Posted on 11/14/2004 11:49:57 AM PST by kattracks
The young Marine dubbed the "Marlboro Man" after his front-page appearance in The Post has become a celebrity poster boy for the U.S. effort in Fallujah and a hero in his hometown.[snip]
A portrait of the rugged and muddied Miller — snapped after 12 hours of bloody combat with guerrillas — became a powerful symbol for the American forces' gritty effort to retake Fallujah. Marine brass were thrilled with the poignancy of the shot, and Lt. Gen. John Sattler visited Miller's company to applaud them for the feature. News agencies that ran the shot were besieged with calls and e-mails asking for a way to contact the young man.
And back home, in his Appalachian hometown of Jonancy, Ky., his mother reveled at seeing his picture on television just to know her oldest of three sons was OK.
The LATimes interview with him is hilarious too.
The guy complains how ridiculous it is that people are making a big deal of his picture. He complains about running out of cigarettes and asks Marlboro to lower the price or send some. He smokes 3 packs a day and his Navy doctor says the cigs will kill him before the war. He's from a town called "Joenancy" which is named after... his married ancestors Joe and Nancy. He says when he gets home he just wants to smoke cigarettes on his roof and fix things around the house for a while.
He's on mine too. Everytime I come back to my desk I'm reminded how brave our boys are and what they are doing to protect us. How proud I am of our military.
Some of them came back so damanged---thanks for your post!
The thing that I find astonishing is that they were SO YOUNG! My friend's brother graduated from high school(no graduation ceremony or prom) and 6 months later he was a tail gunner in the Pacific-----unbelievable.He was lucky---he made it home.
I'm very proud of our military too, on another thread some nitwit questioned my patriotism and love of our military. I was afraid to tell him what I really thought, I'm new here and thought I may get banned.
You're doing a pretty poor job of trolling.
It's gone already.
AirForceMom, don't worry if you get band for that I'll be banded for telling them some things also. I was U. S. Air Force and will be FOREVER. Tell your Son to keep my BIRDS flying. God Bless them all and I mean them all Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coasties. They are the BEST of the BEST.
My son loves the AF, been in almost 8 years already.
We were running around today getting ready for a visit from my son, daughter in law and granddaughter. Now I have at least three long hours before I can expect them to be here.
As I've posted before, this photo should get a Pulitzer Prize for Photo of the Year.
Here, let's all let Philip Morris USA know that this young man deserves some smokes!! A link to their customer service:
http://www.pmusa.com/contact_us/contact_us_by_email.asp?action=init
Love of our military is supported here at FR. I wallow in my being allowed to praise them when I wish without being called every cuss word in the book.And for FR, I am deeply grateful.
I wasn't sure what I could get away with, and I might add, this sight saved me through the election. I have a very liberal family, as are all my friends. I'm the lone " nut case" they try to convert.
It's true they came back with damaged nerves, and bodies in
many cases. My father had the remnants of the thousand
yard stare from literally years in combat in N. Africa,
Sicily, Italy, and Germany. They may have been damaged,
but they had self-respect from having done what they had to
do. He was a good soldier and a good Daddy.
God Bless your Dad.......what they sacrifice for our country.
I've been to Peleliu, it's incredibly dug in with tunnels and machine guns that are there to this day.
Per another FReeper on another thread, his parents just learned that he smokes and he's in BIG trouble when he comes home. They probably didn't want to publish that aspect of the story. ; )
Well, I've decided to start packing "Christmas Gifts" for the troops and I'm hoping to include cartons of Marlboros who whomever they go to.
I'll buy him and any Marine/Soldier/Airman all the beer they
want - he$$ I'll even throw in Seaman.
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