‘Heroes’: Pentagon unveils a series of stories on courageous GIs of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars

On Aug. 30, I pointed out here that, with 38,000 Bronze Stars awarded in the Iraq war -- 1,000 of them for valor -- it seemed odd that most of us couldn’t name one hero of the liberation.

What did these 1,000 American GIs do to earn these medals? And why hadn’t the Department of Defense made it easy for us to find out?

That day, I also sent an e-mail to the Pentagon asking those questions. Well, I discovered the answer today:

Above and beyond. Just one week after I wrote, the Defense Department began posting a series, “Heroes in the War on Terror.” And every week since then, “Heroes” has told the stories of two or three U.S. troops whose actions went “above and beyond” the call of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan.

This week, “Heroes” spotlights the brave work of:

* Army Sgt. Nathaniel “Brad” Lindsey, who trained Afghan soldiers to defend their new democracy and died last month in a Taliban ambush.

* Air Force Master Sgt. Letitia Whitaker, who helped establish an air-control service and supervised covert flight operations in northern Iraq in 2003.

* Army Sgt. Ryan Gallucci, who helped open schools and a water-pumping station in eastern Iraq in 2003 and 2004.

Others profiled so far in the “Heroes” series are:

Nov. 15:

* Marine 1st Lt. Stephen Boada.
* Army Sgt. Maj. William Doherty.
* Navy Lt. Brian Skubin.

Nov. 8:

* Marine Sgt. Jason A. Gagliano.
* Air Force 1st Lt. Brian Lomax.
* Army Capt. Brian J. Pipkin.

Nov. 1:

* Army Staff Sgt. Joseph P. Buhain.
* Marine Corp. Todd J. Corbin.
* Army Capt. Joel Arends.

Sept. 6:

* Marine Sgt. Robert J. Mitchell Jr.
* Army Master Sgt. Richard Burnette.
* Air Force Staff Sgt. Timothy Bishop.

Sept. 13:

* Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson.
* Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny P. Dietz.

Sept. 20:

* Army Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester.
* Marine 1st Lt. Alfred L. Butler IV.
* Navy Lt. Cmdr. Benito E. Baylois.

Sept. 27:

* Army Special Services Master Sgt. Sarun Sar.
* Army Spec. Jeremy Church.
* Air Force Sr. Airman Adam P. Servais.

Oct. 4:

* Navy Petty Officer 2 nd Class Juan M. Rubio.
* Coast Guard Petty Officer Sarah A. Vega.
* Marine Sgt. Maj. Bradley A. Kasal.

Oct. 18.

* Marine Capt. Frank Diorio.
* Navy Capt. Matthew C. Gratton.
* Army Spec. Kraig Lemme.

Thank you, American heroes. You’ve shown the best of America’s traditions in defending freedom at home and defeating tyranny abroad.

And thank you, Department of Defense, for letting us see their stories. I’d like more details on each of these Americans, but this site is a good start for anyone wondering what U.S. troops have risked and sacrificed over the last five years.

Overlooked heroes. Compared to FDR’s War Department during World War II, the current Defense Department has done little to spotlight the heroism of its individual troops. And it’s had little help.

There are no “Heroes of Iwo Jima” tours these days. There’s no James Doolittle or Audie Murphy. And Hollywood shows no interest in portraying Americans as doing anything noble in the liberations of Afghanistan and Iraq.

But the contrast to World War II has become so stark that more Americans today probably can name the U.S. troops who abused Iraqis at Abu Ghaib than can identify even one GI who has earned America’s highest honors for selfless action in Iraq.

Doing some good. “Heroes” is a reminder that most of the 150,000 Americans in Iraq and 20,000 in Afghanistan are there to do some good.

They don’t want to kill anyone. They don’t want to steal anything. They want to free people, secure liberty’s new outposts, and go home. It just so happens that the good they do also involves risking their own lives.

Sounds heroic to me.

Frank Warner

* * *

Aug. 30 e-mail to the Department of Defense:

08/30/2006 01:53 PM

Hello Pentagon,

The Department of Defense should put out a press kit naming at least five recognized heroes of the Iraq war from each state, D.C. and Puerto Rico. That would be 260 heroes.

I’m shocked that, three years into the liberation of Iraq, it’s so hard to find out who our heroes are. The lists of military awards winners should be together, all branches, in one easy to find Web site. Why do you make this difficult?

And give us their stories! Most Americans can’t name one hero of the Iraq war. Who are our brave fighters? Let us know.

Frank Warner

* * *

And now, click here to take a look at the Pentagon’s “50 Heroes for 50 States.”

Comments

[Kevin]

GREAT find! Thanks much.

[George]

These unsung heroes are all victims of Information Warfare.