4 posts tagged “2-503rct”
From Blackfive, courtesey of Uncle Jimbo
OK, I have some pictures in my photo section.
A few pictures from Walter Reed are here.
No, no one came out of the closet. I mean we went out on the town, (Washington, DC), with some very fine young men from Chosen Company, Second 503 173DABN.
We were accompanied by Uncle Jimbo from Blackfive, Jonn Lilyea, from ThisAIntHell, (but you can see it from here) and Tankerbabe.
Jonn has a post up already about last night. It features yours truly in a supporting role alongside the irrepressible Uncle Jimbo, as we try to join the pinkos/union thugs down the street from the Main Gate at Walter Reed and call for the immediate withdrawl of Russian troops from Georgia. (The country, not the state)
We all want peace, right?
We all had our 173D Sky Angels t-shirts on. (Well, except Jonn, who does have one, but refused to dis-robe in public, in spite of several car bombs, and Harps) You can get yours by going to the 173rdSky Angels Fund website and placing your order. Do it now, before they sell out.
I have met hundreds of soldiers and Marines over the course of the past 3 years. Most of them I met at Walter Reed. I am still awestruck by these young men (and women) who volunteer to serve our country. They never claim heroic acts, never take credit for actions above and beyond, preferring instead to state emphatically, "It was THAT guy that did it", "I just did my job", "HE deserves the medal, not me".
Young, dedicated, Warriors. These are the survivors of ambushes and firefights by sadistic militants from muslim countries fixated on one goal, killing innocents in the name of some twisted belief that they are superior.
These young men are heroes. Their stories will be told. Their sacrifices and honor will be made public and when the history books are written, we will call these Warriors, our Greatest Generation.
You can take that to the bank.
Mr. President,
My name is Bob Getz and I’m the Secretary of Chapter VI – Elite Forces, 173d Airborne Brigade Association in the Chicago-land Area. Most of us within Chapter VI are Veterans of the Brigade when it was deployed to Vietnam. We were the first Army Combat Unit deployed to Vietnam and the last to leave.
Our sons and daughters are now serving their second tour in Afghanistan after their initial Combat Parachute Jump into the Kurdish Area in the North of Iraq to act as the blocking force to encircle the Iraqi Army as it was assaulted from the south by the coalition forces.
With the Brigade being a unit formed 91 years ago during WWI in 1917, serving three campaigns under General Patton at the Battle of the Bulge and then into Germany during WWII, receiving the Presidential Unit Citation and Meritorious Unit Citation in Vietnam and receiving the Meritorious Unit Citation in the War on Terrorism while serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan, it is one of America’s most effective Parachute Infantry Units.
In the Fall of 2007, Chapter VI went to the towns and villages along Route 173 which runs east and west in Illinois just south of Wisconsin and requested each to pass a resolution designating that roadway as the 173d Airborne Brigade Highway in recognition of those who have served in that unit. Not only did they so designate the roadway for the Brigade but it was also passed as a unanimous House Joint Resolution by a non-partisan effort in the Illinois House and Senate.
The Brigade is currently rotating out of Afghanistan with 42 Killed in Action and one non-combat related death. We have scheduled a Motorcade down the 173d Airborne Brigade Highway on August 23, 2008, to celebrate the return of the Brigade to their bases in Europe and to thank each town and village along the way from Zion to Loves Park and the State Legislators for their support.
We are asking you to honor the men and women who served for the past 91 years in the 173d Airborne Brigade with a Proclamation Designating that Day – Saturday, August 23, 2008 – in Honor of the 173d Airborne Brigade for Their Service to Our Country. And, should you have the time, we would be honored if you could join us in that celebration.
Thank you for considering this request and, in closing, let me present you with the unique salute of The Herd.
AIRBORNE, ALL THE WAY!!
July 21, 2008: American troops in Afghanistan are not happy with how a July 13th battle with the Taliban was reported. In that action, some 200 Taliban attacked a U.S. "base" and killed or wounded more than half the 50 or so U.S. and Afghan troops found there. Actual U.S. casualties were nine dead and fifteen wounded (including walking wounded).
U.S. troops were irked that, once again, the mass media got lazy and didn't bother to report the action accurately. For one thing, there was no "base". What the Taliban attacked was a temporary parking area for vehicles used to conduct patrols of the area. These are set up regularly, and have been used for years. These are secure areas, but basically a parking lot surrounded by barbed wire and several sandbagged observation posts. This one was set a few days before the attack, and was due to be taken down soon, as the patrol activity moved to another area.
Such defensive precautions are taken any time U.S. troops stop for more than a few hours. That's a tactic pioneered by the Romans over two thousand years ago. In this case, it paid off. The Taliban infiltrated several hundred fighters into a nearby village, and opened fire from homes, businesses and a mosque. The U.S. and Afghan troops called in air support and kept fighting until the Taliban fled, taking most of their dead and wounded with them.
The troops are angry because, while the Taliban got lucky (such attacks are rare), the enemy did not succeed in taking the U.S. position, and fled the battlefield after suffering heavier casualties. The U.S. troops are much better shots, and know they killed far more of the Taliban. Moreover, they saw smart bombs and missiles hitting buildings that Taliban were firing from. From long experience, they know that people inside bombed buildings rarely survive the explosion.
Finally, the troops involved were from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and paratroopers do not like anyone implying they were beaten at anything. Especially because, in this case, they weren't.
I have met members of Chosen Company 2-503. Drank beer with them; broke bread with them. They deserve better than this. They would not "abandon" anything, and they will fight to the last man if that is what it took. The 173DABN has a storied history. They are the best of the best. I have a friend who was on Okinawa when this unit was reformed in 1963. He regaled us with stories of troopers, "temporarily assigned" to the stockade, who would jump a 12 foot fence and laugh at the guards. He recounted an incident of one trooper who refused to report a broken ankle because he would have missed a jump. "I'll land on my good foot" is what was reported to have been said.
These men are "b-b-b-b-bad to the bone" in a GOOD WAY. Dedicated, insanely patriotic and loyal.
