Thursday, May 31, 2007

Marines: Biographical Sketches....

****************************************
From:
george clark

brasshat@surfglobal.net


BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

Friends,

I have been wondering about a proposed project and would like to have some imput from those of you who might contribute and/or have an interest in the final product.

It seems to me, there are a load of people who have had a father, uncle, grandfather, friend of the family, even maybe a brother or sister, that served in the Marines during WW One.

I think it is about time those "ordinary" people (not a Dan Daly, of Cliff Cates or???) got a mention in print. I suggest a biographical dictionary about them might appeal to the sons, grandsons, nephews, etc. out there.

If this idea seems to interest you, and you can contribute to it, please let me know. If you think it is ridiculous, please don't let me know. I get enough insults from my wife on a daily basis.

This isn't going to be just a "yes" or even a "no."
I would need information in order to build a modest sketch.
You would have to provide that info. I already have several dozen of them, but that ain't enuff for a publication.

You will be listed for the help given and the more people that show an STRONG interest, and help, will be able to obtain copies at a reduced cost.

Let me know. A yes or even a no will give me an idea if this is a feasible thing I am suggesting.

Semper Fidelis
George B. Clark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADDENDUM (4June07):

Marines WW I, Biographical Sketches

To those of you who offered some biog sketches, please utilize the following as a suggested format for what you will send me.
OBVIOUSLY YOU MAY NOT KNOW THE ANSWERS TO SOME OF THE ITEMS LISTED BELOW.
Either send it email and I'll download or mail to George B Clark
379 Moody Road
Pike, NH 03780

NAME, FIRST LAST AND MIDDLE, IF KNOWN. (nicknames?)

PLACE AND DATE OF BIRTH (city or rural)

PARENTS (names if possible)

SCHOOLING (grammer or high or college)

REASON FOR ENLISTING IN THE USMC (avoid draft or patriotism or excitement)

DATES: IN AND OUT (where did he serve: Boot Camp at PI or Mare Island or?)

UNIT: ESPECIALLY PLATOON AND IF POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT BN.

NONCOMS AND OFFICERS IN HIS LINE OF COMMAND (or any mentioned)

FIRST BATTLE

ENSUING BATTLES

WOUNDS OR GASSED? (dates if known)

PLACE OF OCCUPATION DUTY IN GERMANY

LEAVES WHILE IN EUROPE

AWARDS (especially if a Silver Star or Croix de Guerre, most aren't commonly known)

DATE DISCHARGED

DID HE RETURN HOME OR?: (perhaps decided to not go back to Podunk, but Chicago or???)

OCCUPATION OR JOBS HELD. (any stories will be helpful)

FAMILY: WIFE, CHILDREN.

DECEASED WHEN AND BURIED WHERE: (he must be by now???)

OK, that will be great. I can stand anyone writing and will fully credit. However, if you want me to put it together will be pleased to do that and credit you anyway. Need enough material to try to bring out the entire man, so please don't stint.

Will keep you posted as I go along. I probably won't have enough for a full-fledged book but certainly can publish it in a limited edition for those interested. More on that that later.

George Clark

brasshat@surfglobal.ne


--
*************************************

brasshat@surfglobal.net





--
***********************************************


~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want On GyG's E-Mail List?
Send/Reply: GunnyG@GMail.com
ADD In Subject Line....
~~~~~~~~~~
RESTORE THE REPUBLIC!
R.W. "Dick" Gaines
(The Original "Gunny G")
GnySgt USMC (Ret.)
1952- (Plt #437-PISC)-'72
Sites & Forums For... The Thinking Marine!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GyG's Globe and Anchor! --Sites & Forums
GyG's Old Salt Marines Tavern ~Interactive~
GyG's Globe and Anchor Weblog
GyG's History/Traditions, etc.
The GyG Archive/Bookmarks @FURL
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Add Gunny G's FURL RSS Feed To YOUR Site!
~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~
USMC, Military, History, Unusual/Controversial, Politically Incorrect, News-n-Views,
Eye-Opening and Thought-Provoking Articles, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~
Note:
GyG's G&A Sites & Forums is an informational site and not for profit. Copyrighted material provided soley for education, study, research, and discussion, etc. Full credit to source shown when available.
~~~~~




*****


John Wayne A Jeffersonian Liberal

**********************************
John Wayne's 100th

by Doug French

DIGG THIS

Memorial Day weekend was the kickoff to the summer blockbuster movie season. Lines were long with parents and kiddies waiting to see a boozy pirate generously adorned with eyeliner, a comic-book hero in red tights, and a round-headed, round-bodied green cartoon character. But there was plenty of reason to stay home. America’s favorite movie hero was born a hundred years ago, and John Wayne movie marathons were plentiful on TV.

With so much bad in the world, people look for heroes everywhere, and especially on the silver screen. But just when you think you’ve found a hero, the film star acts out on Oprah, or you watch him gush mindlessly over Al Gore’s convenient environmental lies. Is it any wonder why John Wayne (born Marion Mitchell Morrison) continues to be picked in the top 10, when Harris pollsters ask the simple question: "Who is your favorite movie star?" In fact, The Duke came in number three in this year’s poll, only behind Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks, both of whom had the advantage of actually appearing in new films in 2006.

John Wayne’s last film was The Shootist in 1976, the story of aging gunfighter John Bernard Books who spends his last days in Carson City, Nevada dying of cancer. The Books character utters one of Wayne’s most famous movie lines: "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them." Wayne would die three years later in 1979 at the age of 72. Despite his passing, Wayne continues to be a huge star, and was voted America’s favorite movie star just a dozen years ago, in 1995, a decade and half after his death.

But as popular as Wayne is with the people, the liberal intelligentsia hate him and continue to be infuriated by his popularity. "Thank heaven he's also a laughable political ignoramus," wrote novelist Jonathan Lethem in Salon, "a warmongering hypocrite who never served in the armed forces. Thank heaven he's associated with the western, an easily dismissible film genre. All this gives us the chance to avert our eyes, to giggle or scoff. And we do."

But John Wayne’s reputation as a war-mongering, rightwing extremist may be more an invention of the media than fact. Wayne spent his time doing movies, appearing in over 200, not pondering political theory. But he did find the privileged and pampered Hollywood elite, whose lifestyles were made by capitalism and money, to be hypocrites. He put protesting college kids in the same category. As pro-war as Wayne is depicted, Biographer Herb Fagen wrote that Wayne believed America’s involvement in Vietnam was ill advised.

Wayne liked to think of himself as a Jeffersonian liberal, according to biographers Donald Shepherd, Robert Slatzer and David Grayson, "subscribing to the principle that government is best which governs least." He told Dean Jennings of the Saturday Evening Post: "I think government is the natural enemy of the individual, but it’s a necessary evil, like, say, motion-picture agents."

Unfortunately the Duke hadn’t discovered Murray Rothbard, otherwise he might not have thought government necessary, just evil. But movie critic Mr. First Nighter (AKA Rothbard), had not only discovered John Wayne, but was a big fan. Reviewing one of Wayne’s last films – "McQ" – for the January 1974 Libertarian Forum, First Nighter wrote, "There is no such thing as a bad John Wayne picture…"

Although First Nighter loved Wayne’s performance, McQ was only "workmanlike," due to a slow plot, and no help from the supporting cast. "Diana Muldaur seems to have only one expression: hangdog, while Colleen Dewhurst – billed on all sides as one of the great actresses of our epoch – croaks her way through a terrible performance." Lucky for Rex Reed that Rothbard never decided to review films full time.

While establishment critics fell in love with the movies of Bergman, Bunuel and Fellini, Rothbard believed these movies to be without reason and illogical. Mr. First Nighter described Wayne’s Chisumand Rio Bravoas great films, loving the action and that justice prevailed with the good guys winning.

Westerns and Wayne hater, Jonathan Lethem drudges up the old canard "that repressed [homosexual] desire runs through even the dullest westerns, but it's only one important facet among many – and too often pointing it out provides yet another excuse to ridicule and disregard the genre."

So, if western heroes are not depicted spending quality time with their wives, they must be repressed homosexuals? "[F]ilms that use male beauty so potently and depict again and again an emotional world that excludes women yet scrupulously denies the possibility of same-sex desire have a hypocrisy at their core – a hypocrisy that can, paradoxically, serve as a battery, a source of creative energy," Lethem blathers.

Mr. First Nighter sets him straight. "It simply wouldn’t do to have a tough hero slugging it out with bad guys, only to return at night to a home-cooked meal by the Little Woman." Thus, our western heroes move "mythically onward across the plains, with women dropping out altogether."

Garry Wills, theauthor of John Wayne’s America: The Politics of Celebritywas anything but a fawning biographer, but admits Wayne’s appeal. "He’s the solid, dependable person who can hold together a wagon train or a cavalry unit, or Marine detachment. And young men look up to him."

The love of John Wayne is passed down from generation to generation. Fathers and sons watch his movies together over-and-over: Seeing the Duke ride tall in the saddle never gets old. June 11th may be the anniversary of his death, but Marion Mitchell Morrison hated funerals. Thankfully, John Wayne lives on.

May 31, 2007

Doug French [send him mail] is executive vice president of a Nevada bank and associate editor for Liberty Watch Magazine. He received the Murray N. Rothbard Award from the Center for Libertarian Studies.

Copyright © 2007 LewRockwell.com

Doug French Archives

Find this article at:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/french/french55.html
*****************************************

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want On GyG's E-Mail List?
Send/Reply: GunnyG@GMail.com
ADD In Subject Line....
~~~~~~~~~~
RESTORE THE REPUBLIC!
R.W. "Dick" Gaines
(The Original "Gunny G")
GnySgt USMC (Ret.)
1952- (Plt #437-PISC)-'72
Sites & Forums For... The Thinking Marine!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GyG's Globe and Anchor! --Sites & Forums
GyG's Old Salt Marines Tavern ~Interactive~
GyG's Globe and Anchor Weblog
GyG's History/Traditions, etc.
The GyG Archive/Bookmarks @FURL
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Add Gunny G's FURL RSS Feed To YOUR Site!
~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~
USMC, Military, History, Unusual/Controversial, Politically Incorrect, News-n-Views,
Eye-Opening and Thought-Provoking Articles, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~
Note:
GyG's G&A Sites & Forums is an informational site and not for profit. Copyrighted material provided soley for education, study, research, and discussion, etc. Full credit to source shown when available.
~~~~~




*****


Wednesday, May 30, 2007

REMEMBER THE USS LIBERTY!

*********************************
May 30, 2007
Remember the Liberty!
When Israel attacks, the Pentagon retreats
by Justin Raimondo

It was 40 years ago this June 8 that the USS Liberty – a large, armorless, refitted freighter that was gathering intelligence in the Mediterranean at the outset of the Six Day War – was attacked by Israeli fighter jets and torpedoes. Thirty-four U.S. sailors were killed, and 172 were wounded. The Liberty limped back to Malta. A U.S. Navy court of inquiry was on board investigating the damage, but – for some reason – the investigators were not allowed to proceed to Israel to find out what really went on. Orders from the top echelons of the Pentagon nixed the inquiry, and today, the families of the fallen still haven't gotten any answers as to why Israel was allowed to get away with it without even so much as a slap on the wrist – nor even any public acknowledgment that it was a deliberate attack.

Far from apologizing, the Israelis have to this day denied that they attacked the Liberty on purpose, and – incredibly – they stoutly maintain that the whole thing was an "accident." This in spite of the fact that the Liberty was proudly flying a U.S. flag and was easily identifiable as an American vessel. The Israel Lobby has even gone so far as to publish a book, The Liberty Incident, by Jay Cristol, that makes the case for the "accidental" scenario, but the survivors' families – and a number of credible commentators – aren't buying it. One of those commentators is the former captain of the Liberty, Ward Boston, who has signed an affidavit stating unequivocally:

"The evidence was clear. Both Admiral [Isaac C.] Kidd and I believed with certainty that this attack … was a deliberate effort to sink an American ship and murder its entire crew. It was our shared belief, based on the documentary evidence and testimony we received firsthand, that the Israeli attack was planned and deliberate."

Capt. Boston says that Adm. Kidd, who was in charge of the subsequent inquiry, frequently referred to the Israelis as "murderous bastards," and a number of intelligence experts and U.S. officials seem to concur, albeit not in precisely those terms. Says former CIA director Richard Helms: "The board of inquiry [concluded] that the Israelis knew exactly what they were doing in attacking the Liberty." Former Secretary of State Dean Rusk says:

"I was never satisfied with the Israeli explanation. … Through diplomatic channels we refused to accept their explanations. I didn't believe them then, and I don't believe them to this day. The attack was outrageous."

Even more outrageous was the cover-up by the Pentagon – and the White House of Lyndon "Hey Hey LBJ, How Many Kids Did You Kill Today?" Johnson. According to officer David Lewis, who was below deck at the time of the attack:

"[6th Rear Fleet Adm. Lawrence Geis] told me that since I was the senior Liberty survivor on board he wanted to tell me in confidence what had actually transpired. He told me that upon receipt of our SOS, aircraft were launched to come to our assistance, and then Washington was notified. He said that [Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara] had ordered that the aircraft be returned to the carrier, which was done. RADM Geis then said that he speculated that Washington may have suspected that the aircraft carried nuclear weapons so he put together another flight of conventional aircraft that had no capability of carrying nuclear weapons. These he launched to assist us and again notified Washington of his actions. Again McNamara ordered the aircraft recalled. He requested confirmation of the order being unable to believe that Washington would let us sink. This time President Johnson ordered the recall with the comment that he did not care if every man drowned and the ship sank, but that he would not embarrass his allies."

Rather than embarrass his "allies," the president of the United States caved in to the Lobby and buried the truth about the death of American servicemen under a mountain of obfuscation and official silence. As Tim Fischer, a former deputy prime minister of Australia and a former army officer, put it in The Age:

"If Israel did deliberately attack the most powerful nation on Earth, it knows it can do so and get away with murder. Worse still, U.S. military personnel now know that if the truth is politically inconvenient, they and their legacy are expendable."

When it comes to the calculations of the Lobby, we are all expendable – that is the bitter lesson we are learning as a futile war in the Middle East not only rages on but threatens to expand beyond the borders of Iraq. Our "ally" Israel is an albatross hung 'round our necks, and it is slowly strangling America's chances of defeating Islamic extremism in the battle for the hearts and minds of Muslims worldwide. Will no one rid us of this troublesome "ally"?

I'm afraid they won't. The power of the Lobby, as explicated by scholars John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, is as formidable as ever, if not more so. They ensure that there is no real debate over our Middle Eastern policy, either in Congress or in the councils of government policymakers. Their spies are allowed to get away with all sorts of activities that any other foreign power would soon feel Washington's wrath over. Their demands are considered the starting point for all policy decisions, and they are rewarded for their lack of loyalty to their main benefactor by being showered with all manner of gifts: "foreign aid," loan guarantees, and technology transfers that have enabled them to build up a military capacity – including nuclear weapons – that knows no rival in the region.

The sinking of the Liberty and the subsequent whitewash of the Israelis is proof – if any more were needed – that Israel enjoys a position of preeminence within the councils of state that belies its small size and relative weakness as a settler colony totally dependent on outside infusions of support.

Critics may aver that this is all ancient history, that there is no reason to bring up the sinking of the Liberty, and even if it wasn't an accident, it's time to let bygones be bygones. The Lobby constantly asserts that anyone who even mentions this "incident" is nothing but an anti-Semite, because, after all, why talk about it now? The reason is that it underscores the utter falsity of the argument that Israeli and American interests are uniquely and perpetually in perfect alignment. The Israelis attacked the Liberty, according to several books and a BBC documentary on the subject, in order to prevent the U.S. government from learning of Israeli plans to occupy the Golan Heights – a sliver of land that rightfully belongs to Syria, and which is still causing a great many problems for U.S. interests in the region. The stunning fact of the American government's complicity in hiding the truth about an attack on its own soldiers is all we need to know about what's wrong with American foreign policy – and what is the exact source of the problem.

Find this article at:
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=11042
**************************************

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want On GyG's E-Mail List?
Send/Reply: GunnyG@GMail.com
ADD In Subject Line....
~~~~~~~~~~
RESTORE THE REPUBLIC!
R.W. "Dick" Gaines
(The Original "Gunny G")
GnySgt USMC (Ret.)
1952- (Plt #437-PISC)-'72
Sites & Forums For... The Thinking Marine!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GyG's Globe and Anchor! --Sites & Forums
GyG's Old Salt Marines Tavern ~Interactive~
GyG's Globe and Anchor Weblog
GyG's History/Traditions, etc.
The GyG Archive/Bookmarks @FURL
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Add Gunny G's FURL RSS Feed To YOUR Site!
~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~
USMC, Military, History, Unusual/Controversial, Politically Incorrect, News-n-Views,
Eye-Opening and Thought-Provoking Articles, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~
Note:
GyG's G&A Sites & Forums is an informational site and not for profit. Copyrighted material provided soley for education, study, research, and discussion, etc. Full credit to source shown when available.
~~~~~




*****


Thursday, May 24, 2007

EXTRAORDINARY DOCUMENT FROM THE CORPS' WAR IN VIETNAM

The following has been widely circulated by e-mail.

The authenticity, or otherwise, has not been determined.
Anyone with factual knowledge--not just opinions--is invited to respond with sources/references, etc.

Gunny G
GunnyG-AT-gmail.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1836545/posts

http://warchronicle.com/MilitaryJustice/officialdocuments/Dec221968.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Extraordinary document from the Corps' war in Vietnam

WarChronicle ^ | May 19, 2007 | David Allender

Posted on 05/19/2007 10:00:20 PM EDT by RedRover

On January 18, 1969, Colonel William White, USMC, concluded an investigation into the possibility of charging Corporal Alvin L. Blackburn with the murder of 13 captured enemy soldiers in Vietnam.

The colonel's decision was to recommend the corporal for the Medal of Honor. (What happened next is unknown to me.)

Download the original pdf to see documents in this extraordinary case. The file includes: The recommendation by Colonel William W. White, and statements by Corporal Alvin L. Blackburn, Lance Corporal William E. Marcott, and Private Steve A. Kearns, all USMC.

Two of the documents are below. Both reveal an extraordinary story of heroism in the war in Vietnam.

Warning: The language is rough.

___________________

18 Jan 1969

From: Colonel William W. WHITE 031 562/9910 USMC

To: Commanding General, III Marine Amphibious Force

Subj: Investigation into the circumstances of the demise of 13 North Vietnamese Army (Regular) soldiers of 22 December 1968

Ref: (a) JAG Manual, par. 5017

Encl:
(1) Statement of Corporal Alvin L. BLACKBURN Jr. 23 13 039/0311 USMC
(2) Statement of Lance Corporal William E. MARCOTT 24 13 049/0351 USMC
(3) Statement of Private Steve A. KEARNS 24 84 625/0351 USMC

1. As required by reference (a), an investigation was conducted to determine the feasibility of bringing charges of first degree murder, 13 separate counts, against Corporal Alvin L. Blackburn Jr.

2. Follow-up patrols confirm the count of 86 enemy dead and five friendlies at coordinates 82514316. Ten enemy dead were confirmed at 70132921. The ten confirmed at 70132921 were in addition to two decapitated bodies and thirteen enemy forces; hands tied, blind-folded and gagged. Each one had one shot hole in the temple area. Calibre unknown.

3. Friendly casualties consisted of five dead, two wounded, and the miracle (explanation to follow). Lance Corporal MARCOTT, one gunshot wound to left thigh, numerous cuts and scratches. Private KEARNS, numerous shrapnel wounds in back, buttocks and legs in addition to scratches and cuts. Both men suffered from exposure and malnutrition. The team leader, Corporal BLACKBURN, had no visual wounds other than scratches, cuts, and abrasions over the entire body area. Medical examination revealed major concussions and severe internal bleeding; exhaustion, malnutrition and was suffering from shock. Medical records indicate a prior weight of 147 pounds after weight of 102 pounds. That this marine was alive is a miracle.

4. Statements from the soldiers who first came into contact with the Marines (soldiers were from sub unit of 1st Air Cav) validate the initial condition of the Marines. Corporal BLACKBURN was carrying Private KEARNS over his shoulder and had Lance Corporal MARCOTT on a stretcher made of two branches, belts and jackets. KEARNS and MARCOTT were not coherent. Corporal BLACKBURN was, at first impression, coherent; however, it became apparent that he was in some state of shock and. exhaustion. Extracts of the aforementioned statements on the condition of BLACKBURN are indicative: "piece of ground meat" "walking dead" "zombie".

5. The facts in this case are self-explanatory. (Refer enclosures) It is the undersigned opinion that to bring charges against this Marine would destroy what the Marine Corps and this Country stands for. It is further Recommended that Corporal BLACKBURN be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 December 1968.

Respectfully submitted,

W. W. WHITE

Colonel

United States Marine Corps

___________________

I, Steve A. KEARNS, make the following statement on my own free will fully aware of the consequences of false or incomplete statements:

I was a member of a seven man recon team termed DAGGER II. Our mission was to parachute somewhere forward of friendly positions and set up an ambush. We were to be heli-lifted out. The date was 21 December 1968. My team Leader was Cpl A. L. BLACKBURN 23 13 039 and had been my leader for six other missions.

We jumped on the right coordinates but dumb *ss Duke landed in a tree. Brutus (investigator's comment — "Brutus" was an alias by which the accused was identified by his counterparts) had to climb up and cut him down and then he set us in. This was to have been my last mission before skying to the world and I was really shaking my sh*t. I was set in across from Brutus with Jack, Duke and John flowing left; and Mark, Spook, and Bill flowing right.

Brutus told us a whole f*cking gook company was coming instead of a patrol but, we couldn't call for an extract because the enemy was too close. Brutus told us to lay quiet and wait till he moved. I had a 12 gauge and two .38s but I wish I had a f*cking tank.

They must've been only an inch away before he stood up and he had the barrel of the BAR in this gook's guts and cut 'em in half. For about five minutes there was nothing but lead, sh*t and guts in the air. Bill and Spook were backing and blowing gooners left and right. Mark was firing bloopers from about ten feet and blew his own *ss to the deck several times. Duke was lying with a BAR and was cutting loose about b*lls high. I don't remember John or Jack. Brutus had a BAR screaming from his thigh and throwing grenades like candy at a f*cking parade. I thought maybe Brutus had cracked his marbles but he just calmly waded through the blood and sh*t shouting orders for us and melting his BAR.

I didn't see it, but Spook bought it and by that time Brutus had made it to where Spook and Bill was. The BAR was actually on fire so Brutus picked up Spook's 16 gauge and with his own K-Bar began kicking *ss and cutting throats. We didn't stick around to count but I figure he must've got 40 or 50 by himself. About 2 dozen of 'em threw guns down but Bill just kept blasting then before Brutus knocked his *ss down. There was only three of us, me, Brutus and Bill. I finished off the wounded and since the radio was busted and we knew reinforcements would be coming for the gooners we got out of there fast.

We marched for 13 or 14 hours before we stopped. It was my watch, I guess about 4 or 5 in the morning when they hit us. It only lasted a minute or so and all I did was keep shooting. I was so f*cking tired I could care less. Bill was hollering that his b*lls were blown off and two of the POWs had tried to run but the traps had blown their heads off. Somewhere, I don't remember when, I caught shrapnel in my back *ss and legs and the pain started coming on when Brutus got to me from Bill. He kept telling Bill that he would make a cute fagaot if he would get false teeth and a beard. I distinctly remember that cause Bill was b*tching that his b*lls were gone and Brutus was trying to make him feel better and for some reason I felt like laughing. I know it sounds crazy but I was laying face down about five feet from them and Brutus was holding Bill's b*lls and was calling him all sorts of dumb f*cking names trying to convince him that they were still attached. I guess I passed out because the next thing was Brutus standing over me trying to stop my bleeding.

It was hard to tell whose blood was whose since he was bleeding all over. Neither Bill nor I could walk and we still had 13 POWs so Brutus did the only thing he could. He had a choice, take the POWs out or us. I don't know what I would have done. Brutus just looked at Bill, then me, and I was really scared, more scared than when the whole company of gooks came at us, because he had blood everywhere and was shaking and his eyes. God, man, his eyes were white. I'm not sh*tting you white. Like a robot he walked up to each one and said "God forgive me" or something like that and shot each one in the head.

Then he loaded 2 shotguns, strapped them to each leg. He took off his clothes and ours to reduce weight. All he had was a belt a .38, 2 shotguns, 2 K-Bars and some ammo. He had used all of our first aid shit. He made a litter out of branches and belts and he alternated between carry one of us and dragging the other. We hadn't eaten for several days and I was flashing off and on but every time I woke up we were still moving. One of the last things I remember before waking up in the cross was staring at his back. I was lying face down on this stretcher thing, and seeing the dried blood caked over the straps on his shoulders.

Without b*llshitting, I don't think I could have done it. I owe him my life and so does Bill. If they burn him I'll be the first in line to waste the b*stards that try it...and that's no threat, that's a blood oath.

THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE ACCORDING TO MY MEMORY. IT CONSISTS OF TWO PAGES.

STEVE A. KEARNS

PRIVATE

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

--
*************************************
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want On GyG's E-Mail List?
Send/Reply: GunnyG@GMail.com
ADD In Subject Line....
~~~~~~~~~~
RESTORE THE REPUBLIC!
R.W. "Dick" Gaines
(The Original "Gunny G")
GnySgt USMC (Ret.)
1952- (Plt #437-PISC)-'72
Sites & Forums For... The Thinking Marine!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GyG's Globe and Anchor! --Sites & Forums
GyG's Old Salt Marines Tavern ~Interactive~
GyG's Globe and Anchor Weblog
GyG's History/Traditions, etc.
The GyG Archive/Bookmarks @FURL
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Add Gunny G's FURL RSS Feed To YOUR Site!
~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~
USMC, Military, History, Unusual/Controversial, Politically Incorrect, News-n-Views,
Eye-Opening and Thought-Provoking Articles, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~
Note:
GyG's G&A Sites & Forums is an informational site and not for profit. Copyrighted material provided soley for education, study, research, and discussion, etc. Full credit to source shown when available.
~~~~~




*****


Tuesday, May 15, 2007

EX-MARINE FIRES ON COP-KILLER....

EX-MARINE FIRES ON COP-KILLER....

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1833748/posts

The passer-by who confronted and killed the gunman in last Friday's police shooting was an expert marksman who used to alarm his neighbors by firing guns on his own property, court records show.

"I am an ex-Marine and an expert shot. I don't miss what I shoot at," Gregory Floyd, 49, told police officers who searched his home in 1997.

Authorities have decided not to charge Floyd in Friday's shooting, ruling he was justified when he fired at Liko Kenney, 24, just moments after watching Kenney shoot and kill Franconia Police Cpl. Bruce McKay.

Kenney's uncle, Bill, said he is not angry at Floyd.

"I thank him," Bill Kenney said yesterday. "He did an amazing thing."

A "loner" by reputation, Floyd has declined to speak with reporters since the shootings. A woman who answered the phone at his house Sunday said, "This is a private, unlisted, unpublished number. Please don't call again."

Residents in the rural White Mountains town of Easton, home to about 280 people, said they tend to keep away from Floyd, just as he keeps away from them. His property on the southern edge of town is said to be guarded by Rottweilers.

"He's the type of person I'd be very leery of," said Bob Every, the town's former police chief.

Court records show Floyd has had several run-ins with the law over the years. His record includes a 1998 conviction for attempting to knee a police trooper in the groin and a 1997 indictment, later dismissed, for being a felon in possession of weapons.

Authorities searched Floyd's cabin exactly 10 years ago this week after neighbors told then-chief Every they thought Floyd was discharging "fully automatic weapons" on his property, according to documents on file in Littleton District Court.

Floyd at one point apologized for shooting a gun, telling neighbors he was "shooting to scare off bears so his son could sleep," the documents say.

A search of his house turned up six guns, including a Glock 9mm pistol, an Ithaca 12-gauge shotgun and a Rugar Black Hawk handgun, but no automatics.

Floyd and his wife, Michelle, had moved to the area from Townsend, Mass., about six months before that. A record check in that state showed that while there had been arrests for assault with a dangerous weapon, the charges were dismissed.

One day after the May 1997 search, Floyd was charged with criminally threatening a contracted meter reader from the New Hampshire Electric Coop. Floyd allegedly instructed his son, "Go inside and get the pouch." His son, according to the report, said, "Mom is awake. I could not get the gun."

Investigating troopers claimed Floyd told them he could have given them a "third eye."

"I know you wear vests, so I could have put it right between the eyes," he said, according to the papers. "I was sitting on my Ruger."

The case was twice continued that summer. One time was because the troopers would be attending the funeral of two state troopers killed in Colebrook on Aug. 19, 1997.

Minutes before the trial was to have started in October, the case was dropped. There was a heavy police presence in the court that day.

Also in June 1997, Floyd was charged with, and later indicted for, being a felon in possession of weapons, after a records search in Georgia turned up a 1981 felony conviction for selling marijuana.

Those charges were dismissed after Floyd's attorney, Gerry Boyle, successfully argued that the Georgia conviction would not have constituted a felony in New Hampshire in 1981.

He was also charged with simple assault for attempting to knee a trooper in the groin and was given a suspended one- to three-year sentence in the New Hampshire State Prison, according to an order issued on May 28, 1998. He was placed on probation for three years, with the stipulation that he not possess any firearms.
In motions seeking the return of the firearms in August 1998, court papers noted that the guns belonged to Floyd's wife. She reportedly intended to sell some of them and have the others secured in a locked safe in Manchester.

PLEASE SEE NUMEROUS RESPONSES, ETC. CLICK ON LINK BELOW!!!!!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1833748/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1833748/posts
--
*********************************************

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want On GyG's E-Mail List?
Send/Reply: GunnyG@GMail.com
ADD In Subject Line....
~~~~~~~~~~
RESTORE THE REPUBLIC!
R.W. "Dick" Gaines
(The Original "Gunny G")
GnySgt USMC (Ret.)
1952- (Plt #437-PISC)-'72
Sites & Forums For... The Thinking Marine!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GyG's Globe and Anchor! --Sites & Forums
GyG's Old Salt Marines Tavern ~Interactive~
GyG's Globe and Anchor Weblog
GyG's History/Traditions, etc.
The GyG Archive/Bookmarks @FURL
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Add Gunny G's FURL RSS Feed To YOUR Site!
~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~
USMC, Military, History, Unusual/Controversial, Politically Incorrect, News-n-Views,
Eye-Opening and Thought-Provoking Articles, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~
Note:
GyG's G&A Sites & Forums is an informational site and not for profit. Copyrighted material provided soley for education, study, research, and discussion, etc. Full credit to source shown when available.
~~~~~




*****


Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Army apologizes for alleged Marine shootings


Army apologizes for alleged Marine shootings

By William H. McMichael & Trista Talton - Staff writers
Posted : Tuesday May 8, 2007 13:08:14 EDT

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/05/military
_afghanmarines_apology_070508w/

An Army colonel in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday apologized and made condolence payments to families of civilians allegedly killed by special operations Marines after a suicide bomber struck the Marines' vehicle convoy.

He said the killing and wounding of "innocent Afghans at the hands of Americans is a stain on our honor," despite the fact that the criminal investigation into the incident has not been completed.

The March 4 incident in Nangarhar province left 19 civilians dead and 53 wounded, said Army Col. John Nicholson, commander of the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, which is winding down its deployment following 16 months away from home. The number of dead is well beyond previous reports, which ranged from 10 to 12.

"We came here to help the Afghan people and the Afghan government, not to hurt you," Nicholson said, re-reading for Pentagon reporters via satellite the statement he gave to the families of the victims. "So I stand before you today deeply, deeply ashamed, and terribly sorry, that Americans have killed and wounded innocent Afghan people.

"We are filled with grief and sadness at the death of any Afghan," Nicholson continued. "But the death and wounding of innocent Afghans at the hand of Americans is a stain on our honor, and on the deaths of the many Americans who have died defending Afghanistan and the Afghan people.

"This was a terrible, terrible mistake," Nicholson said. "And my nation grieves with you for your loss and suffering. We humbly and respectfully ask for your forgiveness."

Nicholson said such events "do set us back with the population, and they have to be addressed very directly and forthrightly with the Afghan people." The families' response, he said, was "very positive. Showing them the appropriate respect is culturally significant. And seeing the genuine remorse we have for incidents such as this is important in terms of keeping them with us."

Marine Maj. Cliff Gilmore, spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune, N.C., said his command is not characterizing the incident until the investigation has been completed.

"We regret the March 4 ambush of the Marine Special Operations Company in Afghanistan and offer our deepest sympathy to all of those involved," Gilmore said. "The events related to that ambush are currently under investigation. In the interest of preserving the presumption of innocence that all U.S. service members deserve when facing allegations of misconduct, we will not characterize the incident until we have all the facts."

Ed Buice, a spokesman for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Washington, said agents continue with their investigation.

"It will be [ongoing] for a good while simply because of the logistical issues if nothing else to have a team of agents in Afghanistan," Buice said. "As far as I know, they're still there."

Nicholson's comments mark the second time that a prominent Army official has publicly cast doubt on the Marines' innocence. On April 14, Army Maj. Gen. Frank Kearney, the top special operations officer in the Middle East, told the Washington Post that a preliminary investigation showed there was no evidence that Marines had taken small-arms fire from Afghans after the car bomb struck the Marine convoy.

Kearney, days after the ambush, took the unusual step of expelling all 120 Marines from Afghanistan, where they had been deployed since February. On April 3, officials with MarSOC relieved the company commander and senior enlisted Marine and brought them back to the U.S. Since then, MarSOC has acknowledged that six other Marines — a total of eight — have been sent home while the company remains deployed in the Middle East.

Lawyers for several of the Marines under investigation told Marine Corps Times last week that their clients' retelling of events clashed with Kearney's, and said they have evidence to back the claim that the Marines did indeed take small-arms fire from enemy fighters in the area and were forced to defend themselves after the initial ambush.

The Army colonel's new comments raised the ire of at least one defense attorney involved in the case.

Victor Kelley, an attorney for a gunnery sergeant, said Tuesday that, "based on my information of the facts [the colonel] just got it wrong."

"My client has done nothing wrong," Kelley said. "When this case is tried outside of the court of public opinion he will be found not guilty. I can say with confidence the colonel has it wrong."

He pointed out the different reports of casualties coming from the government. Nicholson said 19 civilians were killed. Kearney said that, according to a preliminary investigation, 10 civilians were killed.

"I don't think the government knows what the heck has happened, especially when you've got senior officers making a blanket apology for these Marines before they've even been tried."

The "solatia" payments — so described because they were made to express condolences rather than a "legal claim per se," Nicholson said — varied with the type of loss a family suffered. If a family member was killed, he said, the family was paid 100,000 Afghani — the equivalent of about $2,000, he said.
Related reading:

Lawyers: Evidence backs MarSOC's claims

Report: Expect charges in MarSOC case

Corps: 6 more spec-ops Marines sent home

Pace: Afghan allegations 'nick on Marine pride'

MarSOC mum after general's comments

Readiness of ousted spec ops unit questioned

Army general kicks Marines out of Afghanistan

Afghan civilians shot after ambush on Marines

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/05/military
_afghanmarines_apology_070508w/


--
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want On GyG's E-Mail List?
Send/Reply: GunnyG@GMail.com
ADD In Subject Line....
~~~~~~~~~~
RESTORE THE REPUBLIC!
R.W. "Dick" Gaines
(The Original "Gunny G")
GnySgt USMC (Ret.)
1952- (Plt #437-PISC)-'72
Sites & Forums For... The Thinking Marine!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GyG's Globe and Anchor! --Sites & Forums
GyG's Old Salt Marines Tavern ~Interactive~
GyG's Globe and Anchor Weblog
GyG's History/Traditions, etc.
The GyG Archive/Bookmarks @FURL
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Add Gunny G's FURL RSS Feed To YOUR Site!
~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~
USMC, Military, History, Unusual/Controversial, Politically Incorrect, News-n-Views,
Eye-Opening and Thought-Provoking Articles, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~
Note:
GyG's G&A Sites & Forums is an informational site and not for profit. Copyrighted material provided soley for education, study, research, and discussion, etc. Full credit to source shown when available.
~~~~~




*****