Marine LCpl Dale Peterson died April 23 while conducting combat operations in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. He was with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Tomorrow morning the Patriot Guard Riders will pass my house on their way to Burns, on the far east side of the state, to meet LCpl Peterson's final plane home. They will serve as escorts throughout his services.
Dale was a son of Burns in Eastern Oregon and Redmond in Central Oregon.
He graduated from Redmond High School in 2005, and joined the Marines when he graduated from high school. His teacher, Georgia Hendricks, remembered Dale for his upbeat spirit and positive attitude. "He was very bright, a great young man.
We loved him here and had a lot of respect for his abilities and natural talent, and his ability to make other people feel good," she said.
Dale's widow, Marine LCpl Regina "Reggie" Peterson, said that "he chose Camp Lejeune because he knew they were going to deploy. It breaks my heart, but I also couldn't be prouder.
He was doing what he wanted to do."
His father said, "this is about a boy who had the courage to go in the military and fight and die for his country."
Dale is survived by his wife, Reggie, a Bend native; his mother, Dorothy, of Burns; his father and step-mother, Greg and Kathy of Redmond, and three sisters.
SSG Brian Oswalt, 4087 W Harvard St, Boise ID 83705
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time.
Farewell, LCpl Dale Peterson, and Walk with God.
I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city burn to the ground.
I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the familiar rubble, and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the streets of their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are steady on a device that has been given to me from my government for the purpose of taking the lives of others.
I sweat, and I am tired.
My back aches from the loads I carry. Young American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday allow them to see their families again..
.and yet, I too, am just a boy..
..my age not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead.
I am stressed, I am scared, and I am paranoid...
because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there.
There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and actions that are not my own.
..but that are necessary for survival.
I've made compromises with my humanity. And I am not alone in this. Miles from me are my brethren in this world, who walk in the same streets.
.. who feel the same things, whether they admit to it or not.
And to think, I volunteered for this...
And I am ignorant to the rest of the world...
or so I thought.
But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi, Iraq, the cries and screams and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be thrust back into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your average man.
And then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the streets of America, and see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of the same people who compare our President to Hitler.
I will watch the television and watch the Cindy Sheehans, and the Al Frankens, and the rest of the ignorant sheep of America spout off their mouths about a subject they know nothing about.
It is their right, however, and it is a right that is defended by hundreds of thousands of boys and girls scattered across the world, far from home. I use the word boys and girls, because that's what they are. In the Army, the average age of the infantryman is nineteen years old.
The average rank of soldiers killed in action is Private First Class.
People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to the results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are.
They don't realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva Conventions, no cease fires. Medics and Chaplains are not spared from the enemy's brutality because it's against the rules.
I can only imagine the horrors a military Chaplain would experience at the hands of the enemy. The enemy slinks in the shadows and fights a coward s war against us. It is effective though, as many men and women have died since the start of this war.
And the memory of their service to America is tainted by the inconsiderate remarks on our nation's news outlets. And every day, the enemy changes..
.only now, the enemy is becoming something new. The enemy is transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans.
The enemy is becoming the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it. But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society.
.. and they are becoming our enemy.
Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire" around and compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and military.
America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our second, or third some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so concerned now with politics, that it is interfering with our war.
Terrorists cut the heads off of American citizens on the internet...
and there is no outrage, but an American soldier kills an Iraqi in the midst of battle, and there are investigations, and sometimes soldiers are even jailed...
for doing their job.
It is absolutely sickening to me to think our country has come to this. Why are we so obsessed with the bad news?
Why will people stop at nothing to be against this war, no matter how much evidence of the good we've done is thrown in their face? When is the last time CNN or MSNBC or CBS reported the opening of schools and hospitals in Iraq? Or the leaders of terror cells being detained or killed?
It's all happening, but people will not let up their hatred of President Bush. They will ignore the good news, because it just might show people that Bush was right.
America has lost its will to fight.
It has lost its will to defend what is right and just in the world. The crazy thing of it all is that the American people have not even been asked to sacrifice a single thing. It s not like World War II, where people rationed food and turned in cars to be made into metal for tanks.
The American people have not been asked to sacrifice anything. Unless you are in the military or the family member of a servicemember, its life as usual..
.the war doesn't affect you.
But it affects us.
And when it is over and the troops come home and they try to piece together what's left of them after their service...
where will the detractors be then? Where will the Cindy Sheehans be to comfort and talk to soldiers and help them sort out the last couple years of their lives, most of which have been spent dodging death and wading through the deaths of their friends? They will be where they always are, somewhere far away, where the horrors of the world can't touch them.
Somewhere where they can complain about things they will never experience in their lifetime; things that the young men and women of America have willingly taken upon their shoulders.
We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else wants in life: safety, security, somewhere to call home.
They want a country that is safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their children will be abducted, raped and murdered if they do not comply with the terrorists demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper.
And America has given them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause and see it to its end. But the country must unite in this endeavor..
.we cannot place the burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight, whether in uniform or not.
And supporting us is more than sticking yellow ribbon stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops and our cause.
Right now, the burden is all on the American soldiers.
Right now, hope rides alone. But it can change, it must change. Because there is only failure and darkness ahead for us as a country, as a people, if it doesn't.
Let's stop all the political nonsense, let's stop all the bickering, let's stop all the bad news and let's stand and fight!Isn't that what America is about anyway?
Sergeant Eddie Jeffers is a US Army Infantryman serving in Ramadi, Iraq.
From The New Media Journal. us
The American Flag is flown at half staff, or half mast in a nautical setting, on four designated days during the year.
- May 15 - Peace Officers Memorial Day
- May - last Monday - Memorial Day (raised at noon)
- September 11 - Patriot Day
- December 7 - Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
ONLY those people may give the order to fly flags at half staff. However, city mayors often declare this, they do not have authority under the Federal Flag Code to do so.
Presidents will order the flag to be flown at half staff on occasions of national mourning (such as the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech), the death of a former President, Vice President, Supreme Court Justice, Associate Justice, member of Congress or national dignitary.
Governors will order the flag to be flown at half staff when the state has a resident in the military or a police officer or fireman killed in the line of duty, or for former Governors or state dignitaries.
Flying flags at half staff is a high honor of respect and remembrance and mourning.
The ceremony of putting the flag at half staff is to raise the flag, briskly, to the top of the flag pole and then to slowly lower it to half staff.
To lower the flag, it should be raised back to the top of the pole and then lowered.
When the flag is flown at half staff, other flags around it should be lowered, as well, or removed. No flag is to fly higher than the flag of the United States of America.
Whenever you see a flag at half-staff, you know someone important in service to our country has lost their life.
Rescue attempt of the Iran Hostages:
The C-130s and helicopters were to rendezvous at Desert One the first night of the operation. The helicopters, with the army special forces team on board, would move forward and hide until the second night of the mission.
Crews make final checks on three of the eight RH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters lined up on the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in preparation for Operation Evening Light, the Navy code name for the rescue mission to Iran.
For the mission to go forward, six of the eight RH-53s had to make it into Iran in working order. Two were damaged in a severe sandstorm and had to turn back. Six of them did make it.
But just before heading out to their next staging point, one developed a hydraulic problem, and the mission was scrubbed.
A rendevous area for the C-130's and the helicopters inside of Iran, was called Desert One. After they lost three helicopters, it was clear that the mission would have to be cancelled.
The aircraft refueled and the Special Operations team loaded onto the C-130, it was determined that one of the helicopters had to be moved. It hit the C-130, causing the plane and the helicopter to erupt into a fireball.
The plan for a volunteer force of Joint Special Operations Group to inflitrate Tehran and rescue the hostages ended in equipment failure and a final ball of fire.
They has risked all for a daring plan, endured sandstorms and still eight US sericemen died in the Great Salt Desert near Tabas, Iran.
Some of the charred bodies were taken through the streets of Tehran during massive protests. Secret operational documents were also discovered in the wreckage and put on display for the international media to examine.
April 25, 1980 A defining moment for President Jimmy Carter, for the American people and for America s military. At 7 a.m.
a somber President Carter announced to the nation, and the world, that eight American servicemen were dead and several others were seriously injured, after a super-secret hostage rescue mission failed.
SGT John D Harvey, 21, Roanoke, VACPL George N Holmes, Jr, 22, Pine Bluff, AR
SSG Dewey L Johnson, 32, Jacksonville, NC
MAJ Richard L Bakke, 34, Long Beach, CA
MAJ Harold Lewis, 35, Mansfield, CT
TSGT Joel C Mayo, 34, Bonifay, FL
MAJ Lynn D McIntosh, 33, Valdosta, GA
CAPT Charles T McMillan II, 28, Corrytown, TN
"The sheer audacity of the mission, the enormity of the task, the political situation at the time. When I reflect on the results - both positive and negative - I'm awed.
The very soul of any nation is its heroes. We are in the company of giants and in the shadow of eight true heroes." - General Hugh Shelton, April 2000
Visiting Arlington National Cemetery, I always stop at the memorial marker for those lost on this mission - picture shown above.
Even though I remember the event vividly, I spent many days reading everything I could to know what had happened. One of the most interesting things I found was the report on the investigation of the event - archived at Jimmy Carter's Library - and the positives and negatives of the mission. From this tragedy the Special Operations Command was born - a unification of the Special Operations Forces which made them more effective in communication and working together.
The ability to refuel at a remote site was also begun. This was not President Carter's brightest moment. It was an incredibly sad day for our military and for our country.
I will ever honor them for trying to rescue their fellow Americans, regardless of the risky and flawed plan they were given.
To read more, go to the
These people hate most everything and believe in the downfall of this country. They are loud and obscene and violent.
They believe that none of us should have any ownership rights...
everything should belong to everyone!
Harry Reid just declared "The War in Iraq is Lost," while standing in front of a "Support the Troops" sign.
.. no war EVER.
.. for any reason.
The America is at the Mall Crowd
These are the Americans that never think about the war, the troops, the issues. They just know that they are annoyed by anything that they perceive as negative or interrupting their lives. For the most part, they live in a pre-911 world.
They believe that this is a long war and that victory is essential for the survival of the country.
The divides between the groups continue to grow. Friendships and families are being torn apart by the excesses of opinions and emotions.
Some people belong to several of the groups. Eliminating Bush and/or Iraq will not change anything. Substitutes will be found.
And, in case my usual obscene crazies read this, NO ONE is pro-war. If you can find someone who loves war, I would be surprised. And, yes, comment moderation is still on.
When we think of military combat medicine, we think of hospitals treating combat wounds. But, there is more to it. Soldiers get sick, get hurt, and have all of the needs that most of us have.
Clinics to deal with this are created in the midst of the war zone. For an aviation unit, they have the additional duties of flight physicals.
Col.
Stephen Ulrich has been documenting his experiences for the Central Ohio News. In this installment, he discusses life at the Mustang Aviation Clinic.
"Sick call in the Army is a long noble tradition for sick soldiers and those who need to get acute sore throats and other illnesses treated.
Also, chronic medical problems often flair up under the stresses of deployment such as wearing heavy body armor, exposure to smoke, fumes and dust and just long days of walking on loose gravel."
"Hearing is an important aspect of aviation medicine. Hearing is at risk in aviation due to constant exposure to loud noises.
The loss of hearing can dramatically affect communication for the crew member and/or pilot which can be dangerous. The army has come a long way in recognizing and preventing hearing loss in aviators. The automated hearing test allows Sgt.
Hugo to download previous hearing tests in the system so that we can easily see if there is any significant change in the soldier's hearing since the last exam."
To read the rest of Col Ulrich's story, go here:
Royal Air Force's 847th Naval Air Squadron, Commando Helicopter Force
Maj. William D. Chesarek, Jr.
has done something no other U.S. service member has done since WWII.
On March 21 of this year, Maj. Chesarek was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross, by Queen Elizabeth, for saving lives and in recognition for his bravery during combat operations in Iraq. Maj.
Chesark was assigned as an exchange officer with the Royal Air Force's 847th Naval Air Squadron, Commando Helicopter Force in 2005 and was the pilot of the RAF's Lynx Mk7 helicopter.
On the evening of June 10, 2006, Chesarek was providing radio communication relay for British ground troops conducting a company-sized search operation near Amarah, Iraq. Listening to radio transmissions, he overheard that a vehicle involved in the operation had became disabled and a crowd of insurgents was firing small arms and rocket-propelled grenades at the company.
According to his award citation, "Chesarek elected to fly low over the area in an attempt to distract the crowd and if possible, to engage the insurgents." Because the crowd was so close to the ground troops, instead of engaging his machine gun, he "opted instead to provide bold, harassing, very low level flight over the area in an attempt to disperse the crowd."
You can read Maj.
Chesarek's story in it's entirety .
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday.
For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll.
The Tuskegee Airmen, the 332nd Fighter Group, were honored today with the Congressional Gold Medal. Over 300 of the pilots and support crew were in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol Building for the ceremony.
This group of men were the first Negro pilots in the United States Army Air Corps. They flew as bomber escorts in the European theater, and have the distinction of being the only escort group to never loose a bomber to enemy fire in over 200 missions.
Yet, they were subject to segregation and discrimination - both during the war and afterwards.
It was common for salutes not to be given or returned.
President Bush said he would like to "offer a gesture to help atone for all the unreturned salutes and unforgivable indignities," saluted the airmen. The airmen stood, returned the salute and applauded.
Dr. Roscoe Brown, a former commander of the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, thanked the President, the House and Senate for "voting unanimously to award this medal collectively to the the pilots, bombardiers, the navigators, the mechanics, the ground officers, the enlisted men and women who served with the Tuskegee Airmen."
President Bush added, "I benefited from what you and so many others did.
It is a rich history. I stand so proudly before you today, but I know in the depth of my heart that the only reason I'm able to stand proudly before you today is because you stood proudly for America 60 years ago."
The combat record of the Tuskegee Airmen speaks for itself:
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