President Barack Obama, flanked by members of Troop A, First Squadron, 11th Armored Combat Regiment, speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, during a ceremony honoring their service with the Presidential Unit Citation for their actions during the Vietnam War. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

From the NYTimes at the beginning of this month:

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — On the day Ray R. Moreno came home from Vietnam, the day antiwar protestors called him a baby killer, he decided to pack away his Army uniform for good. Memories and nightmares still intruded, but he rarely discussed them. Battle buddies were forgotten.

Until, that is, he started attending reunions of his troop a few years ago. Suddenly, a door reopened. “They were there; they understand,” Mr. Moreno, 58, said. “If we want to cry, we do. If we don’t, we don’t.”

For many members of his unit, Alpha Troop of the 11th Armored Cavalry, the annual reunions for veterans of Vietnam and Cambodia have become a form of therapy: a chance to reconnect, salve wounds and share bonds forged in an unpopular war.

But this year’s reunion was special for another reason.

At a hotel ballroom in September here, Alpha Troop unveiled a Presidential Unit Citation, the highest military honor for a unit, it received this year from the Army for “extraordinary heroism” in rescuing more than 70 soldiers from a larger North Vietnamese force on March 26, 1970. In the coming weeks, the veterans hope, President Obama himself will formally bestow the citation at a White House ceremony.

Today, President Obama honored the veterans of Troop A, 1st Squadron of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment….

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Very very sad:

WHERE are the Americans?” Talk to Iraqis in Baghdad these days, and you’ll likely hear the question.

Of course, everyone knows where the Americans are physically. The 130,000 US troops cantoned in a diminishing number of barracks outside the cities make their presence felt on occasion. The thousands of civilian Americans who are helping build a new Iraq are also easy to spot.

The question refers to the United States’ fast-fading political profile.

Those who deem Iraq as the biggest US foreign-policy success in decades are baffled by Washington’s determined efforts to deny that reality — indeed, whenever possible, to try to undermine it.

Having labeled Iraq the “bad war” as opposed to the “good war” in Afghanistan, the Obama administration has tried to minimize its commitment to the newly liberated nation. President Obama has appointed special envoys on the Middle East, Iran and the Afghanistan-Pakistan tandem, but refuses to name a senior coordinator for Iraq policy. The Iraqis feel that the administration is treating them as a stepchild — perhaps tolerated, but never loved.

That perception affects political calculations across the board. With the US air-blowing itself out of the picture, Iran and a bloc of conservative Arab states are positioning themselves for a duel focused on next January’s general election. Read the rest of this entry »

58 year old disabled Vietnam vet, Frank Larison, is under fire from the Dallas Home Owner’s Association. The president of the HOA sent him a letter asking him to remove 7 Marine Corps decals from his vehicle, stating that advertisement is not allowed. The reporter, James Rose, points out that if this is the case, just about every car in the neighborhood is in violation as the news camera captures examples of other cars making a multitude of statements, including an Obama ‘08 bumpersticker. Yet it’s the patriotic Marine decals that have drawn fire from the HOA.

Yup…supporting the Armed Forces and expressing patriotism is a “no-no” advertisement that violates HOA rules…but sporting a political Obama ‘08 bumpersticker gets the free pass.

Here’s my 2009 Memorial Day video:

Most of the photos come from DoD, and are focused on the current conflicts. The editing is a bit uneven, as I haphazardly imported pictures without a lot of discrimination; but ultimately, what I decided I wanted to convey is the sense of sacrifice of not just the soldiers, but of the military families they leave behind who dare to support them and their mission. I wanted to juxtaposition those photos of them reunited/leaving their families with photos of what their service and sacrifice away from home have gained back in return: Purple fingers….admiration and friendships with Iraqis and Iraqi children….. There’s a poignancy there, because these mothers and fathers should be back home with their own families, who need them in their lives; their children deserve to have their parent holding them- not be half a world away, holding someone else’s child in place of them. And yet, what the soldier does by leaving his family behind, he does on behalf of them…and us.

It is the American soldier who is the best ambassador to other nations; who exemplifies nobility and compassion and who exports our values and traditions. It is the American soldier who represents the best and brightest our country has to offer.

When those Iraqi children in the photos grow up, I hope they remember the kindness and friendship of U.S. soldiers.

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3 years ago, I made a Veterans Day post transcribing a letter Michael Medved read on his radio program, The Three Big Lies About Vietnam. Here is that segment of the show; it requires 3-and-a-half minutes of your time, and I’ll be very much surprised if they are 3 minutes you’ll want back, after listening.

My thanks to Old Trooper for these first four poignant photos… and I’d like to share not only those he sent, but also other photos and links to those dedicated to honoring our fallen warriors. This should never be confined to one day or weekend, conveniently fitting in between family BBQs, grill outs or picnics and a four day work week.

*Every* day is “memorial” day to me…

Please feel free to share – add more links to websites and causes dedicated to our fallen in the comments below.

As for me? To those that have paid the ultimate price, and to their families left behind, I can never repay you for your bravery, strength and dedication to securing my freedoms. I can only offer my eternal thanks, and respect…

And, as “Private Ryan” noted at the end of the epic film… I hope I am worthy.

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The following is a reprint from a 2006 post:

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Liberal Democrats are ultra-sensitive these days of having their patriotism questioned. Of being called anti-American. Honestly? Some of them deserve such a scarlet letter branded to them. But most, I would never accuse them of such things, simply because they disagree with me on American foreign policy and other related issues.

I do not believe Senator Obama is unpatriotic. But I do believe he is untested. I too, am untested. But I’m not running for president. Someone who is running for president, who has decades more life experience than Senator Obama, and who has been tested, is Senator John McCain.
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….John McCain was shot down over Hanoi.

Curt posted his POW interview, a few days ago.

The following is reprinted from a post I did during the 35th anniversary of his release; but I don’t think I posted it here at Flopping Aces, at the time (primary season, and I was already ruffling feathers with recent posts defending McCain, even though I don’t consider myself a fan of his; he was neither my first or second choice, or even third choice).
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Please contact the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. We can prevent another generation of veterans from being treated like Vietnam Veterans were. We can take action now and prevent our current hero’s from being falsely accused of crimes. Also visit Denis Keohane’s blog Obiter Dictum and see what else he has been doing about the upcoming Winter Soldier Investigation.

The membership of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee can be found here.

The addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of members of the United States Senate can be found here.

Please feel free to use the following letter, copy pasted or in any form whatsoever or modified at your sole discretion, to contact members of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on this matter. Read the rest of this entry »

Everything we have in this country, we owe to the brave men and women who have lived- and who have sometimes died- wearing the proud uniform of the U.S. military. Our prosperity is made possible, because they stand in the way of those who would do us harm.

Take nothing we have for granted.

I’d like to share with Curt’s readers, a letter written in the tradition of a soldier in wartime, writing to his sweetheart back home. It comes courtesy of Michael Medved. Mr. Medved did not source the letter; and Google has come up empty. So I transcribed it myself, from his radio broadcast. I get choked up everytime I listen to it; the same way my eyes can sometimes water when I look at the American flag for too long.

Dear Angela,

This is by far the most difficult letter I shall ever write; what makes it so difficult is that you’ll be reading it in the unhappy event of my death. You’ve already learned of my death. I hope the news was broken to you gently. God, Angie, I didn’t want to die. I had so much to live for; you were my main reason for living. You’re a jewel; a treasure. Please don’t hate the war because it has taken me. I’m glad and proud that America has found me equal to the task of defending it. Vietnam isn’t a far off country in a remote corner of the world. It is Sagamore, Brooklyn, Honolulu, or any other part of the world where there are Americans. Vietnam is a test of the American spirit. I hope I have helped in a little way to pass the test. The press, the television screen, the magazines are filled with the images of young men burning their draft cards to demonstrate their courage. Their rejection is of the ancient law that a male fights to protect his own people in his own land. Does it take courage to flaunt the authorities and burn a draft card? Ask the men at Dak To, Con Thien, or Hill 875: they’ll tell you how much courage it takes.

Most people never think of their freedom; they never think much about breathing either, or blood circulating, except when these functions are checked by a doctor. Freedom like breathing and circulating blood is part of our being. Why must people take their freedom for granted? Why can’t they support the men, who are trying to protect their lifeblood- Freedom?

WE MUST DO the job that God set down for us. It’s up to every American to fight for the freedom we hold so dear. We must instruct the young in the ways of these great United States; we mustn’t let them take these freedoms for granted.

I want you to go on to live a full, rich, productive life, Angie. I want you to share your love with someone. You may meet another man and bring up a family. Please bring up your children to be proud Americans. Don’t worry about me, Honey; God must have a special place for soldiers. I’ve died as I’ve always hoped, protecting what I do hold so dear to my heart.

We will meet again in the future. We will. I’ll be waiting for you that day. I’ll be watching over you Angie; and if it’s possible to help you in some way, I will. Feel some relief with the knowledge that you’ve filled my short life with more happiness than most men know in a lifetime.

The inevitable? Well, the last one: I love you with all my heart; and all my love for you will survive into eternity.

Your Joey

Joseph E. Santoni (I am doubtful that I have this right; but from listening, it’s the closest I could make out; if anyone knows better, please let me know) is one of the 58,000 names on the Wall in Washington. He died less than a year after writing these words.

You can listen to the letter in Part II of Michael Medved’s “The 3 Big Lies about the Vietnam Battle”. Part I is here. Please take the time this weekend to listen. Download it. Burn it to disc. Listen to it in the car. Vietnam and the Iraq battle are two different wars; but there is still much relevance of yesterday’s war to the one we fight today.

Important now, as it was then, to shed some light:
The Press at War
Myths and facts on who is volunteering
Who are the Recruits?

Also blogging:
Midnight Blue has the moving letter of Army Capt. Jeffrey P. Toczylowski, killed in action in the current war.

When I think of those in military uniform, I think of heroes. Men and women brave enough to serve in order to protect our way of life, our liberties, our beliefs, our friends and families. Our fellow countrymen. With all our various differences- too numerous to name, we do share a thing in common: and that is, we are united as Americans. As Michael Medved might say, proud citizens of this, the greatest nation on God’s, green earth.

*UPDATE*

Curt’s detective work seems to have uncovered the correct name of the author if this letter: Joseph Santori. Thank you, Curt! And Happy Veterans Day!

In addition, I ran a Google search and found this about him:

Joseph Santori was born March 22, 1947 and lived in Keyport, NJ. He served in the US Army where he attained the rank of Sergeant (SGT).

On April 23,1968 Santori was killed in action. He was 19 years old.

Michael Medved says he’s a New Yorker; but everything I find on Joseph Santori lists him as being from New Jersey. So likely it’s him; just not with a 100% certainty.