PING-A-LING!
If you have a ping list, will you put me on it? Thanks. Gunny on the History Channel is my favorite program. Luv the guy. He brings joy to my heart. Heh.
When John Bradley died in the 1990s, his family found some of his military items in a box in a closet at his home. One of the items in the box was the Navy Cross, the service's second-highest award for valor after the Congressional Medal of Honor. Bradley won the award on Iwo Jima. With complete disregard for his personal safety, John Bradley placed his body between a wounded Marine and Japanese fire, hanging an IV bottle from a rifle sticking out of the soil by its bayonet. During his lifetime, Mr. Bradley refused all requests for interviews, and never talked about his exploits on Iwo Jima. His family didn't learn about the Navy Cross until after his death.
If you haven't read "Flags of Our Fathers," I highly recommend it. A remarkable book about a truly remarkable band of brothers. If Clint Eastwood stays faithful to the book, the film will be among his finest best, including "Unforgiven." And, BTW, I wouldn't worry too much about Sean Penn or Tim Robbins being cast in the film--the flag raisers had an average age of 20-21; Penn and Robbins are way too old for the cast.
ping