Tactical-180

Remember the guy who wouldn't take the flag pole down on his Virginia property awhile back? You might remember the news story several months ago about a crotche...ty old man in Virginia who defied his local Homeowners Association and refused to take down the flag pole on his property along with the large American flag he flew on it. Now we learn who that old man was. On June 15, 1919, Van T. Barfoot was born in Edinburg, Texas . That probably didn't make news back then. But twenty five years later, on May 23, 1944, near Cyrano, Italy, That same Van T. Barfoot, who had in 1940 enlisted in the U.S. Army, set out alone to flank German machine gun positions from which gunfire was raining down on his fellow soldiers. His advance took him through a minefield but having done so, he proceeded to single-handedly take out three enemy machine gun positions, returning with 17 prisoners of war. And if that weren’t enough for a day's work, he later took on and destroyed three German tanks sent to retake the machine gun positions. That probably didn’t make much news either, given the scope of the war, but it did earn Van T. Barfoot, who retired as a Colonel after also serving In Korea and Vietnam , a well deserved Congressional Medal of Honor. What did make news was his Neighborhood Association's quibble with how the 90-year-old Veteran chose to fly the American flag outside his suburban Virginia home. Seems the HOA rules said it was OK to fly a flag on a house-mounted bracket, but, for decorum, items such as Barfoot's 21-foot flagpole were "unsuitable". Van Barfoot had been denied a permit for the pole, but erected it anyway and was facing Court action unless he agreed to take it down. Then the HOA story made national TV, and the Neighborhood Association rethought its position and agreed to indulge this aging hero who dwelt among them. "In the timeI have left", he said to the Associated Press, "I plan to continue to fly the American flag without interference." As well he should. And if any of his neighbors had taken a notion to contest him further, they might have done well to read his Medal of Honor citation first. Seems it Indicates Mr. Van Barfoot wasn't particularly good at backing down. If you've read this post and don't share it, - Guess what -You need your butt kicked. I share this with you because I don't want MY butt kicked anymore and I'm tired of seeing those who hate our country yet march in our streets, tear down our statues, burn our stores and loot our businesses have a free hand to do whatever they want. WE ONLY LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE! AND, BECAUSE OF BRAVE OLD MEN LIKE VAN BARFOOT!

Let's throw a fact: the author of Winnie the Pooh, A. A. Milne, was in the military and fought in two world wars. He wrote the stories to explain what he was fe...eling to his child. Read the following excerpt -> and start doing for your brothers and sisters what Pooh and Piglet do: "It occurred to Pooh and Piglet that they hadn't heard from Eeyore for several days, so they put on their hats and coats and trotted across the Hundred Acre Wood to Eeyore's stick house. Inside the house was Eeyore. "Hello Eeyore," said Pooh. "Hello Pooh. Hello Piglet," said Eeyore, in a Glum Sounding Voice. "We just thought we'd check in on you," said Piglet, "because we hadn't heard from you, and so we wanted to know if you were okay." Eeyore was silent for a moment. "Am I okay?" he asked, eventually. "Well, I don't know, to be honest. Are any of us really okay? That's what I ask myself. All I can tell you, Pooh and Piglet, is that right now I feel really rather Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. Which is why I haven't bothered you. Because you wouldn't want to waste your time hanging out with someone who is Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All, would you now." Pooh looked at Piglet, and Piglet looked at Pooh, and they both sat down, one on either side of Eeyore in his stick house. Eeyore looked at them in surprise. "What are you doing?" "We're sitting here with you," said Pooh, "because we are your friends. And true friends don't care if someone is feeling Sad, or Alone, or Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. True friends are there for you anyway. And so here we are." "Oh," said Eeyore. "Oh." And the three of them sat there in silence, and while Pooh and Piglet said nothing at all; somehow, almost imperceptibly, Eeyore started to feel a very tiny little bit better. Because Pooh and Piglet were there. No more; no less." (Edit: This was not written by A.A. Milne; it was written by Kathryn Wallace in 2018. https://englishwanted.com/category/proofreading/)

The youngest and oldest living Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients. Kyle Carpenter (Afghanistan, 2010) and Hershel Woody Williams (Iwo Jima, 1945). Photo from Kyle Carpenter.

REMEMBERING and HONORING, our shipmates on the USS Cole, on this date. FACES THAT FOREVER WILL REMAIN YOUNG. Now steaming through the calm waters surrounding Valhalla. Slow Hand Salute and Ooooorah and Semper Fi. Monsoon

Congratulations to Mark Ormrod for being awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the Royal Marines and Veterans. Mark was just 17 when he... joined the Royal Marines. He was just under four months into the tour of duty in Afghanistan when on Christmas Eve 2007, he stepped on an IED. He ended up losing both of his legs above the knee and his right arm in the blast. Since his injuries, Mark has conquered multiple roles from being a father and husband to an Invictus athlete, inspiring thousands of people along the way and a key member of the The Royal Marines Charity.

The last remaining World War 2 United States Marine Medal of Honor recipient, Woody Williams, turns 97 Friday. He is from Quiet Dell, West Virginia. He is one o...f two World War 2 Medal of Honor recipients still living. He is the last from the Pacific Theater. Woody was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Battle of Iwo Jima. He is an American Treasure. See more

Did you know? I didn't. Audie Murphy's wife... What a beautiful Lady Audie was 46 years old when he died in a helicopter crash into the Virginia Mts. He was b...othered all his life from the war - it affected his life. He never got the medical help he should have. Not many young people know who Audie Murphy was or what a big a war hero he was. Two or three of the medals he earned would make most service men proud, but to earn decorations in battle - truly unbelievable. List of Decorations for Audie Murphy: Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star (with oak leaf cluster) Legion of Merit Bronze Star (with oak leaf cluster and Valor Device) Purple Heart (with two oak leaf clusters) U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal Presidential Unit Citation (with First Oak Leaf Cluster) American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine Campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France ) World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal (with Germany Clasp) Armed Forces Reserve Medal French Fourrage in Colors of the Croix de Guerre French Legion of Honor - Grade of Chevalier French Croix de guerre (with Silver Star), French Croix de guerre (with Palm) Medal of Liberated France Belgian Croix de guerre (with 1940 Palm) Additionally, Murphy was awarded: The Combat Infantry Marksman badge with Rifle Bar , Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar Isn't it sad the media tells us about the BAD that goes on, but ignores GOOD people? If a movie Star or politician stubs a toe we hear about it. (From the Los Angeles Times on April 15, 2010) Pamela Murphy,widow of Audie Murphy, died on April 8, 2010. She was the widow of the most decorated WWII hero - Audie Murphy, and established her own distinctive 35 year career working as a patient liaison at Sepulveda Veterans Administration hospital, treating every veteran who visited the facility as if they were VIP. Any soldier/Marine who came into the hospital got the same special treatment from her. She'd walk the hallways with her clipboard making sure her boys saw the specialists they needed. If they didn't, watch out. Her boys weren't Medal of Honor recipients but it didn't matter to Pam. They served their Country. That was good enough for her. She never called a veteran by his first name. It was always "Mister." Respect came with the job. "Nobody could cut through VA red tape faster than Mrs. Murphy," said veteran Stephen Sherman, speaking for thousands of veterans she befriended over the years. "Many times I watched her march a veteran who had been waiting over an hour right into the doctor's office. She was even reprimanded a few times, but it didn't matter to Mrs. Murphy. "Only her boys mattered. She was our angel." Audie Murphy died broke in a plane crash in 1971, squandering millions of dollars on gambling, bad investments, and other women. "Even with adultery and desertion at the end, he remained my hero," Pam told me. She went from a ranch-style home in Van Nuys where she raised two sons to a small apartment - taking a clerk's job at the nearby VA to support herself and paying her faded movie star husband's debts. At first, no one knew who she was. Soon, word spread through the VA that the nice woman with the clipboard was Audie Murphy's widow. It was like saying General Patton just walked in the front door. Men with tears in their eyes walked to her and gave her a hug. "Thank you," they said, over and over. The first couple of years, the hugs were more for Audie's memory as a war hero. The last 30 years, were for Pam. One year I asked her to be the focus of a Veteran's Day news column for all the work she did. Pam shook her head no. "Honor them, not me," she said, pointing to a group of veterans. "They're the ones who deserve it." The vets disagreed. Mrs. Murphy deserved the accolades, they said. In 2002, Pam's job was to be eliminated in budget cuts. She was considered "excess staff." "I don't think helping cut veterans' complaints and showing them the respect they deserve should be considered excess staff," she told me. Neither did the veterans. They held a rally for her outside the VA gates. Pretty soon, word came from the top of the VA. Pam Murphy was no longer considered "excess staff." She remained working full time at the VA until 2007 at age 87. "The last time she was here was a couple of years ago for the conference we had for homeless veterans," said Becky James, coordinator of the VA's Veterans History Project. Pam wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help more of her boys. Pam Murphy was 90 when she died. What a lady. Dennis McCarthy, Los Angeles Times on April 15, 2010

83 day patrol. Gained 15 pounds as a CS.

Let's do Veteran Roll call. Veteran Brother's and Sister's please Check in. Tell what City & State you are in.

So I'm on my way to go to my interview this morning in Montana when I get pulled over. By a Montana police officer. I am native American and my friend that was ...with me is black. Just saying. Both brake lights decided to go out this time. As he walked to the car and I was pulling out my stuff, he quickly said, "Don't worry about pulling anything out. I just want you to know that your brake lights are out." So I'm immediately upset, because I just got them replaced like last month. I explained to him how Firestone wants to charge me $600 just to run a test on the wiring of the car. He asked me to pop the trunk. He checked the lights in the trunk and tapped them, but they didn't come on. Then he asked me to pop the hood to check the relay box then asked me to get out to check the other one. He worked on the wiring under the dash. He could've easily given me a ticket, but Officer Jenkins stepped out of his police officer role and into mechanic role and really kind human role to make sure I was safe. By the way HE FIXED THEM. Jesse McFadden Image credit: Chy-Niece Thacker, of Virginia