Greatest American

[dedeppm]

I've been seeing a large number of TV spots for this, figured I would run it by here to see if anybody has any favorites.

http://tv.channel.aol.com/greatestam...?page=nominees

Still not sure myself, but I could probably pick from that list, if pressed...

I must say though, I'm kind of disappointed at the lack of any Horatio Alger-esque rags-to-riches stories of people emigrating to America and then "pulling themselves up by their bootstraps," so to speak... something uniquely American about immigrant success stories, I've always felt.

[D9 (RIP)]

I agree with you. Commodore Vanderbilt, among others, comes to mind.

Of that list I'd probably choose Edison. George Washington wouldn't be a bad choice. Hard to imagine people like Tom Hanks, or Babe Ruth - not bad guys I'm sure but come on - being mentioned in that lofty company.

[aricbcool]

It's sad that so many great Americans were shunned on this list in favor of modern celebrities who have done nothing to add to the value of this country.

For instance: Martha Stewart?

As in the convicted felon? Yeah, a real role model.

It's nice to see that Pat Tillman got a nod, though I would have rather seen an amalgamation such as "every brave man or woman who gave his/her life for this great country."

Oh well. Entertaining site nonetheless.

My vote is for Thomas Jefferson.

[rubberneck]

I watched about 30 seconds of it but turned it off when Barak Obama made the list. IIRC he was in the high 70's low 80's. The guy may turn out to be something "special" one day but to date his only major accomplishment was to get elected to the US Senate after his rival blew himself up in a major sex scandal. I could probably think of a 1000 other candidates more worthy of inclusion. Heck there are probably 90 Senators who have accomplished more in their lives than Obama to this point.

It is too bad a guy like Rick Rescorla isn't known well enough to merit a nomination. Instead we are stuck with the likes of Michael Moore and Martha Stweart. Please excuse me while I vomit in my wastepaper basket.

[Goggles Pizano]

Abraham Lincoln.

[Airbornelawyer]

The very fact that this "contest" is on AOL indicates that it is unserious. What? Was USA Today too busy?

Our collective wisdom has already debated this question.

Greatest President: http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/...ead.php?p=6913

Greatest Non-President: http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/...read.php?t=750

[CPTAUSRET]

Originally Posted by rubberneck

It is too bad a guy like Rick Rescola isn't known well enough to merit a nomination.

Joe Glloway, and Hal Moore Jr (LTG ret) will never forget him!

Rick Rescorla was a hell of a man!

Terry

[Books]

As soon as I saw this thread, I immediately thought of Rescorla. After reading We were soldiers once . . . and young, I searched about for more information about Rick Rescorla. I found another book, Heart of a Soldier, a worthy biography about not just his service in Vietnam, but his friends, family and commitment to others at Morgan Stanley on 9/11. I've given the book to my brother, an OCS candidate, because his example is one that most natural born Americans can barely fathom. Without him, casulties on 9/11 most likely would have been double. I have a few heros. He's one of them.

[Team Sergeant]

Asking who is the Greatest American is akin to asking what brush stroke do you like most on a particular Van Gogh or a favorite musical note from a Beethoven symphony.

My answer, there is no, one, “greatest American”.

I do agree with AirborneLawyer,look who started this debate. Now why would an ailing media company ask such a question….

My .02

TS

[brewmonkey]

Originally Posted by CPTAUSRET

Rick Rescorla was a hell of a man!

Terry

Terry

I truly believe that is an understatement!


Ed

[CPTAUSRET]

Originally Posted by brewmonkey

Terry

I truly believe that is an understatement!


Ed

Ed:

Concur, completely!

Terry

[rubberneck]

I had the fortune to meet Rick Rescorla in the spring of 1999. At the time I was a Senior Vice President of Institutional trading at Knight Securities. I was asked to meet with some Morgan Stanley execs who wanted me to come work for them.

After the interviews I went out for dinner and drinks with a bunch of executives and one of them was Rick who happened to be in midtown that day. Apparently he was friendly with one of the guys who was trying to hire me and he decided to tag along at the last minute. The funny thing was that even though I read "They were soldiers once and young" I didn't put two and two together until very late in the evening. I had wished I had done so sooner. It was nice to have spent the night in the company of a giant.

[CPTAUSRET]

Originally Posted by rubberneck

I had the fortune to meet Rick Rescorla in the spring of 1999. At the time I was a Senior Vice President of Institutional trading at Knight Securities. I was asked to meet with some Morgan Stanley execs who wanted me to come work for them.

After the interviews I went out for dinner and drinks with a bunch of executives and one of them was Rick who happened to be in midtown that day. Apparently he was friendly with one of the guys who was trying to hire me and he decided to tag along at the last minute. The funny thing was that even though I read "They were soldiers once and young" I didn't put two and two together until very late in the evening. I had wished I had done so sooner. It was nice to have spent the night in the company of a giant.

Well f*cking said!

Terry

[Airbornelawyer]

Originally Posted by CPTAUSRET

Well f*cking said!

Terry

Concur, except for one quibble. It is We Were Soldiers Once... and Young.

My copy of the book is signed by two people: Lt. Gen. Moore, whom I had the honor of meeting once, and Sgt. Savage of the Lost Platoon, whom I had the privilege of working side-by-side with for a year while stationed at Fort Benning.