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#1 |
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FALaholic #: 63995 Join Date: Aug 2011
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From Rocker To Decorated Special Forces Hero
A long but interesting read.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/ma...anted=all&_r=0 The Rock ’n’ Roll Casualty Who Became a War Hero |
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#2 |
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Thanks, I enjoyed reading that!
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#3 |
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FALaholic #: 4378 Join Date: Oct 2001
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Thanks. Great story!
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"The constitution is not a bunch of suggestions. It's the law." "People will chew and swallow an entire sweet and delicious brick of lies. And enjoy it. Rather than taste one bitter grain of truth. No wonder they are hoodwinked so easily." "I don't run with lemmings...even well armed ones." "If we had as many misconceptions about the FN FAL as we do about the constitution. The body count from accidents would be much, much higher around here." |
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#4 |
Arrogant Bastard
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I read most of it, but I couldn't find the part where he was a war hero. I was expecting a Bronze star with V at a minimum. All I got was some guy served.
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T. Mark Graham, Master Gunsmith Arizona Response Systems, LLC ![]() |
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#5 | |
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Quote:
No idea what depth... |
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#6 |
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Read it:
"In Everman’s cabin, I saw medal after medal, including the coveted Combat Infantryman Badge. “Sounds kind of Boy Scouty,” he said. “But it’s actually something cool." What? He has to brag about his medals and tell you all the stories or it never happened or something? He probably doesn't talk about them because he's that kinda guy. ![]()
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"The constitution is not a bunch of suggestions. It's the law." "People will chew and swallow an entire sweet and delicious brick of lies. And enjoy it. Rather than taste one bitter grain of truth. No wonder they are hoodwinked so easily." "I don't run with lemmings...even well armed ones." "If we had as many misconceptions about the FN FAL as we do about the constitution. The body count from accidents would be much, much higher around here." |
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#7 |
FALaholic #: 155 Join Date: Jul 2000
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CIB sits at the top of the stack, trumped only by the MOH
Told to me by a 3-tour combat vet, Korea 1950-51, Vietnam 63-64 & 68-69, US Army infantry Think about it......
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"A lot of what is taken for engineering fact is nothing more than somebody`s opinion when you dig into it far enough." Henry "Smokey" Yunick, 1923-2001 "I don`t care where I`m going, I`m just here to ride the train" Some bluegrass song I heard on the radio |
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#8 |
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Armed Curmudgeon FALaholic #: 12090 Join Date: Oct 2003
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Compared to what I had to put up with in the late 60's and early 70's, anybody who serves in active duty today, especially those who have been in combat, are heroes to me. They wrote a check so that others didn't have to. So he IS a hero.
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Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you. Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. Schools uses to start with the "three R's". Reading, writing, and arithmetic. Now they start with the "three D's". Dipshitery, Dumbassery, and Douchebaggery-Retired Bum If you do in fact have a problem, you have the rest of your life to solve it. How long your life lasts only depends on how well you solve it. |
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#9 |
Arrogant Bastard
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when everyone is a hero, nobody is a hero.
Your philosophy is the same that gives trophies to every athlete "for participation". The Army hands out awards like a PEZ candy dispenser. ARCOMs for making "the best pork chops the general has ever tasted". Bronze stars for showing up (if you are active duty - your National Guard members serving in the same platoon are unworthy). CIBs for merely landing with a supply plane in a secured airport. So a bronze star today doesn't mean shit. Unless it has a V, then it probably matters. Todays' bronze star is yesterday's letter of appreciation. Anytime someone talks about "secret missions" my first suspicion is they are full of shit. Yes, US forces went to a number of Latin American countries to help their governments burn out the crops of their competitors. Mostly aviation assets and "advisers". I'm not saying it is impossible, but it is highly unlikely to deploy Rangers in any size smaller than a company. And as "shock troops" it is even more rare for Ranger operations to remain out of the newspaper. So my bullshit meter isn't off the dial, but it is twitching. Lets break it down. A fellow soldier named Sean Walker told me that Ranger instructors begin by asking recruits to quit now to save time. “You had to pass a 12-mile road march in three hours or less,” Walker said, “run 5 miles in 40 minutes or less, complete the combat-swimmers test, as well as other evils the cadre decided to throw at you.” Half the recruits quit. But Everman refused to let himself be left behind this time. He completed every last requirement. OSUT Basic + AIT, volunteer for airborne school. Then volunteer for RIP (Ranger Indoctrination). That's the only way he'd see a ranger instructor before a year of service. So it must be RIP he's talking about, not Ranger School. This is a simple weeding out program for assignment to a Ranger BN. Cheaper than shipping a guy to a unit and having him quit there. Notice it is a 3rd party giving this description. Since he went to Lewis on a 4 year hitch. 93 -96 or maybe early '97. that would be 2nd Bat. McCrystal was the commander at the time. Did they run drug interdiction missions? Maybe. Was it "combat" or simply providing security? It's certainly not secret. Hey - kudos for serving. Kudos for making it to the Rangers. Kudos for making SF. But when the title of an article includes "war hero" I kindof expected some evidence that he was a war hero. There is none. Just a guy who served well and honorably alongside tens of thousands of others. When everyone is a hero, nobody is a hero.
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T. Mark Graham, Master Gunsmith Arizona Response Systems, LLC ![]() Last edited by gunplumber; July 07, 2013 at 11:06. |
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#10 | |
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![]() Quote:
Per usual, Mark stated it best. I could not read beyond the first sentence in the second paragraph of the article. . . the writing contained within made me want to gag due to the blatant sensationalism and exaggeration.
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing." ~Edmund Burke Last edited by Garys4598; July 07, 2013 at 15:25. |
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#11 |
Remaining Vigilant 3-7-77
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The guy found his place and was at peace. He did serve his country. Maybe "Hero" is a bit strong, but he did his part, and that of it's own is all I could ever ask.
Seems to me that "heros" are many times, the result of someone else's blunder and the "hero" just did what he had to do to keep his brothers-in-arms alive. He overcame his personal challenges and fought for his country on many battlefields. Every heroic action and deed does not receive a medal. There are a lot more heroes than medals to go around in my book, but then again the Marines don't hand out medals for standing watch either. There are a lot of "heros" out there and if the circumstances fall just right, or wrong, there will medals and awards handed out. Now if you're talking Audey Murphy or Sgt. York....that's a whole different story, or is it? |
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#12 | |
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A sucking chest wound is God's way of telling you that you will take no further part in the firefight. God is on the side, not of the big battalions, but of the best shots- Voltaire “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money." -Alexis de Tocqueville |
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#13 |
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I'm a fireman and yes I've been called a "hero". I have saved people before with the help of the people I work with. We get paid to do it. I hate being called a "hero" for choosing to do a job I get paid to do. Lots of people fawn over it and I get uncomfortable.
There was talk of handing out ribbons and shit like that for our service and most of the guys I work with said it was stupid.
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ORO Y PLATA! ~Pain By Steel Rain~ R 5/10 2nd Mar Div |
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