Let us never forget those who gave their life for our freedoms.
Remembering the brave men and women who gave their “last full measure of devotion” for our freedoms, requires us to take a moment on this Memorial Day to focus on the individuals behind the numbers and remember they are not just names on a wall.
One of those individuals who gave everything he had for us was Marine Captain John J. McKenna IV who was killed on August 16, 2006 during an operation in Fallujah Iraq.
The story of John McKenna’s life and death is the story of a genuine American hero. Having had the great honor of spending a day with John J. McKenna III, the Captain’s father, I learned the story of how the McKenna family got the awful news of his death. It was a reminder that the heroes who step forward to defend us, come from America’s greatest asset: our families.
Captain McKenna lost his life trying to comfort one of his men Lance Corporal Michael Glover. They were conducting an operation near Fallujah Iraq when Glover, who was the point man, was shot by a sniper. True to his nature as a great leader, McKenna wouldn’t order anyone else to go out to help Glover; he went himself. Witnesses say John had Michael Glover cradled in his lap when he too was shot and killed by the same sniper.
A few days after Captain McKenna’s death, John III was in the family’s old home in Brooklyn. They had recently sold it and he was taking one last look at the place where he and his wife Karen had raised their son and daughter Allyson.
He was in Brooklyn for a final dental appointment and stopped at the house to make sure it was in order for the new owners. When the bell rang he thought it was neighbors coming by to wish him and his family well in their new home 175 miles away in upstate New York.
When he opened the door there was no need for words. He saw two Marine officers. He knew why they were there. When the Marine officers heard Captain McKenna was a New York State Trooper on active duty as a reservist, they made arrangements to have the Troopers join in helping the McKenna family.
Soon a procession of government vehicles was taking John McKenna III back upstate to be with his wife and daughter. What happened when the motorcade turned onto his new street is one of those things that make us proud to be Americans.
He recalled that even though they had moved into their new home just nine days before, every neighbor on his street was outside on the roadway with burning candles quietly paying tribute to the fallen Captain McKenna and his family.
John McKenna IV “Son of Fire”
The name McKenna can be translated from the ancient Irish language to mean “Son of Fire.” The countenance of John J. McKenna IV was a perfect fit to this meaning. John had piercing green eyes and fiery red hair. He was the hard charger he looked like.
He was a brilliant student who was sent to Europe on an international fellowship. He was a tough New York State Trooper, an Eagle Scout and a credit to his country his family, the Marine Corps and all freedom loving Americans.
We were honored to have had Captain John J. McKenna IV among us even for the thirty short years of his life. Where we get such patriots is no mystery. They come from fine families like the one fashioned by John and Karen McKenna. May God bless them today and always.
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Having performed a small part in the United States Air Force, I count myself a veteran. I never faced a life threatening scenario. I honor Capt McKenna and his courage and sacrifice. Words cannot express my grief and sympathy for those he left behind. All who served with him will remember his bravery and honor him in their hearts. Semper Fi Capt. You serve a greater commander now.
I cannot help but wonder when we will stop sacrificing these brave men and women for bragging rights for an individual who isn’t worthy to wipe the sweat from their brows. My only consolation is that it is unlikely he will share in their glory and honor.
McKenna is just like the rest of us Veterans like John F. Kennedy and a few of my friends that stood beside me in Vietnam and they died. I do remeber all these people fighting for your and my family’s freedom. These young kids today do not respect the servicemen that have shed their blood for the freedom of this country. These kids would rather steal a U.S.flag out of peoples’ front yards and desecrate it because the local city council does not like the flag or this country. Our politicians are corrupt and condone desecration of the flag. I will still fight for mine and your rights like Capt. MCKenna did. If I have to lay my life down to protect this country so be it. The famous words from Patrick Henry March 23, 1975, “Give me liberty or give me death.” See website: http://www.haasstrep68.com
Correction to above comment, last sentence: . . . words from Patrick Henry March 23, 1775, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Website: http://www.haasstrep68.com
history is repeating itself i hear people bitching about the cost of taking care of those give all to provide the freedom to be sorry Americans
Both parties have this tendency, it’s our responsibility to speak out and fight the last battle for these warriors.
Amen to that. As long as blood flows through my viens my bothers in arms will have never died in vain.
A really wonderful read folks, Thank You!
Good article! May God bless his family. And, hopefully, articles like this will show people what families with a mother AND a father can do, & why most people are against 2 mothers, or 2 fathers raising families. They don’t distill the integrity that men like John McKenna had.
The battlefield today isn’t about anything but saving your protecting own ass and your brother in arms. It has nothing to do with country. It may start out that way but you wake up real fast when bullets and bombs start flying at you. When you see others around you killed and learn all you are doing is protecting a bunch of dirt. Then you see those behind the curtain toasting to their wealth because of you. War has a differant meaning to be in a situation of masquarade among the already dead Guard the opium and oppress all those who get in the way of Tyranny and Oppression of the wealthy warmongers supreme. When it is really protect your ass and come home as soon as you can.
God bless you for that.
Having lost my father in Vietnam I can understand how important the support of one’s community is, and it does my heart good to know that these brave soldiers like John McKenna are being honored when they make the ultimate sacrifice.
May God bless and keep his family in His loving embrace.
I’m a Marine Corp vet that fought in Vietnam and I would love for someone to explain to me why we are even
fighting in these backwater countries and losing men like Capt.McKenna,for what?? so these fat cats in this
country can sit on their asses and count their money.People here in the U.S.A.had better start worring about
their own freedoms
After reading this I am reminded too of he debt we owe all veterans, especially the fallen and of course the wounded both physically and spiritually. I hope we can take this debt we owe them and fight to restore this nation to the rule of law demanded by our sacred documents the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution for the united States of America, for which fought and sacrificed so much. The problem I have with these sites like Western Journalism begins with these contradictory and self betraying ads for ‘PICK the VP’ which allow for the choice of a Marco Rubio or Bobby Jindal both of whom disgrace these sacred documents by allowing their own choice for a position to which they are ineligible and so therefore Western Journalism and their management disgrace and mock us and themselves and completely undermine our current battle to fight the usurpation of the office of POTUS by a stranger a phony an enemy of these documents. In fact this ad mocks us and those heroes on this very page. Many days ago, last week I wrote Floyd Brown, the big cheese here regarding this betrayal and have received no response, I did so in a private letter , but now today I am moved to break that silence and print my unanswered letter. He is not alone: Joseph Farah and Birther Report and others have also failed to respond let alone remove these ads or to print a disclaimer or explanation of their treason to the cause by the financially rewarding ads. In fact they take money to mock us and themselves. The letter:
Mr. Brown sir,
I find it most disturbing that WCJ along with many other friendly sites: WND, ORYR/BR, American Thinker and others are party to ads and polls which allow hits let alone votes for the VP choice and these ads/polls include Rubio/Jindal, both who by the standards supported here on WCJ are ineligible. Article II section 1 clause 5 requires candidates as you know to be Natural Born and neither Rubio nor Jindal qualifies as I’m sure you know. This is very disturbing and dangerous for many reasons: 1. Why would the republican establishment have any desire to advertise on sites disgusting to them? That is ‘Birther’ sites? They mock us and have thrown us under the bus as crazies long ago. 2. They gain critical information allowing them to statistically surmise whether they can present an Un Constitutional ticket with a Rubio/Jindal and ignore the impact that true patriots who will never vote for such a ticket as me. Even Joseph Farah claims he wouldn’t vote such a ticket and his site runs these ads. Pure hypocrisy as it is with WCJ. 3. These people who betray the Constitution (establishment Republicans) are complicit in treason by their silence and failure to act against the clear usurpation of Obama and these ads and the foisting of an ineligible ticket will indeed end our Constitution once and for all by consensus should a Rubio or Jindal make the ticket or God forbid win. 4. The risk of Obama finding a rationale to either suspend the elections or invalidate them should in the former case see polls indicating a loss in November or in the latter invalidating after a loss because the criminal he is will allow him to claim that the Republican ticket is ineligible! He set the stage with a simple plan: Should the public buy he’s eligible because of the recent affirmations from Hawaii, along with the Supreme Court upholding any single aspect of Obama Care giving him backdoor eligibility: “How can I be ineligible if the Supreme Court declares Obama Care Constitutional?” he will say along with the McCain resolution requiring 2 citizen parents making Rubio/Jindal ineligible; suspend or invalidate the election. Do you doubt this would be beneath him? Haven’t you at WCJ run stories concerning the martial law risk? 5. Running these ads is accepting money from those who mock you, they’re now paying you to mock yourselves, but worse they mock me. Each time one person goes from this site and chooses a Rubio it’s another nail in the cause of Constitutional eligibility, it’s a stab in our heart. Why would you participate in this? Why have you not placed a disclaimer warning readers and members? Why do I see this and you don’t? Or do you? Why do you run your own polls listing Rubio etc? 6. Allowing collection of these statistics by the establishment republican traitors while showing Rubio on ‘Birther’ sites allows this scenario: You see they never cared for the Constitution they just hate Obama. You see they never believed in Natural Born, they just hate Obama. You see they are hypocrites. Why? Because they are racists! Is that the campaign mantra you want to give the Democrats? 7. Why, in this era of great controversy would the Republicans ‘dare’ no ‘demand’ to shove down our throats any ticket but the purest of Natural Born? Why is it they fear no backlash from true conservatives or liberals? Wouldn’t they just err on the side of caution and quietly present a Natural Born ticket without controversy? Why in such a dangerous election year with a close election highly likely would they marginalize votes like mine or Farah’s or yours (would you seriously vote for an ineligible ticket?). Why? I tell you there are at least 5% of Constitutional conservatives maybe more that will NEVER have their vote stolen and their country’s heart ‘The Constitution’ usurped. I will not elect my usurper to replace theirs no matter what I think of Obama. Will you?
Sir I beg you to consider the damage these ads Pick the VP do. The damage this poll of yours does. Displaying a Rubio or Jindal and allowing the less informed, those who hate Obama etc to vote for an ineligible candidate (with complicit silence and no warning by this site) will doom this election but worse doom this country, perhaps forever. Will this be your fault? Will remain silent and take money to mock yourself and the cause? Stop these ads. Stop this betrayal now sir. Resist this blood money. The problem we have as Conservatives isn’t liberals. The problem we have is that we fail to recognize that the Republican establishment isn’t the comfy fuzzy slippers under our bed, no they are rattlesnakes waiting and hiding in those slippers and these ads prove they are ready to strike those who have provided this dark warm cover. They are biting you with these ads with your own approval. Is it the money? Yes it’s always the money. Let me be the first to call you stupid, hypocritical and traitor to the cause right to your face. Let me mock your complicity to your face, first. Should you fail to see the damage you do, perhaps then these harsh words to a failing ally will save you. I pray for us all because now the fuzzy slippers under my bed each hold a snake, the left one the republicans, the right those allies like WCJ who bite me too. I pray you listen. These ads have people laughing at us. You’re losing me. I’ve warned you in private. I dare you to run this letter as an editorial.
Robert R Moore
Natural Born Citizen
Take the pledge you need it:
It’s The Truth, Stupid! Pledge
I insert your name
do solemnly swear on my sacred honor: to defend and uphold the
Constitution of these United States of America, in opposition to all
enemies foreign or domestic. I forever support the principle that the
Constitution and all of its Articles. Sections and Clauses are not
sever-able nor subject to the whims of the majority, nor a consensus, nor a
popular vote. This pledge forever affirms that I will not have my vote
stolen, nor become complicit in the usurpation of the Office of the
Presidency and Commander in Chief for any Party, Agenda, or Cause. This
pledge forever guarantees I will not vote for any Presidential ticket
that is not transparently and fully guaranteed to meet the Article 2
Section 1 Clause 5, “Natural Born Citizen” requirement. I forever affirm
that I will either skip my vote or vote for the opponent of: any
candidate who does not take this pledge nor commits to renew and obey their
Constitutional oath. I swear to follow through to its end the truth and
prosecution of Barack Obama’s crimes against these United States and
it’s Constitution and the truth and prosecution of any and all collateral crimes by any sworn official, be it of silence, omission, complicity, violation of oath, bribery, blackmail,
coercion, extortion, intimidation or failure of duty to the citizen’s or Constitution, no matter the consequences: ‘It’s the Truth Stupid!’ This pledge shall
be considered my official notification to The Republican National
Committee, that they may take this timely and limited opportunity to change their
duplicitous ways, to end their silence, to pledge to not present a Non-
Natural Born Citizen Presidential Ticket, and to prosecute the obvious
mystery and fraud known as Barack Obama and to admit their part in this
fraud and its consequences or accept that:” Failure to do so will cost them my vote: be it for President or any other office sworn and pledged to uphold the
Constitution. So help me God.”
It’s the Truth Stupid!
You see all you get is more cowardly treachery and treasonous silence. They really don’t care about eligibility as long as it’s profit oriented and their usurper defeats the criminal Obama. Will you trade your criminal for theirs? God help our nation and it’s Constitution when the enemies of our enemies are our friendly rattlesnakes in our comfy slippers under our beds. Treason for profit the new growth industry. Bet there’s still no reply and I mock them in their own blog. Why? You must ask yourself. Please do it before you wonder where your nation went. When you allow someone to lie for you…you license them to lie to you. Which liar will you pick? Which traitor gets your vote? My choice is becoming none of the above. My friends are becoming few. So be it. From my cold dead hands.
Bring our troops home. We are losing our FREEDOM & LIBERTIES here, at home.
Our men should not die overseas for what nobody knows.
God Bless America and God bless our troops.
The Vietnam War was lost by our politians and Jane Fonda. Don’t forget how she pointed a gun at our
American soldiers while she was standing on the Nort Vietnam side. She should have been tried for treason.
Democratice perhaps listened to her more than our miitary leaders. As for Obama apologizing to the vets, give me a break. I do not believe he knows how to tell the truth. Much less when he out campaign for the office of president.
Long live our ‘WE THE PEOPLE”
Much as I support some of WND’s positions and campaigns, I gag when you say American military people
“died to protect our Freedoms.” We have not fought a defensive war since the War of 1812.! The “Defense
Department” should go back to the more honest name “War Department.”
Let’s take an example. What American Freedoms were American soldiers protecting in the trenches of
World War !? Was the Kaiser going to invade the United States?* No, we got sucked into a foreign war that was none of our business. 116,516 Americans died for NOTHING!
Read Benjamin K. Freedman’s speech at the Willard Hotel. Just google it and learn something!
Freedman was a wealthy Jewish Zionist who was aware of what was happening but later repented of
the actions of his Zionist associates and blew the whistle. He reveals how the Zionists, in order to defeat Germany by getting America into the war, mounted a ridiculous propaganda campaign against the Kaiser
and the terrible “Huns.” Americans were originally on Germany’s side but had no desire to get involved.
Good hearted but stupid Americans were swayed by propaganda that told them Germans were raping Belgian nuns. (That would be the Protestant German boys, I suppose, not the Catholic German boys. Sarcasm—in case you believe everything your read.) Americans were also told about the Germans cutting off the hands of Belgian babies. BTW, a leading light of this propaganda war was Jewusg Edward Bernays, a nephew of Sigmund Freud and founder of the ill-famed Public Relations Industry.
Lest you think I am merely anti-Semitic, I will put a lot of the blame on British Intelligence which participated.
Churchill was Lord of the Admiralty and aided in the “dirty business” of the sinking of the Lusitania.
The ship loaded munitions in New York against the Neutrality Act and Germany warned that it would be sunk. They tried to place ads in American newspapers to warn Americans against booking passage. The only ad that got published was in IOWA!
Re the Admiralty’s “dirty business,” when the ship got near Ireland it was directed into an area where it was known a German submarine was operating. A message was sent from the British stating that England was short of fuel and the Lusitania should slow down to save fuel.
Are you getting the picture, you jingoistic bleeding hearts? The 116.516 WW! American war dead died for NOTHING! They certainly did not die to “protect our freedoms” or to “Make the World Safe for Democracy.”
They may have believed it but it wasn’t true then and it isn’t true now!
My father, Charles Overall, was there and lost a heel in France. (The $30 monthly pension helped a lot
to get us through the Depression. One good thing from the war.)
Wake up, people! Don’t be propagandized into wars over and over. Don’t be peasants fighting for your local
Duke or Earl against peasants fighting for some other peasants’ Duke or Earl.
And in conclusion, kick that illegal immigrant Obama out of the White House! Have you seen the cartoon
that has at the top this text: “Remember the couple who sneaked into the White House with no credentials?”
Below that is a picture of a grinning couple, Barrack and Michelle………. Learn more from the Wise Old Man
by going to youtube and finding my Channel at /1wom
*Footnote: Part of the propaganda campaign claimed that the Kaiser was going to invade the United States
THROUGH MEXICO! What a logistics nightmare that would be.
To the wise old man. The moment a young man or woman volunteers to join our military they have given their life. They stand between us and all the enemies who would do us harm. That is a selfless act. Their all heroes.