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February 20, 2005
Defend the Defenders
I see hundreds of them on the road and in parking lots every day. All different colors and designs. Some yellow, some red, white and blue, some a combination. They all say the same thing. There is a yellow one on the back of my truck right now.
Support the Troops.
A fine notion, and one that America has not truly embraced since WWII. There were plenty of troops to support in-between now and then. I attended Support the Troops rallies during Desert Storm, including one on Biscayne Boulevard in Downtown Miami. Now the only rallies we see there are the anti-war rallies run by socialist/communists who consider America to be the enemy.
But, there are all those magnets. All those people who claim to support the troops. Spend your $5.00, stick it on the back of your vehicle and go on your merry way, doing all the day to day things in your life made possible by those very same troops.
What if... what if you met one of those troops face to face. One of those troops who spent several nights sleeping in a hollow in the sand, like those pictures you saw last year in your email? One of those troops who went door to door in Fallujah, under fire by terrorists. One of those troops who fired back, protecting himself, his unit, and yes, protecting you in the process.
Would you show him your magnet?
During the peak of insurgent violence in mid April of 2004, hundreds of Marines and soldiers were being killed and wounded throughout the "Sunni Triangle." Terrorists, captured while trying to recover a vehicle used in an earlier attack on the Marines, had given detailed information about a supply of weapons and terrorist hideout.
Marine Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano and his platoon were hastily dispatched to search. Their search revealed weapons, ammunition, mortar equipment, bomb-making material and two fleeing terrorists. In an ensuing search of the terrorists’ vehicle, Lt. Pantano, concerned for his safety and the safety of his men, shot them both in self defense and then disabled their vehicle so it could not be used in further attacks. He and his men went on to fight with distinction and honor in Fallujah and the surrounding areas and, when possible, aided in the reconstruction effort.
Marine Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano now faces a murder charge for his actions in Fallujah, actions that not only saved his life, but the lives of his men and, the lives of countless innocent Iraqi civilians.
There is no doubt in my mind or my heart, or my conscience that Marine Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano was right to do what he did. His life was indeed in danger, his men were in danger, his mission was in danger.
Marine Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano is many things. An American. A Marine. A husband. A son. A father. One thing Marine Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano is not. He is not a criminal.
Marine Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano deserves the very best defense against these charges that America has to offer. Will he get it? I hope so, and I am sure you hope so too.
But, like the magnets on the back of all those cars, hope is not going to do much to support this Marine and the other troops like him, who are caught up as pawns in the leftist agenda to punish the troops who are doing their duty and protecting this Country.
I urge you to do a little more then just hope that this Marine is adequately defended against this ridiculous charge. Please head over to DefendTheDefenders.org and help. Put your money where your mouth is. Send the price of a magnet if that's all you can afford. But send something.
Support the Troops. Semper Fi!
Posted by LindaSoG at February 20, 2005 07:06 AM