American Hero!

Press Reporting Preferences

PFC Peralta's bravery does deserve the highest honor.

Army Mom, you and some others (I think) have been trying to point out the fact that most of the American Press would rather print stories designed to tear down our servicemembers and their efforts, rather than build them up.

And since that's how the Vietnam War was finally won (by the pacifists), they think that it's possible to win this one that way, too.

If you ignore the truth long enough, and report only the lies - people will only know of the lies, and believe them to be true.

While I can't say that we "need" more stories about Peralta and his fellow Marines (we don't need more stories about our children dying), I can say that we need more stories about the good that our soldiers, sailors, and marines are doing, and fewer about the "bad apples" and those who fall back on lousy training (like PFC England, etc).

There is an awful lot of good that goes unreported.
 
wow, im glad this topic came back, im glad i read it, Rafael Peralta, a brave man indeed. him and his kind should all be honored emulation, its not much to say that he is a great man, but what if we all had that sort of love, that sort of courage, that sort of patriotism? where would the world, and our great country, be, if we all chose to be like Sergeant Rafael Peralta?
 
Hm, I've read about MoH reciepients that seemed to have done, to me anyway, less heroic feats than Peralta, and they were awarded the Medal. There is absolutely no reason Peralta shouldn't be awarded, posthumously, the Medal of Honor, to honor his name, his bravery and so his family can be proud of what he did for his new home. Sometimes there is no justice.
 
Don't be jumping the gun. Just because there is no word on it yet doesn't mean he won't get the MoH. It is a very long and involved process.
 
03USMC said:
Pete031 said:
This man gave the ultimate sacrifice... And the least they can do is make sure he is decorated and remembered in return... I only hope that the politics surrounding this war won't mask this man's bravery....
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The good thing about the Corps is that Sergeant Peralta will never be forgotten. His story and his sacrifice will be remembered as long as the Marine Corps exists. It will told to recruits at MCRD, it will be told at SOI, he will be remembered in his unit. Most importantly it will told by the Marines he saved.
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And will the US Government adequately compensate families of these very brave men who make these incredibly brave sacrifices????
 
Strongbow said:
And will the US Government adequately compensate families of these very brave men who make these incredibly brave sacrifices????
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I'm not sure where you are trying to go with that question but I do know that various charities have actually moved away from paying the families of dead soldiers since new legislation increased the amount and promptness of compensation to such an extent that the charities are no longer neccessary in that regard.
 
vargsriket said:
I have read that the Gov't increased the amount the family of a dead soldier recieves from $200,000 to $500,000, or at least it was in legislation. I don't how if it's only for those dying in a combat zone, KIA or accidents, or applies towards everyone serving in in the military.
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The servicemember must participate in the Serviceman's Group Life Insurance program, taking a certain amount of money out of each paycheck to contribute, proportionally, to the amount of coverage he/she receives. The maximum coverage was raised to $400,000, which equals about $27 a month. You can request less coverage, or none at all. Any payout must be from a duty-related incident (not just KIA).

In my opinion, the SGLI stinks, and I have my reasons that I won't share. The govt should pay the full $400,000 for every KIA servicemember. It is the least it should do.
 
But if the doctors can "Medically Retire" a service member before they die, the family gets the paycheck until the kids are 18 or something like that.

On top of SGLI...

When I went to Iraq, I got additional policies.
 
Strongbow said:
And will the US Government adequately compensate families of these very brave men who make these incredibly brave sacrifices????
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That is totally uncalled for. The military has traditionally taken care of the families in all past wars. The individual currently has the opportunity to buy up to $500,000 term life insurance for less than a coke a day. To presume that the government should bestow millions upon their families is absurd.

9/11 made monsters regarding compensation for acts of terrorism as well as war. Those men and women that died in the Pentagon (at one time) were not included with the families that were given millions for the loss.

What's next? Paying all of the people of New Orleans millions each because a natural disaster happened?

I spent 28+ years serving my country, all the time I knew that I could be put into harm's way, that was the price I paid to defend our freedoms. I would do it again without hesitation.

The Marine in the article surely deserves the CMH (Congressional Medal of Honor). If you feel the same way simply write a letter to your congressman/woman and state so. It might not get the motion going but at least they will have the name on their mind when the issue comes up.

JMHO, but no where in the core values does it decry the Honor, Courage and Committment it takes to sacrifice your life for your shipmates (remember I'm Navy) or fellow soldiers, Marines, etx. There is also nothing written that says it's your duty to die for your country or for your shipmates. The act of courage by the Marine in question is going above and beyond the call of duty, and that part of my opinion is more fact than opinion.

vargsriket said:
I have read that the Gov't increased the amount the family of a dead soldier recieves from $200,000 to $500,000, or at least it was in legislation. I don't how if it's only for those dying in a combat zone, KIA or accidents, or applies towards everyone serving in in the military.

I investigated on MoH recommendations, and found this http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/lookupstoryref/20045143251
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As stated before, SGLI has bee offered to every service member for many years. The value of the policy is dependant upon what each individual service member wants to pay for. Some have zero, some have the max.
 
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As for individual solider,Sgt. Rafael Peralta's action is very great. But I become dolorous when I think how negligible the thing is when compared with the whole nation's will.
 
Bump in Memory Of Sgt. Peralta


And to remind everyone that his act of selfless valor, was not valued by the Pouges assigned to the review board by SecDef Gates.
 
Ouch, shot in the face and torso by 3 AKs? I'm amazed he had the constitution to even grab the grenade.

It's a terrible loss to lose a true warrior like Peralta, R.I.P.
 
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