Posts Tagged ‘Congressional Medal of Honor’
I Don’t Hate Nobody Because Life Is So Short
“When I became a citizen it was one of the happiest days in my life . . . [the US] is the best country in the world, and I’m part of it.” – Tibor Rubin He survived more than a year in a Nazi concentration camp, was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in…
Read MoreA Memorial Day “Murph”
While doing research on US Navy SEAL Lt. Michael “Murph” Murphy for a Facebook post I wrote on the anniversary of his birthday, I learned about the “Murph,” a high intensity workout developed by the late Medal of Honor recipient. Every Memorial Day, thousands of CrossFit fans and military personnel participate in the “Murph Challenge,”…
Read MoreWe’ll Go Down Fighting Like Marines
“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…
Read MoreHonor, Courage, Commitment
He never forgot the sight. Passing through Pearl Harbor on his way to the Marshall Islands during WWII, 17-year-old J. Robert “Bob” Lunney witnessed, for the first time in his life, the carnage of war: capsized and damaged ships, oil-stained water, and battle-scarred buildings. As a young sailor from the Bronx, his brief time at…
Read MoreOne Terrifying Night, Two Heroic Marines
In the early morning hours of May 28, 1952, two Marines, one in Company A and the other in Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, made one last check of their gear, grabbed their rifles, and prepared to move out. Their respective platoons were about to launch an attack against Chinese units…
Read MoreDoolittle Raiders: Mission Completed
Seventy-seven years ago today, one of the most storied and dangerous bombing missions of WWII began. The Doolittle Raiders, as the 80 men in the top-secret mission were called, were on their way to strike a blow at the heart of the Japanese empire: Tokyo. On April 18, 1942, as the first of 16 Army…
Read MoreThe Bravest Man I Ever Knew
“My God, to witness him sing the national anthem in response to having a rifle pointed at his face – well, that was something to behold. Unforgettable.” – John McCain A tribute to George “Bud” Day, one of the most decorated veterans in US history and the only person to be awarded the Medal of…
Read MoreA Marine for All Time
John Stevens, the steely-eyed, tireless Marine who fought in World War II and Korea and played a major role in establishing the Korean War Memorial Foundation’s memorial to Korean War veterans at the Presidio, passed away on May 25, 2021, just four weeks after celebrating his 100th birthday. During his 23 years as a Marine,…
Read MoreOn the East Side of Chosin
As the helicopter took off and disappeared over the North Korean mountains, Lt. Col. Don Faith, watching from his desolate, wind-swept command post at Chosin Reservoir, threw his newly awarded Silver Star into the snow. After enduring a horrific night of fighting against overwhelming Chinese forces, his commanding officer had just ordered him and his…
Read MoreTwo Medal Of Honor Recipients, One Small Town
With just a few elementary schools, a middle and high school, two hospitals, a community center, a “busy” main street, and 13,000 residents, South Charleston, West Virginia, is an all-American community like thousands of others across the country. But there’s something special about the small town that sets it apart from the rest. South Charleston…
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