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Rick Rescorla – great American
Rick Rescorla in Vietnam during the Battle of Ia Drang, November 1965. (Photo by Peter Arnett)
Rick Rescorla was born in England, joined the military at 16 and fought in Cyprus and Rhodesia. When the English ran out of wars, he moved to the United States, where he joined the U.S. Army to fight in Vietnam. He worked his way up to Sergeant before becoming an officer. He fought in the Battle of Ia Drang as a platoon leader in B Co., 2/7th Cavalry and is pictured on the cover of Gen. Hal Moore’s book, We Were Soldiers Once… And Young (see photo right).
Rick became head of security for Morgan Stanley and worked in the World Trade Center. After the 1993 terrorist attack, Rescorla was the last person out of the Towers after evacuating everyone. On 9/11 he evacuated his Morgan Stanley employees and was last seen heading back up the stairs to rescue victims who could not get out. Apart from Rescorla and his two deputies, only three Morgan Stanley employees died in the attack. Thousands survived, many of which might not have if it weren’t for Rick Rescorla.
Watch this video, then read this post.
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In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: 9/11
New 173rd Airborne gear at the Victory Institute store!
Hot off the presses: Check out the new 173rd Airborne Brigade t-shirts at the Victory Institute online store. We have two shirts with multiple color options for each – the red, white, and blue “Sky Soldiers” patch or the tactical “Infrared” design. Click on the t-shirts to go directly to the store.
In: Uncategorized
Dr. Hasan at work
(h/t “Diogenesis” at Free Republic)
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: Nidal Malik Hasan
Iranium
Coming this fall. Visit the website.
Red-carpet treatment for detained illegals
From The US Report:
Officers and agents have issued a ‘no confidence’ vote in assistant secretary of Homeland Security for ICE John Morton and Office of Detention Policy and Planning assistant director Phyllis Coven.
Janice Kephart at the nonpartisan Center for Immigration Studies wrote, “In an unprecedented move within the Department of Homeland Security, the detention and removal officers and agents responsible for and sworn to enforcing our nation’s immigration laws issued an exhaustive, scathing letter simply titled “‘VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN ICE DIRECTOR JOHN MORTON AND ODPP ASSISTANT DIRECTOR PHYLLIS COVEN’ on June 11, 2010.”
The letter from the American Federation of Government Employees came after ICE issued new requirements in May for detention centers, part of Morton’s new approach to treatment of detainees. Among those requirements:
• Increase availability of legal supplies and postage to indigent detainees for legal correspondence.
• Add research resources at the law libraries.
• Play the “Know Your Rights” legal orientation video in each housing unit every day (not in lieu of in person legal programs but in addition to them).
• Eliminate lock downs and lights out for appropriate classification.
• Reduce the frequency of and, as reasonable, wholly eliminate pat down searches (noncriminal Level l’s in facilities where non-criminal Level l’s can be separated into a discreet housing unit).
• Soften the look for the facility with hanging plants, flower baskets, new paint colors, different bedding and furniture, wall graphics and framed pictures on the walls, and enhance the aesthetics of the living areas.
• Expand programming for detainees to include movie nights, bingo, arts and crafts, dance, walk and exercise classes, health and welfare classes, basic cooking classes, tutoring and self-paced computer training on portable computer stations.
• Provide celebrations of special occasions and allowing a detainee to receive outside, packaged food for celebrations.
• Offer continental breakfasts that are completely self serve on holidays and weekends.
Email and free phone service are also included.
In essence, the federal government is creating a welfare state on the US border.
What will our country look like when this administration is finished transforming this country?
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: illegal immigration, Obama administration
Why COIN won’t work in Afghanistan
Why do I not believe that our current strategy in Afghanistan is going to work? Check out this extraordinarily complex slide showing the military’s strategy for Afghanistan:
"Afghanistan Stability/COIN Dynamics – Security" slide from a military Power Point presentation (Source: Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)
According to one of his advisers, General Stanley McChrystal said “When we understand that slide, we’ll have won the war.”
Yeah… it’s times like these that I ask myself: “what would Patton do?”
Given the technology, I doubt Patton would EVER give a power point presentation. But if he did, it would likely have only one slide, which would say: “Use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time.” Which do you think would be more successful?
Perhaps Gens. Petraeus, McChrystal, and their superiors should refer to Rule #7 of Richard Marcinko’s Ten Commandments of SpecWar: “Thou shalt Keep it Simple, Stupid.”
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: counterinsurgency
Obama administration surpassing Bush as most secretive in history
From the LA Times:
One of the exemptions allowed to deny Freedom of Information requests has been used by the Obama administration 70,779 times in its first year; the same exemption was used 47,395 times in Bush’s final budget year.
An Associated Press examination of 17 major agencies’ handling of FOIA requests found denials 466,872 times, an increase of nearly 50% from the 2008 fiscal year under Bush.
A 50% increase in secrecy? And Obama campaigned on becoming the most open and transparent White House in history! But the truth doesn’t stop Obama:
On March 16 to mark annual Sunshine Week, designed to promote openness in government, Obama applauded himself by issuing a statement:
“As Sunshine Week begins, I want to applaud everyone who has worked to increase transparency in government and recommit my administration to be the most open and transparent ever.”
Remember what Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels said: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
You lie, Mr. President!
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: Obama administration, transparency
Military Roundup 9 Apr 2010
Photo of the Day: Drew Brees trains with Marines in Africa
Afghanistan: Taliban release video showing U.S. Prisoner of War Bowe Bergdahl
Multi-million dollar poppy eradication program fails, U.S. troops now focused on Taliban
Air Force special operations CV-22 Osprey crashes in Zabul Province killing four, Taliban claim responsibility
Kyrgyz violence casts uncertainty on U.S. presence at Manas – at least 75 dead, president has fled
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula moves from Yemen to Somalia after Yemeni security forces tighten noose
Obama Bans Islam, Jihad From National Security Strategy Document
Who is America Fighting – Jihadists or Extremists?
Stolen Valor: Coast Guard retiree sentenced to prison, forced to repay fraudulent benefits received for claiming to be a Navy SEAL, wearing decorations he didn’t receive
National Guard: Obama admin ignores Arizona governor’s repeated requests to secure the border
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: Afghanistan, jihad
Medal of Honor history: Lemon and Beikirch
40 years ago, SP4 Peter Lemon and Sgt. Gary Beikirch earned the Medal of Honor in two separate incidents in Vietnam.
When Fire Support Base Illingworth came under attack, Lemon – a native Canadian and one of the youngest Medal recipients – engaged a numerically-superior enemy with his weapons until they both malfunctioned. Then Lemon used hand grenades to defend against an intense attack, killing all but one soldier – whom he chased down and dispatched during hand-to-hand combat. He rescued team mates, fought off further assaults with grenades, machine gun, and hand-to-hand fighting before collapsing from his multiple wounds. Read Lemon’s citation.
During the defense of Camp Dak Seang, Beikirch moved through withering fire to rescued and treated numerous soldiers after a devastating assault. Although Beikirch received multiple, serious wounds himself, he refused treatment and continued searching for wounded teammates before collapsing from his wounds. Read Beikirch’s citation.
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: Gary B. Beikirch, Medal of Honor, Peter C. Lemon, Vietnam War
Now contributing at Blackfive
I am now a contributor at Blackfive, the world’s premiere military blog. Will be cross-posting much of my work here as well, so stay tuned!
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: Blackfive
