LIVE BLOGGING NCOs KICK BUTT!

[trillian]

FIGHTING DEM TRIBUTE TO THE SARGES I – Live Blogging NCOs Kick Butt!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/26/151220/285

In our honoring of the “Fighting Dem Vets running to take back Congress, we encounter a goodly number of commissioned officers – men of command, intelligence and skills that can now be of service to their country in yet another theater of combat. Yet we must not allow their high profiles to overshadow a number of non-commissioned officers (technically E-4 and up, but we include all enlisted personnel here) who are also battling to take back the Hill.

There are, in fact, about 30 former enlisted personnel running for office this year. For this reason, the Tribute to Sarges will be divided into several segments and presented on different days over the next month or so, with the first group up today.

The paeans of praise for crusty sarges as the backbone of the military are legion. I know they are true, because as an army brat I witnessed them firsthand. But it was a shock to me nonetheless to watch one day at Marquette University as my at-home easygoing Dad gave a dressing down to an ROTC student who forgot to take his cap off indoors. Whew! Glad he wasn’t like that at home (though maybe he should have been).
Here is a litany of items that describe what a Real Sergeant is:

“The first sergeant...is about the most indispensable, certainly one of the most famous and probably the most terrifying personage in the United States Army. (Samuel T. Williamson, NY Times, 1942). And when Gen. George Marshall was asked in 1933 what he could spare to use for his command with the Civilian Conservation Corps, he replied, "I will run this command with first sergeants." And there is even one of Murphy’s laws about Sarges with the dread warning: “Don't be conspicuous. In the combat zone, it draws fire. Out of the combat zone, it draws sergeants.”
And a Real Sergeant one that can cuss for ten minutes without ever repeating a word. A Real Sergeant has a spine. A Real Sergeant can play a cherry Lieutenant like a finely tuned instrument. A Real Sergeant has eyes in the back of his head and can see in the dark. A Real Sergeant doesn't give a damn about being politically correct. A Real Sergeant would have paid money to see Custer getting his clock cleaned. A Real Sergeant know spit from Shinola. A Real Sergeant has more time on the front-line than most officers have in the chow line. And a Real Sergeant has more stripes than officers have bars or stars.

With these words reverberating in our ears, let’s profile our first dozen Fighting Dem who were NCOs and enlisted personnel and are now running to kick a$$ in Congress (See also our Muster Roll on Fighting-Dems.com and ”Band of Brothers):
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Bill FALZETT for Congress (CA-02)

U.S. Air Force
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Bill was raised an army brat and served five years in the US Air Force. He has worked as a roughneck in the oil fields and as a lineman for Texas Electric. BA, MA from the University of Texas, El Paso, and Ph.D. from Marquette University. Bill has been a practicing psychologist for 38 years and in Yuba County since 1997. Bill and Cheryl have been married 23 years and he has two sons and a stepson and stepdaughter. His youngest son is a Sgt on active duty in the US Army with the 82nd Airborne.

Bill DURSTON for Congress (CA-03)

U.S. Marine Corps
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Bill joined the military at the height of the Vietnam War and served in combat with the Marines 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company, receiving the Navy Commendation medal for bravery under combat. Bill graduated first in his class in Biochemistry at U.C. Berkeley and entered Medical School at the University of California, San Francisco, where he was a Regent's Scholar. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine and has practiced in Sacramento for over 20 years. Bill has served in many senior medical positions in Sacramento and San Francisco. He was on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility from 1999-2003, and he helped re-form the Sacramento chapter in 2003. He served as PSR/Sacramento president from 2003 until stepping down this year to run for Congress.

Karen Marie OTTER (CA-52)

U.S. Army
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Karen was born and raised in San Diego, California. After graduating from high school, Karen enlisted in the United States Army and served as a Pershing Missile Crewman. Assigned to Army units in Oklahoma and Germany, Karen found remarkable the dedication to service of her fellow soldiers. The discipline and training of the Army ingrained in Karen a superior work ethic and responsibility to service. After leaving the military, Karen worked in increasingly responsible areas of administration and management. She obtained certification as a Community Association Manager. She has extensive experience in management of entities of a governmental nature where budgets are essential and rules and regulations are enacted and enforced. Karen Marie Otter is determined, disciplined and dedicated to reforming our government. Karen says, “It's not just ‘regime change’ in the 52nd Congressional District – Hunter is a leading mouthpiece for the Bush Administration as Chair of the House Armed Service Committee and Dumping Dunkin’ Hunter is a major step towards ending the occupation of Iraq in our name, and return balance and credibility to our nation's government. Hunters a shill, and we're ‘not going to take it anymore!’

Bill Winter for Congress (CO-06)

U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy
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Bill is a Colorado native and he has lived a large part of his life in CD6. His adoptive parents and all but one of his five brothers and sisters still live in Colorado. Bill joined the Marine Corps when he was 17 and served for four years before entering college at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Later, he joined the Navy to pay for the last year of college, to learn a skill, and to see the world. Bill was chosen Outstanding Recruit in his basic training and subsequently earned honors and awards at every posting he had in the Navy. His enlistment in the Navy ran out and he received his undergraduate degree from Chapman University at almost the same time. He spent time as a civilian contractor working on airplanes before entering law school at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C where he held jobs in the Department of Justice; with a Federal District Court Judge; and finally, on Senator John McCain's Commerce Committee staff in the U.S. Senate. Bill also spent three years in the deep south where he worked on Senator McCain's Presidential primary campaign against George W. Bush, Jr. and later taught high school science. Returning home to CD6, Bill has been practicing law, substitute teaching occasionally, and coaching high school football. Bill has this to say, “I truly love serving my Country and my community. And I cannot be easily "pigeon holed" in today's contentious political world. I believe labels are used to divide us into false categories in America today. I want to rise above labels, find the things we have in common, and work together to find solutions to our problems and make America greater than it's ever been.”

John Laesch for Congress (IL-14)

U.S. Navy
CONGRATULATIONS! for winning the primary for CD14 in Illinois last week.
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John spent much of his childhood on the mission field in West Africa. In 1986, the Laesch family returned to the United States and settled on a small farm in Newark, Illinois. John received an A.S. from Waubonsee Community College in 1999 and after military service a BA from Illinois State University. John enlisted in the United States Navy in 1995. In 1996, Laesch graduated from Great Lakes Naval Training Center at the top of his class and served as an intelligence analyst in Bahrain, monitoring terrorist activity and analyzing foreign political and military structures. For his outstanding service to our nation, John received numerous citations and meritoriously was promoted through 5 ranks within 3 years. John volunteered for numerous political campaigns, and took on higher leadership roles in each subsequent campaign. In 2004, Laesch served as the campaign manager for Dr. David Gill in the Illinois 15th Congressional District. John’s commitment to truth and Democracy has led him to challenge the current Speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert in the 2006 election. John is confident and when asked about his chances, he replied, “Every district’s in play in America. The Democratic Party hasn’t realized it yet, but if you’re out there knocking on doors, you know that America is not happy with the direction our country is headed. They want new leaders and they want change.”

Steve Waterworth for U.S. Congress (IL-18)

U.S. Air Force; Air National Guard
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Steve grew up on what would now be called a small farm in Mason county, near Easton, with my parents and my sister. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1968 and volunteered for duty in Southeast Asia in 1969 but instead was assigned to support the Vietnam War effort at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico for the remainder of my service. After separating from the Air Force in 1972, Steve married Barb Fisk of Havana in 1974 and they had 3 daughters: Allison, Andrea, and Laura. Steve graduated from Sangamon State University with a BA in Economics and enlisted in the Illinois Air National Guard in Peoria the same year. He retired after 24 years of service in 1995 at the rank of Master Sergeant. Since retiring Steve has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Illinois Economic Development Corporation (CIEDC) of Lincoln, President of the Havana Area Prevention Team (HAPT) and Vice-Chairman of the Mason County Democrats. Steve has a great deal of real world experience of the kind a Congressman needs to strongly represent the concerns of the citizens of the 18th District. Steve says, “I decided to run for Congress because of the many problems facing our nation. Problems such as the Middle East quagmire, the national debt, the foreign trade deficit, increasing unemployment, age discrimination toward workers, lack of universal healthcare, loss of personal privacy, and the economic decline of rural America. All problems that have escalated in the three years of the Bush administration. When I see problems like these I truly feel the obligation to take a leadership role and try to find solutions when the present elected leaders cannot. It’s time to turn away from the divide and destroy tactics that so enrich the special interest groups that cater to the Republican leadership and begin to build a government that serves, and doesn’t take from, it’s citizens.

John Courage for U.S. Congress (TX-21)

U.S. Air Force
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John came to San Antonio for basic training after enlisting in the U.S. Air Force in 1971 and served 4 years as a law enforcement officer and a K-9 Dog handler working missile security. After being honorably discharged, John enrolled in the University of Texas at San Antonio and earned a BA in American Studies. John became active in education first on the Alamo Community College District Board of Trustees in San Antonio and later as one who helped create Palo Alto Community College to expand higher education in an area that lacked such opportunities. John returned to UTSA to earn his teacher’s certification and has been a classroom teacher for the past decade and a half. John is married and the father of four, Courage and his wife are active members of their community. He has served as a Boy Scout troop leader and a sponsor of the Reconciliation Episcopal Church Youth Group, as well as a volunteer coach for community soccer and baseball leagues. In John Courage, the voters of District 21 have the opportunity to elect a leader with deep roots in the community and a proven record on the number-one issue of our day -- education. Courage is a living example of the mainstream Texas values of family, faith, freedom, and fairness. John was selected as the first recipient of the Progressive Patriot Award by the <a href=http://progressivepatriotsfund.com/content/283/our-first-progressive-patriot-john-courage”>Progressive Patriots Fund</a> and the DFA Grassroots All-Star Endorsement for the 2006 Election Season. His campaign has strong grassroots support and John believes TX-21 is sending a strong national message to the GOP congressional "leadership" that in 2006, they can run, but they can't hide - even in Texas.

Rick Bolaños for U.S. Congress (TX-23)

U.S. Army
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Richard “Rick” Bolaños is a member of the original Band of Brothers, four siblings from El Paso who all served in Viet Nam at the same time. They were recognized by LBJ for their service and again by the 79th Texas Legislature. Rick and his brothers are part of the original band of brothers that traveled throughout the United States campaigning for Senator John Kerry in his presidential bid. Rick and his brothers are the sole donors for the St Nicolas Youth Ministry that is equipped with 25 computers. Rick is married to Catherine Downs Bolaños. He has five children Dawn, Isaac, Ricky, Alyssa and Rocky. He received his BA from New Mexico Highlands University and an MBA from New Mexico Highlands University. Rick also attended Law School at Marquette University. He is listed in the Who’s Who of students in Colleges and Universities, was on the National Deans list, and Outstanding Young Men in America. Rick has been an educator and football coach for twenty years. He has coached football at the collegiate level as well as the high school level. He is opposing term Republican incumbent Henry Bonilla, a rubber stamp that is decimating veterans benefits and as a veteran who will fight for the needs of all of our patriots. Republican, Democrat, Independent or Green Party, as well as working tirelessly for the rights of the average American and will represent them with the same fervent passion with which he served America.

DEDICATION

In Memoriam:
Major Noel William Schutz (ret.)
The best top kick in the army

This diary is particularly dear to me since my Dad began his career as a S/Sgt in the Missouri National Guard at the famous “Battery A” Armory in St. Louis and spent most of his career as a top kick. He was also a lifelong Democrat (perhaps from his parents’ roots as farmers in Southern Illinois).

We lived in a house a couple doors down from the armory on Hickory Street, and I remember running up the horse ramp at the back of the armory to meet Dad after work every night. Battery A, first battalion, of the 128th Field Artillery was inducted (25 Nov ’40) and went to Fort Jackson, NC and then to the Tent City at Camp Blanding, FL. We lived in St. Augustine except when my sister Joanne was born when Dad put me on a mat under his bunk in the huge tents they used for barracks. I even went on maneuvers in a swamp riding the cook truck (how did he get away with all that?). We were shot down by a plane passing overhead (I guess we were representing the enemy) so had to just hang around and enjoy the chow. I had the run of the camp and especially liked going to the canteens where the soldiers bought me candy bars and cokes. The life of an army brat!
Dad left for OCS before their unit was deployed to become part of Patton’s Third Army. I recently got a note from a bona fide war hero, John Glascock, who maintains a World War II Gallery site (my Dad is in one of the pictures). John wrote me, “Hi Noel, Thanks for reviewing my WWII gallery! I joined Battery A in January 1939 and knew your dad from that date on until he left us to go to OCS. I am sure I met you when you visited the Battery. Best regards, John Glascock.” Though Dad went to OCS and became an officer for the better part of WWII, and later served as such with the occupation forces in Germany, actually with Patton’s Third Army, Dad came back to the States and re-upped as a top sarge doing recruiting in his beloved Minnesota (fishing when not recruiting). He was called away to serve as the “Old Man” with the 1st Cavalry Division in Korea, running up and down Old Baldy. Dad’s ended his career after serving at the Marquette University ROTC unit as the first sarge, though he retired with his reserve rank of major. He planned to settle in Florida, but passed on before he could realize his dream.

NOEL WILLIAM SCHUTZ, JR.

[NVMojo]

1. Wow! Thanks for posting!

[bigbrother05]

2. Thanks for posting

am moving to San Antonio in a few weeks, glad to hear who the Dem candidate is.

[FrenchieCat]

3. Thank You for this public service!

:patriot: