Real Soldiers
Ryan Pitts and his Medal of Honor
Three years ago I went on an outback excursion into the mountains of Montana with the Heroes and Horses program. At the time Demophilus blogged about it, which you can READ HERE. Demophilus and I served together in the Army in Afghanistan, and we were paired up with a Forward Observer and an Infantryman from […]
Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts’ Medal of Honor
At about 3:10 today, the President will award Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts the Medal of Honor. TSO and ParachuteCutie will be representing TAH in the audience. I met Ryan at Kyle White’s Medal of Honor ceremony and he’s a very humble and unassuming fellow. You’d never know that he did this on July 13th, 2008; […]
Ralph W. Kuethe and his 70-year wait for the Silver Star
DVIDS tells the story of Lieutenant Colonel Ralph W. Kuethe 70-year wait for his Silver Star for actions on the night of September 22, 1944 in war-torn France where the young draftee-turned lieutenant organized his routed soldiers into a hasty defense and fought a night-long battle. Unfortunately, his Silver Star was mistakenly awarded to another […]
Illinois Gets One Right
We often give Illinois – and in particular, Chicago – grief for being a “shining example” of dystopia, foolishness, and corruption. But for once it looks like Illinois did something right. What, you ask? Well, they named a bridge on the Illinois Tollway. Nothing really new there, I guess. Except this time they didn’t name […]
SFC David Ortiz; saving the world
From the Military Times come the story of Sergeant First Class David Ortiz a full-time guardsman in the California National Guard and veteran of the Iraq War who was waiting for his daughter to get off of work in downtown San Francisco, when a fellow ran past him with a young girl following yelling for […]
Lee Ellis: Leading with Honor
Your Independence Day message comes from Retired Air Force Colonel Leon F. “Lee” Ellis who spent nearly six years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam from November 7, 1967 until March 14, 1973. His book is entitled “Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton” and the gist of that book is […]
Attack on the Fourth of July
If you have 15 minutes to spare, you’ll want to watch this documentary of an attack on A Co 3/509th Infantry paratroopers of the 25th Division’s 4th Brigade on July 4th, 2009 in Afghanistan. The footage was filmed by folks on the ground and includes captured video from the other side.
Sgt. Raphael Peralta, Revisited
We’ve discussed Sgt. Rafael Peralta multiple times previously at TAH. He was KIA in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004. Peralta was initially recommended for the Medal of Honor by his chain-of-command. That recommendation was ultimately downgraded to the Navy Cross. Stars and Stripes recently published an excellent overview of the controversy concerning Peralta’s Medal of Honor […]
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