My war was Vietnam ..! My uncle fought and froze in Korea near the Chosin Reservoir. Before that it was my dad aboard a merchant ship, manning a heavy machinegun to ward off Japanese attack in the Pacific.  America's history is replete with war ..!! America and the world fought the "Hun" in the war that was supposed to end all wars, World War One ..!! We skirmished with the Spanish in Cuba before that and it was brother-against-brother in what most consider the most devastating of American's wars, the War Between The States.  Seems every generation has its conflict ..!

And are they truly necessary ..?? That's one we can argue until the cows come home ..! But are they real ..??? Absolutely ..!!! And in most instances, wherein maniacal depots with diabolical schemes challenge the world, no amount of well-intentioned diplomacy or sweet talk brings them to the peace table. Ultimately, it is the men and women, who wrap themselves in America's flag, shoulder a weapon and undergirded by a civilian populace with a backbone and a will to win, destroy evil until peace is won.

Such men and women are deployed today ..!! America's best and brightest ..! The finest forces America has ever called upon to defend us from the tyranny of evil.  We ought to be proud of these warriors  ..!!! And, although deeply saddened by the loss of even one life, we must, as a free people,  understand that without them ... and sometimes their sacrifices ... America will fall. America's freedom --- and truly the freedom of the western world --- is soaked with the blood of Americans ...! But that blood is the reason we still enjoy freedom and liberty ...!!!! 

Thousands of America's military protect us everyday ..!!! Whether in Iraq or Afghanistan or dozens of other places around the world, they are there for ... us. I'm tremendously proud of our military people ... and tremendously proud of websites like "Thank You Soldier."  The TYS effort to give all of us a place where we can say how proud we are of our men and women in uniform is more than commendable ...!! It's patriotic ...!! And there's no more beautiful word in the English language.

I came home from Vietnam in 1969 ..!! They loaded us all from the plane onto buses for the short trip to where we processed back into "our" country. The bus windows were covered with metal plating to keep the soldiers from being hit by the rocks thrown by war protestors. Dear God, forbid that in the future one man or one woman comes home to an ungrateful nation ...!! God forbid ...!!!

His name was Charles Allen Bourne, Jr.  Born in 1925, he would later join the Army and serve with the 36^th Division. Originally organized from units of the Texas and Oklahoma National Guard for service in World War I, the 36^th was re-mobilized for federal service in 1940. One of the major units in the now famous Louisiana Maneuvers of 1941, this division became critical to the victory in WWII.  The 36^th was the first American combat Division to land on the continent of Europe, fighting up the boot of Italy until pulled out for special service against the infamous German Siegfried Line.

In August of 1944 and, as part of Operation Anvil, renamed Operation Dragoon, after the planning phase, Staff Sergeant Charles Bourne was part of the Allied landings in Southern France. The mission handed the 36^th Division was to clear a ridge deep inside the Vosges mountains. Finding themselves surrounded by the German Army, the 36^th was cut off from all support and supplies October 1944 and would forevermore be known as the “Lost Battalion”.  They endured five days of battle until October 30^th when rescued by the Army’s first all Japanese-American Nisei military unit, the 100^th Battalion / 442^nd Combat Infantry Group.  The 100^th/442^nd lost more than 400 men and half its force to save SSgt. Bourne and 229 of his brothers.

Charles Allen Bourne, Jr.      1925 – 2008

SSgt. Charles Allen Bourne, Jr. passed away earlier this month. I did not have the honor of meeting him. But his story, his passion, and his service live on in the hearts of those serving the same country he fought for 64 years ago. We are the greatest nation in the world because of men like him.

Thank you for your service SSgt. Bourne.

His name was Ross McGinnis. And he was a Soldier ...!!! A United States Army Specialist, serving with a combat unit in Iraq,  he was 19 years old ...!! Just a kid ...! Hardly old enough to shave! And he gave his life for ... me ..!?!? And the irony of it all is that I owe this man a debt I could never repay ... and I never even met him.

He's a hero ..! One of America's heros, whose name you've most likely never heard until today. A young man from the small, western Pennsylvania town of Knox, McGinnis was one of those unsung heroes of America. A handsome young man, who simply wanted to live his life being one of America's finest. So with hard training and personal sacrifice, he earned the right to wear her uniform. And in that uniform, he was called upon to give his all. And he did so ... self-less-ly ..!!!

Its a remarkable story. Last December, while on patrol,  Ross was manning a 50 Calibre machinegun on the turret of his Humvee Combat Vehicle. A grenade was thrown and, although he tried deflect it, the grenade fell inside the vehicle with four of his buddies. Training called for him to cry a warning to them and then escape. Instead, Specialist Ross McGinnis threw himself between the grenade and the men inside the Humvee, absorbing the full impact of the blast, "laying down his life for his friends," saving them by the selfless sacrifice of own life. May God in His eternity bless this man of tremendous courage and honor.

Why did I say he died for me ...?? Because Ross McGinnis was fighting the terror that wants to take my life and the lives of my family ... and your life ... and your family ... and your country! His family received from President Bush a posthumous Medal Of Honor .. and rightly so. But the world's weight in medals could never repay the debt we owe this young man and his family ..!!!

Specialist Ross McGinnis ..! American Hero ...!!