Arlington officials must report to Congress on options

By Brett Zongker – The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jan 31, 2008 11:49:10 EST

Congress has blocked the possible replacement of the cracked Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery pending a study of ways to repair the existing marble monument instead.

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THE GIPPER
“Somewhere in our growing up we began to be aware of the meaning of days and with that awareness came the birth of patriotism. July Fourth is the birthday of our nation. I believed as a boy, and believe even more today, that it is the birthday of the greatest nation on earth… In recent years, however, I’ve come to think of that day as more than just the birthday of a nation. It also commemorates the only true philosophical revolution in all history. Oh, there have been revolutions before and since ours. But those revolutions simply exchanged one set of rules for another. Ours was a revolution that changed the very concept of government. Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people. We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should. Happy Fourth of July.” —Ronald Reagan

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Corporal to receive posthumous Navy Cross

By Gidget Fuentes – Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jun 1, 2007 16:33:25 EDT
(Emphasis added)
  
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — In his final hours spent battling insurgents in Iraq, Cpl. Jason Clairday defied the enemy fighters and their AK47 fire to lead members of his infantry squad in a close-quarters urban fight to protect their fallen and wounded friends.

Before the day was over, Clairday, a 21-year-old fire team leader from Salem, Ark., was killed, but not before several injured buddies were evacuated and the insurgent-held position in Fallujah’s Askari district was destroyed.

For his actions, “decisive leadership” and “unlimited courage” that day — Dec. 12, 2004 — Clairday will receive the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest military award for combat valor, next Monday, Marine Corps officials said Thursday.

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