First, he's not a "recon ranger," whatever that was supposed to mean:
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| Discharged, but not never promoted |
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| Cold hard truth |
Nothing wrong with that, but the records show he not a guy who ever saw combat, even though he hinted he served in Vietnam. And yes, he did hint that:
Phillips: When I was there and I was standing there and I seen that group of people in front of me and I seen the angry faces and all of that, I realized I had put myself in a really dangerous situation. Here’s a group of people who were angry at somebody else and I put myself in front of that, and all of a sudden, I’m the one whose all that anger and all that wanting to have the freedom to just rip me apart, that was scary. And I’m a Vietnam veteran and I know that mentality of “There’s enough of us. We can do this.” (Emphasis added.)
As has been well established, Phillips wasn't surrounded; in fact, he instigated the incident. And he wasn't done:
While chanting and playing ceremonial drums, a group of Native American rights activists reportedly led by Nathan Phillips attempted Jan. 19 to enter Washington, D.C.’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception during a Saturday evening Mass.
The group of 20 demonstrators was stopped by shrine security as it tried to enter the church during its 5:15 pm Vigil Mass, according to a shrine security guard on duty during the Mass.
“It was really upsetting,” the guard told CNA.
The kids from Covington Catholic, including the kid with the apparently radioactive smirk, did not enter the day intending to be the target of invective. It's quite likely these kids are sinners. We all are. But it simply won't do to say these kids were victimizing a tribal elder. They weren't.
9 comments:
They're catching up a little bit now that we guys in pajamas are doing their work for them, but it is startling how badly the journalists missed the fact that the first group harassing these kids was a black separatist group well known for a variety of antisocial behaviors, and the second guy is a professional activist with a history of fraud. Journalists used to take pride in being observant and being able to see through the BS; not so much anymore, it seems.
but it is startling how badly the journalists missed the fact that the first group harassing these kids was a black separatist group well known for a variety of antisocial behaviors, and the second guy is a professional activist with a history of fraud. Journalists used to take pride in being observant and being able to see through the BS; not so much anymore, it seems.
They didn't miss it, Bubba. They ignored it. That's exponentially worse.
May they see visited on themselves what they mete out to other people. Justice would mean joblessness, false witness, and injury upon these people. They are abusers of truth and of people.
when i saw the injun's age reported, i immediately thought "too young to be a Marine in Nam"... but since i've been on 12hr shifts/ 6 days a week since october 21st, i didnt have time to do the real math.
i've known, worked with them, real marines, who really fought in Nam... they are all retired now, meaning, 65 yrs old plus...
i dont know why any reporter, out of hundreds, didn't have the same suspicion. they all went to college (i did not) and are smarter than me.
'Recon Ranger' is a hollywood type term. I saw that.
those who did that type of duty called themselves 'LeRPs', for Long Range Patrol. (they were few)
I worked with one, knew him well. He coached me through the anxiety i was going through with a pregnant wife when i was 22...
he was actually kinda crazy/distured, but in a good way, where shit didnt faze him.
Maybe Phillips said he was a "Refrig and Range Repair" guy, and the reporter thought he said, "Recon Ranger". Fog of war, you know.
Just to piggyback on Gino's comment. When I was much younger, and flying in Special Operations we would occasionally support the USMC elements known as "Force Reconnaissance" or "Force Recon" which was part of the Marine Amphibious Unit on Okinawa. I was familiar with the term LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) which is what I think Gino refers to. It was a squad (12ish?) size unit that would go out and find the hostile force and report back to the infantry battalions so they could fix and finish them. We use the terms "find, fix, and finish" when we talk about the process of combat engagement.
Around 2006, the Corp consolidated all their recon forces into a specialized command called MARSOC (for Marine Special Operations Command), and collectively they are now referred to as "Raiders" tracing their heritage back to the original USMC Raider elements of WW2.
Regardless of the details, I think it is safe to assume Phillips was not in Force Recon or on a LRRP in Vietnam.
Regardless of the details, I think it is safe to assume Phillips was not in Force Recon or on a LRRP in Vietnam.
And if he was, it's safe to assume he didn't march up to his enemy and start beating a drum in their faces. Maybe he just needed a video camera?
Thanks for the clarity, John.
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