Warriors

By Bull Nav

You know, when I normally think of our everyday, run-of-the-mill warriors, I think of Marines. The guys who are ready to take it to the enemy on a moment's notice.

Not to say us folks in the Navy aren't warriors, because we are. Just not in the hand-to-hand, hardcore combat sort of way.

Except there is this kind of separate part of the Navy, the part that is true Warrior, almost psychopath. It takes a lot to kill them, a lot to put them down. They don't go down willingly, and I am convinced they don't know what pain is, not in the normal sense to the 99.99999% of us that inhabit this planet.

So bow your head, and say a prayer of thanks that these Michiganders were on our side.

Two highly decorated local Navy SEALs died Thursday night from injuries sustained in fierce fighting against insurgents in Afghanistan, according to the Navy.
Senior Chief Petty Officer John Marcum, 34, and Petty Officer First Class Jason Freiwald, 30, died in a battle with heavily armed militants, the Navy said. The men were deployed from the highly selective Naval Special Warfare Development Group at Dam Neck Annex in Virginia Beach.

A Senior Chief and a Chief Select. SO1 Freiwald was to be promoted to Chief on Tuesday.

Read about it here and here.

God Bless their families.

Fair winds and following seas, Senior Chief and Chief. More will follow and finish...

September 13, 2008 08:28 PM Afghanistan ~ Navy ~ The Long War

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Comments

Bull Sir,

It has been a while since I have posted here.
A lot has changed for me, family issues, personal battles with my own sense of being a patriot and supporting our military, trying to keep my guard up around my job knowing full well what soft targets hospitals are, seeing #1 off on deployment #4, trying to stretch a paycheck that looks more like an old rubber band and showing alarming cracks in the outer skin.

My trials pale to these men.

These "magnificent bastards" of such daring, such commitment, such feat of arms. These warriors who are the ultimate expression of our country's fervent goal to not only win against those who wish to destroy America, but to win with such an overwhelming tactical destruction,(Just short of NUKES) so complete a defeat that it causes pause to those who wish to take the place of those just devastated into the historical footnotes. It is HIGH praise to be called an "operator" in this dangerous world we now find ourselves, and the SEALS are legend for the jobs they have taken in the name of our country and our liberty and our freedoms. These men are of such a very rare breed,I think of Knights sworn,colonists determined, rebels standing, Spartans surrounded yet unwavering and yet I still cannot completely get my arms around what would compel men to become a SEAl.

So I am left to stand in complete awe of these men who have made such a pledge to this country. Who have raised the bar of honor,duty,commitment to such a rarefied height. To a fellow countryman who is so deeply pained with the loss of such priceless warriors, such great and noble warriors.
If the time comes, and it may in my lifetime, to defend this nation as a mere countryman, I pray to have the courage to be a magnificent bastard if only for the moment before I die.

May God Bless these men and their families.

Richard J. Brehme Jr.

Richard · September 13, 2008 10:16 PM

I agree -I am eternally grateful for the dedication and sacrifice these men provide to me and our country.

In my travels around the country I very often see people thanking Service people for what they are doing. About time. I tried to pay for a GI's lunch the other day in the Raleigh airport; the waitress came back and said that it was already paid for and that two other people had also offered to pay for the GI's lunch. Very cool. The waitress also that it was very cool.

USAF 71-72 (o.k., o.k., kind of quasi-military) :)

Ron Snyder · September 14, 2008 02:05 AM

Amen. Two of the best. Very sad.

LtCol P · September 14, 2008 01:25 PM

Awww how awful for them. R.I.P and thanks:(

mindy abraham · September 14, 2008 04:17 PM

What rate is an SO? I thought Sonarmen were a different rate?

Skippy-san · September 14, 2008 05:34 PM

Marcum, he was one hell of a man. Thank you for your praise.

His sister.

unnamed · September 14, 2008 05:55 PM

Skippy - I think two years ago, the Navy created the Special Operator (SO) rating for SEALS. If you recall, the SEAL teams were made up of a variety of ratings and they all had to take advancement exams in those ratings. In order to get out of that cluster, the SO rating was created to recognize the fact that this specialty needed a specific rating.

Sonarmen are STS (submarine) or STG (surface).

bullnav · September 15, 2008 02:10 AM

BullNav - Thanks for the stories and the reminder of our losses.

Skippy - BN is correct SO and SB (spec ops boats) to capture the NSW boat group fellers and newer NECC folk.

Most operators see this as mixed blessing...kinda like "damn it, now I gotta STUDY for a test!"

Vaya Con Dios brothers! We got the watch!
DS

Desert Sailor · September 15, 2008 02:52 AM

I wish to associate myself with the thoughts of Richard J. Brehme Jr. in his September 13, 2008 10:16 PM post.

I wish the families of Senior Chief Petty Officer Marcum and Petty Officer First Class Freiwald all the best.

I am reminded of the words of Admiral Halsey:

Hail Heroes. Rest with God. You are not forgotten.

Doug Santo
Pasadena, CA

Doug Santo · September 15, 2008 05:57 AM

That makes sense-I just did not realize that becoming a SEAL was now a rate change. It used to be you kept your rate as I recall but you had the warfare designator (SEAL) behind it.

Silly me, I did not realize the Navy would actually do something smart. I figured they too busy worrying about how to spell "Shipmate". :-)

Skippy-san · September 15, 2008 11:14 AM