Free Republic

Tomorrow, November 10, is the 232nd birthday of the US Marine Corps. The Marines can be a mystery to those of us who weren’t raised in the military culture. We know from our history books that they are an elite group, something different from other soldiers. But what really makes them different? In celebration of the Marines, HUMAN EVENTS asked a few Marines to describe the difference in their own words. I felt proud just speaking with Colonel H.C. “Barney” Barnum, Jr., a retired Marine, now Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Col. Barnum received the Congressional Medal of Honor...

AMARILLO, Texas — A man who wildly exaggerated his record to include a presidential nomination for the military's highest honor and more Silver Stars than World War II hero Audie Murphy has been sentenced to 34 months in prison. Richard David McClanahan, who had inflated his history using medals purchased on eBay, was sentenced Thursday for lying about his record and for making false statements to get financing for a car. He was also given five years' probation on each count. "It was wrong, and I knew it was wrong when I did it," he told U.S. District Judge Mary...

WASHINGTON - The first Medal of Honor awarded for combat in Afghanistan will be presented today to the family of a Navy SEAL from Long Island, who gave his life to make a radio call for help for his team. President Bush was to present the nation's highest military honor for valor on Monday to the family of Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue, N.Y. "There's a lot of awards in the military, but when you see a Medal of Honor, you know whatever they went through is pretty horrible. You don't congratulate anyone when you see it," said Marcus Luttrell,...

BY now, most Americans know the story of Cpl. Pat Tillman. He bravely chose military service rather than the National Football League, and he was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 by fire from his comrades. My own units in Vietnam were occasionally the victims of errant rifle fire, mortar rounds and bombs — indeed, the very success of an infantry attack is dependent on leaning forward into friendly supporting fires. But, after the fact, the Tillman death played out differently. His unit reported that he was killed in a ferocious engagement with the enemy, and the truth was hidden by...

For those familiar with Adm. Fluckey's life, he passed away last night. Adm. Fluckey was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and 4 Navy Crosses during WWII. He also wrote about his experiences in a book entitled "Thunder Below". I wish his family well.

It wasn’t for keeps or to park in his garage, but being surprised with the type of aircraft he used to shoot down six Japanese fighter planes over the Pacific Ocean in 1943 set up a memorable day for retired U.S. Marine Corps pilot Jeff DeBlanc, 86, of St. Martinville. “I am so very humbled and it’s so nice to see everyone who came out to do this for me,” said DeBlanc as he looked into the crowd sprinkled with young uniformed officers. “As one Marine to another I look at them as veterans that survived the war just like...

The actions taken by Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy, have placed him in consideration, posthumously, for the Congressional Medal of Honor -- the United States' highest military award. On a June afternoon in 2005, Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy lay in hiding on the side of a ridge in the lawless eastern mountains of Afghanistan. He carried little with him in the thin alpine air near Pakistan's border. A rifle. Clips of ammunition. Sophisticated communications and surveillance equipment. Some high-energy food. There were three U.S. commandos hiding with him on that mountain, all, like him, members of one...