Redstate

respect deserved.

Jim Tomasik

The nation that does not value it's warriors will be replaced by one that does.

Newsday, the liberal local fishwrapper on Long Island

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"Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm." -- James Madison

from Nassau County --- that is why this made the front page of Newsday.

If you haven't read the book written by the one guy who lived, you need to read it (can't recall the name). One of the reasons they said they let the civilian go is that they were afraid of what the press fallout would be if it ever got out that they killed a civilian.

Pretty said we lost three great Americans who were worried what CNN would say if they acted in the best way to save their lives.

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE BUT THE U.S. MARINE CORPS WILL PAY MOST OF THE SHARE.

Another reminder of why it's us against them, and why it's a war.

It's war -- so when can we start shooting back at the enemy Democrats?

Thank you.

It was on p 31, but that is where their national/world starts, so it was about as prominently featured as you could reasonably expect.

Front page of the NY Post has a pic of the moron walking thru the city in the nude. The story about Lt. Murphy, whose a local NY boy, buried on the inside. Nothing like making your hometown proud of you, if only they knew. RIP Lt. Murphy; job well done!

God Bless Lt. Murphy and his hero comrades.

May I humbly suggest that this post stay at the top of the front page for the remainder of the day?

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Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.

"The fact that a young man could win the nation's highest award for valor, posthumously, and receive only passing attention (less than one column-inch in the Washington Post) is a sad commentary on the country he died defending."

This is so true. What has happened to us?

Non sibi sed patriae!

The real scandal is that for actions since the end of the Vietnam Conflict only 5 Medals of Honor (counting Murphy's)have been awarded, and all of them posthumously. Part of this is deliberate Republican policy also represented by (1) the President not attending funerals or memorial services and (2) a ban on photography of the caskets of KIAs. Part of it is the political inanity of the Sec Def represented by the black beret issue. And part of it is the hijacking of a variety of mundane missions and sad but not heroic deaths by the same policy makers represented by (1) the misrepresentation of the circumstances of the death of Pat Tillman, (2) the false elevation of the "rescue mission" of Jessica Lynch and (3) the creation of a combat hero and the attendant renaming of a prominent mountain for Lori Piestewa when all she did was get lost and crash her vehicle. We patriots and veterans have been swindled by the neocons who dont even care enough about what we really achieve on the battlefield to have an honest accounting of our dead.

Mission complete, Lieutenant. Enjoy your liberty!

I am so glad that you guys put this story on your front page. I, too, am asking that you keep it up all day. Maybe, now, other major news organizations will pick up this story and Lt. Murphy and his fellow SEALs will get the recognition that they so deserve. Again, thanks for the awesome post.

... burst forth into raptures of admiration and delight on the character of the navy: their friendliness, their brotherliness, their openness, their uprightness; protesting that she was convinced of sailors having more worth and warmth than any other set of men in England; that they only knew how to live, and they only deserved to be respected and loved.

from "Persuasion", by Jane Austen

The article from our school can be found HERE.

My wife, who has FNC on the TV all morning while working, tells me that they haven't mentioned his award, though they talked a lot about Al Gore.

It sure as hell is sad commentary. I'm doing freelance work for a textbook publishing company. There isn't a single mention in this 11th grade textbook of heroism. It's nothing but liberal propoganda about the pointlessness of war and sleep-inducing "multicultural" literature, filled with stupid statements like "During and after World War II, it was common for young children (especially boys) to "play soldier", imitating adults who had seen combat by pretending to shoot, stab, bomb, or otherwise destroy the "bad guys". As memory of the war faded, attitudes toward killing and violences changed as well. From the 1960s on, parents promoted activities of a more peaceable nature."

WHAT? I grew up in the 1990s and never met a boy who didn't pretend to kill bad guys. Of course in a liberal world view there are no "bad guys", only complex people who are victims of their environment, so we should be teaching our young boys to eat organic foods, talk about their feelings, and generally tuck their manhood between their legs and act like little girls.

What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?

Winston Churchill

Lt. Michael Murphy; you are the essence of nobility.

God rest your soul...

that I printed it (including picture) at the office this morning and gave it to a democrat co-worker, hoping to at least get some positive feedback from him. I should have known better. He returned the post back to me showing a clear case of BDS. He had scrawled that "if it wasn't for George W. Bush he would still be alive". I know that Lieutenant Murphy did not endure the ultimate sacrifice for someone like this.

I'm afraid this reaction is typical of what we are up against.

And all those anti-war protesters who insult and malign our fighting men and women must be identified and made to answer in at least the court of public opinion. Why do all decent American not rise in a chorus of protest against their elected reps who speak with forked tongues like claiming support for the troops and then calling the commander in chief a liar.

Fellow patriots: Can some of us patriots who have been so moved by hearing Lt. Murphy's story in Lone Survivor and on the web (no thanks to MSM) come up to DC on the 22nd and show our support for our troops? I cannot think of a more appropriate opportunity. Is anything being organized? These guys are my heroes.

-- I see abortion as a pro-choice issue... the baby's choice would be life. Just like yours was.
-- imwithfred --

according to the U.S. Army website. That's one fewer than were awarded following the Samoa crisis of March 15-16, 1889 and twelve fewer than were awarded for the Korean incursion--the one in 1871, not the one in the 1950s. You're not going to tell me that there was five times more heroism during the 15 minutes of action on June 10, 1871 than during the four years of Operation Iraqi Freedom. What gives?

That's a factor of the completely unprecedented level of medical care available in this conflict. But I don't see what the death rate has to do with valor in any case.

Medals for heroism are awarded for actions "above and beyond" the call of duty. A well led professional force would not often be found in situations where such actions are necessary. Thus fewer medals earned and awarded.

For example, my tentmate, for a period when I was with the Ranger Mountain Camp, had won the Medal of Honor in World War I. He was a quiet man and spoke little about his actions during both World Wars and Korea. When he did speak, everybody listened.

Once, a number of Instructors were discusing what seperated normal combat actions from acts "above and beyond." My tentmate had been listening and suddenly spoke. He said "Before you can get a heroic act, somebody has to do something stupid. The more stupid the original act, the greater the act of heroism required to save the situation.

His story :

My comander took our company into a valley without adequate reconnaissance. The valley had been planted in wheat and was as flat as a pool table. A German Machine Gun Batalion was dug in on the opposing ridge. The Germans waited until the entire company was in the wheat field before opening fire.

Something had to be done and I realized that I was the only one in position to move. I had to do something stupid - make a one man attack on a battalion. I had some men near me throw me their extra bandoleers and low crawled to the flank.

Once in position to fire on the Germans from the flank, I opened fire, killing each machine gun crew in turn, until they broke and abandoned their positions.

His point then and my point now is that a well led profesional force is less likely to get into situations where an act of heroism becomes necessary. That is shown by the low casualty rate. It is not all due to the level of medical care. The major reason is that our forces are operating in such a manner that attempts to inflict casualties, aside from IED's, result in the swift death of the attackers.

In Vietnam we had up to half a million soldiers in theater at a time, and more than 3 million served in total. Is the rate of injury in Iraq proportionate to the number of troops? Don't know; probably not. The ratio of wounded to killed in Iraq is about 8 to 1; in Vietnam it was 3 to 1. Also, when you did your tour in Vietnam, you came home for good, unless you reupped; soldiers in this war are going back for two, three, in some cases four tours, raising the odds of being a casualty every time. And finally, as the mother of two sons in Iraq observed, "The odds of winning the lottery are better than getting a loved one of Iraq without any life-altering changes, whether PTSD or physical injury or losing a comrade or death themselves."

All that being said, I fail to see your point--what is the connection between the number of casualties and the number of Medals of Honor? Why should valor in Iraq and Afghanistan be less recognized than valor in earlier wars?

You need to edit the title of this story, the word "Wins" needs to be replaced with "is awarded". The MOH is not a competition, there for it can not be won.Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, etc games are won.

Eagle Mike

This was front and center, at least in the online WaPo and NYT.

"I should be allowed to think" -- John Linnell