McQ, today, tells us the story of a tactical Air Controller [1].
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It’s time I said something about the links from BitsBlog to these posts from McQ every week.
As some of you will know, BitsBlog has been on this bandwagon from the beginning of Project Hero as McQ calls it, and in fact created the graphic sets used, like the one to the left, here. We’d like to see others join in on this effort as well.
No…not because McQ’s efforts are more worthy than some others, or because we have some special relationship with Q&O. We don’t.
Frankly, It’s a convenient star to latch onto, to further a belief that we have long had here; America has heroes. They live among us.
At BitsBlog, we are of the firm belief that America, simply put, needs heroes to survive in these times, or, for that matter at ANY time. To ensure that we continue as a people, we need to honor such efforts, such people.
As McQ says:
PROJECT HERO is an ongoing attempt to highlight the valor of our military as they fight in both Iraq and Afghanistan. We constantly hear the negative and far to little of the positive and inspiring stories coming out of those countries. This is one small attempt to rectify that. If you know of a story of valor you’d like to see highlighted here (published on Saturday), please contact us. And we’d appreciate your link so we can spread the word.
Also, in all honesty, we think that efforts toward the end of recognizing heroes, themselves, also need recognition. So, to McQ, a “well done” from us here at BitsBlog.
Consider something today, as you go about your business. In a very real sense, memorializing of heroes, is not for the heroes. Instead, it is for us. It is for us to recognize, how different our lives would be without such people, and without such sacrifices.
Since it is Memorial day weekend, I’m going to do something I don’t think I’ve ever done, here; I will repost the complete list of people so honored in Project Hero. Read these names. Drill through, and read their stories, if you like. But know that behind each one of these names, stands another 10,000 heroes and more, of like quality. Know, also, that each one of these individuals, had their own life to live; they had a favor color, a favorite song, favored poem, favorite food, they had loved ones, and they had their dreams. Not unlike you and I. And yet, remarkably, they all risked all of that, and gave them up in many cases, because of a concept that they saw as being bigger than themselves: Service to honor, to family, and to country. Those ideals, and not the individuals, are the real, underlying focus of days like Memorial day. Values without which, we would cease to exist.
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Read these names. Honor them in your heart. So it must be; We owe them that. We owe ourselves that. Their sacrifices were made for all of us.
1LT Brian Chontosh: Navy Cross [2]
PFC Daniel McClenney: Silver Star [3]
PVT Dwayne Turner: Silver Star [4]
MSG Robert Collins & SFC Danny Hall: Silver Star [5]
SSG William Thomas Payne: Silver Star [6]
CPT Christoper J. Bronzi: Silver Star [7]
SSG Charles Good: Silver Star [8]
SR AMN Jason D. Cunningham: Air Force Cross [9]
PFC Jeremy Church: Silver Star [10]
SGT Leigh Ann Hester: Silver Star [11]
CSM Ron Riling: Silver Star [12]
CPL Jason L. Dunham: Medal of Honor [13]
PFC Joseph Perez: Navy Cross [14]
COL James Coffman, Jr: Distinguished Service Cross [15]
1LT Karl Gregory: Silver Star [16]
1LT Brian Stann: Silver Star [17]
MSG Anthony Pryor: Silver Star [18]
TSGT John Chapman: Air Force Cross [19]
MSG Sarun Sar: Silver Star [20]
1LT Jeffery Lee: Silver Star [21]
SGT James Witkowski: Silver Star [22]
SGT Timothy Connors: Silver Star [23]
PO2 Juan Rubio: Silver Star [24]
SFC David Lowe: Silver Star [25]
SGT Leandro Baptista: Silver Star [26]
SPC Gerrit Kobes: Silver Star [27]
SSG Anthony Viggiani: Navy Cross [28]
LCPL Carlos Gomez-Perez: Silver Star [29]
SGT Joshua Szott: Silver Star [30]
MSG Donald R. Hollenbaugh: Distinguished Service Cross
SGT Jarred L. Adams: Silver Star [31]
1LT Thomas E Cogan: Silver Star
MAJ Mark E. Mitchell: Distinguished Service Cross [32]
CPL Robert Mitchell Jr: Navy Cross [33]
SGT David Neil Wimberg: Silver Star [34]
CWO3 Christopher Palumbo: Silver Star [35]
SGT Tommy Rieman: Silver Star [36]
SCPO Britt Slabinski: Navy Cross [37]
LT David Halderman: FDNY – 9/11/01 [38]
1LT Stephen Boada: Silver Star [39]
1LT Neil Prakash: Silver Star [40]
SFC Gerald Wolford: Silver Star [41]
SGT Tommy Rieman: Silver Star [42]
SSG Matthew Zedwick: Silver Star [43]
LCPL Christopher Adlesperger: nominee Medal of Honor [44]
SGT Joshua Szott: Silver Star [45]
SPC Richard Ghent: Silver Star [46]
CPL Mark Camp: Silver Star [47]
The Veteran [48]
CW3 Lori Hill: Distinguished Flying Cross [49]
SGT Paul R. Smith: Medal of Honor [50]
PFC Ross A. McGinnis: Silver Star [51]
SGT Joseph E. Proctor: Silver Star [52]
PFC Christopher Fernandez: Silver Star [53]
MAJ James Gant: Silver Star [54]
1SG John E. Mangels: Silver Star [55]