Recalling Vietnam on Memorial Day 2012

as promised in my friday post, i am re-posting my vietnam experiences, partly as a memorial day way to honor those who served and died there but also to honor a short but intense period in my own history...

Recalling Vietnam

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This Memorial Day, let us reflect on the sober reality of the U.S. post-9/11

bill moyers and michael winship...

Facing the truth is hard to do, especially the truth about ourselves. So Americans have been sorely pressed to come to terms with the fact that after 9/11 our government began to torture people, and did so in defiance of domestic and international law. Most of us haven’t come to terms with what that meant, or means today, but we must reckon with torture, the torture done in our name, allegedly for our safety.

 
In this photo of a sketch by courtroom artist Janet Hamlin and reviewed 
by the U.S. Department of Defense, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed reads a 
document during his military hearing at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval 
Base in Cuba, Saturday, May 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Janet Hamlin)

It’s no secret such cruelty occurred; it’s just the truth we’d rather not think about. But Memorial Day is a good time to make the effort. Because if we really want to honor the Americans in uniform who gave their lives fighting for their country, we’ll redouble our efforts to make sure we’re worthy of their sacrifice; we’ll renew our commitment to the rule of law, for the rule of law is essential to any civilization worth dying for.

[...]

So here we are, into our eleventh year after 9/11, still at war in Afghanistan, still at war with terrorists, still at war with our collective conscience as we grapple with how to protect our country from attack without violating the basic values of civilization — the rule of law, striving to achieve our aims without corrupting them, and restraint in the use of power over others, especially when exercised in secret.

In future days and years, how will we come to cope with the reality of what we have done in the name of security?

it is also good on this upcoming memorial day weekend to remember other parts of our history, or, i should say more accurately, MY history... i have made it a personal tradition each memorial day to post my vietnam experiences, partly to honor those who served and died there but also to honor a short but intense period in my own history, but i'll wait until monday to put that up...

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Memorial Day

from raw story...

America's dead in Afghanistan since 2001 : Master Sgt. Evander E. Andrews, 36, Solon, Maine; Pfc. Kristofor T. Stonesifer, 28, Missoula, Mont.; Spc. Jonn Joseph Edmunds, 20, Cheyenne, Wyo.; Machinist's Mate Fireman Apprentice Bryant L. Davis, 20, Chicago, Ill.; Electronics Technician 3rd Class Benjamin Johnson, 21, Rochester, N.Y.; Engineman 1st Class Vincent Parker, 38, Preston, Miss.; CIA Johnny Michael Spann, 32, Winfield, Ala.; Pvt. Giovanny Maria, 19, New York, N.Y.; Electrician's Mate Fireman Apprentice Michael J. Jakes Jr., 20, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Sgt. 1st Class Daniel H. Petithory, 32, Cheshire, Mass.; Master Sgt. Jefferson D. Davis, 39, Clarksville, Tenn.; Staff Sgt. Brian C. Prosser, 28, Frazier Park, Calif.; 2002: Sgt. 1st Class Nathan R. Chapman, 31, San Antonio, Texas; Capt. Matthew W. Bancroft, 29, Shasta, Calif.; Lance Cpl. Bryan P. Bertrand, 23, Coos Bay, Ore.; Gunnery Sgt. Stephen L. Bryson, 35, Montgomery, Ala.; Capt. Daniel G. McCollum, 29, Richland, S.C.; Staff Sgt. Scott N. Germosen, 37, Queens, N.Y.; Sgt. Jeannette Lee Winters, 25, Du Page, Ill.; Sgt. Nathan P. Hays, 21, Lincoln, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Walter F. Cohee III, 26, Wicomico, Md.; Staff Sgt. Dwight J. Morgan, 24, Mendocino, Calif.; Spc. Jason A. Disney, 21, Fallon, Nev.; Staff Sgt. Juan M. Ridout, 36, Maple Tree, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Bruce A. Rushforth Jr., 35, Bridgewater, Mass.; Maj. Curtis D. Feistner, 25, WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn.; Capt. Bartt D. Owens, 29, MIDDLETOWN, Ohio; Chief Warrant Officer Jody L. Egnor, 34, MIDDLETOWN, Ohio; Staff Sgt. James P. Dorrity, 32, Goldsboro, N.C.; Staff Sgt. Kerry W. Frith, 37, Las Vegas, Nev.; Spc. Thomas F. Allison, 22, Roy, Wash.; Master Sgt. William L. McDaniel II, 36, Greenville, Ohio; Spc. Curtis A. Carter, 25, Lafayette, La.; Chief Warrant Officer Two Stanley L. Harriman, 34, Wade, N.C.; Pfc. Matthew A. Commons, 21, Boulder City, Nev.; Aviation Boatswain's Mate-Handling 1st Class Neil C. Roberts, 32, Woodland, Calif.; Sgt. Philip J. Svitak, 31, Joplin, Mo.; Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham, 26, Camarillo, Calif.; Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman, 36, Waco, Texas; Sgt. Peter P. Crose, 22, Orange Park, Fla.; Spc. Marc A. Anderson, 30, Brandon, Fla.; Chief Petty Officer Matthew J. Bourgeois, 35, Tallahassee, Fla.; Staff Sgt. Brian T. Craig, 27, Houston, Texas; Sgt. 1st Class Daniel A. Romero, 30, Lafayette, Colo.; Sgt. Jamie O. Maugans, 27, Wichita, Kan.; Staff Sgt. Justin J. Galewski, 28, Olathe, Kan.; Seaman Katrina Renee Grady, 29, Greenville, Miss.; Sgt. Gene A. Vance Jr., 38, Morgantown, West Va.; Staff Sgt. Anissa Ann Shero, 31, Grafton, West Va.; Tech. Sgt. Sean M. Corlew, 37, Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Sgt. 1st Class Peter P. Tycz II, 32, Tonawanda, N.Y.; Sgt. 1st Class Christopher J. Speer, 28, Albuquerque, N.M.; Sgt. Ryan D. Foraker, 31, Logan, Ohio; Sgt. Jeremy D. Foshee, 25, Jackson, Ala.; Sgt. 1st Class Mark Wayne Jackson, 40, Glennie, Mich.; Lance Cpl. Antonio J. Sledd, 20, Tampa, Fla.; Pvt. James H. Ebbers, 19, Bridgeview, Ill.; Ensign Jerry O. Pope II, 35, Tallahassee, Fla.; Lt. Cmdr. Thomas L. Robinson, 38, Kingston, Mass.; Spc. Pedro Pena, 35, , Fla.; Sgt. Steven Checo, 22, New York, N.Y.; 2003: Chief Warrant Officer 2 Thomas J. Gibbons, 31, Calvert County, Md.; Staff Sgt. Daniel Leon Kisling Jr., 31, Neosho, Mo.; Sgt. Gregory Michael Frampton, 37, Fresno, Calif.; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mark O'Steen, 43, Ozark, Ala.; Sgt. Michael C. Barry, 29, Overland Park, Kan.; CIA Operations Officer Helge Boes, 32, Va.; Spc. Brian Michael Clemens, 19, Kokomo, Ind.; Spc. Rodrigo Gonzalez-Garza, 26, San Antonio, Texas; Sgt. William John Tracy Jr., 27, Webster, N.H.; Chief Warrant Officer Timothy Wayne Moehling, 35, Panama City, Fla.; Chief Warrant Officer John D. Smith, 32, West Valley City, Utah; Pfc. Spence A. McNeil, 19, Bennettsville, S.C.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Darrell Jones, 22, Wellston, Ohio; Pfc. James R. Dillon Jr., 19, Grove City, Penn.; Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jason Profitt, 23, Charlestown, Ind.; Lt. Col. John Stein, 39, Bardolph, Ill.; Master Sgt. Michael Maltz, 42, St. Petersburg, Fla.; Staff Sgt. Jason Carlyle Hicks, 25, Jefferson, S.C.; Senior Airman Jason Thomas Plite, 21, Lansing, Mich.; Staff Sgt. John "Mike" Teal, 29, Dallas, Texas; 1st Lt. Tamara Long Archuleta, 23, Belen, N.M.; Sgt. Orlando Morales, 33, Manati, Puerto Rico; Staff Sgt. Jacob L. Frazier, 24, St. Charles, Ill.; Pvt. Jerod R. Dennis, 19, Antlers, Okla.; Airman 1st Class Raymond Losano, 24, Del Rio, Texas; Sgt. 1st Class John E. Taylor, 31, Wichita Falls, Texas; Capt. Seth R. Michaud, 27, Hudson, Mass.; 1st Class Petty Officer Thomas E. Retzer, 30, San Diego, Calif.; Spc. Kelvin Feliciano Gutierrez, 21, Anasco, Puerto Rico; Sgt. Christopher P. Geiger, 38, Allentown, Penn.; Lance Cpl. Jeffery L. Clark, 24, Bay City, Fla.; Petty Officer 1st Class David M. Tapper, 32, Camden County, N.J.; Sgt. 1st Class Mitchell A. Lane, 34, Lompoc, Calif.; Spc. Chad C. Fuller, 24, Potsdam, N.Y.; Pfc. Adam L. Thomas, 21, Palos Hills, Ill.; Pfc. Kristian E. Parker, 23, Slidell, La.; Pfc. Evan W. O'Neill, 19, Haverhill, Mass.; Lt. Col. Paul W. Kimbrough, 44, Little Rock, Ark.; Civilian contractor William Carlson, 43, Southern Pines, N.C.; Civilian contractor Christopher Glenn Mueller, 32, San Diego, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Paul A. Sweeney, 32, Lakeville, Penn.; Sgt. Jay A. Blessing, 23, Tacoma, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Thomas A. Walkup Jr., 25, Millville, N.J.; Maj. Steven Plumhoff, 33, Neshanic Station, N.J.; Tech. Sgt. Howard A. Walters, 33, Port Huron, Mich.; Sgt. Maj. Phillip R. Albert, 41, Terryville, Conn.; Tech. Sgt. William J. Kerwood, 37, Houston, Mo.; Sgt. Theodore L. Perreault, 33, Webster, Mass.; 2004: Sgt. Roy A. Wood, 47, Alva, Fla.; Spc. Robert J. Cook, 24, Sun Prairie, Wis.; Spc. Adam G. Kinser, 21, Sacramento, Calif.; Sgt. 1st Class Curtis Mancini, 43, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Staff Sgt. James D. Mowris, 37, Aurora, Mo.; Spc. Justin A. Scott, 22, Bellevue, Ky.; Sgt. Danton K. Seitsinger, 29, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Sgt. Benjamin L. Gilman, 28, Meriden, Conn.; Staff Sgt. Shawn M. Clemens, 28, Allegany, N.Y.; Sgt. Nicholes Darwin Golding, 24, Addison, Maine; Spc. David E. Hall, 21, Uniontown, Kan.; Sgt. Michael J. Esposito Jr., 22, Brentwood, N.Y.; Staff Sgt. Anthony S. Lagman, 26, Yonkers, N.Y.; Command Sgt. Dennis Jallah Jr., 49, Fayetteville, N.C.; Cmdr. Adrian Basil Szwec, 43, Chicago, Ill.; Master Sgt. Herbert R Claunch, 58, Wetumpka, Ala.; Spc. Patrick D. Tillman, 27, Chandler, Ariz.; Spc. Phillip L. Witkowski, 24, Fredonia, N.Y.; Pfc. Brandon James Wadman, 19, West Palm Beach, Fla.; Cpl. Ronald R. Payne Jr., 23, Lakeland, Fla.; Chief Warrant Officer Bruce E. Price, 37, Md.; Capt. Daniel W. Eggers, 28, Cape Coral, Fla.; Staff Sgt. Robert J. Mogensen, 26, Leesville, La.; Pfc. Joseph A. Jeffries, 21, Beaverton, Ore.; Petty Officer 1st Class Brian J. Ouellette, 37, Needham, Mass.; Cpl. David M. Fraise, 24, New Orleans, La.; Lance Cpl. Russell P. White, 19, Dagsboro, Del.; Pfc. Daniel B. McClenney, 19, Shelbyville, Tenn.; Lance Cpl. Juston Tyler Thacker, 21, Bluefield, West Va.; Staff Sgt. Robert K. McGee, 38, Martinsville, Va.; Spc. Julie R. Hickey, 20, Galloway, Ohio; Spc. Juan Manuel Torres, 25, Houston, Texas; Staff Sgt. Craig W. Cherry, 39, Winchester, Va.; Sgt. Bobby E. Beasley, 36, Inwood, West Va.; Sgt. Daniel Lee Galvan, 30, Moore, Okla.; Staff Sgt. Robert S. Goodwin, 35, Albany, Ga.; Staff Sgt. Tony B. Olaes, 30, Walhalla, S.C.; Spc. Wesley R. Wells, 21, Libertyville, Ill.; Staff Sgt. Alan L. Rogers, 49, Kearns, Utah; Spc. Kyle Ka Eo Fernandez, 26, Waipahu, Hawaii; Staff Sgt. Brian S. Hobbs, 28, Mesa, Ariz.; Cpl. William M. Amundson Jr., 21, The Woodlands, Texas; Airman 1st Class Jesse M. Samek, 21, Rogers, Ark.; Cpl. Billy Gomez, 25, Perris, Calif.; Spc. James C. Kearney III, 22, Emerson, Iowa; Sgt. Michael C. O'Neill, 22, Mansfield, Ohio; Cpl. Dale E. Fracker Jr., 23, Apple Valley, Calif.; Cpl. Jacob R. Fleischer, 25, St. Louis, Mo.; Chief Warrant Officer Travis W. Grogan, 31, Virginia Beach, Va.; Lt. Col. Michael J. McMahon, 41, Conn.; Spc. Harley D. R. Miller, 21, Spokane, Wash.; Spc. Isaac E. Diaz, 26, Rio Hondo, Texas; 2005: Sgt. 1st Class Pedro A. Munoz, 47, Aquada, Puerto Rico; Sgt. Jeremy R. Wright, 31, Shelbyville, Ind.; Spc. Richard M. Crane, 25, Independence, Mo.; Petty Officer 1st Class Alec Mazur, 35, Vernon, N.Y.; Staff Sgt. Shane M. Koele, 25, Wayne, Neb.; Pfc. Norman K. Snyder, 21, Carlisle, Ind.; Spc. Brett M. Hershey, 23, State College, Penn.; Master Sgt. Michael T. Hiester, 33, Bluffton, Ind.; Capt. Michael T. Fiscus, 36, Milford, Ind.; Sgt. Stephen C. High, 45, Spartanburg, S.C.; Spc. Sascha Struble, 20, Philadelphia, N.Y.; Spc. Daniel J. Freeman, 20, Cincinnati, Ohio; Staff Sgt. Romanes L. Woodard, 30, Hertford, N.C.; Maj. Edward J. Murphy, 36, S.C.; Spc. Michael K. Spivey, 21, Fayetteville, N.C.; Staff Sgt. Charles R. Sanders Jr., 29, Charleston, Mo.; Sgt. Maj. Barbaralien Banks, 41, Harvey, La.; Chief Warrant Officer Clint J. Prather, 32, Cheney, Wash.; Master Sgt. Edwin A. Matoscolon, 42, Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico; Chief Warrant Officer David Ayala, 24, New York, N.Y.; Pfc. Pendelton L. Sykes II, 25, Chesapeake, Va.; Spc. Chrystal Gaye Stout, 23, Travelers Rest, S.C.; Sgt. James Shawn Lee, 26, Mount Vernon, Ind.; Capt. David S. Connolly, 37, Boston, Mass.; Pvt. Robert C. White III, 21, Camden, N.J.; Spc. Robert W. Defazio, 21, West Babylon, N.Y.; Sgt. 1st Class Allen C. Johnson, 31, Los Molinos, Calif.; Lance Cpl. Nicholas C. Kirven, 21, Fairfax/Richmond, Va.; Cpl. Richard P. Schoener, 22, Hayes, La.; Cpl. Steven Charles Tucker, 19, Grapevine, Texas; Pfc. Kyle M. Hemauer, 21, Chilton, Wis.; Capt. Charles D. Robinson, 29, Haddon Heights, N.J.; Staff Sgt. Leroy E. Alexander, 27, Dale City, Va.; Sgt. Michael J. Kelley, 26, Scituate, Mass.; Pfc. Emmanuel Hernandez, 22, Yauco, Puerto Rico; Sgt. 1st Class Victor H. Cervantes, 27, Stockton, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Christopher N. Piper, 43, Marblehead, Mass.; Maj. Duane W. Dively, 43, Rancho California, Calif.; Lance Cpl. Kevin B. Joyce, 19, Ganado, Ariz.; Lt. Michael P. Murphy, 29, Patchogue, N.Y.; Lt. Michael M. McGreevy Jr., 30, Portville, N.Y.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson, 29, Cupertino, Calif.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny P. Dietz, 25, Littleton, Colo.; Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey S. Taylor, 30, Midway, West Va.; Petty Officer 2nd Class James Suh, 28, Deerfield Beach, Fla.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric Shane Patton, 22, Boulder City, Nev.; Lt. Cmdr. Erik S. Kristensen, 33, San Diego, Calif.; Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel R. Healy, 36, Exeter, N.H.; Chief Petty Officer Jacques J. Fontan, 36, New Orleans, La.; Chief Warrant Officer Chris J. Scherkenbach, 40, Jacksonville, Fla.; Staff Sgt. Shamus O. Goare, 29, Danville, Ohio; Sgt. 1st Class Michael L. Russell, 31, Stafford, Va.; Maj. Stephen C. Reich, 34, Washington Depot, Conn.; Chief Warrant Officer Corey J. Goodnature, 35, Clarks Grove, Minn.; Sgt. Kip A. Jacoby, 21, Pompano Beach, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Marcus V. Muralles, 33, Shelbyville, Ind.; Master Sgt. James W. "Tré" Ponder III, 36, Franklin, Tenn.; Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffery A. Lucas, 33, Corbett, Ore.; Sgt. Jason T. Palmerton, 25, Auburn, Neb.; Staff Sgt. Michael W. Schafer, 25, Spring Hill, Fla.; Gunnery Sgt. Theodore Clark Jr., 31, Emporia, Va.; Pfc. Damian J. Garza, 19, Odessa, Texas; Pvt. John M. Henderson Jr., 21, Columbus, Ga.; Staff Sgt. Christopher M. Falkel, 22, Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Spc. Christopher M. Katzenberger, 25, St. Louis, Mo.; Sgt. Edward R. Heselton, 23, Easley, S.C.; Capt. Jeremy A. Chandler, 30, Clarksville, Tenn.; 1st Lt. Laura Margaret Walker, 24, Texas; Sgt. Robert G. Davis, 23, Jackson, Mo.; Lance Cpl. Phillip C. George, 22, Houston, Texas; Sgt. Michael R. Lehmiller, 23, Anderson, S.C.; Pvt. Christopher L. Palmer, 22, Sacramento, Calif.; 1st Lt. Joshua M. Hyland, 31, Missoula, Mont.; Spc. Blake W. Hall, 20, East Prairie, Mo.; Staff Sgt. Damion G. Campbell, 23, Baltimore, Md.; 1st Lt. Derek S. Hines, 25, Newburyport, Mass. ; Lance Cpl. Ryan J. Nass, 21, Franklin, Wis.; Chief Warrant Officer John M. Flynn, 36, Sparks, Nev.; Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart, 35, Fernley, Nev.; Sgt. Tane T. Baum, 30, Pendleton, Ore.; Warrant Officer Adrian B. Stump, 22, Pendleton, Ore.; Sgt. Kenneth G. Ross, 24, Peoria, Ariz.; Staff Sgt. Robert F. White, 34, Cross Lanes, West Va.; Lance Cpl. Steven A. Valdez, 20, McRea, Ark.; Staff Sgt. John G. Doles, 29, Claremore, Okla.; Sgt. 1st Class James J. Stoddard Jr., 29, Crofton, Md.; Sgt. 1st Class Moses E. Armstead, 44, Rochester, N.Y.; Pfc. Benny S. Franklin, 19, Hammond, La.; Staff Sgt. Troy S. Ezernack, 39, Lancaster, Penn.; Petty Officer 3rd Class Fabricio Moreno, 26, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Spc. Scott J. Mullen, 22, Tucson, Ariz.; Pfc. Joseph Cruz, 22, Whittier, Calif.; Travis W. Nixon, 24, St. John, Wash.; Sgt. 1st Class James S. Ochsner, 36, Waukegan, Ill.; Petty Officer 3rd Class Emory J. Turpin, 23, Dahlonega, Ga.; Spc. Matthew P. Steyart, 21, Mount Shasta, Calif.; Sgt. 1st Class John D. Morton, 31, Stanton, Ky.; Pfc. Jason D. Hasenauer, 21, Hilton, N.Y.; 1st Sgt. Tobias C. Meister, 30, Jenks, Okla.; 2006: Lance Cpl. Billy D. Brixey Jr., 21, Ferriday, La.; Petty Officer 3rd Class John T. Fralish, 30, New Kingstown, Penn.; Pfc. Matthew L. Bertolino, 20, Hampstead, N.H.; Sgt. Alberto D. Montrond, 27, Suffolk, Mass.; Sgt. 1st Class Chad A. Gonsalves, 31, Turlock, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Edwin H. Dazachacon, 38, Belleville, Ill.; Staff Sgt. Clinton T. Newman, 26, San Antonio, Texas; Capt. Bryan D. Willard, 33, Hummelstown, Penn.; Lance Cpl. Samuel W. Large Jr., 21, Villa Rica, Ga.; Staff Sgt. Sanchez Luis M. Melendez, 33, Bayamon, Puerto Rico; Senior Airman Alecia S. Good, 23, Broadview Heights, Ohio; Sgt. Jonathan E. McColley, 23, Gettysburg, Penn.; 1st Lt. Brandon R. Dronet, 33, Erath, La.; Sgt. Donnie Leo F. Levens, 25, Long Beach, Miss.; Sgt. James F. Fordyce, 22, Newton Square, Penn.; Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Sovie, 20, Ogdensburg, N.Y.; Cpl. Matthieu Marcellus, 31, Gainesville, Fla.; Master Sgt. Emigdio E. Elizarraras, 37, Pico Rivera, Calif.; Sgt. Anton J. Hiett, 25, Mount Airy, N.C.; Spc. Joshua Lee Hill, 24, Fairmount, Ind.; Sgt. Kevin D. Akins, 29, Burnsville, N.C.; Staff Sgt. Joseph R. Ray, 29, Asheville, N.C.; Lance Cpl. Nicholas R. Anderson, 21, Sauk City, Wis.; Staff Sgt. Christopher L. Robinson, 36, Brandon, Miss.; Sgt. 1st Class John Thomas Stone, 52, Tunbridge/Norwich, Vt.; Capt. Clayton Lee Adamkavicius, 43, Fairdale, Ky.; Spc. Justin L. O'Donohoe, 27, San Diego, Calif.; Spc. David N. Timmons Jr., 23, Lewisville, N.C.; Sgt. Jeffery S. Wiekamp, 23, Utopia, Texas; Sgt. John C. Griffith, 33, Las Vegas, Nev.; Sgt. Bryan A. Brewster, 24, Fontana, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Christopher T. Howick, 34, Hamburg, N.Y.; Chief Warrant Officer Christopher B. Donaldson, 28, Ill.; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Eric W. Totten, 34, Texas; Lt. Col. Joseph J. Fenty, 41, Fla.; Pvt. Brian M. Moquin Jr., 19, Worcester, Mass.; Staff Sgt. Christian Longsworth, 26, Newark, N.J.; Cpl. Derek A. Stanley, 20, Tulsa, Okla.; Sgt. Travis A. Van Zoest, 21, Larimore, N.D.; Spc. Curtis R. Mehrer, 21, Bismarck, N.D.; Cpl. Bernard P. Corpuz, 28, Watsonville, Calif.; Lt. Col. Charles E. Munier, 50, Wheatland, Wyo.; Sgt. Russell M. Durgin, 23, Henniker, N.H.; Sgt. Roger P. Peña Jr., 29, San Antonio, Texas; Capt. Patrick Damon, 41, Falmouth, Maine; 1st Lt. Forrest P. Ewens, 25, Wash.; Sgt. Ian T. Sanchez, 26, Staten Island, N.Y.; Pfc. Brian J. Bradbury, 22, Saint Joseph, Mo.; Staff Sgt. Heathe N. Craig, 28, Severn, Md.; Staff Sgt. Patrick L. Lybert, 28, Ladysmith, Wis.; Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti, 30, Raynham, Mass.; Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Fuerst III, 26, Tampa, Fla.; Master Sgt. Thomas D. Maholic, 38, Bradford, Penn.; Pfc. Justin R. Davis, 19, Gaithersburg, Md.; Cpl. Aaron M. Griner, 24, Tampa, Fla.; Chief Warrant Officer 3 William T. Flanigan, 37, Milan, Tenn.; Pfc. Kevin F. Edgin, 31, Dyersburg, Tenn.; Sgt. Maj. Jeff McLochlin, 45, Rochester, Ind.; Sgt. Robert P. Kassin, 29, Las Vegas, Nev.; Staff Sgt. Robert J. Chiomento, 34, Fort Dix, N.J.; Staff Sgt. Eric Caban, 28, Fort Worth, Texas; 1st Sgt. Christopher C. Rafferty, 37, Brownsville, Penn.; Sgt. David M. Hierholzer, 27, Lewisburg, Tenn.; Spc. Andrew Velez, 22, Lubbock, Texas; Sgt. 1st Class Daniel A. Suplee, 39, Ocala, Fla.; Spc. Rogelio R. Garza Jr., 26, Corpus Christi, Texas; Pfc. James P. White Jr., 19, Huber Heights, Ohio; Pfc. Andrew Small, 19, Wiscasset, Maine; Cpl. Jeremiah S. Cole, 26, Hiawatha, Kan.; Pvt. Joseph R. Blake, 34, Portland, Ore.; Spc. Wakkuna Almira Jackson, 21, Jacksonville, Fla.; Spc. Chris Sitton, 21, Montrose, Colo.; Pfc. Robert E. Drawl Jr., 21, Alexandria, Va.; Senior Airman Adam P. Servais, 23, Onalaska, Wis.; Sgt. 1st Class Merideth Howard, 52, Waukesha, Wis.; Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul, 43, The Dalles, Ore.; Sgt. Nathaniel Brad Lindsey, 38, Troutdale, Ore.; Sgt. 1st Class Mike Fuga, 41, Nuuli, American Samoa; Sgt. Jeremy E. DePottey, 26, Ironwood, Mich.; Sgt. 1st Class Bernard Lee Deghand, 42, Mayetta, Kan.; Angelo J. Vaccaro, 23, Deltona, Fla.; Spc. Fernando D. Robinson, 21, Hawthorne, Calif.; Chief Warrant Officer Scott W. Dyer, 38, Cocoa Beach, Fla.; Spc. Jason A. Lucas, 24, Columbus, Ohio; Pvt. Michael V. Bailey, 20, Waldorf, Md.; Staff Sgt. Kyu H. Chay, 34, Fayetteville, N.C.; Spc. Isaiah Calloway, 23, Jacksonville, Fla.; Maj. Douglas E. Sloan, 40, Charlevoix, Mich.; Pfc. Alex Oceguera, 19, San Bernardino, Calif.; Sgt. Charles J. McClain, 26, Fort Riley, Kan.; Sgt. 1st Class William R. Brown, 30, Fort Worth, Texas; Caporal Nathan J. Goodiron, 25, Mandaree, N.D.; 2nd Lt. Scott B. Lundell, 35, Hurricane, Utah; 1st Lt. Benjamin D. Keating, 27, Shapleigh, Maine; Staff Sgt. Michael A. Shank, 31, Bonham, Texas; Spc. Jeffrey G. Roberson, 22, Phelan, Calif.; Spc. Chris Kleinwachter, 29, Wahpeton, N.D.; Staff Sgt. Joseph E. Phaneuf II, 38, Eastford, Conn.; 2007: Sgt. Long N. Nguyen, 27, Portland, Ore.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Laquita Pate James, 33, Orange Park, Fla.; Cpl. Timothy D. Lewis, 20, Lawrenceburg, Ky.; Chief Warrant Officer John A. Quinlan, 36, N.J.; Spc. Brandon D. Gordon, 21, Naples, Fla.; Sgt. Adam A. Wilkinson, 23, Fort Carson, Colo.; Pfc. Ryan C. Garbs, 20, Edwardsville, Ill.; Tech. Sgt. Scott E. Duffman, 32, Albuquerque, N.M.; Pfc. Kristofer D. S. Thomas, 18, Roseville, Calif.; Spc. Travis R. Vaughn, 26, Reinbeck, Iowa; Chief Warrant Officer Hershel D. McCants Jr., 33, Ariz.; Sgt. Buddy J. Hughie, 19, Poteau, Okla.; Pfc. Jason D. Johns, 19, Frankton, Ind.; Pfc. Daniel Zizumbo, 27, Chicago, Ill.; Sgt. Christopher J. C. Fernandez, 28, Dededo, Guam; Sgt. Gregory D. Fejeran, 28, Barrigada, Guam; Sgt. Edmund W. McDonald, 25, Casco, Maine; Spc. Agustin Gutierrez, 19, San Jacinto, Calif.; Spc. Christopher M. Wilson, 24, Bangor, Maine; Pfc. Conor G. Masterson, 21, Inver Grove Heights, Minn.; Sgt. Edelman L. Hernandez, 23, Hyattsville, Md.; Staff Sgt. Casey D. Combs, 28, Auburn, Wash.; Sgt. David A. Stephens, 28, Tullahoma, Tenn.; Sgt. Aalten Alex Van, 21, Monterey, Tenn.; Staff Sgt. Michael D. Thomas, 34, Seffner, Fla.; Spc. Daniel F. Mehringer, 20, Morgantown, West Va.; Cpl. Jeremy R. Greene, 24, Springfield, Ohio; Pfc. Joseph G. Harris, 19, Sugar Land, Texas; Col. James W. Harrison Jr., 47, Mo.; Master Sgt. Wilberto Sabalu Jr., 36, Chicago, Ill.; Sgt. Timothy P. Padgett, 28, Defuniak Springs, Fla.; Maj. Larry J. Bauguess Jr., 36, Moravian Falls, N.C.; Staff Sgt. Joshua R. Whitaker, 23, Long Beach, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Charlie L. Bagwell, 28, Lake Toxaway, N.C.; Sgt. Brandon E. Hadaway, 25, Valley, Ala.; Sgt. Jesse Blamires, 25, South Jordan, Utah; Chief Warrant Officer Christopher M. Allgaier, 33, Middleton, Mo.; Chief Warrant Officer Joshua R. Rodgers, 29, Carson City, Nev.; Sgt. Charles R. Browning, 31, Tucson, Ariz.; Lt. Col. Michael A. Robinson, 42, Sylacauga, Ala.; Pfc. Jacob Michael Lowell, 22, New Lenox, Ill.; Pfc. Timothy R. Vimoto, 19, Fort Campbell, Ky.; Sgt. Charles E. Wyckoff Jr., 28, Chula Vista, Calif.; Master Sgt. Arthur L. Lilley, 35, Smithfield, Penn.; Staff Sgt. Roy P. Lewsader Jr., 36, Clinton, Ind.; Capt. Joshua E. Steele, 26, North Henderson, Ill.; Sgt. 1st Class John Henning, 26, Lake Charles, La.; Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Dale Henderson, 35, Hillsboro, Ore.; Sgt. Dustin J. Perrott, 23, Fredericksburg, Va.; Capt. Darrell C. Lewis, 31, Washington, D.C., ; Pfc. Joseph A. Miracle, 22, Ortonville, Mich.; Spc. Christopher S. Honaker, 23, Cleveland, N.C.; Sgt. Thomas P. McGee, 23, Hawthorne, Calif.; Sgt. 1st Class Sean K. Mitchell, 35, Monterey, Calif.; Master Sgt. Randy J. Gillespie, 44, Coaldale, Colo.; Pfc. Juan S. Restrepo, 20, Pembroke Pines, Fla.; Pfc. Jessy S. Rogers, 20, Copper Center, Alaska; Pfc. Adam J. Davis, 19, Twin Falls, Idaho; Sgt. Travon T. Johnson, 29, Palmdale, Calif.; 1st Sgt. Michael S. Curry Jr., 37, Dania Beach, Fla.; Pfc. Zachary R. Endsley, 21, Spring, Texas; Staff Sgt. William R. Fritsche, 23, Martinsville, Ind.; Maj. Thomas G. Bostick Jr., 37, Llano, Texas; 1st Lt. Benjamin J. Hall, 24, Va.; Sgt. Taurean T. Harris, 22, Liberty, Miss.; Pfc. Jordan E. Goode, 21, Kalamazoo, Mich.; Pvt. Alan J. Austin, 21, Houston, Texas; Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey D. Kettle, 31, Madill, Okla.; Staff Sgt. Jesse G. Clowers Jr., 27, Herndon, Va.; Sgt. Charles B. Kitowski III, 31, Farmers Branch, Texas; Spc. George V. Libby, 23, Aberdeen, N.C.; Sgt. 1st Class Scott M. Carney, 37, Ankeny, Iowa; Sgt. 1st Class Daniel E. Miller, 43, Rossford, Ohio; Staff Sgt. Nicholas R. Carnes, 25, Dayton, Ky.; Sgt. 1st Class Rocky H. Herrera, 43, Salt Lake City, Utah; Sgt. Bryce D. Howard, 24, Vancouver, Wash.; Pfc. Thomas R. Wilson, 21, Maurertown, Va.; Ciara M. Durkin, 30, Quincy, Mass. ; Sgt. Cory L. Clark, 25, Plant City, Fla.; Maj. Henry S. Ofeciar, 37, Agana, Guam; Master Sgt. Scott R. Ball, 38, Mount Holly Springs, Penn.; Sgt. Jan M. Argonish, 26, Peckville, Penn.; Master Sgt. Patrick D. Magnani, 38, Martinez, Calif.; Pfc. Mykel F. Miller, 19, Phoenix, Ariz.; Cpl. Travis M. Woods, 21, Redding, Calif.; Sgt. 1st Class Matthew D. Blaskowski, 27, Levering, Mich.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Charles Luke Milam, 26, Littleton, Colo.; Pfc. Christopher F. Pfeifer, 21, Spalding, Neb.; Pfc. Mathew D. Taylor, 21, Cameron Park, Calif.; Sgt. Zachary D. Tellier, 31, Charlotte, N.C.; Petty Officer 3rd Class Mark R. Cannon, 31, Lubbock, Texas; Cpl. Adam D. Quinn, 22, Orange City, Fla.; Staff Sgt. Larry I. Rougle, 25, West Jordan, Utah; Sgt. Edward O. Philpot, 38, Latta, S.C.; Sgt. Joshua C. Brennan, 22, Ontario, Ore.; Spc. Hugo V. Mendoza, 29, Glendale, Ariz.; Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Curreri, 27, Los Angeles, Calif.; Master Sgt. Thomas L. Bruner, 50, Owensboro, Ky.; Maj. Jeffrey R. Calero, 34, Queens Village, N.Y.; Staff Sgt. James D. Bullard, 28, Marion, S.C.; Sgt. 1st Class Johnny C. Walls, 41, Bremerton, Wash.; Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour, 21, Swartz Creek, Mich.; Spc. Lester G. Roque, 23, Torrance, Calif.; Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin, 23, Walnut Creek, Calif.; 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, 24, Torrance, Calif.; Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman, 23, Parker, Kan.; Sgt. Phillip Allen Bocks, 28, Troy, Mich.; Staff Sgt. Patrick F. Kutschbach, 25, McKees Rocks, Penn.; Sgt. Adrian E. Hike, 26, Callender, Iowa; Capt. David A. Boris, 30, Penn.; 2nd Lt. Stuart F. Liles, 26, Hot Spring, Ark.; Cpl. Tanner J. O'Leary, 23, Eagle Butte, S.D.; Staff Sgt. Gregory L. Elam, 39, Columbus, Ga.; Cpl. Joshua C. Blaney, 25, Matthews, N.C.; Staff Sgt. Michael J. Gabel, 30, Crowley, La.; Senior Airman Nicholas D. Eischen, 24, Sanger, Calif.; Spc. Brian Gorham, 23, Woodburn, Ky.; 2008: Sgt. Shawn F. Hill, 37, Wellford, S.C.; Sgt. James K. Healy, 25, Hesperia, Calif.; Maj. Michael L. Green, 36, Chagrin Falls, Ohio; Sgt. David J. Drakulich, 22, Reno, Nev.; Lt. Col. Richard J. Berrettini, 52, Wilcox, Penn.; Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, 24, Iowa City, Iowa; Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Ryan Kahler, 29, Granite Falls, Minn.; Staff Sgt. Donald T. Tabb, 29, Norcross, Ga.; Sgt. Robert T. Rapp, 22, Sonora, Calif.; Spc. Steven R. Koch, 23, Milltown, N.J.; Sgt. Gabriel Guzman, 25, Hornbrook, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Collin J. Bowen, 38, Millersville, Md.; Pfc. Antione V. Robinson, 20, Detroit, N.C.; Staff Sgt. William R. Neil, 38, Holmden, N.J.; Tech. Sgt. William H. Jefferson Jr., 34, Norfolk, Va.; Lance Cpl. Dustin L. Canham, 21, Lake Stevens, Wash.; Sgt. Nicholas A. Robertson, 27, Old Town, Maine; 1st Sgt. Luke J. Mercardante, 35, Athens, Ga.; Cpl. Kyle W. Wilks, 24, Rogers, Ark.; Sgt. 1st Class David L. McDowell, 30, Ramona, Calif.; Senior Airman Jonathan A. V. Yelner, 24, Lafayette, Calif.; Spc. Jeremy R. Gullett, 22, Greenup, Ky.; Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts, 25, Farmington, N.M.; Sgt. Isaac Palomarez, 26, Loveland, Colo.; Pfc. Ara T. Deysie, 18, Parker, Ariz.; Pvt. Matthew W. Brown, 20, Zelienople, Penn.; Master Sgt. Davy N. Weaver, 39, Barnesville, Ga.; Cpl. William Justin L. Cooper, 22, Eupora, Miss.; Lt. Jeffrey A. Ammon, 37, Orem, Utah; Lt. Col. Joseph A. Moore, 54, Boise, Idaho; 1st Lt. Jeffrey F. Deprimo, 35, Pittston, Penn.; Spc. David L. Leimbach, 38, Taylors, S.C.; Spc. Christopher Gathercole, 21, Santa Rosa, Calif.; Spc. Justin L. Buxbaum, 23, South Portland, Maine; Pfc. Chad M. Trimble, 29, West Covina, Calif.; Sgt. 1st Class David Nunez, 27, Los Angeles, Calif.; Spc. James M. Finley, 21, Lebanon, Mo.; Pvt. Andrew J. Shields, 19, Battleground, Wash.; Pfc. Derek D. Holland, 20, Wind Gap, Penn.; Maj. Scott A. Hagerty, 41, Stillwater, Okla.; Chief Warrant Officer James Carter, 42, Ala.; Pfc. Andre D. McNair Jr., 20, Fort Pierce, Fla.; Sgt. Michael Toussiant-Hyle Washington, 20, Tacoma, Wash.; Pfc. Michael Robert Patton, 19, Fenton, Mo.; Lance Cpl. Layton Bradly Crass, 22, Richmond, Ind.; Pfc. Dawid Pietrek, 24, Bensenville, Ill.; Hospitalman Marc A. Retmier, 19, Hemet, Calif.; Petty Officer 1st Class Ross L. Toles III, 37, Davison, Mich.; Capt. Eric Daniel Terhune, 34, Lexington, Ky.; Lance Cpl. Andrew Francis Whitacre, 21, Bryant, Ind.; Hospitalman Dustin Kelby Burnett, 19, Fort Mohave, Ariz.; Sgt. Matthew E. Mendoza, 24, San Antonio, Texas; Spc. Anthony L. Mangano, 36, Greenlawn, N.Y.; Lt. Col. James J. Walton, 41, Rockville, Md.; Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks, 36, Queens, N.Y.; Sgt. Nelson D. Rodriguez Ramirez, 22, Revere, Mass. ; Spc. Ryan J. Connolly, 24, Vacaville, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Christopher D. Strickland, 25, Labelle, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Matthew L. Hilton, 37, Livonia, Mich.; Staff Sgt. Edgar A. Heredia, 28, Houston, Texas; Spc. Mark C. Palmateer, 38, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Sgt. 1st Class Joseph A. McKay, 51, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Staff Sgt. Travis K. Hunsberger, 24, Goshen, IN; Sergenat James M. Treber, 24, Imperial Beach, Calif.; Master Sgt. Shawn E. Simmons, 39, Ashland, Mass.; Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey M. Radamorales, 32, Naranjito, Puerto Rico; Spc. Estell L. Turner, 43, Sioux Falls, S.D.; 1st Lt. Daniel Farkas, 42, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Sgt. Douglas J. Bull, 29, Wilkes Barre, Penn.; Spc. Brian S. Leon Guerrero, 34, Hagatna, Guam; Spc. Samson A. Mora, 28, Dededo, Guam; Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, 25, Seattle, Wash.; 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, Hawaii; Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, Haw River, N.C.; Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, 27, Jasper, Ga.; Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, 24, Snellville, Ga.; Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, 24, Clinton, Tenn.; Pfc. Sergio S. Abad, 21, Morganfield, Ky.; Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling, 20, Florissant, Mo.; Master Sgt. Mitchell W. Young, 39, Jonesboro, Ga.; Sgt. Israel Garcia, 24, Long Beach, Calif.; Pfc. Willington M. Rhoads, 23, Las Vegas, Nev.; 1st Lt. Jason D. Mann, 29, Woodlynne, N.J.; 1st Lt. Nick A. Dewhirst, 25, Onalaska, Wis.; Pfc. Ivan I. Wilson, 22, Clearlake, Calif.; Spc. Seteria L. Harris Brown, 22, Orlando, Fla.; Pfc. David John Badie, 23, Rockford, Ill.; 2nd Lt. Michael R. Girdano, 23, Penn.; Spc. William J. Mulvihill, 20, Leavenworth, Kan.; Pvt. Jair De Jesus Garcia, 29, Chatsworth, Calif.; Sgt. Ryan P. Baumann, 24, Great Mills, Md.; Sgt. Jaime Gonzalez Jr., 40, Austin, Texas; Sgt. Errol M. James, 29, St. Croix, Virgin Islands; Capt. Garrett T. Lawton, 31, Charleston, West Va.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony M. Carbullido, 25, Agat, Guam; Pvt. John A. Mattox, 23, Daingerfield, Texas; Lance Cpl. Juan Lopez-Castaneda, 19, Mesa, Ariz.; Cpl. Anthony G. Mihalo, 23, Naperville, Ill.; Lance Cpl. Jacob J. Toves, 27, Grover Beach, Calif.; 1st Lt. Donald C. Carwile, 29, Oxford, Va.; Pfc. Paul E. Conlon Jr., 21, Somerville, Mass. ; Staff Sgt. Kristopher D. Rodgers, 29, Sturgis, Mich.; Pfc. Jonathan L. Luscher, 20, Scranton, Penn.; Staff Sgt. David L. Paquet, 26, Rising Sun, Md.; Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr., 36, Marrero, La.; Staff Sgt. Brian E. Studer, 28, Roseau, Minn.; Pvt. Tan Q. Ngo, 20, Beaverton, Ore.; Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Harris, 36, Lexington, N.C.; Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez, 35, Weidman, Mich.; Pvt. Vincent C. Winston Jr., 22, St. Louis, Mo.; Pvt. Michael R. Dinterman, 18, Littlestown, Penn.; Spc. Marques I. Knight, 24, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.; 1st Lt. Nicholas A. Madrazo, 25, Bothell, Wash.; Capt. Jesse Melton III, 29, Randallstown, Md.; Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Eichmann A. Strickland, 23, Arlington, Wash.; Pvt. Michael W. Murdock, 22, Chocowinity, N.C.; Chief Warrant Officer Michael Slebodnik, 39, Gibsonia, Penn.; Senior Chief Petty Officer John Wayne Marcum, 34, Flushing, Mich.; Chief Petty Officer Jason Richard Freiwald, 30, Armada, Mich.; 1st Lt. Mohsin A. Naqvi, 26, Newburgh, N.Y.; Staff Sgt. Jason A. Vazquez, 24, Chicago, Ill.; Capt. Bruce E. Hays, 42, Cheyenne, Wyo.; Sgt. Joshua W. Harris, 21, Romeoville, Ill.; Lt. Col. James L. Wiley, 46, North Bend, Ore.; Staff Sgt. Brandon W. Farley, 30, Haworth, Okla.; Sgt. Jerome C. Bell Jr., 29, New York, Auburn; Pvt. Joseph F. Gonzales, 18, Tucson, Ariz.; Capt. Bruno G. Desolenni, 32, Crescent City, Calif.; Maj. Rodolfo I. Rodriguez, 34, El Paso, Texas; Cryptologic Technician Third Class Petty Officer Matthew J. O'Bryant, 22, Duluth, Ga.; Staff Sgt. Nathan M. Cox, 32, Walcott, Iowa; Sgt. William E. Hasenflu, 38, Bradenton, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Jamie S. Nicholas, 32, Maysel, West Va.; Sgt. 1st Class Gary J. Vasquez, 33, Round Lake, Ill.; Capt. Richard G. Cliff Jr., 29, Mount Pleasant, S.C.; Spc. Jason E. von Zerneck, 33, Charlotte, N.C.; Cpl. Jason A. Karella, 20, Anchorage, Alaska; Pfc. Scott G. Dimond, 39, Franklin, N.H.; Sgt. Preston R. Medley, 23, Baker, Fla.; Spc. Stephen R. Fortunato, 25, Danvers, Mass. ; Spc. Cory J. Bertrand, 18, Center, Texas; Sgt. John M. Penich, 25, Beach Park, Ill.; Sgt. Federico G. Borjas, 33, San Diego, Calif.; Capt. Robert D. Lindenau, 39, Camano Island, Wash.; Spc. Deon L. Taylor, 30, Bronx, N.Y.; Lance Cpl. Sim San, 23, Santa Ana, Calif.; Cpl. Adrian Robles, 21, Scottsbluff, Neb.; 1st Lt. Trevor J. Yurista, 32, Pleasant Valley, N.Y.; Sgt. Kevin D. Grieco, 35, Bartlett, Ill.; Sgt. Nicholas A. Casey, 22, Canton, Ohio; Sgt. Daniel W. Wallace, 27, Dry Ridge, Ky.; Spc. Jonnie L. Stiles, 38, Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Capt. Robert J. Yllescas, 31, Lincoln, Neb.; Pvt. Colman J. Meadows III, 19, Senoia, Ga.; Cpl. Charles P. Gaffney Jr., 42, Phoenix, Ariz.; 2009: Lance Cpl. Alberto Francesconi, 21, Bronx, N.Y.; Lance Cpl. Jessie A. Cassada, 19, Hendersonville, N.C.; Sgt. Joshua L. Rath, 22, Decatur, Ala.; Spc. Keith Eric Essary, 20, Dyersburg, Tenn.; Cpl. Jason R. Parsons, 24, Lenoir, N.C.; Spc. Joseph M. Hernandez, 24, Hammond, Ind.; Maj. Brian M. Mescall, 33, Hopkinton, Mass.; Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Bennett, 23, Clifton, Va.; Staff Sgt. Joshua R. Townsend, 30, Solvang, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Carlo M. Robinson, 33, Lawton, Okla.; Spc. Ezra Dawson, 31, Las Vegas, Nev.; Lance Cpl. Julian T. Brennan, 25, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Sgt. David W. Wallace III, 25, Sharpsville, Penn.; Sgt. Trevor J. Johnson, 23, Forsyth, Mont.; Chief Warrant Officer 4 Milton E. Suggs, 51, Lockport, La.; Lance Cpl. Kevin T. Preach, 21, Bridgewater, Mass.; 1st Lt. Jared W. Southworth, 26, Oakland, Ill.; Staff Sgt. Jason E. Burkholder, 27, Elida, Ohio; Spc. Peter J. Courcy, 22, Frisco, Texas; Pfc. Jason R. Watson, 19, Many, La.; Staff Sgt. Marc J. Small, 29, Collegeville, Penn.; Sgt. Daniel L. Hansen, 24, Tracy, Calif.; Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Munden, 35, Mesquite, Texas; Master Sgt. David L. Hurt, 36, Tucson, Ariz.; Staff Sgt. Jeremy E. Bessa, 26, Illinois, Woodridge; Staff Sgt. Timothy P. Davis, 28, Aberdeen, Wash.; Capt. Brian M. Bunting, 29, Potomac, Md.; Sgt. Schuyler B. Patch, 25, Owasso, Okla.; Sgt. Scott B. Stream, 39, Mattoon, Ill.; Sgt. Daniel James Thompson, 24, Madison, Wis.; Spc. Simone A. Robinson, 21, Dixmoor, Ill.; Pfc. Patrick A. Devoe II, 27, Auburn, N.Y.; Staff Sgt. Archie A. Taylor, 37, Tomball, Texas; Staff Sgt. Timothy L. Bowles, 24, Tucson, N.M.; Spc. Robert M. Weinger, 24, Round Lake Beach, Ill.; Sgt. Christopher P. Abeyta, 23, Midlothian, Ill.; Spc. Norman L. Cain III, 22, Oregon, IL, Ill.; Lance Cpl. Daniel J. Geary, 22, Rome, N.Y.; Cpl. Anthony L. Williams, 21, Oxford, Penn.; Cpl. Michael W. Ouellette, 28, Manchester, N.H.; Pfc. Adam J. Hardt, 19, Avondale, Ariz.; Lt. (j.g.) Francis L. Toner IV, 26, Narragansett, R.I.; Lt. Florence B. Choe, 35, El Cajon, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers, 30, Hopewell, Va.; Spc. Adam M. Kuligowski, 21, Arlington, Va.; Lance Cpl. Blaise A. Oleski, 22, Holland Patent, N.Y.; Airman 1st Class Jacob I. Ramsey, 20, Hesperia, Calif.; Cpl. Francisco X. Aguila, 35, Bayamon, Puerto Rico; Pfc. Richard A. Dewater, 21, Topeka, Kan.; Staff Sgt. William D. Vile, 27, Philadelphia, Penn.; Sgt. James Pirtle, 21, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Spc. Ryan C. King, 22, Dallas, Ga.; Spc. Lukasz D. Saczek, 23, Lake in the Hills, Ill.; Staff Sgt. Esau I. De la Pena-Hernandez, 25, La Puente, Calif.; Sgt. Carlie M. Lee III, 23, Birmingham, Ala.; 1st Lt. Roslyn Littmann Schulte, 25, Ladue (St. Louis), Mo.; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brent S. Cole, 38, Reedsville, West Va.; Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton, 39, Houston, Texas; Senior Airman Ashton Lynn Marie Goodman, 21, Indianapolis, Ind.; 1st Sgt. Blue C. Rowe, 33, Summers, Ark.; Lance Cpl. Matthew G. Reza, 27, Austin, Texas; Sgt. Jasper K. Obakrairur, 26, Hilo, Hawaii; Pfc. Matthew W. Wilson, 19, Miller, Mo.; Pfc. Matthew D. Ogden, 33, Corpus Christi, Texas; Staff Sgt. Jeffrey A. Hall, 28, Huntsville, Ala.; Spc. Roberto A. Hernandez, 21, Far Rockaway, N.Y.; Spc. Jarrett P. Griemel, 20, La Porte, Texas; Staff Sgt. John C. Beale, 39, Riverdale, Ga.; Spc. Jeffrey W. Jordan, 21, Rome, Ga.; Maj. Rocco M. Barnes, 50, Los Angeles, Calif.; Maj. Kevin M. Jenrette, 37, Lula, Ga.; Lance Cpl. Joshua R. Whittle, 20, Downey, Calif.; Spc. Eduardo S. Silva, 25, Greenfield, Calif.; Chief Warrant Officer Ricky L. Richardson Jr., 33, Franklin, Mo.; Spc. Jonathan C. O'Neill, 22, Zephyrhills, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Kevin A. Dupont, 52, Chicopee, Mass.; Staff Sgt. Joshua Melton, 26, Carlyle, Ill.; Sgt. Paul G. Smith, 43, Peoria, Ill.; Command Master Chief Petty Officer Jeffrey J. Garber, 43, Hemingford, Neb.; 1st Sgt. John D. Blair, 38, Calhoun, Ga.; Sgt. Ricky D. Jones, 26, Plantersville, Ala.; Spc. Rodrigo A. Munguia-Rivas, 27, Germantown, Md.; 1st Lt. Brian N. Bradshaw, 24, Steilacoom, Wash.; Pfc. Peter K. Cross, 20, Saginaw, Texas; Pvt. Steven T. Drees, 19, Peshtigo, Wis.; Sgt. Terry J. Lynch, 22, Shepherd, Mont.; Lance Cpl. Charles S. Sharp, 20, Adairsville, Ga.; Pfc. Justin A. Casillas, 19, Dunnigan, Calif.; Pfc. Aaron E. Fairbairn, 20, Aberdeen, Wash.; Pfc. Nicolas H. J. Gideon, 20, Murrieta, Calif.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Tony Michael Randolph, 22, Henryetta, Okla.; Spc. Issac L. Johnson, 24, Ga.; 2nd Lt. Derwin I. Williams, 41, Glenwood, Ill.; Spc. Chester W. Hosford, 35, Hastings, Minn.; Sgt. Brock H. Chavers, 25, Bulloch, Ga.; Capt. Mark A. Garner, 30, Elkin, N.C.; Spc. Christopher M. Talbert, 24, Galesburg, Ill.; Sgt. John Eric Hayes, 36, Middleburg, Fla.; Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Darren Ethan Tate, 21, Canyon, Texas; Lance Cpl. Roger Gary Michael Hager, 20, Gibsonville, N.C.; Sgt. Michael C. Roy, 25, North Fort Myers, Fla.; Spc. Gregory James Missman, 36, Batavia, Ohio; Spc. Joshua Ray Farris, 22, Warda (La Grange?), Texas; Cpl. Matthew Ryan Lembke, 22, Tualatin, Ore.; Lance Cpl. Pedro Antonio Barbozaflores, 27, Glendale, Calif.; Master Sgt. Jerome David Hatfield, 36, Axton, Va.; Staff Sgt. Eric James Lindstrom, 27, Flagstaff, Ariz.; Sgt. Michael Wayne Heede Jr., 22, Delta, Penn.; Staff Sgt. David Shane Spicer, 33, Zanesfield, Ohio; Sgt. 1st Class Jason John Fabrizi, 29, Seffner, Fla.; Capt. Mark Russell Mcdowell, 26, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Capt. Thomas Joseph Gramith, 27, Eagan, Minn.; Cpl. Benjamin Stephen Kopp, 21, Rosemount, Minn.; Spc. Anthony Marquis Lightfoot, 20, Riverdale, Ga.; Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr., 24, Garland, Texas; Spc. Andrew Jay Roughton, 21, Houston, Texas; Pfc. Dennis Joseph Pratt, 34, Duncan, Okla.; Sgt. Raymundo Porras Morales, 34, Dalton, Ga.; Sgt. Joshua James Rimer, 24, Rochester, Penn.; Spc. Randy L.J. Neff Jr., 22, Blackfoot, Idaho; Lance Cpl. Jeremy Scott Lasher, 27, Oneida, N.Y.; Cpl. Nicholas George Xiarhos, 21, Yarmouth Port, Mass.; Sgt. Ryan H. Lane, 25, Pittsburgh, Penn.; Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Scott Charpentier, 21, Great Falls, Mont.; Spc. Justin Dean Coleman, 21, Weeki Wachee, Fla.; Pfc. Donald Wayne Vincent, 26, Gainesville, Fla.; Sgt. Gerrick David Smith, 19, Sullivan, Ill.; Chief Warrant Officer Douglas Melville Vose III, 38, Concrete, Wash.; Lance Cpl. Jonathan Fulton Stroud, 20, Cashion, Okla.; Lance Cpl. Gregory Alan Posey, 22, Knoxville, Tenn.; Spc. Alexander Joel Miller, 21, Clermont, Fla.; Pvt. Richard Kelvin Jones, 21, Person, N.C.; Pvt. Patrick Scott Fitzgibbon, 19, Knoxville, Tenn.; Cpl. Jonathan Michael Walls, 27, West Lawn, Penn.; Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro Granado III, 42, Tatum, Texas; Capt. Ronald George Luce Jr., 27, Fayetteville, N.C.; Sgt. 1st Class Severin West Summers III, 43, Bentonia, MS; Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony Christian Garcia, 21, Tyndall, Fla.; Lance Cpl. Travis Thornton Babine, 20, San Antonio, Texas; Lance Cpl. James David Argentine, 22, Farmingdale, N.Y.; Cpl. Rivera Christian Armando Guzman, 21, Homestead, Fla.; Sgt. Jay Michael Hoskins, 24, Paris, Texas; Sgt. Jerry Randall Evans Jr., 23, Eufaula, Ala.; Capt. Matthew Charles Hays Freeman, 29, Richmond Hill, Ga.; Lance Cpl. Dennis James Burrow, 23, Naples, Fla.; Staff Sgt. Tara Jean Smith, 33, Nashville, N.C.; Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera, 20, Palmdale, Calif.; Spc. Matthew Kalen Samue Swanson, 20, Lake Forest, Calif.; Lance Cpl. Patrick Wayne Schimmel, 21, Winfield, Mo.; Lance Cpl. Bruce Earnest Ferrell, 21, Perdido, Ala.; Capt. John Tinsley, 28, Tallahassee, Fla.; Sgt. William John Cahir, 40, Washington, D.C.; Lance Cpl. Joshua Matthew Bernard, 21, New portland, Maine; Cpl. Nicholas Ryan Roush, 22, Middleville, Mich.; Sgt. 1st Class William Brian Woods Jr., 31, Chesapeake, Va.; Lance Cpl. Leopold Fred Damas, 26, Floral park, N.Y.; Pfc. Clayton Patrick Bowen, 29, San Antonio, Texas; 1st Sgt. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo, 59, Inarajan, Guam; Spc. Troy Orion Tom, 21, Shiprock, N.M.; Morris Lewis Walker, 23, Chapel Hill, N.C.; Pfc. Jonathan Christopher Yanney, 20, Litchfield, Minn.; Gunnery Sgt. Adam Frank Benjamin, 34, Garfield, Ohio; Spc. Paul Edmond Dumont Jr., 23, Williamsburg, Va.; Brian Michael Wolverton, 21, Oak park, Calif.; Spc. Justin Reid Pellerin, 21, Boscawen, N.H.; Sgt. Matthew Lee Ingram, 25, Pearl, Miss.; Staff Sgt. Andrew Thomas Lobosco, 29, Somerville, N.J.; Cpl. Darby Todd Morin, 25, Big River 1st Nation, Canada; Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Wayne Sawyer, 38, Trenton, Mo.; Spc. Dennis Michael Williams, 24, Federal way, Wash.; Capt. Cory J. Jenkins, 30, Ariz.; Capt. John Louis Hallett III, 30, Dupont, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Kurt Robert Curtiss, 27, Murray, Utah; Lance Cpl. Donald James Hogan, 20, San Clemente, Calif.; Pfc. Matthew Everett Wildes, 18, Hammond, La.; Spc. Abraham Sherrod Wheeler III, 22, Columbia, S.C.; Staff Sgt. Jason Sean Dahlke, 29, Orlando, Fla.; Pfc. Eric W Hario, 19, Monroe, Mich.; Spc. Tyler R. Walshe, 21, Shasta, Calif.; Lance Cpl. David R. Hall, 31, Elyria, Ohio; Pfc. Jordan M. Brochu, 20, Cumberland, Maine; Spc. Jonathan D. Welch, 19, Yorba Linda, Calif.; Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin P. Castiglione, 21, Howell, Mich.; Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Baltazar Jr., 19, San Antonio, Texas; 2nd Lt. Darryn D. Andrews, 34, Dallas, Texas; Capt. Joshua S. Meadows, 30, Bastrop, Texas; Sgt. Youvert Loney, 28, Pohnpei, Micronesia; Staff Sgt. Michael C. Murphrey, 25, Snyder, Texas; Sgt. Randy M. Haney, 27, Orlando, Fla.; Staff Sgt. Aaron M. Kenefick, 30, Roswell, Ga.; 1st Lt. Michael E. Johnson, 25, Virginia Beach, Va.; Gunnery Sgt. Edwin Wayne Johnson Jr., 31, Columbus, Ga.; Petty Officer 3rd Class James R. Layton, 22, Riverbank, Calif.; 1st Lt. Tyler E. Parten, 24, Ark.; Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Fowlkes, 20, Gaffney, S.C.; Pfc. Matthew M. Martinek, 20, DeKalb, Ill.; Staff Sgt. Nekl B. Allen, 29, Rochester, N.Y.; Spc. Daniel L. Cox, 23, Parsons, Kan.; Sgt. Tyler A. Juden, 23, Winfield, Kan.; Staff Sgt. Bryan D. Berky, 25, Melrose, Fla.; Tech. Sgt. James R Hornbarger, 33, Castle Rock, Wash.; Sgt. Andrew H. McConnell, 24, Carlisle, Penn.; 1st Lt. David T. Wright II, 26, Moore, Okla.; Spc. Demetrius L. Void, 20, Orangeburg, S.C.; Staff Sgt. Joshua M. Mills, 24, El Paso, Texas; Sgt. 1st Class Shawn P. McCloskey, 33, Peachtree City, Ga.; Sgt. 1st Class Bradley S. Bohle, 29, Glen Burnie, Md.; Sgt. Robert D. Gordon II, 22, River Falls, Ala.; Pfc. Jeremiah J. Monroe, 31, Niskayuna, N.Y.; Sgt. David A. Davis, 28, Dalhart, Texas; Spc. Damon G. Winkleman, 23, Lakeville, Ohio; Spc. Corey J. Kowall, 20, Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Pfc. William L. Meredith, 26, Virginia Beach, Va.; Spc. Joseph V. White, 21, Bellevue, Wash.; Sgt. Edward Bernard Smith, 30, Homestead, Fla.; Sgt. Titus R. Reynolds, 23, Columbus, Ohio; Lance Cpl. John J. Malone, 24, Yonkers, N.Y.; Spc. Kevin J. Graham, 27, Benton, Ky.; Lance Cpl. Jordan L. Chrobot, 24, Frederick, Md.; Staff Sgt. Jack M. Martin III, 26, Bethany, Okla.; Sgt. 1st Class Christopher D. Shaw, 37, Markham, Ill.; Staff Sgt. IV Alex French, 31, Milledgeville, Ga.; Spc. Russell S. Hercules Jr., 22, Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Sgt. Roberto D. Sanchez, 24, Satellite Beach, Fla.; Sgt. Ryan C. Adams, 26, Rhinelander, Wis.; Pfc. Alan H. Newton Jr., 26, Asheboro, N.C.; Capt. Benjamin A. Sklaver, 32, Medford, Mass.; Sgt. Thomas D. Rabjohn, 39, Litchfield Park, Ariz.; Sgt. Aaron M. Smith, 25, Manhattan, Kan.; Pfc. Brandon A. Owens, 21, Memphis, Tenn.; Pfc. Kevin C. Thomson., 22, Reno, Nev.; Sgt. Joshua J. Kirk, 30, South Portland, Maine; Michael P. Scusa, 22, Villas, N.J.; Spc. Christopher T. Griffin, 24, Kincheloe, Mich.; Staff Sgt. Vernon W. Martin, 25, Savannah, Ga.; Spc. Stephen L. Mace, 21, Lovettsville, Va.; Sgt. Justin T. Gallegos, 27, Tucson, Ariz.; Sgt. Joshua M. Hardt, 24, Applegate, Calif.; Spc. Kevin O. Hill, 23, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth W. Westbrook, 41, Shiprock, N.M.; Staff Sgt. Aaron J. Taylor, 27, Bovey, Minn.; Spc. George W. Cauley, 24, Walker, Minn, Minn.; Lance Cpl. Alfonso Ochoa Jr., 20, Armona, Calif.; Pfc. Brandon M. Styer, 19, Lancaster, Penn.; Spc. Daniel C. Lawson, 33, Deerfield Beach, Fla.; Spc. Jesus O. Flores Jr., 28, La Mirada, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr., 34, Blairsville, Penn.; Staff Sgt. Chris N. Staats, 32, Fredericksburg, Texas; Spc. Anthony G. Green, 28, Matthews, N.C.; Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski, 28, Rantoul, Ill.; Spc. Michael A. Dahl Jr., 23, Moreno Valley, Calif.; Lance Cpl. David Raymond Baker, 22, Painesville, Ohio; Spc. Kyle A. Coumas, 22, Lockeford, Calif.; Spc. Eric N. Lembke, 25, Tampa, Fla.; Pfc. Kimble A. Han, 30, Lehi, Utah; Pfc. Devin J. Michel, 19, Stockton, Ill.; Sgt. Eduviges G. Wolf, 24, Hawthorne, Calif.; Spc. Brandon K. Steffey, 23, Sault Sainte Marie, Mich.; Capt. Kyle R. Van De Giesen, 29, North Attleboro, Mass.; Capt. Eric A. Jones, 29, Westchester, N.Y.; Cpl. Gregory M.W. Fleury, 23, Anchorage, Alaska; Capt. David S. Mitchell, 30, Loveland, Ohio; Staff Sgt. Keith R. Bishop, 28, Medford, N.Y.; Sgt. 1st Class David E. Metzger, 32, San Diego, Calif.; Sgt. Nikolas A. Mueller, 26, Little Chute, Wis.; Sgt. Josue E. Hernandez Chavez, 23, Reno, Nev.; Staff Sgt. Shawn H. McNabb, 24, Terrell, Texas; Chief Warrant Officer Niall Lyons, 40, Spokane, Wash.; Chief Warrant Officer Michael P. Montgomery, 36, Savannah, Ga.; Lance Cpl. Cody R. Stanley, 21, Rosanky, Texas; Pfc. Christopher I. Walz, 25, Vancouver, Wash.; Spc. Jared D. Stanker, 22, Evergreen Park, Ill.; Sgt. Patrick O. Williamson, 24, Broussard, La.; Sgt. Issac B. Jackson, 27, Plattsburg, Mo.; Sgt. Dale R. Griffin, 29, Terre Haute, Ind.; Sgt. Fernando Delarosa, 24, Alamo, Texas; Staff Sgt. Luis M. Gonzalez, 27, South Ozone Park, N.Y.; Spc. Robert K. Charlton, 22, Malden, Mo.; Pfc. Brian R. Bates Jr., 20, Gretna, La.; Civilian Frank R. Walker, 66, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Sgt. Cesar B. Ruiz, 26, San Antonio, Texas; Spc. Julian L. Berisford, 25, Benwood, West Va.; Sgt. Benjamin Sherman, 21, Plymouth, Mass.; Sgt. Brandon T. Islip, 23, Richmond, Va.; Spc. Gary L. Gooch Jr., 22, Ocala, Fla.; Spc. Aaron S. Aamot, 22, Custer, Wash.; Sgt. Charles I. Cartwright, 26, Union Bridge, Md.; Lance Cpl. Justin J. Swanson, 21, Anaheim, Calif.; Spc. Christopher J. Coffland, 43, Baltimore, Md.; Lance Cpl. Shawn P. Hefner, 22, Hico, Texas; Spc. Joseph M. Lewis, 26, Terrell, Texas; Sgt. Daniel A. Frazier, 25, Saint Joseph, Mich.; Staff Sgt. John J. Cleaver, 36, Marysville, Wash.; Sgt. James M. Nolen, 25, Alvin, Texas; Pfc. Marcus A. Tynes, 19, Moreno Valley, Calif.; Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Hand, 20, Kansas City, Mo.; Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Pucino, 34, Cockeysville, Md.; Spc. Jason A. McLeod, 22, Crystal Lake, Ill.; Petty Officer 3rd Class David M. Mudge, 22, Sutherlin, Ore.; Lance Cpl. Jonathan A. Taylor, 22, Jacksonville, Fla.; Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr., 28, Chrisman, Ill.; Sgt. Elijah J. Rao, 26, Lake Oswego, Ore.; Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen, 31, Panama City, Fla.; Cpl. Xhacob Latorre, 21, Waterbury, Conn.; Tech. Sgt. Anthony C. Campbell Jr., 35, Florence, Ky.; Sgt. Albert D. Ware, 27, Chicago, Ill.; Pfc. Serge Kropov, 21, Hawley, Penn.; Lance Cpl. Omar G. Roebuck, 23, Moreno Valley, Calif.; Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez, 35, San Fransico, Calif.; Spc. Jason M. Johnston, 24, Albion, N.Y.; Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Spino, 45, Waterbury, Conn.; Harold Brown Jr., 37, Bolton, Mass.; CIA security officer Scott Michael Roberson, 39, Manchester, Ohio; CIA Operations Officer , 37, Fairfax, Va.; CIA Operations Officer Elizabeth C. Hanson, 30, Rockford, Ill.; Staff Sgt. Anton R. Phillips, 31, Inglewood, Calif.; 2010: Spc. Brian R. Bowman, 24, Crawfordsville, Ind.; Sgt. Joshua A. Lengstorf, 24, Yoncalla, Ore.; Pvt. John P. Dion, 19, Shattuck, Okla.; Senior Airman Bradley R. Smith, 24, Troy, Ill.; Sgt. 1st Class Jason O.B. Hickman, 35, Kingsport, Tenn.; Lance Cpl. Mark D. Juarez, 23, San Antonio, Texas; Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Meinert, 20, Fort Atkinson, Wis.; Cpl. Nicholas K. Uzenski, 21, Tomball, Texas; Caporal Jamie R. Lowe, 21, Johnsonville, Ill.; Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham, 20, Altoona, Penn.; Pfc. Geoffrey A. Whitsitt, 25, Taylors, S.C.; Staff Sgt. Daniel D. Merriweather, 25, Collierville, Tenn.; Sgt. Lucas T. Beachnaw, 23, Lowell, Mich.; Spc. Kyle J. Wright, 22, Romeoville, Ill.; Sgt. Christopher R. Hrbek, 25, Westwood, N.J.; Spc. Robert Donevski, 19, Sun City, Ariz.; Sgt. 1st Class Michael P. Shannon, 52, Canadensis, Penn.; Tech. Sgt. Adam K. Ginett, 29, Knightdale, N.C.; Capt. Paul Pena, 27, San Marcos, Texas; Staff Sgt. Thaddeus S. Montgomery, 29, West Yellowstone, Mont.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Xin Qi, 25, Cordova, Tenn.; Lance Cpl. Jeremy M. Kane, 22, Towson, Md.; Lance Cpl. Timothy J. Poole, 22, Bowling Green, Ky.; Sgt. Daniel M. Angus, 28, Thonotosassa, Fla.; Lance Cpl. Zachary D. Smith, 19, Hornell, N.Y.; Sergent Carlos E. Gill, 25, Fayetteville, N.C.; Sgt. David J. Smith, 25, Frederick, Md.; Staff Sgt. Rusty H. Christian, 24, Greenville, Tenn.; Spc. Marc Paul Decoteau, 19, Waterville Valley, N.H.; Capt. David J. Thompson, 39, Hooker, Okla.; Lance Cpl. Michael L. Freeman Jr., 21, Fayetteville, PA; Capt. Daniel Whitten, 28, Grimes, Iowa; Pfc. Zachary G. Lovejoy, 20, Albuquerque, N.M.; Staff Sgt. Mark A. Stets, 39, El Cajon, Calif.; Sgt. 1st Class Matthew S. Sluss-Tiller, 35, Callettsburg, Ky.; Sgt. 1st Class David J. Hartman, 27, Okinawa, Japan; Sgt. Dillon B. Foxx, 22, Traverse City, Mich.; Pfc. Charles A. Williams, 29, Fair Oaks, Calif.; Sgt. Adam J. Ray, 23, Louisville, Ky.; Spc. J. Pagan Bobby, 23, Austin, Texas; Sgt. Jeremiah T. Wittman, 26, Darby, Mont.; Staff Sgt. John A. Reiners, 24, Lakeland, Fla.; Cpl. Jacob H. Turbet, 21, Canton, Mich.; Pfc. Jason H. Estopinal, 21, Dallas, Ga.; Lance Cpl. Noah M. Pier, 25, Charlotte, N.C.; Pfc. Eric D. Currier, 21, Londonderry, N.H.; Lance Cpl. Alejandro J. Yazzie, 23, Rock Point (Navajo Nation), Ariz.; Petty Officer 1st Class Sean L. Caughman, 43, Fort Worth, Texas; Larry M. Johnson, 19, Scranton, Penn.; Pfc. Kyle J. Coutu, 20, Providence, R.I.; Sgt. Jeremy R. McQueary, 27, Columbus, Ind.; Lance Cpl. Kielin T. Dunn, 19, Chesapeake, Va.; Lance Cpl. Joshua H. Birchfield, 24, Westville, Ind.; Cpl. Gregory S. Stultz, 22, Brazil, Ind.; Staff Sgt. Michael David P. Cardenaz, 29, Corona, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Christopher W. Eckard, 30, Hickory, N.C.; Pfc. JR Robiniol Salvacion, 27, Ewa Beach, Hawaii; Lance Cpl. Adam D. Peak, 25, Florence, Ky.; Lance Cpl. Eric L. Ward, 19, Redmond, Wash.; Lance Cpl. Matthias N. Hanson, 20, Buffalo, Ky.; Sgt. Marcos Gorra, 22, North Bergen, N.J.; Starszy Szeregowy (Pfc.) William S. Ricketts, 27, Corinth, Miss.; Spc. Josiah D. Crumpler, 27, Hillsborough, N.C.; Spc. Matthew D. Huston, 24, Athens, Ga.; Spc. Ian T.D. Gelig, 25, Stevenson Ranch, Calif.; Lance Cpl. Carlos A. Aragon, 19, Orem, Utah; Sergent Vincent L.C. Owens, 21, Fort Smith, Ark.; Lance Cpl. Nigel K. Olsen, 21, Orem, Nev.; Spc. Anthony A. Paci, 30, Rockville, Md.; Spc. Alan N. Dikcis, 21, Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Pvt. Nicholas S. Cook, 19, Hungry Horse, Mont.; Sgt. Jonathan J. Richardson, 24, Bald Knob, Ark.; Pfc. Jason M. Kropat, 25, White Lake, N.Y.; Lance Cpl. Garrett W. Gamble, 20, Sugarland, Texas; Cpl. Jonathan D. Porto, 26, Largo, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Glen J. Whetten, 31, Mesa, Ariz.; Gunnery Sgt. Robert L. Gilbert II, 28, Richfield, Ohio; Sgt. Joel D. Clarkson, 23, Fairbanks, Alaska; Chief Petty Officer Adam Lee Brown, 36, Hot Springs, Ark.; Sgt. 1st Class Carlos M. Santos-Silva, 32, Clarksville, Tenn.; Lance Cpl. Justin J. Wilson, 24, Palm City, Fla.; Sgt. Maj. Robert. J. Cottle, 45, Whittier, Calif.; Lance Cpl. Rick. J. Centanni, 19, Yorba Linda, Calif.; Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Ross, 19, Gillette, Wyo.; Lance Cpl. Randy M. Heck, 20, Steubenville, Ohio; Pfc. James L. Miller, 21, Yakima, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Scott W. Brunkhorst, 25, Fayetteville, N.C.; Lt. Miroslav Zilberman, 31, Columbus, Ohio; Lance Cpl. Tyler O. Griffin, 19, Voluntown, Conn.; Sgt. Frank J.A. World, 25, Buffalo, N.Y.; Lance Cpl. Curtis M. Swenson, 20, Rochester, Minn.; Sgt. Roberto E. Diaz Borio, 47, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Pfc. Jonathon D. Hall, 23, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Maj. Randell D. Voas, 43, Lakeville, Minn.; Senior Master Sgt. James B. Lackey, 45, Green Clove Springs, Fla.; Cpl. Michael D. Jankiewicz, 23, Ramsey, N.J.; Sgt. Sean M. Durkin, 24, Aurora, Colo.; Spc. Joseph T. Caron, 21, Tacoma, Wash.; Sgt. Michael K. Ingram Jr., 23, Monroe, Mich.; Sgt. Randolph A. Sigley, 28, Richmond, Ky.; Sgt. Robert J. Barrett, 21, Fall River, Mass.; Sgt. Maj. John K. Laborde, 53, Waterloo, Iowa; Sgt. Jason A. Santora, 25, Farmingville, N.Y.; Sgt. Ronald A. Kubik, 21, Brielle, N.J.; Sgt. Grant A. Wichmann, 27, Golden, Colo.; Sgt. Nathan P. Kennedy, 27, Claysville, Penn.; Lance Cpl. Thomas E. Rivers Jr., 22, Birmingham, Ala.; 1st Lt. Salvatore S. Corma, 24, Wenonah, N.J.; Spc. Eric M. Finniginam, 26, Colonia, Federated States of Micronesia; Master Sgt. Mark W. Coleman, 0, Centerville, Wash.; Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson, 19, Hellertown, Penn.; 1st Lt. Brandon A. Barrett, 27, Marion, Ind.; Lance Cpl. Christopher Rangel, 22, San Antonio, Texas; Lance Cpl. Richard R. Penny, 21, Fayetteville, Ark.; Spc. Wade A. Slack, 21, Waterville, Maine; Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Davis, 19, Perry, Iowa; Capt. Kyle A. Comfort, 27, Jacksonville, Ala.; Spc. Jeremy L. Brown, 20, McMinnville, Tenn.; Cpl. Kurt S. Shea, 21, Frederick, Md.; Sgt. Kenneth B. May Jr., 26, Kilgore, Texas; Cpl. Jeffery W. Johnson, 21, Tomball, Texas; Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II, 23, Fredericksburg, Va.; Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, 23, Ludlow, Mass.; Spc. Denis D. Kisseloff, 45, Saint Charles, Mo.; Petty Officer Zarian Wood, 29, Houston, Texas; Staff Sgt. Adam L. Perkins, 27, Antelope, Calif.; Pfc. Billy G. Anderson, 20, Alexandria, Tenn.; Cpl. Nicholas D. Paradarodriguez, 29, Stafford, Va.; Col. John M. McHugh, 46, West Caldwell, N.J.; Lt. Col. Paul R. Bartz, 43, Waterloo, Wis.; Lt. Col. Thomas P. Belkofer, 44, Perrysburg, Ohio; Staff Sgt. Richard J. Tieman, 28, Waynesboro, Penn.; Spc. Joshua A. Tomlinson, 24, Dubberly, La.; Lance Cpl. Patrick Xavier Jr., 24, Pembroke Pines, Fla.; Lance Cpl. Philip P. Clark, 19, Gainesville, Fla.; Staff Sgt. Shane S. Barnard, 38, Desmet, S.D.; Pfc. Jason D. Fingar, 24, Columbia, Mo.; Pfc. Christopher R. Barton, 22, Concord, N.C.; Sgt. Edwin Rivera, 28, Waterford, Conn.; Cpl. Jacob C. Leicht, 24, College Station, Texas

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What I believe...

i read this and was reminded of my own personal mantra - "i believe everything and i believe nothing..."

I can believe things that are true and I can believe things that aren't true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they're true or not. I can believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles and Elvis and Mister Ed. Listen - I believe that people are perfectible, the knowledge is infinite, that the world is run by secret banking cartels and is visited by aliens on a regular basis, nice ones that look like wrinkledy lemurs and bad ones who mutilate cattle and want our water and our women. I believe that the future sucks and I believe that the future rocks and I believe that one day White Buffalo Woman is going to come back and kick everyone's ass. I believe that all men are just overgrown boys with deep problems communicating and that the decline in good sex in America is coincident with the decline in drive-in movie theaters from state to state. I believe that all politicians are unprincipled crooks and I still believe that they are better than the alternative. I believe that California is going to sink into the sea when the big one comes, while Florida is going to dissolve into madness and alligators and toxic waste. I believe that antibacterial soap is destroying our resistance to dirt and disease so that one day we'll all be wiped out by the common cold like the Martians in War of the Worlds. I believe that the greatest poets of the last century were Edith Sitwell and Don Marquis, that jade is dried dragon sperm, and that thousands of years ago in a former life I was a one-armed Siberian shaman. I believe that mankind's destiny lies in the stars. I believe that candy really did taste better when I was a kid, that it's aerodynamically impossible for a bumblebee to fly, that light is a wave and a particle, that there's a cat in a box somewhere who's alive and dead at the same time (although if they don't ever open the box to feed it it'll eventually just be two different kinds of dead), and that there are stars in the universe billions of years older than the universe itself. I believe in a personal god who cares about me and worries and oversees everything I do. I believe in an impersonal god who set the universe in motion and went off to hang with her girlfriends and doesn't even know that I'm alive. I believe in an empty and godless universe of causal chaos, background noise, and sheer blind luck. I believe that anyone who says that sex is overrated just hasn't done it properly. I believe that anyone who claims to know what's going on will lie about the little things too. I believe in absolute honesty and sensible social lies. I believe in a woman's right to choose, a baby's right to live,, that while all human life is sacred there's nothing wrong with the death penalty if you can trust the legal system implicitly, and that no one but a moron would ever trust the legal system. I believe that life is a game, that life is a cruel joke, and that life is what happens when you're alive and that you might as well lie back and enjoy it.

- Samantha Black Crow addressing Shadow in the book, American Gods, by Neil Gaiman

food for thought on the sunday of a memorial day weekend...

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Memorial Day photoblogging - Plumas National Forest, California

it's been a gorgeous day and we spent most of it up in the plumas national forest above graeagle, california... there's nothing quite like being up in the high mountains to renew the soul and offer a little bit of perspective on things, and today accomplished both of those quite nicely...



Dead tree with lichen,
near Frazier Falls,
Plumas National Forest,
California



Frazier Falls,
Plumas National Forest,
California



Wildflowers,
near Frazier Falls,
Plumas National Forest,
California

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Memorial Day memories: Welcome to Vietnam

[cross posted at Daily Kos; complete diary posted at the noise of a marginal life]

something to mark the day...

ON THE WAY

The events surrounding my departure for Vietnam are as clear to me now, thirty-nine years later, as though they happened yesterday. As with most memories, they seem to come bunched in little packets, miniature vignettes that somehow capture the essence of the moment.

My mother and brother drove me to the Denver airport. I was excited because I was going to be flying on a TWA Boeing 707, the flagship of the new jet age. I was even more excited because it was coming from Zurich via Washington D.C. and on to San Francisco. I was going to be flying on an international airline onboard a plane that had just flown across the Atlantic Ocean!

The Oakland Army Base was little more than a giant warehouse where wet-behind-the-ears army boys, fresh from hugging their mothers and kissing their girlfriends, were stacked, awaiting the call to the bus that would take them to Travis Air Force Base and the flight to Vietnam. I located a friend from advanced training and, true to form, we somehow managed to collect enough dope to smoke a giant number rolled in toilet paper. From this drug-addled, surreal view of our surroundings, the following image was burned into my brain: two friends, sitting side-by-side on a bunk, one reading Bible verses to the other in an attempt to ease the fear of what was to come.

It was almost midnight when my group was called for the bus. Tired, tense, frightened, wired, and still high, I remember running across the tarmac at Travis at 2 a.m. under the moon and stars with a warm wind blowing, yelling and whooping, racing for the stairs of an Evergreen DC-8 that would take us to our fate. The plane was minus a first class section; only open seating, six across from front to back. Ironically, I noted that officers and senior enlisted men were already on board, seated up front. They could have been creatures from another planet as far as I was concerned. I dashed for and got a window seat.

• After re-fueling stops in Anchorage and Yokota Air Base, Japan, each equally and enticingly foreign in its own way, we crossed the coast of Vietnam in late afternoon. Everyone was jockeying for a view out the window. There it was, strange, mysterious, deadly, the stuff of Time Magazine and the evening news. What would befall me there? The plane descended from cruising altitude in steep circles that we speculated made it less of a target for anti-aircraft fire. Oh my god, I thought. I am landing in Vietnam!

LONG BINH



Long Binh Army Depot

Long Binh Army Depot was the major Vietnam arrival and departure point for Army personnel and supplies. I was completely unprepared for what met me there. I had fully expected to step off the plane and into knee-high mud where I would remain for twelve months. Imagine my surprise when I found myself in an honest-to-god city, replete with gift shops, snack bars, American television and radio programs, post offices, even laundries. Sure, you walked around on pallets of wood scrounged from under shipping containers to stay out of the mud and, sure, you stayed in barracks that had canvas walls instead of stucco and drywall and, sure, there were new and distinctly different smells and, sure, once in a while, off in the distance you could hear the sound of artillery fire and, sure, choppers shuttled back and forth overhead and, sure, at night you could watch flares dropping and, sure, everyone was wearing jungle fatigues. But it was still a far cry from what I had been led to believe. It was positively civilized!

The shit-burning detail was no doubt contrived to dispel any illusions new arrivals might have about finding themselves in “civilization.” The non-coms in charge took great delight in picking the newest of the new and informing them exactly how they would be passing the time while waiting to be assigned to a unit. They described it as a rite of passage and I suppose it was. I did not escape. My first morning in Vietnam was spent going from outhouse to outhouse, raising the hinged, wooden flap on the rear, dragging out a sawed-in-half fifty gallon drum full of human waste, pouring gasoline into it, and setting it on fire. When it had burned down to cinders, I carefully replaced each drum back under its cargo chute ready for another day’s business. The plumes of greasy, black smoke that rose each morning above every U.S. camp became the routine signs of another day in progress. Since I had no idea how long I was going to be at Long Binh, as soon as I had finished that morning’s job, I set off in search of something to take its place. The second morning in Vietnam, I handed out clean sheets from the supply room, a job considerably more to my liking.

After breakfast and the usual morning details of sweeping the barracks, burning shit, handing out sheets, picking up cigarette butts, etc., all new arrivals had to stand in formation for roll call followed by the reading of assignments. We all listened intently as foreboding names like 101st Airborne, 1st Infantry Division, 1st Air Cavalry, and 4th Signal Group were read off and sighed with deep relief when our names were not mentioned.

One morning, about the third day, my name came up. I was to be assigned to the 4th PO Group. What in the hell was the 4th PO Group? Post Office was all that came to mind. We were directed to a deuce-and-a-half (Army lingo for a 2 ½ ton truck) for transfer to our unit. As we climbed aboard and settled into the plank seats in the open rear, we discovered we were now members of something called the 4th Psychological Operations Group. How exotic! But my idea of exotic would quickly be stretched beyond anything I could have ever imagined. It started immediately on the drive down the Long Binh highway to Saigon. With one hand on the horn, the other banging loudly on the outside of the door, foot firmly pressing the accelerator to the floor, voice yelling hoarsely, “Get out of the way, you fucking gooks,” and the vehicle seemingly steering itself, our driver easily took us beyond the thrills of any amusement park ride, all the while forcing wide-eyed Vietnamese on foot, bicycle, and motor scooter to leap for the ditches on the side of the road. As if this wasn’t enough, I then came face-to-face with Saigon.

SAIGON



Saigon 1968

There are no words to describe my first impression of that city: the sights, the sounds, the people, and, oh yes, the smells. I used to tell friends in a feeble attempt to portray the flat-out assault on my senses, “All my meters redlined at once.” Thirty-seven years later, that is still the most apt description I can think of. At a stroke, my entrance into Saigon was the most foreign, overwhelming, intense experience I had ever had. If someone had taken a picture of me then, I am sure it would have shown a bewildered, gaunt (during the rigors of basic training, I had lost considerable weight), white boy, wearing glasses and jungle fatigues (still showing the creases of first wear), his jaw dropped, his eyes as big as dinner plates, nostrils flared, clearly and completely stunned at the chaos taking place around him.

A few days later, my level of astonishment reached new heights as I stood at a window in the 4th Psyop Group and watched the comings and goings at a community water tap out on the street. It was mostly women and children, hauling buckets of water back to their homes, doing laundry and dishes, bathing, and washing and preparing food. A woman with a green plastic tub filled with what looked like a large, round, long, pink chunk of meat spilling out over each side arrived at the tap and began carefully washing what was obviously going to be dinner. I watched with some fascination until it slowly dawned on me what I was witnessing. The big, pink piece of meat, the size of a small dog, was nothing other than a skinned rat. Leaping ahead more than three decades in slang and behind three decades in cinema, how fitting it would have been to say, “We certainly aren’t in Kansas any more, Toto!”

PLEIKU



Camp Schmidt and
Lake Bien Ho,
Pleiku, Vietnam

The rain was steady, not heavy, but not a drizzle either. The clouds were low and dark. Moisture hung in the air like a living thing. You could almost hear mold and fungus growing and the smell was thick and fetid. It was getting on toward dusk and I was putting things into my locker after eating a tasteless dinner at a drab little mess hall. I was feeling a million miles away from anything warm and familiar and the weight of the year to come hung on my shoulders. My barracks-mates, still strangers, trooped silently back from dinner and sat glumly on their bunks. Daylight faded but no one made a move to turn on the lights. There were occasional whispers of conversation up and down the row but they slowly drifted away until, except for the constant grumble of the electrical generator across the street, the silence became complete. I sat on my bunk too, watching the others look at their feet with empty gazes. “Hmmm,” I muttered to myself. “This is gonna be worse than I thought.” Suddenly a yell: “THERE GOES ONE!” followed by a loud thud. “YEAH, I SAW THE LITTLE BASTARD!” erupted from elsewhere followed by another thud. The after-dinner ritual, as I discovered, was to sit quietly until complete darkness took hold, wait for the rats to come out, and then try to bash them with 2x4’s as they ran by.

With the rat-bashing portion of the evening’s agenda complete, the lights came on, all types of music began to blare, beer, soda, and hard liquor appeared, care packages and snacks were opened and shared, the dopers adjourned to the back porch, and the pleasant sound of laughter rang out. Welcome to Company B! Never were the words of my deceased hero, Hunter Thompson, more fitting: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”

Watching the War



B-52 on a carpet-bombing mission

Cookouts at the company area were popular. There was never a shortage of good steaks, chicken, and ribs taken in trade from some mess hall sergeant for our “scrounge du jour.” Beer, hard booze, soda, and cigarettes were cheap and plentiful. The dope was cheap and outstanding. At night, the dopers (I joined their ranks almost right away) would gather on the upper stair landing of the second floor of the barracks, fondly known as the back porch, to get stoned and “watch the war.” For musical background, we had the cacophony of the night insects which, amplified by a nice high, became almost deafening. Our insect orchestra was augmented at regular intervals by the booming of out-going shells fired from Artillery Hill. The light show was provided by flares and tracer rounds. Since special entertainment, by its nature, was never announced in advance, when B-52’s began carpet-bombing on the other side of ridges 30-40 klicks away, the constant muted pounding of the explosions and the faint, ghostly yellow flashes were a source of many “oooh’s” and “ahhhh’s.” Equally impressive and almost hypnotic to watch was the display put on by the so-called “Spooky” gunship. Spooky was a converted two-engine military prop plane with silenced engines and blacked-out running lights, designed to fly over suspected enemy positions without attracting attention. It fired a mini-gun at several thousand rounds a minute. Since every 5th shell was a tracer, the effect was to produce a bright red, laser-like pencil of light that appeared from an inky black sky as if by magic. The pencil would swing this way and that, bathing its target in bullets, all the while emitting a hair-raising “brrrrrrrrrrrap” noise. The Spooky was my personal favorite.

Guard Duty



Guard post on the
Camp Schmidt perimeter,
Pleiku, Vietnam

Guard duty. Arrrrrgh! Picture this: beams of wood, treated with creosote, form the framework of a large cube. Thick plywood is laid across the beams as a makeshift roof. Sandbags are piled at least two deep all around and more on top. There is a narrow entrance. Small rectangles on each side serve as ports for viewing - or shooting. The burlap of the sandbags quickly mildews and rots in the high humidity. Many have split open and are spilling out their contents. The stench is not pleasant. Mingling with the smell of rotten fabric are the smells of rodent excrement and, wafting up from where guards relieve themselves night after night, stale urine. There are two or three unbelievably dirty GI-issue sleeping bags on top. They exude their own strong odor, a thick, muddy, locker-room musk. The bags are there to help stave off the chill that descends on Vietnam’s Central Highlands at night. Two guards are posted on top of each bunker from dusk to dawn. The bunkers aren’t the only guard posts. If the bunkers are Motel 6, the guard towers are the Ritz-Carlton. They have wood floors, chest-high corrugated tin walls and roofs, are high above the smells and vermin, and, compared to the bunkers, offer a night of relative luxury.

Molina



Firebase, Central Highlands,
Vietnam

There were a number of guys assigned to Company B we rarely saw. They worked on field teams that covered a large slice of the Central Highlands and they came into Pleiku only occasionally for admin reasons, to rest up for a few days, or to head to or from R & R. Some were assigned to firebases where they would broadcast propaganda by loudspeaker to unseen Vietcong in the jungle outside of the firebase perimeter or when they accompanied armed jungle patrols outside the perimeter. Others worked out of AV trucks that served the dual purpose of mobile Psyop operation and sleeping quarters. Hunting for something different to do one day, I volunteered to drive one of the field team members back to his assigned firebase, Dak To. I picked out one of the better three-quarter ton trucks, dusted off my helmet and flak jacket, scraped the mold off of my rifle, packed some snacks, and headed out. We were supposed to connect with a convoy leaving from Pleiku headed to Kontum and then on to Dak To but we missed its departure by about fifteen minutes. “No sweat,” said Molina, the field guy I was returning. “We can catch ‘em. I know the highway. We’ll haul ass.” Figuring Molina knew what he was talking about, we hit the road. Describing it as a “highway” was perhaps a tad generous. It was a wide, rutted, orange-brown slash of packed earth that, while it was obviously graded on a regular basis (the graders, to my astonishment, were left sitting, unmanned, along the side of the road), clearly showed the punishment it took from the trucks, tanks and other pieces of mobile equipment that passed up and down daily. All vegetation had been cleared up to a hundred yards on either side to prevent a possible ambush but, other than that, we were in the wide open spaces. Being the only vehicle in sight and feeling like we were nothing if not sitting ducks, I got really nervous really fast. Oddly, the cause for my anxiety was that I had suddenly remembered that we had no spare tire and, even if we had, no jack or tire iron to change it with. Molina, obviously immune to such trivial nonsense, rolled a joint, lit it, and took an enormous hit. “Hey, man,” he said, straining to talk while holding the smoke deep in his lungs. “Let’s enjoy the r-i-i-i-i-d-e!” He was right. I had soon forgotten about everything but the rush of the wind in my hair, the jungle flashing by on either side, the roar of the engine, and the thrill of piloting the truck over challenging terrain, not even minding that we didn’t manage to catch up with the convoy until Kontum.

Perks of Power



C-7A Caribou

Occasionally, brass would visit from Group headquarters in Saigon. They would typically arrive at Pleiku Air Base in the morning on the first flight and check in with me after being picked up and driven to the company area. More often than not, the first thing they did was inquire about any recent or expected attacks while they looked anxiously around, no doubt expecting a mortar to explode over their heads at any moment. If I had suddenly jumped up and screamed “BOOM!” at the top of my voice, I’m sure there would have been at least a few that would have gone into cardiac arrest. I was, however, regulation polite and deferential, standing and saluting, saying “Good morning, Sir, welcome to Company B,” blah, blah, etc. Ah, but power corrupts and, being a mere mortal, I couldn’t resist. The degree to which those courtesies were reciprocated, unbeknownst to the officer in question, would determine to a large extent the quality of said officer’s return trip because, you see, the second thing to issue from said officer’s mouth was most often a request for me to schedule his return flight for that very afternoon. God forbid they should have to spend a night in Pleiku. I had several options for arranging flights to Saigon, ranging from top end to what would have been known in an earlier era as steerage. Without a doubt, the prime choice was the Learjet courier that included cabin service and onboard refreshments. At the bottom of the heap was the milk run, a twin-engine C7A Caribou that lurched and swayed its way through six stops, turning the Learjet’s 45-minute run into a ghastly three hours and a half. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I meted out reward and punishment with the aplomb of a Roman emperor and the poor bastards never knew what hit ‘em.

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"What was once quaintly referred to as 'the will of the people' "

i have seen many posts on andrew bacevich, the boston university professor and opponent of the iraq war, who recently lost his son at age 27 to a suicide bomb explosion on may 13 in iraq... i confess to having skipped over his op-ed in today's wapo, not because i didn't consider it worth reading, but because i wasn't sure i wanted to face the pain that i knew would come with reading it, pain made all the more poignant on this memorial day weekend... then i read misslaura's post on daily kos and decided to go back and give it a thorough read... yes, it's painful, for sure... but it's also highly articulate and shoe-leather honest...

I genuinely believed that if the people spoke, our leaders in Washington would listen and respond.

This, I can now see, was an illusion.

The people have spoken, and nothing of substance has changed. The November 2006 midterm elections signified an unambiguous repudiation of the policies that landed us in our present predicament. But half a year later, the war continues, with no end in sight. Indeed, by sending more troops to Iraq (and by extending the tours of those, like my son, who were already there), Bush has signaled his complete disregard for what was once quaintly referred to as "the will of the people."

[...]

Money buys access and influence. Money greases the process that will yield us a new president in 2008. When it comes to Iraq, money ensures that the concerns of big business, big oil, bellicose evangelicals and Middle East allies gain a hearing. By comparison, the lives of U.S. soldiers figure as an afterthought.

Memorial Day orators will say that a G.I.'s life is priceless. Don't believe it. I know what value the U.S. government assigns to a soldier's life: I've been handed the check. It's roughly what the Yankees will pay Roger Clemens per inning once he starts pitching next month.

Money maintains the Republican/Democratic duopoly of trivialized politics. It confines the debate over U.S. policy to well-hewn channels. It preserves intact the cliches of 1933-45 about isolationism, appeasement and the nation's call to "global leadership." It inhibits any serious accounting of exactly how much our misadventure in Iraq is costing. It ignores completely the question of who actually pays. It negates democracy, rendering free speech little more than a means of recording dissent.

This is not some great conspiracy. It's the way our system works.

if there has ever been a time when i've felt that the american people count for nothing in our political process, it has been the past few weeks... cherished myths die hard, and, even with years of hardened cynicism, i've still clung to the belief that enough people, working together, using our precious constitutional system as it was intended, laboring for the common good, could make a difference... now i see differently... the system has been co-opted, twisted to insure that our efforts produce only pre-ordained outcomes... it's time to go back and take our founders' wisdom to heart...

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration
of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

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