American Marine killed by ISIS in Iraq

By Lynn R. Mitchell

An American Marine was killed in Iraq on Saturday (see Marine killed, others injured in ISIS rocket attack in northern Iraq, official says):

An American Marine was killed and others seriously injured Saturday when a rocket fired by ISIS landed near his position in the town of Makhmur, 75 miles southeast of Mosul, a U.S. defense official told Fox News.

The official did not want to give the exact number of wounded but said the number is less than five. They were flown to a hospital away from the base, the official said.
…
There are roughly 3,700 US troops on the ground in Iraq advising the Iraqi Army. Earlier this month, a brigade from the 101st Airborne Division relieved a similar sized brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division.

The identity of the Marine has not been released but it is yet another reminder of the debt we owe our American military and their families. Freedom is not free.

Today is Vietnam Veterans Day … USMC vet remembers

President George H.W. Bush greets Gunnery Sergeant Daniel P. Cortez, USMC, 1987, at an Honors Ceremony for the Commander-in-Chief and guests by the President’s private ceremonial detachment at Marine Barracks 8th and I.

By Daniel P. Cortez

Today is Vietnam Veterans Day celebrated at various places in Virginia. In this the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War appropriate ceremonies are being developed according to statute. Thank our fine First District Congressman Rob Wittman for taking the initiative for a moving ceremony planned for August. More to follow. I share the difficulty today reliving the most chaotic times in most of our lives. I landed in Vietnam one day after my 19th Birthday.

The Few. The Proud. The Marines.

By Lynn R. Mitchell

November 10, 1775. That was the birth date of the United States Marine Corps … 239 years of service to America … almost a year older than the United States of America herself. Today we honor all the men who have proudly served in this military branch including our own Daniel Cortez, one of the two military veterans who are contributors at LynnRMitchell.com.

New York Assemblyman, Fox News guest commentator, and Operation Iraqi Freedom Marine veteran Kieran Michael Lalor honored the USMC on this 239th birthday: