Target Centermass

Author: Gunner

  • U.S. to Probe Shooting of Wounded

    It looks like another tragedy, another submission of a human being to the demons of war, may possibly have occurred in Fallujah.

    The shooting Saturday was videotaped by pool correspondent Kevin Sites of NBC television, who said three other previously wounded prisoners in the mosque apparently also had been shot again by the Marines inside the mosque.

    The incident played out as the Marines 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment, returned to the unidentified Fallujah mosque Saturday. Sites was embedded with the unit.

    Sites reported that a different Marine unit had come under fire from the mosque on Friday. Those Marines stormed the building, killing ten men and wounding five others, Sites said. The Marines said the fighters in the mosque had been armed with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 rifles.

    The Marines had treated the wounded, he reported, left them behind and continued on Friday with their drive to retake the city from insurgents who have been battling U.S.-led occupation forces in Iraq (news – web sites) with increasing ferocity and violence in recent months.

    On the video as the camera moved into the mosque during the Saturday incident, a Marine can be heard shouting obscenities in the background, yelling that one of the men was only pretending to be dead.

    The video then showed a Marine raising his rifle toward a prisoner laying on the floor of the mosque but neither NBC nor CNN showed the bullet hitting the man. At that moment the video was blacked out but the report of the rifle could be heard.

    The blacked out portion of the video tape, provided later to Associated Press Television News and other members of the network pool, showed the bullet striking the man in the upper body, possibly the head. His blood splatters on the wall behind him and his body goes limp.

    Sites reported a Marine in the same unit had been killed just a day earlier when he tended to the booby-trapped dead body of an insurgent.

    The events on the videotape began as some of the Marines from the unit accompanied by Sites approached the mosque on Saturday, a day after it was stormed by other Marines.

    Gunfire can be heard from inside the mosque, and at its entrance, Marines who were already in the building emerge. They are asked by an approaching Marine lieutenant if there were insurgents inside and if the Marines had shot any of them. A Marine can be heard responding affirmatively. The lieutenant then asks if they were armed and fellow Marine shrugs.

    Sites’ account said the wounded men, who he said were prisoners and who were hurt in the previous day’s attack, had been shot again by the Marines on the Saturday visit.

    The videotape showed two of the wounded men propped against the wall and Sites said they were bleeding to death. According his report, a third wounded man appeared already dead, while a fourth was severely wounded but breathing. The fifth was covered by a blanket but did not appear to have been shot again after the Marines returned. It was the fourth man who was shown being shot.

    A spokesman at Marine Corps headquarters in the Pentagon (news – web sites), Maj. Doug Powell, said the incident was “being investigated.” He had no further details, other than to confirm the incident happened on Saturday and that the Marines involved were part of the 1st Marine Division.

    The CNN broadcast of the pictures used pixilation to cover parts of the video that could lead to public identification of the Marines involved.

    NBC’s Robert Padavick told members of the U.S. television pool that the Pentagon had ordered NBC and other pool members to make sure the Marines identity was hidden because “they (the military authorities) are anticipating a criminal investigation as a result of this incident and do not want to implicate anybody ahead of that.”

    In New York, NBC spokeswoman Allison Gollust said the network did not broadcast the prisoner being shot because of the “graphic nature” of the video.

    If the evidence on this tape and the accompanying allegations are true, this soldier needs to be prosecuted.

    Evidence may find him innocent, or circumstances may hold sway over the extent of his penalty. He must be prosecuted, however, as he seems to have violated orders and US-signed accords.

    There may come a time when this conflict requires such barbarity (which was known in other heroic efforts, e.g. WWII) but that time has not come yet. There may be a time when the gloves are truly off and the media are muzzled to save our civilization, but we ain’t there yet. Let’s watch how the UCMJ wheels roll on this one.

  • Chirac Says UK Won Nothing Supporting Iraq

    Submitted for your approval, a contrast of national leaders: George Bush, who was willing to stake his presidency on the course of action in Iraq he thought was right, and Jacques Chirac, who was drooling to oppose Bush, not for the cause of right but for the cause of political gain. Now, Chirac is condemning Britain’s Tony Blair for not following the same self-centered course.

    French President Jacques Chirac said in a newspaper interview on Tuesday that Britain has gained nothing from its support for the United States-led invasion of Iraq.

    Chirac said he had urged Britain before the invasion to press President Bush to revive the Middle East peace process in return for London’s support.

    “Well, Britain gave its support but I did not see much in return,” Chirac was quoted as saying in the Times. “I am not sure that it is in the nature of our American friends at the moment to return favors systematically.”

    Blair’s staunch support for Washington over Iraq led to bitter divisions within his ruling Labor Party and dragged down his public approval ratings.

    Chirac, who will hold talks with Blair when he makes a state visit to Britain on Thursday, recalled a Franco-British summit last year when he asked his British counterpart to try to influence U.S. policy on the Middle East.

    “I said then to Tony Blair: ‘We have different positions on Iraq. Your position should at least have some use’. That is to try to obtain in exchange a relaunch of the peace process in the Middle East.”

    Chirac questioned whether Britain could act as a bridge between the United States and Europe to help heal the rift that developed over the Iraq war. France and Germany were among the most vocal opponents of U.S. military action to oust former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

    “I am not sure with America as it is these days that it would be easy for someone, even the British, to be an honest broker,” Chirac was quoted as saying in the Times.

    Blair said on Monday that Europe and the United States should bury their differences over Iraq and focus on global challenges such as lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. “It is not a sensible or intelligent response for us in Europe to ridicule American arguments and parody their political leadership,” Blair said in his major foreign policy speech of the year.

    Do not make the mistake that Chirac is all about the Mideast peace process — no, for dear ol’ Jacques, it’s all about personal political gain and setting the E.U. (and consequently France) up as global rivals to the US. In this atmosphere, it is not surprising that an honest broker like the British would be ineffective in healing the rifts between the US and France. An honest broker cannot aid the relationship between a cowboy and a rattlesnake.

    At a time when the world needs more Winston, we’re cursed with too much Jacques.

  • Man Sets Self Afire Outside White House

    Hey, buddy, you got a light?

    A man set himself on fire about 2 p.m. Monday on Pennsylvania Avenue outside the White House.

    The man, whose identity and condition have not been released, was taken to a hospital for treatment.

    “Members of the uniformed Secret Service responded and administered first aid to the individual until D.C. fire and EMS arrived,” said Secret Service public relations spokesman Jonathan Cherry. “The individual has been transported to the burn unit at Medstar at the Washington Hospital Center. An investigation is currently under way.”

    The investigation is being conducted by U.S. Park Police, whose jurisdiction includes the property directly outside the fence surrounding the White House.

    President Bush went about his regular schedule during and after the incident, said White House spokesman Trent Duffy.

    One witness said the man approached a security checkpoint building at the northwest gate of the White House and showed a writing pad with the word “urgent” written on it. When a uniformed Secret Service guard asked if he could help him, the man began walking along the fence toward the guard.

    Another witness near the scene heard the unidentified man yelling in Arabic, “God is great,” several times. And several witnesses said a bag the man was carrying started burning, pouring out thick black smoke that enveloped him.

    The man appeared to fall face forward on the ground in front of the gate security building, the witnesses said, and uniformed Secret Service agents rushed to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.

    The section of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House was cordoned off. Secret Service agents evacuated the immediate area in front of the White House, including the North Lawn area used by television organizations and other journalists, while initial examinations of the man and his bag were conducted.

    Some may say this is tragic. Some may say this is funny. I say it is a precursor of things to come.

    Terrorism will happen here. Bombings will happen here.

    So many of us sleep still, thinking that an offensive campaign is all that is needed, or that an offensive campaign is the last thing that is needed. Both views are wrong, though the latter is pathetically so. An offensive war against Islamist terror allows us to choose the battlefield and hopefully reshape the social terrain of the Islamist world. It gives an area of focus for the terrorists, for they cannot allow us to successfully build an alternative hope for the Arab world, but it does not prevent them from always seeking to attack us here to try to sap our will.

    My first thought upon hearing this news was of the Buddhist monks who ritualistically took their own lives with fire in Viet Nam. Upon quick reflection, I think the comparison is absolutely empty. The Islamists may welcome death and think it brings rewards, but I know of no instances where they went into that good night without trying to take others with them. I’ll admit I may be ignorant on this, but I still feel the Viet Nam flashback uncalled for in this instance.

    This may have been one lone nut, or it may have been an Islamist who hoped to do damage and looked forward to meeting 72 virgins as a charcoal briquet. Either way, there will be future attempts to harm us and to shake our conviction to fight the radical cancer that torments much of the Moslem world. In facing this, we cannot waver, we cannot cower and hope the danger passes, and we cannot lose focus that this is a great conflict between a dark yesterday and a bright tomorrow.

    Such conflicts do seem to give rise to the occasional loon.

  • Bush Chooses Rice to Replace Powell

    In a series of expected moves, Secretary of State Colin Powell announced that he would step aside, and President Bush has apparently chosen Condoleezza Rice as Powell’s successor.

    Powell, a retired four-star general who often clashed on Iraq and other foreign policy issues with more hawkish members of Bush’s administration, said he was returning to private life once his successor was in place.

    The Cabinet exodus promised a starkly different look to Bush’s second-term team. Rice is considered more of a foreign policy hard-liner than the moderate Powell.

    The White House announced Powell’s exit along with the resignations of Education Secretary Rod Paige, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Veneman had said last week she wanted to stay.

    Bush’s nomination of Rice is expected Tuesday afternoon, a senior administration official said.

    Stephen Hadley, now the deputy national security adviser, is expected to replace Rice at the White House, the official said.

    Combined with the resignations earlier this month of Commerce Secretary Don Evans and Attorney General John Ashcroft, six of Bush’s 15 Cabinet members will not be part of the president’s second term, which begins with his inauguration Jan. 20. An administration that experienced few changes over the last four years suddenly hit a high-water mark for overhaul.

    It’s well known that Powell was often not in full lockstep with the Bush administration, though this was quite often overblown into actual opposition. Powell will always be a fine military figure and a respected statesman; nevertheless, I feel that Condi has more of the steel and understanding needed in the challenges presented by Islamist ambitions.

    Now is not the time to worry overly much about the feelings, desires and ambitions of Old Europe. That time will come when they actually wake up to their own danger. No, now is instead the time for a titanium spine, an iron gauntlet and a vision of optimistic change in dealing with the Moslem world, as is also the case with North Korea and communist China. It’s now Condi’s turn.

  • Quote of the Week, 14 NOV 04

    Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.

    —Calvin Coolidge

  • Target Centermass, out …

    Signing off for a bit. Heading back to the Motherland. Taking a brief pilgramage to Mecca. In other words, going to Aggieland.

    I’m going down to College Station with the girlfriend (a Red Raider) and a dear ol’ college chum for the A&M-Texas Tech game. Unfortunately, work and my dad’s funeral have wreaked havoc on plans, so it’s just a there-and-back-again, same-day jaunt. Otherwise, I would’ve tried to meet Phil from Shades of Gray.

    As to the game, I’m not hopeful for the Ags. They’re definitely showing improvement under Coach Franchione, but I don’t think they have the horses yet for a prepared gimmick offense like Tech’s. Tech is all about flooding the field with receivers, counting on quick slants and crossing patterns, wide receiver bubble screens and shovel-passes out of the backfield. To counter, the option is a strong secondary and/or a quick pressure from the defensive front. I don’t think we yet have the talent or depth in the defensive backfield or the experience and consistency in our front four. My prediction: Tech 42, Aggies 31 (assuming Reggie McNeil is healthy; otherwise, Aggies 17).

    To counter my negativism, I must relate that last weekend I ran into a dude at Whataburger who claimed to have inside knowledge on the Ags’ football program. According to this random guy in far north Dallas, the Ags have a perfect defensive scheme planned. In case random guy is right, I’ll post a hedge prediction of A&M 38- Tech 28. I hope that random Whataburger guy is right.

  • Iraq Status, a.k.a. F the AP

    I’m sorry. On a seemingly slow news day, I can’t let the AP get by with this crap. They’ve thrown in enough to pretend it’s balanced, but one cannot read it, walk away and grab a brew without thinking, “Crap! Weren’t we heading in the right direction this time? What the freakin’ eff happened?!!” Well, not on my watch.

    The Iraqi government rushed reinforcements Friday to the country’s third-largest city, Mosul, seeking to quell a deadly militant uprising that U.S. officials suspected may be in support of the resistance in Fallujah — now said to be under 80 percent U.S. control.

    Police in Mosul largely disappeared from the streets, residents reported, and gangs of armed men brandishing automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenade launchers roamed the city, 225 miles north of Baghdad. Responding to the crisis, Iraqi authorities dismissed Mosul’s police chief after local officials reported that officers were abandoning their stations to militants without firing a shot.

    Elsewhere, insurgents shot down a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter near Taji, 12 miles north of Baghdad, wounding three crew members, the military said. It was the third downed helicopter this week after two Marine Super Cobras succumbed to ground fire in the Fallujah operation.

    Okay, all bad so far. Nice intro, AP.

    In Fallujah, U.S. troops pushed insurgents into a narrow corner in the southern end of the city after a four-day assault that has claimed 22 American lives and wounded about 170 others. An estimated 600 insurgents have died, according to the military.

    Oops! Something almost positive. Good move to quickly spin it towards casualties. Where were you when we needed you on D-Day?

    Despite the apparent success in Fallujah, violence flared elsewhere in the volatile Sunni Muslim areas, including Mosul, where attacks Thursday killed a U.S. soldier. Another soldier was killed in Baghdad as clashes erupted Friday in at least four neighborhoods of the capital. Clashes also broke out from Hawija and Tal Afar in the north to Samarra — where the police chief was also fired — and Ramadi in central Iraq.

    The most serious incidents took place in Mosul, a city of about 1 million people, where fighting raged for a second day. Gunmen attacked the headquarters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party in an hourlong battle that a party official said left six assailants dead.

    Militants also assassinated the head of the city’s anti-crime task force, Brig. Gen. Mowaffaq Mohammed Dahham, and set fire to his home.

    Good recovery. We wouldn’t want the world to think any progress was being made.

    “With the start of operations in Fallujah a few days ago, we expected that there would be some reaction here in Mosul,” Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. forces in the city, told CNN from Mosul.

    Ham said he doubted the Mosul attackers were insurgents who fled Fallujah and said most “were from the northern part of Iraq, in and around Mosul and the Tigris River valley that’s south of the city.”

    Capt. Angela Bowman, a spokeswoman at the U.S. Mosul headquarters, said “some of these attacks are in support of the resistance in Fallujah.”

    The AP sneaks in the obvious. No fanfare on anything that is supportive or that doesn’t glorify the terrorists’ efforts.

    In a telephone interview with Al-Jazeera television, Saif al-Deen al-Baghdadi, an official of the insurgents’ political office, urged militants to fight U.S. forces outside Fallujah.

    “I call upon the scores or hundreds of the brothers from the mujahedeen … to press the American forces outside” Fallujah, al-Baghdadi said.

    “We chose the path of armed jihad and say clearly that ridding Iraq of the occupation will not be done by ballots. Ayad Allawi’s government … represents the fundamentalist right-wing of the White House and not the Iraqi people,” he continued — a reference to the interim Iraqi prime minister, who gave to the go-ahead for the Fallujah invasion.

    Modern idea of objectivity: broadcast the propaganda of the enemy. For a further viewpoint on Omaha Beach, we turn to Berlin ….

    In addition to firing the Mosul police chief, Iraqi authorities also dispatched four battalions of the Iraqi National Guard from garrisons along the Syrian and Iranian borders.

    Most of the reinforcements are ethnic Kurds who fought alongside American forces during the 2003 invasion — a move which could inflame ethnic rivalries with Mosul’s Sunni Arab population. Nevertheless, it appeared Iraqi authorities had no choice given the apparent failure of the city’s police force to maintain order.

    Speaks for itself. Goes negative and quickly undermines the Allawi government’s decision by playing the ethnicity card.

    At a U.S. camp near Fallujah, Lt. Gen. John Sattler, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said U.S. and Iraqi forces now occupy about 80 percent of the city, and that clearing operations are continuing to find caches of weapons and ammunition. Army and Marine units moved to tighten their security cordon around Fallujah, backed by FA-18s and AC-130 gunships.

    The largest pocket of remaining resistance fighters were cornered Friday in the city’s southwest as airstrikes and strafing runs continued.

    “The rout is on,” said a 1st Cavalry Division officer. “It won’t be long now.”

    Iraqi forces were charged with searching every building in Fallujah, working from north to south, the military said.

    In the city’s north, U.S. forces reported roving squads of three to five militants shooting small-arms fire and moving easily through narrow alleyways. Troops were finding numerous weapons caches, the military said.

    Time magazine’s Michael Ware, embedded with U.S. forces, said troops of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment who spearheaded the first push into the city early Monday found entire houses that were booby-trapped.

    Tucked down this far, an American look at the Fallujah operation, its current progress and the treacherous nature of the Islamist bastards we’re sending bloodily to Allah.

    Fighting was so fierce that, on one occasion, U.S. troops fought insurgents room to room, just a few feet away from each other in the same house.

    No spin on this by the AP. War is hell, but better-trained, better-equipped and better-motivated soldiers, our freakin’ soldiers, are winning these encounters.

    Troops have cut off all roads and bridges leading out of Fallujah and have turned back hundreds of men trying to flee the city during the assault. Only women, children and the elderly can leave.

    The military says keeping men aged 15 to 55 from leaving is key to the mission’s success.

    “If they’re not carrying a weapon, you can’t tell who’s who,” said an officer with the 1st Cavalry Division.

    Yo, AP, work a little harder on finding a way to spin this badly.

    The Fallujah operation threatens to enflame passions within the Sunni community, not only against the American presence but against the Shiite majority, whose clerical leaders have by and large remained silent over the killings of Muslims in the city.

    An audiotape purportedly made by al-Qaida-linked terror suspect Abu Musab al-Zarqawi encouraged his fighters in Fallujah and said victory was near. He accused Kurds and Shiites in the Iraqi forces of abandoning their religion and said the offensive had been blessed by “the infidel’s imam,” Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the leading Shiite cleric in Iraq.

    Good job, AP. One problem, though. Didn’t al-Zarqawi promise infidels couldn’t take Fallujah? And didn’t he apparently run away from the anticipated Fallujah showdown like a little bitch? Don’t try to save face for his little weak self.

    U.S. and Iraqi authorities launched the Fallujah operation to restore government control so that national elections can go ahead by the end of January as planned. However, hardline Sunni clerics are calling for a boycott to protest the Fallujah attacks.

    In Baghdad, Iraqi security forces, backed by U.S. troops, arrested one of those clerics, Sheik Mahdi al-Sumaidaei, and about two dozen other people after a raid of his Baghdad mosque uncovered weapons and photographs of recent attacks on American troops, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

    Mosul area deputy Gov. Khissrou Gouran said gunmen tried to storm a food distribution center in the city’s Yarmouk area but were forced back by National Guardsmen and security guards. The gunmen were trying to destroy election registration cards held at the center, Gouran said.

    In Washington, President Bush met with his top ally in the war, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and warned that with Iraqi elections approaching, “the desperation of the killers will grow and the violence could escalate.” But he said victory in Iraq would be a blow to terrorists everywhere.

    Fallujah militants fought Marines to a standstill last April during a three-week siege, which the Bush administration called off amid public criticism over civilian casualties.

    Fought to a standstill?!! The Islamists were getting shredded and the Americans were called off only as a means of showing the legitimacy of the Allawi interim government. That the Islamists chose to misinterpret this is why they’re bleeding so much now. I have an idea: if they are such badasses, how ’bout they do one of the following:

    • Relieve their fellow maggots in Fallujah, or
    • Affect the US elections. Oh, sorry, too late. They already failed in this endeavour.

    Wasn’t there a time when the AP was, if not pro-American, at least neutral?

  • Arafat Buried in Ramallah

    Good, he’s been stinking up the place figuratively for a while already. Glad they got him in the dirt before he started doing it literally.

    That’s all I have to say about that terrorist right now.

  • A Veterans Day Message

    In Flanders fields the poppies blow...I was asked today and have often wondered something about Veterans Day — who is it truly meant to honor? Memorial Day is easy — that is a day to remember and pay homage to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the uniform (though everyday we wake up free should be such a day). I knew the origins of today’s holiday, with Nov. 11 (the anniversary of the end of World War I in 1918) formerly being set aside as Armistice Day to honor those who served in that great conflict. In 1954, the name of the holiday was changed to include the veterans of WWII and Korea. Obviously, Veterans Day is a tribute to veterans, but my question was if it was truly meant for combat veterans or those like myself who only served in peacetime?

    Well, according to the FAQ on the government’s official Veterans Day site, the answer is as follows:

    Q. What is the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day?

    A. Many people confuse Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Memorial Day is a day for remembering and honoring military personnel who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle.
    While those who died are also remembered on Veterans Day, Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served – not only those who died – have sacrificed and done their duty.

    In light of this confirmation, I would like to thank all who served before me, all who served with me, all who served after me and all who currently serve and sacrifice.

    Why the picture of the flowers on my posts about Veterans Day? That’s a pic of poppies from Flanders Field in Belgium, and the significance of that particular flower and its relation to Veterans (formerly Armistice) Day stem from the poem “In Flanders Fields” by WWI Canadian army physician John McCrae. The poem and its history can be found here (hattip to Damian Brooks at Babbling Brooks).

  • A Veterans Day Welcome

    In Flanders fields the poppies blow...A US Marine was one of several honored this Veterans Day with a special new title: US citizen.

    Marine Cpl. David Antonio Garcia stood on the deck of an aircraft carrier Thursday and was sworn in as an American citizen — after already serving under the U.S. flag in Iraq.

    The native of Mexico was among 80 sailors and Marines from 25 countries — from Canada to Syria — who became citizens in a Veterans Day ceremony aboard the USS Midway, a reward for putting their lives on the line for their adopted country.

    The ceremony, watched by more than 100 cheering relatives, came as the nation observed Veterans Day with about 160,000 troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan — some of them locked in fierce house-to-house fighting in Fallujah.

    “I wouldn’t want to compare myself to World War veterans or Vietnam veterans,” said Garcia, 21, who was with combat engineers who cleared the path for tanks to roll into Iraq. “But I feel some of what they must feel today. I know what it’s like to leave loved ones and not to know if you will come back.”

    The citizenship ceremony was one of dozens of events held nationwide to celebrate Veterans Day, a holiday that has taken on added meaning in the last three years after wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Veterans were honored Thursday at ceremonies big and small: an event recognizing a teenage Purple Heart recipient in South Carolina, a parade on the streets of Manhattan, a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Ceremony attended by President Bush.

    The war in Iraq was a dominant theme at the ceremonies. There are about 142,000 U.S. troops in Iraq; the American death toll stands at more than 1,140.

    “Let no one tell you we aren’t doing good things there,” Army Col. Jill Morgenthalher, who recently returned from Iraq and earned a Bronze Star, said at a wreath-laying ceremony at Chicago’s Soldier Field. “We are standing up for what is right. This is our next greatest generation.”

    At the ceremony aboard the USS Midway, U.S. District Judge William Hayes administered the oath of citizenship, noting that many of the troops were from countries that deny individual liberties and had left behind families who “cannot know what joy you are experiencing today.”

    “You as representatives of the armed forces know above all, like most citizens, that freedom is not free,” Hayes said. “Thank you for your sacrifice.”

    Legal permanent residents of the United States had been allowed to join the military and seek citizenship after three years of active service. But in July 2002 President Bush signed an executive order allowing anyone on active duty after Sept. 11, 2001, to immediately apply for citizenship. There are about 31,000 non-citizens in the U.S. military.

    On the other end of the country, dozens of veterans, some into their 80s, stood and applauded one of the nation’s youngest Purple Heart recipients during a ceremony in North Charleston, S.C.

    Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas Riccio, 19, who was born on the Fourth of July and wanted to be a soldier from childhood, was wounded in Iraq in June when shrapnel from a mortar round passed through his brain. He survived but only after a Navy corpsman held his head together on a 30-mile drive to a first aid station.

    “I guess you could say I grew up quick,” he said. “I was 18 years old, a gunner, a Humvee driver and engaged in firefights against insurgents in Fallujah.”

    In New York, thousands lined Fifth Avenue for a parade that has seen attendance surge in recent years. “Five or 10 years ago when I would come, there might be 200 or 300 people here,” Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record) said. “And now the whole street is full.”

    Illinois officials said dozens of schools received permission to stay open for the holiday, inviting veterans to join students in flag-raising ceremonies, question-and-answer sessions, and the singing of patriotic songs. More than a quarter of schools sought to waive the holiday, up considerably from five years ago.

    Wayne Miller, commander of a VFW Post outside Chicago, said attending school on Veterans Day will help children “understand it’s more than just getting a day off and prancing around.”

    In Arkansas, about 60 elementary students attended a ceremony and presented veterans with a handmade card, with one girl telling a vet: “You’re my hero.”

    “You can walk down the streets or be in your house and know you’re not going to get hurt because they’re there (in Iraq),” said 10-year-old Sarah Burns. “We need to think more about our veterans than we do because we don’t honor them as much as we should.”

    Welcome aboard, my fellow Americans. You’ve certainly earned it.