Update: The tribute to read is the one composed by my friend Caleb Howe, himself a former United States Marine.
Daris Long, father and former Marine, stood behind his son’s casket wearing a red Marine Corps baseball cap and military medals on his chest and read aloud the letter he had planned to give his son on the day of his deployment. He spoke of duty, readiness, committment. “Your day only ends when you’ve done your duty,” he read with emotion. “You and your brother … are both heroes for having the moral courage to stand up when your country needs you most. You are in my hopes and my thoughts and my prayers. You are my son, you are my hero. I love you. Semper fidelis.”Pvt. William Long did his duty. His day ends with honor. And we honor him.
Amen. The Republic has lost one of her true sons, long before his time. And the voice of his blood cries out from the land.
Original post:
Pvt. William Long was to have been on his way to his first posting Monday when, instead, he was being eulogized in his hometown.Long, from Conway, was killed June 1 outside the Army-Navy Career Center in west Little Rock where he had volunteered to tell others about his military experience. A Muslim convert once imprisoned in Yemen has pleaded not guilty to capital murder in Long's death. He allegedly told police he targeted Army personnel "because of what they had done to Muslims in the past."
About 200 people packed into the Harlan Park Baptist Church for the service.
Comments (10)
Paul,
Thanks for remembering and reminding us all of Pvt. Long's sacrifice for this country. Too bad the MSM isn't following your lead:
http://www.newcriterion.com/posts.cfm/Who-Killed-William-Long--5892
Posted by Jeff Singer | June 9, 2009 9:08 AM
Federal marshals have of course been dispatched by the executive branch to protect army recruitment centers around the country... Oh, guess not.
Posted by Lydia | June 9, 2009 12:58 PM
So far, it's not clear whether or not the shooter was a native or an immigrant. However, I would assume an immigrant given his lockup in Yemen. You don't hear about many American Muslim converts going over to places Yemen.
All the more reason why part of the process of immigrating from certain parts of the world should include a basic counterintelligence polygraph administered by ICE or the State department.
Posted by Mike T | June 9, 2009 3:59 PM
The shooter was an American citizen, according to ABC.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=7730637&page=1
Lydia, please note that this is (rightly, I might add) being investigated by the FBI Joint Terrorist Task Force.
Posted by Step2 | June 9, 2009 5:42 PM
And the voice of his blood cries out from the land.
Uh... wow. Nothing makes me feel warm and fuzzy like a crusading conservative speak of blood and soil.
Posted by Mike | June 9, 2009 10:23 PM
Genesis 4:10, Mike.
Posted by Paul J Cella | June 10, 2009 6:31 AM
"So far, it's not clear whether or not the shooter was a native or an immigrant. However, I would assume an immigrant given his lockup in Yemen. You don't hear about many American Muslim converts going over to places Yemen."
That a--holes name was Carlos Bledsoe, an idiot black supremacist convert via Nation of Islam in prison.
Posted by Justice1 | June 11, 2009 9:16 AM
Blood and soil referenced on a nationalistic blog in the context of an alledged religious/racial war? I stand by my statement.
Posted by Mike | June 11, 2009 12:11 PM
You stand by your stupidity then.
Posted by Paul J Cella | June 11, 2009 12:27 PM
The uniform of the day at all recruiting stations should be dress uniforms with sword and a Beretta 9 MM or other weapon of choice. We are fighting a war on our soil as well as other places around the world and the recruiters need to protect themselves! If they would have shot him dead when he pulled his weapon...well, to bad!
Posted by Jorge | July 24, 2009 8:27 PM