BlackFive

UPDATED

I hear that all the time... hell, I say it all the time.  It's like calling Ben Rothlisberger a hero for making the tackle that saved the AFC Championship game last year.  It's not that the people using it are trying to misuse the term, but in fact they are.  There are people in this war that do take one for the Team, and Navy SEAL Marc A. Lee was one of them. 

His Silver Star Citation reads in part:

“During the operation, one element member was wounded by enemy fire. The element completed the casualty evacuation, regrouped and returned onto the battlefield to continue the fight,” the citation reads. “Petty Officer Lee and his SEAL element maneuvered to assault an unidentified enemy position. He, his teammates, Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Abrams tanks engaged enemy positions with suppressive fire from an adjacent building to the north.

“To protect the lives of his teammates, he fearlessly exposed himself to direct enemy fire by engaging the enemy with his machine gun and was mortally wounded in the engagement. His brave actions in the line of fire saved the lives of many of his teammates,” it states.

Michael Fumento blogged about Marc's task unit in a firefight in Ramadi which is the only blog post or media report I have ever read about a SEAL operation in Iraq.  In this memorial post, Fumento reveals that Marc was one of the operators he was out with that day and offers his condolensces and gratitude.  Thanks Mike.

Memorial Services are scheduled for Saturday August 12, 2006 at the North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado, CA.  There is some question as to whether it will be at the base theatre or the chapel, but it starts at 1100 1230.  Drive around until you see a bunch of SEALs with milling about smartly in their dress blues and you'll know you found it.  I'll see you there.