In my experience, U.S. Army soldiers are a mixed bag: there are lots of good ones, several crappy ones, and some completely outstanding ones. First Lieutenant Prakash of the 1st Infantry Division is one of the latter group. He was awarded a Silver Star for fearlessly leading his tank platoon in the face of fierce, and ultimately futile, enemy resistance. His tank suffered significant damage, but after getting it fixed, he led his men right back into the thick of the fight.
The only soldiers in the news recently have been that freaky West Virginia slut and her slack-jawed, perverted love-master. Men like this deserve some publicity, too. Lt. Prakash is the child of Indian immigrants and planned to become a doctor before he found his calling in the Army. According to the article, his platoon eliminated over 50 human obstacles to world peace during that battle alone. He has the gratitude of his country and the Silver Star bestowed by the Army, but I submit he qualifies for yet another honor: the Catholic Light Total Badass Award for January 2005.
It's wonderful to see a fellow Catholic Blog recognizing the honorable behavior of my fellow soldiers, thank you for your support and for recognizing the difference between us and the criminals who sadly wore the same uniform(although the uniforms at Leavenworth are easily distinguishable from BDUs.)
Glad to do it, staff sergeant. I get really tired of hearing about Abu Ghiraib, not because it wasn't serious, but because it's been dealt with: the criminals who committed the crimes are in jail (or on the way), and there was no involvement of the command hierarchy (other than poor oversight, which should be punished in non-criminal ways).