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Thread: For me this is fantastic news...

  1. #1
    Join Date
    11-22-03
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    For me this is fantastic news...

    I have written much about the man being honored here...That he is finally getting the recognition he earned from his unhesitating actions almost 80 years ago is a real thrill for me...
    Miller, a native of Waco, Texas, received the prestigious award in 1942 after he fired back on Japanese planes with a machine gun on Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor. The Navy Cross for valor is the second-highest distinction awarded by the U.S. military for valor.
    Admiral Chester Nimitz himself pinned the Navy Cross on Miller's chest in a shipboard ceremony shortly after taking command as CINCPAC......Ben

    The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...

  2. #2
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    10-30-01
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    I agree, Ben.

    In general, our military has worked and succeeded at recognizing and honoring our Black heroes.

    "According to the Navy, as of December, 14 ships had been named for African Americans, including destroyers and a ballistic missile submarine."
    - The Hill, by Marty Johnson

    Hunter
    I don't care if it hurts. I want to have control. I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul. - Creep by Radiohead

  3. #3
    Join Date
    10-22-01
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    I read recently, that by decree, all ships will now be named "trump"
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
    "Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
    “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by UTAH View Post
    In general, our military has worked and succeeded at recognizing and honoring our Black heroes.
    I don't think that mission will be complete until everyone recognizes them as "US military heroes" without a racial distinction of any kind...In the end, all those who serve bleed red...
    Quote Originally Posted by UTAH View Post
    14 ships had been named for African Americans, including destroyers and a ballistic missile submarine.
    One of those, the USNS Watson (T-AKR-310), was named for US Army Pvt. George Watson who served in the same Quartermaster Corps as my Dad, although their duties were an ocean apart...An unknown author wrote this about Pvt. Watson and his sacrifice:
    On board the Dutch flagged 's Jacob (not a misspelling), QM Corps member, Private George Watson's troopship came under attack from Japanese bombers off the coast of Papua, New Guinea, 3/8/1943...

    Ordered to abandon ship, Pvt. Watson joined others in the water, but refused to enter one of the rafts or lifeboats, choosing instead to repeatedly swim back to rescue others from the sinking wreck until he succumbed to exhaustion, and was pulled to the bottom with the doomed ship...His Medal of Honor citation reads:

    "The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Private George Watson, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action on 8 March 1943, while serving with 29th Quarter Master Regiment, in action at Porloch Harbor, New Guinea. Private Watson was on board a ship which was attacked and hit by enemy bombers. When the ship was abandoned, Private Watson, instead of seeking to save himself, remained in the water assisting several soldiers who could not swim to reach the safety of the raft. This heroic action, which subsequently cost him his life, resulted in the saving of several of his comrades. Weakened by his exertions, he was dragged down by the suction of the sinking ship and was drowned. Private Watson's extraordinarily valorous actions, daring leadership, and self-sacrificing devotion to his fellow man exemplify the finest traditions of military service."
    Pvt. Watson became the only member of the QuarterMaster Corps to be awarded his nation's highest honor during WWII service...Having no known next of kin, his Medal and its citation, along with his Purple Heart, and other earned medals, rest in a place of honor in the US Army Quartermaster Museum in Fort Lee, Virginia...Private Watson was also one of only seven black US Army soldiers to receive the Medal of Honor for WWII service, the other six men all being cited for action with combat units...
    These were also the same waters in which my Uncle served......Ben
    The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    10-21-01
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    I don't think that mission will be complete until everyone recognizes them as "US military heroes" without a racial distinction of any kind...In the end, all those who serve bleed red..
    AMEN!
    This is your mind on drugs!

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