Happy Memorial Day

Today is the day we put aside to remember fallen heroes and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us again. It’s a day of thanks for the valor of others, a day to remember the splendor of America and those of her children who rest in this cemetery and others. It’s a day to be with the family and remember.

-Ronald Reagan

 

Photo Friday: “Towards the Chaos”

Marines with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s ground combat element, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, maneuver toward the site of an explosion of an Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System, during a live-fire training exercise as part of Realistic Urban Training Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise (RUTMEUEX) 14-1 aboard Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., March 18. RUTMEUEX is the first large-scale opportunity for integration between the ground combat element, aviation combat element, logistics combat element and command element of the 11th MEU. The training places its participants in environments similar to those they’ll see during their upcoming deployment.

photo courtesy of: Sgt. Melissa Wenger, USMC

Photo Friday: “On the Firing Line”

Marines assigned to Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct marksmanship training aboard the USS Boxer (LHD 4), March 4, 2014. The 13th MEU is deployed with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group as a theater reserve and crisis response force throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

photo courtesy of: Staff Sgt. Matt Orr

Bill ‘Wild Bill’ Guarnere, of ‘Band of Brothers’ fame, dies at 90

story by: FoxNews.com’s Karl de Vries and The Associated Press
photo courtesy of: wildbillguarnere.com

William “Wild Bill” Guarnere, one of the World War II veterans whose exploits were dramatized in the TV miniseries “Band of Brothers,” has died. He was 90.

His son, William Guarnere Jr., confirmed Sunday that his father died at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Guarnere was rushed to the hospital early Saturday and died of a ruptured aneurysm early Saturday night.

The younger Guarnere told FoxNews.com that like so many of his generation, “Wild Bill” didn’t talk about his service, even though he lost his leg in combat.

“All we knew was he lost his leg, and that was it,” William Guarnere Jr. said. “People knew more about (his service) than we did.”

The HBO miniseries, based on a book by Stephen Ambrose, followed the members of Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division from training in Georgia in 1942 through some of the war’s fiercest European battles through the war’s end in 1945.

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Sources: Marine Kyle Carpenter will receive MoH for heroism in Afghanistan

This photo from March 2011 shows Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, getting support from his fiance Jordan Gleaton, in the state senate chambers, where Sen. Jake Knotts, R-Lexington, presented a proclamation honoring the injured serviceman.

story by: Hope Hodge Seck
photo courtesy of: Tracy Glantz

William Kyle Carpenter, a Marine Corps veteran who was severely wounded during a November 2010 grenade attack in Afghanistan, will receive the nation’s highest combat valor award later this year, Marine Corps Times has learned.

Carpenter, a 24-year-old medically retired corporal, will become the service’s third Medal of Honor recipient from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which date back to October 2001. The Marine Corps is finalizing plans with the White House for a ceremony in Washington, officials said.

Marine Corps Times began making inquires about the status of Carpenter’s case because the statute of limitations for Department of Navy Medal of Honor awards requires that a formal recommendation be made within three years of the combat action in question. Carpenter, the subject of two cover stories published by Marine Corps Times in 2012, also recently appeared in the national media. He was the subject of a January feature story in Reader’s Digest and a related appearance Jan. 27 on Katie Couric’s syndicated talk show.

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Photo Friday: “Owning the Night”

A Marine from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, provides cover fire during a platoon assault exercise at Arta Range, Djibouti, Feb. 10, 2014. The 13th MEU is deployed with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group as a theater reserve and crisis response force throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

photo courtesy of: Staff Sgt. Erik Cardenas, USAF

Photo Friday: “Ranger File”

U.S. Army Rangers, assigned to 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, prepare for extraction from their objective during Task Force Training on Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., Jan. 30, 2014. Rangers constantly train to maintain their tactical proficiency.

photo courtesy of: Spc. Steven Hitchcock, USA

GI Joe, the world’s first action figure is turning 50

In this Jan. 31, 2014 photo, G.I. Joe action figures portray Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima in a display at the New York State Military Museum in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. A half-century after the 12-inch doll was introduced at a New York City toy fair, the iconic action figure is being celebrated by collectors with a display at the military museum, while the toy’s maker plans other anniversary events to be announced later this month.

story by: The Associated Press
photo courtesy of: Mike Groll/AP

G.I. Joe is turning 50.

The birthday of what’s called the world’s first action figure is being celebrated this month by collectors and the toy maker that introduced it just before the nation plunged into the quagmire that would become the Vietnam War — a storm it seems to have weathered pretty well.

Since Hasbro brought it to the world’s attention at the annual toy fair in New York City in early 1964, G.I. Joe has undergone many changes, some the result of shifts in public sentiment for military-themed toys, others dictated by the marketplace.

Still, whether it’s the original “movable fighting man” decked out in the uniforms of the four branches of the U.S. military, or today’s scaled-down products, G.I. Joe remains a popular brand.

“Joe stood for everything that was meant to be good: fighting evil, doing what’s right for people,” said Alan Hassenfeld, the 65-year-old former CEO for Pawtucket, R.I.-based Hasbro Inc., whose father, Merrill, oversaw G.I. Joe’s development in 1963.

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Photo Friday: “Clearing the Stairs”

Marines with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, practice proper techniques to clear a stairway during an Urban Operations exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 9, 2014. Each building is designed differently to offer an unpredictable layout that Marines would normally experience in UO. The rooms are filled with distracting elements including holes in the walls, open ceilings and multiple doorways.

photo courtesy of: Lance Cpl. Christopher J. Moore, USMC

Photo Friday: “Awards and Reenlistment”

Lieutenant Gen. John Toolan, commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force, oversees the reenlistment of Staff Sgt. Timothy Williams, a section leader with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, during an award ceremony held at Camp Las Flores, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Calif., Jan. 7, 2014. Williams, a native of Hudson, Mich., was awarded the Silver Star Medal and Purple Heart for his heroic actions in Afghanistan when he maintained a tactical advantage while being ambushed by a larger enemy force. Williams helped save the lives of multiple Marines and destroyed several enemy positions during the 10 hour attack.

photo courtesy of: Lance Cpl. Jonathan Boynes, USMC