It's not about the beach and BBQ's

[Sarge]

Take a few moments to think about the meaning of this holiday, especially with our men and women in harms way.

Thank a vet if you see one this weekend, especially the WWII ones. Those guys saved the world, and other vets have sacrificed to keep us free.

And if you go to a parade this weekend and see Old Glory go by, have to common courtesy to get on your feet.

Have a read, and have a great weekend.

Reagan lauded heroism of D-Day Rangers

'You risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted: May 29, 2004

1:00 a.m. Eastern

Editor's note: WorldNetDaily is pleased to have a content-sharing agreement with Insight magazine, the bold Washington publication not afraid to ruffle establishment feathers.

By Stephen Goode

© 2004 Insight/News World Communications Inc.

Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is no doubt the most eloquent testimonial to the courage of American soldiers ever penned by a U.S. president. But Ronald Reagan's words on June 6, 1984, are likewise profound and beautiful.

President Reagan was speaking at the World War II Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument, which overlooks Omaha Beach in Normandy. It was the 40th anniversary of the attack made by the 2nd Ranger Battalion led by Lt. Col. James E. Rudder up the steep cliffs at the beach on that momentous day. Loss of life was very high.

"We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty," said Reagan. "For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. ...

"The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers on the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up.

"When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. ...

"Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here," Reagan said to the elderly men who had come from their homes in the United States to mark this anniversary. "You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you.

"Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here?

"It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.

"The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next.

"It was a deep knowledge - and pray God we have not lost it - that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

"You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.

"All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.

"The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They thought -- or felt in their hearts, though they couldn't know in fact -- that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4 a.m., in Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying, and in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell.

"Something else helped the men on D-Day: their rock-hard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. ..."

And one of my favorites, a speech given by Patton beofre D-Day in 1944

Be Seated.

Men, this stuff we hear about America wanting to stay out of the war, not wanting to fight, is a lot of bullsh!it. Americans love to fight - traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble player; the fastest runner; the big league ball players; the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win - all the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost, not ever will lose a war, for the very thought of losing is hateful to an American.

You are not all going to die. Only two percent of you here today would die in a major battle. Death must not be feared. Every man is frightened at first in battle. If he says he isn't, he's a goddamn liar. Some men are cowards, yes! But they fight just the same, or get the hell shamed out of them watching men who do fight who are just as scared. The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared. Some get over their fright in a minute under fire, some take an hour. For some it takes days. But the real man never lets fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to this country and his innate manhood.

All through your army career you men have b!tched about "This chickensh!t drilling." That is all for a purpose. Drilling and discipline must be maintained in any army if for only one reason -- INSTANT OBEDIENCE TO ORDERS AND TO CREATE CONSTANT ALERTNESS. I don't give a damn for a man who is not always on his toes. You men are veterans or you wouldn't be here. You are ready. A man to continue breathing must be alert at all times. If not, sometime a German son-of-a-b!tch will sneak up behind him and beat him to death with a sock full of sh!t.

There are 400 neatly marked graves somewhere in Sicily all because one man went to sleep on his job -- but they were German graves for we caught the **** asleep before his officers did. An Army is a team. Lives, sleeps, eats, fights as a team. This individual heroic stuff is a lot of crap. The bilious ****s who wrote that kind of stuff for the Saturday Evening Post don't know any more about real fighting, under fire, than they do about fu(king. We have the best food, the finest equipment, the best spirit and the best fighting men in the world. Why, by God, I actually pity these poor sons-of-b!tches we are going up against. By God, I do!

My men don't surrender. I don't want to hear of any soldier under my command being captured unless he is hit. Even if you are hit, you can still fight. That's not just bullsh!t, either. The kind of man I want under me is like the lieutenant in Libya, who, with a Lugar against his chest, jerked off his helmet, swept the gun aside with one hand and busted hell out of the Boche with the helmet. Then he jumped on the gun and went out and killed another German: All this with a bullet through his lung. That's a man for you.

All real heroes are not story book combat fighters either. Every man in the army plays a vital part. Every little job is essential. Don't ever let down, thinking your role is unimportant. Every man has a job to do. Every man is a link in the great chain. What if every truck driver decided that he didn't like the whine of the shells overhead, turned yellow and jumped headlong into the ditch? He could say to himself, "They won't miss me -- just one in thousands." What if every man said that? Where in hell would we be now? No, thank God, Americans don't say that! Every man does his job; every man serves the whole. Every department, every unit, is important to the vast scheme of things. The Ordnance men are needed to supply the guns, the Quartermaster to bring up the food and clothes to us -- for where we're going there isn't a hell of a lot to steal. Every last man in the mess hall, even the one who heats the water to keep us from getting the GI sh!ts has a job to do. Even the chaplain is important, for if we get killed and if he is not there to bury us we'd all go to hell.

Each man must not only think of himself, but of his buddy fighting beside him. We don't want yellow cowards in this army. They should all be killed off like flies. If not they will go back home after the war and breed more cowards. The brave men will breed brave men. Kill off the goddamn cowards and we'll have a nation of brave men.

One of the bravest men I ever saw in the African campaign was the fellow I saw on top of a telegraph pole in the midst of furious fire while we were plowing toward Tunis. I stopped and asked what the hell he was doing up there at that time. He answered, "Fixing the wire, sir." "Isn't it a little unhealthy right now?," I asked. "Yes sir, but this goddamn wire's got to be fixed." There was a real soldier. There was a man who devoted all he had to his duty, no matter how great the odds, no matter how seemingly insignificant his duty might appear at the time.

You should have seen those trucks on the road to Gabes. The drivers were magnificent. All day and all night they rolled over those son-of-a-b!tching roads, never stopping, never faltering from their course, with shells bursting around them all the time. We got through on good old American guts. Many of these men drove over forty consecutive hours. These weren't combat men. But they were soldiers with a job to do. They did it -- and in a whale of a way they did it. They were part of a team. Without them the fight would have been lost. All the links in the chain pulled together and that chain became unbreakable.

Don't forget, you don't know I'm here. No word of the fact is to be mentioned in any letters. The world is not supposed to know what the hell became of me. I'm not supposed to be commanding this Army. I'm not even supposed to be in England. Let the first ****s to find out be the godd@mn Germans. Someday I want them to raise up on their hind legs and howl, "Jesus Christ, it's the godd@mn Third Army and that son-of-a-b!tch Patton again."

We want to get the hell over there. We want to get over there and clear the goddamn thing up. You can't win a war lying down. The quicker we clean up this godd@mn mess, the quicker we can take a jaunt against the purple pissing Japs an clean their nest out too, before the Marines get all the godd@amn credit.

Sure, we all want to be home. We want this thing over with. The quickest way to get it over is to get the ****s. The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we go home. The shortest way home is through Berlin. When a man is lying in a shell hole, if he just stays there all day, a Boche will get him eventually, and the hell with that idea. The hell with taking it. My men don't dig foxholes. I don't want them to. Foxholes only slow up an offensive. Keep moving. And don't give the enemy time to dig one. We'll win this war but we'll win it only by fighting and by showing the Germans we've got more guts than they have.

There is one great thing you men will all be able to say when you go home. You may thank God for it. Thank God, that at least, thirty years from now, when you are sitting around the fireside with your grandson on your knees, and he asks you what you did in the great war, you won't have to cough and say, "I shoveled sh!t in Louisiana."

[AJWatson3]

nice post sarge. patton is the man. bless the soldiers.

[Ax]

Good read Sarge.

For about the last 15 yrs or so, I have always made a point of saying "Thank You" and "Have a great Memorial Day" to any and all vets I know, or happen to come across.

It is a practice I highly recommend.

[riggins44]

I think it's important to remember the meaning of Memorial Day. It's not just the beginning of summer, as those in tourism would lead you to believe.

This weekend take time to remember those that paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

[Utah]

Honoring service men and women has never been a problem in my family and never will be.

[chomerics]

Originally posted by Sarge

Take a few moments to think about the meaning of this holiday, especially with our men and women in harms way.

Thank a vet if you see one this weekend, especially the WWII ones. Those guys saved the world, and other vets have sacrificed to keep us free.

And if you go to a parade this weekend and see Old Glory go by, have to common courtesy to get on your feet.

Have a read, and have a great weekend.

We disagree on alot Sarge, but we can both argee on this.

good post.

[Cskin]

Good job Sarge...

In fact, anytime you see a veteran... it doesn't hurt to thank them for their service and courage.

It's frustating thinking that some people believe Memorial Day weekend is a three day weekend to party and cook out... not thinking twice about the true meaning of the weekend and the holiday.

Fortunately, it appears Extremeskins attracts members who honor those who've sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

[Blondie]

http://www.llerrah.com/america.htm http://www.songforamerica.com/ Thank you Sarge for the beautiful reminder.

May each of us keep in mind the reason for the holiday.

To each member of the board who has served or is serving in the Armed Forces, I thank you.

I will continue to have you and our country in my prayers.

Blondie

[Tommy-the-Greek]

Nice post Sarge. My brother's, father in law's brother was on the front page of our paper the other day. He was at pearl harbor on that Sunday morning and can tell some great stories when he feels like talking about them. I am going to try to find and post that article. brb.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11807800&BRD=1697&PAG=461&dept_id=44551&rfi=8

I’m always fighting that war’: Trenton veteran recalls harrowing Pearl Harbor

CHARLES WEBSTER , Staff Writer 05/27/2004

On Dec. 7, 1941, Cpl. Stanley Sikorski awoke to a beautiful, sunny day.

It was Sunday and, as he strolled around his barracks at 8 a.m., he prepared to spend a peaceful day enjoying the heavenly Hawaiian weather.

Sikorski had already spent more than two years in the Army -- most of them at Schofield Barracks on the outskirts of Honolulu.

He had his day all planned out.

First, attend Sunday services at the South Schofield Barracks chapel, then take care of sending off some Christmas presents for his parents and friends at home in Top Road section of North Trenton where he still resides today.

Sikorski remembers hearing the sound of airplanes overhead.

That wasn’t unusual. Planes from nearby Hickam Airfield were always flying overhead

But unbeknownst to Sikorski and his fellow bunkmates, these were Japanese enemy bombers and attack planes headed for Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor.

The planes started shooting into the 25th Infantry headquarters barracks where he lived. Loud explosions could be heard in the distance.

Sikorski was bent over his footlocker when the shooting stared.

One round missed him by inches and imbedded itself into his locker.

"When those bombs went off some people thought it was the coastal artillery practicing. Others thought it might be an earthquake," Sikorski recalled. "I thought it was war games going on over at Hickam."

But these were no war games.

Those planes were not friendlies taking part in a war game exercise, those planes were Japanese Zeroes initiating a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor where 130 vessels of the U.S. Pacific Fleet lay quiet and peaceful.

"We heard the wump, wump of their planes overhead -- it was a sickening sound," Sikorski recalled in his North Trenton home yesterday.

The 85-year-old veteran recalls the voice of a guy on the radio screaming, "This is not a drill. This is not a drill."

Sikorski darted outside to see what was going on. He couldn’t believe his eyes as the sky was filled with low-flying Japanese airplanes.

"They were actually so close I could see one of their guys smile at me," he said.

Sikorski took off running looking for his commander’s car parked just outside the building.

"I got the vehicle and headed out to get our commanding officer who was at a weekend retreat," Sikorski remembers. "I got stopped and the car was commandeered by an officer."

The officer ordered Sikorski and others down to Pearl Harbor to start pulling people out of the water.

As he headed towards the water, he saw the harbor ablaze in fire.

He watched as battleships, aircraft carriers and destroyers exploded and sank in the water.

Sikorski remembers how he and his buddies encountered this woman standing on the rise looking over the harbor.

She seemed to be in a daze.

"She was off in the distance just looking down at the ships in the harbor," he said. "She must have been an officer’s wife the way she starting talking to us, and she starts telling us, ‘There goes this ship, There goes that ship.’ She was really starting to aggravate me, so I just left."

Sikorski eventually made it to the harbor where he recalls nothing but complete horror. Dead and wounded men lay everywhere.

"I headed towards the action," he said. "Our job was to do whatever we could do to help, but that was really doing nothing -- it was a mess down there."

For the next four or five hours, Sikorski and Army soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division helped pull sailors and Marines out of the water.

Later that night Sikorski and the others were ordered back to Schofield Barracks.

"I was walking and trying to say the Rosary. I just made up prayers for that Rosary that night," he said.

But for Sikorski this was just the beginning.

"There was no sleep for several days," he recalled.

"It was one of the worst days of my life," Sikorski said yesterday. "I remember when they said the war was over -- it was never going to be over for me. I’m always fighting that war."

After the smoke cleared from Pearl Harbor, Sikorski and the rest of the 25th Infantry Division shipped out for the South Pacific.

Next stop Guadalcanal, where his division hit the beach running.

They were at war.

There was work to be done.

[PCS]

Sgt Fite. 83-87 USAF. Proud to have served and in my job in the military, serve and care for those who had in the past.

[fmorris]

Originally posted by Cskin

Good job Sarge...

In fact, anytime you see a veteran... it doesn't hurt to thank them for their service and courage.

It's frustating thinking that some people believe Memorial Day weekend is a three day weekend to party and cook out... not thinking twice about the true meaning of the weekend and the holiday.

Party and have a cook out, but remember to give thanks for these freedoms. Cheers!

[Sarge]

Our most recent Medal of Honor winners. Along with a great site to read some of the Citations of other winners

http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/moh1.htm

Somalia

*GORDON, GARY I.

Rank and organization: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army. Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia. Entered service at: ----- Born: Lincoln, Maine. Citation: Master Sergeant Gordon, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Master Sergeant Gordon's sniper team provided precision fires from the lead helicopter during an assault and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When Master Sergeant Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the second crash site, he and another sniper unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After his third request to be inserted, Master Sergeant Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon and his fellow sniper, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Master Sergeant Gordon immediately pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Master Sergeant Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers until he depleted his ammunition. Master Sergeant Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crew's weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that he was critically low on ammunition, he provided some of it to the dazed pilot and then radioed for help. Master Sergeant Gordon continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After his team member was fatally wounded and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the wreckage, recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the pilot with the words, "good luck." Then, armed only with his pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Master Sergeant Gordon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.

*SHUGHART, RANDALL D.

Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army. Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia. Entered service at: ----- Born: Newville, Pennsylvania. Citation: Sergeant First Class Shughart, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Member, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sergeant First Class Shughart provided precision sniper fires from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive fires at the second crash site, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the site. Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After their third request to be inserted, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Sergeant First Class Shughart pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Sergeant First Class Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while traveling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. Sergeant First Class Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Sergeant First Class Shughart's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.

[PCS]

okay. Taking a quick break in preperations for the day.

Here's a site was/is?devoted to getting Maj. Dick Winters, (from the 101 Screaming Eagles and figured heavily in Band of Brothers) a medal of honor. After reading about it, seeing the movie ect... hope this man get's it.

Major Dick Winters .com.

Proposed Citation: First Lieutenant Richard D. Winters Company E. 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action on 6 June 1944 in the vicinity of Le Gran Chemin, Normandy, France. During the early phases of the airborne assault on D-Day, Lieutenant Winters assumed temporary command of Easy Company, then numbering twelve men, and advanced to destroy a German four-gun battery of 105mm artillery pieces that was placing indirect fire on UTAH Beach. Lieutenant Winters personally conducted a reconnaissance under direct enemy fire and quickly stabled that quick, violent action was required to destroy the battery and it's 50-man enemy garrison. Organizing his men into support and assault teams, Winters crawled toward the jump-off position. In the process, he noticed one German Soldier and killed him instantly. With the support team engaging one enemy gun. Winters placed himself in the lead of the assault column and charged across the fire swept open field into the hedgerow where they silenced the first gun. As the enemy crew retreated, Winters killed three more Germans and planned to assault the second howitzer. Placing a machine gun to fire down the trench, he gathered two soldiers and prepared to charge down the trench in the direction of the second gun. Crawling forward in the trench he noticed that his path was blocked by an enemy machine gun getting ready to fire. Without hesitation Winters fired and wounded both members of the enemy crew. Leaving three men to hold the first gun, Winters lead his remaining five on a charge directly down the enemy trench throwing grenades ahead of him. Urging his men forward by shouting encouragement and leading the assault team, Winters captured the second gun and discovered a map that depicted all the German artillery and machine gun positions throughout the Cotentin Peninsula. Sending the map back to headquarters, Winters then directed the assault on the third gun which he quickly captured. With three guns under his direct control, Winters halted only long enough to destroy the barrels of the enemy guns. Still under direct fire, Winters then ordered another platoon to capture the final gun, which they did in short order. With his mission accomplished and now under intense fire from machine guns from the hedgerows adjacent to neighboring Brecourt Manor, Winters finally ordered a withdrawal. As was his custom, Winters was last out, but not before killing another German rifleman. With what amounted to a squad. Winters and his men had killed 15 German soldiers, wounded many more, and taken 12 prisoners. In all, Winters killed at least five Germans and his whirlwind hand-to-hand assault had resulted in the destruction of the complete battery and the entire fifty-man platoon of the elite German paratroopers defending the battery. Later that afternoon Winters harassed the enemy forces, preventing their return to the fortified position until armored forces from the amphibious forces secured Brecourt Manor. The superb leadership, conspicuous courage, and consummate devotion to duty demonstrated by Lieutenant Winters were directly responsible for the successful accomplishment of a hazardous mission and served as an inspiration to his men and exemplify the heroic traditions of the military service

Winter's After Action Report

Detail of Actions 6/9/44

Second Battalion while marching through above mentioned town 0930 D-Day was fired on point blank by a battery of four 88's, from a range of 350 yards ... same battery was also firing on troops on the beach. Nine men and two Officers made the assault.

The enemy had dug positions in a hedgerow around the perimeter of a rectangular field - about 1200 yards total in length. One corner of this position had a hedgerow that led into the entrenchment. Covering this hedgerow and the enemies flank were one 88, a M.G. and few riflemen. The other three 88's were firing out toward the beach and on the battalion they had pinned down.

The assault team decided on attacking the position down the one hedgerow that led to this entrenchment - all other approaches were across open fields. So under fire from the 88 protecting this flank and also small arm fire, the party worked their way into position and then opened up with all the fire power they could muster to pin the enemy down, while SGT Guarnere lead a group of three men to a position where he could hand grenade them.

The combined small arms fire and grenades drove the enemy out of the entrenchment protecting the flank, permitting the assault team to gain a fast hold. More grenades drove then gun crew of three from the first 88, who were killed before they had gone twenty-five yards. SGT Guarnere accounted for one of the three. The assault team was reorganized here again, and as in each case to follow, SGT Guarnere displayed extraordinary gallantry and disregard for his own safety in see that this job was done correctly. By his very attitude and manner and display of confidence, he inspired the whole assault team and displayed the type of leadership that wins battles. After reorganizing the team, knocked out a M.G. and crew by rifle fire that was firing at us through the entrenchment. Immediately the team rushed the second 88 and crew, leaving behind three men to protect the rear. In the second assault, SGT Guarnere was again lead man and by using the same tactics, the second position was taken and five Germans killed, with no losses to ourselves.

At this time six Jerries decided they had enough and advanced with hands over head calling to us "No make me dead". They were immediately returned to the battalion along with all the documents and maps we could find - one map was of great value for it showed all 88 emplacements and entrenchment's of the defensive set-up of the peninsula.

With all four guns taken and destroyed, we withdrew out of the position, and continued to harass the enemy with M.G. and 60 MM mortar fire - which had just arrived - until two tanks arrived. Then we made an assault with the tanks and cleaned out the position. In all we suffered six wounded and four killed, the enemy had 15 killed - SGT Guarnere personally accounted for five - and captured twelve. Enemy forces estimated at about forty-five.

Mission completed, we rejoin our battalion, which had departed after the four 88's were destroyed, for their objective.

Supporting Data:

Battery of four 88's was destroyed which permitted troops on the beach to land without casualty, and battalion to move on to complete it's original mission.

And a site dedicated to the action at Brecourt itself. Haven't looked all the way through it, but looks interesting. Especially debriefing.

http://www.brecourtassault.com/

[Guest SkinsHokie Fan]

That assualt is a great scene in Band of Brothers, episode 2. I love the line where Winters says "we must be doing something right, they are shooting at themselves."

Here are to all the vets that fought and to those who died so I could live a life of freedom. Thank you

[SKINZ_DOMIN8]

That new World War II monument on the mall is one big eye-sore in my opinion.

How much did it cost the taxpayers?

And does anyone know whether or not there is a true Civil War Memorial? It seems to me the Civil War has gone unrecognized far too long. More Americans lost their lives in that war than all others combined but that doesn't seem to register with people nowadays.

:2cents: