Posted on 05/29/2012 12:20:42 PM PDT by Tarantulas
Gunnery Sergeant Nick Popaditch is a candidate for Congress in California district 52. This is his speech in San Diego on May 28.
Click to see the speech (5 minutes, 42 seconds long)
I would suggest everyone read Pericles funeral oration. It was given at the funeral of Athenian soldiers killed in battle.
I have read that it is considered the greatest speech ever.
It is indeed a superb speech - even though it’s far too complex for the Cretin-in-Chief, our lead Loon, our dictating dufus, to read aloud, let alone understand.
I still pick Lincoln’s Gettysburg address as the most succinct and moving tribute that I believe I’ll ever read.
for later
This is not his first run for Congress--I don't know if his chances have improved because of redistricting or not.
iPing4l8r
During the Iraq War, Staff Sergeant Popaditch was assigned as a tank commander and platoon sergeant.[5] Participating in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, his unit gained fame when it helped topple the statue of Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square on April 9, 2003.[3] Associated Press photographer Laurent Rebours photographed Popaditch in his tank’s cupola, smoking a cigar with the statue of Saddam looming in the background. The image, which earned him the nickname “The Cigar Marine,” appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world to describe the Battle of Baghdad.[5] He would later reveal that his smoking was a celebration of his and his wife's twelfth wedding anniversiary as well as victory.[6] Following his return to the United States, he was promoted to gunnery sergeant and volunteered to return to Iraq in 2004.
During his second deployment, Popaditch commanded tanks again in the First Battle of Fallujah in April 2004.[3] During the battle on April 7, supported dismounted infantry with a pair of M1 Abrams, and turning onto a narrow street, he opened his hatch for better visibility despite the constant RPG-7 attacks.[7] He was wounded in action in an ambush when a rocket propelled grenade struck him in the head. Blinded and deafened, he struggled to maintain consciousness until his tank was moved out of danger, then was evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. After a prolonged stay, he was sent back to the United States, ultimately losing his right eye (due to damage to the optic nerve) and hearing in his right ear.[8] At Naval Medical Center San Diego, some of the vision in his remaining left eye was restored by the hospital’s medical professionals, while his ocular prosthesis features the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor instead of a pupil.[9] He was awarded the Silver Star for actions in combat on November 10, 2005,[10] and medically retired at the rank of Gunnery Sergeant on April 22.[11]
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