This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Blue Skies

  • John Villneff; A Marine to the end

    Lerxst sends us a link from MyFox Detroit about Vietnam veteran Marine, 62-year-old John Villneff who took two bullets from fleeing thugs to protect his grand daughter;

    John Villneff’s four grandchildren were playing video games inside his daughter’s home on the 6000 block of Rutland Street around 11 p.m. Wednesday when the men barged in and began to pistol-whip a 16-year-old boy.

    Three other children inside the home ran out next door to where Villneff lived. When he came out of his home, the assailants were fleeing the scene. But not before Villneff’s 12-year-old granddaughter, who said she recognized some of the attackers, snapped several photos of them with her iPad.

    Upon seeing this, one of the suspects fired several shots at the girl. But Villneff stepped in front of her, taking two bullets in the back. He died at the scene but not before calling his son to alert him of the attack.

    Bless you, John.

  • Thousands turn out to welcome fallen comrade to Fort Drum


    AMANDA MORRISON / WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES
    The hearse carrying the remains of Sgt. Daniel A. Rodriguez drives past formations of soldiers lining the road out of Wheeler-Sack Airfield.

    The Watertown Daily Times reports that thousands of Fort Drum soldiers turned out on Wheeler-Sack Airfield to welcome home Sgt. Daniel A. Rodriguez from Afghanistan;

    With several thousand soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division and hundreds of motorcyclists from the Patriot Riders paying their respects, about 15 members of Sgt. Rodriguez’s family gathered for the fallen soldier’s final return home in a somber ceremony Sunday evening.

    Sgt. Rodriguez, 28, of Baltimore, was killed on July 18 in Ghazni City, Afghanistan, when the vehicle he was riding in was hit by an improvised explosive device. The attack also killed one other soldier and injured at least one more.

    Sgt. Rodriguez was a heavy vehicle driver with the 110th Transportation Company, 548th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade.

  • MAFFS-7 Memorials

    HM2 FMF-SW Ret felt guilty that when he sent us the link to the funeral of Air Force Major Ryan Scott David in Blowing Rock, North Carolina yesterday that he neglected the other members of the Mobile (or Modular – conflicting research) Airborne FireFighting System 7 (MAFF-7) who were killed in the crash the four killed in the crash were;

    Lt. Col. Paul Mikeal, 42, of Mooresville; Maj. Joseph McCormick, 36, of Belmont; Maj. Rayan David, 35, of Boone and Master Sgt. Robert Cannon, 36, of Charlotte

    The Departments of Interior and Agriculture memorialized the four crewmen, as well as the North Carolina Air National Guard.
    (more…)

  • Major Ryan Scott David funeral

    HM2 FMF-SW Ret sends us news that Air Force Major Ryan Scott David was memorialized this weekend in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Major David was one of the crew members of the C130 that went down killing four while fighting fires in Colorado South Dakota last week;

    Servicemen, family, friends and various onlookers lined Rivers Street and Holmes Drive as the funeral procession guiding fallen airmen Major Ryan David’s body arrived at the Holmes Convocation Center for his funeral this afternoon.

    The Caisson Unit, driven by four black stallions and seven N.C. Highway Patrol Officers, carried David’s casket and about 50 Air National Guardsmen marched behind as mourners gave their final respects to the Boone native.

    HM2 FMF-SW Ret, who attended the funeral with his daughter says there were about 50 PGR in attendence as well. Major David’s obit says that he was a GWOT veteran, too;

    On Sunday July 1, 2012 Major Ryan Scott David, age 35, of Boone passed away in South Dakota while serving his country. He was one of the four crew members who perished on the MAFFS #7 C-130 fighting the White Draw Fire near Edgemont, SD. He was born April 3, 1977 in Bellevue, NE. Major David was an experienced highly decorated navigator and a member of the NC National Guard 145th Air Lift Wing based in Charlotte. Prior to joining the Guard, he had over 10 years of active duty experience in the US Air Force and served on multiple deployments to Southwest Asia.

  • Six Airmen come home after 47 years

    SGT K sends us this link to an article in Fox News/Associated Press about 6 airman shot down over Laos in 1965 who are finally coming home;

    The burial comes after the recovery of remains in 2010 and 2011 by joint U.S.-Laotian search teams. Examiners relied on dental records, personal items recovered from the site and circumstantial evidence to conclude that the recovered remains are representative of all six Air Force servicemen: Col. Joseph Christiano of Rochester, N.Y.; Col. Derrell B. Jeffords of Florence, S.C.; Lt. Col. Dennis L. Eilers of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Chief Master Sgt. William K. Colwell of Glen Cove, N.Y.; Chief Master Sgt. Arden K. Hassenger of Lebanon, Ore.; and Chief Master Sgt. Larry C. Thornton of Idaho Falls, Idaho.

    The Air Force gave all six posthumous promotions, a military spokeswoman said.

    Welcome home.

  • No man left behind

    Ex-PH2 sends us a link to an article from ABC News about Lieutenant Emil Wasilewski who was shot down 68 years ago over what became East Germany where his body wasn’t discovered until 1991. A DNA search was finally satisfied with a sample from his nephew, so Wasilewski was buried at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday.

  • Brendan Haas Redux

    As jerry920 has pointed out in the comments to Jonn’s original article, it looks like the youngster will do it again.

    It seems that Disney heard what Brendan did and decided to reward him with another free trip to Disneyland. Brendan plans to give this one away, too – to another surviving family of a veteran who was KIA.

    Well done, Brendan – very well done. You’ve made veterans everywhere proud of you.

    Your parents have obviously raised you well. Kudos to them, too.

  • Honorable finish indeed.

    Here is something I found today. Just a forewarning, this will tug at the heart.

    A long illness claimed the life of 2nd Lt. Matt Blount Saturday. The Jacksonville man, diagnosed with cancer, had fought long to become a commissioned officer in the United States Army Reserve, which had become difficult because of his condition. Surrounded by loved ones at his home on Wednesday, he was sworn in and signed his oath, completing his lifelong dream.

    You know what? When people talk about why people in the military are respected. That when faced with a truly implacable opponent how would one reaction. For 2nd Lt. Matt Blount the answer was clear.

    He joined the Army ROTC program at Jacksonville State University in 2007, and received an overall “Excellence” rating at the Leaders Development and Assessment Course (LDAC) in 2009, and was in his senior year when he was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma (Bone Cancer).

    Not letting that slow him down, Matt completed all of his military science and academic coursework and requirements for commissioning, to include APFTs, while undergoing chemo-therapy in 2010.

    Take a few minutes to that that truly sink in. That he was doing physical training when there was every reason not to. This is important considering when a portion of the military that abuses sick call to avoid PT. If he is able to do this, we are capable of pushing yourself further. Something to think about.

    At any time after he found out about his diagnosis, Matt could have quit. He could have easily stopped learning, testing and working, but he kept going. He said that was because of a passion that is kept lit by his wife, Melinda Blount.

    “It was because of my dedication to my wife that I set my goal and kept going,” said Matt. “I could not have done it without her. She is my biggest supporter and advocate all the way through.”

    Very true words, I know that everything I have done and been able to do is because of the love and support from my better half.

    Most of this has been covered by our friends over at Blackfive.

    But there is one thing that I wanted to talk about why people want to imitate people like 2nd Lt. Matt Blount. Imitators like Daron Soard. Just like 2nd Lt. Matt Blount both wear 173rd as a combat patch. Unlike Daron Soard 2nd Lt. Matt Blount earned a combat patch from the 173rd. I cannot tell what his current unit is due to the ASU not having a a patch for the current unit. But I am willing to go out on a limb that he was in the unit. Oh and did I mention that 2nd Lt. Matt Blount has a CMB? Oh and unlike Daron Soard, 2nd Lt. Matt Blount’s diagnosis is not suspect.

    When it comes right down to it, it is how we handle adversity that defines who we are. Even though his body was not able to fight off the cancer, it a victory because he achieved his dream. That is something that the poser will never understand. EVER.