http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=15144&o=ANN001

Priceless excerpt to those inclined not to read the whole thing:

“Maybe in her heart of hearts, Rohe does think Bush is an imbecile, McCain a lout, and the war is wrong. Maybe she would think so even if she had ever met someone who holds a different opinion.

But then she should just admit: “I know, I know. I’m an utterly conventional brown-noser, the very definition of going-with-the-flow, middle-of-the pack, finger-to-the-wind follower, who doesn’t have the candlepower to resist conforming to the beliefs of everyone around me — but that’s what I think.”

B2

Good post, sir. I agree with you 100%.

“Maybe it?

Good post, sir. I agree with you 100%.

“Maybe it’s BECAUSE OF THE BRAVERY!”

Like the bravery of the medic in the FOB, who goes on the next mission to the local Iraqi school in Kirkuk and spends 6 hours examining children for disease and telling their mothers and teachers how to treat their childrens’ diseases. Then he goes back to the FOB and holds impromptu sick call for his buddies who have bad sores on their backsides and blisters on their feet. Most days like this for a YEAR. Like that kind of bravery?

Like the Second Class Petty Officer who grabs a fire extinguisher and runs towards the flames as they leap out of the electrical breaker enclosure with the cover blown off and mangled across the passageway, thick black smoke pouring out of the enclosure. Then he drops the expended extinguisher, runs back to help his shipmate flake out the fire hose, and picks up the nozzle to advance on the fire as his shipmate charges the hose with water, the smoke so thick he can’t breathe unless he is 2 ft off the deck. Like that kind of bravery?

Like the bravery of a young aviation maintenance tech who works all alone at night fixing radar and communications equipment. He knows he has a schedule to meet, and the gear has to be fixed right and in the plane in operational order in the morning by 0600 for preflight checks. But no one is watching him to make sure he is doing it right. He’s 22 years old and he has fixed things like this before. He’d rather be at a ball game, party or home asleep, but he knows sometime tomorrow, an Air Force officer is going to key his mike and need that radio to work to save his life or just accomplish his mission. That officer is going to need that radar to work or he won’t find his way back to base. It would be easy to slack off because no one is watching. But he doesn’t, because it is his duty and people are depending on him. Like that kind of bravery?

Like the bravery of the young 20 year old Marine who wakes up every late afternoon, 7 days a week, receives his pre mission brief, gets behind the wheel of the third HUMVEE in the convoy, and drives for 6 hours in al Anbar province in the dark avoiding hidden IEDS 99 times out of a hundred, and bringing home three other shipmates and himself to their debrief and their bunks, in 100 degree heat, only to do it over again 12 hours later. Every day for seven months. That kind of bravery?

Like the bravery of SGT Rafael Peralta, who lost his father, fiance’s mother and fiance’ in the two years before he found himself in Fallujah, in a stack of Marines clearing houses. He volunteers to help his weapons platoon, although he is not assigned to them, to clear houses. He is first in the stack, and when his shipmates signal ready, he opens the door and receives automatic weapons fire in his face and body, falling back into the room. Three jihadis shoot at him and his shipmates, finally throwing a grenade into the room with several Marines and SGT Peralta. SGT Peralta, already mortally wounded, reaches out to grab the grenade, pulls it to his chest, and smothers the blast with his body. The Marines with him are only minimally wounded and continue the fight. Like that kind of bravery?

Because I just want to know what Bravery looks like. New School graduates, Stephen Colbert, or Rafael Peralta?

Press on, SGT. The Gates of Heaven are guarded by Men like you.

Subsunk