Cadence: 5,6,7,8.. Who Do We Appreciate?

This is precisely why an illuminated flag can and so does fly at my residence everyday, all day.

When Sgt. Aubrey McDade Jr. found out that he had been chosen to receive the Marine Corps' second-highest he didn't want it.

"Everybody told me congratulations, but I thought they should not congratulate me if other Marines were hurt," McDade explained.

Sgt. Aubrey McDade Jr., originally from Houston, is the 15th Marine to receive the nation’s second-highest award for valor during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. McDade is now a drill instructor with Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C.

He served with 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1/8, while in Iraq. His platoon was ambushed in a Fallujah alleyway by insurgent machine gunfire. Within seconds, three Marines were seriously wounded, many others were pinned down by the firing and most were unaware of the dire condition of the wounded, he said.

According to his official award citation, McDade ordered a machine gun team into the alley to suppress enemy fire and then McDade himself "showed total disregard for his own safety" and dashed out into the machine gun fire several times to pull the three Marines to safer ground.
One Marine died as soon as he had been shot, but the other two received medical treatment and survived, McDade said.

Please accept my most appreciative, civilian salute, Drill Sgt. McDade, and all of the selfless defenders of United States freedom like you.