Sgt. Reckless USMC war horse, pride of the 5th Marines. Wounded twice in battle
shielding four Marines from enemy fire and kept going, a great story.
shielding four Marines from enemy fire and kept going, a great story.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
TAPS
ARLINGTON CEMETERY - A few hours after dawn's early light, when the grass is still wet from the morning dew - A brother is laid to rest..
Two buglers play "Echo Taps". The music seems to touch one's soul as it melancholy sound reaches out across the cemetery - like the rings in water after a stone as been thrown in - past head stones that have heard it a thousand times before. Yet they seem to weep from its vibrations as it passes by, as the wind gathers it up, and sends it out of the cemetery - past the tomb of the Unknowns - who know its melody all too well.
The wind softly moves it down to The Wall, where it lingers, slowly moving through the crowd of people gathered there. Gently it touches each name on its journey down the Wall - `til it gets to the last name - from the last day.
Its journey now complete, it slowly dissipates - leaving in its wake a feeling that you have been touched by some kind of grace, now buried deep inside your heart.
Its melody lingers long after the music's last notes - like the cries of angels, never-to-be-forgotten...
©2001 - Bruce Knipp
Sunday, April 28, 2013
FORGED BONDS
To say the relationship is unique between two opposites is an
understatement. Like two pieces of steel fused together in the
furnaces of combat, they have forged an unbreakable bond.
The Fleet Marine Force Navy Corpsman who are trained to save
lives, working together with Marines who are trained to take
lives, each looking out for the other. The Corpsman job is to
patch up wounded Marines, in some cases they giving the worst
of the wounded, time, time to get on a medevac and to a doctor
an a operating room.
For some, their is nothing they can do, except hold a hand and
pray, and watch a life slowly slip away into the obis of war. The
thing about Corpsman is, they will go far past their job description
to just render first aid to the wounded, they have been known to
crawl out into no-mans land, beyond the wire, into a free fire zone,
through bullet and shell to get to a fallen Marine, they seem to be at
times just fearless about the danger around them in doing there job.
And now you know why all corpsman are called devil docs, and they
are the only service personnel that can wear two different uniforms if
they choose. This Bond as been around for decades, and so to the
respect, one for the other, and the chain remains unbroken.
Bruce Knipp
understatement. Like two pieces of steel fused together in the
furnaces of combat, they have forged an unbreakable bond.
The Fleet Marine Force Navy Corpsman who are trained to save
lives, working together with Marines who are trained to take
lives, each looking out for the other. The Corpsman job is to
patch up wounded Marines, in some cases they giving the worst
of the wounded, time, time to get on a medevac and to a doctor
an a operating room.
For some, their is nothing they can do, except hold a hand and
pray, and watch a life slowly slip away into the obis of war. The
thing about Corpsman is, they will go far past their job description
to just render first aid to the wounded, they have been known to
crawl out into no-mans land, beyond the wire, into a free fire zone,
through bullet and shell to get to a fallen Marine, they seem to be at
times just fearless about the danger around them in doing there job.
And now you know why all corpsman are called devil docs, and they
are the only service personnel that can wear two different uniforms if
they choose. This Bond as been around for decades, and so to the
respect, one for the other, and the chain remains unbroken.
Bruce Knipp
Saturday, April 20, 2013
In The Persuit of Freedom
This is the story of a nation and it's greatest generation, of a war we fought
to stay free, and the lessons we learned about each other along the way.
This is the story of three groups of Americans, nether group anymore
important then any other. But these groups also had to fight prejudice,
and the enemy at the same time.
In Phoenix Arizona at the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza stands a 9-foot -high memorial, a larger then life sculpture of a Navajo Code Talker rendered in
bronze. At the dedication of the memorial a Navajo said "Before the war we
were considered second class citizens in Arizona. Now, Arizona celebrates
our heritage and our contribution to the freedom of this country."
The Navajo settled in the four corners of Monument Valley of the south west.
In 1863 they were forcibly taken from there land and sent to Fort Sumner
New Mexico, on what the Navajo call "The Long Walk" on this 300 mile
journey two hundred of there number would parish. Resettled in a place
where crops could not grow and sheep could not graze. In 1867 they were
allowed to return to there homeland. In 1941 just after the attack on Peal
Harbor they were ask to volunteer with the Marine Corps as code talkers,
by the end of the war there were some 600 Navajo code talkers. They used
there language to help win the war in the Pacific.
In Los Angeles California stands a Memorial to the U.S. Army's 442 Regimental
Combat Team an all Japanese American unit of some 4,500 men who fought in Europe in world war two, the units motto was "Go For Broke"
In 1941 after the attack on Peal Harbor all Japanese from Hawaii and California
were forced in to internment camps, where they would be held until the wars
end. So these Japanese Americans would fight for America even though there
families were held in internment camps. The 442 would receive more then
18,000 individual decorations and seven Presidential Unit Citations, and 21
medals of honor
And became,the Army's highest decorated small unit of world war two.
In Walter Boro, Memorial Park South Carolina is a Monument to the
Tuskegee Airmen, this was there last training base before going overseas.
African Americans maybe had the longest struggle to be excepted, and stereo
typed as not being smart enough to fly air planes etc. Enter the famed
Tuskegee Airmen, fighter pilots who destroyed 251 enemy aircraft and won
850 individual decorations. Used as escorts for bombers, they never lost a
bomber to enemy aircraft, 66 of there number paid the ultimate price. The
German called them the black bird men, the bomber pilots called them the
red tailed angels, because of the red tail on there airplanes.
So the question is, what is it about this nation that even with there ill
treatment it would not deter them from there goal of liberty. Well I think it
comes down to 36 words.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"
Those words are some of the most powerful ever written. I sometimes wonder
if time is in Gods plan, injustices take time to change minds, sometimes
generations.
Bruce Knipp
to stay free, and the lessons we learned about each other along the way.
This is the story of three groups of Americans, nether group anymore
important then any other. But these groups also had to fight prejudice,
and the enemy at the same time.
In Phoenix Arizona at the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza stands a 9-foot -high memorial, a larger then life sculpture of a Navajo Code Talker rendered in
bronze. At the dedication of the memorial a Navajo said "Before the war we
were considered second class citizens in Arizona. Now, Arizona celebrates
our heritage and our contribution to the freedom of this country."
The Navajo settled in the four corners of Monument Valley of the south west.
In 1863 they were forcibly taken from there land and sent to Fort Sumner
New Mexico, on what the Navajo call "The Long Walk" on this 300 mile
journey two hundred of there number would parish. Resettled in a place
where crops could not grow and sheep could not graze. In 1867 they were
allowed to return to there homeland. In 1941 just after the attack on Peal
Harbor they were ask to volunteer with the Marine Corps as code talkers,
by the end of the war there were some 600 Navajo code talkers. They used
there language to help win the war in the Pacific.
In Los Angeles California stands a Memorial to the U.S. Army's 442 Regimental
Combat Team an all Japanese American unit of some 4,500 men who fought in Europe in world war two, the units motto was "Go For Broke"
In 1941 after the attack on Peal Harbor all Japanese from Hawaii and California
were forced in to internment camps, where they would be held until the wars
end. So these Japanese Americans would fight for America even though there
families were held in internment camps. The 442 would receive more then
18,000 individual decorations and seven Presidential Unit Citations, and 21
medals of honor
And became,the Army's highest decorated small unit of world war two.
In Walter Boro, Memorial Park South Carolina is a Monument to the
Tuskegee Airmen, this was there last training base before going overseas.
African Americans maybe had the longest struggle to be excepted, and stereo
typed as not being smart enough to fly air planes etc. Enter the famed
Tuskegee Airmen, fighter pilots who destroyed 251 enemy aircraft and won
850 individual decorations. Used as escorts for bombers, they never lost a
bomber to enemy aircraft, 66 of there number paid the ultimate price. The
German called them the black bird men, the bomber pilots called them the
red tailed angels, because of the red tail on there airplanes.
So the question is, what is it about this nation that even with there ill
treatment it would not deter them from there goal of liberty. Well I think it
comes down to 36 words.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"
Those words are some of the most powerful ever written. I sometimes wonder
if time is in Gods plan, injustices take time to change minds, sometimes
generations.
Bruce Knipp
Saturday, March 9, 2013
No Man Left Behind
"No Man Left Behind" Statue Unveiled
On Friday afternoon, former Marine Sgt. Christopher Marquez and former Marine Cpl. Dane Shaffer unveiled the monument, which depicts them aiding now Sgt. Maj. Bradley Kasal during a firefight in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004. This is the picture that the statue was modeled from, carring his .45
The statue, "No Man Left Behind" was unveiled Friday afternoon at the front entrance of the Warrior Hope and Care Center aboard Camp Lejeune. Hope For The Warriors commissioned the creation of the monument as tribute to all wounded and fallen service members. From left, sculpture creator John Phelps, Sgt. Chris Marquez, LMSW Executive Vice President Tina Atherall,Cpl. Dane Shaffer and President/CEO of Hope for the Warriors Robin Kelleher. The statue depicts Sgt. Chris Marquez and Cpl. Dane Shaffer carrying then-1st Sgt. Bradley Kasal out of a house to safety.
which he used to kill insurgents in a house in Fallujah.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
The Drones Are Coming
When the human brain thinks of some sort of new technology it's not to long before it
starts to grow in leaps and bounds. In the 1920-30s remote controlled aircraft were
first being tested, which then opened up the hobby industry for remote controlled
planes and cars. But with the technology of using satellites the government as
taken the technology from the hobby industry to the military and the CIA, a kind
of remote assassination, killing the bad guys. So if we can do it, other country's
also have the same technology to do the something. A man was arrested last year
for planing to fly three drone in D.C. with C-4 on broad into the capital and other
spots in Washington. Now many police departments are starting to use them and
many people have some serious questions about their uses, some might say that
their just being overly curious. But lets us not forget that the government as done
in the past, many many illegal things in this country to our own citizens. And as
citizens we have to remain on guard to protect our rights. Now you be the judge,
watch this video and see how far you would let this technology go if you had a
say about it. And also many in the hobby industry think that the government will
now stop them from flying anymore model planes.
starts to grow in leaps and bounds. In the 1920-30s remote controlled aircraft were
first being tested, which then opened up the hobby industry for remote controlled
planes and cars. But with the technology of using satellites the government as
taken the technology from the hobby industry to the military and the CIA, a kind
of remote assassination, killing the bad guys. So if we can do it, other country's
also have the same technology to do the something. A man was arrested last year
for planing to fly three drone in D.C. with C-4 on broad into the capital and other
spots in Washington. Now many police departments are starting to use them and
many people have some serious questions about their uses, some might say that
their just being overly curious. But lets us not forget that the government as done
in the past, many many illegal things in this country to our own citizens. And as
citizens we have to remain on guard to protect our rights. Now you be the judge,
watch this video and see how far you would let this technology go if you had a
say about it. And also many in the hobby industry think that the government will
now stop them from flying anymore model planes.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
February 19, 1945
This date will come and go and not many will know of it's meaning in American
history. On this date 68 years ago U.S. Marines and the forces of Japan would meet
on an island in the Pacific Ocean 700 miles from the Japanese main land. The island
just a speck of land, just eight squire miles of hell, void of most all vegetation. It was
grey in color with black sand beaches, rocky and smelled like sulfur and thus it's
name was sulfur island, in Japanese Iwo Jima, if there was a hell on earth, this was it.
Five days into the battle The Marines took Mount Suribachi, raising the flag on top,
and the photograph taken on 23 February 1945 by Joe Rosenthal. The photo has been
one of the most copied photo in history. The picture was used by Felix de Weidon to
sculpt the Marine Corps War Memorial adjacent to Arlington Cemetery.
Unfortunately the taking of Mount Suribachi was not the end, the battle lasted till
March 26, 1945 with 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 dead. The
Japanese lost around 21,844 with about 216 captured. Their was 27 Medals of
Honor 13 awarded Posthumously, 22 awarded to Marines 5 to Navy Corpsmen.
I made this little video to honor the men of Iwo Jima. In the end the survives would
ask each other this one question. Was it worth it?
history. On this date 68 years ago U.S. Marines and the forces of Japan would meet
on an island in the Pacific Ocean 700 miles from the Japanese main land. The island
just a speck of land, just eight squire miles of hell, void of most all vegetation. It was
grey in color with black sand beaches, rocky and smelled like sulfur and thus it's
name was sulfur island, in Japanese Iwo Jima, if there was a hell on earth, this was it.
Five days into the battle The Marines took Mount Suribachi, raising the flag on top,
and the photograph taken on 23 February 1945 by Joe Rosenthal. The photo has been
one of the most copied photo in history. The picture was used by Felix de Weidon to
sculpt the Marine Corps War Memorial adjacent to Arlington Cemetery.
Unfortunately the taking of Mount Suribachi was not the end, the battle lasted till
March 26, 1945 with 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 dead. The
Japanese lost around 21,844 with about 216 captured. Their was 27 Medals of
Honor 13 awarded Posthumously, 22 awarded to Marines 5 to Navy Corpsmen.
I made this little video to honor the men of Iwo Jima. In the end the survives would
ask each other this one question. Was it worth it?
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