TANGO MIKE MIKE

I once had the honor of meeting Roy Benavidez. What they don't tell you on this montage is that this was Roy's second tour in Vietnam when he earned the Medal of Honor. He stepped on a landmine during his first tour and was medically released from the Army. Roy built his body back up, proved to the docs he was fit for service and then went on to try out and complete Green Beret training.

The scuttlebutt amongst the old Sergeant Majors I used to work with at the Special Warfare Center was that when Roy was put in for the MOH it was turned down by the powers that be in the conventional Army, on the grounds that a disproportionate number of Medals had already gone to Special Forces. It wasn't until after the war wound down and we'd endured the shame and discontent of the Carter years that the case for Roy's Medal could be pushed up to the highest level.

President Ronald Reagan awarded the Medal of Honor to Roy P. Benavidez on February 24, 1981.

Reagan reportedly turned to the press and said: "If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it". He then read the official award citation:

Medal of Honor

BENAVIDEZ, ROY P.

Master Sergeant. Detachment B-56, 5th Special Forces Group, Republic of Vietnam

West of Loc Ninh on May 2, 1968

Master Sergeant (then Staff Sergeant) Roy P. Benavidez United States Army, who distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions on 2 May 1968 while assigned to Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam. On the morning of 2 May 1968, a 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team was inserted by helicopters in a dense jungle area west of Loc Ninh, Vietnam to gather intelligence information about confirmed large-scale enemy activity. This area was controlled and routinely patrolled by the North Vietnamese Army. After a short period of time on the ground, the team met heavy enemy resistance, and requested emergency extraction. Three helicopters attempted extraction, but were unable to land due to intense enemy small arms and anti-aircraft fire. Sergeant Benavidez was at the Forward Operating Base in Loc Ninh monitoring the operation by radio when these helicopters returned to off-load wounded crewmembers and to assess aircraft damage. Sergeant Benavidez voluntarily boarded a returning aircraft to assist in another extraction attempt. Realizing that all the team members were either dead or wounded and unable to move to the pickup zone, he directed the aircraft to a nearby clearing where he jumped from the hovering helicopter, and ran approximately 75 meters under withering small arms fire to the crippled team. Prior to reaching the team's position he was wounded in his right leg, face, and head. Despite these painful injuries, he took charge, repositioning the team members and directing their fire to facilitate the landing of an extraction aircraft, and the loading of wounded and dead team members. He then threw smoke canisters to direct the aircraft to the team's position. Despite his severe wounds and under intense enemy fire, he carried and dragged half of the wounded team members to the awaiting aircraft. He then provided protective fire by running alongside the aircraft as it moved to pick up the remaining team members. As the enemy's fire intensified, he hurried to recover the body and classified documents on the dead team leader. When he reached the leader's body, Sergeant Benavidez was severely wounded by small arms fire in the abdomen and grenade fragments in his back. At nearly the same moment, the aircraft pilot was mortally wounded, and his helicopter crashed. Although in extremely critical condition due to his multiple wounds, Sergeant Benavidez secured the classified documents and made his way back to the wreckage, where he aided the wounded out of the overturned aircraft, and gathered the stunned survivors into a defensive perimeter. Under increasing enemy automatic weapons and grenade fire, he moved around the perimeter distributing water and ammunition to his weary men, reinstilling in them a will to live and fight. Facing a buildup of enemy opposition with a beleaguered team, Sergeant Benavidez mustered his strength, began calling in tactical air strikes and directed the fire from supporting gunships to suppress the enemy's fire and so permit another extraction attempt. He was wounded again in his thigh by small arms fire while administering first aid to a wounded team member just before another extraction helicopter was able to land. His indomitable spirit kept him going as he began to ferry his comrades to the craft. On his second trip with the wounded, he was clubbed with additional wounds to his head and arms before killing his adversary. He then continued under devastating fire to carry the wounded to the helicopter. Upon reaching the aircraft, he spotted and killed two enemy soldiers who were rushing the craft from an angle that prevented the aircraft door gunner from firing upon them. With little strength remaining, he made one last trip to the perimeter to ensure that all classified material had been collected or destroyed, and to bring in the remaining wounded. Only then, in extremely serious condition from numerous wounds and loss of blood, did he allow himself to be pulled into the extraction aircraft. Sergeant Benavidez' gallant choice to join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men. His fearless personal leadership, tenacious devotion to duty, and extremely valorous actions in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army.

Today's Bird HERE


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AT THE DMV

Waiting in line all day at two different government bureaucracies . . . all because I need a Pennsylvania state driver's license, so I won't be a VIOLATOR . . .

"Do you have two forms of ID?"

"Yes, here's my passport, and here's my US military ID."

"US military ID is no good."

"W-H-A-A-A-?-?-?"

"Because you don't have to be a US citizen to become a member of the US military."

"I know that - I wasn't a citizen when I signed up. But you can't be in twenty-plus years and make it to retirement without becoming a US citizen, and this is a RETIRED US military ID.  And anyway, this is a US PASSPORT, right here."

"Sorry, you will need your Social Security card, to get a Pennsylvania state driver’s license."

"My SOCIAL SECURITY CARD ? ? ? I haven't seen hide nor hair of THAT thing since before I joined the Army! And it doesn't even have a photograph on it, signature, nothing. Come to think of it, you don’t need to be a US citizen to get a Social Security number, anyway. I wasn’t, when I got mine. Besides, this US military ID card has my Social Security number ON IT."

"Sorry, sir; but you can join the US military without being a US citizen . . ."

Next stop, the Social Security Administration. That actually wasn't so bad - once you get over the government propaganda being transmitted over a 65-inch plasmatron, and the WAITING. They had The Social Security Story going in a fifteen-minute loop, so I got to watch of how FDR and Social Security saved America from the Great Depression about eight times over. This makes me wonder, of course, if putting people on the government dole is what it takes to get an economy out of the doldrums, then why don't we put EVERYBODY on the government payroll - we'll be back on track to being the greatest, richest, most powerful society in the history of the world, times ten million. Funny thing is, I thought World War II had something to do with it, and of course there was no mention of Social Security being a giant Ponzi scheme - but what do I know? I'm a philosopher, not an economist.

Back at the DMV - wife TigerLily is going nuts: "HEY! Our numbah neary rup, an dey CHANGE-A NUMBAH! I go up there, ask 'em whatta hell go on heah?"

"You got get 'em, TigerLily! Give 'em that angry Oriental routine!"

Guy in front of me turns around. "Man, I've got my passport, my Honorable Discharge from the Marine Corps . . ."

"That ain't good enough, man. Military means nothin' to these people."

"I'm nobody special or nothin', but its like four generations of my family served in the military - one of 'em a Medal of Honor recipient."

"You better not tell them THAT, they'll treat you like a second-class citizen!"

"NUMBER 369!"

"Oh that's us honey, let's go up there."

"Are you Mrs. TigerLily Stormbringer?"

"Yes."

"Please look into the eye exam machine.  What color do you see?"

"Red."

"And what does red mean?"

"Red mean Stop."

"What color do you see now?"

"Green."

"And what does green mean?"

"Go."

"What color do you see now?"

"Yellow."

"And what does yellow mean?"

"Yellow mean . . . GO FASTER."

"Very good, Ma’am. Now sign here, and here. Now go over there and have your picture taken. NEXT!"

.

THIS WAS PREDICTABLE

TWITTER USER PRETENDING TO BE MEDAL of HONOR RECIPIENT STAFF SGT SALVATORE GIUNTA

November 16th, 2010

Earlier today, Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta was awarded the nation`s highest medal for valor – the Medal of Honor.

Meanwhile, someone has been impersonating him on Twitter since mid September using @salvatoregiunta.

Impersonating another person on Twitter with the intent to deceive is a violation of Twitter`s Impersonation Policy.

The imposter posted a message hours earlier saying: `Thank you all so much for your kind words and support. Received the Medal of Honor from President Obama today.. it still feels like a dream`.

According to @USARMY, the Army`s official Twitter account (which is verified), @salvatoregiunta isn`t legit.


From MilBlogging.com



Everybody here understands the STORMBRINGER policy when it comes to phoney wannabe impersonators, and those who would dishonor the things which we hold sacred.


We find this loser, and then we shame him to death.


- Sean Linnane



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SSG ROBERT J. MILLER, MEDAL OF HONOR, AFGHANISTAN

This one slipped under my radar screen somehow - S.L.

MEDAL OF HONOR TO GREEN BERET KILLED IN AFGHAN WAR

SSG Robert J. Miller, MOH

WASHINGTON (AP) October 6, 2010- In a ceremony that mixed pain, pride and determination, President Barack Obama on Wednesday awarded the Medal of Honor to a young Army Green Beret who saved his patrol by holding off a Taliban ambush in a snowy Afghan valley two winters ago.

He told the parents of Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, "You gave your oldest son to America, and America is forever in your debt." Miller was killed in the ambush.

Miller, 24, was a Pashto-speaking Special Forces weapons expert who led a joint U.S.-Afghan patrol _ and allied aircraft _ in attacking a suspected Taliban compound in northwest Afghanistan's Kunar province, near the Pakistani border.

In pre-dawn darkness on Jan. 25, 2008, his patrol was moving in to survey the damage when a much larger Taliban force opened fire. After ordering his comrades to fall back, Miller rushed forward, firing his weapon and hurling grenades in a bid to draw off the enemy attack. In ferocious fighting, Miller seemed to disappear into clouds of dust and debris, but his team could hear him on the radio, still calling out the enemy's position . . . And then, over the radio, they heard his voice. He had been hit.

Accepting the award from Obama were Miller's parents, Philip and Maureen Miller, while all seven of his brothers and sisters _ and 12 members of his patrol _ looked on. Obama noted Miller's brother Tom is currently undergoing Green Beret training.

Miller, a native of Harrisburg, Pa., was the third U.S. service member from the Afghan conflict to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest medal for gallantry

Honor him.



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OLD 666

OLD 666 - B-17E 41-2666 was assigned to the 43rd Bomb Group in 1943, piloted by Lt. Col. (then Captain) Jay Zeamer on the mission that would earn him and bombardier Joseph Sarnoski a Medal of Honor, and every other member of the crew a Distinguished Service Cross.

By 1943 Old 666, serial number 12666, had suffered heavy battle damage and had gained a reputation as a cursed bomber, often coming back from missions with heavy damage. Grounded at Port Moresby Airport, it was parked at the end of the runway where other aircrews could cannibalize it for needed parts. A friend of Zeamer's said to him, "I know where there’s a bomber, but no one will fly it anymore because every time it goes out it gets shot to hell!"

Captain Zeamer, who had been unable to acquire an aircraft or crew of his own, had the bomber towed out of the 'bone yard' and, with enormous effort, not only restored the badly battered aircraft to flight status but made many changes.

They included increasing the number of machine guns from 13 to 19, replacing the waist gunners' standard single guns with twin guns, replacing all .30 cal machine guns with heavier .50 cal machine guns, and even added a fixed-position gun that could be fired from the pilot's station. Zeamer's crew put guns where they didn't even need them, and left spare machine guns on the aircraft's catwalk; if a gun jammed at a critical moment they could dump it and quickly replace it. These modifications made Old 666 the most heavily armed bomber in the Pacific Theater.

They also mounted a gun behind the ball turret near the waist. In the months of missions that followed, Zeamer's crew was so busy that they never had the time to adorn their bomber with the traditional nose-art, commonly seen on aircraft of that era.



Monday's Mystery Bird is HERE



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A LIVING HERO

It is becoming increasingly rare for a living member of the U.S. military to receive the Medal of Honor.

Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta will become the first living service member from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to receive the Medal of Honor; this will be the eighth Medal of Honor bestowed since September 11th, 2001.




Giunta, 25, of Hiawatha, Iowa, was serving as a rifle team leader with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment when an insurgent ambush split his squad into two groups on Oct. 25, 2007, in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan.

Giunta went above and beyond the call of duty when he exposed himself to enemy gunfire to try to save two fellow soldiers in a deadly ambush. He engaged the enemy again when he saw two insurgents carrying away a wounded soldier, Sgt. Joshua C. Brennan, 22, of McFarland, Wis. Giunta killed one insurgent and wounded the other before tending to Brennan, who died the next day.




Read the entire story here.

CONSTANT DRUMBEAT OF INSANITY CONTINUES

The continual assault on our culture continues. If I had time, I would document the many ways the destructive, anti-Western Civilization forces within our society have attacked all that is good and decent. The inversion of our morals and values has become an almost daily occurrence. This time the very method we honor our heroes is cheapened, made meaningless:


”A three-year-old federal law that makes it a crime to falsely claim to have received a medal from the U.S. military is unconstitutional, an appeals court panel in California ruled Tuesday.”

“A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with him in a 2-1 decision Tuesday, agreeing that the law was a violation of his free-speech rights. The majority said there's no evidence that such lies harm anybody, and there's no compelling reason for the government to ban such lies.”






August 17, 2010 SAN FRANCISCO - A federal law making it a crime to lie about receiving the Medal of Honor or other military decorations violates freedom of speech, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.



Read more HERE and HERE


You know, they're absolutely right. All a military decoration is, is a little piece of tin or brass, with a bit of silken ribbon around it - these things are ultimately meaningless.

Unless you attach meaning to them, of course. Stolen Valor is about giving meaning to the symbols we drape upon those who have bled on our behalf, those who came back in bits and pieces, and those can no longer defend themselves; the Honorable Dead.

During the course of my career I had the dubious pleasure of personally busting out two phony wannabe's - shamed the shit out of these kids and tossed them out of Special Forces training. I've seen too many good men die in that uniform, seen too many families suffer the consequences of such sacrifice, to tolerate fake heroes.

But now the Bozo's of the Ninth Circus Court of Appeals have determined that this is OK. They have stripped honor from the real heroes, and their families, on behalf of the fake, phony wannabe's who mock our heroes by portraying themselves as something that they are not.

Have we gotten to the point where nothing has any meaning any more? If not, at what point will we get there?

Burning an American flag - that's okay, that's Freedom of Speech. Erecting an al Qaeda Victory Monument on Ground Zero - that's good too, that's Freedom of Religion - in the meantime, try to get a copy of the Ten Commandments into a U.S. Courthouse, or a nativity scene on a church lawn and see what happens next. Two boys holding hands and getting married - that's good, that's Freedom of whatever-it-is.

Hordes of undocumented foreigners to stream across the borders and infest our land - and the same crowd that is against all that is good and decent in our society goes out to demonize and punish those who wish to take action, those who suffer at the hands of these hordes. Let these non-Americans wave Mexican Flags and dance and sing in the hallways of our schools on Cinco de Mayo - a non-holiday invented by Adolf Coors Brewing Company to sell beer - that's OK too; but dare not to wear an American flag on your t-shirt or to defend the American flag on this High Holy Day of Mexican Meaninglessness - "we cannot have this, no, no, no, no, NO!"


My only question is how come nobody ever tries to burn an American Flag whenever I'm around?


Thanks to Jason, Thomas H., and of course Theo, who each sent info on this sad state of affairs, to me.

- SEAN LINNANE SENDS

A BUCKET OF SHRIMP

It happened every Friday evening, almost without fail, when the sun resembled a giant orange and was starting to dip into the blue ocean.

Old Ed came strolling along the beach to his favorite pier. Clutched in his bony hand was a bucket of shrimp. Ed walks out to the end of the pier, where it seems he almost has the world to himself. The glow of the sun is a golden bronze now.

Everybody's gone, except for a few joggers on the beach. Standing out on the end of the pier, Ed is alone with his thoughts . . . and his bucket of shrimp.

Before long, however, he is no longer alone. Up in the sky a thousand white dots come screeching and squawking, winging their way toward that lanky frame standing there on the end of the pier.

Before long, dozens of seagulls have enveloped him, their wings fluttering and flapping wildly. Ed stands there tossing shrimp to the hungry birds. As he does, if you listen closely, you can hear him say with a smile, 'Thank you. Thank you.'

In a few short minutes the bucket is empty. But Ed doesn't leave.

He stands there lost in thought, as though transported to another time and place. Invariably, one of the gulls lands on his sea-bleached, weather-beaten hat - an old military hat he's been wearing for years.

When he finally turns around and begins to walk back toward the beach, a few of the birds hop along the pier with him until he gets to the stairs, and then they, too, fly away. And old Ed quietly makes his way down to the end of the beach and on home.

If you were sitting there on the pier with your fishing line in the water, Ed might seem like 'a funny old duck,' as my dad used to say. Or, 'a guy that's a sandwich shy of a picnic,' as my kids might say. To onlookers, he's just another old codger, lost in his own weird world, feeding the seagulls with a bucket full of shrimp.

To the onlooker, rituals can look either very strange or very empty. They can seem altogether unimportant . . . maybe even a lot of nonsense.

Old folks often do strange things, at least in the eyes of Boomers and Busters.

Most of them would probably write Old Ed off, down there in Florida. That's too bad. They'd do well to know him better.

His full name: Eddie Rickenbacker. He was a famous hero back in World War II, and before that even, in World War I - the one they called 'The Great War'. On one of his flying missions across the Pacific, he and his seven-member crew went down. Miraculously, all of the men survived, crawled out of their plane, and climbed into a life raft.

Captain Rickenbacker and his crew floated for days on the rough waters of the Pacific. They fought the sun. They fought sharks. Most of all, they fought hunger. By the eighth day their rations ran out. No food. No water. They were hundreds of miles from land and no one knew where they were.






They needed a miracle. That afternoon they had a simple devotional service and prayed for a miracle. They tried to nap. Eddie leaned back and pulled his military cap over his nose. Time dragged. All he could hear was the slap of the waves against the raft.


Suddenly, Eddie felt something land on the top of his cap. It was a seagull!


Old Ed would later describe how he sat perfectly still, planning his next move. With a flash of his hand and a squawk from the gull, he managed to grab it and wring its neck. He tore the feathers off, and he and his starving crew made a meal - a very slight meal for eight men - of it. Then they used the intestines for bait . . . with it, they caught fish, which gave them food and more bait . . . and the cycle continued. With that simple survival technique, they were able to endure the rigors of the sea until they were found and rescued (after 24 days at sea).

Eddie Rickenbacker lived many years beyond that ordeal, but he never forgot the sacrifice of that first lifesaving seagull . . . And he never stopped saying, 'Thank you.' That's why almost every Friday night he would walk to the end of the pier with a bucket full of shrimp and a heart full of gratitude.




Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 27, 1973) was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.

A HERO PASSES . . .

Colonel (Retired) Robert L. Howard, 70, Medal of Honor (Republic of Vietnam) died Wednesday, 23 December 2009 in Waco Texas. At the time of his death Cl. Howard was believed to be the most-decorated living American soldier. Howard will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Howard grew up in Opelika, Alabama, enlisted in the United States Army in 1956 at the age of 17, and retired as a full colonel in 1992.

In Vietnam, he served in the U.S. Army Special Forces and spent most of his five tours in the secretive Military Assistance Command, Vietnam-Studies and Observation Group (MACV-SOG), an unconventional force that conducted high-risk deep-penetration reconnaissance and interdiction missions. He was nominated three times for the Medal of Honor; he was eventually awarded the Medal in 1971 for the rescue of a seriously wounded platoon leader while under enemy fire.



SFC Robert Howard (front left) in Vietnam with some of the guys MACV-SOG (CCC).

Standing behind Howard at far left is SGT Chuck Erikson - my Battalion CSM in Okinawa. Erikson participated in the Son Tay Raid, on the "BlueBoy Element" chopper with Dick Meadows. (Photo courtesy John Plaster)




Medal Of Honor Citation





HOWARD, ROBERT L.

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 30 December 1968. Entered service at: Montgomery, Alabama. Born: 11 July 1939, Opelika, Alabama.

Citation: For Conspicuous Gallantry and Intrepidity in Action at the Risk of his
Life Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

1st Lt. Howard (then Sergeant First Class), distinguished himself while serving as platoon sergeant of an American-Vietnamese platoon which was on a mission to rescue a missing American soldier in enemy controlled territory in the Republic of Vietnam. The platoon had left its helicopter landing zone and was moving out on its mission when it was attacked by an estimated 2-company force. During the initial engagement, 1st Lt. Howard was wounded and his weapon destroyed by a grenade explosion. 1st Lt. Howard saw his platoon leader had been wounded seriously and was exposed to fire. Although unable to walk, and weaponless, 1st Lt. Howard unhesitatingly crawled through a hail of fire to retrieve his wounded leader. As 1st Lt. Howard was administering first aid and removing the officer's equipment, an enemy bullet struck 1 of the ammunition pouches on the lieutenant's belt, detonating several magazines of ammunition. 1st Lt. Howard momentarily sought cover and then realizing that he must rejoin the platoon, which had been disorganized by the enemy attack, he again began dragging the seriously wounded officer toward the platoon area. Through his outstanding example of indomitable courage and bravery, 1st Lt. Howard was able to rally the platoon into an organized defense force. With complete disregard for his safety, 1st Lt. Howard crawled from position to position, administering first aid to the wounded, giving encouragement to the defenders and directing their fire on the encircling enemy. For 3 1/2 hours 1st Lt. Howard's small force and supporting aircraft successfully repulsed enemy attacks and finally were in sufficient control to permit the landing of rescue helicopters. 1st Lt. Howard personally supervised the loading of his men and did not leave the bullet-swept landing zone until all were aboard safely. 1st Lt. Howard's gallantry in action, his complete devotion to the welfare of his men at the risk of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

(Source: U.S. Army Center of Military History







When I first reported to Fort Bragg in the early 80s, Colonel (then Major) Howard was serving at nearby Camp MacKall, where he conducted rigorous daily morning PT runs with the Special Forces candidates in training. Once asked by a journalist why he continued to do this, despite his significant wounds from Vietnam and his highly decorated status, Colonel Howard simply replied, "Because I'm a soldier - this is my job."






He is an American Hero.





Honor him.





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COL. LEWIS LEE MILLETT, MOH

by PETER WORTHINGTON


I first spotted him at a banquet and awards ceremony in Seoul, marking the 50th anniversary of the Korean war – a grizzled old colonel with a white handlebar moustache and the Medal of Honor around his neck.

But what caught my attention was two Canadian war medals nestled among the 26 medal ribbons he wore – the Canadian Volunteer medal with overseas clasp, and Victory medal from WWII.

“How come?” I asked him.

A mischievous grin spread his face. He introduced himself – Col. Lewis Lee Millett, a storied American fighting soldier, although I didn’t know it at the time.



Col. Lewis Millett


“I got the Medal of Honor thanks to the Canadian army,” he quipped. “The Canadians taught me bayonet fighting, and I led a bayonet charge in the Korean war.” He paused, waiting for inevitable questions.

I was with my friend, Vince Courtenay, both of us Korean vets from the same battalion of the Princess Pats in Korea.

Millett, then around 80 years old, told how he’d joined the U.S. army at age 21 in the summer of 1941 – and then deserted, because the U.S. wasn’t yet in the war. He came to Canada and joined our army to go overseas. He wanted to fight Nazis. “As I recall, the Canadian infantry was always doing bayonet training – stabbing straw-filled dummies, parry, thrust, shouting. It made an impression on me.”

After Pearl Harbor, when the U.S. entered the war, he transferred back to the U.S. army, served in North Africa and Italy, winning the Silver Star. When paperwork caught up with him that he had deserted in 1941, his commanding officer court-martialed him – fined him $50, and promptly promoted him to 2nd lieutenant.

“I believe I am the only colonel in the regular army who was ever court-martialed and convicted of desertion,” he laughed. In Korea, he also won the Distinguished Service Cross, next to the Medal of Honor in prestige, but he seemed inordinately proud of his two Canadian medals.

In the ferocious fighting of early 1951, Millett recalled reading a document that said the Chinese believed American soldiers dreaded hand-to-hand combat, and were fearful of “cold steel.”

“We’ll see about that, you sons of bitches,” he muttered. At a feature called Hill 180, under grenade and rifle fire, he led two platoons in a bayonet charge up the hill.



Painting of Capt. Lew Millett leading the bayonet charge up Hill 180 in Korea, February 1951, that won him the Medal of Honour. Painting hangs in the UN Command Officers Mess in Seoul.


“I always had my men fix bayonets,” he said. “I never forgot the Canadian training. We didn’t do much bayonet drill in those days, but I gotta say, those Chinese didn’t know what hit them when we charged.”

Millett led the way and routed the Chinese. His Medal of Honor citation reads: “His dauntless leadership and personal courage so inspired his men that they stormed into the hostile position and used their bayonets with such lethal effect that the enemy fled in wild disorder.”



Col. Millett's self-portrait of the charge.


In the Vietnam war, Millett was involved in a clandestine intelligence program aimed at subverting and killing Viet Cong in the countryside. He retired in 1973 when he felt the U.S. was abandoning South Vietnam.

He once told an interviewer: “I believe deeply in freedom. I’ve fought in three wars, and volunteered for all of them . . . I believe as a free man it is your duty to help those under the attack of tyranny. It’s as simple as that.”

Lewis Millett, old soldier, died on Nov. 14, age 89: A free man, a brave man, an American patriot.


Peter Worthington is the founding editor of the Toronto Sun, where he is a columnist.


This story first appeared on FrumForum and is reposted here by permission of the author.

THE MEDAL OF HONOR

On this day in 1862 the Medal of Honor, highest military decoration awarded by the United States government, was first authorized by the U.S. Congress.

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes him- or herself "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his (or her) life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States." Because of the nature of its criteria, the medal is often awarded posthumously.





The Medal is often mistakenly referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor, due to the requirement of an act of Congress; the official and correct title is Medal of Honor.

The first recipients were six Union soldiers who hijacked the General, a Confederate locomotive. Raid leader James J. Andrews, a civilian who was hanged as a Union spy, did not receive the medal. Many Medals of Honor awarded in the 19th century were associated with saving the flag, not just for patriotic reasons, but because the flag was a primary means of battlefield communication. During the time of the Civil War, no other military award was authorized, and to many this explains why some seemingly less notable actions were recognized by the Medal of Honor during that war. The criteria for the award tightened after World War I. In the post-World War II era, many eligible recipients might instead have been awarded a Silver Star, Navy Cross or similar award.

In 1916, a board of five Army generals convened by law to review every Army Medal of Honor awarded. The commission, led by Nelson Miles, recommended that the Army rescind 911 medals. This included the 864 medals awarded to members of the 27th Maine, 29 who served as Abraham Lincoln's funeral guard, six civilians (including Mary Edwards Walker, the only woman to have been awarded the medal), Buffalo Bill Cody, and 12 others whose awards were judged frivolous.

There has been some political controversy associated with Medal. Although her case was no different to the other five civilian recipients, Mary Edwards Walker's medal was restored posthumously by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Critics of the restoration called it a political move, designed to curry favor with feminists. Buffalo Bill Cody's award was restored in 1989. This also drew criticism, as although his valor in scouting and Indian-fighting were legendary, he was not an actual member of the military.

The 20 Medals of Honor awarded for the action at Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890 are also controversial. This is significant, as it is the highest number of medals ever awarded for one battle in the history of the U.S. Army. Some Native Americans called for "the immediate rescindment of the twenty Medals of Honor awarded for actions contributing to the Massacre at Wounded Knee.

During the Vietnam War, 18 Medals of Honor were awarded to US Army Special Forces soldiers, eight of them awarded posthumously. This was the largest number of Medals awarded to a single unit during that conflict. Of those, Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace (July 2, 1937–September 26, 1965) was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions while a prisoner of war; he was the first member of the U.S. Army to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions performed in Southeast Asia while in captivity.


The Medal of Honor has not been awarded to any living persons in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, only posthumously. In addition, the percentage of persons receiving the medal in these wars has been significantly lower than in previous wars (one out of a million vs. one out of one-hundred thousand).

The Army Times published an article in March 30, 2009 suggested that because of the intense partisan politics in Washington, D.C. over these wars, the Bush Administration subjected potential Medal of Honor recipients to intense background checks so as to avoid scrutiny from political opponents. It was also suggested that Democrats did not want to submit names for the Medal because they were afraid of being seen as aggrandizing war. An Army Times editorial suggested, "Our heroes deserve to be recognized."

MEDAL OF HONOR

On this day in 1862 the Medal of Honor, highest military decoration awarded by the United States government, was first authorized by the U.S. Congress.

Medal of Honor Recipients, US Army Special Forces, Vietnam:

Captain Roger Hugh C. Donlon, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 6 July 1964, U.S. Army, Detachment A-726, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne, 1st Special Forces, near Nam Dong, Republic of Vietnam.

2d Lt. Charles Q. Williams, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 9 to 10 June 1965, U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne, Dong Xoai, Republic of Vietnam.

Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace (July 2, 1937–September 26, 1965) was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions while a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. He was the first member of the U.S. Army to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions performed in Southeast Asia while in captivity.

1st Lt. George K. Sisler, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 7 February 1967, U.S. Army, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, MACV/SOG Republic of Vietnam.

Master Sergeant Charles Ernest Hoskins, Jr., was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 21 March 1967, U.S. Army, Company A, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Phuoc Long Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Sergeant Gordon Douglas Yntema, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 16-18 January 1968, U.S. Army, Company D, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) 1st Special Forces, Near Thong Binh, Republic of Vietnam.

Staff Sergeant Drew Dennis Dix, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 31 January and 1 February 1968, U.S. Army, U.S. Senior Advisor Group, IV Corps, Military Assistance Command, Chau Doc Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Staff Sergeant Fred William Zabitosky, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 19 February 1968, U.S. Army, MACV/SOG, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam.

Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 2 May 1968, U.S. Army, Detachment B-56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, west of Loc Ninh, Republic of Vietnam.

Spec 5 John J. Kedenburg, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 13 June 1968, U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam.

First Lieutenant Robert L. Howard, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 30 December 1968, U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam.

Sergeant First Class William Maud Bryant, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 24 March 1969, U.S. Army, Company A, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Long Khanh Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley, Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 5 January 1970, U.S. Army, Company C, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces, near Lang Vei, Republic of Vietnam.

Staff Sergeant F. "Doug" Miller, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 5 January 1970, U.S. Army, MACV/SOG, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Sergeant Gary B. Beikirch, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 5 January 1970, U.S. Army, Company B, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Knotum Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Sergeant Bryan L. Buker, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 5 April 1970, U.S. Army, Detachment B-55, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Chau Doc Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Staff Sergeant Jon R. Cavaiani, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 4 and 5 June 1971, U.S. Army, Vietnam Training Advisory Group, MACV/SOG, Republic of Vietnam.

First Lieutenant Loren D. Hagen, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 7 August 1971, U.S. Army, Infantry, U.S. Army Training Advisory Group, Republic of Vietnam.

Medal of Honor Recipients, US Army Special Forces, Somalia:

Master Sergeant Gary I. Gordon, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 3 October 1993, SFOD-D, U.S. Army, Mogadishu, Somalia.

Sergeant First Class Randall D. Shughart was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 3 October 1993, SFOD-D, U.S. Army, Mogadishu, Somalia.


Honor them.