December 12, 2010

An Extraordinary Speech

By Alan Fraser
What follows is a transcript of an extraordinary speech given by Lieutenant General John F. Kelly USMC on November 13, 2010.  What renders it so is that General Kelly's son, First Lieutenant Robert Michael Kelly, was killed in action in Sangin, Afghanistan only four days before Lt. Gen. Kelly gave this speech.  Lt. Gen. Kelly's eldest child is also A U.S. Marine.We wrote earlier about this incident to which the general refers.  Recall that it occurred at a time when it appeared that our troop surge in Iraq had perhaps stabilized what had been for several years a horrific situation.  Now think about how that troop surge -- in fact, the entire war -- would have been viewed had fifty of our Marines been massacred in their sleep on that April night in 2008.  And finally, as we are in the season, it's good to remind ourselves that it is only because of men like Yale, Haerter, Gen. Kelly, and his brave sons that we are able to celebrate our holidays and not those of...(Read Full Article)