Robert Porcher...

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Private Louis T. Hunt (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 22, 1863, at Vicksburg, Mississippi. His citation reads:

Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."

Private Martin Hunt (US Marine Corps) received his Medal of Honor for his actions from June 20 – July 16, 1900, at Peking, China. His citation reads:

In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, 20 June to 16 July 1900, Hunt distinguished himself by meritorious conduct.

Sergeant Charles A. Hunter (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on April 2, 1865, at Petersburg, Virginia. His citation reads:

In the assault on Fort Gregg, bore the regimental flag bravely and was among the foremost to enter the work.

For those of you who can’t see that video… the offense was in the shotgun formation… the center has one of the worst snaps ever (it just kind of goes up in the air)… the DB intercepts the snap and returns it something like 80 yards for a TD. That kind of crap wouldn’t happen with Danny (yes, that Danny) snapping the ball.


The I’m just sayin… Know Your South Carolina Athlete

The SC Athlete we are going to look at today is Robert Porcher. Porcher was born on July 30, 1969 in Wando, South Carolina. He played defensive end for Willie Jeffries at South Carolina State University. He played for the Detroit Lions his entire professional career. He retired before the 2004 season with 95.5 career sacks. Porcher has been involved in the Detroit community since his retirement. He has opened 3 successful businesses in Downtown Detroit: Detroit Breakfast House & Grill, Sweet Georgia Brown, and Seldom Blues.

During much of his 13-year playing career, he was one of the league's most productive and feared defensive ends. A first-round draft choice in 1992 from South Carolina State University, Porcher played in 187 games (third all-time in Detroit history), and set a team record with 95.5 quarterback sacks during his career. He led Detroit in sacks eight times (also a Detroit record). He also became the first Lion to record double-digit sack totals in four consecutive seasons (1996–99). Porcher earned trips to the Pro Bowl in 1998, 2000 and 2002. He also finished his career with 24 career games notching more than one sack. From 1996-01, Porcher garnered 68 sacks during that six-year period - which was the second-highest in the NFL during that span. His 673 career tackles are ranked seventh in Detroit Lions’ history.

Off the field, Porcher became actively involved in the community. His foundation for cancer research and relief fund raised thousands of dollars for programs at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Lions annual Man of the Year award is named the "Robert Porcher Man of the Year" in honor of his tremendous contributions to the community, especially in Detroit.

Congrats to Robert Porcher for being our South Carolina Athlete You Should Know.

As always, thanks to Wikipedia for the info.

Alpha Threat... A Must Read

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Fireman First Class James L. Hull (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 21, 1898, on board the USS Concord. His citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Concord off Cavite, Manila Bay, Philippine Islands, 21 May 1898. Following the blowing out of a lower manhole plate joint on boiler B of that vessel, Hull assisted in hauling the fires in the hot, vapor-filled atmosphere, which necessitated the playing of water into the fireroom from a hose.

First Lieutenant Charles F. Humphrey (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on July 11, 1877, at Clearwater, Idaho. His citation reads:

Voluntarily and successfully conducted, in the face of a withering fire, a party which recovered possession of an abandoned howitzer and 2 Gatling guns Iying between the lines a few yards from the Indians.

Private Fred O. Hunt (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions from October 1876 to January 8, 1877, at Cedar Creek, etc., Montana. His citation reads:

Gallantry in actions.


Friends, as you all know, I love me some me. You also know that I love to read. In an effort to prepare for the I’m just sayin… Book Countdown coming next May, I have been trying to read as many books as possible. That’s not really any different from any other time as I am always reading some kind of book. Once I’m done with one, I pick up another one. Anyway, I just got done with a book and I can’t wait until next May to recommend it to you. The book is Alpha Threat: Germany’s Most Insidious World War II Plot by Ron Smoak. Here is what is on the back cover of the book:

The year is 1945. Germany is on her knees. The Allies are streaming into Germany from all sides. The end of World War II is near. Even so, some of Hitler's most secret plans are beginning to yield success. Some of these plans are familiar; some are not. Some are lost; others live only to rise again. This is a story steeped in truth…

It is a massive secret. One largely unknown to the Allies until well after the war ends. It is a secret that could potentially destroy the world's economy regardless of the war's outcome. It is the Third Reich's most closely held plan; even more secret than the German nuclear or rocket propulsion programs but as threatening nonetheless.

Sixty-six years later, Dana and Randall Finley are in the midst of an anthropology expedition in the rainforests of the Amazon when they are kidnapped by mysterious men in black and taken to a vast underground complex. Their situation is dire.

Back in Miami, Florida, former U.S. Navy SEAL Dane Skoglund stumbles across a sinister, shady group dealing in precious metals and death. When he learns his sister and brother-in-law are missing, Dane is drawn into action.

Unknown to all but a select few, the stronghold in the South American jungle is the key to Hitler's real goal to rule the world by destroying the world's economy. Dane follows the trail to this jungle lair to rescue his sister's group and encounters the Germans firsthand.

I need to be honest here… who am I kidding, I don’t need to be honest, this is my blog and I can lie as much as I’d like. Still, I’m going to be honest and tell you that Ronnie is my Dad’s cousin (and, thus, my second cousin… I think). I know him, but not well enough that I would feel the need to lie about his book just to be nice. I honestly loved this book. It’s a work of fiction, and like all good fiction it was easy to get lost in the story. I didn’t have any trouble “seeing” what he was talking about. The book isn’t too long (about 370, I think) and one thing I really LOVE about it is that it has short chapters. That may sound silly, but I don’t always have long periods of time to read so having short chapters makes it easier to find a good place to stop while I’m reading. This, in turn, makes it easier pick the book up later and not waste a lot of time trying to figure out what’s going on. This book has the 3 things a good book needs: 1. A good beginning; 2. A good middle; 3. A good ending. Maybe it was the short chapters, but I never felt like the book was dragging on. The story always seemed to be moving (without being rushed). I believe he is going to make this a series of books and honestly the only thing I think he could do to improve future books is to introduce a character named Greg. Don’t worry, I’ve already let him know that all good stories need a Greg. I’m not saying Greg has to be the main guy or even one of the good guys (though that would be nice)… all I ask is that if this Greg character has to die in one of the books, he not go out like a punk. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.


Thankful Thursday

I really am thankful that this is a good book. I read a lot and while I usually do a pretty good job of picking books that I like, every now and then I read a book that just sucks. This was a book that I was going to read no matter what because it was written by a family member… so I bought it without really knowing a lot about it. I am thrilled that it was good and thankful that he is going to write more of them. I know this isn’t one of my “longer” Thankful Thursday posts, but that’s because I’ve already talked about the book. I think it was a great book… And for that, I am thankful.