The US Marine Corps birthday is tomorrow and Veterans' Day follows November 11. As these important days approach, I can't help but pause to thank all of the brave men and women in our armed forces. So many have paid for our freedom with blood—so many have given their lives. In recent years, Hollywood has done a fair job portraying the horror, confusion and bravery of combat with such movies as Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down and We Were Soldiers, just to name a few (I'm sure to have left out your favorite—blog it to me).
In my own experience in the US Marines, I was very fortunate—one of those always ready, but never called. Still, a number of my comrades in arms were called into the fray during my stint of active duty from early 1973 to 1976. The Mayaguez Rescue of 1975 comes to mind, as do covert missions into Southeast Asia to search for American POWs. The Mayaguez Rescue was doomed from the start, and is really a remarkable story of intense combat and bravery, and it makes me wonder why Hollywood has neglected such an incredible story.
Semper Fidelis to my brothers and sisters in the Corps, and a nod of admiration to those in the Air Force and Navy who participated and gave so much for our country during that mission in May of 1975. There are two very interesting Web sites/articles that I highly recommend and will give you some insight into this nearly forgotten mission: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayaguez_incident and http://www.vspa.com/nkp-56th-sps-mayaguez-1975.htm. Are there POWs and/or MIAs from this mission? Please, take a look and say a prayer for our fallen, nearly forgotten warriors.
Again, let me hear from you. What memories do you have? What are your favorite Hollywood depictions of the horror of war? Could it be Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, A Bridge Too Far?
God bless those who've served and are serving now--and God bless those who appreciate it!
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