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| Iraq |
| Queen Presents US Marine DFC for Heroism |
| 2007-03-22 |
| The Queen of England presented the United Kingdom’s Distinguished Flying Cross to Maj. William D. Chesarek Jr., during an Investiture Ceremony held at Buckingham Palace, here March 21. Chesarek, an AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter pilot, was recognized for his service as an exchange officer serving with the U. K.'s 847th Naval Air Squadron, Commando Helicopter Force during combat operations in Iraq in 2006. The award is a level three award for gallantry in the air while on active operation against the enemy and according to the U. K.’s Ministry of Defense office, this is first time this is being presented to an American service member since actions in World War II. According to the U.K. award citation, during operations in the vicinity of Al Amarah on June 10-11, 2006, Chesarek, flying a Lynx AH7 helicopter, was providing communications relay support to the U.K.’s ground forces during a company sized search operation when the unit encountered insurgents armed with small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenades. To assist the unit, Chesarek flew in to spot enemy fire and due to being trained as an airborne forward air controller he was able to coordinate, designate and control fixed wing assets in conducting close air support which resulted in dispersing the insurgents. Additionally the citations states, being the only rotary winged aircraft in the area, Chesarek landed his helicopter adjacent to the scene and extracted a U.K. troop with a life threatening injury. Chesarek then flew the casualty to Shaibah Logistics Base and is credited with saving the life of the wounded soldier in addition to aiding in the safe extraction of the company. “I am greatly honored and would like to accept this prestigious award for 847 NAS in memory of Lt. Cdr. Darren Chapman RN, Capt. David Dobson AAC, and Marine Paul Collins RM who were killed in action over Basrah in May 2006,” said Chesarek. “The awarded actions were only possible due to the combined effort of my combat crew; Lt. David Williams RN and Lance Cpl. Max Carter RM. My greatest sense of achievement that day is in knowing the ground troops all made it home.” |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #9 Yet, Zhang Fei. However, Iran is doing its best to present itself as an existential threat to Israel and the Gulf area states. And once the wackos in Iran get the bomb, it will be used against Israel, the US Navy carrier battle groups, or both. That will spell the effective end to human habitation of large sections of Iran due to the counterstrike attacks, but I am unfortunately convinced that the Iranian leadership will still use nuclear weapons against Israel and the US at the soonest possible moment they can. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2007-03-22 16:20 |
| #8 My point is that if we want to, we can be an existential threat to the Muslim world, but the Muslim world cannot be one to us even if it wants to. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2007-03-22 13:41 |
| #7 HUK: I sure as hell view militant Islam as an existential threat - I think the powers that be realise it is too. Let me suggest that they can inflict a great deal of pain on us, maybe even kill tens of millions of us. But we have the means to liquidate every Muslim country together with the majority of their inhabitants. Big difference. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2007-03-22 13:40 |
| #6 The intellectual difficulty our fellow citizens are having is down to nuclear weapons. Worse yet are End Times weapons like weaponized smallpox. People have yet to understand that problems cannot be left to far away people about whom we know nothing when those far away people can book a flight to Ronald Reagan international or send a shipping container to Baltimore and unleash hell. I would have thought September 11, 2001 would have demonstrated this point. Apparently it has not. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-03-22 12:02 |
| #5 Australia and the US - definitely. Australia, the US and Britain - maybe. Australia, the US, Britain, and Canada - less likely every day. |
| Posted by: RWV 2007-03-22 11:50 |
| #4 Hopefully the UK sees it as an external threat that has spread to internal soon. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-03-22 09:01 |
| #3 I sure as hell view militant Islam as an existential threat - I think the powers that be realise it is too. Well done Major Chesarek and thank-you. |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2007-03-22 06:08 |
| #2 My feeling is that the ABCA (America, Britain, Canada, Australia) countries will hang together when any single one of them is under some kind of existential threat (i.e. foreign invasion). Anything short of that is an open question. This means ABCA cooperation on things like Iraq and Afghanistan will come under increasing pressure, since neither presents an existential threat to any of ABCA's members. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2007-03-22 03:10 |
| #1 Congratulations and thank you, Major Chesarek. G*d I hope the UK alters its trajectory and stays in the game, both physically and psychologically. The anglosphere needs the mother country for the long haul. |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2007-03-22 00:07 |