Wednesday's Hero

First Lieutenant Randall Lee Ashby
Second Platoon, Company B, 317th Engineer Battalion, 2d Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized)


The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Corps of Engineers) Randall Lee Ashby, United States Army, for gallantry while serving as the Platoon Leader of Second Platoon, Company B, 317th Engineer Battalion, 2d Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized). First Lieutenant Ashby consistently demonstrated valor in executing his engineer missions as the lead sapper platoon leader for Task Force 2-69 Armor. Serving with Team ASSASSIN, he voluntarily executed dangerous missions in order to contribute to the engineer's success. First Lieutenant Ashby's personal bravery and selfless actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Third Infantry Division "Rock of the Marne," and the United States Army. NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD: For gallantry in connection with military operations against a hostile force in the country of Iraq in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. First Lieutenant Ashby distinguished himself while serving as Platoon Leader with Second Platoon, Company B, 317th Engineer Battalion, and attached to 2d Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized). First Lieutenant Ashby exhibited extreme gallantry on multiple occasions in over 25 days of continuous combat operations. He spearheaded engineer movement for the Division for roughly 200 kilometers to OBJ CLAY, the Highway 1 Bridge across the Euphrates located to the west of An Nasiriyah. On the night of 21 March 2003, First Lieutenant Ashby led the engineer effort at OBJ CLAY under Team Assassin by providing the first reconnaissance of this key bridge as elements of the Iraqi 11th Infantry Division defended the area. First Lieutenant Ashby, while under fire, conducted a difficult classification mission and ensured the safe passage of an armored company onto OBJ CLAY NORTH. Moreover, after the Task Force had established a tactical assembly area to the west, First Lieutenant Ashby returned to OBJ CLAY to reconnoiter a construction bridge adjacent to the Highway 1 Bridge amid enemy artillery fire from the northern shore. Later, as Team Assassin conducted a dangerous linkup with elements of 3-7 Cavalry south of the city of Al Kifl, First Lieutenant Ashby directed his platoon's emplacement of vital blocking obstacles to prevent enemy penetration of the company's sector for more than seventy hours of continuous enemy contact. In addition, under his leadership 2d Platoon destroyed 300 pounds of TNT intended by the enemy for use on the Al Kifl Bridge. In southern Al Kifl, his platoon gained entry using demolitions to a water-bottling factory with a water supply greatly needed by both the Task Force and the local populous. First Lieutenant Ashby again distinguished himself on 1 April 2003 by emplacing explosive obstacles along RTE VENEZUELA to the east of the key city of Karbala at OBJ LEE. He led the emplacement with Team Assassin under fire from Saddam Fedayeen RPG ambushes and T-62 tanks. On 6 April 2003 again with Team Assassin as the lead element of the Task Force's attack into the Taji region north of Baghdad against Republican Guard and Saddam Fedayeen units, First Lieutenant Ashby personally destroyed with, MK-19 fire, eight enemy RPG teams and dismounted enemy soldiers over a 55 kilometer attack to OBJ MONTY. He displayed calm leadership following a fatal enemy RPG strike on one of his M113 armored personnel carriers, providing stability for his men as they treated two other soldiers wounded in action. While escorting a D9 Dozer, a Division high value asset, to OBJ MONTY, First Lieutenant Ashby protected the dozer from an enemy vehicle intent on ramming them. First Lieutenant Ashby's personal bravery as the lead sapper platoon leader for Task Force 2-69 Armor are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Third Infantry Division "Rock of the Marne," and the United States Army.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday's Hero

Wednesday Hero has been mainly about honoring the Men & Women of the United States military and bringing to light what they do for us, but it's also honored those who've done something to help those same Men & Women. This week I want to introduce Jack Singer of Warwick, N.Y. You see, Jack recently celebrated his 10th birthday, and he did something very cool for a very good cause. He broke the world record for wearing the most pairs of underwear. 215 in fact. But why did he do this? To help raise money for Sgt. Eddie Ryan, a marine who was injured in Iraq five years ago. Now, think back to when you were 10 years old. How many of us could say that they would have forwent birthday presents to raise money for a good cause? I don't think I would have. Jack Singer is, hands down, one of the coolest kids on the planet and I'm proud to honor him.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Just Because...

Just because we are in a parking lot does not mean you do not have to follow the rules of the road.
Today, on the way to work, I went to McDonald's. I wanted an iced coffee. I pulled into their parking lot and approached the derive through. From the direction I was approaching I would be making a right hand turn to enter. Another car, was coming from the opposite direction, and therefore needing to make a left hand turn to enter the drive through. We arrived at the point where we would make our respective turns at the same exact time. Mine being a right hand turn, and his being a left meant that I had the right-of-way. I took it. He didn't like it.

Just because you are stupid does not mean I have to tolerate it.
This same man decided that, because he didn't like it, that he had the need to yell out his window, "Go right ahead! Stupid broad!" Well, I did have the right-of-way, and no amount of him having tried to race me into the drive through lane, changed that. Crossing over into the on-coming travel lane in an attempt to beat me did not seem to have helped him either. Because of that I am the "stupid broad"? I don't think so. I simply said, "I just did" and kept driving. "I see that!", he replies. I ignored him.

Just because I proceed to ignore you doesn't make me a bitch.
I continued to ignore him. I continued to ignore the rude animal noises he was now making from his car. I continued to ignore the hand gestures I saw him sending my way through my rear-view mirror. Thinking he was funny, instead of an ass, he then yells "What? You are deaf and stupid now bitch!" I put the car in park. I leaned out my window and let him have, with his wife and kids in his car, all three of which were looking thoroughly humiliated before I even opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind.

"You are really something special aren't you? Such a grown up, and setting such a good example for the children you have in the back seat! You are certainly someone you mother and wife should be proud of aren't you? Why not, right? After all, you are a really big, tough, smart man to be able to make such eloquent animal noises, and use such an extensive, and educated vocabulary! All in the name of righting an injustice you think you have suffered through. Well, I hate to break it to you now that you have had such a time, and put so much effort into proving how clever, smart, and articulate you were in front of the little woman and the kids, but I was making the right hand turn, and not crossing an on-coming traffic lane, so I have right-of-way. In terms you can understand, I get to go first because them there's the rules Billy Bob! Seriously! You can't even comprehend a simple rule of the road, and you are calling me stupid and calling me names? They aren't even original, or exciting names. You have absolutely no imagination to go with all that stupid you are advertising. Seriously? Bitch? You think I haven't heard that? My sister called me that last night. Didn't phase me then either. And I like her! You, I could care less about. Do you think your name calling is really going to bother me? Your family on the other hand looks a bit bothered, ashamed and embarrassed. Instead of worrying about them, you are worried about the fact that there is one person ahead of you in the McDonald's drive through, and doing a piss poor job of driving in your insane rush for your egg McMuffin. And you were calling me stupid..."

I shook my head as I turned back forward and proceeded to pay the lady at the window for my coffee. She commented "You really shut him up!" I replied, "it is only temporary. He will start in on someone else again before the day is out. That is just what truly stupid people do. They are often times too stupid to realize that they are stupid. They spend their entire day thinking they are smart and it is the rest of the world that isn't when they really just need to stop removing their helmets just to lick the windows." She laughed, and I sighed, because it was at that moment that I realized that the jerk behind me was probably going to take out his failures, and even more of his stupid on his wife and kids.


Just because I have no patience, does not mean they should have to suffer. For that I am sorry.