Why he served
Everyone: Please read this.
And spread it far and wide.
It’s your spirit-lifter and perspective-keeper of the day.
Of the year.
God bless you, Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato. R.I.P. We are eternally grateful.
Via the Boston Globe:
The following is a blog entry written on Aug. 30, 2008, by Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato, who was killed Tuesday in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was riding in was blown up by an improvised explosive device. This entry was forwarded to the Globe by his mother, Elizabeth “Betty” Crawford.
If I may …
I’d like to say something….Just to get it out there so it is clear.
To all the pampered and protected Americans who feel it is their duty to inform me that I am not fighting for their freedom, and that i am a pawn in Bush’s agenda of greed and oil acquisition: Noted, and [expletive deleted] You.I am not a robot. i am not blind or ignorant to the state of the world or the implications of the “war on terrorism.” i know that our leaders have made mistakes in the handling of a very sensitive situation, but do not for one second think that you can make me lose faith in what we, meaning America’s sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers in uniform are doing.
I am doing my part in fighting a very real enemy of the United States, i.e. Taliban, Al Qaida, and various other radical sects of Islam that have declared war on our way of life. Unless you believe the events of 9/11 were the result of a government conspiracy, which by the way would make you a MORON, there is no reasonable argument you can make against there being a true and dangerous threat that needs to be dealt with. i don’t care if there are corporations leaching off the war effort to make money, and i don’t care if you don’t think our freedom within America’s borders is actually at stake. i just want to kill those who would harm my family and friends. it is that simple. Even if this is just a war for profit or to assert America’s power, so what? Someone has to be on top and I want it to be us. There’s nothing wrong with wishing prosperity for your side.I am a proud American. i believe that my country allows me to live my life more or less however i want to, and believe me, i have seen what the alternative of that looks like. i also believe that our big scary government does way more than it has to to help complete [expletive deleted]-ups get back on their feet, a stark comparison to places where leaders just line their own pockets with gold while allowing the people who gave them their power and privilage to starve. I have chosen my corner. I back my country, and am proud to defend it against aggressors. Also, if you dare accuse us of being inhumane, or overly aggressive because we have rolled into someone else’s country and blown some [expletive deleted] up and shot some people, let me remind you of just how inhumane we COULD be in defending ourselves. Let me remind you that we have a warhead that drops multiple bomblets from the stratosphere which upon impact, would turn all the sand in Iraq to glass, and reduce every living thing there to dust. Do we use it? No. Instead we use the most humane weapon ever devised: the American soldier. We send our bravest (and perhaps admitably craziest) men and women into enemy territory, into harms way, to root out those whom we are after and do our best to leave innocent lives unscathed.
…One last thing…a proposal. i know it has been stated time and time again but i just think it is worthy of reiteration. If you find yourself completely disgusted with the way America is being ran, and how we handle things on the global stage, you can leave. Isn’t that amazing? No one will stop you! If you are an anarchist, there are places you can go where there is no government to tell you anything. That’s right…you are left solely to your own devices and you can handle the men who show up at your door with AKs in any way that you see fit. Just don’t try good old American debate tactics on them because you will most likely end up bound and blind-folded, to have your head chopped off on the internet so your parents can see it. However if you insist on staying here and taking advantage of privilages such as free speach and WIC, keep the counter-productive [expletive deleted] to a minimum while the grown ups figure out how to handle this god-awful mess in the middle east.
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Trackbacks
- Echo9er » Blog Archive » Why Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato Served…
- The most humane weapon ever devised : Pursuing Holiness
- The Underground Conservative
- The Underground Conservative | Why our troops serve
- Why He Served « The Chronicles Of A Rogue Jew
- A Real American and a True Hero « Decidedly Right
- Knee Deep in the Hooah! » Soar, hero, soar!
- Dave Lucas' Notes » R.I.P. Apocaholic
- Yankeemom
- southchild » Blog Archive » Stephen Fortunato: Why He Served
- Lest We Forget… Why He Fought | Jeffrey A. Setaro
- Must Read: “Why he served” by Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato; R.I.P. | Infidels Are Cool
- Web Sites of Interest » links for 2008-10-17
- Defining Americanism | Nicholas Fitzgerald
- Musings of a Mad Macedonian
- Life in 3D » God Bless you, Specialist Stephen Fortunato
- Why he served | PoliticsMuch.com
- Why he served | PoliticsMuch.com
- America, NEVER Forget That You ARE Joe The Plumber « Mcnorman’s Weblog
- The world according to Joe » Blog Archive » The words of a soldier
- The world according to Joe » Blog Archive » The words of a soldier
- The world according to Joe » Blog Archive » The words of a soldier
- Why he served, a soldier explained « The Daley Gator
- Web Sites of Interest » links for 2008-10-18
- Stephen Fortunato, Killed Tuesday in Afghanistan, Tells Why He Served | ChooseTheHero.com
- Stephen Fortunato, Killed Tuesday in Afghanistan, Tells Why He Served | ChooseTheHero.com
- BizzyBlog » Positivity: Slain Beverly soldier explained why he served
- Bride of Rove » Today’s News
- UrbanGrounds » Blog Archive » The Most Humane Weapon Ever Devised: The American Soldier
- Why he served « Top Daily Digest Reading
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R.I.P. Specialist Fortunato
You are one brave (expletive deleted) Hero.
Godspeed, sir…
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Mark 12:30
God rest the soul of Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato
We humbly salute you.
Turn the god damn place into glass and start all over.
I second ajmontana.
A True American Hero.
My respects to Specialist Fortunato.
Science Fiction author Robert A. Heinlein may have been on to something when he wrote “Starship Troopers” in 1959. From Wiki (referring to future society in the novel):
:salute:
Specialist Fortunato, may you always have fair winds and following seas, and thank you. Bravo Zulu.
God rest Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato, and bless his family. We will be eternally grateful for your sacrifice.
Truth.
Thank you, Stephen Fortunato, for your love.
Oh my, this is what our country is about. Thank you AS Fontunato and God Bless you and your family. RIP in God’s arms.
My husband is on a VFW motorcycle guard for our fallen military and today he took off work for a funeral for one of the members of our VFW who passed away. It is just one tiny bit of respect people who love our country can tell the family their loved one did not serve our Republic in vain. We do love and thank each and every one.
L
May God give Betty and the rest of this hero’s family His peace. We are grateful for his sacrifice and for his family’s.
RIP
We have an all volunteer force. Those that do not believe what they are doing is right are free to leave. Those that remain share many of the thoughts of Specialist Fortunato. May God bless his family and friends. To all the bed wetters, (expletive deleted) you and all your socialist friends.
Perhaps we should forward this letter to some of our less tolerant, more liberal brethren… might learn a little something.
God bless this young man and all those like him who had the courage to volunteer to do this for us.
God bless you, sir.
May God send His angels to guide you to eternal rest, and may perpetual light shine upon you, now and forever. Amen.
Damn! That was great! Hey Murtha! What say you?
Thank you, Specialist Fortunato for your service, sacrifice and for sharing your feelings with us. Our loss is heaven’s gain. Betty, may the Lord lift you up and bless you.
BSR
Sgt. Rock is in your heart. Salute.
With statements like his, it’s no wonder they try to diminish or discard the military votes our service men and women EARN the right to cast!
Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato, R.I.P.! Thank you for defending me and mine!
He has renewed my faith in the future of this country, at least for a few minutes.
R.I.P.
Dear G-d; this young man wrote what should be required reading for, at least, every troll in here.
Unfortunately, Rep. Murtha will not “get it”. It has been too long since he said or did anything considered honorable.
This is the type of American that knew what America is supposed to be, and did something to keep it that way.
Never forget these people, and their families, ever.
freedomalliance.org
That’s for the Rosie “fire doesn’t melt steel” crowd.
Stephen is correct that there was not a Republican government conspiracy.
But there is sufficient evidence to suggest that Putin and American Communists like William Ayers may have conspired with the radical sects of Islam to secretly declare war on our way of life…
Think I’m crazy?
Try refuting even a single one of the TRUTH statements in that post.
Stephen Fortunato gave his life fighting foreign enemies.
Shouldn’t we do our part to identify and fight domestic enemies?
A hero died Tuesday, and joined the ranks of the other heroes of our country. “Grandpa, were you are hero in the war?” “No, but I served in a company of heroes.”
It is because we have brave, unselfish men and women such as this who, unfortunately, come home under these circumstances, that we’re here today.
It is also why I, and nearly 150,000 other members of the Patriot Guard, inevitably shed tears of pride and sorrow when we stand our flaglines.
God Speed, Soldier, & God Bless
May God watch over you Betty Crawford. Thanks for raising such a brave hero.
Rest in Peace, Stephen.
You’ll hear our prayers for you and your family.
The embodiement of everything it means to be an American. Well done soldier. You may now stand down.
I thank God that we have men like Steve Fortunato in this country. I pray for God’s blessings on his family and friends. God’s speed Specialist Steve Fortunato.
I can’t read anything by a late soldier. My man is in Iraq. My heart goes out to Spc Fortunato’s family.
America is blessed to produce young men and women like Specialist Fortunato. I salute you.
(damn, it’s hard to type barely able to see the screen!)
God bless Stephen and all our soldiers in harm’s way. THANK YOU!!! for all you do for us.
May God be with his family at this difficult time.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.
Thanks Michelle I needed this now.
Bless this child of America and his family. He has freedom in his veins as do all of America’s children. I’m so proud of this young warrior and it is humbling to think of Steve as a complete person, knowing what he is doing, and maybe where he was going. Time for the rest of the adults to step forward.
Spoken like a true American Hero. May you now rest in peace for eternity.
On October 17th, 2008 at 4:56 pm, tuffy said:
I can’t read anything by a late soldier. My man is in Iraq. My heart goes out to Spc Fortunato’s family.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your loved one as well.
Thank God for men and women like Specialist Fortunato who have or are willing to give their precious lives to defend this country. It is young men and women like this I am privileged to serve with that make getting up every day and going to work to contribute in my small way in fighting the battle of the budget to get them the resources they need when in harms way worth while.
OORAH! God speed, Specialist Fortunato, and bless you.
It’s a shame that the views of those of us actually fighting this war aren’t out in the open more often. As I wrote a while back, in the past few years, “We Support the Troops,” has become a sort of cliché whose meaning has never really been discussed. One hears it all the time: on the radio, on billboards, those little yellow-ribbon magnets, from politicians on the stump, from store marquees… It makes people feel good about themselves. One doesn’t win an audience by saying, “We Don’t Support the Troops.” The question though remains: What does it mean to “Support the Troops?” Speaking for myself, it means three things; 1) Supporting their mission, 2) Encouraging more of-age men to enlist, and 3) Encouraging our troops, not by showing their sacrifice, but their accomplishments. What does it mean to “support the mission?” Americans must decide: Are we a military at war or a country at war? Right now, most folks go on with their lives without a clue as to what occurs overseas. The debate for going to war has already taken place. The votes fell as they did. The President, as the Commander-in-Chief, has made his decision; however, success depends not solely on military might. Either we fight as a nation, or we fail. It is that simple. For any campaign, especially counterinsurgencies, to succeed, as has been written by smarter men than I, a nation must have the support of the Government, the People, and the Military. I and many others can vouch for the military. What say you?
Most of America now days is not worthy of having real men like Stephen Fortunato fight for the freedoms that they are abusing. There is not one democrat in USA that would make a pimple on Stephen’s butt and you would have to look hard to find a handfull of republicans in congress that would. Those morons that protest in the streets and on websites etc… are spitting on Stephen’s grave as well as my own father’s grave and millions of other real God fearing America loving MEN. It is a great loss for his family and the rest of us but in a way it is a blessing for Stephen to die this way because he actually died for something he believed in and loved. If it were within my power I would gladly trade places with him right this minute so he could have some more years on earth and I am verrrrrry serious. How many democrats would be willing to do that? Oh yeah, they are too busy flying in helicopters that “almost” got shot at. God Bless you Stephen and your loved ones that you left behind. It’s hard to type this with blurry eyes.
Great story. Thanks for posting.
If only his words, giving us a glimpse into his soul, could be required reading for every American. I thought immediately of the perceptions from the Iraqi Shiite conscripts on the front lines in Desert Storm in 1991. As they surrendered, they marveled that their captors, the U.S. Army and Marines did not shoot them on site (as they had been forewarned by the ruling Sunnis). They marveled at the humane treatment they were afforded. They marveled at the compassion and professionalism of our finest. They had life changing transformations though, when they first learned, that our force was an all volunteer force. In their world, they could not even imagine a country worth fighting for. They fought – ok surrendered – in fear for their families left behind under Saddam’s watch. Our forces fought for quaint ideas like duty, family, honor and country. They were in awe, as am I today. Thank you Betty. You’ve given history someone to be revered…an American who died in service to others whose numbers are testament to the difference between us and our enemies.
I’ve been trying to figure something out… If America’s Hussein (as opposed to Iraq’s Hussein) wins this election, how many different ways will I upchuck when men like Fortunato are required to SALUTE our President Hussein?
I’m removing the carpeting from my home in preparation for all the upchucking I’m going to do in my own home over the next four years.
All gave some, some gave all.
RIP Fortunato, RIP.
Hey ThunderHawkk, I hope you are sorry for removing your carpet and hopefully after this election you will just have a good excuse to put in new carpet.
Take that you slack jawed San Francisco f……I better stop.
R.I.P. Fortunato, we all owe you.
America– Home of the free because of the Brave -God bless you, Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato.
We sleep peacefully tonight, here in America, because of fine and great soldiers like PFC Stephen Fortunato.
I’ve copied his blog post onto my blog this evening, along with my personal and sad comments.
Mister Fortunato’s name and heroism will be remembered among Choctaw tonight here.
The tears are flowing.
Eternal rest grant unto him,O Lord.
And let perpetual Light shine upon him
May his Soul, and the Souls of all the Faithful departed, rest in Peace.
Amen.
The family has my condolences and Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato has my highest respect.
Specialist Fortunato and his family;
I cannot tell you how much you have given this country. I cannot tell you how much your sacrifice means to me. I will give you this solemn promise, that even at my age of 58, I will stand beside your spirit and will accept you guide me through the fight I know I have to take. I love this country and I will not let the left win… be with me, sir……. Semper Fidelis in the best meaning of the phrase, you earned it. I have your watch on the wall, rest well.
Holy smack. That was beautiful. Sending it out to everyone I know, political persuasion be damned.
May God and His Angels comfort Army Specialist Fortunato’s family during this difficult time.
Thank you for defending freedom.
And yes, in honor of Fortunato, one great big F&*K YOU to the bad guys out there…
God bless the family of our fallen.
Did you read what the man wrote, LGM? You are free to leave, now.
Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato. R.I.P. God bless his family.
/s/
jose
Thank you, Specialist Fortunato. Thank you for telling it like it is. Rest in peace.
As I sit here with tears rolling down my cheeks, I find myself filled with sorrow for the loss of an American soldier…if not for his kind there would be no freedom in America.
May his family find peace knowing what wonderful human being he was…a true American Hero.
tuffy, may the best be with you and your man, thank you for your sacrifices.
Madam Crawford,
Please accept my humble and truly inadequate condolences for the loss of your brave son.
He is not alone. The vast majority of us who are called to fight understand the risks, and the costs. Your son is my brother in arms… I will pray for your family, and for his sacrifice to this great nation.
I just don’t feel that I am worthy to comment, so the post that found most approiate was: gippergirl said:
May God and His Angels comfort Army Specialist Fortunato’s family during this difficult time.Thank you for defending freedom.And yes, in honor of Fortunato, one great big F&*K YOU to the bad guys out there…
Yeah, that pretty much covers it…
May God bless Stephan Fortunato’s soul, and may He bless his family. I pray daily for our military and others who defend us, protect us, and give liberty to many others.
These young men and women are America’s finest. I served in the U.S. Army 44 years ago–never in combat–and have worked with and known many who served in combat in Europe, the South Pacific, Korea, Vietnam, and the gulf war. I get highly incensed when I hear losers running down our military–usually those who never wore the uniform.
Wait until the O’Bummer withdraws the U.S. from the world stage–just see which other country would free Europe from the Kaiser or Hitler, or which other country would remove the Japanese imperialists from Asia–not to mention rebuilding their countries, feeding them, and giving them democracy. Ditto for Iraq and Afghanistan. You’re on your own in the future little European / Asian buddies–see if bashing America will help you with the Russians, Chinese, or Jihadists. We’ll send you some bandaids and get well cards–and we’ll talk pretty at the U. N. as you go under.
Good Job, Stephen–may God rest your soul.
John Bibb
My sympathies to Betty and the Fortunato family. I never cease to be amazed at the level of surety and eloquence these soldiers possess. Sgt. Fortunato was no exception.
I daresay the fondest wish of fans of MM would be to see a giant stadium filled with Code Pink types (tied to their seats and gagged, of course) all there to listen to John McCain or Sarah Palin deliver a dose of reality with the reading of the sargeant’s letter. Welcome to reality, Obamunists!
May this brave young soldier rest in peace. I had heard about this when the woman that sits next me received a call from her son called her from Iraq to let her know he was alright. He’s in the same batallion.
Theodore Roosevelt:
“It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out how the strong men stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiams, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Go with God. Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato, your duty is done here.
Brings to mind the World War II film “Why We Fight” (Those of you who have had a nonliberal history lesson should be familiar with this movie)
Godspeed Specialist, my prayers are with you.
R.I.P. Specialist Fortunato
Thank you Michelle for helping to spread this story.
Well said, sir.
R.I.P. Specialist Fortunato and thank you.
Damn, that was good. And the Globe’s video was especially poignant.
I had the honor of briefly meeting a soldier the other day whose sentiments sounded similar to Spc. Fortunato’s, and he’s on his way back to Iraq at this moment. He knows our country has to keep fighting. The beer I bought for him in gratitude just seemed terribly insufficient.
Grieving with your mom, but rejoicing you are with the Lord Jesus, Spec. Fortunato. May God bless and comfort your family.
America! [expletive deleted] yeah!
Godspeed Specialist.
Thank you, Mrs. Crawford, for the sacrifice you have laid on the altar of freedom.
Thank you, Specialist, for standing up when duty called.
American heroes both.
/me salutes.
Nuff said.
Day is done, gone the sun
From the hills, from the lake, from the sky
All is well, safely rest;
God is nigh.
-Taps
If you’d like to leave a comment that his family may read, you can go here. A quick registration is all that’s needed:
http://www.patriotguard.org/Forums/tabid/61/postid/998259/view/topic/Default.aspx
RIP and Godspeed!
Note to Murtha, Pelotas, Obam-uh, et. al.:
That’s how a real man lives his life.
Dear God in Heaven, please make sure that Stephen Forunato gets this message.
thanks,
travlinman
To Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato:
May the God of All keep you in His arms and in His loving care as you have now laid your burdens down and gone to your eternal peace. Thanks for your sacrifice. You have helped to make our country a little bit safer for me and my family. Your passing has brought sadness and more than a few tears to those who knew and loved you. Rest assured that they will be comforted in the knowledge that you did not die in vain, and that you will not be soon forgotten. You are an American soldier. The best there is, period. You are the kind of son a man would be proud to call his own, the kind of boy a man would like to see his daughter bring home to meet her mother, and the kind of man who stood up for what he believes in. You have given the ultimate sacrifice and therefore have left this world with a wealth that is far greater than most of us can imagine. A wealth measured in gratitude, respect, sacrifice and most importantly, in the amount of love that you have shown toward your fellow man.
In the words of Christ our Savior from John 15:13 – Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. What more could He give to us?
How true as you have given your all.
Amen.
Specialist Fortunato’s service and sacrifice should be honored. May his family and friends find the warmth and comfort necessary to make it through this with the strength he had.
I only wish these questions would be answered by those who can. Which of our freedoms are at risk? And, how could those freedoms be taken away by Bin Laden? Why suggest that you should love America, or leave it? Would you move out of your house if there were a crack in the wall and complained about it? No, you would fix the crack. If there is something wrong with America you should complain and then fix it.
Someone needs to personally hand a copy of that journal entry to Harry (white flag) Reid and John (the troops are murderers) Murtha.
Rest easy, Soldier.
No further comments required, Sir. Thank you Specialist Stephen Fortunato.
They say Marines don’t die, they just go to hell to regroup–well, I have strong feeling that Stephen is “regrouping” right now–except for the “hell” part.
Thank you Spec. Fortunato. Thank you to you and your family. Thank you to the thousands of others just like you who are risking it all so I can sit home on a Friday night and watch movies with my kids. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
And may God bless you, your soul and your family eternally.