Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Quote of the day

"I just happened to be in a position to see something that needed to be done, and I just did it." —Marine Gunnery Sgt. Robert Blanton, upon receiving the Silver Star for valor in Iraq last August. Specifically, he ordered his driver to ram a house from which insurgents were firing at his unit. Then ...

"I just happened to be in a position to see something that needed to be done, and I just did it."

"I just happened to be in a position to see something that needed to be done, and I just did it."

—Marine Gunnery Sgt. Robert Blanton, upon receiving the Silver Star for valor in Iraq last August.

Specifically, he ordered his driver to ram a house from which insurgents were firing at his unit. Then Blanton, a member of the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, hopped out and led the clearing of the house, which involved rescuing a wounded Marine. Then he switched from his rifle to his pistol for close combat (and if the quarters are too tight for the barrel of an M-16, that is mighty close). To top it off, he called in an airstrike.

If only people receiving Academy Awards and Grammys had his good sense — and character.

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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