Thread: A hero dies and no one notices.

Originally Posted by gugi

Usually I hear the opposite - how great the americans currently serving are great and selfless heros...

Excellent! Maybe it will start sinking in

A great many folk are very impressed by celebrity. Film and television actors, sportstars,assorted rich people. The word hero, like many others has been overused to the extent that it is now almost meaningless.
Some time ago in a local newspaper I read the obituary of an eye surgeon who lived locally. His pioneering techniques in eye surgery have given the gift of sight to thousands worldwide. His name isn't well known outside of medical circles, I can't even recall it, yet in his way he has done more for mankind than most of the film actors and ballplayers put together.

Originally Posted by gugi

Why is this? Usually I hear the opposite - how great the americans currently serving are great and selfless heros...

3 wars ?

did you do any extra reading about this guy ??


just because they are serving doesn't make them some sort of star

there are a lot of fat/lazy/pogue reservists over there right now
they have never, nor will they ever make the sort of efforts that win wars

When death comes,
let me die in Battle at the reins of my chariot,
speeding into the jaws of my destruction,
and if I might find my glorious end this day,
let it be filled with great Pain and Suffering,
so that in the Afterlife,
amongst the Honored Dead,
I might never forget what it was like to be truly Alive.

If anyone gets the chance, I would highly recommend, if you are in the D.C. area, stopping by the Pentagon and visiting the Hall of Heroes. There you will be able to view the entire list of CMH winners and briefly read about the actions that brought about the award. It is truly hallowed ground. Another interesting place while you are there, is Arlington National Cemetery. The evening before Memorial Day, "flags in" takes place where a flag is placed in front of each tombstone in honor of the service given by that man/women. The flag most frequently replaced belongs to Audie Murphy, the only CMH winner who's tombstone is not inlayed with gold as he requested it be this way so as not to draw attention to himself.

This long winded preamble's point was that the individuals awarded the CMH were selfless individuals who put the good of the masses above themselves and acted, usually to their own detriment, without concern or thought as to the fame and fortune that it would garner. Jacko on the other hand, is a different story.

While Michael Jackson's death is unfortunate, the choices this man made in life and the "circus" following his passing are disgusting at best. If it's not Joe Jackson, a real standup citizen himself, talking about how he just wanted to spend time with his son, i.e. get some cash as Vegas has been a bit rough on him and his the Jackson Five's album's ain't moving like they used to, it's a fan talking about how once he heard "Beat It" it changed his life. Here's a thought, if "Beat It" changed your life, you were/are in serious trouble. Let's face it, Michael was allot of things, being a person who made good decisions was not one of them. I know a court of law found him innocent of the charges of child molestation but think about it, when did inviting a young child, other than you Son or Daughter who is afraid or sick, into your bed to hang out become a good idea?

While "Jacko's" funeral was attended by the world's leading racist, the good and honorable Rev. Al Sharpton (see dumba**) and other's looking to capture a bit of stardom gone by or to plug their newest record/movie, men like Maj. Freeman and others were laid to rest with an Honor Guard Company departing from Old Post Chapel, carried to his final resting place by a Caisson and followed by a Cap Horse. I believe in my heart that this is how these men would have wanted it, with little fan fair, surrounded by others who understood them and what they stood for. Whether it was the battlefield of Vicksburg, the steamy jungles of Vietnam, or the godless streets of Somalia, these individuals acted in a way as to put others above themselves, without the thought of "hey, this might get me the CMH". I feel certain the same cannot be said for ol' Jacko.

Originally Posted by Joeman

This long winded preamble's point was that the individuals awarded the CMH were selfless individuals who put the good of the masses above themselves and acted, usually to their own detriment, without concern or thought as to the fame and fortune that it would garner. Whether it was the battlefield of Vicksburg, the steamy jungles of Vietnam, or the godless streets of Somalia, these individuals acted in a way as to put others above themselves, without the thought of "hey, this might get me the CMH". I feel certain the same cannot be said for ol' Jacko.

Here here! Well put JOEMAN.
The battle of Long Tan 1966 vietnam, where 120 Australian troops, many who were doing national service and a New Zealand artillery battery repulsed an attack by over 2,500 north Vietmanese regulars. Thats odds of over 20 to 1. If someone made a movie with this scenerio you would say unbelivable coudn,t happen. For this action the unit members recieved 1 distinguished service medal, 2 military medals, 8 mentioned in dispatch and presidential unit citation from the U.S.A. They were not allowed to accept awards from the south Vietmanese so were given dolls and engraved cigarette lighters.


To watch an excellent documentary on this engagment, with interviews with blokes who were there, type in "the battle of long tan" at you tube, were you will find all 6 parts