Listening to Our Better Angels

Civilians evacuating at Hungnam

“I have always thought of Christmas as a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time.” – Fred, the nephew of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol With the holiday season once again upon us, Americans from all walks of life – and every race, creed, and religion – become observers, and in many cases, active…

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Jimmy Stewart’s Wonderful Life

Lt. Gen. Valin, Chief of Staff, French Air Force, awards the Croix De Guerre with Palm to Col. Jimmy Stewart for exceptional services in the liberation. (U.S. Air Force photo)

With the holiday season once again upon us, it’s time to share a story I wrote a year ago about Jimmy Stewart. I’ve always admired the Academy-award winning actor for his role in the classic Christmas movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life,” and for his service as WWII bomber pilot. But it wasn’t until I started researching his…

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A Country Worth Fighting For

Marines landing at Guadacanal (PC: Karl Soule, USMC Archives)

http://nedforney.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/A-Country-Worth-Fighting-For.mp3 “If this country is worth living in, it’s worth fighting for. There is no set pattern – no time when you can say you’ve done enough.” – Albert Ireland, USMC, WWII and Korean War veteran, 9-time Purple Heart recipient Born in Cold Spring, New York, during the final months of WWI, Albert L. Ireland seemed…

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We’ll Go Down Fighting Like Marines

Marines fighting their way through Seoul, September 1950. (PC: USMC)

“Hang on, Bert. I’m coming to get you!” – Medal of Honor recipient PFC Gene Obregon to his buddy, PFC Bert Johnson, during a firefight in Seoul Athletic, witty, and hard working, Eugene “Gene” Obregon, was the kind of kid everyone liked. Born on November 12, 1930, in Los Angeles, California, he graduated from LA’s Theodore Roosevelt…

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They Stood Proud and Strong

Marines begin the long, cold trek to Hungnam, many would not survive.

“We grunts never knew, one day from the next, where we were or what we were accomplishing. The mountains, valleys, stinking rice paddies, and frozen mountains all seemed the same to us. We were living and dying in our own violent little world.” – Marine serving during the Korean War with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines The…

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So Much Life Ahead of Him

Light Armored Vehicle in the California desert

As we salute our brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces this weekend, we’re reminded that over 2 million current service members are stationed at military bases throughout the US and more than 160 countries on all seven continents. And they have one of the toughest jobs around. They endure long hours,…

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The Fighting Irish of the Korean War

Marines manning an outpost in Korea, 1952. The static, bloody, trench warfare resembled that of WWI.

As a young boy, I remember how proud my grandfather, Patrick J. Sullivan, was of his Irish ancestry. As the son of an Irish immigrant from County Kerry, he was also proud of the USA and everything it stood for. From his humble beginnings in Holyoke, Massachusetts, to his international career as a US Public…

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