NEED to KNOW!!!! These Heroes!!!

Hispanic Heroes of the Union Army in the Civil War

During the conflict, three Hispanics, two of them sailors, won the Medal of Honor, just recently created by President Abraham Lincoln, for exceptional gallantry in combat. They were: Corporal Joseph H. De Castro, a member of Company 1, 19th Massachusetts Infantry; Seaman John Ortega, who served aboard the USS Saratoga and Seaman Philip Bazaar, a crew member of the USS Santiago de Cuba:
• De Castro, from Boston, was awarded the medal for his valor during Pickett's Charge in the Battle of Gettysburg. He was the first Hispanic so honored.
• Ortega, a Spanish immigrant, won the distinction during the South Atlantic Blockade and then Bazaar, a Chilean by birth, received the medal for his action during the attack of Fort Fisher.


Read more at Suite101: Hispanic Heroes of the Union Army in the Civil War | Suite101.com
http://www.suite101.com/content/hispanics-heroes-of-the-union-army-in-the-civil-war-a267057#ixzz1LZkgpvdQ

Canine Commando
Why did the military send a dog to help kill Bin Laden?
By Brian PalmerPosted Wednesday, May 4, 2011, at 5:54 PM ET

Elsewhere in Slate, if dogs of war aren't your thing, maybe you'd appreciate a brief history of the "cats of war." John Dickerson looks at Obama's poll numbers and Dahlia Lithwick says torture is still stupid and wrong. For the most up-to-date-coverage, visit the Slatest. Slate's complete coverage is here. At Foreign Policy, the man who caught al-Zarqawi explains why water-boarding is not the way to catch bad guys, and Leah Farrall digs deep into how al-Qaida will pick its new chief. Read FP's complete coverage here.
http://www.slate.com/id/2293034/?GT1=38001
Read more : http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/05/04/war_dog?page=0,0
More pictures also…

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Active June 1, 1942 – December 20, 1945 August 1, 1951 – June 1, 1974 October 1, 1975–present

Country United States

Branch United States Marine Corps

Type Light infantry
Role Locate, close with and destroy the enemy with fire and maneuver
Size ~800
Part of 3rd Marine Regiment
3rd Marine Division
Garrison/HQ Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Nickname "America's Battalion"
Motto "Fortuna Fortes Juvat" "Fortune Favors the Brave"
Anniversaries June 1 – Battalion Birthday
Engagements World War II • Bougainville campaign • Battle of Guam • Battle of Iwo Jima
Vietnam War• Operation Starlite • Battle of Hill 881 • Tet Offensive • May Offensive • Operation Taylor Common
Gulf War• Battle of Khafji
Afghan War• Korangal Valley • Helmand Province Campaign
Iraq War• Al Anbar Campaign o Haditha o Al-Karmah • Operation Defeat Al Qaeda in the North




Notable 3rd Battalion Marines
Colonel John Ripley commanded Lima Company during the Vietnam War.
Main article: List of decorated Marines from 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines
Among the many decorations for valor and bravery awarded to Marines from 3rd Battalion, four Medals of Honor and over twenty Navy Crosses have been awarded. In 1965, Corporal Robert O'Malley from India Company became the first Marine in the Vietnam War to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Two other Marines from 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines, Robert J. Modrzejewski (1958–1959) and Howard V. Lee (1959–1960), would later be awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam while serving with other units. Colonel John Ripley (hero of the bridge at Dong Ha) was in command of Lima Company in 1967, and the company was frequently referred to as "Ripley's Raiders".[150] One of his platoon commanders was former Major League Baseball player Chuck Goggin.[151] Oliver North served as a platoon commander in Kilo Company from 1968–1969[152] and Frank Tejeda, a Congressman from Texas, was a Kilo NCO for the same period.[153] In more recent years, General Charles Krulak, the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps served as Battalion Commander from 1983–1985 and is credited with giving 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines the nickname "America's Battalion". Both Medal of Honor nominee Dakota Meyer and Terminal Lance creator Maximilian Uriarte deployed with the battalion to Iraq in 2007, Meyer as a Scout Sniper and Uriarte as an MRAP turret gunner with India Company.[154][155]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Battalion,_3rd_Marines

Marines Employ Skills Learned on the Battlefield to Graduate in the Ivy League
By Ron Ralston Published May 15, 2011| FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/static/all/img/article/slideshow_397x224.png
Kevin Stendal
Their path to graduation began on the battlefield. Veterans of the war on terror, the skills they learned as Marines made it possible to endure rigorous Ivy League academics. But it's the corps buddy system – a brotherhood that looks out for each other – that got them here and helped them through to graduation.
“I wouldn't be here if I hadn't have joined the Marine Corps," Jason Lemieux, a veteran and soon-to-be graduate, said. "It just wouldn't have happened."
Jason Lemieux, a veteran who is set to graduate from Columbia University, said he would not have been at the school if not for joining the Marine Corps.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/15/columbia-university-marines-graduation/#?test=faces

Major Troy Scott


"We have the world's largest, baddest army," said Major Troy Scott of the Army National Guard, while explaining how easily stereotypes against other nations' militaries can often arise. "But when you're building a coalition, you have to get past those obstacles."
MAJ Scott ‘s deployment to eastern Afghanistan in 2008- his first and for which he has received a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and the Army Commendation Medal with Valor for his service- was spent in the company of those whom many back home may not have expected. Two thirds of the "Herculean" Task Force he commanded were members of the Polish military brigade - not American soldiers.
MAJ Scott was assigned as Senior U.S. Advisor to the Polish Military Contingent in Afghanistan, operating as the Deputy Commander of the 1200 man Task Force White Eagle- predominately Poles- from March 2008 to October 2008. It was the only coalition battalion-size task force under the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division.
On October 31, 2008 the Polish Military Contingent assumed responsibility of their own Brigade battle space, with MAJ Scott continuing on as advisor to the Polish brigade.

Read the rest of his story at: http://ourmilitaryheroes.defense.gov/profiles/scottT.html

Todays Real Hero
10 January 2011 By Port Elizabethan

A chance meeting while attending a function at Dower College a month before Christmas led me to meet a selfless man who to me deserves the hero accolade for this century. His name is Ronald Rondganger and with some other willing people, he has set up a Community Clinic in Cleary Park Shopping Centre, caring for the terminally ill, Rape Trauma victims, victims of Child abuse and anyone who is too poor to seek help elsewhere.

His daily routine is:

06.30 – 08.30 visit the terminally ill in their homes (likes the fact that families want to look after their relatives out of hospital so they may die with dignity)
08:30 – 15:30 At clinic giving help to the needy, sometimes this may mean taking someone to casualty at one of the government hospitals.
15:30 – 20:30 Hospital visits if required
And this happens 7 days a week.

Read the rest at http://mype.co.za/new/2011/01/todays-real-hero/

Colorado woman making history as part of all-female elite Army team
Deborah Takahara KDVR Denver 10:29 p.m. MDT, May 17, 2011

DENVER -- The U.S. Military Special Forces have gotten a lot of attention since a team of Navy SEALS found and killed Osama bin Laden. Now, another elite unit of our military is making history and a Colorado soldier is one of just 34 selected to be a part of this new team.

Staff Sgt. Jaclyn Scott has always wanted to be on the front lines.

"My brother was a Ranger when I was young, about 16," said Scott. "I remember going "Can I go through Ranger school?" He said, "No, you're a girl.""

But now, Staff Sgt. Scott has a chance to make history.

She is part of the Army's first ever Female Engagement Team, and she is about to deploy to Afghanistan.

http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-colorado-woman-making-history-as-part-of-allfemale-elite-army-team-20110517,0,4342829.story

My Nephew Chris Lister

With Mom & Sister

Here Now - Lejeune Marine to receive second Bronze Star
http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=WM&Date=20110305&Category=COLUMNIST&ArtNo=110309767&Ref=AR&Profile=1082&MaxW=600&border=0
Capt. Matthew Martin is about to receive his second Bronze Star for valor. His wife, Michelle, was so proud that she contacted the StarNews to tell us about it.
The story of how he earned the two medals reflects how warfare has evolved in recent years. The first was for his part in actions to capture and hold two bridges in Iraq, a combat story that could almost have come from the World War II movie “Saving Private Ryan.”
The second Bronze Star, which he expects to receive next month, is for the how he led a company into a lawless area of Afghanistan, destroying poppy fields and holding meetings, or “shuras,” with village elders.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110305/COLUMNIST/110309767/1082/news?p=1&tc=pg

"It was nothing like I expected," admitted MAJ Mark Thompson of his months spent in Baghdad, Iraq last year, his first deployment.
Stationed at Victory Base Camp (VBC), MAJ Thompson spent a portion of his time in theater in a place most would not imagine of someone deployed with the 11th Military Police Brigade: near a playground.
Originally deployed as a MP Task Force/Brigade G2 (Intelligence officer), MAJ Thompson was remissioned soon after arriving in Iraq. He was selected to serve as commander of a high-value detainee facility located at VBC.

http://ourmilitaryheroes.defense.gov/profiles/thompsonM.html