UNCLE SAM'S MISGUIDED CHILDREN

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EVEN IN DEATH, A JARHEAD CAN'T HARDLY CATCH A BREAK

HAWAII HERO MARINE DENIED HIGHEST HONOR


Dubya Grabs Foto Op, Dumps "Wetback's" Body On Mom's Lawn

United States Marine Corps Sergeant Rafael Peralta, 25, of San Diego, California, with the Third Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Kaneohe, Hawaii, was denied the nation's highest honor today by George Dubya Bush, deserter, traitor and coward, and his minions in the Satanic Pentagon.

Mr. Peralta died in Falluja, Iraq, in 2004 after taking multiple gunshot wounds to the face and body, and then throwing himself on an enemy hand grenade to save his fellow Marines. He was successful in his last mission. By taking the initiative and sacrificing himself, he saved the lives of five other men. To those men, and their fellow Marines, and all their families, Sergeant of Marines Peralta will always be a hero, no matter what the Crotch says.

The Commanding General of the First Marine Division took the initiative, also. Rather than simply honor the sergeant, General Natonski had the bullets dug out of Peralta's body and forensically identified. Since some evidently came from "friendly fire" by other U.S. troops, Sergeant Peralta's sacrifice was downgraded by the top brass, Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

This may have had something to do with the fact that Peralta was, in effect, from the Halls of Montezuma. Peralta was born in Mexico, and moved to San Diego with his family as a child, without proper documentation. He was dark-skinned and had Indian features, and probably spoke English with an accent. He did not become a citizen until after enlisting in the Corps, and his mother and sister only followed his example much later. His mother still does not speak English. Not exactly a Republican poster boy. In any case, he didn't get the Medal of Honor.

Peralta's Mother was shocked and hurt by the deliberate humiliation of her dead son. After all, Dubya himself had called her to try to clinch a few Hispanic votes in the next election. But, since most Latino's, like most everyone in America, are trending Democratic, the "President" dropped the pretense, and spit in Mrs. Perata's grieving face instead. Rush Limbaugh would be proud.

What difference it makes that a man who covered a live grenade with his own body was first hit by accidental fire from his own side, only Satan knows. God Himself is flummoxed on this one. Speaking as a former gyrene myself, all I can say is "F*CK THE SUCK!!!"

Semper Fi, Peralta. Guard those streets of Heaven well, Marine.


MARINE CORPS TIMES
"Peralta to be given Navy Cross posthumously"

' Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter will award the Navy Cross medal — the nation’s second-highest combat award for valor in combat — to Sgt. Rafael Peralta, who pulled an enemy grenade to his body before it exploded, the Marine Corps announced Wednesday. Peralta, 25, died Nov. 15, 2004, while he and members of Alpha Company of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, were in the second week of fighting in the Battle of Fallujah when he barged into a house with a rifle squad. They immediately came under fire from insurgents inside the house. “Peralta was caught in a deadly crossfire between insurgents and his Marines, leaving him mortally wounded,” officials said in an announcement released by I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton. “After the initial exchange of gunfire, the insurgents broke contact, throwing a fragmentation grenade as they fled the building.” The grenade stopped near Peralta’s head, they said, and “without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own safety, Peralta reached out and pulled the grenade to his body, absorbing the brunt of the blast and shielding fellow Marines only feet away. Peralta succumbed to his wounds.” '

YAHOO NEWS
"Marine praised by Bush won't get Medal of Honor "

' The family of Sgt. Rafael Peralta, who was posthumously nominated for the nation's highest military honor, told the North County Times of Escondido, Calif., they were disappointed he was not receiving the Medal of Honor. "I don't understand why if the president has been talking about him," his mother, Rosa Peralta, told the newspaper, which was the first to report the bestowing of the Navy Cross. Rosa Peralta said she was informed during a meeting with Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski that a committee could not agree on awarding the Medal of Honor to her son, who Marine Corps officials say was first wounded by friendly fire. She said the general mentioned the friendly fire aspect as part of her son's death during the discussion. '

USA TODAY
"Some upset Marine sergeant won't receive Medal of Honor"

' A rare decision by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to reject a Marine Corps recommendation that one of its heroes receive the Medal of Honor has angered Marines who say Sgt. Rafael Peralta sacrificed his life to save theirs. Peralta's family was notified of the decision Wednesday by Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski, a top Marine Corps commander. Col. David Lapan, a Marine spokesman, said he was unaware of any recent award nomination that was denied in this way. '

HONOLULU ADVERTISER
"Hawaii-based Marine who died in Iraq won't get Medal of Honor"

' On Memorial Day 2005, President Bush singled out Peralta for his valor, saying he "understood that America faces dangerous enemies, and he knew the sacrifices required to defeat them." Rosa Peralta previously said an undersecretary of the Navy had told her the Medal of Honor had been approved and needed the president's signature. "I don't want that medal," Rosa Peralta said yesterday, referring to the Navy Cross. "I won't accept it. It doesn't seem fair to me." The decision is "almost like somebody called me a liar," said Marine Sgt. Nicholas Jones, 25, who was with Peralta on the day of the firefight. Jones, a recruiter, said Peralta's actions have become part of Marine Corps lore, as drill sergeants and officer-candidate instructors repeat it to new Marines. "His name is definitely synonymous with valor," said Jones, who was wounded by shrapnel from the grenade blast. "My honest opinion (of the medal decision)? It's BS," said Robert Reynolds, a corrections officer and former Marine who credits Peralta with saving his life that day in Fallujah. "I was in that house. I was next to Sgt. Peralta," Reynolds, 31, said. "I saw him with my own eyes reach out and pull that damn grenade in." Peralta did exactly what other Marines did who have been awarded the Medal of Honor, Reynolds said. "You know honestly how I think it is (that he didn't receive the Medal of Honor)?" Reynolds asked. "I think it's because he's an immigrant. I think it's because he's from Mexico." Reynolds said the Corps never once called him to talk about his eyewitness account. "Last year, I got a call from Headquarters Marine Corps," Sabga said. "They were asking me, 'What's the immigration status of Mrs. Peralta and the rest of her family?' I thought it was kind of weird. Why would they be inquiring about that?" '

UNITED STATES MARINE BAND
"The Marines' Hymn"

' From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.


Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
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 tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job --
The United States Marines.


Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are 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.
'

(Cross-posted at Out Of Iraq Bloggers Caucus & Democracy For California.)
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