U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jeremiah Workman, a drill instructor with Delta Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, receives the Navy Cross Medal from Brig. Gen. Richard T. Tryon, commanding general, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island/Eastern Recruiting Region, May 12. Workman received the award for actions performed while deployed to Iraq in 2004. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Troy Loveless




By Lance Cpl. Heather Golden, Parris Island
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C., May 26, 2006 —The Marine Corps has a long tradition of excellence in the line of duty. Marines stretching from 1775 to present times are recognized and remembered for their selfless acts and quick thinking on and off the battlefield. On May 12, another Marine was recognized for his actions.

Sgt. Jeremiah Workman, a drill instructor with Delta Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, and native of Richwood, Va., received the Navy Cross, second in prestige only to the Medal of Honor, during the recruit graduation ceremony at Peatross Parade Deck May 12, for actions while on deployment in Fallujah, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004.

According to the citation, he was awarded for extraordinary heroism, while serving as a squad leader for the Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Workman, exemplifying the old adage "no man left behind," repeatedly exposed himself to a hail of enemy fire to retrieve isolated Marines trapped inside an insurgent-infested building.

Ignoring heavy enemy fire and a storm of grenades raining down on his position, Workman fearlessly laid down enough cover fire to allow the trapped Marines to escape.

After seeing the first group of wounded Marines safely to a neighboring yard, Workman rallied additional Marines to his side and provided more cover fire for an attack into the building to rescue other Marines still trapped. He continued to fire even after receiving numerous shrapnel wounds to his arms and legs after a grenade exploded in front of him, stated his citation.

Workman's efforts did not stop after the second rescue attack. Ignoring his wounds, Workman once again united his team for a final assault strike into the building to retrieve remaining Marines and to clear the building of insurgents.

"Basically, we got ambushed," he said. "There were insurgents on the second floor in a bedroom. We fought our way up the stairs. There were grenades going off around us (and) small arms fire everywhere."

During the course of the fight, Workman was responsible for the elimination of more than 20 insurgents.

While the citation states he "reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps," Workman does not dwell on the fact that he is a Navy Cross recipient. All that matters in the long run are the lives lost and saved during the war, he said.

"The first thing I thought about was all the Marines we lost over there," Workman said, reflecting on that fateful day. "I don't look at myself as being any different. I did what any other Marine would have done. There are thousands of other Marines over there (in the Middle East) that deserve to be awarded, too."

Workman's modesty is evident to his fellow Marines here as well.

"I have a lot of respect for Sergeant Workman," said Staff Sgt. Jeff Moses, operations chief for Delta Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion. "He's been very humble about everything. (What he did) is just amazing."

RAMADI, Iraq (May 20, 2006) – Cpl. Corporal Christopher Kyle, attached to 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO), advances across a street under enemy fire to gain a better position to engage insurgents while on patrol in the city. The mission was part of the continuing support of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division. The ‘Iron Soldiers’ are deployed with the I Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Al Anbar province of Iraq.

Photo by: Navy Petty Officer Second Class Samuel C Peterson

Read the story associated with this photo

Contact: Michelle Shortencarrier
202-414-0791


WASHINGTON – In association with America Supports You, The National Memorial Day Parade will commence on May 29, 2006 to pay tribute to American veterans from the American Revolution to Operation Iraqi Freedom and to honor active duty military personnel and all those who have died defending the United States. America Supports You is a Department of Defense program that highlights what Americans are doing to support members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. This year, for the first time, over 600 military personnel returned from deployed assignments from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan will be marching in the parade. [emphasis mine - Pam]

Notable veterans from WWI (104 ½ year old Lloyd Brown) through Desert Storm will serve as grand marshals alongside grand marshal Gary Sinise, the Emmy award winning actor and film director who is often noted for his efforts in raising awareness about the sacrifices made by members of the military and paying homage to their work.

What: National Memorial Day Parade

When: Monday, May 29, 2006 from Noon to 2 p.m.

Where: Parade will step off at noon on Third Street, NW and then proceed to Constitution Ave, turning north onto 15th Street and ending at the corner of 15th St. and Pennsylvania Ave.

The parade will be comprised of bands, active military units, youth groups and hundreds of veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War. Patriotic floats, marching bands, antique cars and an Air Force Flyover will be part of the procession with more than 3,000 participants expecting to take part in the parade. In addition, the parade will have representation from countries such as the United Kingdom, France and Canada.

The parade ceremonies will begin shortly before noon with the Pledge of Allegiance, led by eight recipients of our nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor, and the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner. At noon, the American flags across from the reviewing stand at the National Archives building, will be raised from half-staff to full, and a military flyover will take place, featuring a World War II-era P-51, Korea-era F-86, an A-10 Thunderbolt II, and an Air Force F-15 Eagle.

The event is open to the public and all are welcome to attend to show their gratitude, respect and support for the 2.6 million active duty and reservist military personnel stationed around the world and to remember those we have lost.

The National Memorial Day Parade is organized by a coalition of military, veteran and civic groups in association with the World War II Veterans Committee, the White House Commission Remembrance and America Supports You, a Department of Defense program that highlights the support of the American people for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. For more information on the parade, visit http://www.nationalmemorialdayparade.com/.

About the American Veterans Center:
The American Veterans Center is a non-profit educational foundation based in Washington, DC. The Center’s mission is to preserve the legacy of America’s servicemen and women of all generations. In addition to presenting the National Memorial Day Parade, the American Veterans Center houses the World War II Veterans Committee and the National Vietnam Veterans Committee, both of which are dedicated to telling the stories of the veterans of their respective generations through documentary work, publications, and speaker conferences. To learn more about the American Veterans Center’s projects, visit http://www.americanveteranscenter.org/.

About America Supports You
America Supports You is an ongoing nationwide program that helps showcase American’s support for the men and women of the Armed Forces. Since its launch in November of 2004 by the Department of Defense, America Supports You has welcomed more than 200 grassroots organizations and more than 20 corporate sponsors to its team. Many America Supports You team members support the troops by writing letters, sending care packages, helping the wounded when they return home, assisting military families, sending e-mails or simply extending kind gestures to the troops. To learn more about how you can support military personnel please visit http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/.

Media: For satellite truck parking passes and media credentials, or to interview a parade spokesperson or participant, please contact Michelle Shortencarrier at (202) 414-0791

Spokesperson Advisory (Media Release)

PERIMETER SECURITY — U.S. Army Pfc. Chris Smith secures the perimeter while his patrol leader talks to local Iraqis during a patrol through the streets of Ameriah, a suburb of Baghdad, May 21, 2006. Smith is assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. U.S. Air Force photo by TSgt. Jeremy T. Lock

Pasadena, California -- May 26, 2006 - Military history is replete with time honored traditions. None are more sacred than those which honor a country's military dead. The military code of "leave no man behind" insures a soldier that his sacrifice will be honored from the moment he dies on the battlefield and that his remains will be treated with the dignity and respect accorded a brother in arms. In every conflict there are examples of soldiers honoring these traditions, sometimes with their own lives. In Afghanistan, Sgt. John Chapman and five of his fellow soldiers were killed by enemy fire while they worked to recover the body of Navy Seal, Petty Officer Neil Roberts. Sgt. Chapman's is but one story, the plot of which has been repeated almost every time men rise against each other with the force of arms.

The honored bestowed upon America's military dead does not end with the respect of the soldiers who served with them on the battlefield, but continues until their remains are returned to their families and they are buried. The remains of each soldier killed in battle is accompanied home by a fellow soldier whose duty is to ensure that his comrade is treated with respect and honor. In April, 2004 LtCol M.R. Stobl, USMC escorted the remains of PFC C. Phelps, USMC home to Dubois, Wyoming. Lt.Col Stobl related a tale of respect for the deceased soldier which was exhibited by everyone he encountered on the long procession; from the airline baggage handlers to flight attendants and fellow passenger to students at the high school the young marine had attended before joining the Marine Corp. The remains of unidentified soldiers are accorded the special honor of being remembered in Arlington National Cemetery by a twenty-four hour guard.

In keeping with the tradition of honor and respect for those soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defending their country, Soldiers' Angels, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping soldiers and their families, has instituted a project called Living Legends. The project was formed to bring caring messages of comfort to the family members of fallen soldiers and to honor the soldier's memory. One aspect of Living Legends is the donation of a memorial tree to the families of soldiers who have died in the service of their country . The hope is that the tree will grow and flourish, giving the family and friends a living monument to the bravery and heroism of their loved one. Soldiers' Angels has recently donated the 100th Living Legend to the family of a fallen soldier. Cathy Woodruff, the team leader of the Living Legends project says, "The team has tried to express the sorrow and grief that we know all Americans feel for the loss of our precious and beloved soldiers. So many have sacrificed for our freedoms, we hope this helps to ensure that we never forget what it takes to keep our liberties."

Continuing the tradition of civilian support of American soldiers, Soldiers' Angels sponsors programs which provide aid to American soldiers and their families. In addition to the Living Legends Project, Soldiers' Angels' programs include first responder packs, support, and laptop computers to wounded soldiers who are receiving treatment at American military hospitals: care packages, letters, and support to deployed soldiers; armored blankets to military ambulances; and items shipped for deployed soldiers to give children in the war zone.

The Casanova Family

Soldiers take a break in a secure area before heading back out on their eight-hour patrol of the streets of Ameriah, a suburb of Baghdad, Iraq, on May 21, 2006. The soldiers are from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock, U.S. Air Force.

Associated Press
May 27, 2006

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A Soldier said he was only showing his gratitude when gave his Purple Heart to a 13-year-old student being honored for winning a contest for writing letters to American troops.

"It's important what these children do for us in sending these letters," said Staff Sgt. Phillip Trackey, after giving away the medal he received for injuries in Iraq. "The letters mean so much to us. So I thought this was a big way of giving something back to them."

Trackey and a group of fellow Fort Drum Soldiers were attending a ceremony Thursday at West Genesee Middle School for seventh-grader Fatima Faisal, of Camillus, who was being honored as a regional winner in the Veteran's of Foreign Wars' Letters to the Front contest...

Read the Rest

A soldier in the U.S. Army Honor Guard places an American flag one foot in front and centered at one of the more than 220,000 gravestones during the "Flag's In" ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., May 25, 2006.
Defense Dept. photo by William D. Moss
Special

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Italy to pull 1,100 troops from Iraq
U.S. Colonel: Troop Morale 'Absolutely Tremendous'
Iraqi Leaders Clash Over Security Posts

Operation Enduring Freedom
U.S.-led Strike Kills Taliban Leaders in Afghanistan
'Fighting Deuce' MPs Patrol Afghan Mountains
Afghan Lawmakers Nix Supreme Court Nominee

Troops on Trial
Marines May Face Murder Charges in Iraqi Deaths
Official: Iraq civilian deaths unjustified
Defense Rests in Dog Handler's Trial

Other Military News
Top veteran official joins pentacle debate

Hamas Rising
Hamas Militia Returns to Streets of Gaza

NSA / CIA
Senate confirms Hayden as CIA director

Worldwide Wackos
Galloway under fire for saying killing Blair 'morally justified' (What a peach this guy is, eh?)

Homegrown Moonbats
Judge: Sex offender too short for prison (Yep, believe it or not...)

Politics / Government
Attorney General prepared to quit over Jefferson probe: NYT
Bush leaning toward friend Evans for Treasury: NYT
House leaders concede FBI right to search
Gunfire false alarm closes Capitol
Time ordered to give documents to Libby

Media in the Media
China sets trial date for detained NYT researcher

Oddities
Lovesick swan falls in love with swan paddle boat
Strongwoman seeks phone books to save show

Other News of Note
Doc interrupts surgery to donate his blood

Fox News
37 Million Expected to Travel for Holiday Weekend
N.C. Bus Accident Injures 40
Myanmar Extends Detention of Democracy Activist
FBI: Murder Couple Caught With 5-Year-Old Child
Dozens of Houses Torched in East Timor Capital
Severe Storms Leave 5 Dead Across Midwest
Students Face Jail Over Pot-Brownie Senior Prank
Hate Crimes Up in Germany Before World Cup
Space Center
Video Gaming Center
Indonesian Quake Deaths Rise - Government reports 1,400 dead

Reuters: Top News
Indonesia quake death toll climbs to 2,276 - Video
WHO tests show Indonesian girl died of bird flu
Kyoto states to discuss post-2012 cuts
Flaw found in Symantec business antivirus software
Earthlink to build New Orleans Wi-Fi network
Religion, politics mix awkwardly for China's Muslims
British mothers hooked on "powerpramming"
Children called "missing face" of AIDS pandemic
Avoid ADHD drugs, Canada tells heart patients
Gwen Stefani gives birth to boy
Michael Jackson cheered in Tokyo in rare public appearance
Forex industry primed for future China reforms
Mittal vows to press ahead with Arcelor bid: paper
CBS, Stern settle legal dispute
US FDA approves Merck vaccine to prevent shingles
Telefonica commits to clutch of targets, shares up
EchoStar, Universal Music settle channel dispute
Stocks end higher, buoyed by banks and data
Wall St Week Ahead: Stocks to be volatile; inflation, jobs eyed
US Air shares gain on strong summer outlook
Icahn group prepares KT&G bid: brokerage - Video
Arcelor/Severstal deal sends steel stocks soaring - Video

AP World News
Christian Brando fined for court behavior
Mavs clamp down on Suns to tie West finals
5 die after storms hit Ind., Ky., Tenn.
Mo. suspects in taped rape, killing nabbed
WHO puts Tamiflu maker on bird flu alert
37 million expected to travel this weekend
Knife-wielding teen wounds 27 in Berlin
Hurricanes blank Sabres to tie series
Webb improves to 8-0 as Diamondbacks win
Robertson says he leg-pressed 2,000 pounds

Military.com
Fallen Troops' Families Split on Bush Talk
Afghanistan Shows Need for More Training

CENTCOM: News Releases
IRAQI OIL TERMINAL FIRE BURNS ITSELF OUT

COALITION FORCES CAPTURE SIX TERRORISTS IN RAMADI

Department of Defense
U.S., U.K. to Increase Interoperability - Story
International Community Must Unite, Blair Says
Cheney Urges Navy Grads to Know the Enemy - Story - Remarks
Iraqi General Committed to Reforming Military - Story - On Assignment
Iraqi Security Forces Taking Larger Role - Story - Video - Transcript

ON THE GROUND
Iraqis Adapt British Military Academy as Model - Story - On Assignment
Center Helps Iraqis Shape Military Culture - Story - On Assignment
Troops Restore Base to Hand Back to Iraqis - Story
U.S. Army Mechanics Train Iraqi Counterparts - Story

IN IRAQ
Training Ensures Marines Ready for Combat
Injured by Bombs, Iraqi Gets Prosthetic Hand

IN AFGHANISTAN
Afghan Border Police, Villagers Secure Border
Abizaid Visits 'Mountain Lion' Battlefields

IN THE HORN OF AFRICA
U.S. Admiral, African Traditional Leader Meet

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Partners Repair Soldier's Home - Story

TOP NEWS
IRAQ
Forces Detain 21 Terror Suspects
Bush, Blair Reaffirm Commitment
Oil Terminal Fire Burns Itself Out
Official Requests Probe of Death
Suicide Bombings Mask Progress
Renewal In Iraq
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq (PDF)
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (PDF)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Forces Detain Two Suspects
Forces Kill 24 Enemy Fighters
Afghan Progress Frustrates Taliban
Up to 80 Taliban Believed Killed
Forces Kill 20 Enemy in Firefight
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Rumsfeld: War's Sacrifices Tragic
U.S. Ops, Basing in Europe Change
EUCOM Supports War on Terror
NATO Sheds Cold War Mentality
Nations Focus on Homeland Defense
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

Weather
Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo

Today in History
1529 - Thirty Hungarian Jews are charged with conducting a blood ritual, and burned at the stake.
1679 - The Habeaus Corpus Act (no false arrest / imprisonment) passes in Great Britain.
1703 - Peter the Great founds St. Petersburg (later renamed Leningrad).
1813 - The U.S. captures Fort George, Canada.
1844 - Samuel F.B. Morse completes the first telegraph line.
1862 - Battle of Hanover Court House, VA (Slash Church, Peake's Station)
1863 - The CSS Chattahoochie explodes on the Chattahoochie River in GA, killing 18; Siege of Port Hudson, LA.
1883 - Czar Alexander III is crowned in Moscow.
1896 - The first major tornado to strike the urban U.S. hits in St. Louis and East St. Louis, killing 255 and leaving thousands homeless.
1905 - The Japanese fleet destroys the Russian East Sea fleet in the Straits of Tushima.
1907 - Bubonic Plague breaks out in San Fransisco.
1918 - Battle of Aisne.
1919 - A U.S. Navy flying boat complets the first transatlantic flight - it takes 11 days; Charles Strite patents the pop-up toaster.
1921 - After 84 years of British control, Afghanistan achieves sovereignty.
1927 - Japan intervenes in the Chinese civil war.
1930 - Richard Drew invents masking tape.
1931 - The first full-scale airplane testing windtunnel opens at Langley Field, VA; the first flight into the stratosphere occurs, in the first balloon with a pressurized cabin.
1933 - The Austrian communist party is banned.
1935 - The Supreme Court declares FDR's National Recovery Act unconstitutional.
1936 - The RMS Queen Mary leaves Southampton on her maiden voyage, to New York.
1937 - The Golden Gate Bridge is dedicated.
1940 - The British and French begin Operation Dynamo; the evacuation of Dunkirk.
1941 - Allied troops begin evacuating Kreta; FDR proclaimes an "unlimited national emergency" due to Germany's sinking of the Robin Moor ; the German battleship Bismarck is sunk by the British naval force.
1942 - Dorie Miller is awarded the Navy Cross for his acts at Pearl Harbor;Hitler orders the murder of 10,000 Czechoslovakians; the Italian army begins the siege of the French western Fort Bir Hachim; Nazi Reinhard Heydrich is shot and mortally wounded in Prague.
1943 - The U.S. forbids racial discrimination in the war industry.
1944 - The Allies land in Biak, Indonesia, in Operation Horlicks; the Japanese advance in Hangkhou, China.
1948 - Arabs blow up a Jewish synagogue - Hurvat Rabbi Yehudah he-Hasid.
1951 - Chinese Communists force the Dalai Lama to surrender his army to Beijing.
1960 - A military coup overthrows Turkey's democratic government.
1963 - Jomo Kenyatta is elected as the first prime minister of Kenya.
1966 - The 55th German F-16 Starfighter crashes; 6 French fighters crash above Spain.
1968 - The nuclear submarine USS Scorpion is lost, five days before its scheduled return to port in Norfolk. The cause is still unknown.
1969 - Construction begins on Walt Disney World.
1977 - 2 Boeing 747s (Pan Am & KLM) collide in the Canary Islands, killing 582.
1980 - South Korean police end a people's uprising; 2,000 people are killed.
1981 - John Hinckley attempts suicide by overdosing on Tylenol.
1985 - Britain agrees to return Hong Kong to China in 1997.
1986 - President Reagan orderes 2 Poseidon-class submarines dismantled.
1988 - The Senate ratifies a treaty eliminating medium-range nuclear missiles.
1994 - Alexander Solzhenitsyn returns to Russia after 20 years in exile.
1997 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin signs a historic treaty with NATO.

Birthdays
1818 - Amelia Jenks Bloomer, suffragette; known for her pantaloons
1819 - Julia Ward Howe, American author/lecturer (Battle Hymn of the Republic)
1823 - Union Major General John Gray Foster Major General
1836 - Confederate Brigadier General Edwin Gray Lee
1837 - Confederate Major Genreal Robert Frederick Hoke
1897 - John Douglas Cockroft, English physicist (Radar), Nobel prize winner
1911 - Hubert Humphrey, Senator-MN, 38th Vice President, 1969 Presidential candidate
1915 - Herman Wouk, novelist (Caine Mutiny, Winds of War)
1918 - Yasuhiro Nakasone, Japanese Prime Minister
1923 - Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State, Nobel Peace Prize Winner
1930 - William S. Sessions, director of the FBI
1944 - Christopher J. Dodd (Senator-CT)
1947 - Peter DeFazio (Representative-OR)

Passings
1647 - Achsah Young, first woman known executed as a witch (Massachusetts)
1790 - Jeremiah Carlton, laziest man in history, inherited a fortune at 19, went to bed and stayed there for the next 70 years
1863 - Union Brigadier General Edward Payson Chapin
1910 - Robert Koch, German bacteriologist (TB, Cholera), Nobel prize winner
1941 - Günther Lütjens, German Admiral (Bismarck)
1951 - Thomas Blamey, soldier

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Lynn, Doyle W., USN (PA); F8D shot down, KIA/BNR

1966
Monahan, Robert W., Civilian; Released by Viet Cong January, 1967

Scales, Thomas R., Civilian; Released by Viet Cong January,1967 - deceased as of 1998

1967
Blackwood, Gordon B., USAF (CA); F105D shot down, remains returned, ID'd November, 1989

1970
Lee, Glen H., USAF (HI); F4D shot down, remains returned, ID'd August, 1994

1971
Knuckey, Thomas W., US Army (NJ); OH58A shot down (w/Taylor), remains ID'd August, 1993

Taylor, Phillip C., US Army (NY); OH58A shot down (w/Knuckey), remains ID'd August, 1993

1972
Latendresse, Thomas B., USN (WA); A4F shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive and well in 1998