Memorial for Kenneth Worley

January 03, 2009

military tribute to kenneth worley medal of honor

Memorial for fallen soldier

No money raised for Marine’s remembrance

Dad was just shown this article about our Medal of Honor Hero Kenneth Worley written by Steve Lynn with The Daily Times in Farmington NM.  This story highlights the long time efforts of our close friend Bruce Salisbury.

Bruce Salisbury wants people to remember Marine Lance Cpl. Kenneth Lee Worley.  Salisbury, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, wears a button with a photo of Worley on his shirt collar. "He’s one of my heroes," Salisbury said.

The city lacks a memorial for Worley, who gave his life for fellow soldiers and earned the Medal of Honor.  That has Salisbury, of Aztec, pushing the city to announce it has dedicated land for a memorial to Worley on March 25, or National Medal of Honor Day.

Marine Corps League and city officials say a memorial will be built, but they have not established a timeline. Details of plans to build one are sketchy six months after those officials learned about him and four decades after Worley died.  Worley’s family and Marines that served with him have waited too long, Salisbury said.  "That’s a long time for them to wait to have him recognized and more than just having his name on a rock," he said.

Worley died Aug. 12, 1968, at age 20, when he threw himself on a grenade nearest him and his comrades, according to his medal’s citation. His body absorbed the force of the explosion so his five comrades sustained only minor wounds.  "Through his extraordinary initiative and inspiring valor in the face of almost certain death, he saved his comrades from serious injury and possible loss of life," the citation says.

Salisbury hopes donations will fund a bronze memorial statue of Worley in his military uniform, looking at a boy in the Young Marines.  The local Marine Corps League has other plans. The league wants a large rock placed at the entrance of All Veterans Memorial Park with a plaque naming Worley as a Medal of Honor recipient, said Bill Wells, commandant for the league in Aztec.  The league has neither set a deadline, nor has it raised any money, though it is seeking private donations and state funding for the memorial, Wells said. The league does not have final design plans yet.  "We’re on top of it," Wells said. "We’re doing this (as) fast as we can but it seems like we get a few interruptions every once in a while and sometimes the wheels of progress turn slowly."

Kenneth Worley’s achievement

Worley’s grave in Westminster, Calif., is marked with a bronze plaque saying he achieved the award. A plaque in Edmonds, Wash., town hall also lists him, though he never lived there; his foster parents did. Worley’s name is engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Farmington.

The machine gunner and rifleman is one of 293 Marines and more than 3,400 service members to receive the medal since it was established during the Civil War.

Born in Farmington on April 27, 1948, Worley is the only Marine born in New Mexico to earn the award, said Terence W. Barrett, a psychologist and instructor at North Dakota State University who has written an unpublished book about Medal of Honor recipients.  Barrett researched Worley and 180 other Medal of Honor recipients as part of a study on bravery. There are a "multitude" of hospitals, airports, parks, streets, schools, highways, bridges, playgrounds, scholarships and others named for the recipients, Barrett said. The U.S. Navy alone has named 55 ships after award recipients whom Barrett studied.  Some World War II recipients had ships named for them before that war ended. Other recipients have had to wait much longer, some 20 to 60 years, as the military investigated their actions to determine whether to give an award and then for sponsorship of a memorial.

"The tribute in Farmington to Kenneth Worley coming 40 years after his actions is not entirely unusual," Barrett said.  The city, Marine Corps League and others should take responsibility for getting the memorial built, he said.

Mayor Bill Standley said the Marine Corps League must take the lead in building it.  "The city’s role is to assist them in any way that we can in accomplishing the completion of the memorial," said Standley, a member of the league.  The city has agreed to a "possible" site off Tucker Avenue, the entrance to All Veterans Memorial Park. Standley said fund-raising events could set up an account with the city so that people may make tax-deductible donations.  "Worley is a Marine Corps brother and I want to see it happen," he said.
 

A Work in progress

Salisbury values that Farmington has a Medal of Honor recipient.  "You could go to a lot of towns in America and ask them how many Medal of Honor recipients are born in their town or city and they would say, none,’" he said.  He hopes that city officials and others will take steps — for instance, by announcing plans on National Medal of Honor Day — to get a memorial built at some point.  "It’s a work in progress like every memorial," he said.

Anyone who would like to donate to the memorial of Medal of Honor recipient Lance Cpl. Kenneth Lee Worley may call Bill Wells at (505) 801-6104 or (505) 324-8155.

Steve Lynn: slynn@daily-times.com

 

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Merry Christmas to Our Troops

December 25, 2008

American Valor Salutes Our Military

American Valor Salutes Our Military


Merry Christmas to Our Troops

We picked three videos for their outstanding military tributes to our troops on deployment.

This Christmas day we wish you the best of all worlds.  We hope for your safe and timely return home to your families.

Most of all we thank you for protecting us and all that our country stands for.  Without you and the sacrifices each and everyone of you makes on a daily basis, not only would we not be free,…we would not be here.

Thank you with all my heart and soul for everything you stand for.  We love you, respect you and thank you.

And lest anyone forgets…we need you!  Thank you and God bless!

 

 

 

 

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Soldier’s Silent Night

December 25, 2008

American Valor Military Tribute

American Valor Salutes Our Military


Soldier’s Silent Night

The original version was written by Lance Corporal James M. Schmidt in 1987 under the title "Merry Christmas, My Friend".

The audio recording of this adapted version which you will hear was recorded by Father Ted Berndt and his daughter Ellen Scout. Father Berndt was a priest at Bread of Life Charismatic Episcopal Church in Dousman, WI, a proud Marine and a WWII Purple Heart recipient.

The poem was recorded in one take. The recording received a national A.I.R. (Achievement in Radio) award from the March of Dimes and continues to be played in radio stations across the country.

Father Berndt passed away March 19th, 2004 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. According to his daughter, "All he ever wanted to do was touch lives… to make a difference. We are blessed to share ‘A Soldier’s Silent Night’ again with you this Christmas.
 

 

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Merry Christmas to Our Troops

December 24, 2008

American Valor Salutes Our Military

American Valor Salutes Our Military


Merry Christmas to Our Troops

I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you serving in the military now, or at any time in the past. Your sacrifices have made it possible for people like me to enjoy a long and prosperous life.

I served in the US Army from 1968 to 1977 during what was quietly referred to as the Second US Civil War.  Publicly, in the media, it was a war between the short-haired soldiers and the long-haired students, ‘Hippies".  Most, not all, of the young people organized in the protest groups were still in college and had never served their country.  Their college professors were teaching them to think for themselves and not swallow the drivel of the "Establishment".  They learned well.

They knew it was morally wrong to take a life and God knows the media splashed plenty ‘life-taking’ scenes across the magazines, and newspapers and televisions to cause the whole nation to cower in disgust. They were taught that American soldiers were messengers of death, instruments of war, mercenaries and worst of all…baby killers.  They never seemed to understand the connection between war and freedom.  The connection between military decisions and politics.  The connection between love of country and hatred of aggression.  The connection between love of freedom and hatred of oppression.  The connection between freedom and the price you must pay to maintain it.

Afghanistan.  Iraq. 9/11. Twin towers. Terrorism. Genocide. Dictatorship. Oppression.  Do you have a feel for any of it?

Laugh and ridicule the garbage man or the honey dipper for their smelly jobs but try to survive any length of time without them.

Presidential campaign 2008.  Do you remember any of the mudslinging that took place then.  Some was pretty nasty.  You may have even had a few words to spout yourself about people who didn’t agree with your viewpoint.  I know I sure did.  Do you know how many countries you could live in around the world where you would have been tortured and/or shot for those opinions. 
Where the opposition party would have been secretly eliminated, maybe while they slept?  The number is staggering.

The Eagle is stilly mourning the losses of 9/11.  But as ferocious and monumental as that attack was, it was a first for us.  The first time we were attacked at home.  People of other countries live with this on a recurring daily basis, and probably will until the end of time.

Do you remember the passage "…and there will be wars and rumors of wars…"

It is OK to hate death. It is OK to disagree with what is going on in Afghanistan and Irag. People want to show their ignorance and belittle what our troops are doing over their by tying it into the greed of the oil companies and big business.  For those of you who feel that way I feel sorry for you and your ill-informed ignorance.  If you don’t like what you see, then change it at the voting booth.  Don’t run your mouth blabbing obscenities and bull mush in front of a TV camera when some ratings seeking moron hold a microphone up to you and asks you "What do you think of the horrible atrocities in Iraq?"

Do you have any idea who really sees and hears that venom?  Our troops. If you are sitting in a bunker or a foxhole or behind an adobe wall with rounds flying over your head.  With mortars exploding all around you.  With your buddy lying beside you with part of his chest missing and gurgling as the blood works it’s way out of his throat and he stares into eternity. You are clasping your hand over your pocket where your small bible resides.  Where the picture of your loved ones is protected.  Where you are proud to be serving to protect and defend.  Then you hear a dispatch from some US politician seeking to gain popular votes by calling you a baby-killer.  Or you read the story of some young person screaming obscenities because "innocent" civilians were killed you a recent attack. 
Your life is on the line to protect these very people and they are trying to destroy you.  I’ll tell you how you feel.  Like crap. Disgusted. Wounded.  But most of all, betrayed and hurt, painfully and deeply.

People.  Wake up. Put down your Wii controllers for a moment.  Stop cursing because you were the last in a long line of shoppers to miss out on getting your own High Def 99" Liquid Plasma, flat screen TV with Blue Ray.  Wake up and smell the roses.

We have become fat and obnoxious.  We have become a lazy people.  Too lazy to see the truth.  Too self concentrated to see anything but "ME". and "NOW",

As the saying goes:

If you can read…thank a teacher.  If you can read in English…thank a soldier.

I can run and scream and cry and shout and curse and jump and complain and learn and disagree all because I am free.  I am free ONLY BECAUSE of the men and women serving so proudly and selflessly in the military.  The ones who put their lives on the line every moment of every day to pay for my freedom and your freedom and the freedom of our country.

Stop focusing on everyone’s differences. Get over it.  We are getting ready to enter a new time in our history in one of the most devastating financial times we have ever known.  And who did we, as an American public elect?  An American man!  Now he does just happen to be black, but he is an American.  He is not an African-American or a German-American or a Cuban-American. Praise be to God he is an American.  Maybe now we can put slavery and the civil war to rest.  I am sick and tired of all the Hispanic translation signs in the stores today.  Get over it.  You are in America.  Good grief people, I am part Cherokee,  where are my signs? Where are the signs for all the other foreign ingredients that contribute to our culture?  Get over it! 
We are not a "tossed salad", we are a "Melting Pot" of cultures.  Every culture of every person who comes to American adds to the richness of our heritage, it doesn’t give them the right to segregate it and hold it up and get special treatment.  And that is the glory of freedom.  I can call any left-winged liberal who wants to break America down into separate isolated segments a blooming idiot.  If you aren’t representing the people as a whole, get out of office.  You have no right to be in office and spearhead special interests.

OK folks.  Dad has had his say.  Keep checking back and you will see that I spout off every now and then.  But more important is the fact that I am free to do so. You don’t have to agree with me, nor I you.  You have the right to disagree with me, but you will never have the right to gag me.  That is the glory and the beauty of freedom.

Now put the self centeredness and the hatred and the politics and the hurt and the pain and the tears behind you.  Get down on bended knee and give thanks for our freedom and for the men and women who are willing to risk their lives for our freedom.  Let us remember those in the military and the separation they are enduing at this time of year.  Say a special prayer of thanks for them.  Take a moment out of your busy schedules and share some kindness with their families here at home.  Lend a helping hand.  Volunteer some time.  Share your gifts.  Share your love and gratitude.  Show your appreciation.

We are all Americans, through and through and proud of it!

Wow!  All I wanted to do was give a patriotic thank you to our troops away from home for the holidays!  I just wanted to pledge my eternal support and gratitude to them for their sacrifice.  If I have offended everyone in America, but gotten my message through, then it was all worth it.

Thank you!  Merry Christmas to all of you!  May God keep you and bless you abundantly in the year to come!

 

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Military Tribute to a Young Soldier

December 24, 2008

military tribute to a young soldier by susan campbell

Military Tribute to a Young Soldier

How do you mark a life cut short?

The following article was published in the Hartford Courant on December 14 and written by Staff writer Susan Campbell.

You can read her full story here If you enjoy her message, you can read her blog here If you really are moved by her story you can contact her here.

"For the Mariano family, led by Jean Mariano, you take the memory of her son Jason D. Lewis — age 30 when he and two other sailors were killed by a makeshift Baghdad bomb in the summer of 2007 — and you host a fishing derby in his name.

And then you donate the proceeds to other military families.

You stand proud at the national anthem, because Jason died doing what he wanted — fighting as a U.S. Navy Seal. You attend every ceremony where your son’s name is inscribed on a wall. You get to know other military families who’ve lost someone, and you talk about your membership in this club no one wants to join.

But your grief is private, too. On the first birthday after his death, you bake his favorite cake (pistachio) and head to the cemetery with some chairs, which you set up at his grave. Throughout the day, members of your big, unruly family come by, and you serve that cake. Yes, it’s odd, eating among the gravestones, but not so odd as a world without Jason.

You think of his three children — Jack, now 5; Max, 4; and Grace, 2 — and you create a memory book full of photos that confound his sons because they look so much like their father when he was a boy. And your throat catches at the photo of baby Grace reaching for her father’s face.

On the first Veterans Day after his death, you go with your son’s widow and your grandchildren to Disney World — where the family had planned to go before Jason died. You do that because the kids have been excited about this trip, and life must go on. You bring along as much family as you can. Though it’s surreal, you do the Magic Kingdom up right, because Jason — a happy baby, a laughing boy, a smiling man — would have done precisely that. And while the kids are exploring the rides, you watch a beautiful monarch butterfly float over a small patch of grass, and you think, "Jason’s here."

And this past summer, a year after his death — it feels wrong to call it an "anniversary" because "anniversary" sounds happy — you head back to the cemetery and do the whole meet-and-greet again, minus the cake. And on Monday of this past week, you drive to Hartford with friends and family from New Milford and Brookfield to lay a wreath at the Capitol as part of Wreaths Across America. And before you speak, you fluff the flags of the different military branches attached to the wreath because you want things to look just right.

And then you stand next to the governor — she’s from Brookfield, too — and you read a speech about service and sacrifice. And the governor, who spoke at Jason’s funeral, talks about feeling grateful for people like your son — and like Sgt. Joseph M. Nolan, a Waterbury native who died in Fallujah on Nov. 18, 2004. His father stands nearby, with family members.

When the unthinkable happened, Jean told herself that at least her son was doing what he wanted to do. How many people can say that? His grandmother Frances Mariano still talks about how blessed she was to have Jason and her other grandchildren grow up around her and gather around a table loaded with spaghetti and chicken.

And Jason’s aunt Janet Mariano has his laminated photo attached to her car, with a quote that starts: "We all sleep safe in our beds because there are rough men who stand ready in the night." She still sometimes cries if someone asks her about Jason, and she hates that she cries.

Oh, yes. You do that, too. On some days, you cry for that life cut short because that is all you can manage to do. You cry."
 

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Bruce Salisbury - Honor to the Heroes

December 21, 2008

Bruce Salisbury - Military Tribute

BRUCE SALISBURY - Brings Honor to Our Heroes

Bruce Lee Salisbury has a reputation for being stubborn. He first demonstrated that in 1945 at the age of 15 when he joined the service after his mother refused to allow him to play football in high school. He retired from the Air Force as a master sergeant in 1966.

Since he had not finished high school, Bruce started college studies at the San Juan Branch in Farmington, along with his wife Dorothy. They had three children in school; each had a job and a burning desire to finish their educations. Dottie and Bruce graduated in 1979. His degree was through the College of Arts and Sciences; hers, the College of Agriculture and Home Economics.

In 1998, a diagnosis of lung cancer forced him to stop working. During his extended rehab process, he began working on the project to memorialize friends and family members either killed or gone missing while fighting for America. His goal: designate a mountain peak as Mount KIA/MIA that could become a place where families and friends journey to remember lost loved ones.

When Bruce started his quest, he attempted to have one of 33 mountains (within Colorado) with the name Sheep Mountain, renamed, but met with resistance. So, he looked for a suitable peak that was without a designated name figuring there would be no real reason for refusal. He was right; there was no real reason for refusal, but plenty of resistance just the same. One of the biggest objections to overcome was presented by the Bureau of Land Management in July of 2005. They voiced concern about naming a feature with a U.S. Military commemorative subject matter, in the midst of many features commemoratively named after Native Americans. Andrew Cowell, a linguist who specializes in Native American languages, stated that the name "KIAMIA" could be construed and possibly misrepresented as a garbled Ute name.

Not one willing to accept ‘No’ for an answer, Bruce contacted Thomas Givon, Distinguished Professor (emeritus) of Linguistics and Cognitive Science, University of Oregon, who had worked for the Southern Ute Tribe for 10 years as the founding director of the Ute Language Program. That language is complex but it was Givon’s opinion that Kiya-miya-vat is a rather appropriate name for a mountain that would honor Ute, and all veterans.

A warrior, once departed, crosses to "the other side," a place often described as one where a person may walk about in peace, without care, happy; in other words, " a place where people walk about laughing." Final approval came first from the Bureau of Land Management in 2005 and the US Forest Service in 2006. Mt. KIA/MIA is an 11,282 ft summit in the Sawatch Range in north-central Saguache County, CO, close to Marshall Pass, from which one can see the mountain close-up.

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Kenneth Lee Worley MOH

December 20, 2008

military tribute for american valor kenneth lee worley

Military Tribute to Kenneth Lee Worley

This is an ongoing Military Tribute to Medal of Honor recipient Kenneth Lee Worley. It is spearheaded by a veteran who has become a good friend in the cause…Bruce Salisbury.
Bruce has been working non-stop night and day since I first met him earlier this year on the memory of Kenneth Lee Worley. If you are an artist, a sculptor or know someone who is, please have them contact Bruce at the email or telephone number below.

This is the next stage in the project. I hope one day to bring it all together and be able to tell you the COMPLETE story of our young hero Kenneth Lee Worley.

Dad offers a strong American Valor Military Tribute to Bruce Salisbury for his untiring efforts to bring well deserved attention to a young man who gave his all for our country that others may live.

Kenneth Lee Worley
Memorial Concept

A memorial Bronze to honor Lance Corporal Kenneth Lee Worley, USMC, CMOH.
 
I would like to see a bronze of Kenneth Lee Worley shown standing easy in his combat gear and alongside him a bronze of one of the Young Marines who are dedicated to Worley’s honor. The young man, age 8 or 9 to be looking up at and saluting his hero.
 
Conceptually, the Young Marine will represent Worley when he was young and dreaming of growing up. It will represent Worley harking back to his own childhood, as well as the son that Worley never met and young people all over America who look up to the ideal of heroism.
 
I don’t think Worley should be presented in Dress Uniform or wearing medals or devices other than his rifle and gear and the working tools of a Marine Corps Lance Corporal in Vietnam in 1968.
 
I would like to ask any artist who might like to attempt sketching their vision of this memorial concept to contact me and let me share what they see and feel. While I cannot offer to pay you for your effort, I will let people know who was the sketch artist in every case.
 
 
Contact me at:
 
Bruce L Salisbury
PO Box 744
Aztec,NM 87410
 
505.334.2398
 
bsalisbury@acrnet.com

"Military Tribute to Medal of Honor Recipient Kenneth Lee Worley"

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Daughters Military Tribute

December 15, 2008

I received this from my oldest daughter today along with the short message:

"Dad,

Sorry, but it’ll probably make you cry!

Love You!!!"

She was right.  It did.  I in turn am sending this on to all of you out there.  I know there are many millions of you who will find that either now or at some time in the past you have been where this little girl is.  I just pray that then or now, you are blessed with the same strength and wisdom and love this little girl has for her dad.

I ask only that after you read this, you would take a brief, quiet moment.  Wipe the tear from your eye, and ask God to watch over and keep all of our troops safe and well this Christmas season and return them home to us as soon as possible.  Thank you and Merry Christmas!  …Dad

Dad’s Poem

Her hair was up in a pony tail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy’s Day at school,
and she couldn’t wait to go.
 
But her mommy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home
Why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.
 
But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
of why he wasn’t there today.
 
But still her mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
she tried to keep her daughter home..
 
But the little girl went to school
eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
a dad who never calls.
 
 There were daddies along the wall in back,
for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
anxious in their seats
 
One by one the teacher called
a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
as seconds slowly passed.
 
At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
a man who wasn’t there.
 
‘Where’s her daddy at?’
She heard a boy call out.
‘She probably doesn’t have one,’
another student dared to shout.
 
And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say,
‘Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day.’
 
The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to go on.

And with hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
came words incredibly unique.
 
‘My Daddy couldn’t be here,
because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
since this is such a special day.
 
And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
and ho w much he loves me so.
 
He loved to tell me stories
he taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.
 
We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.
An d though you cannot see him.
I’m not standing here alone.
 
‘Cause my daddy’s always with me,
even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
he’ll forever be in my heart’

With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favorite dress.
 
And from somewhere there in the crowd of dads,
her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.
 
For she stood up for the love
of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
doing what was right.
 
And when she dropped her hand back down,
staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
but its message clear and loud.
 
‘I love my daddy very much,
he’s my shining star.
And if he could, he’d be here,
but heaven’s just too far.
 
You see he is a Marine
and died just this past year
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
and taught Americans to fear.
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it’s like he never went away.’
< /div>
And then she closed her eyes,
and saw him there that day.
 
And to her mother’s amazement,
she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.
 
Who knows what they saw before them,
who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
they saw him at her side.
 
‘I know you’re with me Daddy,’
to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.
 
Not one in that room could explain it,
for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.
 
And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
that heaven is never too far.
 
They say it takes a minute to find a special person,
an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them,
but then an entire life to forget them.
 

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Pearl Harbor Day

December 07, 2008

Pearl Harbor Day

Today is the 67th anniversary of the Japanese navy’s horrible bombing of our U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Many people still shudder when they recall the "attacks that struck too close to home".

What a horrific day, one that " will live in infamy"

Looking at a correlation with today…

…a really bad economy

…millions unemployed

…fear of further attacks at home

…secure employment in the military

Such an eerie part of our history and it still shrouds us in intrigue and dark remembrances. Make no mistake about it, the main similarity between then and now…

…men and women of all origins and beliefs enlisting in the US military to protect our country from enemies, both foreign and domestic.

American Valor lifts a half-mast flag today in remembrance of the horrible day when so many of our family members and friends lost their lives in service to our country.

May God keep and bless those that went before us and may He strengthen those of us who remain to carry on the fight.

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Military Tribute - Medal of Honor Survivors

December 05, 2008

Military Tribute to Medal of Honor Survivors

This military tribute to the surviving 99 Medal of Honor recipients was created by Claudia Montanna. Claudia tells us "In the true American spirit, I would lay my life down for the Love of a friend although I’ve been let down time and time again by those that I placed my trust in … "

Claudia tells us "the earliest living survivor is from WWII. All Medal of Honor recipients from campaigns after Vietnam, to date, were awarded posthumously.

It matters not what your political views are when it comes to the valor that these courageous persons so earned and deserve.

Music is by Hans Zimmer
1 - Theme from Pearl Harbor
2 - Leave No Man Behind

For full text citations visit: Medal of Honor

You may also want to check out the Congressional Medal of Honor Society

I come from a long line of proud Americans who have served our country since before the Revolutionary War. I pray I do them honor also in this humble presentation.

I was, in part, inspired to make this video presentation having seen a tribute to Ed Freeman, MoH Recipient, who died recently; and also, having heard that Robert Nett died October 19."

Dad salutes Claudia and thanks her for her moving tribute!  Medal of Honor Survivors by Claudia

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Pearl Harbor Military Tribute

December 05, 2008

Tribute to Pearl Harbor Survivors

The military has a saying, "salute the rank, not the man." But Ronnie Everitt and Newton Brooks, walking down a corridor of raised hands, haven’t worn rank in a long time.

Outside the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, Arnold High School’s Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps salute the men - two of Bay County’s few remaining veterans of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941.

Dec. 7, 2008, will mark 67 years since the attack and the United States’ entry into World War II. The sneak attack was the opening movement to four years of war; at the end of the three- hour battle almost 2,500 people had been killed and half that number wounded.

But as the era of the last true global conflict drifts further into the past, those who witnessed it must drift, too.

At one point, a Bay County lunch for Pearl Harbor survivors could draw nearly 30 people. With the Oct. 17 death of Burl Smith, the number is down to three.

"They’re coming on down," Everitt said. "But I plan to stay in there for the next 10 years so I can be 100. Once I get to 100 then I’ll be smiling and ready to go."

You can read the rest of the story here in the Panama City News Herald

 

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A Military Tribute to Veterans

December 04, 2008

A Military Tribute to Veterans

KFYR-TV, Bismarck, ND’s first television station provided this military tribute to their veterans.
You can read the full story at their site

It`s only fitting that the new bridge, which is in honor of veterans, was dedicated on Veterans Day.

Members of the military say the bridge inspired by Veterans of World War I, will create a place for all veterans and those currently enlisted to reflect on their service.

Ferdinand Luger, or "Red" to those who know him, served with the Army in World War II in 1942. He says he remembers well his time in combat in Africa and Italy and being at the bridge dedication brings back some of those memories.

"The Germans would stay in the monastery and fire at the infantry," Luger says.

The new bridge is inspired by veterans like "Red." On the west end of the bridge eleven spires symbolize the Armistice, which is the peace agreement reached at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month of 1918 to end World War I.

"People will be able to come and reflect and recognize that people fight for our freedom and put their lives on the line and North Dakotans do that so well," says Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, of the ND National Guard.

In addition to the spires, five overlooks on the south side of the bridge each represent and recognize the service branches of the United States Military… Army, Marine Corp., Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The old Memorial Bridge which opened in 1922 was also dedicated to Veterans of World War I. It was meant to be a symbol of something that would stand forever after a turbulent time in history. Red says it`s an honor for the bridge to be dedicated to him and the men who served beside him.

"It makes me feel good. It`s a beautiful bridge," Luger says. "I knew the old one for a long time."

And this bridge dedication will be another memory "Red" will hold on to for the rest of his life.

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Happy Holidays Light Shows

December 03, 2008

Happy Holidays Light Shows

To get you in the Christmas Spirit we provide these fantastic videos.  Enjoy in the spirit in which they were intended.

I love Christmas lights and the Christmas spirit!  Happy Holidays!

This entry is dedicated to all the men and women serving in the military at home and abroad.  Whether you are able to share the holidays at home with your loved ones or at a distance from overseas, Dad just wants you to know this:

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and a safe return home.  Thank you for all that you have sacrificed for us.  Thank You!

Amazing Grace in Lights

 

Trans Siberian Orchestra Light Show

 

If you have any holiday music or light show videos to share with us please send them to us at Dad@American-Valor.com.

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My Hero Military Tribute

December 02, 2008

My Hero

Kim Cameron My Hero military tribute

American Valor today spotlights another patriotic American known for supporting our military.  Today’s patriotic American spent the last decade working up the corporate ladder, but had that empty feeling, like something was seriously missing in life. 

A family tragedy in 2007 led to a total re-evaluation of life and personal goals.  The decision was made at that moment to break free from the corporate cage and pursue a lifelong passion for music. 

Our proud American recently experienced a moving encounter on a flight where she met a seasoned soldier returning from Iraq.  His commitment and honesty moved her deeply and reminded her that we can all make a difference, no matter how small we think it may be.  That brief encounter eventually inspired her to write a song. 

Released on Veteran’s Day, 2008,  her song “My Hero” is a moving tribute to our nation’s armed forces.  “Men and women who risk their lives deserve our respect and patronage.  I look at these individuals who are working for basically nothing as far as compensation goes - yet they are the most dedicated and mindful people I have met.  They possess a
spirit that I long to be a part of and that never seems to be broken.”

Our special lady is a strong supporter of the US troops.  She attended the recent USO event for Wounded Warriors and the US Navy ball in New York City where she donated her song “My Hero” to the naval officers in USB flash drives.

Today, Dad is proud to introduce you to the attractive and extremely talented lead singer/ songwriter for the popular Washington D.C. hit band SideFX.

She is the amazing Kim Cameron!  Thank you Kim for your support and contribution…for your fantastic military tribute in American Valor style to the men and women serving in the US military around the world. Thank you for all of them!

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Tribute To The Soldiers of India

November 30, 2008

Tribute To The Soldiers of India

Not all terrorism is directed at Americans.  American soldiers around the world understand the pain and suffering brought on by the terrorist slaughter in Mumbai, India this week.

November 26, 2008 will go down as one of the darkest days in the history of Mumbai and India. Life in the country’s financial capital remained paralysed as terrorists held the city under siege. In a heinous terror attack that the country has seen in recent times, Mumbai came under an unprecedented night attack. ( CNN IBN )

According to Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, 14 policemen and three NSG commandos were killed, including the following officers:
Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad Chief Hemant Karkare,
Additional Commissioner of Police: Ashok Kamte
Encounter specialist: Vijay Salaskar
Senior inspector Shashank Shinde
NSG Commando, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan
NSG Commando Hawaldar Chandar
NSG Commando Gajendra Singh

Aye mere watan ke logo (O! the people of my motherland! :English), was an Indian patriotic song written by Kavi Pradeep and composed by C. Ramchandra (Chitalkar). It was rendered by Lata Mangeshkar around the end of Sino-Indian War. It was famously performed live, by Lata Mangeshkar in the presence of Jawaharlal Nehru at the Ramlila grounds, in New Delhi on Republic Day, 26th January, 1963, and a copy of the soundtrack spool
was also gifted to Nehru on the occasion.

None of the artists and technicians involved with the song, including singers, musicians, music director, lyricist, recording studio, sound recordist, charged for the song, and later lyricist, Kavi Pradeep, pledged the royalty of the song to the ‘War Widows Fund’
 

 

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Military Tribute to You

November 30, 2008

A Military Tribute

 

I just cannot give enough thanks or praise to the men and women of the US military and all that they have done and continue to do for us…for our freedom…and for the freedom of the oppressed people of the world.

Military tribute somehow just doesn’t seem like enough.  How do we fully thank someone who is willing to risk their lives for us.  How can we say thanks to those who have already died to protect us.

All I can say is thank you.  Thank you with all of my heart and soul. Thank you!

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Veteran’s Day Tribute

November 11, 2008

Veterans Day Tribute

Today is a special day to pay tribute to all our veterans. We love them dearly. We respect them with all our might. We are ever grateful for the personal sacrifices they made for us. Please take a moment to say a prayer of thanks for all our veterans and enjoy the videos paying tribute to them.

Happy Veterans Day!

Amazing Grace Veterans Day Tribute



A montage honoring U.S. war veterans from World War 1 to present day. Pictures and clips together with “America the Beautiful,” performed by Lee Greenwood.



We forget that everyday, they are veterans, and too many of them are homeless.

A video trailer of a final piece that will be aired on November 11, 2008. Created by a middle school teacher to be used during an annual Veterans Day Program sponsored by the school each year

This is a commercial that has been airing on Veterans day. It is a very special commercial because they used actual veterans, including myself to do the run. A tight salute to Boeing for this one… Thank you Veterans…. God Bless you all American Valor salutes the veterans of America and offers up to them a full Military Tribute for all time!

Thank you and God Bless!

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Victor Laverne Miller Honored at last

November 09, 2008

Victor Laverne Miller Honored at last

Victor Miller - Military Tribute

When the World War II veteran died in 1985, his stories did, too.No more hearing about how he would stall his Curtiss Helldiver, slipping sideways to avoid the Japanese gunners. No more hearing about how the bombs he dropped blew up a ship and caused so much death.

No more seeing his face soften when he talked about flying in wispy clouds. Like kissing heaven, he’d say.

His grownup children held a simple memorial service. Victor Laverne Miller, 67, dive bomber pilot, Navy Cross recipient, piano player. He willed his body to the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

No remains to bury. No casket. Just a few prayers and hymns and memories.

But over the years, remembering the stories became harder and harder. Like millions of other families whose loved ones fought in one war or another, the Miller family had no documents, nothing on paper proving what he had done.

They didn’t even have a gravesite where they could go to remember him.

At their family gatherings, the question kept coming back: Dad was eligible to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, wasn’t he? Shouldn’t somebody check on it?

Burial now? Without a body? What about the tangle of paperwork? How would you gather all the documents? Where would you even begin?

It all seemed too hard, too intimidating, too time-consuming to try to dig out what they needed. With no military connections in the family, no one to help them through the labyrinth of military archives, it was easier to let go.

Until Jan Girando of Overland Park, the oldest of Miller’s five children, saw a newspaper article on how the national cemetery at Arlington, Va., was filling up. If they were going to get their father the recognition he deserved, now was the time.

Her three sisters and one brother tried. A sister was told it was probably too late. No ashes, no body, no burial. Forget it.

But Girando couldn’t forget. She couldn’t explain why, but she knew gaining this honor for her father would mean a lot to her family, now scattered across the country.

He and their mother had divorced. She died years before he did. And because she also had donated her body to a medical school, the family had no gravesite, no touchstone, no link tying everyone together except fading memories.

Like other service members whose stories have been forgotten, whose honors have been overlooked, he deserved recognition.

She vowed she wouldn’t give up until she had exhausted every possibility. But she had no idea it would take nearly a year from start to finish.

Read the rest of the Victor Miller story in the Kansas City Star here

 

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The American Flag

October 27, 2008

American flag

American Flag   

Robin Williams as the American Flag

This dates back a few years…nearly an antique.  I was old enough to know better and young enough not to care about too much serious.

Robin Williams does this short take as the American Flag.  A little humor is always good for the soul, especially clean humor.  Not enough of that any more.

My hat is off to Robin Williams while he makes us laugh.  While he portrays the American Flag he fills us with a deeper message of patriotism and honor.

Enjoy the American flag!

 

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Veterans Day

October 26, 2008

veterans

Remember Veterans Day

With Veterans Day approaching, Dad wanted to share a site with you that, like American Valor, promotes respect and thanks for our veterans.

 VetFriends.com — the largest Web site for reuniting veterans — has created an online Veterans Day Forum reaching out to U.S. veterans and anyone else interested in contributing their thoughts and insights in regards to our U.S. military personnel and Veterans Day. Personal stories, sentiments and words of thanks can be found online in a Veterans Day collection throughout October and November
at www.vetfriends.com/veteransday. VetFriends.com invites members of the media to visit the forum and utilize the quotes in their Veterans Day news stories.

In addition to the forum, VetFriends.com has posted a U.S. veteran and military tribute video thanking and honoring the many brave men and women who have and are currently serving the nation. The theme of the video: What do U.S. veterans and military mean to VetFriends.com, and moreover to America.

What does Veterans Day mean to you? They welcome you to add your thoughts and comments about Veterans Day, about people who serve or have served in the U.S. Military. Many of these additions will be shared on VetFriends.com and with television stations and newspapers.

Other features available on www.VetFriends.com include: search over 893,000 members to make contact with old friends; information on how to obtain military records and medals; message boards; upload past and present photos; military jokes; search and post reunions; military products and discounts; along with a variety of other features and services.

Founded in 2000 by Marine Corps veteran of Desert Storm, Dale F. Sutcliffe, thousands of people have been reconnected through VetFriends.com, spanning from World War II through to Operation Desert Storm and the present.

For further information and/or interview opportunities please contact Maynard Anderson at (843) 856-2867 or via e-mail at: publicrelations @ vetfriends.com.

 

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Distinguished Service Cross - Christopher Waiters

October 24, 2008

Bullets, bomb no match for bravery

Christopher Waiters Decorated with Distinguished Service Cross

This article was written by BRAD WONG.  Brad is an author writing for the Seattle PI.
american valor - military tribute
When Army Spec. Christopher Waiters popped out of his Stryker vehicle last year in an Iraqi marketplace, he started shooting at insurgents as gunfire crackled around him.With snipers on buildings and bullets whistling by him, the Lacey resident grabbed his medical gear and ran about 100 meters toward a burning armored personnel carrier.

A bomb — part of an al-Qaida ambush — had blown a hole in the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, engulfing it in flames. Plumes of smoke filled that intersection in Baqubah. Waiters, a medic, managed to pull two soldiers out of the vehicle — and helped recover the remains of a dead comrade inside.

For his bravery April 5, 2007, the former member of Fort Lewis’ Third Stryker Brigade Combat Team received the Distinguished Service Cross on Thursday during a ceremony at the military base south of Tacoma.

Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army’s vice chief of staff, thanked the 26-year-old for his courage and service. “Never forget that you are the strength of the nation,” Chiarelli told Waiters, now a staff sergeant, and soldiers in the audience.

Before pinning the Army’s second highest award for heroism on Waiters’ chest, Chiarelli looked at him, raised his arm and saluted. Later, Waiters’ father hugged him. And fellow soldiers erupted in applause.

Waiters had just finished his shift around 9 a.m. on that April day when he heard an explosion and received a radio dispatch.

“Voodoo, let’s go,” Capt. Tim Price said, using Waiters’ military call sign. Price was the commander on scene during the battle.

Waiters raced in his Stryker vehicle to the intersection. Against the wishes of the vehicle’s commander, he hopped out. He knew that U.S. soldiers were hurt and that they needed him.

“They wear the American flag just like me,” Waiters said Thursday in recounting the battle.

Al-Qaida operatives had set an ambush for U.S. forces. Knowing that Americans would respond to a burning vehicle, gunmen waited for American soldiers to arrive.

On one nearby building, Waiters spotted two men spraying bullets from machine guns. From another building, three others fired weapons at the Americans and people in the street.

Civilians in the marketplace scattered. The rattle of a heavy machine gun manned by a fellow U.S. soldier also filled the air. U.S. sniper teams made their way to the fight.

Waiters just focused on reaching the burning Bradley. As he ran through the gunfire, common sense began to hit him.

“I’m already in hell. I might as well keep going,” he said he thought as he ran to the burning wreckage.

“When you’re scared, you can do a lot of amazing things. I figured, ‘Keep moving’ and I won’t get hit.”

When he reached the Bradley, he jumped on top of it. But the flames were too high and the heat was so intense that he jumped off. He raced to the back door.

He squeezed through the door and began feeling his way around. He spotted a soldier’s legs and boots and went to grab them.

But the smoke filled the compartment, forcing Waiters to leave for a moment to catch his breath.

At one point, about 15 rounds of 25 mm ammunition from the Bradley started exploding.

In the end, he ran a few times to the Bradley and pulled out two soldiers and called for helicopters to evacuate them. To this day, he still does not know their names.

He also brought a body bag for his dead comrade in the Bradley, Sgt. Jason A. Shaffer, 28, from Pennsylvania.

Waiters’ boots melted, and flames singed his uniform. But he wasn’t hurt.

Sgt. Jeffrey Anello, another medic, arrived to help remove Shaffer’s body. “Any hesitation on his part could have cost those two other soldiers their lives,” Anello said.

Waiters’ Distinguished Service Cross is the 17th given since the 9/11 attacks, Army officials said.

Read the rest of Brad Wong’s story at the Seattle PI

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Operation Uplink

October 23, 2008

Operation Uplink

Help a Hero Call Home This Holiday Season

Sport Clips Across the Country Partner with VFW’s Operation Uplink To Sponsor Service Men and Women’s Holiday Phone Calls

This from the Wall Street Journal Market Watch News page:

Beginning October 19, Sport Clips locations across the country will once again offer clients the opportunity to help soldiers call home this holiday season. Last year’s efforts raised $90,000, enough for 800,000 minutes of talk time December 25 for members of our nation’s military. This year’s effort will culminate with what the company is calling "The Biggest Haircut Day of the Year," a National Cut-a-Thon on Veterans’ Day, Tuesday, November 11, when $1 from every haircut service will be donated to Operation Uplink.

Operation Uplink is a Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) program that keeps military personnel and hospitalized veterans in touch with their families and loved ones.

"Our goal this year is to raise $100,000 throughout the Sport Clips system. We’ve set our sights high in order to increase the time our military men and women will be able to talk with those they’re missing back home during the Holidays and the rest of their time overseas. From my overseas tours in the Air Force, I know how important it is to hear the voices of loved ones when you are away from home for months at a time," says Gordon Logan, a Lifetime Member of the VFW and the Sport Clips Founder and CEO. "Last year, our Team Members and Clients across the country raised enough money to purchase VFW Operation Uplink phone cards and internet talk time to connect military families for 800,000 minutes. We are proud that Sport Clips and our Clients were able to make this statement of support and appreciation of our military heroes and their families."

For more information about Sport Clips and how to make a donation to Operation Uplink, visit SportClips.com.

About Sport Clips

Sport Clips was established in 1995 by Gordon Logan, Founder and CEO. Sport Clips is associate sponsor of the #7 GEICO NASCAR Nationwide Series car driven by Mike Wallace; the "Official Haircutter" of several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Hockey League (NHL). It is the "Official Haircutter" of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and offers preferential pricing to veterans. For more information about Sport Clips, including its almost 600 locations throughout the United States, visit SportClips.com.

 

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Military Tribute - Bridge of Honor

October 22, 2008

Bridge of honor

MEMORIAL BRIDGE PAYS TRIBUTE TO DECEASED

The Observer, in Dunkirk, New York offered this military tribute article today:

Despite the bitter cold, many people joined members from the Gowanda VFW and officials from various ranks of government at a bridge dedication ceremony in Gowanda.

The bridge was named "Gowanda Veterans Memorial Bridge" and a large sign proudly depicts this title.

Gowanda Village Trustee Dale DeCarlo introduced State Senator Cathy Young and explained that she helped to make the dedication possible.

"She sponsored us in the Senate and I’d like to thank her for that," he said.

Sen. Young took time to stop and shake hands with all those gathered for the occasion.

"I was very proud to sponsor this legislation in the New York State Senate because I’m very proud of my district and I’m especially proud of my people," she said. "What we’re doing today is just a small token of our appreciation."

She went on to thank veterans and their families for the personal sacrifices they’ve made.

"You’ve always served with honor and we can’t thank you enough."
 

Read the rest of the military tribute Bridge of honor here
 

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Military Tribute - Stephen Fortunato

October 18, 2008

Why I Serve - Stephen Fortunato

It is with deep sadness and tremendous respect that American Valor relays the following blog entry written on Aug. 30, 2008, by Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato, who was killed Tuesday in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was riding in was blown up by an improvised explosive device. This entry was forwarded to the Boston Globe by his mother, Elizabeth "Betty" Crawford and shared with us by MilBlogging.com.

If I may …
I’d like to say something….Just to get it out there so it is clear.
To all the pampered and protected Americans who feel it is their duty to inform me that I am not fighting for their freedom, and that I am a pawn in Bush’s agenda of greed and oil acquisition: Noted, and [expletive deleted] You.

I am not a robot. I am not blind or ignorant to the state of the world or the implications of the "war on terrorism." I know that our leaders have made mistakes in the handling of a very sensitive situation, but do not for one second think that you can make me lose faith in what we, meaning America’s sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers in uniform are doing.
I am doing my part in fighting a very real enemy of the United States, i.e. Taliban, Al Qaeda, and various other radical sects of Islam that have declared war on our way of life. Unless you believe the events of 9/11 were the result of a government conspiracy, which by the way would make you a MORON, there is no reasonable argument you can make against there being a true and dangerous threat that needs to be dealt with. I don’t care if there are corporations leaching off the war effort to make money, and I don’t care if you don’t think our freedom within America’s borders is actually at stake. I just want to kill those who would harm my family and friends. it is that simple. Even if this is just a war for profit or to assert America’s power, so what? Someone has to be on top and I want it to be us. There’s nothing wrong with wishing prosperity for your side.

I am a proud American. I believe that my country allows me to live my life more or less however I want to, and believe me, I have seen what the alternative of that looks like. I also believe that our big scary government does way more than it has to help complete [expletive deleted]-ups get back on their feet, a stark comparison to places where leaders just line their own pockets with gold while allowing the people who gave them their power and privilege to starve. I have chosen my corner. I back my country, and am proud to defend it against aggressors. Also, if you dare accuse us of being inhumane, or overly aggressive because we have rolled into someone else’s country and blown some [expletive deleted] up and shot some people, let me remind you of just how inhumane we COULD be in defending ourselves. Let me remind you that we have a warhead that drops multiple bomblets from the stratosphere which upon impact, would turn all the sand in Iraq to glass, and reduce every living thing there to dust. Do we use it? No. Instead we use the most humane weapon ever devised: the American soldier. We send our bravest (and perhaps admittedly craziest) men and women into enemy territory, into harms way, to root out those whom we are after and do our best to leave innocent lives unscathed.

…One last thing…a proposal. I know it has been stated time and time again but I just think it is worthy of reiteration. If you find yourself completely disgusted with the way America is being ran, and how we handle things on the global stage, you can leave. Isn’t that amazing? No one will stop you! If you are an anarchist, there are places you can go where there is no government to tell you anything. That’s right…you are left solely to your own devices and you can handle the men who show up at your door with AKs in any way that you see fit. Just don’t try good old American debate tactics on them because you will most likely end up bound and blind-folded, to have your head chopped off on the internet so your parents can see it. However if you insist on staying here and taking advantage of privileges such as free speech and WIC, keep the counter-productive [expletive deleted] to a minimum while the grown ups figure out how to handle this god-awful mess in the middle east.
 


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Military Support

October 18, 2008

Morris community leaders, Army sign covenant

Pact honors special bond, pledges to back soldiers, their families

American Valor is proud to offer this story that appeared today in the Daily Record in New Jersey. Our nation is coming together to show their gratitude for the self sacrifice so many have made in defense of our freedom.

Morris County community leaders recently joined military representatives from Picatinny Arsenal and the New Jersey National Guard to pledge their support to uniformed personnel and their families by signing the Army Community Covenant.

The covenant recognizes the special bond that exists between area military, their families and the community surrounding Picatinny.

The signing preceded a performance of the U.S. Army Soldier Show before a nearly packed auditorium at Morris Knolls High School in Denville on Oct. 10.

Following brief remarks made by U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-Harding, Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army Robert J. Maguire and Picatinny Arsenal commanding general Brig. Gen. William N. Phillips, each of the participants walked to a podium and signed the covenant, which was affixed to poster board.

Maguire thanked community leaders for their support of service members and their families during military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We are an Army that is stretched too thin," he said, describing the strain that a two-front conflict has put on deployed military and their loved ones back home.

Maguire noted that the Army is engaged in the third-longest war in American history and the longest war ever fought with an all-volunteer force.

More than a million men and women have been deployed into combat, 4,700 have sacrificed their lives and 11,000 have been decorated for valor, including two Medals of Honor, 14 distinguished service crosses and more than 500 silver stars, he said.

"That our soldiers and families so willingly sacrifice to preserve our way of life and to secure a better future for others says much about Army strength. A strength that comes from our values, from our warrior ethos and from our people," Maguire said. "This strength is making a difference in the nation’s fight against global terror, and it is what gives me great confidence that we will prevail in the current fight."

Read the rest of the story here in the Daily Record

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American Valor - PBS DVD

October 17, 2008

American Valor - PBS DVD

 

American Valor, produced by PBS, is a very patriotic program that looks at several American military heroes who have earned the Congressional Medal of Honor (through 2004) — the highest level of recognition in the country. The stories of servicemen from the Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy are told though archival news footage and photographs, interviews with medal recipients, and the testimonials of fellow soldiers who were witness to their heroism. Among the featured honorees are the first African-American and Asian-American soldiers to earn the medal — World War II veterans Vernon Baker and George Sakato. Also highlighted are the last two of the 3,440 awards to date (2004)– Gary Gordon and Randall Shughart, Delta Force members from the 1993 operation in Mogadishu, Somalia, who were posthumously awarded the medal. ~ Sarah Block, All Movie Guide All Movie GuideFrom Bull Run to Mogadishu, American Valor takes a moving and compelling look at America’s military heroes: those brave soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen whose actions have earned them the country’s highest military recognition, the Medal of Honor.
Stories of the Medal of Honor’s recipients unfold through newsreel footage, photographs, military art, and interviews with recipients and the comrades who witnessed their heroic acts. American Valor examines how the medal is more than a decoration for bravery; it is a way of helping understand who we are as a people, what we have experienced and what values we cherish.

 

Check out the full description of American Valor DVD - a military tribute to our Medal of Honor recipients.

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CHRISTIAN SOLDIER

October 17, 2008

CHRISTIAN SOLDIER

George Powers is helping lead souls to freedom as co-director for the Southeast Kansas House of Prayer, PittsburgOnce a soldier, always a soldier. You never stop fighting for what’s right. Such is the case with George Powers as told in the Pittsburgh, Kansas Morning Sun by staff writer Nikki Patrick.

George Powers has been a fighter against tyranny all his life.

 

First he fought against communist tyranny as a Ranger, a Green Beret and master parachutist, serving three combat tours of duty in Vietnam.

Now he’s fighting spiritual tyranny, helping lead souls to freedom as co-director for the Southeast Kansas House of Prayer, Pittsburg.  His new book, “The Making of a Soldier,” traces his battles, military and spiritual. Powers will sign copies of the book from 4 to 7:30 p.m. today and 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the recently dedicated Kansas National Guard Armory on South Rouse.

“I so much appreciate the Kansas National Guard agreeing to be my host for this book signing,” Powers said. “I want to do anything I can to make the public aware of the sacrifice our military is making, not only those who are serving but their families as well.”

A native of Wyoming, Powers wrote that “the heritage of a soldier that was to become mine literally grew out of the ground I lived on as a small child.” His great-grandfather’s ranch included three sites involved in the U.S. military’s battle against various Native American tribes, including Fort Phil Kearny.
He entered Montana State College at Bozeman, from which he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and Distinguished Military Graduate.

He served 12 1/2 years as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army, including 30 months in Vietnam, earning numerous honors including the Bronze Star with Valor third award, Air Medal with Valor third award, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Badge, Army Commendation Medal and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Silver and Bronze Stars.  Memories of those years are often with him, and he frequently visits the Vietnam Wall at the Pittsburg State University Veterans Memorial. “I have friends on that wall,” Powers said.

He later attended seminary, graduated and returned to active duty as a U.S. Army chaplain with the 82D Airborne Division, Special Operations Command, Joint Special Operations Command and 1ST Infantry Division.  He continued in ministry after leaving the military, and in 1987 answered a call to pastor the South Broadway Baptist Church, Pittsburg. Powers later was instrumental in organizing Christ’s Community Church, and in developing the Southeast Kansas House of Prayer.

Based in Pittsburg, it has a mandate covering 10 area counties and is affiliated with the Kansas City International House of Prayer, Topeka House of Prayer, Crossroads International House of Prayer in Joplin and Bethel House of Prayer in Platt City, Mo.

Powers has never confined his ministry inside church walls. For 12 years, he served as PSU athletic chaplain, and he continues as an on-call chaplain with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department. “I cherish the relationship with Sandy Horton and his staff,” Powers said.

For the past three years he’s also been a substitute teacher in Pittsburg schools, and enjoys working with the youngsters.  Powers is the father of five children, and stepfather of three born to his wife, Sue, and her previous husband, Doug Head. Four of his five sons have also gone into the military — Maj. Tim Powers, Maj. Tom Powers, Senior Airman Jason Head and Pfc. Paxton Powers. “Only an injury in high school kept my son, Travis Powers, out of the military lineup,” Powers said.

Various friends had urged him to write a book about his life.   “I never thought I’d do anything like that,” he said.  But he did, and response has been good for the book, which costs $15. Powers is a member of the Military Writers Society of America, and it recently posted an online review of “The Making of a Soldier” by Jim Stewart.

“George Powers has written a fine book about his journey through life,” Stewart wrote. “…His description of his tour of duty in Vietnam is detailed and hard-hitting. This is the spiritual growth of a committed leader and soldier.”  The reviewer ended by highly recommending the book, which he called an uplifting and educational journey from personal bondage to salvation.

Powers now refers to himself as a “made-over” soldier who battles with prayer and praise rather than guns and bullets.  “There is no higher calling than to surrender to the invitation to become a private in God’s Army,” Powers said.

Thank you Nikki for covering this so well. Another good story about a good soldier!
 

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Amazing Military Tribute

October 15, 2008

Amazing Military Tribute

This is an amazing Military Tribute to the men and women soldiers serving in Iraq. The video starts with a firefight in Iraq and goes on to show soldiers, airmen, and others serving, and having fun doing it, all around the world. Turn off the music and listen up!



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Tribute Honors Fallen Soldier

October 12, 2008

Tribute honors fallen soldier


This fine article comes to us from Pete Wicklund with the Journal TimesMary Jacobs remembers well the day her mother received word that Mary’s brother — Maj. John L. “Jack” Jerstad — was shot down and reported as missing in action in Europe in World War II.

A girl had come to the family home in Racine to deliver a telegraph. After Jacobs’ mother, Alice, read the telegraph, she grabbed at her heart.

Jacobs, then 21 and watching from a distance, at first could not understand why her mother would show such shock. She thought it was just Jack wishing his parents a happy wedding anniversary.

“If I had only realized they weren’t sending those types of telegrams back then,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs, now 86, was in Racine on Saturday with her four children to view the new historical display that pays tribute to Jerstad and Marine Pfc. Harold C. Agerholm at the Racine Veterans Center. Jerstad, 25, a bomber in the Army Air Corps, and Agerholm, 19, who was killed is Saipan in the Pacific Theater of World War II, were both awarded the Medal of Honor for their fateful acts of heroism in the war. Jerstad-Agerholm Elementary and Middle Schools on LaSalle Street are also named for two.

Jacobs brought with her some mementos of her brother’s life to share with the volunteers who are assembling military displays for The Legacy Museum and Veterans Center, a planned expansion at the current veterans center at 820 Main St.

The current display on Jerstad and Agerholm, and another for perished space shuttle astronaut and Horlick High graduate Capt. Laurel Salton Clark, are the first displays for the future Legacy Museum.

Among the cherished items Jacobs brought to share was the encased flag that draped Jerstad’s casket when he was buried at Ardennes Cemetery in Belgium and a bust that Jacobs made of her brother in sculpting class.

Jacobs said she burst into tears when she thought that her sculpting her brother’s likeness might have been a jinx that resulted in his going missing. Her teacher, renowned Danish sculptor Christian Petersen, assured her nothing could be further from the truth. The bust does closely resemble portraits of Jerstad.

What might have tipped fate, some wonder, is that Jerstad was shot down flying a plane nicknamed “Hell’s Wench.” That came after numerous safe missions in a plane nicknamed for Jerstad — “Jerk’s Natural.” Natural referred to the numbers in the plane’s serial number adding up to seven and 11, a natural in a dice game. In fact, a pair of dice were painted on that plane.

It took seven years before the Army called Jacobs’ parents, Art and Alice Jerstad, to let them know remains had been found. The long period of time and countless tributes to Jack Jerstad prolonged the grieving process for the family. Among the tributes was the ceremony at Racine’s Holy Communion Church where the family received Jerstad’s Medal of Honor.

 

Read the rest of the story here…
 

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Presidential Race

October 09, 2008


Presidential Race

The following article was written by RenewAmerica author Felicia Benamon.  I believe Felicia has captured the very essence of what the average American voter is faced with and thinking as they approach election day.  Thank you Felicia for a job well done and for being brave enough to speak the truth.

I’ve had some time to relax and reflect on the direction of our country and what steps we should take to ensure its prosperity.

In viewing the election, I’ve come to the conclusion that John McCain is the best choice. Earlier in the election season, I was indeed adamantly against voting for McCain and instead, touted third party candidates. Those who have decided on voting for a third party candidate…let’s face it, they will not get the proper coverage necessary for the American public to see their views and plans for this country. The media has concentrated on the two party candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama. The race is now solidly between the two.

I am not negating the importance of third party candidates (candidates who usually have a differing view than the two party system), but if they are going to be serious challengers to the two party system, they must become more organized than they are currently. There is a lot of confusion, and voters considering third party candidates are split between the Constitution party, the Libertarian party, and America’s Independent Party. Third party candidates’ agenda would be better served if they could meet somewhere in the middle, come together under one political party banner.

However strong I may be against John McCain’s globalist leanings, he has bravely served his country. For his valiant effort to remain strong during torturous years in Vietnam and for his service, I am grateful and respect him. I am inclined to support a person of valor who knows the importance of supporting our troops’ mission in battle and who I KNOW will be an advocate for our troops.

His partner, Vice Presidential pick Sarah Palin is a brig