Worcester, MA should be proud of USMC Sgt. William Soutra Jr., recipient of the NAVY CROSS

BRAVO ZULU and SEMPER FI Marine !!  He has been awarded the Navy Cross for his efforts in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

USMC Sgt. William Soutra Jr. works with SPEC OPS, which means he is not the kind of Marine who expects any recognition for what he does.  In this instance, I am glad he was recognized and very proud of this son of Worcester, MA.

He is a true Patriot and one of our best. 

Marine special operations team members honored

By By JULIE WATSON | Associated Press – 1 hr 54 mins ago

 

Enlarge Photo

Associated Press/Jae C. Hong - U.S. Marine Sgt. William Soutra Jr. wears the Navy Cross during a ceremony held at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Monday, Dec. 3, 2012. Soutra Jr. was awarded the medal for his heroism …more while serving in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) less

 

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) — Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on Monday honored four members of a Marine special operations team in a rare public ceremony for those who have served in the covert forces.

 

In a ceremony at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Mabus awarded Marine Sgt. William Soutra Jr. the Navy Cross, the Navy's highest honor and the military's second highest honor, for tending to the wounded while guiding the platoon to safety during an attack in Afghanistan's Helmand Province in July 2010 that spanned over two days.

Three others on his team, including a Navy corpsman, were given Silver Stars.

Often the heroic actions of those on special operations teams are only known to each other and the leadership because of their covert work on classified missions.

"This is a chance to recognize people who don't get recognized much," Mabus said.

Soutra was a canine handler with a Marine special operations team when they were ambushed. After the team's assistant leader was fatally wounded by an enemy explosive during the ambush, Soutra jumped into action, repeatedly running into the line of fire as he helped direct troops to defend themselves and fight off the enemy, Mabus said.

At one point, the 27-year-old Marine from Worcester, Mass., placed a tourniquet on a wounded commando, before dragging him to a ditch for cover. He worked tirelessly for more than an hour after the initial blast and helped carry casualties through the sporadic gunfire, officials said.

His military dog stayed attached to his side during the ordeal. The dog had to be put down more than a year ago because it had cancer.

Maj. James Rose, Staff Sgt. Frankie Shinost Jr. and Navy Corpsman Patrick Quill were given Silver Stars for their actions that day.

The four men called it a horrible day because they lost their element leader, Staff Sgt. Chris Antonik.

"Every day I think about Chris," said Soutra, calling him a close friend and great warrior.

Soutra vowed to try to carry on as the kind of warrior that would make Antonik proud.

Some Must Go To Fight The Dragons / Veteran's Day November 11th

This is the first Veteran's Day I will spend in Afghanistan.  I have been here off and on for a number of years, but I was always home on this important day.  I spent Veteran's Day in Iraq in 2004, but not one here until this year.

A while back, I put out the enclosed post.  It seemed relevant then, and even more have so now.  Our Veterans are the TRUE 1% as only one percent of our citizens serve in the military and defend our great land.

Please take time from your busy life to attend a Veteran's Day ceremony in your community and next time you meet a Veteran, let him/her know how much you appreciate all they have done for our country.

" Some Must Go To Fight The Dragons".....Indeed.  God Bless them and their families.


Some Must Go To Fight The Dragons

I am writing this blog from the midst of Helmand Province, Afghanistan at Camp Leatherneck. The casual observer will note that the relation of the facts here and what is put out via the " Established Media" are two vastly different things.

I recently ordered a book titled " The Blogs of War" which is an account of War Blogs from Iraq & Afghanistan. War Blogs have provided an avenue of unfettered information on what happened here and in Iraq since 2001.

The book starts with Chapter 1, titled " Some Must Go To Fight the Dragons". It is a perfect metaphor as in our country, only some go and fight the Dragons. The rest sit in comfort and watch the effort from the sidelines while some political types try to adjust the battle from the far side of the world with a 7500 mile long screw driver....

Either way, the account is a must-read to give the reader a greater sense of what it is like to be under fire on the field of battle and what our warriors go through.

As part of the book, the author quotes a famous speech given by the Athenian leader Pericles after the first battles of the Peloponesian war. We need to ensure that our country remembers why we have Freedom in this day - It is because " Some Must Go Fight The Dragons..."

I am humbled to be among those who have gone & fought the Dragons. My present status is acting in prime support of the Dragon-Fighters, and I share the AOR with them each day.....it is a singular privilege and one of the great perks here.....to be among such great Men & Women each day.

A quote from Pericles' Funeral Oration

" I would have you day by day fix your eyes upon the greatness of Athens, until you become filled with the love of her; and when you are impressed by the spectacle of her glory, reflect that this empire has been acquired by men who knew their duty and had the courage to do it, who in the hour of conflict had the fear of dishonor always present to them, and who, if ever they failed in an enterprise, would not allow their virtues to be lost to their country, but freely gave their lives to her as the fairest offering which they could present at her feast.

The sacrifice which they collectively made was individually repaid to them; for they received again each one for himself a praise which grows not old, and the noblest of all tombs, I speak not of that in which their remains are laid, but of that in which their glory survives, and is proclaimed always and on every fitting occasion both in word and deed. For the whole earth is the tomb of famous men; not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions in their own country, but in foreign lands there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men.

Make peace or die....Take a walk with the 1/5 Marines in Sangin

The 3/5 Marines had a tough fight in Sangin from September 2010 - May 2011. The 1/5 Marines relieved them and built upon the success of their shipmates through this summer and into the fall.

Watch the enclosed video (yes, I understand it is 17 minutes long...Watch the video and give them the time they have earned) is a view of what your US Marines have been doing out in the Shitewilds of Afghanistan. This is a small peak into how tough it can really be out there at the "tip of the spear".

I have been to Helmand and spent time with our USMC. They are doing the impossible in a harsh landscape and should make each American proud. Agree or disagree with the mission, this is the truest example of what we stand for and why we are Americans. Semper FI 1/5 Marines.

Sorry OWS, they've been busy protecting your freedom

To the OWS crowd, the media and their political allies - While OWS has been causing trouble for the citizens of our cities, having no impact on the 1% they protest, driving up overtime costs on our taxpayers and making a general health hazard/crime issues for all, others were busy providing all with FREEDOM.

Of course, that isn't as "trendy" as camping out in the city and protesting. After all, who wants to be reminded that while OWS whines about the need for others to pay their bills, our military pays for their freedom each and every day.

Remember that while we sit home safe, others risk all to provide that freedom. They are the true 1% as they represent the BEST our country has to offer.

Remember & honor the US Navy SEALS who died in the line of duty...You can sleep easy because they gave their all for you & me

BRAVO ZULU to the US NAVY SEALS and our deepest condolences to the families of these splendid warriors. They were together with their " brothers " and valued K-9 companion. Now they are forever in our prayers.


Don't forget to honor the Navy SEALS who died in the line of duty
Michael Daly - NY DAILY NEWS


If you went to Ground Zero or Times Square or anywhere else to cheer and chant "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" after Navy SEAL Team Six brought justice to Osama Bin Laden, go back there Sunday.

Go back and offer a moment of silence for the 22 men from SEAL Team Six and all the others aboard the helicopter that was shot down in Afghanistan yesterday.

SEAL Team Six is divided into four squadrons and the one aboard the helicopter was not the one that actually got Bin Laden, but it had long been part of the effort to track him down.

And, like the rest of the SEALs, they had continued to put themselves in harm's way after the crowds that chanted "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" dispersed and went back to acting as if there were no war. The SEALs kept beings SEALs as we walked around as if nobody were risking all for our sake, as if we had no obligation to stand together as a nation behind them.

A dear friend of mine who trained with the SEAL Team Six after 9/11 ran into a member of the ill-fated squadron last month. The SEAL said he was deploying the next day, right after an all-important event.

"I'm going to be with my kids," the SEAL told my friend. "We're going to breakfast at McDonald's."

After breakfast with his kids, the SEAL headed off to Afghanistan, where his squadron was about to suffer such a terrible loss. My friend can only hope this particular SEAL was not aboard the helicopter, though that would mean it was someone else.

"You get a little selfish hoping it's not somebody that you know," my friend said.

The thought that so many SEALs had been lost was even harder to take now that Bin Laden was dead and our strategy in Afghanistan seems to be finding a way to extricate ourselves.

"A stopgap thing until we get out of there," my friend said. "It's not worth one of them, nevermind 22 of them, for a place you're going to walk away from."

Not that the SEALs complain or are one step slower in doing whatever is asked of them, no matter how dangerous.

With the loss of 22 SEALs along with eight other Americans and seven Afghan commandos came a reminder; in combat there is sometimes no protection even for the most highly trained and highly skilled warriors.

The bad guys knew when the Chinook helicopter swooped down into an Afghan valley that it would have to rise once those aboard were done. All the Taliban needed to do was wait on a mountainside.

The Chinook rose with a SEAL contingent that likely could have held off thousands of the enemy on the ground. The SEALs could do nothing in the air against an insurgent with a rocket.

"A moment of vulnerability," my friend said.

Among the SEALs were a dog handler and a dog that would remind outsiders of Cujo, but held a special place in the hearts of the squadron.

SEALs have a soft spot for their dogs, perhaps partly because a canine's keen senses can alert them to danger and give them a critical edge. A dog also allows resolutely reticent warriors to express a little affection; you can pet a pooch, if not another SEAL.

Many of the SEALs have a dog stateside. To take one on a mission may be like bringing along something of home. And home likely has taken on even deeper meaning as the long years of this war convinced ever more SEALs that they could not wait for it to end before starting a family. The tragedy is almost certainly compounded by children suddenly left without fathers.

With the loss of so many of our best warriors, we should honor them with a pledge to follow what is best in ourselves and therefore best for our country.

And, don't forget the ones that have remained out there long after those chants of "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!"

mdaly@nydailynews.com

What were you doing on 09/08/09 ?? USMC Cpl. Dakota Meyer was doing his best to save lives in Afghanistan....and earned a MOH for it.

If I ask you to remember what you were doing on a specific date, could you tell me where you were and what you were doing ?

The date is September 8th, 2009. I can tell you as I was laid off and was very likely spending most of the day trying to find new employment. The Manufacturing Company I worked for downsized me and about 250 others due to the economy.

Others stateside were doing the usual things, working, school, commuting to & from the workplace, celebrating special occasions, loving, living, etc.

USMC Corporal Dakota Meyer had his hands full doing the job he was trained for and then some. He was caught up in a battle in a nasty place in Afghanistan called Ganjgal where he charged into a kill zone on foot and alone to find three missing Marines and a Navy corpsman, who had been pinned down under intense enemy fire....And lived to tell the tale.

As expected, he doesn't see himself as a hero and feels he failed as a number of the people he went to rescue were killed before he could get to them. I see him as one of the few and the proud who are willing to put it all on the line to rescue a battle-buddy.

Think about that next time you are having a tough day or things aren't going your way that very likely, there is someone out there like Corporal Meyer having an incredibly difficult day defending our freedom. God Bless them and all who go in harm's way for our sake.


Obama OKs Medal of Honor for living Marine

Dakota Meyer, a former corporal, will be honored for his heroics in Ganjgal, Afghanistan, in September 2009
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer Navy Times
Tuesday Jul 19, 2011

A Marine who repeatedly braved enemy fire in eastern Afghanistan attempting to find and save fellow members of his embedded training team will receive the Medal of Honor, Marine Corps Times has confirmed.

Dakota Meyer was contacted by President Obama on Monday, according to sources with knowledge of the award. He will be the first living Marine recipient of the nation’s highest award for valor since now-retired Sgt. Maj. Allan Kellogg received the medal for actions 41 years ago in Vietnam.

Only two living recipients — both soldiers — have received the award for actions in Iraq and Afghanistan: Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta and Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry. Cpl. Jason Dunham is the only Marine to receive the medal for current conflicts, and he received it posthumously after throwing himself on a grenade in Karabilah, Iraq, in 2004 to save the lives of fellow Marines.

It’s unclear when Meyer, a scout sniper, will receive the medal. Officials at the White House and Marine Corps headquarters declined to comment.

The news was first reported Tuesday night on the website of Leatherneck, a publication produced by the Marine Corps Association. Marine Corps Times reported exclusively Nov. 8 that the Corps had nominated Meyer for the award.

Meyer, who left active-duty service in June 2010 as a corporal, will be honored for his actions Sept. 8, 2009. He charged into a kill zone on foot and alone to find three missing Marines and a Navy corpsman, who had been pinned down under intense enemy fire in Ganjgal, a remote village near the Pakistan border in violent Kunar province.

Already wounded by shrapnel, Meyer found them dead and stripped of their gear and weapons, and helped carry them from the kill zone, according to military documents obtained by Marine Corps Times.

Meyer — who now lives in Austin, Texas — could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday night. In interviews with Marine Corps Times in November, he said he felt “like the furthest thing from a hero” because he did not find his fellow Marines alive.

“Whatever comes out of it, it’s for those guys,” he said at the time. “I feel like I let my guys down because I didn’t bring them home alive.”

Painful memories

The ambush conjures painful memories for many of those involved.

Killed in the battle were Gunnery Sgts. Edwin Johnson, 31, and Aaron Kenefick, 30; 1st Lt. Michael Johnson, 25; and Hospitalman 3rd Class James Layton, 22; and an Afghan interpreter and at least eight Afghan security forces. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Westbrook, 41, died Oct. 7, 2009, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington from medical complications related to wounds he sustained in the attack.

The attack occurred during an early morning mission to meet with tribal elders in a village with a known insurgent presence. Thirteen U.S. service members, including Meyer, came under attack by at least 50 well-fortified insurgents armed with machine guns, assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. The Marines were with Embedded Training Team 2-8, out of Okinawa, Japan, while soldiers on the mission came from the 10th Mountain Division, out of Fort Drum, N.Y.

In February 2010, Army officials announced that “negligent” leadership contributed “directly to the loss of life” on the battlefield that day by refusing repeated pleas for artillery support from U.S. forces on the ground and failing to notify higher commands that they had troops in trouble. Three unidentified officers were recommended for letters of reprimand, and Army officials later said they were delivered to two of them.

Two investigations of the incident were conducted, with the first headed by an Army major in the first few days after the ambush. The second, focusing primarily on command post failure, was overseen by Army Col. Richard Hooker and Marine Col. James Werth in November 2009, military officials said.

A full copy report of the investigation obtained by Marine Corps Times includes first-person statements from more than 35 U.S. service members, describing in grisly detail the chaos on the battlefield and in the operations center, based at Forward Operating Base Joyce and overseen by Task Force Chosin, an Army unit comprising soldiers from 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

Meyer, then 21, went into the kill zone on foot after helicopter pilots called on to respond said they could not help retrieve the four missing service members because the fighting on the ground was too fierce, according to a witness statement he provided the military. He found his buddies in a trench where pilots had spotted them.

“I checked them all for a pulse. There [sic] bodies were already stiff,” Meyer said in a sworn statement he was asked to provide military investigators. “I found SSgt Kenefick facedown in the trench w/ his GPS in his hand. His face appeared as if he were screaming. He had been shot in the head.”

Other awards

Several other service members involved in the battle already have received valor awards, including the four casualties that Meyer helped recover. The fallen Marines and corpsman were honored with Bronze Stars with “V” device a year after their death for working together after they were pinned down to hold off the enemy, allowing a group of Afghan troops they were training to rejoin a larger group of coalition forces nearby. They fought until the death despite a barrage of fire.

Last month, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus awarded two other ETT 2-8 Marines who survived with the Navy Cross, the nation’s second highest award for valor. Capt. Ademola Fabayo, 30, and Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, 34, were honored for acting heroically when “the world became fire,” Mabus said in a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, near Quantico, Va.

Fabayo, then a first lieutenant, is credited with braving enemy fire on foot to re-establish contact with the four missing service members, engaging insurgents at close range with his M4 carbine, and carrying Westbrook several hundred yards under fire to safety after the soldier had been shot in the neck and cheek.

Fabayo then drove back into the kill zone with another military adviser, Army Capt. Will Swenson, in an unarmored truck in an attempt to reach the missing four-man team, which had led the element of U.S. service members on foot that day. Fabayo and Swenson were unable to reach them the first time, but evacuated and treated several wounded Afghan forces. Fayabo took the gunner’s position in another vehicle and re-entered the kill zone again to help recover the bodies of the missing team, which at that point had been found by Meyer.

Rodriguez-Chavez was assigned to the unit’s security element with Meyer. After hearing that U.S. forces were pinned down in the front of the element, he drove a Humvee into the kill zone three times to cover the withdrawal of U.S. and Afghan forces, while Meyer manned a machine gun turret on the vehicle. Meyer charged into the kill zone on foot afterward, despite sustaining a shrapnel wound to the arm while in the turret.

Once Meyer found the bodies, he joined Fabayo, Rodriguez-Chavez and Swenson for yet another mounted dash into the kill zone. Rodriguez-Chavez, the driver, positioned the vehicle to shield his fellow service members as they left the gun truck to retrieve the bodies. It was not clear whether Swenson is up for any high-valor award.

The Corps also honored Gunnery Sgt. Chad Miller with the Bronze Star with “V” in a June 29 ceremony at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He is credited with manning an overwatch position for more than six hours, spotting targets for Afghan National Army counterparts and marking targets for aerial fire once helicopter air support arrived.

During the June 10 ceremony honoring Fabayo and Rodriguez-Chavez, Mabus referenced Meyer and Swenson directly, and said the Ganjgal story will be retold for ages at boot camp to new recruits.

“That story doesn’t need any other explanation,” Mabus said. “Whatever words there are, they’re not adequate in adding anything to the actions of that day.”