Happy Memorial Day to everyone at the Finest!
Posted on 05/27/2005 2:04:43 AM PDT by DollyCali
#161 was supposed to go to you too.
Thanks TT76 - I didn't feel slighted. lol. I love all the great graphics you put together. Thanks..you have a wonderful eye for balance & the messages are always appropriate. Be safe today & have a good day.. God Bless.. I am off for part of day to do graves at several cemeteries
Thank you Dolly. We put flowers on graves on my father's side of the family on Saturday and on my mother's side yesterday. Have a good day today!
May 30: President Bush lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Washington.
This thread has been such a successful tribute to the military by you and all the other posters. Am checking in periodically to see the new contributions.
Hi Snugs, thanks for the invite, I do look in at The Dose on most days but don't usually post. Have seen some of your threads and they were very well done. Will check it out later today.
Can anyone answer this question?....I'm just curious...What happened to TAPS today at the ceremony?
Thanks Cali and prayers for you and your mom and family.
Lori you have been on my mind these past few days..Letting you know you are in my thoughts & prayers
Thank you, I appreciate that so much, but you have enough on your plate right now. I am doing okay. Each day is a little brighter here.
HUGS!
Nick and April, if you click on my screen name, you'll see on my Profile Page I was a Marine during The Korean Conflict, going from Boot Camp (1952) at Parris Island to the podium, teaching women recruits classroom subjects.
It was my high honor and privilege to participate in the Dedication Ceremony of the Iwo Jima Monument on the Parade Deck there.
Having served as a Right Guide in Boot Camp, led a silent Drill Team of 8 women, and was used for any ceremony or inspection in which WM's were involvd, I was asked to be the Guidon Bearer for "A" Company for the Dedication.
There were 8 full companies in the Ceremony - the Corps at its greatest buildup in its entire history, before or since - and with our shorter strides, the WM "A" Company led it.
I returned to Parris Island in 1996 and 2002, and from the moment I got to the entrance to the time I left, I felt *exactly* as I did back in the 50's!!
The Corps never leaves you, even as you never leave the Corps..:))
It is so very wonderful to see those like you to whom our torches were passed down -- there are no weak links in the chain.....
God be with you, always --
A beautiful Tribute DC. Prayers for all our Troops and Families past and present.
Oh, Ohio! What a handsome young man your Eric is. And his bride is lovely. The light shines right out of their eyes.
With probably more than 300 kills during the Vietnam War, Carlos Hathcock is the most famous sniper in United States History.
The North Vietnamese put a $30,000 bounty on his head and called him "Long Trang" or White Feather. Hathcock was once accredited with hitting a NVA at 2,500 yards with a special scope-adapted .50 caliber machine gun converted to single shot operation.
The year before going to Vietnam, Carlos won top honors at the National Rifle matches at Camp Perry Ohio. Hathcock began honing his rifle skills at an early age bringing home food for the family table in rural Arkansas.
When an armored vehicle he was riding in hit a mine and caught fire in Vietnam, he was sent back to the U.S. to recover from extensive burns. Although he was unable to return to Vietnam, he put his efforts into establishing the Scout/Sniper school at Quantico Virginia. Here, Hathcock spoke against the "John Wayne" mentality of many soldiers, always emphasising skill and quiet deliberate thought as essential to be an effective sniper. Sadly, what the North Vietnamese couldn't do, was finally done by the slow debilitating disease of multiple sclerosis at the age of 57.
God bless Carlos Hathcock.
Excerpt:
"This was the man we were going to hear speak ... not very tall, he stood with a kind of stiffness with his chest thrown out, hence his nickname ‘Chesty.’ His face was yellow-brown from the sun and atabrine, the anti-malaria drug that was used then. His face looked, as someone has said, as though it were carved out of teakwood. There was a lantern jaw, a mouth like the proverbial steel trap, and small, piercing eyes that drilled right through you and never seemed to blink."
Puller was then 44 years old. The four-time Navy Cross recipient would not see combat again during World War II; instead, he was assigned back to the United States in November 1944.
He was sent to Camp Pendleton, Calif., in August 1950 to take command of his old unit, the 1st Marines, which was gearing up for Korea.
Cold Hell
Puller landed with the 1st Marines at Inchon, Korea, in September 1950. Aboard his landing craft was Lt. Carl L. Sitter, who would earn the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions during Nov. 29-30, 1950, at Hagaruri.
"I was on his landing craft that day. I’d been given responsibility for the headquarters section and later acted as liaison with the 5th Marine Regiment. Sometime after we were at Tent Camp 2, I had to go to his tent to talk to him. When I went inside, it was dark, and it took my eyes awhile to adjust. When they did, I noticed him sitting on the ground snapping in with his pistol; he was pointing it right at me.
"He was ramrod straight with a stubby pipe in his mouth all the time. He was approachable. He’d often say ‘Hello son, how are you doing?’ when he came across a Marine."
While "attacking in a different direction" at the Frozen Chosin Reservoir Dec. 5-10, 1950, Puller earned his fifth and final Navy Cross.
Ten Chinese Divisions had been sent to annihilate them, but the Marines smashed seven of the divisions during their retrograde to the sea. Facing attack from all sides, including two massive enemy attacks on the rear guard, Puller’s direct leadership ensured all casualties were evacuated, all salvageable equipment was brought out, and ensured there was enough time for the column to reach its destination.
In addition to the Navy Cross for his actions during the breakout, he was awarded the Army’s equivalent — the Distinguished Service Cross. In January 1951, Puller was promoted to brigadier general and appointed as assistant commander of the 1st Marine Division.
Chesty ping!
I served with Lt.Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller. Gung Ho Marine for sure.
Awesome, Dubya!
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