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popeye1250 -> RE: RIP, Johnny K. (10/17/2011 5:14:17 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: GreedyTop
A Poem Worth Reading
He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.
And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Joe has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.
He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.
He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?
The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.
While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.
It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?
Or would you want a Soldier-- His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.
He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his likes again.
For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
YOU can make a difference.
If you are proud of our Vets then send this to them. You'll be glad you did.
That's why I like going to the American Legion, to hear the old guy's like "Johnny K's" stories.
And I've heard some doozies too from Silver Star and Bronze star recipients!
A few years back on Veteran's Day we had a *MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT* from Boston, Mass come and gave a talk at a large gathering up town and then stopped by the Legion Post to have a few with the guys.
The Legion printed up a bunch of info sheets on him to hand out t everyone. They read;
John J. McGinty
Rank Second Lieutenant (then S/Sgt)
Organiztion U.S. Marine Corps, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 4 th Marines, 3 rd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force.
Place and date Republic of Vietnam, 18 July 1966.
Born 21 January 1940 Boston, Massachusetts
CITATION:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 2nd Lt.
McGinty's platoon which was providing rear security to protect the withdrawal of the Battalion from
a position which had been under attack for 3 days,came under heavy small arms, automatic weapons
and morter fire from an estimated enemy regiment. With each successive human wave which assaulted his 32 man platoon
during the four hour battle, 2d Lt Mc Ginty rallied his men to beat off the enemy. In one bitter assault, two of the squads became seperated from the remainder of the platoon. With complete disregard for his safety, 2d Lt. McGinty charged through intense automatic weapons fire and morter fire, to their position. Finding 20 men wounded and the Navy Corpsman killed, he quickly reloaded ammunition magazines and weapons for the wounded men
and directed their fire upon the enemy. Although he was painfully wounded as he moved to care for the disabled men, he continued to shout encouragement to his troops and to direct their fire so effectively that the attacking hoards were driven away.
When the enemy tried to outflank his position, he killed 5 of them at point blank range with his pistol. When they again seemed on the verge of over running the small force, he skillfully adjusted artillary and air strikes to within 50 yards of his position. This destructive firepower routed the enemy, who
left an estimated 500 bodies on the battlefield. 2nd Lt. McGinty's personal heroism, indomitable leadership, selfless devotion to duty, and bold fighting spirit inspired his men to resist the repeated attacks by a fanatical enemy,reflected great credit upon himself, and upheld the highest traditions
of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.
He said Lyndon Johnson placed the medal around his neck.
He told us he stayed in the Marine Corps for a career and made it to Captain.
He told us that when he toured Iraq and Afganistan that the Troops there were most in need of "phone cards" so we all chipped in and bought a shitload of them!
I was talking to him after reading the above handout and said to him; "Boy, they better not mess with us guys from Boston!"
He smiled and said, "Let 'em fuckin' try!"
I wrote the citation pretty much as it reads here in front of me. No paragraphs in it, it reads like a ship to ship message.
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