BRAVE FIGHTING MARINE AWARDED NAVY CROSS FOR SLAYING JIHADIST ENEMIES IN AFGHANISTAN
ARLINGTON, Va.-Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus presents the Navy Cross to Gunnery Sgt. Brian M. Blonder during a ceremony at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va., May 10, 2011.
The irrepressible Marine/Army Mom Marijane Green, Historian-American Legion Auxiliary, Second District of Kansas Legislative Committee Chairman, writes:
“This is the type of NEWS that needs to be told! And told in the manner in which it puts the Marines in the best light! This story is pure MOTIVATION for Marines: describes the reason they are there! These Recon Marines cleared out this little village. Instead of throwing MARSOC Marines out of a war in 2007, they could have cleared out Bati Kot, Afghanistan in a similar manner as this unit cleared our this little village, and saved many lives which subsequently have been lost in Bati Kot:
Amazing what Marines can do it you let them do what they are trained for as highlighted in this story! God bless ‘em and thank God for them! This battle was in 2008, hopefully we will be hearing more stories like this, and hearing them quicker.”
From the story: MARINES GOING TOWARD THE SOUND OF THE GUNS:
“When intense small arms fire and explosions erupted nearby, Blonder and his men moved to the sound of the fight.” (MJG interjects: NOW YOU’RE TALKIN’: use of the word VICTORY and VICTORIOUS)
“Blonder said he was happy to be victorious.”
[MJG interjects, again: WHERE ARE THOSE FOLKS, the ‘careerists’ like Adm. Mullen and Gen. Petraeus who say the U.S. “can’t kill its way to victory?” These Marines prove that theory wrong, they did kill their way to victory, as they killed their way to victory in WWII, across the Pacific, in Okinawa, Iwo Jima, etc. From the story:]
“The victory disrupted several Taliban unit networks, which Blonder said crippled Taliban spirits in southern Afghanistan.”
[MJG interjects, again: NOTE the #1 job of Marines is NOT to drink 3 cups of tea; from the story:]
“Our number one job is to locate, close with and kill the enemy,” said Dean.
MORE FROM THE triumphant Marine STORY:
“Blonder remembers the triumphant and tiring day vividly. From the rifle fire Sgt. Frank Simmons bestowed upon the enemy, killing ‘countless’ insurgents with single shots to the head or chest, to the accurate sniper fire of Staff Sgt. Richard Powell, Blonder said he’ll wear the Navy Cross as a representation of the Marines he fought alongside that day.”
“The victory disrupted several Taliban unit networks, which Blonder said crippled Taliban spirits in southern Afghanistan.”
Life moves on update from Marijane Green:
“My term has ended for the American Legion Auxiliary and I am no longer historian, legislative chairman, etc. So, I can’t take ‘credit’ for that anymore. My younger son is still active duty Marine. My older son earned honorable discharge from Marine Corps then was in Marine IRR and recruited into Army Reserve for 2 years. He earned honorable discharge now from Army Reserve and is doing excellent in college now.”
