This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Cindy

Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Davila
From Sierra Vista, Arizona

On the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States, Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Davila raised an American flag over Camp Korean Village, Iraq, he brought with him from Arizona.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008, Sierra Vista firefighter and emergency medical technician Chris Davila presented that flag to Fire Chief Randy Redmond as fellow firefighters looked on. Monday, May 5, 2008, was Davila’s first day back on the job with the department after being gone for nearly nine months, with seven of those months deployed as a Navy Reserve corpsman serving with a Marine unit near the Jordanian and Syrian border area in Iraq.

And, as luck would have it, on his first shift saw him responding to a blaze in Sierra Vista. “Right back to work,” he said with a laugh.

You can read the rest of PO 2nd Class Davila’s story here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

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.

CSM Robert Prosser and LTC Erik Kurilla
1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment (Deuce Four)

LTC. Erik Kurilla and CSM. Robert Prosser’s story is an amazing one. One that Michael Yon has told far better than I ever could. Warning. The site contains very graphic images. Some may want to turn off images before viewing.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

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.

I love our Soldiers!!! They can find humor in horrible situations and …. love chocolate. I really love them.

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Disclaimer: trackbacks to this post do not necessarily represent the opinions or standards of the Blue Star Chronicles.

More great posts trackbacked below …

Sergeant Merlin German became known as the Miracle Marine after he survived an IED blast in 2005 with burns over 97% of his body. German died of complications from his injuries on April 11, 2008 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio Texas. Read more about him below. You can also see photos and videos of him below.

Merlin German

Marine Sgt. Merlin German became a symbol of resilience as he struggled to survive and thrive after an IED roadside bomb destroyed his body, burning him over 95% of his body, on February 22, 2005 in Anbar Provice Iraq.

He died on April 11th, but the word of his death has just been made public. He died following yet another surgery to graft skin onto his lips. He was 22 years old.

Merlin German had been a turret gunner when he was wounded. He was called the ‘Miracle Marine’ because he not only survived, but exhibited an awesome determination to face his wounds head on and live his life within the parameters of his abilities. He went through over 100 surgeries and spent over 17 months in the hospital. He had to learn to walk again. He showed a courage and strength of character that is uncommon in any man, especially one so young.

“Sometimes I do think I can’t do it,” Sgt. German said last year. “Then I think: Why not? I can do whatever I want. … Nobody has ever been 97 percent dead and survived, and lived to walk.”

While he was in treatment, German started a charity called Merlin’s Miracles. The focus of Merlin’s Miracles is to help children burn victims.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that the California State Capitol’s flags would be flown at half-staff in Sgt German’s honor as German had been stationed at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside California. Gov. Schwarzenegger said the sergeant’s “courage and unfailing loyalty serve as an inspiration to Americans everywhere.”

Sergeant Merlin German was born on November 15, 1985 in New York City. He moved to the Washington Heights suburbs as a teen. His mother, Lourdes, worked in a doll factory and his father was a carpenter. They retired in 2001 to move back to the Dominican Republic. Merlin and his sister Ariel insisted on staying in New York. Merlin graduated from Woodlands High School in Westchester County in 2003.

He enlisted in the United States Marine Corp in September 8 2003 at 17 years of age. He was deployed with his unit to Iraq in 2004. When he was injured, the only part of his body that wasn’t burned was the top of his head and the soles of his feet. He was medically retired from the Marine Corp on September 28, 2007.

Sgt. Marlin German was so determined that in December 2006 he asked his mother to dance at the hospital’s annual holiday ball. It was a surprise to everyone and brought everyone to tears.

Recently, Sgt German was considering going to college and thinking about a future career.

Merlin German - Photos

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Mary Ann

Wednesday Hero was started to put a face to the men and women of the American Armed Forces and what they do for us. Vary rarely has there been a member of a foreign military profiled. In fact, in the two years Wednesday Hero’s been going on it’s only been done once before. Here’s the second.

Lance Corporal Matt Croucher
24 years old from Birmingham, England
40 Commando Royal Marines

L/Cpl Matt Croucher is not only one of the bravest men alive, he’s also one of the luckiest men alive. On the morning of February 9, 2008 L/Cpl. and his unit were searching a compound near Sangin in Afghanistan that was suspected of being used to make bombs to be used in attacks on British and Afghan troops. Walking in the darkness among a group of four men, Croucher stepped into a tripwire that pulled the pin from a boobytrap grenade. His patrol commander, Corporal Adam Lesley, remembered Croucher shouting “Grenade!”

As others dived for cover, Croucher did something nobody expected. He lay down on the grenade to smother the blast. Lesley got on the ground, another man got behind a wall, but the last member of the patrol was still standing in the open when the grenade went off.

“My reaction was, ‘My God this can’t be real’,” said Lesley. “Croucher had simply lain back and used his day sack to blunt the force of the explosion. You would expect nine out of 10 people to die in that situation.” L/Cpl. Croucher was that 1/10. Not only did he survive, amazingly he only suffered shock from the blast and a bloody nose. He was saved by the special plating inside his Osprey body armor. The backpack he was wearing was thrown more than 30ft by the blast.

“I felt one of the lads giving me a top to toe check. My head was ringing. Blood was streaming from my nose. It took 30 seconds before I realized I was definitely not dead,” said L/Cpl. Croucher.

For his actions that day, L/Cpl. Croucher was in line for the Victoria Cross, the highest award for a British Serviceman, but it has yet to be awarded.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

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.

Cpl. Markbradley Vincze (Photo)

Cpl. Markbradley Vincze gives students from al-Raqhaa School backpacks in the Monsouri area of Iraq. Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1-76th FA, 4th BCT, 3rd Inf. Div., delivered backpacks, soccer balls and notebooks.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

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.

The video above is the US Army Chorus performing “Battle Hymn of the Republic” on White House Lawn for Pope Benedict on April 16, 2008. It is absolutely fantastic!

tiara tip: Fausta’s Blog

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Disclaimer: trackbacks to this post do not necessarily represent the opinions or standards of the Blue Star Chronicles.

More great posts trackbacked below …

Major Mark E. Rosenberg
32 years old from Miami Lakes, Florida
3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
April 8, 2008

Mark Rosenberg grew up in South Florida. “All boy,” his aunt, Madelyn Rosenberg, remembers. “Very active, but very lovable.” As long as she can recall, Maj. Rosenberg wanted a military career like his father, Burton Rosenberg, had.

He attended New Mexico Military Institute and entered the Army in 1996. Later, he met a woman, Julie, and they
married one day after his sister’s wedding. He and Julie had two boys, now 3 and 22 months. They settled in Colorado near Fort Carson, where he was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division.

Maj. Rosenberg was on his second tour of duty when the Humvee he was riding in was struck by an IED in Baghdad.

“He would say he’s over there to do a job,” Madelyn Rosenberg remembered. “He loved what he was doing.”

These
brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

UPDATE: Thanks to Kat for finding the link to the video from the ceremony today.

I just caught the tail end of the award ceremony of President Bush awarding the Medal of Honor to Petty Officer Michael Monsoor. The President had a difficult time maintaining his composure. So did I.

I just can’t imagine how his parents deal with this except to know the great honor that Michael Monsoor brought upon himself. He died to save his comrades. He showed extraordinary bravery and love for others. There are no words that adequately express the gratitude I have that we have young men like this in our country and the sadness I feel that they are so soon taken from us.

Others honoring Michael Monsoor: Hot Air, Michelle Malkin, A Lady’s Ruminations, Sparks from the Anvil, STACLU, Blackfive, RedState, Newsbusters

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Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Leaning Straight Up, Pursuing Holiness, Adeline and Hazel, D equals S, Chuck’s Place, Pirate’s Cove, A Newt One- Coverage of Vets on the hill!, The Pink Flamingo, Celebrity Smack, A Newt One- Don’t miss this show!, A Newt One, Dumb Ox Daily News, Rant it Up, Right Voices, A Blog For All, 123beta, Adam’s Blog, Maggie’s Notebook, The Christian Nationalist, Cao’s Blog, Nuke Gingrich, Allie is Wired, McCain Blogs, The World According to Carl, Oblogatory Anecdotes - Photoshop Montage/Open Trackbacks, Beagle Scout, Tilting At Windmill Farms, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

ABC news sent a reporter deep into the danger zones of Iraq to find out who American Soldiers are going to vote for for President. The reporter came away with some shocking sentiments from the Soldiers. For instance, she found out that Soldiers think about home and would like to be at home!!!! SHOCKING!!!!

“We think about how our families are doing back home. That’s a major concern, like how the economy is doing, also as well as where we’re going to be in the future. Because really, truly, what we consider we’re doing, we’re doing a valuable job, we want to make sure that the efforts we make are appreciated.”

The reporter also found out that the Troops are too engaged in what is going on there to keep up with politics back home. Lord. Have. Mercy! In a war zone they aren’t tuning in to CNN every night to see what the latest gossip is or how far they are going to have to go to willingly suspend disbelief in order to vote for someone this fall. Tsk. Tsk.

I don’t know what the Soldiers are so busy doing over there that they can’t chill out in the evening and tune in to ABC for the nightly Obama love fest!!! They didn’t have to work nearly as hard as this particular reporter had to work. She searched until she found three Soldiers who she could contort quotes from that could be construed to mean that they are going to vote for Barack Obama for President!

Now they can report that the military backs Obama for President!

Well done little ABC reporter! Well done! You know that had to be a difficult task, but she accomplished it. I hope she gets a big bonus for her efforts or a raise or a promotion. Its well deserved.

Tune in to ABC for more of The Love of Obama!

c/p: McCain Blogs

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Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Leaning Straight Up, Pursuing Holiness, Adeline and Hazel, D equals S, Chuck’s Place, Pirate’s Cove, A Newt One- Coverage of Vets on the hill!, The Pink Flamingo, Celebrity Smack, A Newt One- Don’t miss this show!, A Newt One, Dumb Ox Daily News, Rant it Up, Right Voices, A Blog For All, 123beta, Adam’s Blog, Maggie’s Notebook, The Christian Nationalist, Cao’s Blog, Nuke Gingrich, Allie is Wired, McCain Blogs, The World According to Carl, Oblogatory Anecdotes - Photoshop Montage/Open Trackbacks, Beagle Scout, Tilting At Windmill Farms, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

The Bush administration plans to announce next week that U.S. soldiers’ combat tours will be reduced from 15 months to 12 months in Iraq and Afghanistan beginning later this summer, The Associated Press has learned.

The decision, expected to get final, formal approval in the days ahead, comes as Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, prepares to deliver a progress report to Congress next week on the improved security situation there. He is also expected to make recommendations for future troop levels.

A senior administration official said Friday that plans are to deploy soldiers for 12 months, then give them 12 months rest time at home. Exactly which units would be affected is not yet clear. The official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the decision to extend deployments from 12 to 15 months last year, because that was the only way the Army could provide enough troops for the Bush-ordered military buildup aimed at quelling the violence in Baghdad.

Ever since, Gates; Gen. George Casey, Army chief of staff; and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have said they wanted to go back to 12 month tours as soon as possible.

Casey has pushed shorter deployments to reduce the strain on troops battered by long and repeated tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. But that goal has been hindered by the security demands in Iraq.

Officials have been publicly tightlipped in recent days about the move to reduce the tours.

Gates said Friday he expected a decision by President Bush “fairly soon” on the Army’s proposal. But he also cautioned that cutting troops’ time on the battlefront will impose limits on what the military can do in the future.

“So I think the bottom line is, we’re all still looking at that. But I think we’ll have a better idea of what we think we can do, what we ought to do, in the fairly near future,” Gates told reporters Friday.

What the future holds for troops in Iraq will become clearer when Petraeus goes before congressional committees Tuesday.

I am so glad they are doing this. Fifteen months is just too long. A 12 month tour is much more reasonable when the guys are looking at multiple deployments.

read more | digg story

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Mary Ann

Spc. Jeffrey Jamaleldine
Company C, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor

“How can I say to my sons, stand up for something, fight for what you think is right, if I don’t do anything myself?”

The Jeffrey Jamaleldine that you speak to today is a complete 180 from the Jeffrey Jamaleldine that you would have spoke to in the past. In 1991, Jamaleldin was living in Germany when joined in anti-American protests on Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm boulevard during Operation Desert Storm. “That was the way it was back then,” he says. He was 15 and “America was simply the enemy.” And today, Jeffery Jamaleldine is a wounded veteran of the U.S. Army. On June 6, 2005, after the terror bombing in Madrid, Spain, in the middle of the Iraq war, he showed up at the U.S. Army recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas, to enlist. His father, Bashir, told him at the time: “Son, this won’t be a picnic.”

On June 30, Jamaleldine was on patrol in Ramadi, Iraq. The patrol ahead of him had been ambushed by at least 70 combatants and were now under fire. During the fight, Spc. Jeffrey Jamaleldine was hit in the face by a bullet. In the end, the battle lasted into the next morning and the soldiers were able to stop the enemy from returning to Ramadi.

The article on Spc. Jeffrey Jamaleldine is five pages long, and I simply can not condense it down to only a few paragraphs. You can read the entire story here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

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.