A Warrior is Held up to the American People as an Example to his Fellows

The Newest Medal of Honor

The man who has earned it is the first from this war to live to see it.

• By WILLIAM MCGURN

Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta Receives the Medal of Honor Today at the White House

At one o’clock today in the East Room of the White House, an Iowa-born soldier will receive the nation’s highest decoration for valor in combat. In our nine-year war in Afghanistan and Iraq, this is only the eighth Medal of Honor. Even more rare, the man who has earned it is the first from this war to live to see the president place it around his neck.

The soldier is Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta. On Oct. 25, 2007, then-Specialist Giunta and his team were on a mountain ridge in Afghanistan’s violent Korengal Valley when they were ambushed by the Taliban. He took a bullet stopped by a protective vest as he helped pull one soldier to safety.

Then he went forward to help the sergeant, Joshua Brennan, who had been walking point. Two Taliban were carrying Sgt. Brennan away. Spec. Giunta shot the Taliban and brought Sgt. Brennan back.

For the rest of the article in the Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703326204575616572168606014.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_carousel_2

True Stories of Inspiration

This great NY Times article detailing the struggles of injured US soldiers to recover and rehabilitate was featured in today’s paper.  The stories of these men are inspirational and leave us with changed perspectives on our own lives.  Please read some. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/nyregion/04soldier.html

Modern Methods of Warfare

NYTimes ran this fascinating article about the changing trends in global warfare and the use of the internet in recruiting for the Jihad. 

“Wars Fought and Wars Googled”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/weekinreview/27shane.html?ref=weekinreview

Beyond Watching Your Back

Today’s tragic occurence in Afghanistan is a tell-tale sign of the slumping situation in the country.  A female suicide bomber dressed in full burka killed two US soldiers and wounded many others in the area. 

This is a concept that we have also learned the hard way here in Israel: as a combat soldier in the war against Islamic fundamentalism, you can’t trust anyone . 

And when the front lines are deeply entrenched in civilian population centers… this is very difficult to do.   

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704123604575322761540503380.html?mod=WSJ_World_LEFTSecondNews

Paying Tribute to the Endless Mission of the Combat Medic

Afghanistan.  Battleground of the last decade for many US troops.  Now that the intensity of the ground campaign in Iraq is lowering, even more boots are entrenched in this mysterious, mountainous, and vicious country.  As more troops are inserted into the fighting, more are exposed to danger.  As the number of casualties mounts, one branch of the service gets busier and busier.  Here is a tribute article to the harrowing and ongoing life-saving mission of the Medevac combat teams of the US military. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/world/asia/13medevac.html?hp

A Story Close to Home With Many Israelis

Israeli households are filled with many stories similar to those of these women featured here in the The New York Times. In this tribute story to American women combat veterans, heroic stories of service are told, and the issue of post traumatic stress disorder is addressed. Few countries find their servicewomen on front lines or in dangerous battlefields. Driven by necessity and extraordinary will, women serve vital roles in both the American and Israeli armed forces. Their exploits serve to inspire us all.

“In early October 2004, her convoy of about 30 vehicles set out from Kuwait for Mosul, one of Iraq’s most violent cities. On the way, she said, they were hit three times with roadside bombs. One exploded 200 feet from the unarmored Humvee in which Mrs. Pacquette spent day and night pointing her rifle out an open window. ” Please take a look at the rest of the article to learn more about their stories.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/us/01trauma.html?pagewanted=1&ref=us