“Dear Dad, It is incredibly humbling to walk among such men. They fought as hard
as any Marines in history and deserve to be remembered as such. It was a fight to the
finish in every sense and the Marines delivered. My whole life I have read about the
greatest generation and sat in wonder at their accomplishments. For the first time, as I watch these Marines and Soldiers, I am eager for the future as this is just the beginning for them. Perhaps the most amazing characteristic of all is that the morale of the men is sky high. They hurt for the wounded and the dead but they are eager to continue to attack. Further, not one of them would be comfortable with being called a hero even though they clearly are.”
--Letter home on the combat in Fallujah, from Dave, a Marine Corporal, Nov19, 04
"We are United States Marines. We are the best troops in the world. We fight odds that are heavily against us – and win! Our spirit is indomitable, our courage unexcelled, and our loyalty is unquestionable. I felt like writing to you. Perhaps it sounds foolish. Perhaps it is. But you can never imagine what it is like – not knowing if I’m coming back down that hill. I wanted you to have something from me to you. I love you, Bob, but you are too young to know it. Someday you will know.
I will leave you now – time is short. Love to you, Brother John.”
--Closing paragraph from LCpl John Tanney, USMC, to his 7 month old brother Bob. This letter was only to be opened in the event of John’s death. Unfortunately, LCpl Tanney was killed in action in September 1968 in the jungles of Vietnam.
“Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a
difference. The Marines don't have that problem.”
--President Ronald Reagan
As qtd by Major Bill Coffey (ret) US Army, Fallujah 2006.
About Me
- Jeffrey Denning
- I'm the author of four books: Warrior SOS, The Work of Death, Together Forever, and Leaders Wanted. I'm in the doc film Please Remove Your Shoes. I've blogged for The Washington Times, and I write for Guns.com. I've worked for the high-profile U.S.-led Roadmap to Mideast Peace in Israel and Palestine. I've also worked as a SWAT team leader, a Federal Air Marshal and a sole-source training instructor on a classified contract with a U.S. government customer. My master's degree is in Military Studies and terrorism. I'm a former noncommissioned and commissioned Army officer, with service in Iraq. I've been Scuba diving and skydiving; I have trained with members of the U.S. Olympic Ski Team, and I'm an FBI-trained crisis negotiator. My interests lie in helping others and in strengthening America through inspiring moral courage, government fiscal responsibility and accountability, and maintaining principles that have made--and will continue to make--the United States of America a blessed and prosperous country. I'm a father of six, a husband, and a police officer. I reside in Utah, and I'm a Mormon. See also https://jeffreydenning.wordpress.com.
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