R.I.P. Travis Manion
I have been very busy lately and thus totally remiss in recognizing and linking the excellent work done lately by Bill Ardolino at INDC Journal. But now he has written a post that demands immediate linkage.
On a Sunday afternoon in late April, 1st Lt. Travis Manion spoke to his father via satellite phone from a dusty Iraqi Army barracks in downtown Fallujah. Manion and his fellow Marines with Military Transition Team (MiTT) 30 – advisors to the 3-2-1 Iraqi Army – had recently watched a DVD of the movie “300,” and it made an impression. He told his dad that for the Spartans, there was “no greater honor” than to die fighting for one’s country and its freedoms. He expressed frustration that many Americans didn’t understand that’s what he and his Marines were doing in Iraq. The satellite phone kept cutting out and, unusually, Travis kept calling his father back. He lingered on the phone. He spoke of the importance of honor, strength and courage. He expressed kinship with the Spartans.
A week later, Travis Manion died a Spartan’s death.
Bill is in the middle of his second embed in Fallujah, and he met Travis Manion during his first. He talks about that, about how Manion died, and about the effect that he had on people.
Read it all.
Bill ends by saying:
Please consider donating to the following Memorial fund set up in Travis Manion’s name. It will be used to support families of fallen heroes and also to establish an annual scholarship at LaSalle College High School, given to a student who exhibits the qualities of courage and leadership exemplified by the award’s namesake.
I just donated. You might consider doing the same. And keep checking in on Bill’s blog every day. He had a videoconference with the President. He has reported on the changes in Fallujah, including a statement from an Iraqi who says:
The picture is so clear now. When things started and the [initial] invasion came to Fallujah, we said, “It’s OK for civilians to [take up arms] and fight the invasion and throw [the Americans] out from Fallujah.” We said, “OK, they are the enemy and that’s our friend.” But things were confused, and the enemy has become the friend and the friend became the enemy.
If you haven’t been reading him, every day, you’ve been missing out.
Humbling.
Many thanks for the link.
Must go hug son now
G Holbrook (710dbc) — 9/21/2007 @ 8:34 pmand wife. And pray for our heroes…
[wipes eyes]
I’ve been thinking about Travis Manion all day. Thanks for the link.
DRJ (ec59b5) — 9/21/2007 @ 9:05 pmThis begins with cartoon history, literally, not only that but a cartoon history of sparta, not a place one usually associates with freedom.
blah (e49cc4) — 9/22/2007 @ 4:27 pmtwo weeks ago the NY times published an op ed dismissing the effects of the surge written by 7 serving us servicemen in Iraq. 2 of those men are now dead. Where is your reference to them and their stories? Soldiers in Iraq have told congressmen that they want war funding cut off. Where do you mention that.patraeus’ metriva have been shown to be a mockery. No measurement of intra sectarian violence? You misrepresent repeatedly what’s happened I anbar and ignore the history and the facts: the army has tried to coopt local anger at the violence of the most radical aq linked jigsdis against their own people. So we used to back the shia and now we’ve switched sides. You’ve linked to what became the last words of one deluded soul who could see no further ahead than 20 yards and quite obviously knew nothing of the history of the region nor of our involvement in it. And this and the statement of one Iraqi are what you hang your dreams on. And you claim to respect the troops. But you respect them no more than you respect iraqis. How many dead so that you can confirm your own sense of rightness to yourself? How many more till you’re willing to admit you were wrong?
In response to the comment above let me start by saying that I am disgusted you Patterico would even let it stay up on your blog! Blah- how dare you call Travis Manion a deluded soul. You are sick. It is funny that you chose to site seven servicemen who wrote an op-ed piece for the NY times as your basis for the wrong in Iraq. Do you want to know what is wrong! What is wrong is that the NY times would never run a piece on the brave men and women in Iraq, only on the negatives. And then people like you choose to use that as your info. You are the deluded one. Maybe you don’t know about the islamic extremists that want to take over Iraq and destroy our country as well, but in having just gotten back from my 3rd tour in Iraq I can assure you that you know NOTHING about what is going on over there. I can only say that you should consider yourself lucky that men like Lt. Manion exsisted. They give you the freedom to print your feeble rhetoric.
Doug H. (92d139) — 9/23/2007 @ 4:04 am