December 2009 - Argghhh!

Chuck Z saw this and thought of me...I can see why. I have better hair, and more guns, too....

Okay, it was a trick - which many of you farm boys didn't fall for.

There are nine Medals awarded for actions on this day - all of them awarded to living recipients. Seven during the Civil War, and one each for WWII and Vietnam.Civil War, aboard USS Baron DeKalb and USS Benton during the Yazoo River Campaign of 1862.COTTON, PETER Rank and organization: Ordinary Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1839, New York, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 11, 3 April 1863. Citation: Cotton served on board the U.S.S. Baron De Kalb in the Yazoo River expedition, 23 to 27 December...

North Korean soldiers assisted a comrade in the border village of Panmunjom Wednesday. The army sergeant, center, was repatriated at his request after being rescued by South Korea from a small boat near the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong on Nov. 29. (Jo Yong-Hak/Reuters) Boq

Further to the continuing theme of: Same Uniform, Same Army, Same War, Different Language...

On this, one of the most famous days of our military history, there are 17 awards of the Medal of Honor. 16 for one battle. And while that sort of number in one fight is usually a phenomenon of the Civil War - I suspect 90% of us who read this place know that is not the case on *this* day. Eleven of the Medals for that day were posthumous presentations.Civil War, and a sharp little fight at Prairie Grove, Arkansas, early in the war.BLACK, JOHN C. Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, 37th Illinois...

...to play with the toys.12/04/2009 - U.S. Marines with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment fire an M-240B machine gun during a combat marksmanship shooting exercise on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) Dec. 4, 2009, while under way in the Caribbean Sea. Wasp is deployed as part of Amphibious-Southern Partnership Station, which is part of the Partnership of the Americas maritime strategy that focuses on building interoperability and cooperation in the U.S...

There are eight Medals awarded for this day in our military history, running the gamut of our wars, with the notable exception of both rounds of the Great War of Civilization. There is only one posthumous award, and it is the only award earned during the lifetimes of 95% of our readers.Civil War. In truth, while I understand Lieutenant Cockley's motivation, the first thing that came to mind was... "I bet he was a spring-butt, too." Those who know, know.COCKLEY, DAVID L. Rank and organization...