Posted on 06/06/2006 4:01:50 AM PDT by namvet66
In his great book, Imperial Grunts: The American Military on the Ground, Robert Kaplan writes about spending months embedded with various American military units in far-flung corners of the world. Their acceptance of him and their common intellectual ground make him start to think he is one of them -- then he has a moment of extreme clarity as combat breaks out in Fallujah:
"Running into the fire rather than seeking cover from it goes counter to every human instinct-trust me. I had started deluding myself that they weren't much different from me. They had soft spots, they got sick, they complained.
But in one flash. I realized they were not like me; they were Marines. It is no exaggeration to say that Capt. Smith and Bravo literally RODE TO THE SOUND OF THE GUNS."
(Excerpt) Read more at frontpagemag.com ...
Yes, that’s right fellow Freepers, Men & WOMEN!!!
How many of you were aware that a Female Army National Guard Sargeant was awarded the Silver Star for actions IN COMBAT?
Not I!!!
”Army National Guard Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, the first woman to receive a Silver Star since Mary Louise Roberts in 1944. She and her team mates, fellow Silver Star recipients Jason Mike and Timothy Nein, put themselves between a convoy and 50 insurgents and not only defended the convoy but also killed most of the attackers”
Of course, this should be of no surprise to me or to others who are old enough to remember Vietnam.
We were rarely exposed to the heroic exploits of our Brothers and Sisters, but were routinely bombarded with any and all (real, exaggerated or even false) reports of misdeeds, mistakes or worse, regarding our Military, for years on end.
A must read and I am going to order the book today.
GOD BLESS AND PROTECT OUR MILITARY—WHEREVER THEY MAY BE!
They need recognition.
Yep, she received a lot of publicity, and deservedly so. But two male counterparts received similar well-deserved awards during that same battle. We're grateful for all of them!!
I'm impressed and humbled. I can understand that a man's natural testosterone can make him brave and aggressive, but how do you explain a young woman having that kind of courage when there are no young children involved? It's amazing. We are blessed to have such people serving this country.
She did?
Where was I? This is all new(s) to me. Must have been during a period of my being AWOL from media attention, which does not happen very often.
Can you provide any additional details? Thanks
Me me me!! I knew that. IIRC -- wasn't she from Kentucky?
For the first time since World War II, a woman soldier was awarded the Silver Star Medal today in Iraq.
Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester of the 617th Military Police Company, a National Guard unit out of Richmond, Ky., received the Silver Star, along with two other members of her unit, Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein and Spc. Jason Mike, for their actions during an enemy ambush on their convoy. Other members of the unit also received awards.
Hester's squad was shadowing a supply convoy March 20 when anti-Iraqi fighters ambushed the convoy. The squad moved to the side of the road, flanking the insurgents and cutting off their escape route. Hester led her team through the "kill zone" and into a flanking position, where she assaulted a trench line with grenades and M203 grenade-launcher rounds. She and Nein, her squad leader, then cleared two trenches, at which time she killed three insurgents with her rifle.
<...>
Nein, who is on his second deployment to Iraq, praised Hester and his other soldiers for their actions that day. "It's due to their dedication and their ability to stay there and back me up that we were able to do what we did that day," he said.
One thing I heard about her -- she had made her whole unit load their vehicles in exactly the same manner. So when the ambush occurred, she knew exactly where to reach in someone else's vehicle for a weapon. She's a smart cookie!
Yes we are and it NEVER ceases to amaze me.
After Nam (our having to fight a war with our hands tied behind our backs; our "will" to prevail stymied at every turn by political considerations, etc.; and worst of all, the way "we" were treated; ) I even went so far as to avow that if I had a son (never EVEN gave any thought to women exposed to combat) and we had another "conflict," I would personally escort them to the Canadian border, rather than see him exposed to any such senseless "exercise in futility"!
Never had a son, so never had to worry about it.
Moreover, with the following Generations (X, Y and Z) I was convinced that with any future military actions, we would be hard-pressed to find enough patriotic young people who would step up to the plate and be willing to lay it all on the line--much less, do it with any degree of effectiveness.
I worried that Patriotism; love of Flag and Country; willingness to volunteer to help serve and protect, was an anachronism and we (America) was vulnerable and would be [under]protected.
Boy, was I mistaken and am I glad I was.
Where we keep coming up with these young "Heroes" is beyond me. Must be the "Silent Majority" has been forthcoming in instilling values to their children and grandchildren which somehow some of us were unaware of.
Thanks much. What a Beautiful, Brave, Lady!! I salute her.
Well, just do a search on her name. We profiled her on our short-lived blog, and there was plenty of information about her.
I hadn't heard that. Definitely smart!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.