When the Army of Israel won a war, as they were traveling through the wilderness, they returned to the Tabernacle and celebrated the victory with rejoicing in worship to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, singing to the LORD accompanied with musical instruments and recanting the warriors brave deeds in the heat of battle. In Psalm 136:17-24 are recorded two magnificent victories over Sihon, King of the Amorites and Og, King of Bashan. These battles occurred after the Hebrew children had been in the wilderness for over 38 years (a fuller account is recorded in Numbers 21:21-35). This in one of the Psalms that the Jews sing at Passover. Naturally different cultures recount their soldiers deeds in variety of ways. One way our mass media distributes the valor of our Armed Forces to the country is through books and movies. During this year two books were released as movies (one in January and the other in March) one transmitted an image of the United States Army 1st Calvary Division and the other the United States Army Special Forces Rangers. (I have not seen either of these movies.)In 1992 a book was published that celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Wall (the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, DC). This book written by a Commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Calvary Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer’s old Regiment) that in November 1965 its 450 men clashed with 2,000 young men of the 33rd, 66th and 320th Regiments of the Army of North Vietnam in the Ia Drang Valley. What occurred in the next three days was one of the most significant battles of the Vietnam War. 71 soldiers were Killed in Action from the 1st of the 7th and 305 American warriors from all unites gave their lives.We Were Soldiers Once...And Young tells their story & ended up being one of the most important stories about modern war. In 1993 the United States Marine Corps Commandant elected that it was the reading choice for that year. In 1997 United States Air Force Chief of Staff, General Ronald G. Fogleman, put it on his basic reading list for Airmen. Currently United States Army Chief of Staff, General Eric K. Shinseki, has recommended the book to all soldiers. The soldier on the front of the book was a battalion commander and saved hundreds of men by his gallantry in the fog of war. After the war, he became a security guard at the World Trade Center. On 9/11 he led hundreds of people to safety. As he led them down the flights of stairs he sang God Bless America. The last time he was seen, he was heading back up the stairs, disappearing into the smoke, to save more people.
Black Hawk Down was published in 1999. It drops you into a crowded marketplace, with 99 elite warriors, in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia with the US Special Forces and puts you in the middle of the most intense firefight American soldiers have fought since the Vietnam War. Late in the afternoon of Sunday, October 03, 1993, the soldiers of Task Force Ranger were sent on a mission to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord. It was suppose to take them an hour. Instead, they were pinned down through a terrible night in a hostile city, locked in a desperate struggle to kill or be killed. When the unit was finally rescued the following morning 18 American soldiers were dead and dozens badly injured. The Somali toll was far worse: more than 500 killed and over 1,000 wounded.Sgt. Dominick Pilla, from Vineland, NJ, was one of the 18 Killed in Action. He was a 50-cal machine gunner in a Humvee that was assigned to evacuate a Ranger that had fallen from a helicopter. He was born on Good Friday in 1972 and graduated from Vineland High School in 1990.He enlisted the autumn after graduation and became one of the few, the cream of the crop, that joined the 75th Ranger Regiment, trained with French Commandos and Royal Thailand Rangers. He was killed while retrieving a fallen soldier, because he believed the Ranger Creed; He Could Leave No One Behind.The Combat Control Technician, Sergeant Dan Schilling, that was driving the Humvee Pilla was in was a Christian. After he returned to the safety of the rear lines he gather volunteers together to go back out into the battle telling his men “The difference between a coward and a hero is not whether you are scared, its what you do while you’re scared.”The Ranger Commander, Captain Mike Steel, had been an offensive guard, on a national championship Georgia Bulldog team under Coach Vince Dooly in 1980. He was known for his outspoken Christian fervor. The Captain would stop Rangers and ask them; “You go to church on Sundays, son?” The Captain led his men in the thick of the fighting and looked out for their safety. Let us remember the sacrifice that our service men and women have made.While we can’t thank those that have given their lives for our freedom We can thank those among use that served in our countries Armed Forces.
First KIA of Afghanistan War.
The aerial bombing began October 07, 2001, followed by the first publicly acknowledged ground assaults Saturday (October 20, 2001).
In lightning strikes under cover of darkness, 100 airborne Army Rangers and other Special Forces hit Taliban-controlled airfield.
The Pentagon said two Rangers were killed in Pakistan when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed during poor visibility. They identified the Rangers as Spc. Jonn J. Edmunds, 20 of Cheyenne, Wyo. and Pfc. Kristofor T. Stonesifer, 28 of Missoula, Mont. They served with the 75th Ranger Regiment based at Fort Benning, Ga., the Army said.
Finns Point Rear Range Light.
Junction of Fort Mott & Lighthouse Roads
Pennsville, N.J.This 115 foot tall iron tower with skeleton support structure was constructed in 1877, at 39° 37' 02" by 75° 32' 03". The iron rings that make up the tower were driven to the site by Army mule trains driven by soldiers. It was automated in 1939, but discontinued in 1951, due to a change in the shipping channel. The keeper's house was demolished in 1977 after being repeatedly damaged by vandals. Other than the lighthouse itself, the oil house is the only remaining original structure.In 1981 local citizens formed a "Save the Lighthouse Committee" spearheaded by Mrs. Betty Husarik, a local businesswomen, and sucessfully lobbied Congress to appropriate funds to refurbish the tower.The lighthouse is usually open the third Sunday of each month from April to October from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. The lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is situated near the junction of Fort Mott & Lighthouse Roads in Pennsville, New Jersey. It is part of Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
Finns Point Lighthouse.
At Finn's Point, just outside Fort Mott Park, a beautiful lighthouse can be seen. This tower was constructed in Buffalo, NY, and hauled by freight train and then mule-drawn wagons to its current location where it was erected in 1876. It cost $1,200.00.
Something over 115 feet tall, the tower featured a 150,000 candlepower kerosene vapor light. The keepers would have to climb the 130 steps and then ascend a ladder twice daily -- to light and extinguish the flame.
The light burned steadily until 1933, when it was turned off. It went on again in 1934, but was automated. In 1950 the light was permanently extinguished.
This unusual tower has a metal exoskeleton for support. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, Finn's Point Lighthouse has been restored and is open to visitation between April and October, but just once per month, from 12 - 4 on the third Sunday. Groups may be able to arrange a tour at other times.
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3-12. Soldier's Medal.
a. The Soldier's Medal, section 3750, title 10, United States Code (10 USC 3750) was established by Act of Congress 2 July 1926.
b. The Soldier's Medal is awarded to any person of the Armed Forces of the United States or of a friendly foreign nation who, while serving in any capacity with the Army of the United States, distinguished himself or herself by heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy. The same degree of heroism is required as for the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross. The performance must have involved personal hazard or danger and the voluntary risk of life under conditions not involving conflict with an armed enemy. Awards will not be made solely on the basis of having saved a life.
Award Recipients are as follows:
Soldier's Medal and the Purple Heart
Staff Sgt. Christopher Braman
Lt. Col. Victor Correa
Sgt. Roxane Cruz-Cortes
Maj. John Grote
Lt. Col. Robert Grunewald
Col. Philip McNair,
Capt. Darrell Oliver
Spc. Michael Petrovich
Sgt. Maj. Tony Rose
Lt. Col. Marilyn Wills
Soldiers Medal
Lt. Col. Paul Anderson
Maj. Victor Badami
Col. Gerald Barrett
Lt. Col. Thomas Cleary, III
Lt. Col. Kenny Cox
Col. John Davies
Col. Adrian Erckenback
CW5 Paul Heggood
Maj. Michael Kerzie
Capt. John Lamm'e
Lt. Col. William McKinnon
Col. Karl Knoblauch Jr.
Col. Edwin Morehead
Lt. Col. Pummill, Danny
Maj. David Richardson
Sgt. Matthew Rosenberg
Maj. Patrick Tennis
Col. Roy Wallace
Distinguished Civilian Service for Bravery
Stuart Fluke
Janice Jackson
James Knickerbocker
Jeffrey Moore
Purple Heart
Cpl. Eduardo Brunoporto
Lt. Col. Michael Beans
Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell
Lt. Col. Lawrence Dudney Jr.
Lt. Col. Gregory Fritz
Spc. April Gallop
Maj. Regina Grant
Sgt. Maj. Ronald Houle
Maj. John Jessup
Capt. Lincoln Leibner
Lt. Col. Philip Smith
Lt. Col. Robert Snyder
Lt. Col. Marion Ward
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Weaver Sr.
Maj. David King Jr.
Col. Larry Thomas
Maj. John Thurman
Exceptional Civilian Service for Bravery
Lee Ann Gutwald
David Theall
Defense of Freedom Medal
Martha Carden
Stephanie Brown
Glen Heffel
Luticia Hook
Racquel Kelley
Louise Kurtz
Betty Maxfield
Sheila Moody
Dalisay Olaes
Ann Parham
Valecia Parker
Wendy Peer
Juan Cruz-Santiago
Wayne Sinclair
Mark Skipper
Patrick Smith
Lois Stevens
William Wright
John Yates
Alan Wallace
September 12, 2001 District of Columbia Fire Department @ Pentagon.
Within 30 minutes after two planes crashed into the World Trade Center, a third plane which departed from Dulles Intl. Airport bound for Los Angeles California smashed into the Pentagon killing all 64 passengers and a unknown number of workers in the building. As a result Arlington County requested aid from the District of Columbia Fire/EMS Department.
At 9:38 a.m., the District dispatched a second-alarm assignment to the Pentagon along with several EMS units. As units were en route to the Pentagon, D.C. Fire Chief Ronnie Few placed "Plan E" into effect. ( a call back of all DC Fire personnel ).
The chief also requested mutual aid from Prince George's and Montgomery counties to cover the areas of the city whose fire apparatus were heading to the Pentagon and other parts of the city.
Shortly after 10 a.m., the District's collapse rescue team also responded to the Pentagon to assist in recovering trapped victims.
Just after 1 p.m., the D.C. Fire Department's "Pentagon Command" requested a
third alarm. Prince George's and Montgomery Counties were dispatched on the
third-alarm assignment to assist D.C. at the scene.
As off-duty D.C. firefighters were recalled to their assigned stations, they were used in two phases, one group was taken by bus to the Pentagon to provide relief for firefighters who had been on the scene throughout the day, the second group of firefighters was used to provide staffing for reserve units that were being placed in-service.
Firefighters remained on the scene throughout the night to assist in the extinguishments of the blaze.
As a result of today's incident, Assistant Fire Chief of Operations is placing
Plan F in effect starting at 0700hrs today ( Wed. Sept 12 )
This plan is the recall of off duty firefighters who worked two days ago, they will work 12 hour shifts and will be relived by firefighters who work yesterday.
As a result of the fire, only one D.C. firefighter was injured. He was taken to the George Washington University Medical Center suffering from chest pains and heat exhaustion
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