It’s been a year since Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (FMF) Benny
Flores was thrown from the back of a pickup truck in southwest
Afghanistan by a suicide-bomb blast. Since then, he’s had some time to
reflect on what followed — about 20 minutes of chaos, during which his
valor under enemy fire earned him a Silver Star.
But his reflection on the April 2012 attack in Zaranj, the capital of Nimruz province, centers around one man.
"What goes on around you... compares little
with what goes on inside you."
— Ralph Waldo
Emerson
Everyone has been given a gift in life. Some people
have a gift for science and some have a flair for art. And warriors have been
given the gift of aggression. They would no more misuse this gift than a doctor
would misuse his healing arts, but they yearn for the opportunity to use their
gift to help others. These people, the ones who have been blessed with the gift
of aggression and a love for others, are our sheepdogs. These are our
warriors.
Some great rules for Dadiooos of all ages. Its amazing how fast those lil warriors grow up. One minute your living pay check to pay check, and they are babies, the next minute they are teen agers and becomming young adults. Dont blink Dads, it goes fast and yes, your gonna miss this. (listen to this while you read the below)(by Michael Mitchell)
1. Love her mom. Treat her mother with respect, honor, and a big
heaping spoonful of public displays of affection. When she grows up, the
odds are good she’ll fall in love with and marry someone who treats her
much like you treated her mother. Good or bad, that’s just the way it
is. I’d prefer good.
One
Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: “Most of the
people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who
can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate
is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000
per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not
inclined to hurt one another.
Below is a motivating video that shows how their days go. Interesting enough, watch the video and note the shooters in "green" who are Afghanies, they aren't fighting, only US members are (esp at 6:54) they are hiding. 2014, we "pull out" as its been preached (except for the 2k+ Marines staying behind - guess that means we aren't really leaving). Make your Monday count -- they do!Time for a C-Gar!
Below is an article written by Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated.
He details his experiences when given the opportunity to fly in a F-14 Tomcat.
If you aren't laughing out loud by the time you get to 'Milk Duds,' your sense
of humour is seriously broken.
Now this
message is for America 's most famous athletes:
Someday you may be invited to fly in the back-seat of one of
your country's most powerful fighter jets. Many of you already have. John
Elway, John Stockton, Tiger Woods to name a few. If you get this opportunity,
let me urge you, with the greatest sincerity...
Dressed
in their desert camouflage uniforms the six Marine four-star generals
share coffee in the Home of the Commandants in Washington, D.C., April
19, 2013. From left to right:John F. Kelly, James N. Mattis, Joseph F.
Dunford, James F. Amos, John R. Allen, and John M. Paxton Jr. (U.S.
Marine Corps photo illustration by Sgt. Mallory S. VanderSchans)
With its emphasis on its enlisted troops and its creed that every
Marine is a rifleman, the Marine Corps is the military service that
keeps the smallest ratio of brass to troops. But for a brief moment
—actually only until Wednesday—there are, for the first time, six
four-star generals in the Corps.
In
light of the recent terrorist bombing in Boston, national attention is
refocused on the case of TMLC client, Army LTC Matthew Dooley. In 2012,
Dooley was fired from the National Defense University’s Joint Forces Staff College for teaching an elective course on Radical Islam because it was offensive to Muslims.
The Battle of Ganjgal in
Afghanistan tragically revealed to America how the Obama
Administration's overly strict rules of engagement severely hamperd our
troops in a battle against Taliban insurgents, resulting in the loss of
several troops.
Now, one of the soldiers wounded in that battle,
who later died of those injuries, is being awarded a Silver Star and
credited with saving the lives of Marines when their requests for air
cover were denied Obama's rules of engagement restricted them from
bombing the Taliban positions.
