Why does Ace keep referring to himself in the third person? Nordigirl hates that.

Hey, thanx Ace. This probably won't see much reporting in our ever-loyal MSM, I'm glad to see SFC Smith get the attention he deserves.

Hero. His family and his country should be extremely proud.

Thanks for linking it.

On a side, I really enjoy the site. Thanks for it as well.

The Tampa Tribune has been all over this story for the past two days, and they really have the local/emotional stuff down pretty well. Plus, if I were to link to the Marxist paper, The St. Petersburg Times, I'd rather drink a gallon of gasoline and drop a lighted match down my gullet.

But actually, The St. Petersburg Times is a really good paper, if you can ignore their ultra-left spin on anything they touch. But that last link is a nice, interactive homage to this great man. It's filled with multimedia stuff and is really special.

Oh, and the Marxist rag is owned by the Poynter Institute. Makes the Columbia School of Journalism look like the Heritage Foundation.

And here are two editorials on Paul Ray, one from The Tampa Tribune, and the other from The St. Pete Times.

Both are short and yet different. Obviously, the Tampa Bay Area has much to be proud of in this man. Kind of nice that he came from the city where both of these wars are run (MacDill AFB/Central Command and Special Operations Command HQ).

Ace, you rock in every way, but no
one "wins" a Medal of Honor (or
any other award) it is awarded to
you. "Winning" the MoH implies
there was a competition. It may
seem minor, but to those who are
awarded medals, being awarded it
by your peers, superiors, and
country means more than beating
someone else to get it.

Thank you, Marine wife. My father said just the same thing the other day to me, and he was rather angry about it.

Very important, and it doesn't appear to me to be at all minor.

No problem KCTrio. Tell your dad thanks for his service.

Many people make this error (winning awards), even servicemen. I know there is no mal intent, but it always grates on me when I see it.

And Ace, your humor always slays me. It sucks that I only comment to complain, but know that I am a daily reader. I especially loved your refernce to SNL skit "more cow bell!"

Thanks, marine wife. I thank him often for that, but it's nice to thank him when it's not the formal time, such as Veteran's Day.

Do you know a nice, utilitarian benefit I have received for my father's service? This is certainly not a benefit of the heart, but it sure is good to have. Four letters: USAA.

The best I can do is donate money and time to military families in my community (Tampa, MacDill AFB). My father does quite a bit of that.

God bless, marine wife.

HAH! USAA does rock. We have four cars and motorcycle insured through them. I think we pay under 500 a year. They have other benefits too, I hear, but I haven't taken advantage yet, however.

There are some wonderful companies out there that treat military families with honor. They are one.

Thanks for your kind words. And thanks to all those guys (and gals) who have been recognized with awards and those not

Marine Wife:

Use them for everything you possibly can. Your children and their progeny will always have it. Once you are in the club, they never deny direct family members access.

They'll (almost) never drop you from their insurance programs, their credit card is excellent, and if you can get them for renter's or homeowner's insurance, do it. You can pass on the other stuff, if you like (such as their banking and investment stuff), but for loans, insurance and credit cards, at the very least, they are amazing.

They show up every year as best-in-class. They have never, to my knowledge, dropped a homeowner in Florida. They may say "we're not gong to write new homeowner policies in Florida" or "your rates will go up" but once you've got them, they'll never let you go. (There may be excptions to this, such as if you don't pay your premiums, but I've not heard of anyone being dumped for filing too many claims). Ask a gecko customer that's just been in a car accident what happened to their coverage.

Use them, use them for anything you need. They really take care of their members.

mmm. did not know that. i have been duly briefed. as we are moving out of california this year (and will not have navy federal credit union) they may come in handy with the va loan soon. i might just have to pop out some marine brats to take full advantage,...maybe.

Marinewife:

You get all benefits of membership if you have anything with USAA; home financing, whatever.

Also, go to the California Credit Union League Web site and they'll have a list of every credit union in the state. You may find a CU with a charter that allows military members.

Best of luck in your travels, and enjoy California. It's full of loony lefties, but not as bad as some want you to think. A visit to the Reagan Library can always cleanse your soul.