The Cost of Freedom

I'm going to re-post something I wrote a few years ago for today, because it's every bit as relevant now.

---

I talked to a good friend of mine last night for a couple hours. He's a former Army Captain who was well on his way to retirement but got out for family reasons, and shared a few details last night I had not known. He had been the commanding officer responsible for presenting the flag to the mother of a private killed in a training accident. He had been present for a half dozen or so honor details, laying to rest a soldier lost in Iraq or Afghanistan. He told me that he had lost 33 friends and acquaintances between the first and second Gulf Wars and Afghanistan.

The title of this post was something said to him at last year's Memorial Day parade by a retired Major. He addressed the group of veterans gathered to march in the Memorial Day and reminded them that if they were here today, it was not about them. It was about those that can no longer march in parades; those who will never again taste the freedom they fought so valiantly to preserve.

Freedom is not free. It has cost many everything they have.

Requiescat in pace

For those that never came back, as least not vertically, please remember.

---

Remember, today and everyday, what the true price of freedom is: Soldiers' lives.

That is all.

Today...

I like what I wrote last year so much I'm running it again...

Veteran's Day

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as “the Great War.” Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.

Memorial Day commemorates the soldiers lost. Veteran's Day celebrates all who have donned the uniform of our armed forces.

I know there are many veterans represented in the blogrolls to your right. To all of you, and everyone who reads MArooned that has worn the uniform of the American soldier, I offer a simple word of thanks. You did - or are doing - a job I was not brave enough to do. I regret not having served; possibly my one true lifelong regret. 

Thank you, all. Even if you never saw a single second of combat; even if your time served was the minimum required to qualify for the GI Bill for college; it doesn't matter. Even if you never went overseas or were in any danger other than getting run over by an inattentive buddy in a Humvee. You were there. You put it on the line when many didn't.

Thank you.

That is all.

Tomorrow...

Boosting the signal for a friend...

Come hang out with us on Veteran's Day!

Dragon Leatherworks, a veteran-owned gun store on the west end of Oak Ridge, is hosting any local veterans who just want to hang out and shoot the breeze for a while with Brothers in Arms! There are so many awesome men and women in the area who have served their country honorably, and we would love to get to know you better! We're in the Four Oaks Center, and will bring in some pizzas, soda and munchies to share between noon and 7:30pm.

If you're in the area, swing in and say hi to Dennis.

And thank you, Dennis, for your service.

That is all.

Remembering The Cost of Freedom

I'm going to re-post something I wrote a few years ago for today, because it's every bit as relevant now.

---

I talked to a good friend of mine last night for a couple hours. He's a former Army Captain who was well on his way to retirement but got out for family reasons, and shared a few details last night I had not known. He had been the commanding officer responsible for presenting the flag to the mother of a private killed in a training accident. He had been present for a half dozen or so honor details, laying to rest a soldier lost in Iraq or Afghanistan. He told me that he had lost 33 friends and acquaintances between the first and second Gulf Wars and Afghanistan.

The title of this post was something said to him at last year's Memorial Day parade by a retired Major. He addressed the group of veterans gathered to march in the Memorial Day and reminded them that if they were here today, it was not about them. It was about those that can no longer march in parades; those who will never again taste the freedom they fought so valiantly to preserve.

Freedom is not free. It has cost many everything they have.

Requiescat in pace

For those that never came back, as least not vertically, please remember.

---

Remember, today and everyday, what the true price of freedom is: Soldiers' lives.

That is all.

American Sniper Review

So, over this past weekend, in the middle of a snowstorm, I went to see "American Sniper." I'd been meaning to see it since it came out over Christmas break and finally got a chance to get to the theater (which, mind you, is a whopping 2 miles from my house).

First thought: While it's over 2 hours long, it flies by. Eastwood paces it very well, with rapid-fire battle scenes interspersed with tense, terse personal scenes throughout. The complex character of Chris Kyle is fleshed out, beyond "the Legend" who had more enemy kills than any other American sniper. The toll that war takes is clearly etched on Kyle's face and demeanor, and Bradley Cooper does an excellent job conveying the complex emotions torturing him.

Anyone that claims "American Sniper" is some sort of pro-American military, pro-war movie quite simply has no idea what they're talking about. While the American military isn't viewed unfavorably, it's far more a means to an end. Sure, it doesn't go out of its way to point out every fault, but that's not why the movie was made. And there's plenty of questioning why we're at war, why men are dying, why men like Chris Kyle have to do what they do.

And there are some cliches that could probably have been done without. The enemy master sniper played against Kyle was too close to a foil, right down to making scope adjustments in the same manner (and a Soviet scope on a PSL hardly makes the same clicks as the standard U.S. Military issue scope). While there's a lot of cheering at a critical juncture (I won't spoil it for you), anyone that couldn't see it coming from 10 miles away should get their eyesight checked.

Overall, though, I really liked "American Sniper." While folks certainly have their opinions of Chris Kyle (and Taya Kyle, and Clint Eastwood, and pretty much everyone else involved in the making of this movie), it's an engaging story about a charismatic individual who happened to be exceptional at what he does. Were he a stock car driver, fighter pilot, or bartender he might have been played by Tom Cruise. As it stands, Cooper did an excellent job in the big role as Chris Kyle.

Two thumbs enthusiastically up for "American Sniper".

That is all.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Seventy Years Ago...

Operation Overlord after 70 years

For most Americans today, what they know about Operation Overlord, which began in the pre-dawn hours of June 6, 1944, 70 years ago, is probably what they glean from two movies shown mostly around Memorial Day and Veteran's Day.

The 1962 docudrama, "The Longest Day," based on the 1959 book by Cornelius Ryan, covers the 24 hours from evening June 5 to evening June 6. The 1998 movie, "Saving Private Ryan," is a fictional story, using the D-Day landings as the historical setting, about a U.S. Army Ranger squad detailed to find the fourth son, an American paratrooper somewhere in Normandy, of a family who had already lost three sons to the war.

It has been 70 years since D-Day.

I've always marveled at the courage shown by the men that went ashore on D-Day. Facing entrenched German soldiers in fortified pill boxes with belt-fed machine guns, these guys went ashore with basically hunting rifles. Don't get me wrong; the Garand is a great rifle, but there's no way on G-d's Green Earth I'd want to face down an MG-42 with just a Garand.

And these guys jumped out of the boats, waded ashore, and were cut to ribbons by the thousands. And yet they still kept coming. Facing one of the most fearsome war machines the world has ever seen, these guys came ashore, killed the bad guys, freed prisoners, and basically saved the damn world. Not content with that, they came home, built the USA into the shining city on the hill, and retired to Florida.

There was a time when giants walked this earth, and seventy years ago many of them never came home.

That is all.

There Are Still Good People...

Bravo, sirs, bravo.

Caught on Cam: Man Violently Assaults SEPTA Police Officer

Riley Ross admits he was frightened when he witnessed a man attack a SEPTA Police officer. But that didn't stop him from running into the chaos to lend a helping hand.

"I just didn't want anybody to get hurt," said the local attorney. "I got a young son and wanted to see him again for sure."

So, the guy claims he has a gun, claims he's going to shoot people. There's a transit cop waiting for him when the train stops, and the cop enters the train and leads Psycho Boy off. Psycho Boy then decides he's going to suicide-by-cop and starts wrestling with the officer. A crowd gathers, unsure what to do, when of all people a lawyer steps in and helps the officer subdue Psycho Boy.

Now I gotta take back some of the bad things I said about lawyers...

As the son (and grandson, and nephew, and cousin...) of a cop, this affects me more than a little. That could have been my dad struggling with a nutjob, and I'd like to think that someone would have stepped in to help him as well. Of course, it was a different time when he was on the MSP (he retired 30 years ago), and pre-dates the militarization of police forces we see far too often today. Heck, Dad carried a six-shooter - when he retired, the Glock had *just* been introduced and very few agencies carried any autoloaders.

Back to Attorney Ross, though. Here's a guy, minding his own business, who would have had every right in the world to just keep walking. He was safe; he wanted to go home at the end of his day, too. No one would have thought any less of him had he just stepped up his pace and continued on with his life. Yet he didn't; he inserted himself in a dangerous situation, one that he may not have been trained to handle (they don't say what kind of law he practiced; if it was ambulance chasing he may be versed in hand-to-hand combat...), to help out someone he didn't even know.

My friends, if that isn't the very definition of "hero" I don't know what is.

Bravo Zulu, Attorney Ross.

That is all.

Feel Good Story of the Day...

Okay, so occasionally I have to dispel the notion that I am *all* evil (I'm only mostly evil).

Man tracks down abandoned baby he saved ... in 1955

Every time you read about an abandoned newborn and think, "what kind of depraved human being would do that?", you're having exactly the same thought 14-year-old Dave Hickman did on Sept. 22, 1955, when he found a days-old baby girl left to die in the Indiana field where he was squirrel hunting.

After hearing a cooing noise, he stumbled upon the infant, cold, wet, and "laying in the brush and sticks ... looking up me," says Hickman, who now lives in Tennessee.

It's stories like these that, oddly enough, make me less afraid for humanity. Not because he saved the baby - I'd like to think that any person with the slightest shred of decency would have done something - but because in 1955, nearly 60 years ago, there were still heartless monsters who would abandon a baby to die in the middle of nowhere.

Blah blah blah, different times. Blah blah blah, not the same kinds of options. You know, I don't care if it was some scared teenaged girl who concealed a pregnancy from her overzealous parents, the facts are she left a helpless infant to die in the middle of a field. Whoever she is, I hope those actions haunted her the rest of her life.

Good on you, Mr. Hickman, good on you.

That is all.

Careful, It's Dusty Out Today...

Jacqueline in Texas sent in this story. It's a good antidote to the previous one.

Boss selling restaurant to save employee with brain tumor

Along Highway 105 in Montgomery, you'll find the Kaiserhof Restaurant and Wunderbar. You'll also find a waitress extraordinaire named Brittany Mathis.

"I have my good days and my bad," said Mathis.

The 19-year-old employee doesn't look or sound sick, but she is -- and everyone at the authentic German restaurant knows it.

So, how does her boss handle it? Does he fire her before she can sue him for medical insurance? Does he cut her hours so he doesn't have to pay her health insurance? No, he went the opposite direction.

He's going to sell the restaurant and help her pay off her medical bills. 

Now, he's getting out of the business anyways, saying he wants to spend more time with his family. Given how the restaurant business works, that's not surprising - 15 hour days are a short day. Thing is, he owes her exactly nothing, yet he's going to help her out at this crucial time, because that's what people do.

And that's why the leftists can't stand the thought of self-reliance - because it means one less person dependent on government largesse that they can control at some point in the future.

That is all.

In Flanders' Field...

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields

In Flanders fields.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.

Armistice Day.

Not to detract from the day set aside to honor our nation's fighting men and women by any means. Just to remind folks what started it all (although I am certain few need the reminder, as my experience has been that most gunnies are avid students of history). Originally set aside to remember the veterans who served in "The War to End All Wars", Armistice Day was transformed into Veteran's Day after World War II and the KoreanWar.

For our nation's veterans, I say, simply, thank you.

Most will disavow all thanks. "Just doing my job." Most of the veterans I know are humble, proud of their service but not prideful. They're happy to have served, to have done their duty to their country and their countrymen, but do not look down on those of us that have never worn the uniform. They have done their part to keep our country great, and for that they deserve our gratitude and our thanks.

Thank you, every veteran, today and every day.

That is all.

Start Your Friday Off Right...

Brad_in_MA sends in the feel-good story of the day:

Wrigley Heiress Charters Private Plane for Marine's Dogs to Fly Cross-Country

A good Samaritan with deep pockets chartered a private jet to fly a Marine's dogs across the country to the soldier's new base on Sunday, after the pets were deemed too big to travel on commercial flights.

Helen Rosburg, the great-granddaughter of chewing gum industrialist William Wrigley, said she was more than happy to help out Andrew Morales and his family upon hearing that they may have to leave their beloved pets behind.

There are a fair number of people that think that just because a person is worth over [some random large number] that they deserve to have their money taken away. They think that this money certainly must have been gotten off the backs of the workers; that there's no way an honest person could make that kind of money without someone else suffering. These people are idiots, mind you, but they are out there.

Whenever you hear someone talk mindlessly about the "wealthiest 1%", remember that folks like Ms. Rosburg are solidly in that 1%. Without the money from her family's business concerns, she wouldn't be able to help folks like this Marine - not that it would matter to those who would love to use the power of the government to take her money away at gunpoint.

Here's another thing to consider. She doesn't have to do her philanthropic work. She could very easily re-invest her money into concerns that will make more money for her rather than spend it on concerns that don't directly involve her. Now, if the government starts taking more and more of her money - and remember, under our tax system, the wealthiest pay more proportionally anyways - will she continue her work? Or will she very quietly just fold up shop and stop helping?

Of course, more cynical folks might think that's the government's plan in the first place...

That is all.

Twelve Years Ago...

It has been 12 years since the September 11th attacks on the United States. In some ways, it feels like it was yesterday; in others, it seems like the distant past. I still haven't forgotten the images from that day, or since; I'm still angry, too angry for words right now.

So, I think it's best to focus on the heroes of that day. The NRA has a series of profiles of ordinary folks who rose to the occasion that fateful day, stories like these:



I'd rather focus on the heroes; on those that helped their fellow man that day rather than those who planned the slaughter. There were many heroes on September 11th; from those that walked into the towers that everyone else was fleeing to those that lined up around the block to give blood to the victims.

I'd still like to see a flaming orange nuclear crater in strategic areas around the globe, too, mind you.

Never forget. Never forgive.

That is all.

Three Score And Nine Years Ago...

Operation Overlord began.



From the US Army:

June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end on June 6, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy. The D-Day cost was high -more than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded -- but more than 100,000 Soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Hitler.

The storming of the beaches at Normandy has always fascinated and amazed me. Watching the footage - the first time in warfare that we've seen actual video from the front - it strikes me that the men in the landing craft had to have known that they were most likely going to die that day. They were landing on a heavily fortified and mined beach overseen by pillboxes and towers filled with German heavy machine guns - and yet they still came. They were cut down by the thousands - nearly 10,000 casualties - and yet wave after wave hit the beach, taking on 8mm belt-fed machine guns with M1 Garands.

Next year will be the 70th anniversary of the invasion. Even the youngest of soldiers that stormed those beaches - the ones that came home, not the ones forever residents of France - are well into their 80s. Each year we lose more and more WWI veterans; our connection to that time period and the heroes that went to war to literally save the world slipping ever further away. Old age is doing what Hitler's army could not; these men are falling to the predation of time. Their stories are being lost to the ages, which makes it even more imperative to fully document and preserve their stories.

Take a moment to think about those young men, riding in those landing craft or parachuting down behind enemy lines. Fighting back seasickness, enemy fire, and the very real possibility of that day being their last, they pressed onward and defeated the mightiest army their generation - and generations before them - had ever seen. Man by man, they took down the Nazi war machine piece by piece and freed a continent from fascist rule. Then they came home and saw the US through one of the most amazing periods of technological growth in human history.

Damn. I need an M1 Garand now...

That is all.

Remember...

Freedom isn't free.

Never forget that the freedoms we enjoy have been paid for in blood.



We enjoy a quality of life unrivaled by anything in history. The poorest among us live in conditions that most of the rest of the world can only dream about; we can travel as we wish within our borders; we can speak our minds without fear of someone kicking in the door in the middle of the night.

And it is because "rough men stand ready to do violence on [our] behalf". And sometimes, in the course of events, those men (and women) give all in defense of their country. We set today aside as a special day, but we should keep these guardians forever in our hearts - as we are forever in their debt.

Thank you, each and every one that has put on the uniform of the American soldier.

The halls of Valhalla are filled with our fallen warriors - remember them today and always.

That is all.

Reposted From Borepatch

Because this is just that good:



Go ahead. Watch that. If you make it all the way to the end without tearing up a little, well, you're a tougher person than I am.

Thank you, every man and woman in uniform, for doing what you do. Thank you.

That is all.

Out of Ugliness Comes Man's Beauty.

Jacqueline in Texas sent in this story. Be careful when reading it. The room might get a little dusty...

Community, Marines rally around vandalized war hero

HOUSTON -- Community outrage over the teens who trashed and burglarized 93-year-old Elbert Wood’s home earlier this week has turned into something positive.

The decorated World War II veteran returned home from a doctor's appointment Monday morning to find his house in shambles. The burglars had spray-painted everything from furniture to walls and windows.

Okay. That's the ugly. Police caught the two boys - one of which is year older than my son. I would consider it a deep, personal failure if TheBoy ever committed an act even one tenth as heinous as this one. However, there was something beautiful there, as well:

Forty marines and an army of contractors showed up at his house to help with repairs.

"We appreciate your service and from one Marine to another, we have your back," said one Marine.

Damn, if it didn't get just a little dusty in here just then...

Semper fi, Marine.

That is all.

Veteran's Day

To all that have served: Thank you. Not just today, but every day. You may not have put your lives on the line, but by stepping up and volunteering to be those rough men and women who stand ready to do violence on our behalf, you have kept us safe. We thank you every day, but especially today.

Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and

Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

Take a vet to lunch. Let them know how much you appreciate their sacrifices, and how much you cherish the freedom that they have paid for with their blood, sweat, and tears. Let them know that their service means something; that the country they swore an oath to defend is worth defending. Especially now. Thank them. Profusely.

Thank you for serving; for keeping us safe; for making sure there's an America left for us to fight over.

That is all.

Your Choice of Mate: Please Be Reconsidering...

From FarmDad, in comments to my earlier post, alerts us to this story:

Jarell Brooks: Theater Shooting Hero Helped Mom While Boyfriend Jamie Rohrs Ran Out

A 19-year-old man stepped up when he saw a young mother and her children in danger the night of the Batman premier theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado. Jarell Brooks is by all accounts a hero, but he doesn't want you to think of him that way. However, he very possibly saved three lives early Friday morning, and for that, he deserves the highest praise one can get.

Her fiance, jumped off the balcony and ran out of the building when the shooting started. He abandoned his two children and the woman he wants to married to save his own hide. Now, I've never been shot at, but I've had knives, bats, and chainsaws pulled on me before (not all at once), and while it is pretty scary, I wouldn't abandon my family over any of it. All people react differently, and for some, the "flight" in "fight or flight" kicks in rather than fight. But someone what would abandon his loved ones?

You'd do a lot better with someone of Mr. Brooks's mettle.

And, FWIW, Jarell Brooks, you are an honest-to-goodness American hero. God bless you, sir, and thank you.

That is all.

Go. Watch.

...try not to cry.



I have a childhood friend who has delivered that message. He said without a doubt it is the hardest thing he's ever done, harder than his divorce, harder than losing custody of his children. Bringing the news that someone's loved one, their father, mother, husband, wife, etc. will never come home again weighs incredibly heavily on the people that have to deliver it. And even that burden pales in comparison to the loved ones left behind who know that the people walking up their walkway are bringing them the worst news they will ever hear.

And then for some subhuman pieces of filth to show up and protest the funeral? In many places, it would be considered "fighting words" and no jury would ever convict someone of stomping them into pudding. However, it is their right as Americans to make asses of themselves; it is their modus operandi to goad folks into taking a swing so that they can sue. While we might take a private moment and relish the thought of inviting violence on such a group, the fact is that the principles that guide America are in place to protect this very sort of thing.

Enter the Patriot Guard Riders.

They show up in a family's darkest hour to shield them from the morons. While the idiots have every right to show up - misguided and evil though it may be - the Patriot Guard Riders also have every right to show up and drown them out. And God bless them for it. I want to join so bad it hurts - however, I am still not 100% certain that, confronted with these people, I would be able to still my tongue and calm my temper. When I reach that 100th percent, my ride and my time will be theirs.

Thank you, Patriot Guard Riders, for everything you do.

That is all.

(Thanks to the NRA Life of Duty series sponsored by Brownells for the video, sent in an e-mail)