Who was/is GI Joe?

JOHN W. RIPLEY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdpQY_sCL7I

Perhaps you had GI Joe dolls-excuse me-action figures when you were a kid- or your brother did. Did you know that GI Joe was a real man-a Marine who was born in PA of parents who had come from Serbia?

GI Joe named Mitchell Paige a United States Marine was awarded the Medal of Honor for his role in defeating an Imperial Japanese regiment all by himself after all of his fellow Marines had fallen in the fight/action in the Battle of Guadalcanal on October 26, 1942.

The rest of the page are his words and the links to some of the pages on the web. Go there and be inspired again by a Real American Hero.

“I am proud to be a citizen of a nation whose objective is peace and goodwill for all mankind. A nation which has contributed so much for the benefit of peoples all over the world. A nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all. I am proud to be an American. I can never believe it is old fashioned to love our Flag and Country nor can I ever believe it is being square to stand in readiness behind our flag to defend those ideals for which it stands against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

Mitch Paige, MOH

“Our history, with its heroes, is a truly necessary foundation for every American boy and girl,” Mitch wrote for fellow MOH recipient Pete Lemon’s 1997 book Beyond the Medal. “Without this knowledge, how can they understand why our nation became the great country that it is today?”

We hope through this modern means of sharing ideas, we can be of some service to others to inspire patriotism and an appreciation for what it means to be an American.

I will never forget listening to the exciting stories of American history in my school when I was a child. I learned all about the men who gave their lives to make this country free. We had to memorize all the great documents, such as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and John Adam’s magnificent, spine-tingling speech given on July 4, 1776, in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, when our country was born. I can recite the speech by memory to this day. Every American should and must be familiar with the trials and tribulations experienced by our great Founding Fathers as they established the very bedrock of the United States of America.

This history, with its heroes, is a truly necessary foundation for every American boy and girl. Without this knowledge, how can they understand why our nation became the great country that it is today?”  (Above in quotes from Mitchell Paige’s web/bog site)

http://www.homeofheroes.com/mitch/index2.html

http://www.homeofheroes.com/mitch/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Paige

http://www.homeofheroes.com/mitch/03_mystory.html

“G.I. Joe & Lillie” – tribute in song from the Oakridge Boys (Thanks Lois and Pat for sending/sharing this—I’m going to give this one a tissue alert from the heart 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lQk27hPzZs

http://www.uulyrics.com/music/the-oak-ridge-boys/album-colors/

Project Valor IT

Today begins a fund raising drive by “Soldier Angels” “PROJECT VALOUR – IT” to help supply severely wounded servicemen a voice activated lap top (a portable computer that they can use/control with their voice and not rely on their hands (that may be damaged or missing.

http://www.soldiersangels.com/

For Tom

http://www.1rbn.com/webpages/news/DisplayNews.aspx?PT=state&state=LI&ID=470d34ef-eb8e-4cde-a37a-52afbb05f140
http://www.news12.com/LI/topstories/article?id=202123

Street renamed for Long Island soldier killed in Iraq
Play the video Long Island Mastic FD helps hold street dedication. By JOHN-PAUL WALTHERS Senior Correspondent 1st Responder Network Story Number 102807126 By John-Paul Walthers ELected officials present a copy of the sign to the Wilwerth family. Flag Hangs from Mastic FD ladder (5-12-14) outside of Headquarters. Mastic, NY. – On the Morning of October 23rd what would have been Specialist Thomas Wilwerth’s 23rd birthday instead became a day of remembrance. At about 10:45 AM members of the Mastic FD as well as local elected officials and community members gathered at the corner of Main Street and Mastic Road for a special dedication ceremony dedicated to Army Specialist Thomas “TJ” Wilwerth. TJ was a member of the William Floyd High school graduating class of 2003 where he was the ROTC unit’s Commanding officer. After Graduation Wilwerth enlisted in the United States army where he served in Iraq where he was killed in the line of duty on February 23rd 2006. At the ceremony the elected officials spoke on how it was there honor to dedicate the street and declare today Specialist Thomas J. Wilwerth day in the town of Brookhaven. Wilwerths father Terry also thanked everyone for coming out to support his family. Following the dedication the attendees proceeded to Mastic Fire Department Headquarters for a small reception. A special thanks to the Mastic Fire department for all there help in making this happen. (10/28/07) MASTIC – A Mastic family remembered its soldier son Sunday at the dedication of a street named in his honor. A roadside bomb killed Thomas Wilwerth in February 2006 in Iraq. His relatives and friends gathered at the corner of Mastic Road and Main Street for a dedication ceremony on what would have been the soldier’s 23rd birthday. Wilwerth’s father, mother and sister accepted a copy of the street sign that now bears his name. They said they found comfort in knowing the jokester and patriotic man’s memory lives on, but say he wouldn’t have liked all the attention. “I think it’s wonderful that this town is actually doing something for him,” said friend Justine Conners. “I think he’s happy that we’re … remembering him and saying thank you because none of us are over there – none of us did that.” A picnic area at a park is also named after Wilwerth. Related information: Emotional farewell for soldier from Mastic killed in Iraq

T.J. Wilwerth Blvd

Sunday, October 28th, 2007 at 11:00 am

Corner of Mastic Road and Main St

In honor of Tom Wilwerth, the town will be putting up a sign in honor of Tom. The sign will be placed under the street name. It will read T.J. Wilwerth Blvd but Main Ave will still be the official name.

The Dedication will begin at 11 am and will be followed by a lunch reception at the Mastic fire house.

Kerry hopes that all can make it on such short notice!

10/23/83 Beirut Stamp

OCTOBER 23, 1983 BEIRUT BOMBING IN LEBANON

http://www.beirutstamp.com/

On Sunday, October 23, 1983 at approximately 6:20 a.m. 241 Marines, sailors and soldiers were killed and hundreds of others were wounded or disabled. This was the result of a suicide truck, laden with explosives carrying the equivalent of 20,000 pounds of TNT that detonated on the ground floor of BLT 1/8 headquarters barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. The largest non-nuclear explosion of its time. Other servicemen from 1982-1984 perished from sniper fire and other atrocities. Others died years later or are permanent disabled as the result of their wounds. This makes a total of 270 Marines, sailors and soldiers that died during a peacekeeping mission.

October 27th 1983 President Ronald W. Reagan broadcasted a speech to the American people about the BLT 1/8 24th MAU headquarters barracks bombing. Here is a quote from his speech seconds before closing, “They were not afraid to stand up for their country or, no matter how difficult and slow the journey might be, to give to others that last, best hope of a better future. We cannot and will not dishonor them now and the sacrifices they’ve made by failing to remain as faithful to the cause of freedom and the pursuit of peace as they have been.”

(Update: President Reagan’s Remarks at the Baptist Fundamentalism Annual Convention, April 13, 1984. With enormous thanks to Rabbi Arnold E Resnicoff)

In 1986 a contingent of Gold star mothers, wives and family members of the 270 fallen heroes descended on Washington, DC their mission….. To get postage stamp unveiled and issued to honor Americas fallen sons. This trip turned out to be fruitless. On September 14th, 1993 armed with over 20,000 signatures from American citizens, family members and comrades the trek was again made to our nation’s capitol. The bevy was met with opposition and excuses, not to issue and honor the fallen and peacekeepers with a commemorative postage stamp.

For seventeen years, numerous people have petitioned the USPS and CSAC to unveil and issue this stamp. On January 31st, 2003 Congressman Walter B. Jones Jr. R-NC 3rd District introduced H.Res. 45 expressing the sense of the congress that a postage stamp is issued in remembrance of the victims of the peacekeeping mission in Beirut, Lebanon 1982-1984. As of yet, because of lack of 50 congressional signatures co-sponsoring this measure has not made it to the complete house for a vote. The killed in action came from 33 states, the District of Columbia, a territory: Puerto Rico and an allied country: United Kingdom. You do the math………

Over the years stamps have been unveiled and issued in series and individually for many of this nations politicians, cartoon characters, actors, insects, birds, Racehorses, rock stars, Santa Claus, composers, flowers….. The list is endless. If the USPS and CSAC feel that these stamps and numerous more are worthy of casting a stamp die to commemorate their moment of fame, the consensus of the families, citizens and comrades of the fallen heroes is to “do the right thing” and unveil and issue a postage stamp to honor the peacekeeping mission in Beirut, Lebanon 1982-1984.

Americans can be proud to live in a country where the rights of others are treasured and protected by rules codified as law. Where good men stood ready to die to protect those laws and the people who live under them……. including the people who decide who and what deserves a stamp.

The time for a postage stamp is here and now!

Semper Fidelis!

Written by Charles Hall, SSGT, USMC, Retired

oct 23rd 2008 will be the 25th anv of the bombing of the u.s. marine barracks in beirut, lebanon. we had 24 marines, navy , army soldiers  from n.y. over there @ that time who gave their all. so on thurs could we say a pray for the fallen marines .

MCAPT JOSEPH BOCCIA, NORTHPORT ,NY

MLCPL JEFFREY L. BOULOS ,ISLIP,NY

MCPL SAM CHERMAN , QUEENS ,NY

MCPL BERT CORCORAN ,KATONAH, NY

MSGT KEVIN P. COULMAN , SEMINARY ,NY

MLCPL HAROLD GRATTON , CONOES, NY

MPFC JOHN J. INGALLS, INTERLAKEN ,NY

MLCPL JAMES JACKOWSKI , S. SALEM ,NY

MLCPL STEVEN JONES , BROOKLYN ,NY

MLCPL JOHN MCCALL ROCHESTER,NY

MSG RICHARD MENKINS ,TULLEY ,NY

NHM3 JOSEPH MILANO. FARMINGVILLE, NY

MCAPT MICHAEL OHLER , HUNTINGTON ,NY

MPFC ROBERT P. OLSON ,LAWTONS ,NY

MSSG ALEXANDER ORTEGA , ROCHESTER ,NY

MLCPL MARK W. PAYNE , BINGHAMTON ,NY

MPFC TERRENCE L. RICH, BROOKLYN ,NY

MLCPL WARREN RICHARDSON , BROOKYLN, NY

MPFC SCOTT L. SCHULTZ , KEESEVILLE ,NY

MCPL RONALD L. SHALLO, HUDSON ,NY

MPFC CRAIG S. STOCKTON , ROCHESTER, NY

MCPL DENNIS A, THOMPSON , BRONX ,NY

MCPL OBRIAN WEEKES , BROOKLYN ,NY

MPFC CRAIG L. WYCHE , JAMAICA , NY

thank-you for the time to honor these fallen hero. bobbie

 

“Makes me realize the great country we have and the obligation we have to keep it that way”

When I saw the buzz on the “Phony Soldiers”—I didn’t read up on it until today—I thought it was another smear the troop campaign.Well, what an interesting course of events has played out– an attack from the Senate on an American citizen (Rush Limbaugh) and his re-counter of that attack. Harry Reid composed a letter that was directed to Rush Limbaugh’s syndicated partner: Mark Mays (Clear Channel Communications) to pressure and humiliate Rush – if not personally damage his reputation…. The letter by Senator Harry Reid was auctioned on E-Bay and the bidding/auction raised over $2,000,000 that was then matched by the citizen attacked–all the proceeds of the auction is to go to: Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation: http://www.mc-lef.org/—a foundation that provides support to the children of Marines and law officials who have died in the line of duty.

I do not listen/read/follow Rush Limbaugh-never did (no offense). What caught my attention was that rather than address the letter to Rush directly-it was sent to his business partner/associate-that’s odd. Rather than write the letter as one citizen practicing his free speech/opinion to another citizen — the letter was written on official Senate letter head and not just signed by the person who begged to differ–it was signed with the title of Senator and not just him but by 41 other elected officials.

Senator Reid and Limbaugh and the press argue over whether Limbaugh was name calling 1 solider or all those who are opposed to war as “phony soliders’. (for me all those who have volunteered to serve and all our Veteran’s deserve our respect and thanks–and their right to free speech is to be respected too. There have been some who pretend to have served-walked in parades, worn uniforms adored with pins, medals and ribbons-that they didn’t earn or never even took the oath–that is pathetic fraud and insults all the men and women who have taken the oath to protect and defend.)

http://mediamatters.org/items/200710200002?f=i_latest Below is a link to Senator Harry Reid’s “Contact page” —to perhaps ask him how much he has pledged or given to this worthy cause: Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation. I would encourage you to encourage him to put his money where his mouth is and make good on what he has said. (As well as the other Senators who signed it.) Harry Reid would not come out of his office the day the mother of a fallen Navy SEAL came to visit him this September 2007 (Move America Forward has a video clip on that)……so to find him supporting such an organization from the distance only with empty words, yet avoiding a mother of a fallen Navy SEAL Mark Allen Lee-the first who paid the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq is beyond appalling. Here is a video clip of Gold Star Mother Debbie Lee’s and her presentation at the “Gathering of Eagles” in Washington D.C. (September 3-15., 2007) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqlBhtduVM8 Here is a link to Mark Allen Lee’s letter home to his mom on July 4th, 2006 – (He gave the ultimate sacrifice of his life on August 2nd, 2006) http://www.moveamericaforward.org/index.php/DailyFile/a_letter_from_marc_alan_lee/

Hope we can honor the words and example of Fallen Navy SEAL Marc Allen Lee and encourage our Senators to do just the same:

“I find that being here makes me realize the great country we have and the obligation we have to keep it that way. The 4th has just come and gone and I received many emails thanking me for helping keep America great and free. I take no credit for the career path I have chosen; I can only give it to those of you who are reading this, because each one of you has contributed to me and who I am.

However what I do over here is only a small percent of what keeps our country great. I think the truth to our greatness is each other. Purity, morals and kindness, passed down to each generation through example.

So to all my family and friends, do me a favor and pass on the kindness, the love, the precious gift of human life to each other so that when your children come into contact with a great conflict that we are now faced with here in Iraq, that they are people of humanity, of pure motives, of compassion.” (Mark Allen Lee)

Links:
The bid and copy of the letter and those who signed it (at the bottom of the page)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-Harry-Reid%2FRush-Limbaugh-Smear-Letter_W0QQitemZ260170172469QQcmdZViewItem

Reid’s contact page: http://reid.senate.gov/contact/email_form.cfm

Reid on t.v. today (10/19/07): http://breitbart.tv/html/6938.html

Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation

http://www.mc-lef.org/

Here are some news links:
http://news.google.com/nwshp?tab=wn&ned=us&ncl=1122359448&hl=en&topic=n

Let us all practice our Constitutional Right to FREE SPEECH

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! BRAVO ZULU!

Sayville, NY Ladies Auxiliary Post’s Yard Sale

” Are one tiny piece to one GIANT puzzle”

Medal of Honor for Michael Patrick Murphy

It is in the papers, on the news–that Michael Patrick Murphy who grew up in Patchogue Long Island, NY will be bestowed posthumously the Medal of Honor 10/22/07 at the White House from President George W. Bush. Michael Patrick Murphy will be the first to receive this award (considered the highest/greatest award) for combat in Afghanistan.

It made me proud (especially as a Navy mom) and glad to see that the obvious will be rewarded and recognized. Thank you seems always too little for so much, but thank you Michael for being a man of valor, conviction and indomitable inner strength. Sincerest thanks to his family for raising such a man.

I met with some other Navy moms at his wake and funeral. I will never forget the outpouring of love, admiration, pride and gratitude for Michael by his family, friends, brothers in the Navy, Veterans and civilians. Michael’s life and how he died is a testimony to all of humanity in everything that is good, pure and noble. All those who had a chance to know him personally and all those who will learn of him and his valor and sacrifice will be inspired by his life.

Some links:

http://www.navy.mil/moh/mpmurphy/index.html

http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=32528&page=1
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-murphy-medal,0,2605432.story
http://starbulletin.com/2007/10/12/news/story02.html
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/10/navy_seal_moh_071011w/
http://www.medalofhonor.com/

http://www.navyseals.com/michael-p-murphy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Murphy

Here are 2 links to the New York City Fire Department. Engine 53, Ladder Company 43. El Barrio’s Bravest site and their memorial to SEAL Michael Patrick Murphy:

http://www.elbarriosbravest.com/murphhtm.htm

This is the direct site (upper left under the SEAL trident is where to click directly to get to the above link/memorial: http://www.elbarriosbravest.com/

The LT Michael P. Murphy USN, Memorial Scholarship Foundation was founded to provide scholarships to Suffolk County students and Purple Heart veterans. Donations are being accepted to the Foundation and can be sent to William F. Andes, Jr., Esq. at 224 Griffing Ave., Riverhead, NY 11901.

(from El Barrio’s memorial page)

Ben Stein, The Real Stars *****

Ben Stein wrote a book called: The Real Stars. ISBN-13: 9781401911447 He is donating any/all money earned from selling this book to: T.A.P.S. Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. Here is their web site: http://www.taps.org/ BZ! Ben and thank you!:) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j66ydlz5ecM