Friday, June 25, 2010

American Patriot/Hero of the Week

Apparently you have to select the "Publish Post" button instead of the "Save Now" button to publish a post. Who knew? Seriously though, user error is the reason why "Tuesday's" Patriot/Hero post is going up on Friday. You have to be smarter than the software, and this week I guess I just did not qualify. So without further ado, I give you this weeks Patriot/Hero.

First Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing

The West Point graduate and his men of the Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery were defending the Union position on Cemetery Ridge against Pickett's Charge, a major Confederate thrust that could have turned the tide in the war.

Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was planning an invasion of the North; both sides knew how important this engagement was.

Cushing commanded about 110 men and six cannons. His small force along with reinforcements stood their ground under artillery bombardment as nearly 13,000 Confederate infantrymen waited to advance.

The bombardment lasted two hours. Cushing was wounded in the shoulder and groin, and his battery was left with two guns and no long-range ammunition. His stricken battery should have been withdrawn and replaced with reserve forces, Hartwig said, but Cushing shouted that he would take his guns to the front lines.

Confederate soldiers advanced into the Union fire, but finally retreated with massive casualties. The South never recovered from the defeat.

The soldier's bravery so inspired one Civil War history buff that he took up Cushing's cause by launching a Facebook page titled "Give Alonzo Cushing the Medal of Honor." Phil Shapiro, a 27-year-old Air Force captain, said such heroism displayed in one of the nation's most pivotal battles deserved recognition, even at this late date.

Secretary of the Army John McHugh has approved the request, leaving a few formal steps before the award becomes official this summer. Cushing will become one of 3,447 recipients of the medal, and the second from the Civil War honored in the last 10 years.

Read the whole story here.

10 comments:

Z said...

hi, Right Wing! Don't feel badly....if you KNEW the things I don't know about computers and my own blog! (I don't even know how to delete from my too-long bookmark list!) HELP!

I wanted to mention that one of the neatest things I ever did was touch a communion set that my pastor's great grandfather used in the Civil War for our soldiers...he showed me and I asked "..can I TOUCH it?" WOW. The history, the meaning...really knocked me out. Now, I'm going back to read the rest of your story....thanks so much.

Z said...

WOW, I didn't think I'd come back to bother you with yet another comment, but I had to... do we EVER have to honor MEN like this. I'm so humbled having read this. thanks.

Anonymous said...

I love stories such as this one. Now if we could marshal our forces on behalf of one of Amreica's least recognized hero's from World War II ... Colonel Wendell Fertig. In my view, politics and petty personalities should never keep a man such as this from getting his general's star and/or the Medal of Honor.

Semper Fi

Right Wing Extreme said...

Z,
I never feel bad. It just does not look good when you are a computer geek to make a mistake like that. I bet that set was awesome to behold.

Right Wing Extreme said...

Z,
Do we HAVE to honor men like this? No we do not. Should we? Every chance we get which is why I do these posts almost every week. I think they are some of the most important posts I do. Another blogger, Proof over at Proof Positive has a weekly Medal of Honor hero's type post as well as maintaining a Medal of Honor Archive that I sometimes pilfer when I am pressed for time, not feeling well etc. I highly recommend stopping by and taking a look.

Right Wing Extreme said...

Mustang,
Thanks for reading. I would be glad to put my weight behind Col. Fertig. Not all of my Heroes are MOH winners or even always military, though they often are. The link you sent is broken, but I am sure I can research it for myself. I would like for you to provide any and all information on how politics and petty personalities kept this man from his just rewards. Please provide factual sources as that will have the most weight. information can be sent to: rightwingextreme@hotmail.com

By the way.....
Rangers Lead the Way

Z said...

"do we EVER have to honor men like this" was a positive...DO WE EVER! is what I meant!

And yes, touching that communion set knocked me OUT...I almost cried.

Mustang, perfect name, FERTIG, for your war hero : Fertig means READY in German. He was ready!!!

Anonymous said...

To error is to be human.
But to really mess up it take a cat stepping on your keyboard.

Right Wing Extreme said...

Z,
Sorry for the misunderstanding. I humbly beg our forgiveness.

Right Wing Extreme said...

Fuzzy,
lol. I wish I had that excuse, but the kitties have been keeping off the keyboard and away from me. They are mad at me because I did the flea treatment, and they are making sure I know I am not in their good graces.