Infinite Monkeys

Remembering those who gave the last full measure of devotion

Some Memorial Day reading:

• "There is one huge difference this time around. The brave men and women who are fighting and dying today in the service of our nation are part of an all-volunteer military. They have chosen this difficult path. ...Today especially we bring you the names and the stories of these very special young men who have most recently been awarded the nation’s highest military honor for their bravery."

• Medal of Honor recipient Army PFC Ross McGinnis: "He gave his life to save his crew and his platoon sergeant... He's a hero. He's a professional. He was just an awesome guy."
• Medal of Honor recipient Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor: “He never took his eye off the grenade, his only movement was down toward it,” said a 28-year-old lieutenant who sustained shrapnel wounds to both legs that day. “He undoubtedly saved mine and the other SEALs’ lives, and we owe him.”
• Medal of Honor recipient Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham: "Lance Cpl. Dean told those assembled about a trip to Las Vegas the two men and Becky Jo Dean had taken in January, not long before the battalion left for the Persian Gulf. Chatting in a hotel room, (Dunham) told his friends he was planning to extend his enlistment and stay in Iraq for the battalion's entire tour. 'You're crazy for extending,' Lance Cpl. Dean recalls saying. 'Why?' He says Cpl. Dunham responded: 'I want to make sure everyone makes it home alive. I want to be sure you go home to your wife alive.'"
• Medal of Honor recipient Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith: "He said, 'war is hell,' and he showed me that first hand," (Capt. Christopher) Doerr said. “He laid it all on the line and that was not a fluke … he was concerned for the safety of his men and others and he put that above his own personal safety, and I think you’ve got to say he's a hero for that."
• Medal of Honor recipient Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy: "Murphy, now desperate to make radio contact for help, then climbed out into the open, exposing himself to enemy gunfire. While making the call, he was hit, though not fatally, by at least one shot. But his words got through to Bagram Air Base. 'Hornets nest,' Murphy yelled into the satellite phone. Then he ran back down to help his three men."
• "What do we owe these brave volunteers, other than our respect and gratitude? Mainly, to give them what they deserve: the tools to win. That means spending what's necessary for new weapons systems, including aircraft carriers and fighter jets. That's not too much to ask of a nation as wealthy as ours."
• "While a democratic people will argue about which war is necessary and just, these debates would not be possible unless men and women have the willingness and sense of self-sacrifice to pick up arms in the cause of freedom. Their virtue is the first and last guarantee of the nation's virtues, as it has always been from Bunker Hill through D-Day and Fallujah and all perilous points in between."
• "The dead speak on Memorial Day, if people listen carefully."

Honor them.

Posted by Ben at May 26, 2008 12:03 PM