Remembering R. Lee Ermey

Hello, Honored Readers, I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and THIS is the Veteran’s Voice.

On April 15th, 2018, Gunnery Sergeant Ronald Lee Ermey passed away.  He was born on March 24th, 1944, in Emporia, Kansas.  He grew up on a farm outside of Kansas City, Kansas.  As a teenager, he got in trouble with the local authorities twice.  On the second arrest, the judge gave him the choice of going to prison, or joining the military.  He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1961.  For the first few years of his service, he served in the aviation support field before becoming a drill instructor in India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, where he was assigned from 1965 to 1967.  Ermey then served in Marine Wing Support Gropu 17 at Marine Corp Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, Japan.  In 1968, he was ordered to Vietnam with MWSG-17, and spent 14 months there.  During his service in Vietnam, Ermey advanced to Staff Sergeant.  In 1972, he was medically discharged due to several injuries he received during his service in Vietnam.

Following his discharge from the Marine Corps, Ermey began his film career.  While he has played numerous roles, most notably military adn authority figures, he is best known as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket”.  Ermey was originally brought into the production as a technical advisor, but after seeing an instructional video that Ermey put together, Kubrick chose to cast Ermey in the role of the Marine Corps drill Sergeant.  Stanley Kubrick gave a rare honor…he allowed Ermey to write and/or improvise his own dialogue.  Ermey’s performance became another rarity for Kubrick, needing two or three takes per scene.  Ermey’s performance in “Full Metal Jacket” earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Since that time, Ermey has played in numerous film and television roles.  He was also known for “Mail Call”, a military themed documentary series he filmed for the History Channel.  In Mail Call, Ermey discussed subjects ranging from weapons to tactics.  “Mail Call” was followed by “Lock N’ Load with R. Lee Ermey”, again on the History Channel.  On this second show, Ermey discussed weapons used by military forces around the world today.

His military citations include: the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Vietnam Service Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross.

On May 17th, 2002, General James L. Jones, the Commandant of the Marine Corps honorarily promoted R. Lee Ermey to Gunnery Sergeant in recognition for his continuing support of Americans in military service.  Ermey was also a board member of the National Rifle Association.

Ronald Lee Ermey is survived by his wife, Nila Ermey, and their four children.

Honored readers, if you have anything or anyone you want me to do a special write-up about, go to the contact page, and send me an email.  Write “Special Commemorations” in the subject line.

That’s all for this post, honored readers.  I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and this has been The Veterans’ Voice.

Valentine’s Day for Service Members

Hello, Honored Readers, I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and THIS is “The Veterans’ Voice”.

It’s Wednesday, and normally I would post something fun for “Hump Day Humor”, but it happens to be Valentine’s Day.  That means you get a special post for today.

It goes without saying that serving in the military separates service members from their loved ones.  The needs of the service often take a service member far from their home and their family.  I’m sure we’ve all heard the story of the young, newlywed soldier, who gets deployed soon after his wedding, and finds out via regular correspondence with his new wife that he left her carrying his baby.  He remains deployed overseas and experiences her pregnancy through correspondence.  He only learns that his wife gives birth after the fact when she sends him correspondence that he just became a father.  As  the story goes, his baby is a year old by the time his deployment ends and he goes home to meet his child for the first time.  Many service members have experienced this and other similar experiences.  Valentine’s Day is a wonderful day to celebrate love, and be with the one you love.  Sadly, right now there are many men and women serving in our military that are apart from their loved ones.  Separation from loved ones is one of the sacrifices service members make to serve their country.  In the past, military men had to wait weeks or months for letters and packages from home.  Thankfully in this age of electronic communication, text and voice communication is instantaneous and real time.  Our service members can now communicate with their loved ones on Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day isn’t any better for veterans.  A veteran may have lost loved ones, either during their military career, or sometime thereafter.  Veterans may also be separated from their loved ones as they may be in a Veterans’ Hospital, or in a short or long term care facility.

So, Honored Readers, remember those who are cannot spend Valentine’s Day with their loved ones.  Take the time to speak to them however you can.  Let them know you care for them on Valentine’s Day.  You just might make some lonely service member’s day.

That’s all for this post, Honored Readers.  Remember, if you have something you wish for me to write as a special commemoration, go to the contact page, and send me an email.  Be sure to put “Special Commemorations” in the subject line.

That’s all for this post, Honored Readers.  I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and THIS was “The Veterans’ Voice”!

December 7th, 1941; A Date Which Will Live in Infamy

Good evening, Honored Readers, I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and THIS is The Veterans’ Voice.

In 1941, negotiations between the United States and the Empire of Japan were breaking down.  President Franklin Delano Roosevelt knew that an air attack by Japan was inevitable, but did not increase security at the Navy’s Pacific Fleet Headquarters base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

On the morning of December 7th, many Pearl Harbor base personnel were given passes to attend divine services off base.  At 0702, local Hawaii Time, radar operators spotted a group of air contacts, but a squadron of B-17 bombers were expected that morning, and thus the alarm was not raised.  At 0755, Japanese Dive bombers began their surprise attack.  Three hundred sixty war planes, all bearing the red insignia of the Empire of Japan swarmed out of the clouds that morning.  Though Pearl Harbor Base put up a valiant defense against the enemy planes, the attack was still devastating.  Five battleships, three destroyers, and seven other ships were sunk or were severely damaged.  The Pacific Fleet’s aircraft carriers were at sea for training operations that morning, and were thus not present for the attack.  In addition to the destruction of ships, more than 200 aircraft were destroyed.  Two thousand, four hundred Americans were killed, and twelve hundred were wounded.  Though the base defended itself, Japan only lost thirty planes and less than 100 men.  The attack dealt a devastating blow to the United States Navy.

The following day, President Roosevelt appeared before a joint session of Congress, and said, “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”  Following the president’s brief speech, Congress voted to declare war on Japan.  Three days later, Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States.  As a result of Pearl Harbor, the United States was drawn into World War II.

Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku was quoted as equating the Pearl Harbor Attack as being equivalent to Japan waking a “Sleeping Giant”.  Though this is a quote from a movie, and there is no record that Admiral Yamamoto had ever said this, it accurately expressed his feelings about attacking the United States.  Even Emperor Hirohito warned that Japan might lose a prolonged conflict with the United States.

Today, people visit the Arizona Memorial, a memorial built over the wreckage of the U.S.S. Arizona, a World War I era battleship that had been moored at Pearl Harbor.  She was among the ships sunk during the Pearl Harbor Attack.

For 76 years scholars, historians, and politicians have debated the causes of the Pearl Harbor Attack, and thrown blame about as to why the Pearl Harbor Base was caught so completely by surprise.  But at this point, it does not matter who was at fault, or why the base was so completely surprised.  The end results were the same.  Twenty-four hundred Americans lost their lives.  This event sparked the United States entry into World War II, which cost a further 400,000 American lives.  The cost to Japan was even worse.  Hundreds of thousands of lives ended during the war, their army and navy devastated, their cities firebombed, and worst of all, the use of nuclear bombs on two of their cities.  The war was an undisputed victory for the Allies.  It proved that the United States was prepared to not only defend our territory, but that we were also willing to take the war to the enemy’s shores and make them pay in kind.  For the Pacific Fleet, they got their revenge on the Japanese Fleet at the Battle of Midway, and in the end, Emperor Hirohito himself commanded his forces to surrender.  Rumor has it, he learned that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed off the face of the earth with atomic bombs.  It is said that he commanded his forces to surrender because he could not bear to see his people suffer from such an overwhelmingly devastating attack.

Few people remember the Pearl Harbor Attack these days.  Perhaps it’s because the attack happened three generations ago.  Time heals all wounds, they say.  This saying seems to be true of the Pearl Harbor Attack.  We no longer remember Pear Harbor with hate.  Now we think of Pearl Harbor as an event of historical importance.  It no longer elicits the kind emotional pain it once did.  Now, we look at Pearl Harbor with a more detached historical interest.

That’s all for today, Honored Readers.  Today’s offering is part of a new category for this blog…I call it “Special Commemorations”.  If you have something you would like for me to write up as a special commemoration, go to the contact page, and send me an email. Please put “Special Commemoration” in the subject line.

That’s all for today, Honored Readers.  I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and THIS has been The Veterans’ Voice.