As we continue remembering the 142 Americans killed in the Vietnam War who were born on the Fourth of July, today we honor Specialist Four Robert J. Smith.
Born on America's Independence Day, Robert J. Smith would ultimately give his life defending the freedoms that day represents.
On March 21, 1967, Fire Support Base Gold, northwest of Tay Ninh, came under a massive enemy assault during Operation Junction City. More than five Viet Cong battalions attacked the isolated base with mortars, recoilless rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, and a determined ground assault that breached portions of the American perimeter.
Amid the fierce fighting stood SP4 Robert J. Smith. As artillery crews lowered their guns to fire directly into the advancing enemy and infantrymen fought desperately to hold the line, Smith fought alongside his fellow soldiers until he was killed in action. He was one of 31 Americans who gave their lives in what would later become known as the Battle of Suoi Tre.
The battle ended in a decisive American victory, with more than 600 Viet Cong killed. Yet for the families of those 31 fallen Americans, victory could never replace the sons, husbands, brothers, and friends they lost that day.
Born on the Fourth of July, Robert J. Smith's life began on the anniversary of American liberty. It ended on a battlefield half a world away, where he made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of that liberty.
Today, we honor and remember Specialist Four Robert J. Smith. May his sacrifice, and the sacrifices of all who served beside him, never be forgotten.
Semper Fi, and welcome home, brother.
One thing about Brandon Johnson…he’s going to keep his police detail while preaching that crime is down.
$30 million a year for a police detail.
$30,000 in haircuts.
$300,000 in suits.
If crime is down, why does he need such an extensive security detail?
Chicago is a mess: Public safety falling apart, education system drowning in a billion-dollar deficit...
But hey, at least they're focused on those sanctuary city policies and woke programs. Priorities, right?
At some point, you have to ask: what exactly is the leadership doing for the people of Chicago? The answer is very obvious to anyone with a shred of common sense.
Oh, he's your 'kind of man,' @SenWarren? Does this include him allegedly entering a woman's home uninvited and forcing himself on her while she repeatedly told him to stop.
Just wondering.
The most important commodity in the universe is clearly the most price-fixed, manipulated. It's misleading to give credibility to a country whose GDP is less than 50% of Walmart's revenue.
🏘️ Property Tax: HIGHEST in the US
⛽ Gas Tax: 2nd HIGHEST in the US
🏢 Corporate Tax: 3rd HIGHEST in the US
We have a tax addiction in Illinois.
Thank JB Pritzker.
Sergeant Henry James “Hank” Kethe of Lancaster, Missouri, served with courage and compassion in Vietnam as both an Infantry Indirect Fire Crewman and Civil Affairs specialist.
Assigned to Company C, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division — the same storied unit once led by Custer — Hank carried the weight of his duty with quiet resolve.
He began his tour on November 27, 1969, and less than six months later, on May 17, 1970, he was killed in action by enemy small-arms fire during the U.S. incursion into Cambodia. He was just 20 years old.
For his gallantry and leadership under fire, Sergeant Kethe was awarded the Silver Star Medal and the Purple Heart. His name is forever engraved on Panel 10W, Line 57 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
#TheVietnamWar