Yet when the chips are down and the need is great, these brave men jump right in and help people that need help.
Residents near Indianapolis mopped up Monday in the wake of floods while the fight took on new intensity far downstream as walls of water coursed through East and West Forks of White River.
Downstream is where state disaster response officials -- surprised by the weekend flash flood -- tried to get ahead of the dangerous surge Monday, directing an assortment of felons and farmers, Amish and Mennonites, soldiers and Marines to sandbag sodden levees in southwestern Indiana.
Hard fighting for Elnora started at 4 a.m. when gray helicopters landed 90 troops of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a rapid response force training in Indiana. But by 5 p.m., the sandbagging was called off and the town of 736 was evacuated just ahead of the highest crest ever recorded on West Fork.
You read it correctly. The United States Marines are here in Indiana helping to save communities that are soon to be threatened by downstream flooding, caused by the recent torrential downpours Hoosiers have been experiencing over the past several days. They are here for urban warfare training in Indianapolis, yet they seem to have time to help Americans that desperately need it. Their job is to protect the nation, but none of them seemed to mind helping to protect a community, which most of them never heard of.
LTC Greg Ballard (Ret.), the current mayor of Indianapolis, invited them to use areas of the city for their training. But sadly, a handful of people have raised a stink about the exercise.
About a dozen people turned out today at the corner of 38th and Fall Creek Avenue to protest Marine plans to stage military exercises in Indianapolis.
The protest comes after an announcement that about 2,300 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., will conduct training from Wednesday through June 19 in and around Indianapolis.
In this instance, only a dozen or so had the audacity to show their faces in a pitiful rejection of the men that have volunteered to serve their nation. But in another instance, an elected official turned the Marines away from similar training in his city.
TOLEDO, OH -- Mayor Carty Finkbeiner on Friday ordered some 200 members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines from Grand Rapids, Michigan, out of Toledo just before the unit was supposed to start a weekend of urban warfare training downtown.
Many thanks should go to Mayor Ballard for inviting this unit to train here, and many more should go to the men of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit for pitching in. The original mission may be postponed or diverted, but the new mission has meaning for those that were privileged to work along side these men, and even more so to those that will (hopefully) reap the benefits.
A great big OOOH- RAH to all of them.
5 comments:
When Cindy Sheehan hears about that, she'll be there in no time calling for an end to the occupation of Indianapolis.
Like you, I've had it with the scurilous libel of our men and women in uniform. I was just trying to have a civilized debate with some Regressives about how the US is not really any different from other western democracies in the pursuit and punishment of terror suspects, when one of the particularly regressive bloggers came up with the following:
"France did not invade a foreign country and killed thousands of innocents. On the other hand, I realize that those victims were not American and I am probably rude to bring it to your attention.
The Irak war in the US media resembles the Vietnam war in more than one point. One of the most callous way is the counting of victims. Apparently, just like in Vietnam, only Americans die."
That's right, folks, our soldiers slaughtered thousands of civilians, and "downright mean" America doesn't even care. A common opinion that, again, I've had it up to here with. I refuse to debate with people like that.
I say if you have never worn the boots that defend this nation then don't judge or demonstrate against them. It is because of them you have that right. You didn't oppose NASCAR drivers coming to Speedway to do training, or for that matter Champ and IRL training there as well.
Many of you self righteous people should think about why you can say what you want when you want instead of saying it.
Training is training is training...why would you not want you city to be used?
Semper Fi
CPL Joshua Patterson
Greg
"France did not invade a foreign country and killed thousands of innocents. On the other hand, I realize that those victims were not American and I am probably rude to bring it to your attention.
So other than erroneous pedantic verbal garbage triggered by an excess of late night wanking, what is this mystery guest above trying to say.
//When Cindy Sheehan hears about that, she'll be there in no time calling for an end to the occupation of Indianapolis.//
(Smirk)
CPL Patterson,
You'll get no argument from me. They may call Marines killers. I'll call them gentlemen. I wore an Army uniform many years ago and am proud that I did.
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