The American Guesser

Call me a dirty neo-Libertarian, if you must. Supporters of pacifist Ron Paul also might object, considering how the war is illegal and all that. But, this story (hat tip to Kim) brought a crooked smile to my face. It’s about some Marines who found themselves outnumbered in Afghanistan.

During the battle, the designated marksman single handedly thwarted a company-sized enemy RPG and machine gun ambush by reportedly killing 20 enemy fighters with his devastatingly accurate precision fire. He selflessly exposed himself time and again to intense enemy fire during a critical point in the eight-hour battle for Shewan in order to kill any enemy combatants who attempted to engage or maneuver on the Marines in the kill zone. What made his actions even more impressive was the fact that he didn’t miss any shots, despite the enemies’ rounds impacting within a foot of his fighting position.

“I was in my own little world,” the young corporal said. “I wasn’t even aware of a lot of the rounds impacting near my position, because I was concentrating so hard on making sure my rounds were on target.”

After calling for close-air support, the small group of Marines pushed forward and broke the enemies’ spirit as many of them dropped their weapons and fled the battlefield. At the end of the battle, the Marines had reduced an enemy stronghold, killed more than 50 insurgents and wounded several more.

“I didn’t realize how many bad guys there were until we had broken through the enemies’ lines and forced them to retreat. It was roughly 250 insurgents against 30 of us,” the corporal said. “It was a good day for the Marine Corps. We killed a lot of bad guys, and none of our guys were seriously injured.”

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. Now, I don’t usually post about how it’s this or that holiday. I figure my readers know it’s Thanksgiving, and they don’t need me telling them what I’m thankful for, or what they ought to be thankful for.

But I will say this: I am damn thankful for the men and women in uniform who are in harm’s war in foreign lands making it safe for “no-first-blow” libertarians spout off on their blogs.

It’s better we fight them over there rather then to wait for them to strike another blow here, then chase them around trying to arrest them.

So, kudos to Task Force 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Afghanistan, and everyone like them in all branches of the military. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Be safe and come home soon.

Cross posted to Peoria Pundit.

This entry was posted on November 28, 2008 at 3:09 am and is filed under War on Terror.

Tags: Afghanistan, Marines