There’s great story at Stars and Stripes of SSG Brandon Camacho, “The Bullet Magnet”. A teaser;
Struck by shrapnel during heavy mortar bombardment in Iraq in 2003, Camacho has since been grazed by one bullet, hit in the shoulder with a tracer round and finally, in June, shot in the arm. His men call him “The Bullet Magnet” and joke that since all his injuries have been on his left side, if they just stand to his right, they’ll be fine.
I’ve got a meeting and I’ll be back soon (I hope).
This post will remain on top of this blog from August 15th until August 18th to commemorate these young men to counteract the intellectually vacant Leftwing media which has been stroking the old hippies.
Scroll for newer posts.
For the bulk of the past month, our attentions have been captured by a host of things…important things, like; jackass wannabe dictators attempting to thwart their nation’s own constitution, Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush calling it quits (I really had high hopes for those kids), iPhone prices drop to a “mere” $250, we got a new Harry Potter movie which apparently a few people went to go see, birthers got a few moments in the sun when they got a shout out from their homey Press Secretary Whatshisface, Sarah Palin resigns from her gig as governor of that state where Deadliest Catch is filmed, then we got a few steps closer to Sonia Sotomayor (apparently a wise Latina or something) replacing some old white dude on the Supreme Court, then there’s the situation in Cambridge Mass where Steve Urkel’s dad broke into his own house and the cops lured him into their squad car using copies of Computer Shopper and MAD magazine (at least that’s my understanding of the situation), and last but not least, there’s this whole healthcare thing which is so amazingly complicated, even John Conyers and Bill Mayer can’t be bothered to read all 1000+ pages of it, much less look up the definition of the words ‘douchebag’ or ‘ironic’.
With all of these clearly important things going on, halfway across the globe, a few other things failed to get much of a mention. I’d like to at least attempt to rectify that a little. Below is a list of honored dead. They probably never made it on to television, or wrote a bestseller, or had a shot at being wisely appointed to replace a left wing retard for a lifetime political appointment, but I’m nearly certain that in each and every case, they had a mom and dad who will cry a little harder during Christmas, many will have a loved one wake up in the morning to an empty bed, a child or two will lament that only one of their parents will be there to see them off to their first day of school next month, a sister or brother will feel a little more lonely while watching a beloved family video. Forty-nine US soldiers have perished in Iraq and Afghanistan this month so far, and God willing, that number won’t creep higher, but I wouldn’t spend an inordinate amount of time looking for that fact on the front pages of any newspaper, or look for it crawling across the bottom of MSNBC. Gone are the days of the media criticizing the Global War On Islamist Terror, assuming you can even find anyone willing to call it that. They deserve better.
Susan sent us this story about a World War II veteran who was shot down and captured by Germans then returned home to continue serving by matching service dog’s with this generation’s wounded warriors (Fox News link).
“It is a shame.” Stovroff says about the lack of an official federal program that pairs up battle-injured veterans with guide and therapy animals that can greatly improve their rehabilitation. “I wanted to do something about it.”
Stovroff has raised nearly $2 million dollars to help train and match up service canines with wounded combat vets. Stovroff is also pushing lawmakers for federal funding to finance the program that he says has received lots of bi-partisan praise.
Stovroff is not someone who shirks away from a tough mission.
Stovroff is not just a World War II vet, but a Distinguished Flying Cross recipient whose own personal tale reads like a Hollywood movie.
You should read the whole story because I can’t do it justice here.
As many of you know, I’m blessed by geography because every Saturday morning I get to have my favorite breakfast (Army SOS on scrambled eggs and a biscuit) with my favorite people (those young people who’ve paid the price for my freedom) at the Walter Reed messhall. No matter how I feel when I get there, my spirits are raised by the great attitudes I encounter there.
No matter what their injuries are, they always have a smile, they always have a firm hand shake and they’re always humble about their injuries and optimistic about their futures.
The hardest part, though, is to look into the eyes of 20-something wives faced with an uncertain future of caring for the men they love unconditionally. I just want to give them all a hug if it didn’t make me look like a dirty old man (mostly because I’m unclean and an old man).
Well, the good news is that Congress is considering a bill to improve the support for family caregivers next week in House Resolution 3155 – Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act (you can see it at thomas.loc.gov). I’m no lawyer, but looking at the resolution and the U.S. Code that it modifies (38 U.S.C. 111, 1720B , 1720G, and 1782) it provides for training, counseling and lodging and subsistence for family caregivers.
According to the email TSO sent me;
The July 2007 report of the President’s Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors (Dole-Shalala Commission) found that of the 1,730 injured OEF/OIF veterans surveyed, about 21 percent of active duty, 15 percent of the reserve, and 24 percent of retired or separated service members had friends or family who gave up a job to be a caregiver.
This bill, by no means a panacea, goes a long way towards making a down payment on the debt we owe these wonderful young people.
The bill’s sponsor is Rep Michaud, Michael H. [ME-2] and the co-sponsors are;
Rep Brown, Corrine [FL-3] – 7/20/2009
Rep Crenshaw, Ander [FL-4] – 7/20/2009
Rep Donnelly, Joe [IN-2] – 7/9/2009
Rep Halvorson, Deborah L. [IL-11] – 7/9/2009
Rep Klein, Ron [FL-22] – 7/21/2009
Rep Rodriguez, Ciro D. [TX-23] – 7/9/2009
Rep Smith, Christopher H. [NJ-4] – 7/20/2009
Rep Teague, Harry [NM-2] – 7/9/2009
Rep Wolf, Frank R. [VA-10] – 7/21/2009
So I’m calling my uber-Leftist Congressman Chris VanHollen Monday and find out why he’s not a co-sponsor. I’m sure it’s not his fault.
In case you missed it, Blackfive was on Glen Beck this afternoon talking about Veteran Care.
If you care, click the Warrior Legacy Foundation button in the top right corner of this blog, join and donate.
Retention will probably drop among the Taliban over the next few weeks when they get the news that the paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team are headed back there this winter according to the Stars & Stripes;
The country is becoming a second home for the “Sky Soldiers,” who served previous rotations in Afghanistan in 2005-2006 and 2007-2008. The announcement didn’t specify a date the deployment would start or mention where the soldiers would be deployed.
It said two units — the 173rd and the 3rd Brigade Combat Team from the 101st Airborne Division — would “replace forces currently deployed in Afghanistan. …”
You’ve probably heard the story of the battle of Wanat in Afghanistan which happened a year ago this morning. A platoon of US paratroopers held off successfully over two hundred Taliban. Nine Americans lost their lives and Tankerbabe tells you their stories along with some photos of the time she spent with some of the survivors this past weekend.
Uncle Jimbo provides links to some of the excellent posts at Blackfive on the subject.
At the Castle ARGGHHH! the late CPL Jonathon Ayers is honored as the Soldier of the Week.
Everyday I’m in awe of all of the folks who stand between us and them.