Recently, a family in Clarksville, Tennessee, was given news that they have been waiting for since 1964.  The remains of Staff Sergeant Lawrence Woods, a member of the 5th Special Forces Group who disappeared after his aircraft was shot down in Cambodia, have been identified, and I imagine that he will soon be given the burial that he richly deserves.

Currently, there are 83,343 people listed as Missing In Action.  They are soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines from World War II, Korea, The Cold War, Vietnam, and Iraq and the War on Terror.  There is one prisoner of war from Afghanistan that we still owe repatriation, Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who has been in captivity since 2009.

These are the sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers who never came home, and their final resting place is not known to their families.  They are the men who are still owed their burial flag, folded into a tri-corner, and given to their family as a memorial to their service.  They are owed the plaintive sound of “Taps”, and the sound of three volleys of rifle fire ringing across the hills of Virgina, the mountains of Colorado, and the prairies of Kansas.

Today is National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and I hope you will join me in adding these men and their families into evening prayers.  The debt we owe these men is to never forget them, and to be there for those they left behind.

To SSG Woods and the other servicemembers whose remains have been found and are being identified, I offer welcome back to our homeland.  To SGT Bergdahl, I pray that you are delivered safely back to your loved ones and a country that cherishes you.  And to my brothers who are still out there beyond the light of our fires, remember that we honor you, we will never forget you, and we will never stop looking for you.

Life’s been tumultuous lately, but at least it’s been going better than it has for this poor paratrooper:

I guess you could say that he had a good day, because his gear kept his reserve on his body after the shock of his main not opening.

And people wonder why I never went airborne.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to

Staff Sergeant Ty M. Carter

United States Army

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Specialist Ty M. Carter distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Scout with Bravo Troop, 3d Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, during combat operations against an armed enemy in Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan on October 3, 2009. On that morning, Specialist Carter and his comrades awakened to an attack of an estimated 300 enemy fighters occupying the high ground on all four sides of Combat Outpost Keating, employing concentrated fire from recoilless rifles, rocket propelled grenades, anti-aircraft machine guns, mortars and small arms fire. Specialist Carter reinforced a forward battle position, ran twice through a 100 meter gauntlet of enemy fire to resupply ammunition and voluntarily remained there to defend the isolated position. Armed with only an M4 carbine rifle, Specialist Carter placed accurate, deadly fire on the enemy, beating back the assault force and preventing the position from being overrun, over the course of several hours. With complete disregard for his own safety and in spite of his own wounds, he ran through a hail of enemy rocket propelled grenade and machine gun fire to rescue a critically wounded comrade who had been pinned down in an exposed position. Specialist Carter rendered life extending first aid and carried the Soldier to cover. On his own initiative, Specialist Carter again maneuvered through enemy fire to check on a fallen Soldier and recovered the squad’s radio, which allowed them to coordinate their evacuation with fellow Soldiers. With teammates providing covering fire, Specialist Carter assisted in moving the wounded Soldier 100 meters through withering enemy fire to the aid station and before returning to the fight. Specialist Carter’s heroic actions and tactical skill were critical to the defense of Combat Outpost Keating, preventing the enemy from capturing the position and saving the lives of his fellow Soldiers. Specialist Ty M. Carter’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Bravo Troop, 3d Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and the United States Army.

Guys,

A friend of mine is putting together a CARE package for a unit that’s deployed someplace hot and dirty.  She’s requested help in getting together the stuff that the guys have requested.  If you’re in the area and want to donate, just contact me and we’ll meet up so I can get it from you.  My friend would like to send the package out some time in the next couple of weeks, and anything y’all can contribute would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

DB

Request List

• Large baby wipes
• Dry drink mix for water
• Beef Jerky
• Something to add flavor to MRE’s.
• Candy, mints, chewing gum
• Boot inserts
• Gold Bond powder (1001 uses)
• Toys, balls, etc.
• Magazines and other appropriate reading material
• Funny pillow cases (cartoons, etc)
• Insect repellant

The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to

*FAITH, DON C., JR.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, commanding officer, 1st Battalion, 32d Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Place and date: Vicinity Hagaru-ri, Northern Korea, 27 November to 1 December 1950. Entered service at: Washington, Ind. Born: 26 August 1918, Washington, Ind. G.O. No.: 59, 2 August 1951.
Citation: Lt. Col. Faith, commanding 1st Battalion, distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty in the area of the Chosin Reservoir. When the enemy launched a fanatical attack against his battalion, Lt. Col. Faith unhesitatingly exposed himself to heavy enemy fire as he moved about directing the action. When the enemy penetrated the positions, Lt. Col. Faith personally led counterattacks to restore the position. During an attack by his battalion to effect a junction with another U.S. unit, Lt. Col. Faith reconnoitered the route for, and personally directed, the first elements of his command across the ice-covered reservoir and then directed the movement of his vehicles which were loaded with wounded until all of his command had passed through the enemy fire. Having completed this he crossed the reservoir himself. Assuming command of the force his unit had joined he was given the mission of attacking to join friendly elements to the south. Lt. Col. Faith, although physically exhausted in the bitter cold, organized and launched an attack which was soon stopped by enemy fire. He ran forward under enemy small-arms and automatic weapons fire, got his men on their feet and personally led the fire attack as it blasted its way through the enemy ring. As they came to a hairpin curve, enemy fire from a roadblock again pinned the column down. Lt. Col. Faith organized a group of men and directed their attack on the enemy positions on the right flank. He then placed himself at the head of another group of men and in the face of direct enemy fire led an attack on the enemy roadblock, firing his pistol and throwing grenades. When he had reached a position approximately 30 yards from the roadblock he was mortally wounded, but continued to direct the attack until the roadblock was overrun. Throughout the 5 days of action Lt. Col. Faith gave no thought to his safety and did not spare himself. His presence each time in the position of greatest danger was an inspiration to his men. Also, the damage he personally inflicted firing from his position at the head of his men was of material assistance on several occasions. Lt. Col. Faith’s outstanding gallantry and noble self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty reflect the highest honor on him and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army. (This award supersedes the prior award of the Silver Star (First Oak Leaf Cluster) as announced in G.O. No. 32, Headquarters X Corps, dated 23 February 1951, for gallantry in action on 27 November 1950.)

 Source – Home of Heroes

LTC Faith will be laid to rest at Arlington on April 17, 2013.  His remains were recovered in Korea in 2004 and identified since then using evidence from the scene and DNA.

On November 5, 2009, Major Nidal Hasan, an Army psychologist who adheres to the teachings of Islam promulgated by Anwar al-Alawki, is alleged to have walked through a building on Fort Hood, Texas, shooting soldiers preparing to deploy overseas, and chanting “Allah Akbar” while doing it.  He is currently going through the legal system, where the latest development is that he will indeed have to shave his beard before his trial, probably because the presence of untrimmed facial hair would have caused instant madness in a military jury.

During his alleged rampage, 13 people were killed and 32 more were wounded.  In the days following the incident, the Obama administration decided that the allegations that Major Hasan was a radical Islamist, consorted with the enemies of the country he had sworn to protect and defend, berated and prosthelytize to the soldiers he was supposed to be caring for, and shot up a group of soldiers while chanting “God is Great” in Arabic didn’t point toward an act of terrorism.  To the astonishment of just about everyone, they labelled the attack as “workplace violence”, and tried to move on.  I guess you can guess that I disagree with that characterization.  Soldiers being shot by someone screaming the war cry of our enemies aren’t victims of workplace violence; they are casualties of war.

One of the side effects of not being declared casualties of war is that these soldiers aren’t eligible for the Purple Heart, which is the award given to those who are wounded as a result of enemy action.  During his weekly radio program “Dark Secret Place” this week, Bryan Suits went into depth on why that is an important omission to these soldiers and their families.  You see, soldiers who are hurt, but are not given the Purple Heart, will probably end up in the Veteran’s Administration hospitals for care after they are discharged, but without a Purple Heart, they will be prioritized lower than someone who was hurt in combat.   That means that care they need will be delayed as they wait for their number to come up, prolonging suffering and delaying recovery.  Mr. Suits, himself a veteran of Desert Storm, Bosnia, and Iraq and a holder of the Purple Heart, made an excellent point that the soldier who was shot six times at Fort Hood will be given a lower priority than someone who had relatively minor wounds in Iraq or Afghanistan.   I urge all of you to listen to Mr. Suits entire program from October 20 for more details on this.

Members of Congress, notably Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut  and Congressman Peter King of New York have proposed legislation that would award servicemen who are wounded during terrorism in the continental United States the Purple Heart, along with all of the honors and privileges that go with it, and would award it specifically to those who were hurt at Fort Hood.  If you find this issue important, I request that you reach out to your Senators and Congressman to get these bills moving along after the election.

Our wounded, no matter where the enemy finds them, deserve better than that.  A politically correct cop-out by this administration dishonors the sacrifice of those shot at Fort Hood, and the decision needs to be reversed.  To treat these soldiers as if they broke their arm during PT is disrespectful and stupid.  Our enemy actively recruits American Muslims, and in at least this situation, they were successful.  We can expect that at some point in the future, they will succeed again, and the precedent set now in how we treat those at the sharp end of that particular stick will impact how those who are injured by sleepers and turncoats in the future are treated.  We are better than this, and we need to prove it.