Wednesday Hero – Second Lt. Perla Kimes
Thanks to Greta Perry & John Donovan
Second Lt. Perla Kimes has her bars of gold pinned on during a commissioning ceremony this summer at the Leader Development and Assessment Course on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Photo Courtesy U.S. Army
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We’re In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don’t Know Where To Look
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Technorati Tags: Wednesday Hero, Second Lt. Perla Kimes
Wednesday Hero – Sgt. Dakolta Meyer
23 years old from Greensburg, Kentucky
Embedded Training Team 2-8
On September 15, Sgt. Dakota Meyer was awarded the Medal Of Honor by President Obama for his actions on Sept. 8, 2009 in the Ganjgal Valley of Afghanistan when he and Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez saved 36 fellow Marines when they, and the Afghan military members they were helping to train, came under attack by Taliban insurgents.
His citation reads: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the repeated risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a member of Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, Regional Corps Advisory Command 3-7, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on 8 September 2009. When the forward element of his combat team began to be hit by intense fire from roughly 50 Taliban insurgents dug-in and concealed on the slopes above Ganjgal village, Corporal Meyer mounted a gun-truck, enlisted a fellow Marine to drive, and raced to attack the ambushers and aid the trapped Marines and Afghan soldiers. During a six hour fire fight, Corporal Meyer single-handedly turned the tide of the battle, saved 36 Marines and soldiers and recovered the bodies of his fallen brothers. Four separate times he fought the kilometer up into the heart of a deadly U-shaped ambush. During the fight he killed at least eight Taliban, personally evacuated 12 friendly wounded, and provided cover for another 24 Marines and soldiers to escape likely death at the hands of a numerically superior and determined foe. On his first foray his lone vehicle drew machine gun, mortar, rocket grenade and small arms fire while he rescued five wounded soldiers. His second attack disrupted the enemy’s ambush and he evacuated four more wounded Marines. Switching to another gun-truck because his was too damaged they again sped in for a third time, and as turret gunner killed several Taliban attackers at point blank range and suppressed enemy fire so 24 Marines and soldiers could break-out. Despite being wounded, he made a fourth attack with three others to search for missing team members. Nearly surrounded and under heavy fire he dismounted the vehicle and searched house to house to recover the bodies of his fallen team members. By his extraordinary heroism, presence of mind amidst chaos and death, and unselfish devotion to his comrades in the face of great danger, Corporal Meyer reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”
In addition to the Medal Of Honor, Sgt. Meyer has also been awarded the Expert Marksmanship Badge for Rifle and Pistol, Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal w/ Valor Device and Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal.
You can read more about Sgt. Dakota Meyer and his actions here.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We’re In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don’t Know Where To Look
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Technorati Tags: Wednesday Hero, Sgt. Dakolta Meyer
Wednesday Hero – SPC Seaman Sha’Quanda Jacobs
Religious Programs Specialist Seaman Sha’Quanda Jacobs rings the bell during commemoration ceremony of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States at Naval Air Station Oceana.
Photo Courtesy U.S. Navy Taken by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Terah L. Mollise
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We’re In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don’t Know Where To Look
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Technorati Tags: Wednesday Hero, SPC Seaman Sha’Quanda Jacobs
Wednesday Hero – Maj. Albert Brown
This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Michael
105 years old from Pinckneyville, Illinois
Oct. 26, 1905 – Aug. 14, 2011
At 105 years old, Albert Brown was the oldest living living survivor of the Bataan Death March.
In April of 1942, then Capt. Brown and 70,000+ American and Filipinos were marched 66 miles to POW camps on the Bataan peninsula in the Philippines with little food or water. Many were beaten and killed along the way and left where they fell. “One 18-year-old I knew, he fell down,” Mr. Brown said. “A guard came along and put a gun to his head, pulled the trigger and walked away.”
Capt. Brown spent 3 years as a POW where he was beaten; thrown down stairs, seriously injuring his back; and struck in the neck by a rifle butt, causing a fracture. When he was finally freed he weighed just 90 pounds. “We were listed in groups of 10. If one escaped out of the 10, they eliminated the rest of them, killed them. So, at night, just before roll call, you tried to find out if your 10 were still there.”
You can read more about Maj. Albert Brown here
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We’re In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don’t Know Where To Look
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Technorati Tags: Wednesday Hero, Maj. Albert Brown
Wednesday Hero – Russell E. Tucker Sr.
This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Kathi
72 years old from Buffalo, New York
1899? – 1971
Seven years shy of a century later, Russell E. Tucker Sr. got his due Friday at a ceremony where he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal for wounds he suffered as a Marine in World War I.
In June of 1918 Russel Tucker and his fellow Marines marched into German machine gun fire in Belleau, France and drove the enemy back. Russel, then only 19-years-old, was shot in the temple and in the right hand losing part of his knuckle on his index finger. But because there was no such award as the Purple Hart at the time it’s taken almost a century for it to finally be awarded.
You can read more about Russel Tucker, Sr. here
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We’re In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don’t Know Where To Look
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Technorati Tags: Wednesday Hero, Russell E. Tucker Sr.
Wednesday Hero – RMC Thomas James Reeves
This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Michael Golch
46 years old from Thomaston, Connecticut
December 9, 1895 – December 7, 1941
On December 7, 1941, Radioman, Chief Thomas Reeves was aboard the U.S.S. California. During the attack he helped load the anti-aircraft ammo, by hand, until he was overcome by smoke and fire. For his actions that day RMC Reeves was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
His citation reads: “For distinguished conduct in the line of his profession, extraordinary courage and disregard of his own safety during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. After the mechanized ammunition hoists were put out of action in the U.S.S. California, Reeves, on his own initiative, in a burning passageway, assisted in the maintenance of an ammunition supply by hand to the antiaircraft guns until he was overcome by smoke and fire, which resulted in his death.” In 1943 the destroyer escort USS Reeves was named in his honor.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We’re In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don’t Know Where To Look
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Technorati Tags: Wednesday Hero, RMC Thomas James Reeves
Wednesday Hero – Fallen Heroes
Fallen Heroes
province, Afghanistan killing 30 United States servicemen. It was the
largest single day loss of life since the war began. Killed were:
U.S. Navy
Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, La.
Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J.
Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, Calif.
Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Thomas A.
Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Ark.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer
(Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Kraig M.
Vickers 36, of Kokomo, Hawaii
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Brian R. Bill, 31,
of Stamford, Conn.
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) John W. Faas, 31,
of Minneapolis, Minn.
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston,
35, of West Hyannisport, Mass.
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason,
37, of Kansas City, Mo.
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills,
35, of Fort Worth, Texas
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Chief Petty Officer
(Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist/Diver) Nicholas
H. Null, 30, of Washington, W.Va.
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves,
32, of Shreveport, La.
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson,
34, of Detroit, Mich.
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Darrik C.
Benson, 28, of Angwin, Calif.
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Parachutist)
Christopher G. Campbell, 36, of Jacksonville, N.C.
Information Systems Technician Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary
Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Jared W. Day, 28, of
Taylorsville, Utah
Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare
Specialist) John Douangdara, 26, of South Sioux City, Neb.
Cryptologist Technician (Collection) Petty Officer 1st Class
(Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) Michael J. Strange, 25, of
Philadelphia, Pa.
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Enlisted
Surface Warfare Specialist) Jon T. Tumilson, 35, of Rockford, Iowa
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Aaron C.
Vaughn, 30, of Stuart, Fla.
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Jason R.
Workman, 32, of Blanding, Utah
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Jesse D.
Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, Calif.
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL) Nicholas P.
Spehar, 24, of Saint Paul, Minn.
U.S. Army
Chief Warrant Officer David R. Carter, 47, of Centennial, Colo. 2nd
Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation
Battalion)
Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Nichols, 31, of Hays, Kan. 7th
Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation
Battalion)
Sgt. Patrick D. Hamburger, 30, of Lincoln, Neb. 2nd Battalion, 135th
Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion)
Sgt. Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash. 7th Battalion, 158th
Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion)
Spc. Spencer C. Duncan, 21, of Olathe, Kan. 7th Battalion, 158th
Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion)
U.S Air Force
Tech. Sgt. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Fla. 24th Special Tactics Squadron
Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, Calif. 24th Special
Tactics Squadron
Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pa. 24th Special Tactics
Squadron
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them
Hero.
Those Who Say That We’re In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don’t Know Where To Look.
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go
Wednesday Hero – Sgt Virgil Wallace
This is Wednesday Hero from last week. I’m a week behind.
This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Cindy
98 years old from Capitan, New Mexico
After almost 70 years, and on his 98th birthday, Sgt. Virgil Wallace, a survivor of the Battan Death March, has been awarded the Bronze Star for his service.
You can read more here.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We’re In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don’t Know Where To Look
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Technorati Tags: Wednesday Hero, Sgt Virgil Wallace
Wednesday Hero – SSG Jason Albrecht
Staff Sgt. Jason Albrecht runs military working dog, Markey, through an obstacle course July 13, 2011, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., during an obedience training session. Albrecht is a senior military working dog handler assigned to the 20th Security Forces Squadron.
Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force taken by Senior Airman Kenny Holston
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We’re In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don’t Know Where To Look
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Technorati Tags: Wednesday Hero, SSG Jason Albrecht
Wednesday Hero – Chief Warrant Office 4 Michael McEvers
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael McEvers & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew McEvers
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael McEvers, left, of Troop F, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment and his twin brother, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew McEvers of Troop D, 1st Sqdn., 17th Cav. Regt. Task Force Saber, pre-celebrated their 40th birthday by flying together in the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, the helicopter the brothers have been flying for 10 years together.
Photo Courtesy U.S. Army Taken By Abbie Bennett
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.
Those Who Say That We’re In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don’t Know Where To Look
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Technorati Tags: Wednesday Hero, Chief Warrant Office 4 Michael McEvers