Marine Who Saved 36 in Afghanistan Gets Medal of Honor

I was at lunch today and watched President Obama award the medal to Cpl. Dakota Meyer.

At Los Angeles Times, "Marine is awarded rare Medal of Honor at White House":

The desperate call crackled over the radio in predawn darkness: A small team of American and Afghan troops was pinned down in a remote village under withering fire from three sides. A young lieutenant was begging for artillery or air support. Without it, he yelled, "we are going to die out here."

Can't be done, came the reply. It might kill civilians.

Less than a mile away, Marine Cpl. Dakota L. Meyer heard the radio exchange in agony. His buddies were dying, yet Meyer was under orders to stay where he was. Four times he requested permission to go to their aid, and four times he was refused.

After two hours, Meyer decided to defy his superiors. The powerfully built 21-year-old with a soft Kentucky drawl climbed into the turret of a gun truck mounted with a .50-caliber machine gun and, with another Marine driving, raced toward the battle.

On Thursday, Meyer was at the White House to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor, for saving the lives of 36 combatants — 13 Americans and 23 Afghans — and personally killing at least eight Taliban fighters that day, Sept. 8, 2009. He is the first living Marine to receive the award since the Vietnam War.

Meyer, now 23, stood at attention in dress uniform as President Obama recounted what happened in the village of Ganjigal in Afghanistan's Kunar province.

Added: Bing West's essay, "The Afghan Rescue Mission Behind Today's Medal of Honor."

VIDEO: Afghanistan Firefight — NATO Headquarters, International Security Assistance Force, Kabul

Via This Ain't Hell...:

And at New York Times, "Militants Attack U.S. Embassy in Kabul."

KABUL, Afghanistan — Heavily armed insurgents wearing suicide vests struck Tuesday at two of the most prominent symbols of the American diplomatic and military presence in Kabul, the United States Embassy and the nearby NATO headquarters, demonstrating the Taliban’s ability to infiltrate even the most heavily fortified districts of the capital.

As the insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades, Westerners sought shelter — one rocket penetrated the embassy compound — and Afghan government workers fled their offices, emptying the city center. NATO and Afghan troops responded with barrages of bullets. At least 6 people were killed and 19 wounded.

Keep reading.

Northrop Grumman Bails Out of Los Angeles, Ending Headquartered Relationship Dating From 1939

At Los Angeles Times, "Northrop execs bail out of L.A., but the firm is still grounded in the region":

Northrop Grumman Corp., the last big-name aerospace company headquartered in Southern California, is headed out of town this week.



The nation's second-largest military contractor, founded in 1939 by visionary aircraft designer Jack Northrop, is officially moving its main office to Falls Church, Va., on Monday. It is a milestone for the corporation that along the way absorbed big names like TRW Inc., Litton Industries Inc., Westinghouse Electronic Systems and Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical.



Today, the company is an industry giant with about $35 billion in annual sales, building such things as sophisticated satellites, high-flying spy drones and the ghostly B-2 stealth bomber. While 300 members of its corporate staff departs, it still will have about 30,000 jobs in the Southland and remain one of the region's largest private employers.





The company joins an exodus of military companies — including Lockheed Martin Corp., Science Applications International Corp. and Computer Sciences Corp. — that have abandoned the Southland since the mid-1990s in favor of headquarters nestled nearer to decision makers in Washington.



"This is an important move for the company, and it's one that we believe will improve the effectiveness in serving the nation and our customers," said Northrop Chief Executive Wesley G. Bush in announcing the decision to move the company back in January 2010. "The proximity to Washington enables us to be a more integrated part of the federal process."

More at that top link.

P-51 Mustang Red Nose

Flying along with these fellows ... well, that's almost heaven (via Theo Spark):

What Do We Say When Johnny Comes Home?

One of my favorite anti-war songs, from T.S.O.L., mainly because it's so haunting on the apathy. Joe Wood sings on "American Zone," during a period when Jack Grisham had left the band. I really enjoyed the studio recording, but I don't see it online, so just turn this up on your tablet:

There's blood on the streets again today
All the people dying what a price we have to pay
Around the world they're fightin'
It's not that far away
feel the darkness
Can we change our ways?

[Chorus:]
We live in the American zone
Free of fear in our American home
Swimmin pool and digital phone
What do we say when Johnny comes home

Johnny just got back from war today
Beruit weekend, the powder keg
He was 20 years old and he lost both of his legs
We're all really sorry today

[Chorus]

What do we say
What do we say
What do we say
When Johnny comes home
and he lost his legs.

RELATED: "Washington Mourns U.S. Troops Killed in Afghan Helicopter Crash."

Taliban Shoot Down U.S. Copter in Afghanistan

At Los Angeles Times, "31 U.S. troops, 7 Afghans killed in Taliban attack on NATO helicopter."

In a rare event, Taliban insurgents shoot down a Chinook helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade near Kabul. It's the largest single-incident loss of military lives since the war's start.

And at New York Times, "31 Americans Killed as Taliban Shoot Down a Copter." (Via Memeorandum.)