'd buy him a beer for his service, but I'd probably still bust him in the chops for his stupidity thereafter. It happens.

[Centurion2000]

I hope they questioned him and found out his politics. The last thing we need is another liberal getting some kind of award.

Put down your crack pipe please. Heroism is heroism. Respect him for his valor, domestic politics mean NOTHING on a battlefield.

[My Dog Likes Me]

I'm sure this Marine deserves the BSM with V device, but I think the part about, "...Fox Company's assault on a military hospital..." requires more context.