The Path of the Warrior...

Reunited...

Marine Sgt. Ross Gundlach served in Afghanistan with Casey, a yellow lab trained as an explosives dog.  Sgt. Gundlach wanted to take care of Casey after she was retired, but she was assigned to the Iowa State Fire Marshal's office.  After pleading his case to the Fire Marshal's office, some state officials with a heart decided to make Sgt. Gundlach's dream come true.  They arranged a surprise reunion of Sgt. Gundlach and Casey, and now the two will be together permanently.

There's a government story that makes me feel good.  First time in a while...

Like Shaking Hands with a Dead Fish...

This isn't pretty.  Charles Woods is the father of Tyrone Woods, an ex-SEAL who was one of the four Americans killed on 9/11 in Benghazi, Libya.  Just a few days later, Charles Woods attended a memorial ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base.  There he met Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Biden.  Here's some of what Mr. Woods (during an interview with Glenn Beck) had to say about those meetings:

Vice President Biden, as he has become known to do, reportedly made a wildly inappropriate comment to the father who had just lost his hero son.

Woods said Biden came over to his family and asked in a “loud and boisterous” voice, “Did your son always have balls the size of cue balls?”

“Are these the words of someone who is sorry?” said Woods.

The grieving father also described his brief encounter with President Obama during the ceremony for the Libya victims.

“When he finally came over to where we were, I could tell that he was rather conflicted, a person who was not at peace with himself,” Woods said. “Shaking hands with him, quite frankly, was like shaking hands with a dead fish. His face was pointed towards me but he would not look me in the eye, his eyes were over my shoulder.”

“I could tell that he was not sorry,” he added. “He had no remorse.”

...

Hillary Clinton’s comments to Woods raise even more questions about the White House’s official story on the Benghazi attack, which has already been extremely inconsistent.

After apologizing for his loss, Woods said Clinton told him that the U.S. would “make sure that the person who made that film is arrested and prosecuted.”

More here and here.

George W. Bush had many faults, but this kind of disrespectful and inappropriate display was not amongst them...

The Soldier and the Squirrel...

From Belarus, a nice story about a soldier-turned-taxi-driver and his squirrel.  Lots of photos...

Quote of the Day...

Spoken by Dorothy Woods.  She's the widow of Ty Woods, one of the ex-SEALs killed in Libya last week along with Chris Stevens, our Ambassador to Libya.  She said this during her eulogy to her husband, as reported by Froggy on Blackfive:

RID THE WORLD OF THOSE SAVAGES!

We sleep safely only because of the Ty Woods who place themselves in harm's way on our behalf. I am grateful every day for their existence. And I am greatly moved to see the evidence of the strong support Ty received from his proud wife...

Obama Sends Us Another Message...

...by the way he “honors” fallen soldiers.  A form letter signed by a robo-pen.  Shameful...

Haunting Memorial Day Images...

And an excellent essay to go along with them (in the New York Times, of all places).  Also, see this piece by Tom Manion: Why They Serve.

I think of our fallen soldiers often; it's an occupational hazard of anyone with a keen interest in history.  This weekend I will remember them in order to honor them; I hope you'll join me...

Welcome Home, Soldier...

A dog greets his soldier as he returns home from an eight month deployment in Afghanistan:

A Marine's Christmas...

Master Sgt. Allen, currently on duty in Afghanistan, sings to his family back home:




I can't find the words to express my pride and admiration for the finest warriors the world has ever seen...

One Boy USO...

Simon M. also passed along this heartwarming story.  This reminds me of airport scenes I've witnessed in various places, almost entirely in this country's south...

Quote of the Day...

Seen on the Intertubes, attributed to the cartoon Maxine (but I wasn't able to verify that):

Minorities

We need to show more sympathy for these people.

They travel miles in the heat.

They risk their lives crossing a border.

They don't get paid enough wages.

They do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do.

They live in crowded conditions among a people who speak a different language.

They rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day – every day..

I'm not talking about illegal Mexicans – I'm talking about our troops!

Doesn't it seem strange that so many are willing to lavish all kinds of social benefits on illegals, but don't support our troops?

Shameful?

This guy – a law professor! – thinks it's shameful that someone solicited in the University for care packages to be sent to our soldiers overseas.

Personally, I think it's shameful that an academic institution (Suffolk University law school, in this case) allows someone with that attitude to indoctrinate our youth.

Thank You...

Via my mom:

Morning Perspective Setter...

Grab a box of tissues and go here.

Sure makes my daily challenges seem...small.

No Words Necessary...

What Were the Odds...

...of death for a soldier in any particular war?  Here's the answer, courtesy of Essential Militaria, via Gizmodo:

• War of Independence: 2 percent (1 in 50)
• War of 1812: 0.8 percent (1 in 127)
• Indian Wars: 0.9 percent (1 in 106)
• Mexican War: 2.2 percent (1 in 45)
• Civil War: 6.7 percent (1 in 15)
• Spanish-American War: 0.1 percent (1 in 798)
• World War I: 1.1 percent (1 in 89)
• World War II: 1.8 percent (1 in 56)
• Korean War: 0.6 percent (1 in 171)
• Vietnam War: 0.5 percent (1 in 185)
• Persian Gulf War: 0.03 percent (1 in 3,162)

You were about 200 times more likely to be killed in the Civil War than in the Persian Gulf War.  I know from other reading that the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars are slightly less risky for soldiers than even the Persian Gulf War.  I was a sailor at the end of the Vietnam War, never really at risk myself – but I certainly knew a lot of people who were at risk (and three who were killed there).   The Vietnam War, as recent as it was, was nearly 15 times riskier to the soldiers participating in it than the Persian Gulf War.  The difference in risk mainly has to do with technology (precision munitions, fantastically better sensors, communications) and medical care at the battlefront.  The ratio of combat troops to REMFs has actually gone up (meaning proportionally more soldiers in a war are actually in combat in recent wars than in past wars)...

Resupply...

FOB Waza K'wah gets resupplied by the only means available: air drop.  This photo shows fuel being dropped.  Our guys are fighting out in one of the more nether regions of the world.  Click to enlarge.  More here...

Tango Mike Mike...

Via my mom:




Some years ago I read a book about Master Sergeant Benavidez' actions that day in Vietnam.  I don't recall, at this remove, the name of the book or its author.  But I do recall being absolutely awed by the demonstrated courage.

I had not heard about the Special Forces' use of “Tango Mike Mike”.  I couldn't verify it from sources online, but...I hope it's true.

Honoring the Fallen...

A video news story you won't want to miss.  I have to link, as the video is not embeddable.  Via my mom:

Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta...

Where would we all be, without such men?