Proud to Serve My Country, By Rick Romley

Proud to Serve My Country

By Rick Romley

My parents taught me what it means to be of service to others. And they taught me that, other than family, perhaps nothing in life is more important.

I grew up in the sixties. It was a decade defined by political turmoil and Woodstock. I didn’t go to Woodstock. Instead, my best friend and I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps soon after graduating from high school. That was in April of 1968. Just four months later, I was through boot camp and infantry training and was on a military transport to Da Nang, Vietnam. Shortly thereafter, I was made a squad leader.

On the evening of April 6th of 1969, the squad leaders were called together and told that we would be doing a sweeping operation south of Marble Mountain. Da Nang had taken some artillery fire believed to be coming from that area and it needed to be stopped.

We began our mission the next morning, under beautiful blue skies. After nearly completing the mission, several of my fellow Marines went down. We took no gunfire, but there were land mines and booby traps, seemingly everywhere. After evacuating my fellow Marines, we continued our mission. We then hit another area of land mines. We lost a total of six Marines that day. While rushing to provide assistance and to reassign weaponry, a land mine exploded beneath me.

Although my active military service ended that day, I will never forget the young soldiers of my youth, including my best friend who joined the Marine Corps with me and was killed on a forgotten hill in the demilitarized zone in August, 1969. Many are gone now. Sadly, Vietnam veterans are dying at a faster rate than the veterans of previous wars. In so many ways, their sacrifices continue.

As we celebrate this Fourth of July, let's take a moment to pause and remember the sacrifices of the men and women in uniform who have fought and continue to fight for the freedoms we enjoy today. It is because of these men and women that our country, founded on the principles of freedom, liberty and justice, will be celebrating its 234th anniversary.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Fourth of July.

God Bless America.

Respectfully,Rick Romley

SCHECTER Makes HALL of SHAME

By Bob Haran;
American Conservative Republican and
Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran.

Joel David Schecter, AKA, J.D. "DUKE" Schecter, of Tucson, seems to want to be what he is not, an American war hero. Schecter also wants to be a member of the Arizona Senate from LD 27. The DUKE has a problem however, he is trying to become an Arizona Senator by stealing the valor or the respected symbols of valor, of those who earned those symbols with their blood and many times with their life.

A group dedicated to exposing military fakes, "The P.O.W. Network," has added Schecter to its Hall of Shame because he claimed to have earned a Silver Star and five Purple Heart medals as a combat Marine Sergeant in Vietnam.

Military records obtained by the Arizona Daily Star under the Freedom of Information Act indicate that Schecter did serve as a Marine in Vietnam as a helicopter electrician, however, he never earned a Silver Star or any Purple Hearts and that he was discharged from active duty as a Lance Corporal, not a Sergeant.

For those unfamiliar with the military, ever decoration, badge, stripe, button and the uniform itself, worn by our soldiers, sailors, Marines, airman and Coast Guardsmen has been earned. Over a million Americans have died in the service of our country wearing those uniforms and only a small number of those have had their service recognized with decorations such as the Silver Star. In fact, those that have earned the right to wear such decorations, including those awarded with the Medal of Honor, will tell you that they wear their medals in recognition of those who went unrecognized for their bravery. The wearing of unearned military decorations therefore is one of the lowest and dishonorable things an individual could possibly do.

Bogus claims to American military awards for heroism are so serious, it is a federal offense under the Stolen Valor Act of 2007.

According to the Arizona Daily Star report, http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_60ceca5f-c1bf-559c-b11a-12f101c12cfc.html, Michael Davis, a retired Marine Corps First Sergeant from Oklahoma, reported Schecter to the Phoenix office of the FBI. Hopefully, the DUKE, will be wearing some addition medals in the near future, around his wrists.


The American Conservative Republican prays that Mr. Schecter is never elected to any public office, having the title "The Honorable" before his name would be obscene. ACR would also recommend that the Arizona Legislature pass an Arizona version of the Stolen Valor Act out of respect for those who are now and those who have in the past, Gave Their All.

For God and country,

Bob Haran

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

To all past and present Marines and members of the Marine Corps family, happy 234 years of service to our great country.

The Marine Corps dates from 10 November 1775, the day the Continental Congress authorized the formation of two battations of Marines.

The first Marine recruiting rendezvous opened at Tun's Tavern in Philadelphia, which is considered the birth place of the Marine Corps.

By early 1776, before the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Marines were ready to take the fight to the enemy and 234 Marines sailed from Philadelphia in Continential Navy warships. The mission was to take a British fort in the Bahamas and capture large supplies of munitions for General Washington's army and on 3 March 1776, for the first time in American History, the Marines had landed and the situation was well in hand.

Since the birth of the Corps, as the Marines's Hymm says,

"We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun.
In the snow of far-off northern lands
And in sunny trobic scenes,
You will find us always on the job-
The United States Marines."

And so to my brother and sister Marines, we few who have earned the title of Marine, as the end of our hymm proclaims, I offer this toast on our Corps birthday.

"Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we our proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve.
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes,
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines."

Semper Fidelis

Bob Haran,
USMC 1968-71

Once a Marine, always a Marine