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View Full Version : Quote of the Month - In the Army, there are no by-standers



darin
01-15-2009, 10:11 AM
I was reading Secretary of the Army Pete Geren's address to the 2008 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition - October 6, 2008.

I found this part to be quite moving.


American Soldiers are bound together by Army values of duty and loyalty that set them apart from the rest of society, by a selfless commitment to each other that outsiders find incomprehensible, a willingness to sacrifice or even die for each other, even die for a stranger if he or she shares their uniform.

In Iraq - that bond led 19-year-old Ross McGinnis to cover a grenade with this body to save the lives of his fellow Soldiers. He was a regular kid - until he put on the Army uniform.

In Afghanistan, that bond led 19-year-old medic PFC Monica Brown to throw her body on top of wounded Soldiers to protect them from mortar and small arms fire - and provide them life-saving medical care as shrapnel and bullets rained down around her and the Soldiers she was protecting in the middle of an enemy ambush. She was awarded a Silver Star for her heroism.

Her citation repeats three times: " ... disregarding her own safety, PFC Brown shielded the casualties with her own body ... disregarding her own safety, PFC Brown shielded the casualties with her own body ..."

PFC McGinnis gave his life and PFC Brown offered hers for their band of brothers and sisters.

In the Army, there are no by-standers - every Soldier is his brother or sister's keeper. That's the army of Ross McGinnis and Monica Brown.

The brothers and sisters of our Army must be able to count on each other, wherever they are, in the battlefield or in the barracks, and whenever, on duty or off, no matter the cost.