THANKFUL THURSDAY

John Paul Bobo

(February 14, 1943 – March 30, 1967) was a United States Marine Corps second lieutenant who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for heroism in Vietnam in March 1967.

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Biography
John Paul Bobo was born on February 14, 1943 in Niagara Falls, New York. He attended Bishop Duffy High School,now Niagara Catholic High School where he is today distinguished as an honored alum. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve on May 28, 1965 in Buffalo, New York, while attending Niagara University. Then he received a B.A. Degree in History from the University in June 1965 and was commissioned a Marine Corps Reserve second lieutenant on December 17, 1965.

Second Lieutenant Bobo completed the Officer Candidate Course, The Basic School, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia, in May 1966.

Following graduation, he was ordered to the Republic of Vietnam. There he was assigned duty as platoon commander, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. While serving in this capacity, he was mortally wounded while firing his weapon into the mainpoint of the enemy attack on March 30, 1967. He was 24 years old.

He is buried in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Lewiston, New York.

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Medal of Honor citation
The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to

SECOND LIEUTENANT JOHN P. BOBO
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

    For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Weapons Platoon Commander, Company I, Third Battalion, Ninth Marines, Third Marine Division, in Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, on 30 March 1967. 

Company I was establishing night ambush sites when the command group was attacked by a reinforced North Vietnamese company supported by heavy automatic weapons and mortar fire. Lieutenant Bobo immediately organized a hasty defense and moved from position to position encouraging the outnumbered Marines despite the murderous enemy fire. Recovering a rocket launcher from among the friendly casualties, he organized a new launcher team and directed its fire into the enemy machine gun position. 

When an exploding enemy mortar round severed Lieutenant Bobo's right leg below the knee, he refused to be evacuated and insisted upon being placed in a firing position to cover the movement of the command group to a better location. With a web belt around his leg serving as tourniquet and with his leg jammed into the dirt to curtail the bleeding, he remained in this position and delivered devastating fire into the ranks of the enemy attempting to overrun the Marines. 

Lieutenant Bobo was mortally wounded while firing his weapon into the mainpoint of the enemy attack but his valiant spirit inspired his men to heroic efforts, and his tenacious stand enabled the command group to gain a protective position where it repulsed the enemy onslaught. Lieutenant Bobo's superb leadership, dauntless courage, and bold initiative reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
/S/LYNDON B. JOHNSON

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Awards and honors

2nd Lieutenant Bobo's awards include:

The U.S. Navy has three classes of ships in its Marine Prepositioning Fleet — the newest class, which were built by General Dynamics and delivered to Military Sealift Command in the mid-1980s, are named the 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo Class. The lead ship of this class is the 673-foot (205 m) long maritime prepositioning ship USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo. Since 1985, the ship had been under long-term lease to Military Sealift Command from American Overseas Marine. On January 16, 2007, the Military Sealift Command purchased the 673-foot (205 m) maritime prepositioning ship, USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo.

The chow hall at the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia is named Bobo Hall in his honor.

John Bobo's name is etched on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Panel 17E, Row 070.

An old fashion love story

Have you ever had a broken heart?
You can't answer yes, if you've never been in love. This is a story about love. Not romance, passion, infatuation or lust. Just love. There's this girl. It seems I have known her forever. We were introduced in the 5th grade. We were pals all through grade school and into high school. But then we drifted apart. We would bump into one another. But only in passing. She would tell me all of the things that were bothering her. And I would listen but she never let me help. Her parents didn't like me. No! That's being mild. They hated me. They never took the time to learn anything about the real me. And they would fill her head with non-sense every time she mentioned my name.

When she went away to college, we lost touch. But I would run into her occasionally. Spring break, Christmas,, New Years. But when graduation time arrived, I was specifically told to stay away. It wasn't her decision. But the school didn't want my type present. MY TYPE. Can you imagine someone not wanting me around? So as per the request, I stayed my distance. She went on, to be a very successful marine biologist. Many of my friends are intelligent, skilled, capable people. But for some reason every time I would visit this friend, her collegues, would give her a hard time about me being around. 

Finally we lost touch for many years. I never stopped thinking of her. I was in love. Madly, totally, head over heels in love. Nothing would ever change that. There was something special about this woman. It was our destiny. To spend eternity together. She just didn't know it, Yet. 

But how do you make some one love you? 

You can't. See, God gave all of us free will. All I could do was to try to show her how much I loved her. And then she would come around. Our mutual friends would tell her how much I loved her. But she would scoff, that no one could love her that much. Was this girl stupid? How could she not see that I would do anything for her? I would throw myself in front of a bus for this girl.

Then one night she called me. I was surprised. But very pleased. She asked me to meet her in one hour, at a downtown cafe. I arrived early. Grabbed a table near the door, and waited. Anticipation made the time drag. It seemed like days. But it had only been hours. Two hours. After another hour she was still a no show. And I had very important things to do. So I left.

Two weeks later she called again. I asked why we failed to meet the last time, and she told me her friend got sick and needed her. I started to tell her that I could have helped in that situation. But she interrupted and asked me to meet her at "BENNEY'S" a local biker hang out. 

I knew the place. But I had no idea that she would be caught dead in there. Well, yes I really did. Because she always had a little rebel in her. And was attracted to the bad boys. So I mounted up on wings and headed for BENNEY'S. I may look like I belong with those guys. But we really have very little in common. Well, most of them either know me or know of me. But they stay clear of me. I have a reputation that most of these pseudo tough guys want nothing to do with.

This time she's a no show again. But I managed to meet some new friends, so this night was not a total waste. This situation repeats itself for months on end. She calls and says she needs to talk. I show up. And she doesn't. Dozens and dozens of calls and an equal number of broken dates. How many more times must this situation play itself out? How many more times will I fall for this ploy? Just as many times as it takes. You see, She's on the list. And I have all the time in the universe. Unfortunately she does not. But even if her last date with me is on her dying breath. I'll be there for her. She's on the list.


Are you on His list? Stop breaking dates. And stop breaking His heart.

krippledwarrior.blogspot.com

300

Not only the title of a great movie.

300

is the number of blog entries on

SOME THINGS I HAVE LEARNED

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What better way to celebrate a milestone

than with a little music,

From the

DEMONS & WIZARDS ALBUM

EASY LIVING

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by URIAH HEEP.

And just so you don't go away without learning a little something:

Uriah Heep is a fictional character created by Charles Dickens in his novel David Copperfield.
The character is notable for his cloying humility, obsequiousness, and insincerity, making frequent references to his own "'umbleness". His name has become synonymous with being a yes man^. He is the central antagonist of the later part of the book. David first meets the 15-year-old Heep when he is living with Mr. Wickfield and his daughter Agnes, in chapter 15:

[Uriah's face] was quite as cadaverous as it had looked in the window, though in the grain of it there was that tinge of red which is sometimes to be observed in the skins of red-haired people. It belonged to a red-haired person—a youth of fifteen, as I take it now, but looking much older—whose hair was cropped as close as the closest stubble; who had hardly any eyebrows, and no eyelashes, and eyes of a red-brown, so unsheltered and unshaded, that I remember wondering how he went to sleep. He was high-shouldered and bony; dressed in decent black, with a white wisp of a neckcloth; buttoned up to the throat; and had a long, lank, skeleton hand, which particularly attracted my attention, as he stood at the pony's head, rubbing his chin with it, and looking up at us in the chaise.

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Thank you for all you do. 

I certainly concur with this one. Makes one wonder where our values are.

It is sad that Lindsay Lohan, 24, gets her name and face all over the news
because she went to jail:

Recognize any of these names? Did they make the news????

Justin Allen, 23,

Brett Linley, 29,

Matthew Weikert, 29,

Justus Bartett, 27,
Dave Santos, 21,

Chase Stanley, 21,

Jesse Reed, 26,

Matthew Johnson, 21,
Zachary Fisher, 24,

Brandon King, 23,

Christopher Goeke, 23,

and Sheldon Tate, 27,

They were all US Marines that gave their lives for you this week.

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MOTHER IN LAW JOKES...

I know you've heard some. I have a million of them. Written by some of comedy's brightest stars, like;

WC FIELDS

RODNEY DANGERFIELD

SAM KINISON

MILTON BERLE

JACKIE MASON

BUDDY HACKETT

&

HENNY YOUNGMAN

But I don't tell Mother in law jokes. Not because they aren't funny. But because they're not descriptive of my situation. For the 29  years of my marriage, I have never known another person, who is more loving, caring, compassionate or giving than my mother in law.

And she likes me. She has been a friend and a part of my support team during my entire bout with cancer. She calls me every afternoon to see how I'm doing. When her husband went to be with the LORD, she asked me to speak at his funeral. And after I was done, she thanked me.

You might say I'm lucky, or fortunate. But I don't believe in luck or chance. I'm not lucky or fortunate. I am blessed. This world is a better place with my Mother in Law in it. And my life is better because of her being in it. Thank you MOM. For everything.

PEACEFUL, HARD WORKING, LAW ABIDING...

PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE LOVING MESSAGE

BEING PUT FORTH BY 

THOSE INVADERS OF 

ARIZONA'S & AMERICA'S BORDER.

PEACEFUL?

(America)
America where are you now?
Don't you care about your sons and daughters?
Don't you know we need you now
We can't fight alone against the monster.
Lyrics; John Kay. STEPPENWOLF