Veterans...Get the hell in here now!

BarnBuster said:

Honor guard soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard," carry a casket bearing the remains of two unknown Civil War Union soldiers during a burial ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 6, 2018​

By NIKKI WENTLING | STARS AND STRIPES Published: September 6, 2018

ARLINGTON, Va. – With a reflective, quiet ceremony Thursday afternoon, Arlington National Cemetery officially completed its first expansion in nearly 40 years – a 27-acre swath that is expected to be filled with military dead and their families by the 2040s.

Undercurrent of enthusiasm ran through an otherwise serious event. The expansion will keep the cemetery – long viewed as a shrine to America’s fallen heroes – viable for about 10 years longer than expected. Plans for the new space, titled the Millennium Project, have been in the works since Bill Clinton was president in the 1990s.

“It’s a hugely important project for Arlington National Cemetery,” said David Fedroff, the cemetery’s deputy chief of engineering. “Any time we get to increase our burial capacity and have the opportunity to continue to serve veterans for the future is an extremely proud moment.”

About 100 people huddled in the shade of two large tents in the cemetery’s new Section 81 on Thursday.

The event started with cemetery officials unveiling signs for two new roads – one named for lighthouse keeper Ida Lewis and the other for Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan W. Gifford.

Ida Lewis is the first woman to be honored with a street name at Arlington. In the mid-1800s, Lewis rescued people near Lime Rock Island in Rhode Island, where her family tended the Lime Rock Lighthouse. The U.S. Lighthouse Service later was absorbed into the U.S. Coast Guard.

“In 1854, her first rescue saved the lives of four men. At the time, she was 12 years old,” said Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries. “She conducted many rescues, becoming a living legend, known even in her lifetime as the bravest woman in America.”

Two new sections of Arlington National Cemetery will be put into use as the grounds of the cemetery have expanded to provide more than 27,000 new spaces for internments.

Gifford, now the first Marine to have a street named after him at Arlington, is buried in Section 60 of the cemetery. He was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2012, when he led a counterattack against a Taliban ambush. Gifford, who died at 34, was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously. On Thursday, his wife, Lesa, and five sons, Jonathan, Joseph, Patrick, Thomas and William, along with his parents, Diana and Thomas, and brother, Matthew, watched as a cemetery official pulled a black cover from the new street name, Gifford Drive.

The dedication ceremony ended with the first funeral in the new space. Two Union soldiers from the Civil War, discovered by archaeologists in June, were buried in a corner of Section 81, near the intersection of Gifford Drive and Lewis Drive.

The soldiers, whose identities are not known, were found alongside amputated limbs in a shallow grave at Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia. Experts with the Smithsonian Institution determined the soldiers fought for the North.

Workers with the National Park Service used part of a 90-year-old oak tree from the battlefield, which fell during a windstorm, to create historically accurate coffins for the remains.

Soldiers, eight to a coffin, set them into place Thursday, as a 20-piece military band played “America the Beautiful.”

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I have a question about The Unknown Soldier. Today we have the DNA data to identify everyone who has fallen, including those who went before us. Should that be done? I've pondered that for awhile and I don't have an answer, just because we can doesn't always mean we should. But if not, why not?

curious2garden said:

I have a question about The Unknown Soldier. Today we have the DNA data to identify everyone who has fallen, including those who went before us. Should that be done? I've pondered that for awhile and I don't have an answer, just because we can doesn't always mean we should. But if not, why not?

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I saw this quote while I was researching your question (author unk).

"The anonymity of the entombed soldier is the key symbolism of the monument; it could be the tomb of anyone who fell in service of the nation, and therefore serves as a monument symbolizing all of the sacrifices."

from Tom Sherlock, Arlington historian:

"[Sherlock] said there are still three unknown soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery: One from World War I, one from World War II and one from the Korean War. No efforts are under way to try to identify them, because the further back the soldiers were killed, the more people have to be tested to determine their identities, and finding family related to a soldier killed almost 100 years ago would be very difficult, he said."

They were able to identify the Unknown from Vietnam (Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/last-soldier-buried-in-tomb-of-the-unknowns-wasnt-unknown/2012/11/06/5da3e7d6-0bdd-11e2-a310-2363842b7057_story.html?utm_term=.449164d45642

This from DOD 1998 about Blassie's identification

"Defense Secretary William S. Cohen has approved a study group's recommendation to disinter the Vietnam Unknown from the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington (Va.) National Cemetery, Pentagon officials said May 7. A DoD senior working group concluded new mitochondrial DNA testing may allow scientists to determine the service member's identity. DoD will disinter the remains May 14. Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon said the secretary had to weigh the sanctity of the Tomb of the Unknowns against the DoD policy to provide full accounting of those service members missing in action. "[Cohen] concluded if we can identify [the service member], then we have an obligation to do so," Bacon said."

in honor of our 343 fallen

BarnBuster said:

I saw this quote while I was researching your question (author unk).

"The anonymity of the entombed soldier is the key symbolism of the monument; it could be the tomb of anyone who fell in service of the nation, and therefore serves as a monument symbolizing all of the sacrifices."

from Tom Sherlock, Arlington historian:

"[Sherlock] said there are still three unknown soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery: One from World War I, one from World War II and one from the Korean War. No efforts are under way to try to identify them, because the further back the soldiers were killed, the more people have to be tested to determine their identities, and finding family related to a soldier killed almost 100 years ago would be very difficult, he said."

They were able to identify the Unknown from Vietnam (Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/last-soldier-buried-in-tomb-of-the-unknowns-wasnt-unknown/2012/11/06/5da3e7d6-0bdd-11e2-a310-2363842b7057_story.html?utm_term=.449164d45642

This from DOD 1998 about Blassie's identification

"Defense Secretary William S. Cohen has approved a study group's recommendation to disinter the Vietnam Unknown from the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington (Va.) National Cemetery, Pentagon officials said May 7. A DoD senior working group concluded new mitochondrial DNA testing may allow scientists to determine the service member's identity. DoD will disinter the remains May 14. Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon said the secretary had to weigh the sanctity of the Tomb of the Unknowns against the DoD policy to provide full accounting of those service members missing in action. "[Cohen] concluded if we can identify [the service member], then we have an obligation to do so," Bacon said."

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I understand the symbolism. But since science has changed that I wonder.

this is the hardest man i know. former infantry marine

... can still bring the fight at nearly 80.......just with a carbine now thou

Military Times by Tara Copp 2:15 pm September 20, 2018

"President Donald Trump revealed the names of the first soldiers recovered in the 55 boxes of remains returned from North Korea this summer: Army Master Sgt. Charles H. McDaniel, 32, of Vernon, Indiana, and Army Pfc. William H. Jones, 19, of Nash County, North Carolina.

McDaniel’s family had previously received his dog tag, which was found in the boxes of remains. It was the only dog tag recovered in this set of boxes returned from North Korea.

Both soldiers died in the November 1950 Battle of Unsan, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency previously said. There are still 1,700 service members missing from that battle.

The remains were discovered in box 14 and box 16 of the 55 boxes and were some of the most complete of the 55 returned, with individual soldiers contained in each box, DPAA officials said.

Both sets of remains are in Hawaii, at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s lab. The families will now be able to request the remains, which will be wrapped in a green Army blanket that is secured with two pins, a tradition that dates back to World War I. They will then be transported to the family for burial.

McDaniel was a medic with the 8th Cavalry Regiment Medical Company, supporting the regiment's 3rd Battalion when he was reported missing in action on November 2, 1950, after his unit fought with Chinese military forces near the village of Unsan in North Korea.

Jones was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, who was reported missing on November 26, 1950, after his unit fought Chinese forces near Pakchon, North Korea"

The boys are fifth graders Naylan Tuttle, Jack LeBreck, and Casey Dolan, KHQ reports. The three friends explained why the took so much care in folding the flag. "This is our nation's flag, this is our school's flag, it's how we represent our country," LeBreck said. "If you let it touch the ground then you disrespect our country is what I heard."

The boys had a mentor who taught them about the flag. Mac McCarty, the school's custodian, showed the 5th graders how to properly fold and store it. "Mr. Mac" as the kids call him, told KHQ he is an Air Force veteran and that his father and grandfather were both in the military. He was happy the boys took his lesson to heart.

"They did themselves proud, they did their families proud, they did our school proud and our community and I'm very proud of them and I'm sure their families are very proud of them as well," McCarty said.

"I think it would be very honorable for me, my dad and my grandfather, they've been in the service, in the military, so I probably think I would make them proud," Naylan Tuttle said.

Today in Military History:



On Sept. 27, 1942, Munro was in charge of a group of small boats that were used to drop about 500 Marines at a beachhead known as Point Cruz, by the Matanikau River. The plan was for the Marines to drive the Japanese from the area west of the river and establish an inland patrol base.

When Munro’s boats returned to their rallying point after the dropoff, they were told that the conditions where the Marines had been left were much worse than anticipated – they were under attack from a huge Japanese force and needed to be extracted immediately.

Munro quickly volunteered for the job and devised a way to evacuate the battalion. If his crew didn’t save them, the men would surely be slaughtered.

Despite heavy fire from machine guns on the island, Munro directed five of his small craft toward the shore to pick up the Marines who had made it back to the beach. As they closed in, he signaled the other boats to land. They were able to collect up most of the Marines, but some were struggling. In an effort to block them from enemy fire, Munro moved his own boat as a shield between the beachhead and the other boats.

His actions helped the crew of the other boats evacuate the last of the stranded Marines, but it cost Munro his life. He was hit by enemy fire and killed. According to fellow signalman Ray Evans, who enlisted with Munro and was on the boat with him when he died, Munro’s last words were, “Did they get off?” referring to the last of the Marines.

Munro saved hundreds of men who would have otherwise surely died. For his leadership, planning and devotion to the cause, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in May 1943, as well as the Purple Heart.

Munro’s Medal of Honor is on display at the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey, not far from a memorial that’s dedicated to him. The Coast Guard has named two cutters for Munro, too. The most recent, the Coast Guard National Security Cutter Munro, was commissioned in April. The Navy also named a ship in his honor – a destroyer escort that served in World War II and the Korean War.

For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty as Petty Officer in Charge of a group of 24 Higgins boats, engaged in the evacuation of a battalion of Marines trapped by enemy Japanese forces at Point Cruz Guadalcanal, on 27 September 1942. After making preliminary plans for the evacuation of nearly 500 beleaguered Marines, Munro, under constant strafing by enemy machine guns on the island, and at great risk of his life, daringly led 5 of his small craft toward the shore. As he closed the beach, he signaled the others to land, and then in order to draw the enemy's fire and protect the heavily loaded boats, he valiantly placed his craft with its 2 small guns as a shield between the beachhead and the Japanese. When the perilous task of evacuation was nearly completed, Munro was instantly killed by enemy fire, but his crew, 2 of whom were wounded, carried on until the last boat had loaded and cleared the beach. By his outstanding leadership, expert planning, and dauntless devotion to duty, he and his courageous comrades undoubtedly saved the lives of many who otherwise would have perished. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

I just heard on the news one of the new F35B fighters went down in SC. Marine pilot safely out.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/cutting-edge-35-stealth-fighter-crashes-south-carolina/story?id=58152917

President Trump on Monday awarded the military's highest honor to a former U.S. Army medic and Green Beret who saved soldiers' lives during a battle with terrorists in Afghanistan in 2008.

Former Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II, of Alaska, received the Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the White House. Trump said it was a "proud and special day for those of us here in the White House because Ron works right here alongside us," with the U.S. Secret Service.


The president of the United States of America, authorized by act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Ronald J. Shurer II, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.

Staff Sergeant Ronald J. Shurer II distinguished himself by acts of gallantry above and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on April 6t 2008, while serving as a senior medical sergeant, Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3336, Special Operations Task Force 33, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Staff Sergeant Shurer was part of an assault element inserted by helicopter into a location in Afghanistan. As the assault element moved up a near-vertical mountain towards its objective, it was engaged by fierce enemy machine gun, sniper, and rocket-propelled grenade fire. The lead portion of the assault element, which included the ground commander, sustained several casualties and became pinned down on the mountainside. Staff Sergeant Shurer and the rest of the trailing portion of the assault element were likewise engaged by enemy machine gun, sniper, and rocket-propelled grenade fire.

As the attack intensified, he braved enemy fire to move to an injured soldier and treat his wounds. Having stabilized the soldier, he then learned of the casualties among the lead element. Staff Sergeant Shurer fought his way up the mountainside under intense enemy fire to the lead element's location. Upon reaching the lead element, he treated and stabilized two more soldiers. Finishing those lifesaving efforts with, he noticed two additional severely wounded soldiers under intense enemy fire. The bullet that had wounded one of these soldiers had also impacted Staff Sergeant Shurer's helmet. With complete disregard for his own life, Staff Sergeant Shurer again moved through enemy fire to treat and stabilize one soldier's severely wounded arm. Shortly thereafter, he continued to brave withering enemy fire to get to the other soldier's location in order to treat his lower leg, which had been almost completely severed by a high- caliber sniper round.

After treating the soldier, Staff Sergeant Shurer began to evacuate the wounded, carrying and lowering them down the sheer mountainside. While moving down the mountain, he used his own body to shield the wounded from enemy fire and debris caused by danger close air strikes. Reaching the base of the mountain, Staff Sergeant Shurer set up a casualty collection point and continued to treat the wounded. With the arrival of the evacuation medical helicopter, Staff Sergeant Shurer, again under enemy fire, helped load the wounded into the helicopter. Having ensured the safety of the wound, he then regained control of his commando squad and rejoined the fight. He continued to lead his troops and in place security elements until it was time to remove the evacuation landing zone for the helicopter.

Staff Sergeant Shurer's actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan, Special Operations Command Central, and the United States Army.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/10/01/we-can-do-a-little-better-for-that-soldier-a-green-beret-just-got-his-silver-star-upgraded-to-a-medal-of-honor/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New Campaign&utm_term=Editorial - Army - Daily News Roundup
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/10/01/trump-awards-medal-honor-his-own-secret-service-agent.html

BarnBuster said:

President Donald Trump awards the Medal of Honor to former Army Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II for actions in Afghanistan, in the East Room of the White House, Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)​

President Trump on Monday awarded the military's highest honor to a former U.S. Army medic and Green Beret who saved soldiers' lives during a battle with terrorists in Afghanistan in 2008.

Former Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II, of Alaska, received the Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the White House. Trump said it was a "proud and special day for those of us here in the White House because Ron works right here alongside us," with the U.S. Secret Service.

The Citation​

The president of the United States of America, authorized by act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Ronald J. Shurer II, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.

Staff Sergeant Ronald J. Shurer II distinguished himself by acts of gallantry above and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on April 6t 2008, while serving as a senior medical sergeant, Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3336, Special Operations Task Force 33, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Staff Sergeant Shurer was part of an assault element inserted by helicopter into a location in Afghanistan. As the assault element moved up a near-vertical mountain towards its objective, it was engaged by fierce enemy machine gun, sniper, and rocket-propelled grenade fire. The lead portion of the assault element, which included the ground commander, sustained several casualties and became pinned down on the mountainside. Staff Sergeant Shurer and the rest of the trailing portion of the assault element were likewise engaged by enemy machine gun, sniper, and rocket-propelled grenade fire.

As the attack intensified, he braved enemy fire to move to an injured soldier and treat his wounds. Having stabilized the soldier, he then learned of the casualties among the lead element. Staff Sergeant Shurer fought his way up the mountainside under intense enemy fire to the lead element's location. Upon reaching the lead element, he treated and stabilized two more soldiers. Finishing those lifesaving efforts with, he noticed two additional severely wounded soldiers under intense enemy fire. The bullet that had wounded one of these soldiers had also impacted Staff Sergeant Shurer's helmet. With complete disregard for his own life, Staff Sergeant Shurer again moved through enemy fire to treat and stabilize one soldier's severely wounded arm. Shortly thereafter, he continued to brave withering enemy fire to get to the other soldier's location in order to treat his lower leg, which had been almost completely severed by a high- caliber sniper round.

After treating the soldier, Staff Sergeant Shurer began to evacuate the wounded, carrying and lowering them down the sheer mountainside. While moving down the mountain, he used his own body to shield the wounded from enemy fire and debris caused by danger close air strikes. Reaching the base of the mountain, Staff Sergeant Shurer set up a casualty collection point and continued to treat the wounded. With the arrival of the evacuation medical helicopter, Staff Sergeant Shurer, again under enemy fire, helped load the wounded into the helicopter. Having ensured the safety of the wound, he then regained control of his commando squad and rejoined the fight. He continued to lead his troops and in place security elements until it was time to remove the evacuation landing zone for the helicopter.

Staff Sergeant Shurer's actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan, Special Operations Command Central, and the United States Army.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/10/01/we-can-do-a-little-better-for-that-soldier-a-green-beret-just-got-his-silver-star-upgraded-to-a-medal-of-honor/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New Campaign&utm_term=Editorial - Army - Daily News Roundup
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/10/01/trump-awards-medal-honor-his-own-secret-service-agent.html

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You got that right brother, salute

By NIKKI WENTLING | STARS AND STRIPES
Published: October 3, 2018

WASHINGTON — Thousands of American flags filled a grassy expanse on the National Mall on Wednesday morning, each of them representing a veteran or a servicemember who died by suicide in 2018 so far.

Maj. Sandra Lee Altamirano of the Army Reserve said she took military leave to help place the 5,520 U.S. flags. She recently lost three friends to suicide, two of whom were veterans. A couple of years ago, after serving three deployments in Iraq, she contemplated suicide herself.

“Each of these flags is a name, a person. Three of them are my friends, and one could’ve been me,” said Altamirano, now a suicide prevention liaison in the Reserve. “I hope this helps people see how vast of an issue this is. It’s overwhelming. It’s a crisis.”

The flags were placed on the Mall by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America, an advocacy group trying to draw awareness to the issue of veteran suicide. On Wednesday, the scene grabbed the attention of tourists, who took photos of the small flags with the Washington Monument in the background.

A new report released last week by the Department of Veterans Affairs shows suicide among veterans and servicemembers continues to be higher than the rest of the U.S. population. Veterans accounted for 14 percent of all suicides in the United States in 2016, yet they make up 8 percent of the population. The rate of suicide among young veterans substantially increased from 2015 to 2016. For every 100,000 veterans age 18 to 34, 45 committed suicide in 2016 – up from 40.4 for every 100,000 in 2015.
Rates have also increased among women veterans and some members of the National Guard and Reserve.

The release of the report last week coincided with a hearing of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Several lawmakers questioned why there hasn’t been significant improvement, given Congress has increased the amount of money that it allots for VA mental health programs.

“I’m beyond frustrated about the numbers and data,” said Keita Franklin, executive director of the VA’s suicide prevention program. “Having worked in this field as long as I have, it’s frustrating. When I try to think about what we’re missing … we tend to do a lot of one thing at a time and do it very well, full throttle. Preventing suicide takes a bundle of 10 to 12 things done at full throttle, all the time.”

Of the approximately 20 veterans who commit suicide every day, 14 are not receiving health care from the VA. Part of the VA’s effort is getting veterans to seek help.

Stephanie Keegan traveled from New York to help plant flags Wednesday morning. Her son Daniel was a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who died of a drug overdose in 2016 while struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. He had waited 16 months to get into a VA mental health program, Keegan said. He was supposed to be admitted Jan. 23. He died Jan. 8.

Daniel Keegan had wanted to become involved in veterans advocacy. So now, Stephanie Keegan is dedicating her life to it. She has left her son’s photo in every House lawmaker’s office, met with VA secretaries and is involved with IAVA, in addition to other advocacy efforts.

“I get to do the work that he wanted to do, and I feel like he’s sitting on my shoulder all the time,” Keegan said. “It’s been an opportunity to educate people on what a really struggling veteran looks like because he didn’t look like anything you would expect. He was healthy as could be, but he was catastrophically ill for the last two years of his life.”

To reach the Veterans Crisis Line, text 838255 or dial 1-800-273-8255 and press 1