Medal of Honor

[Bloodrock44]

These are the guys I respect most. Watching a show interviewing men who were awarded CMOH. Every one are quiet and unassuming. I have met several and can attest to this. The last one I met was Joe Marm (Walter Joseph Marm). He was a platoon leader at the battle of LZ Xray in Viet Nam. If you have watched the movie We Were Soldiers with Mel Gibson and Sam Elliot, that was the account of the battle. My brother Hossfly also fought in that battle, but he was in the 5th Cav and Joe was in the 1st Cav. Joe was awarded the CMOH for charging a machine gun nest and taking out 10 or 11 NVA and then purposely exposing himself to draw fire to get the position of the enemy. He was shot in the face and evacuated on the first day. Hossfly fought all 3 days. We all live in NC and he and my brother are members of the 1st Cav Association, NC chapter. I had the honor of attending an association meeting with them several years ago. I sat across the table from Joe and found he was a very humble guy. Didn't want attention focused on him. He retired a full colonel and owns a hog farm here. BTW, there were a total of 3 CMOH awarded for that battle. Two chopper pilots and Joe. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. Also, Hossfly was awarded the Silver Star for bravery.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

These are the guys I respect most. Watching a show interviewing men who were awarded CMOH. Every one are quiet and unassuming. I have met several and can attest to this. The last one I met was Joe Marm (Walter Joseph Marm). He was a platoon leader at the battle of LZ Xray in Viet Nam. If you have watched the movie We Were Soldiers with Mel Gibson and Sam Elliot, that was the account of the battle. My brother Hossfly also fought in that battle, but he was in the 5th Cav and Joe was in the 1st Cav. Joe was awarded the CMOH for charging a machine gun nest and taking out 10 or 11 NVA and then purposely exposing himself to draw fire to get the position of the enemy. He was shot in the face and evacuated on the first day. Hossfly fought all 3 days. We all live in NC and he and my brother are members of the 1st Cav Association, NC chapter. I had the honor of attending an association meeting with them several years ago. I sat across the table from Joe and found he was a very humble guy. Didn't want attention focused on him. He retired a full colonel and owns a hog farm here. BTW, there were a total of 3 CMOH awarded for that battle. Two chopper pilots and Joe. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. Also, Hossfly was awarded the Silver Star for bravery.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I dedicate this video to Hossfly and Joe, the best of our best and to all of our brave men and women who have served our nation so valiantly. May God bless you for it.

[ame=http://youtu.be/Z1QmeEdFOSc]Whitney Houston sings the National Anthem -- Star Spangled Banner - YouTube[/ame]


America salutes you!

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

You are an honorable man, Bloodrock. I hope we have more people on this board that will take the time to honor our finest - especially when some of them are reading this thread today.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

This is what American heroes look like.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

/

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Guess everyone is at the movie theatres today watching Hanoi Jane play Reagans wife. Wouldn't he be turning over in his grave right now if he knew that!

WHILE

The rest of the dumbed down Americans are busy bowing down to Putin and his Hovercraft.

wow.

 

[Bloodrock44]

We Were Soldiers (7/9) Movie CLIP - Napalm Air Strike (2002) HD - YouTube









This is what American heroes look like.

Correct. Hossfly said the movie is very accurate except for the last scene where they charge out of their positions and the choppers swoop in and they wipe out a couple hundred NVA. That didn't happen. He said the NVA had retreated back to the mountain and all they did was a battalion sweep to search for bodies and such. Hoss also went to the movie screening and met Mel Gibson, Sam Elliott and Barry Pepper.

 

[Bloodrock44]

You are an honorable man, Bloodrock. I hope we have more people on this board that will take the time to honor our finest - especially when some of them are reading this thread today.

Thanks Jeri. They deserve much honor.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Hossfly is on this message board for those here who are ignorant of that fact. He's a staunch defender of Israel just like his brother, Bloodrock.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Here's the gal that got the bronze star. Her name is Jessica D. Lynch. Does her name ring a bell to anyone here?

Valor awards for Jessica D. Lynch

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

That movie clip is from back in the day when we fought communists instead of electing them to represent us. My how times have changed!!!

Anyone who hasn't seen that movie clip, click the link and take a look at what our guys gave to fight those commie bastards!!! They gave their all. When is the last time you said thank you to a Viet nam Vet?

 

[waltky]

For bravery in same battle with Medal of Honor winner Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer...

Capt. William Swenson: Former soldier to receive Medal of Honor
September 17, 2013 ~ The White House announced Monday that former Army Capt. William Swenson will receive the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions during the 2009 Battle of Ganjgal Valley, ending years of controversy over his nomination.

Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2011 for his actions in the same battle. Swenson was serving as an embedded trainer and mentor to Afghan border police when U.S. and Afghan troops walked into an ambush in Kunar province, Afghanistan, on Sept. 8, 2009. Swenson was on a different mountainside than Meyer when the ambush happened, but he, like Meyer, went into gunfire again and again during the six-hour battle to evacuate the wounded and recover the dead. As the battle raged on, Swenson’s repeated calls for support went unanswered.

Swenson will be presented the medal by President Barack Obama at the White House on Oct. 15, making him the sixth living recipient of the award for actions in Afghanistan. “It’s a monumental event for me, for my family and for my teammates,” Swenson said in an Army press release. “This day also means lot to those I served with.” Four U.S. troops were killed in the battle, and a Department of Defense investigation released months later found that negligent leadership and the command’s refusal to provide air support directly contributed to their deaths. Meyer and two other Marines have been honored for their valor during the operation, but Swenson – who was first nominated for the Medal of Honor in 2009 – had not received any award for his actions.

Capt. William Swenson sits in Task Force Chosin mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle while conducting a shura, or Muslim consultation, in October 2009.

Many believed the delay was an effort to kill the nomination after Swenson was publicly critical of the command’s decisions during the battle. In 2011, after officials said the original nomination had been lost, Marine Gen. John Allen, then the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, resubmitted the paperwork. Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican and Marine combat veteran, wrote a letter in 2012 to then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, expressing concerns that Swenson’s nomination might have been “unfairly derailed by what appears to be nothing more than bureaucratic influence and arbitrary reasoning.”

Hunter called the fact that Swenson’s nomination had been lost “troubling.” On Tuesday, Hunter praised the decision to award Swenson the medal, calling him “an American hero who exemplifies the extraordinary bravery and selflessness of our nation’s military over more than a decade of fighting in Afghanistan.” Hunter said Swenson’s medal is “especially important because not only is Capt. Swenson finally receiving the recognition he should have received years ago, but it goes a long way to restoring the integrity of the Medal of Honor process.” Swenson was commissioned as an Army officer on Sept. 6, 2002. He separated from the Army on Feb. 1, 2011, and lives in Seattle.

Capt. William Swenson: Former soldier to receive Medal of Honor - U.S. - Stripes

 

[whitehall]

99% of MOH awards were cases of Uncommon Valor. At least one was a political payback. MacArthur's MOH was an embarrassment and typical politics played by the FDR administration.

 

[Sunni Man]

Here's the gal that got the bronze star. Her name is Jessica D. Lynch. Does her name ring a bell to anyone here?

Valor awards for Jessica D. Lynch

Her Bronze Star award was a politically motivated media fueled PR stunt. ..

In her own words:

I'm Jessica Lynch and Here's My Real Story: Magazine: glamour.com

 

[waltky]

Heroes get their Medals of Honor...

Obama awards Medal of Honor to Vietnam War soldiers
15 September 2014 ~ US President Barack Obama has awarded the nation's highest military decoration to two soldiers for acts of bravery during the Vietnam War.

Command Sgt Maj Bennie Adkins rescued wounded comrades during a North Vietnamese attack on a US camp. Specialist Donald Sloat was killed in 1970 when he shielded fellow soldiers from a grenade with his body. The men were granted an exemption from a requirement the Medal of Honor be given within three years of the action. The Medal of Honor is awarded to US military members who have risked their lives in acts "above and beyond the call of duty".

First Class Adkins performed heroics in 1966

Command Sgt Maj Adkins, 80, who served 22 years in the Army, will attend the White House ceremony. He served three tours of duty in Vietnam. During his second deployment in 1966, then-Sgt First Class Adkins fought in close combat for 38 hours against a North Vietnamese attack on a US Army camp in A Shau valley. Early in the battle, he dragged several wounded soldiers to safety through exploding mortar rounds as he himself was injured, according to an Army report. "Bennie ran into enemy fire - again and again - to retrieve supplies, ammo, to carry the wounded to safety, to man the mortar pit," Mr Obama said at the White House ceremony, adding he lacked the time to recount the sum total of the veteran's heroism.

Army Command Sgt Maj Bennie Adkins received the award in a White House ceremony

Sgt Adkins continued fighting to defend the camp with both mortar and rifle fire throughout another day. When the order was given to evacuate, he and others destroyed papers to prevent them being captured, then dug their way out of the back of a bunker. He and several others could not reach an evacuation helicopter because Sgt Adkins was carrying a wounded soldier, so he led remaining soldiers into the jungle, evading enemy forces for 48 more hours before being rescued.

Sloat's medal will be accepted on his behalf by his brother

Specialist Four Donald Sloat was born in Oklahoma and was killed in action at the age of 20. While on patrol near Hawk Hill Fire Base, a soldier in his group triggered an enemy hand grenade booby trap. Specialist Sloat picked up the grenade to throw it away, but he realised it was about to explode with Americans in the way. He drew the grenade into his body before it exploded, saving the lives of fellow soldiers. "In that moment he could have run... he could have ducked for cover, but Don did something truly extraordinary," Mr Obama said, noting that two of the men who were on that patrol were in the audience. His brother, William, was to accept the medal from the US president on Monday.

BBC News - Obama awards Medal of Honor to Vietnam War soldiers

 

[waltky]

Post named for Kit Carson - brave Indian fighter...

3 Medal of Honor Recipients from Same Fort Carson Brigade
Oct 15, 2015 | The White House announced on Wednesday that Florent Groberg, formerly of the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division, is the third Fort Carson soldier from the unit to receive the Army's highest award, the Medal of Honor.

Former Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha and former Staff Sgt. Ty Carter received the award in 2013 in recognition for their bravery during a deadly fight in a remote area Afghanistan in 2009. Groberg was honored for his actions in a August 2012 suicide bombing attack. Romesha was awarded the Medal of Honor on Feb. 11, 2013, and Carter received the award a few months later, on Aug. 26.

In October 2009, Romesha was assigned to defend Combat Outpost Keating in eastern Afghanistan. On Oct. 3, hundreds of Taliban insurgents attacked the post, a spot that an Army investigation later declared to be "tactically indefensible." Although he had been wounded by shrapnel in his arm, Romesha coordinated a counterattack that saved Keating and most of its troops. He coordinated airstrikes, killed insurgents with a Soviet-era sniper rifle he found on the ground and made a bold 100-meter dash through a rain of bullets to retrieve the bodies of men who were killed. Romesha was discharged from the Army in 2011.

On that same day, Carter also was wounded when fighting broke out at Keating. Like Romesha, despite his injuries, Carter braved enemy fire to rescue a wounded comrade, Spc. Stephan Mace. Carter pulled Mace to safety and dressed his wounds; Mace eventually died of his injuries. Mace's dying cries for help continued to haunt Carter in 2013, when he spoke openly about suffering from PTSD. Carter was eventually transferred to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, and deployed again to Afghanistan in 2012, according to his website. He was discharged in October 2014, Carter said in an email to The Gazette.

3 Medal of Honor Recipients from Same Fort Carson Brigade | Military.com

 

[gallantwarrior]

To both Hossfly and Bloodrock, from a veteran...bless you both for your service. I'd like to say more but I don't know what more there might be to say. My father was deployed to VietNam three times and I am counted as a VietNam vet (1994) myself. God Bless you.

 

[waltky]

Tackled a suicide bomber...

Latest Medal of Honor Marks 11th for Feats in Afghanistan's Wild East
Nov 12, 2015 | "It's a kinetic place," Army Capt. Florent Groberg said Wednesday of Afghanistan's Kunar province, where his instinctive tackling of a suicide bomber in 2012 earned him the Medal of Honor.

Of the 13 Medals of Honor awarded during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, 11 have come from actions in either Kunar or neighboring Nuristan province, collectively dubbed the "Wild East" by the troops. Seven were awarded for combat in Kunar, and four came in Nuristan. The other two were awarded to Marine Lance Corp. William Kyle Carpenter for his actions in southwestern Helmand province and Army Staff Sgt. Leroy A. Petry for combat in southeastern Paktia province. "It's just kinetic, they fight as we fight" along the rugged ridges and slot canyons of Kunar, Groberg said. "Kunar's a tough place, if not the most kinetic place in the world," he said. "There's no specific explanation for it. It's kinetic."

Before President Obama began the troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and the combat mission was ended, successive U.S. and NATO commanders had wavered over the years on whether to maintain combat outposts that came under constant attack from a hostile population in Kunar and Nuristan, or simply to abandon the area. On Thursday, the 32-year-old Groberg, who grew up in a Paris suburb and is a naturalized U.S. citizen, will become the 10th living American to receive the nation's highest award for valor since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks when President Obama makes the formal presentation at a White House ceremony. At a roundtable session with reporters Wednesday, Groberg was joined by three members of his unit who witnessed his sprint to get at the suicide bomber near a bridge in the Kunar village of Assadabad on Aug. 8, 2012 -- Staff Sgt. Brian Brink, the platoon Sergeant; Sgt. Andrew Mahoney, the communications specialist; and Spc. Daniel Balderrama, the medic.

Former Army Captain Florent Groberg poses for a portrait at the Pentagon.​

All said they felt uneasy as they approached on foot along a paved road to a bridge as the personal security detail for then-Col. James Mingus, now a brigadier general assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado. Mingus was headed to a meeting with an Afghan provincial governor. "That day, it just felt a little different when we got on the ground," Groberg said. Brink echoed him: "Everything felt a little different that day. It was a gut feeling. We all felt it. Nobody had to say it. Things just didn't set right with us." In the rear, they heard a car revving its engine. Brink radioed back -- "Get him off us, get him off us." They later concluded that the revving engine was the signal for two men on motorcycles to approach from the front. Brink and others raised their weapons. The men dismounted and backed off. The road narrowed near the bridge. To the right was a stone wall, to the left a drainage culvert.

Two other men appeared, walking backwards in parallel to the unit. Brink said the man closest to the unit had a bulge on his hip, with his right hand resting on the bulge. Brink raised his weapon again and just as he readied to pull the trigger, Groberg ran at the man, followed by Mahoney. "You face a threat, you go towards the threat," Groberg said. For an instant, the man made eye contact. "He had a blank stare," Groberg said. "He did a 180 and cut directly toward the patrol. I hit him, then we grabbed him and threw him to the ground. He detonated at our feet." The second man also set off his explosive device but the force of the blast mainly went into the stone wall. Groberg was knocked unconscious. About half of his left calf had been torn away. He also suffered a blown eardrum and a mild traumatic brain injury.

MORE

 

[waltky]

The heroic story of Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha...

MOH recipient recalls unit taking back outpost in Afghanistan
Jun 25, 2016 | Clint Romesha became a legend in 2009 after he led the charge against a monstrous Taliban attack in Afghanistan, rallying his fellow soldiers to regain control of their camp after it had been overrun by more than 300 insurgents. In 2013, President Obama presented him with the Medal of Honor for his actions in that battle. In an interview with Fox News, the 34-year-old veteran vividly recalled his comrades' battle cry: "We're going to take this bitch back!"

Romesha was a green 18-year-old who had grown up in Lake City, Calif. -- "a quiet little town [where] life was always easy" -- when he enlisted in the Army in 1999. But he became an experienced warrior, serving in Kosovo and Iraq before volunteering to serve in Afghanistan in his fourth tour of duty. He said he went from "growing up in one of the greatest countries that has ever existed, to see what tyranny and poverty and real challenges are like firsthand." On Oct. 3, 2009, Romesha was a staff sergeant and section leader when the Taliban attacked Combat Outpost Keating in eastern Afghanistan. The camp, he recalled, was strategically flawed, "set at the bottom of a valley surrounded by mountains on every side. Very isolated, very remote, just a spot that you shake your head when you see it, but you also accept the mission that's given and understand that you're there doing a job and you got your great guys around you."

He said the attack, known today as the Battle of Kamdesh, began at around 6 a.m., and he realized quickly that it wasn't the typical gunfire he'd come to expect from the Taliban. "I remember getting out of my bed.... got up and clicked on the radio, and you could just hear the intensity of fire coming.... This was something different, and very clearly thereafter, you could tell that there's more fire coming into the outpost than going out of it." The enemy fighters had "done the research," Romesha said. "They instantly started suppressing our gun trucks on the perimeter.... They had us surrounded 360 degrees, and very quickly it was getting out of control." To their horror, the penned-in American troops learned they wouldn't get helicopter support for some time, "and unfortunately, within that first hour, we'd finally gotten the word that the enemy was inside the wire."

Former U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha on duty in Afghanistan. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan​

The attackers set the camp on fire, burning down most of the barracks, but Romesha and some troops were able to pull back in "the Alamo position" into buildings at the center of the outpost. He said he realized they had to "do something drastic" -- counterattack and reclaim the depot. "We need to take this bitch back," he told Lt. Andrew Bundermann, the officer in charge. Five soldiers volunteered to follow Romesha into a furious battle with the insurgents. They pushed them back and regained control of the base when air support finally arrived. There were many heroes that day, Romesha said, including Bundermann, who called for dropping bombs just a hundred yards away, instead of waiting for precision bombs. "Eight men never got to come home," Romesha said. "I did.... They gave up way more than anything that was ever required of me. If it wasn't for their sacrifice, I wouldn't be here."

Referring to his Medal of Honor, he said, "It's great to be the one that got selected to wear it, but the medal's not mine. It's those eight great men, it's those men and women that are still serving today, men and women that have put on the uniform from previous conflicts to keep this country free." Romesha has written "Red Platoon," a book about his experiences, because he feels veterans should teach civilians to "appreciate the freedoms they wake up to every day, understand where that came from and what it cost to get that way, so that these guys are never forgotten." "We use the word hero quite a bit in this country," he said. "We call people that throw footballs heroes. We call people that sang songs heroes. We call people that have reality TV shows heroes. "My definition of a hero [is] those that don't come home, that give up everything to make sure we're free and safe. That's what a true hero is right there. I appreciate the acknowledgements of it, but I was just a warrior doing a job."

Related Video: