Honor

[longly]

Honor is a subject I am somewhat reluctant to tackle. I doubt that the civilians here will understand it and even some who served in the military. There are those that spend a career in uniform and never buy into the military mindset . They are not dedicated the mission or their honor, but their career and their pay check. We had many of these people in the Air force; perhaps there are not so many in the other services.

What led to this topic was a news headline about Russian activists taking over cities in the Ukraine. I was thinking there is no doubt that Russia can easily take the Ukraine, but to discourage aggression and promote peace in the future Russian has to pay a high price, the higher price the better. For that to happen the Ukraine needs dedicated military men, men of honor. Where will they get such people? It is easy to say I will fight to the death, but when it comes down to it, it is a hard thing to do. The sides are so militarily mismatched that to resist the Russians is virtually suicide, but if they don’t give their lives the Ukraine has no chance at all.

Obama should be working feverishly in secret helping the Ukrainians prepare to make the Russian pay a very heavy price. He should be providing them with weapons and training, especially anti-tank weapons and tactics. But in the end it will come down to how much value their fighting men place on their honor. To a military man his honor is the most important thing in his life. He places more value on it than he does his life. In Vietnam, we had POWs that that were tortured to death by the Communist because they refused to surrender their honor.

 

[waltky]

Another hero gets well deserved recognition...

Former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White to receive Medal of Honor
15 Apr.`14 ~ White, 27, will receive the nation's highest military award for his actions during a dismounted movement in mountainous terrain in Aranas, Afghanistan, on Nov. 9, 2007.

WASHINGTON — Former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White will be awarded the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on May 13, 2014, the White House announced late Tuesday afternoon. White, 27, will receive the nation's highest military award for his actions during a dismounted movement in mountainous terrain in Aranas, Afghanistan, on Nov. 9, 2007. White was serving as a Platoon Radio Telephone Operator assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, when his team of U.S. and Afghan National Army soldiers were set up and ambushed by a much larger and more heavily armed Taliban force. "There was one shot, you know, down into the valley, and then it was two shots, and then it was full-automatic fire and RPGs ... it was coming from multiple directions," White later recalled, according to an Army news release.

White was knocked unconscious by an RPG that landed right behind his head. When he woke up, 10 of the 14-man American element and the ANA soldiers were gone. To avoid the enemy fire, they had been forced to slide 150 feet down the side of a rocky cliff. White noticed that his teammate, Spc. Kain Schilling, had been shot in the arm. After White and Schilling found cover under a tree, White put a tourniquet on Schilling and stopped the bleeding. Then White saw Marine Sgt. Phillip Bocks lying out in the open, badly wounded.

Staff Sgt. Conrad Begaye awards Spc. Kyle White the Combat Infantryman Badge during a ceremony in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, Nov. 6, 2007.

White sprinted 30 feet across open ground under a hail of bullets to reach Bocks. White made four runs out in to the open to drag Bocks out of the line of fire. He succeeded, but Bocks eventually succumbed to his wounds. Soon afterward, Schilling got hit in the leg by small-arms fire. White again saved his life, using his belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Then White noticed his platoon leader, 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, lying face-down on the trail, motionless. White again exposed himself to fire and crawled to Ferrara's position. After he realized Ferrara was already dead, White returned to Schilling’s side and began using his radio, until an enemy round blew the hand-mic out of his hand and disabled the radio. White grabbed Bocks’ radio and used it to bring in mortars, artillery, air strikes and helicopter gun runs to keep the enemy at bay. Friendly fire gave him his second concussion of the day when a mortar round landed too close and knocked him off his feet.

After nightfall, White marked the landing zone and assisted the flight medic in hoisting the wounded Americans and Afghans into the helicopter. White would not allow himself to be evacuated until everyone else was in a position to leave. Six American servicemembers died in the battle. White, a native of Seattle, separated from the Army on July 8, 2011, and used his G.I. Bill to attend the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He now works as an investment analyst in Charlotte. White, whose father was a Special Forces Soldier during the Vietnam era, will be the seventh living recipient to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. He and his family will join President Barack Obama at the White House for the presentation ceremony.

Former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White to receive Medal of Honor - U.S. - Stripes

 

[whitehall]

The "military mindset"? The concept of "Duty,Honor,Country" is often ridiculed by the left but most Americans who served in the Military understand it even if the radical left ridicules it.

 

[Politico]

Obama doesn't need to be doing anything. Not like he would anyway. Let the EU help them.

 

[longly]

The "military mindset"? The concept of "Duty,Honor,Country" is often ridiculed by the left but most Americans who served in the Military understand it even if the radical left ridicules it.

I would be interested in knowing how liberals view the subject. When I was in the Air force we had quite a few liberals, but that was during the Vietnam era when they were trying to avoid the draft.

 

[waltky]

An honor well deserved...

Obama presents top medal to Afghanistan veteran
May 13, 2014 -WASHINGTON (AP) — It could have been over for Kyle J. White just 30 seconds into the Taliban ambush, when a rocket-propelled grenade knocked him unconscious.

But he came to and by the time the four-hour firefight in Afghanistan was over, White, reeling from concussions and shrapnel in his face, had saved one comrade's life and helped secure the evacuation of other wounded Americans. On Tuesday, White became only the seventh living recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan, the latest reminder of the post-Sept. 11 conflicts and U.S. sacrifices President Barack Obama has sought to bring to an end "We pay tribute to a soldier who embodies the courage of his generation," Obama said. With the medal, White, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome after the ambush, also draws attention to the recent scrutiny confronting the Veteran's Affairs health care system and allegations of lapses in care and delays in mental health treatment.

Though Obama did not mention the VA controversies specifically, he told White: "You did your duty, and now it's time for America to do ours: after more than a decade of war, to welcome you home with the support and the benefits and opportunities that you've earned." Following the ceremony, White, 27, said the valor belonged to all the members of his platoon that day. "Battles are won by spirit," he said. "Without the team, there can be no Medal of Honor. That's why I wear this medal for my team." An Army account of the attack says White, then a 20-year-old Army specialist, and his team of 14 U.S. troops, along with Afghan National Army soldiers, were ambushed Nov. 9, 2007, after attempting to hold a meeting with village elders in the village of Aranas in Nuristan province. After regaining consciousness from the grenade hit, White found his platoon split by the ambush. Half the team had slid down the cliff for cover. He remained atop with three dead, dying and wounded comrades.

President Barack Obama awards the Medal of Honor to former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 13, 2014. White is a former Army sergeant who saved a fellow soldier's life and helped secure the evacuation of other wounded Americans while under persistent fire during a 2007 ambush in Afghanistan. White is the seventh living recipient to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Left at the top with White were platoon leader 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, Spc. Kain Schilling, Marine Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks, who was imbedded with the group, and its interpreter. White set about trying to assess the condition of his fellow soldiers, running and crawling through gunfire only to find Ferrara dead and Bocks badly wounded. Though he tried to stop Bocks' bleeding, the Marine later died. Obama described the drama to an East Room audience of service members, family and White House staff: "Across Afghanistan, base commanders were glued to the radios, listening as American forces fought back an ambush in the rugged mountains. One battalion commander remembered that all of Afghanistan was listening as a soldier on the ground described what was happening. "They knew him by his call sign, Charlie-1-6-Romeo. We know it was Kyle, who at the time was just 20 years old and only 21 months into his military service."

Though suffering from concussions, White treated Schilling's injuries under the shadow of a lone tree and used one of the unit's radios to call for help. When a helicopter arrived after nightfall, White only allowed himself to be evacuated after the wounded were assisted. Schilling attended White's Medal of Honor ceremony. White retired from the Army in 2011 as a sergeant. He graduated from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte with a finance degree, and he now works as an investment analyst at a bank in Charlotte. "Kyle will tell you that the transition to civilian life and dealing with the post-traumatic stress hasn't always been easy," Obama said. "More than six years later, he can still see the images and hear the sounds of that battle. Every day, he wakes up thinking about his battle buddies." Later, White said he and Schilling wear identical bracelets. "On it are the names of my six fallen brothers," he said. "They are my heroes."

Obama presents top medal to Afghanistan veteran | CNS News

 

[Howey]

The "military mindset"? The concept of "Duty,Honor,Country" is often ridiculed by the left but most Americans who served in the Military understand it even if the radical left ridicules it.

Source?

 

[Howey]

The "military mindset"? The concept of "Duty,Honor,Country" is often ridiculed by the left but most Americans who served in the Military understand it even if the radical left ridicules it.

I would be interested in knowing how liberals view the subject. When I was in the Air force we had quite a few liberals, but that was during the Vietnam era when they were trying to avoid the draft.

Yet they were killed alongside their brothers.

Why are you being selective in honoring veterans?

I've seen this before. Nuke sub engineers are among the worst. They're "better" than cooks or motorpool drivers.

Guess what? Anyone that serves their country is a hero.

 

[September]

I find personal honor to have a far higher value than patriotism.

 

[regent]

I would strongly suspect that most riflemen in WWII were draftees, liberals and Democrats.

 

[usmcstinger]

Honor is a subject I am somewhat reluctant to tackle. I doubt that the civilians here will understand it and even some who served in the military. There are those that spend a career in uniform and never buy into the military mindset . They are not dedicated the mission or their honor, but their career and their pay check. We had many of these people in the Air force; perhaps there are not so many in the other services.

What led to this topic was a news headline about Russian activists taking over cities in the Ukraine. I was thinking there is no doubt that Russia can easily take the Ukraine, but to discourage aggression and promote peace in the future Russian has to pay a high price, the higher price the better. For that to happen the Ukraine needs dedicated military men, men of honor. Where will they get such people? It is easy to say I will fight to the death, but when it comes down to it, it is a hard thing to do. The sides are so militarily mismatched that to resist the Russians is virtually suicide, but if they don’t give their lives the Ukraine has no chance at all.

Obama should be working feverishly in secret helping the Ukrainians prepare to make the Russian pay a very heavy price. He should be providing them with weapons and training, especially anti-tank weapons and tactics. But in the end it will come down to how much value their fighting men place on their honor. To a military man his honor is the most important thing in his life. He places more value on it than he does his life. In Vietnam, we had POWs that that were tortured to death by the Communist because they refused to surrender their honor.

The US Marine Corps Combat Veterans and those currently serving in combat define Honor Duty and Country. Ronald Reagan: "Some people spend a life time trying to make difference.
Marines don't have that problem".

 

[SayMyName]

Honor is a subject I am somewhat reluctant to tackle. I doubt that the civilians here will understand it and even some who served in the military. There are those that spend a career in uniform and never buy into the military mindset . They are not dedicated the mission or their honor, but their career and their pay check. We had many of these people in the Air force; perhaps there are not so many in the other services.

What led to this topic was a news headline about Russian activists taking over cities in the Ukraine. I was thinking there is no doubt that Russia can easily take the Ukraine, but to discourage aggression and promote peace in the future Russian has to pay a high price, the higher price the better. For that to happen the Ukraine needs dedicated military men, men of honor. Where will they get such people? It is easy to say I will fight to the death, but when it comes down to it, it is a hard thing to do. The sides are so militarily mismatched that to resist the Russians is virtually suicide, but if they don’t give their lives the Ukraine has no chance at all.

Obama should be working feverishly in secret helping the Ukrainians prepare to make the Russian pay a very heavy price. He should be providing them with weapons and training, especially anti-tank weapons and tactics. But in the end it will come down to how much value their fighting men place on their honor. To a military man his honor is the most important thing in his life. He places more value on it than he does his life. In Vietnam, we had POWs that that were tortured to death by the Communist because they refused to surrender their honor.

I went to the Citadel. After a life well-lived, I love hearing people talk about honor. In my days on this earth, as I have grown old, I realize those that talked the most about it, knew the least of this characteristic. That's my two bits on "honor."

 

[waltky]

Hero gets his due recognition...

Former Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter to be awarded the Medal of Honor
May 19, 2014 ~ WASHINGTON — Former Marine Cpl. William “Kyle” Carpenter will be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Afghanistan, the White House announced Monday.

Carpenter, 24, will receive the nation’s highest award for valor for diving on top of an enemy grenade to save the life of his friend, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio, during an insurgent attack in the Marjah district of Helmand province on Nov. 21, 2010. Then-Lance Cpl. Carpenter was serving as an Automatic Rifleman with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, Regimental Combat Team-1, 1st Marine Division (Forward), I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), when insurgents threw a grenade on a rooftop where Carpenter and Eufrazio were standing guard. Marines who were deployed with Carpenter told the Marine Corps Times that they believed Carpenter took the brunt of the grenade blast to save Eufrazio because of the nature of the wounds he sustained. Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher Frend, the Navy corpsman who triaged the two Marines, said the blast seat of the grenade — which indicates the detonation location — was found on Carpenter’s torso. Frend said Carpenter’s injury would have been different if the grenade had exploded on top of him instead of under him, which suggests that Carpenter smothered the grenade with his body.

The 35th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James F. Amos, left, speaks with Cpl. Kyle Carpenter before the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va.

Carpenter and Eufrazio survived the blast, but suffered severe wounds. Carpenter lost an eye and most of his teeth and shattered his jaw; his arm was also broken in several places. In July 2013, Carpenter was medically retired due to his war wounds. He is currently a full-time student at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. After a long recovery and more than 30 surgeries, Carpenter ran the Marine Corps Marathon last year and posted a time of 4:28:42, according to the ‘Operation Kyle’ Facebook page, which was created by his supporters.

“It’s hard to comprehend that three years ago today my life and body was torn apart by an enemy hand grenade on a hot dusty rooftop in Afghanistan,” Carpenter wrote on the Operation Kyle page last year, on the third anniversary of the attack. “At times it has felt so long ago and yet, when I close my eyes, I can still feel the warm blood pouring out of me onto my skin and fading out of consciousness with my the final thought of “I’m going to die” in my head ...

Marine Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

“And here I am. I just want to thank and remind all of you how much it means and how truly appreciative I am for every comment, message, word of encouragement and prayer you have sent my way since that day in November 2010. You have helped get me to where I am today and for that I will be forever grateful. It took a life changing event to get me to truly appreciate the precious and amazing life I have been blessed with. “Please take it from me … enjoy everyday to the fullest, don’t take life too seriously, always try to make it count, appreciate the small and simple things, be kind and help others, let the ones you love always know you love them and when things get hard, trust there is a bigger plan and that you will be stronger for it.” Carpenter will be the eight living recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. He will receive the award from President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony on June 19.

Former Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter to be awarded the Medal of Honor - Marine Corps - Stripes

 

[longly]

Honor is a subject I am somewhat reluctant to tackle. I doubt that the civilians here will understand it and even some who served in the military. There are those that spend a career in uniform and never buy into the military mindset . They are not dedicated the mission or their honor, but their career and their pay check. We had many of these people in the Air force; perhaps there are not so many in the other services.

What led to this topic was a news headline about Russian activists taking over cities in the Ukraine. I was thinking there is no doubt that Russia can easily take the Ukraine, but to discourage aggression and promote peace in the future Russian has to pay a high price, the higher price the better. For that to happen the Ukraine needs dedicated military men, men of honor. Where will they get such people? It is easy to say I will fight to the death, but when it comes down to it, it is a hard thing to do. The sides are so militarily mismatched that to resist the Russians is virtually suicide, but if they don’t give their lives the Ukraine has no chance at all.

Obama should be working feverishly in secret helping the Ukrainians prepare to make the Russian pay a very heavy price. He should be providing them with weapons and training, especially anti-tank weapons and tactics. But in the end it will come down to how much value their fighting men place on their honor. To a military man his honor is the most important thing in his life. He places more value on it than he does his life. In Vietnam, we had POWs that that were tortured to death by the Communist because they refused to surrender their honor.

I went to the Citadel. After a life well-lived, I love hearing people talk about honor. In my days on this earth, as I have grown old, I realize those that talked the most about it, knew the least of this characteristic. That's my two bits on "honor."

Basically personal honor is being true to one commitments. Military honor is doing one’s duty. If an individual entering the military freely raises his hand and swears to obey the orders of those appointed over him he is honor bound to do so.


An honorable person does not lie, cheat or steal.

 

[waltky]

Better late than never...

A Silver Star emerges from the jungle
May 24, 2014 — You don’t believe Max Sullivan when he tells you that the U.S. Army decided to give him his Silver Star “for a little blood loss.”

It's the way his wife Joann didn’t quite believe him when he sent her those letters during his year in the Quang Ngai Province in northern South Vietnam. Joann is sitting beside him on the couch at their apartment at Meridian Village, where the couple has been living for a couple of years now. Max is nearing 80. For 16 years he served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army, one of which was spent in northern South Vietnam. On most days, Max would go out into the field and spend a day and a night tending to the emotional and spiritual needs of the soldiers. “I was kind of a morale officer,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘Be as positive as you can. Listen to their stories. Their fears, their wants.’”

Today he continues to speak in the calming manner of a chaplain, not a man who, under bitter fire from North Vietnamese Army soldiers, risked his life one day to administer first aid to a wounded soldier, pulling him up on his only good leg, and helping carry him to an evacuation helicopter 400 meters away. And yet there it is up on the wall by the front door. Col. John W. Donaldson is standing face-to-face with Max, pinning a Silver Star on his army fatigues. “His indomitable will and personal courage were an inspiration to the men of the company as they repulsed the numerically superior enemy force,” Donaldson said. “Captain Sullivan’s personal heroism, professional competence and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself.”

It happened around 1 p.m. on June 10, 1969. The afternoon heat was sweltering. Alpha Company, part of the 1st Battalion, 20th Regiment, in the 11th Infantry Brigade, had been involved in intense firefights with the N.V.A. for several days. By the afternoon of June 9, the company was pretty badly cut up. Walt Bertels wrote those days in a letter he sent to Max. The unit had lost a number of men, including all but one of their medics, he said. They were hoping to avoid contact with the enemy as they walked in the pitch-black darkness of the night. No moon. Impossible to see. They needed to rest, regroup and resupply if they had any hope of being effective in any kind of operation. “We were exhausted and discouraged,” Bertels wrote. “No one was telling even bad jokes about our situation.”

MORE

 

[jillian]

The "military mindset"? The concept of "Duty,Honor,Country" is often ridiculed by the left but most Americans who served in the Military understand it even if the radical left ridicules it.

though i know you don't care if what you're saying has even the slightest basis in reality, feel free to provide evidence of anyone of import ridiculing soldiers in this day and age.

and one doesn't have to be military to have honor.

 

[regent]

Better late than never...

A Silver Star emerges from the jungle
May 24, 2014 — You don’t believe Max Sullivan when he tells you that the U.S. Army decided to give him his Silver Star “for a little blood loss.”

It's the way his wife Joann didn’t quite believe him when he sent her those letters during his year in the Quang Ngai Province in northern South Vietnam. Joann is sitting beside him on the couch at their apartment at Meridian Village, where the couple has been living for a couple of years now. Max is nearing 80. For 16 years he served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army, one of which was spent in northern South Vietnam. On most days, Max would go out into the field and spend a day and a night tending to the emotional and spiritual needs of the soldiers. “I was kind of a morale officer,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘Be as positive as you can. Listen to their stories. Their fears, their wants.’”

Today he continues to speak in the calming manner of a chaplain, not a man who, under bitter fire from North Vietnamese Army soldiers, risked his life one day to administer first aid to a wounded soldier, pulling him up on his only good leg, and helping carry him to an evacuation helicopter 400 meters away. And yet there it is up on the wall by the front door. Col. John W. Donaldson is standing face-to-face with Max, pinning a Silver Star on his army fatigues. “His indomitable will and personal courage were an inspiration to the men of the company as they repulsed the numerically superior enemy force,” Donaldson said. “Captain Sullivan’s personal heroism, professional competence and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself.”

It happened around 1 p.m. on June 10, 1969. The afternoon heat was sweltering. Alpha Company, part of the 1st Battalion, 20th Regiment, in the 11th Infantry Brigade, had been involved in intense firefights with the N.V.A. for several days. By the afternoon of June 9, the company was pretty badly cut up. Walt Bertels wrote those days in a letter he sent to Max. The unit had lost a number of men, including all but one of their medics, he said. They were hoping to avoid contact with the enemy as they walked in the pitch-black darkness of the night. No moon. Impossible to see. They needed to rest, regroup and resupply if they had any hope of being effective in any kind of operation. “We were exhausted and discouraged,” Bertels wrote. “No one was telling even bad jokes about our situation.”

MORE

The 20th. was a sister regiment of the 1st and 63rd during WWII, sixth division. It engaged a Japanese armored division during the battle for Luzon and emerged victorious. A good regiment, with mostly liberals of that period.

 

[SFC Ollie]

Honor? Yes this was an Honor. An Honor to honor those who gave all.

Lowellville marks Memorial Day | WKBN.com

 

[longly]

The "military mindset"? The concept of "Duty,Honor,Country" is often ridiculed by the left but most Americans who served in the Military understand it even if the radical left ridicules it.

though i know you don't care if what you're saying has even the slightest basis in reality, feel free to provide evidence of anyone of import ridiculing soldiers in this day and age.

and one doesn't have to be military to have honor.

That is true, but would you stand by your word if it cost you money and there was no way you could be forced to pay. I did.


Basically personal honor is being true to one commitments.

 

[waltky]

Last Wisconsin Korean War Medal of Honor winner passes on...

Korean War Medal of Honor Recipient Einar Ingman Dead at 85
Sep 11, 2015 — Wisconsin's last Medal of Honor recipient from the Korean War has died.

Einar Ingman's daughter, Mary Ingman, says her father died in a Tomahawk hospital Wednesday. He was 85. President Harry Truman awarded Ingman the Medal of Honor for single-handedly destroying two enemy machine-gun nests near the town of Malta-ri in 1951 despite begin shot in the face.

He went on to work as a mail clerk with Owens-Illinois Paper Corp. in Tomahawk. He suffered a severe cerebral hemorrhage in 2003. Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary John Scocos said in a news release that Ingman served the United States valiantly. According to DVA, four other Wisconsin residents received the Medal of Honor for their efforts in the Korean War. All are deceased.

Korean War Medal of Honor Recipient Einar Ingman Dead at 85 | Military.com