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FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes; PFC Ernest E West ~ 03 August 2015
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| StarCMC and The Canteen Crew
Posted on 08/02/2015 5:07:59 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska
Our Troops Rock! Thank you for all you do! |
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For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. |
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~ Hall of Heroes ~ Ernest E. West All info and photos from this website
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Ernest E. West (born September 2, 1931) was a soldier in the United States Army during the Korean War. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on October 12, 1952. He was raised in an orphanage at the Methodist Children's Home in Versailles, Kentucky. He returned to visit the home a few years after receiving the Medal of Honor.
On October 12, West was one of sixteen Americans who volunteered for a mission to try to capture some of the enemy for interrogation. Moving as silently as possible through a valley separating the U.S. and Chinese positions, they came to a rise leading up to the enemy bunkers. Half of the group stayed behind with machine guns. The others began to climb up toward the enemy, with West walking ahead as the point man. Suddenly the Chinese began to roll grenades down onto them. One passed between Wests legs and exploded near his lieutenant, who was just behind him. Two other Americans also went down. Realizing that his contingent had walked into an ambush, West ordered those who were not hurt to retreat. Then he ran through heavy small-arms fire and exploding grenades to his lieutenant, who was badly hurt. Using his body to shield the helpless officer from flying shrapnel, West picked him up and started down the hill. Four enemy soldiers came at him, but he killed them with his rifle. West made it back to the U.S. position with the lieutenant, then returned for another wounded American, killing eight more of the enemy along the way. As he dragged the second man to safety, a grenade exploded near him, deadening his left arm and sending shrapnel into his eye. Bleeding heavily, West returned for another wounded comrade and got him down the hill.
West spent the next ten months in the hospital, most of it at Walter Reed. Doctors tried to save his eye by positioning a large powerful magnet over it to draw out the shrapnel, but the procedure didnt work and the eye had to be removed. Finally released from the service, West returned to Kentucky. It was hard for him not to feel that he was still at war. On his first day back at his old job on the railroad, a co-worker came up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder. West instinctively turned and wrestled the man down. He quickly apologized: Sorry, but youll have to give me a month or so. Just talk to me, dont touch me.
Early in 1954, West got a telegram informing him that he was to receive the Medal of Honor. His railroad arranged to make a special stop in his hometown of Russell, where he boarded a private car that carried him to Washington, D.C. After putting the medal around his neck on January 12, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower said to West, In addition to this decoration, you have an old soldiers admiration." - |
Citation Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company L, 14th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division Place and date: Near Sataeri, Korea, October 12, 1952 Entered service at: Wurtland Ky. Born: September 2, 1931, Russell, Kentucky G.O. No.: 7, January 29, i954 Citation: Pfc. West distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. He voluntarily accompanied a contingent to locate and destroy a reported enemy outpost. Nearing the objective, the patrol was ambushed and suffered numerous casualties. Observing his wounded leader lying in an exposed position, Pfc. West ordered the troops to withdraw, then braved intense fire to reach and assist him. While attempting evacuation, he was attacked by 3 hostile soldiers employing grenades and small-arms fire. Quickly shifting his body to shelter the officer, he killed the assailants with his rifle, then carried the helpless man to safety. He was critically wounded and lost an eye in this action. but courageously returned through withering fire and bursting shells to assist the wounded. While evacuating 2 comrades, he closed with and killed 3 more of the foe. Pfc. West's indomitable spirit, consummate valor, and intrepid actions inspired all who observed him, reflect the highest credit on himself, and uphold the honored traditions of the military service. |
Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families. This is a politics-free zone! Thanks for helping us in our mission! |
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TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Free Republic
KEYWORDS: canteen; heroes; military; troopsupport
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To: Kathy in Alaska
2
posted on
08/02/2015 5:08:27 PM PDT
by
ConorMacNessa
(HM/2 USN, 3/5 Marines RVN 1969 - St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in Battle!)
To: Kathy in Alaska
Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list
On the Edge August 3, 2015
Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. John 8:34
Theres an underground lava tube south of Kuna, Idaho, that has gained a certain amount of local notoriety. The only entrance, as far as I know, is a yawning shaft that plunges straight down into darkness.
Some years ago I stood at the edge of that shaft and looked down. I was drawn to venture closer and almost lost my balance. I felt a moment of heart-pounding terror and stepped away from the opening.
Sin is like that: Curiosity can draw us toward the darkness. How often have men and women gotten too close to the edge, lost their balance, and fallen into the darkness? Theyve destroyed their families, reputations, and careers through adulterous affairs that began with a mere flirtation but then progressed to thoughts and actions. Looking back they almost always say, I never thought it would come to this.
We think we can flirt with temptation, get very close to the edge, and walk away, but thats a fools dream. We know an action is wrong and yet we toy with it. Then, inescapably, we are drawn into deeper and darker perversions. Jesus put it simply: Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34).
And so, seeing our own need for Gods help, we pray as David did in Psalm 19:13, Keep back Your servant also from [deliberate] sins; let them not have dominion over me.
Heavenly Father, whether we are being tempted now, or have fallen, we thank You that You are always there, and You love us with relentless love. We have nowhere to turn but to You.
A big fall begins with a little stumble.
Having proven that all people are sinners and having shown how sinners are justified through faith in Jesus (Rom. 14), Paul now describes the new life we can have because of what Jesus did (chs. 58). We can live differently, we can choose not to sin, and we can live holy lives (6:1-14). In todays passage, Paul warns that we become the slave of whatever we choose to obey (vv. 16-20). Rather than give ourselves to sin, we are to give ourselves to God (vv. 22-23). When we do sin, we bear the consequences of our sins and experience a lack of fellowship with God (Gal. 6:7-8). Sim Kay Tee
3
posted on
08/02/2015 5:12:04 PM PDT
by
The Mayor
(Honesty means never having to look over your shoulder.)
To: Kathy in Alaska; StarCMC
4
posted on
08/02/2015 5:12:20 PM PDT
by
PROCON
(FReeping on CRUZ Control)
To: ConorMacNessa
Good evening, Mac...*HUGS*...a little late tonight. I set everything up, then before saving it, and posting it, hit the red X and had to start again. Haven’t done that one before. d:o)
Did you use your new table saw today?
5
posted on
08/02/2015 5:19:18 PM PDT
by
Kathy in Alaska
((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
To: Kathy in Alaska; StarCMC
Good evening, Kathy and Star!
***HUGS***
Thanks very much coming aboard! Rendering Hand Salutes to our National Colors and to the Officer of the Deck!
And thanks very much to you and Star for tonights Hall of Heroes thread! Pfc. Ernest E. West, USA (MOH) is most worthy of entry into our Hall of Heroes!
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6
posted on
08/02/2015 5:27:14 PM PDT
by
ConorMacNessa
(HM/2 USN, 3/5 Marines RVN 1969 - St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in Battle!)
To: Kathy in Alaska
7
posted on
08/02/2015 5:42:55 PM PDT
by
SandRat
(Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
To: StarCMC; MoJo2001; 007; 1 FELLOW FREEPER; 11B3; 1FreeAmerican; 1stbn27; 2111USMC; 2LT Radix jr; ...
Sending out prayers for Arrowhead1952 as he recovers from his horrible fall.
~ Hall of Heroes: PFC Ernest E West ~
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and the family members of the above.
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To every service man or woman reading this thread.
Thank You for your service to our country.
No matter where you are stationed,
No matter what your job description
Know that we are are proud of each and everyone of you.
To our military readers, we remain steadfast
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The doors have been open since Oct 7 2001,
the day of the start of the war in Afghanistan.
We are indebted to you for your sacrifices for our Freedom.
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8
posted on
08/02/2015 5:47:28 PM PDT
by
Kathy in Alaska
((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
To: Kathy in Alaska; LUV W
9
posted on
08/02/2015 5:49:35 PM PDT
by
SandRat
(Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
To: Kathy in Alaska
I did not use the table saw today. I did wonderful things in the basement. Repaired a couple of plumbing leaks - with the assistance of my BIL.
"Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre / mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað." "Thought must be the harder, heart be the keener / mind must be the greater, as our might lessens."
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10
posted on
08/02/2015 5:53:52 PM PDT
by
ConorMacNessa
(HM/2 USN, 3/5 Marines RVN 1969 - St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in Battle!)
To: The Mayor
A big fall begins with a little stumble.This is so true/
Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today's sustenance for body and soul.
Ready to take on the new week?
11
posted on
08/02/2015 6:01:34 PM PDT
by
Kathy in Alaska
((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
To: PROCON
Hiya, Pro...amazing what these ordinary men did/do under such extraordinary circumstances, without a second thought.
God Bless them good.
12
posted on
08/02/2015 6:12:14 PM PDT
by
Kathy in Alaska
((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
To: Kathy in Alaska
There was a soldier on one of the “History Channel” programs who sustained a similar injury on D-Day. He had shrapnel in his eyes along with other injuries.
As luck would have it, the first Dr. he saw was a British eye surgeon. He took a strong magnet and pulled the shrapnel out. The Dr. told him if it had not been removed immediately, he would have gone blind.
13
posted on
08/02/2015 6:18:28 PM PDT
by
yarddog
(Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded.)
To: Kathy in Alaska; laurenmarlowe; BIGLOOK; alfa6; EsmeraldaA; SandRat; mylife; TMSuchman; PROCON; ...
Welcome To All Who Enter This Canteen, To Our Serving Military, To Our Veterans, To All Military Families, To Our FRiends and To Our Allies!
Missing Man Setting
"The Empty Chair"
By Captain Carroll "Lex" Lefon, USN (RET), on December 21st, 2004
"In the wardroom onboard the aircraft carrier from which I recently debarked was a small, round table, with single chair. No one ever sat there, and the reasons, both for the table being there, and for the fact that the chair was always empty, will tell the reader a little bit about who we are as a culture. The wardroom, of course, is where the officers will dine; morning, noon and evening. It is not only a place to eat it is also a kind of oasis from the sometimes dreary, often difficult exigencies of the service. A place of social discourse, of momentary relief from the burdens of the day. The only things explicitly forbidden by inviolable tradition in the wardroom are the wearing of a cover or sword by an officer not actually on watch, or conversation which touches upon politics or religion. But aboard ships which observe the custom, another implicit taboo concerns the empty chair: No matter how crowded the room, no matter who is waiting to be seated, that chair is never moved, never taken.
The table is by the main entrance to the wardroom. You will see it when you enter, and you will see it when you leave. It draws your eyes because it is meant to. And because it draws your eyes it draws your thoughts. And though it will be there every day for as long as you are at sea, you will look at it every time and your eyes will momentarily grow distant as you think for a moment. As you quietly give thanks.
AS YOU REMEMBER.
The small, round table is covered with a gold linen tablecloth. A single place setting rests there, of fine bone china. A wineglass stands upon the table, inverted, empty. On the dinner plate is a pinch of salt. On the bread plate is a slice of lemon. Besides the plate lies a bible. There is a small vase with a single red rose upon the table. Around the vase is wound a yellow ribbon. There is the empty chair.
We will remember because over the course of our careers, we will have had the opportunity to enjoy many a formal evening of dinner and dancing in the fine company of those with whom we have the honor to serve, and their lovely ladies. And as the night wears on, our faces will in time become flushed with pleasure of each others company, with the exertions on the dance floor, with the effects of our libations. But while the feast is still at its best, order will be called to the room we will be asked to raise our glasses to the empty table, and we will be asked to remember:
The table is round to show our everlasting concern for those who are missing. The single setting reminds us that every one of them went to their fates alone, that every life was unique.
The tablecloth is gold symbolizing the purity of their motives when they answered the call to duty.
The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of the missing, and their loved ones who kept the faith.
The yellow ribbon around the vase symbolizes our continued determination to remember them.
The slice of lemon reminds us of the bitterness of their fate. The salt symbolizes the tears shed by those who loved them. The bible represents the faith that sustained them. The glass is inverted they cannot share in the toast. The chair is empty they are not here. They are missing.
And we will remember, and we will raise our glasses to those who went before us, and who gave all that they had for us. And a part of the flush in our faces will pale as we remember that nothing worth having ever came without a cost. We will remember that many of our brothers and sisters have paid that cost in blood. We will remember that the reckoning is not over.
We many of us will settle with our families into our holiday season, our Christmas season for those who celebrate it, content in our fortune and prosperity. We will meet old friends with smiles and laughter. We will meet our members of our family with hugs. We will eat well, and exchange gifts and raise our glasses to the year passed in gratitude, and to the year to come with hope. We will sleep the sleep of the protected, secure in our homes, secure in our homeland.
But for many families, there will be an empty chair at the table this year. A place that is not filled.
WE SHOULD REMEMBER."
Many Thanks To Alfa6 For Finding Capt. Lefon's Chronicle Of "The Empty Chair."
"Träumerei" Robert Schumann (Click)
Never Forget The Brave Men And Women Who Gave Their Lives To Secure Our Freedom!!
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14
posted on
08/02/2015 6:21:59 PM PDT
by
ConorMacNessa
(HM/2 USN, 3/5 Marines RVN 1969 - St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in Battle!)
To: Kathy in Alaska
To: SandRat
"Hero that Served Well"Indeed he did, Sand, indeed he did.
How's Charlie doing on his second day? Learning the routine? Walking on a leash? I can just guess that Maddi will want to be the one to walk him. LOL!
16
posted on
08/02/2015 7:21:27 PM PDT
by
Kathy in Alaska
((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
To: Kathy in Alaska
Thanks galz for another story of one of our brave troops!
We MUST remember them!
17
posted on
08/02/2015 7:23:01 PM PDT
by
luvie
(All my heroes wear camos! Thank you David, Michael, Chris, Txradioguy, JJ, CMS, & ALL Vets, too!w)
To: Kathy in Alaska
What is there to left to say...
18
posted on
08/02/2015 8:02:00 PM PDT
by
Grateful2God
(Those who smile like nothing's wrong are fighting a battle you know nothing about. -Thomas More)
To: Kathy in Alaska; All
(((HUGS))) to everyone, and good night!
G-d ♡ bless you!
Grateful ✟ ✡
19
posted on
08/02/2015 8:12:51 PM PDT
by
Grateful2God
(Those who smile like nothing's wrong are fighting a battle you know nothing about. -Thomas More)
To: Kathy in Alaska
Yes as ready as I can be.
Thank you
20
posted on
08/02/2015 8:23:52 PM PDT
by
The Mayor
(Honesty means never having to look over your shoulder.)
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