re: Post anyone more badass than these men.

quote:

---

Capt John P. Cromwell


I feel like this guy took the lead.

---

He had in-depth knowledge of our tactics and code-breaking that he knew would help the enemy. It takes some balls to willingly sacrifice yourself for the greater good.

I guess there are a couple of divisions of badass,

There is self sacrifice for the benefit of others

There is perserverance in the face of insurmountable odds

And there is doing cool things.


Most of the war stories fall under perseverance and not giving up

There are few self sacrficing instances

Anyone can do cool shite you either have to be very imaginative or not give a shite.

"The Kilted Killer"

Born in Scotland in 1920, Macpherson volunteered for the Scottish Commandos shortly after joining the army in 1939.

Never one to miss the fight, Macpherson next parachuted into enemy-held France to embark on his true calling as the “Kilted Killer,” he wore his full Highlander’s battledress, including the kilt.

One famous deed included rigging his machine guns to sound like heavy weapons, allowing he and three companions to scare 100 Germans into surrendering. His constant, daring and flamboyant attacks earned him a 300,000 Franc mark on his head from the Germans.

On one occasion when a German staff car was approaching a level crossing Macpherson booby-trapped the barrier arm so it crashed down on the vehicle, decapitating the local commandant and his driver

But his most incredible exploit may be rushing a retreating German headquarters, under fire unarmed, in an ambulance and, in full Celtic regalia, convincing Gen. Botho Henning Elster to surrender 23,000 men and 1,000 vehicles to the Allied forces he pretended to have under his command.

“The clincher was when I told him that I was in contact with London by radio and could at any time call up the [Royal Air Force] to blow his people out of sight,” he writes in his autobiography, “Behind Enemy Lines. “In truth, the only thing I could whistle up was Dixie, but he had no way of knowing that.”

Following victory in France, Macpherson went to Italy where, along with fighting Nazis, he protected Catholic leaders from communist partisans and helped to prevent Yugoslavian communist leader Josep Tito from taking parts of Italy for himself. For his efforts, the communists called for the killing of “the interfering major” — giving Macpherson the distinction of both fascist and communist death sentences.

He died this past November as the most decorated officer in the United Kingdom. Knighted by both the Queen and Pope.

quote:

---

Post anyone more badass than these men.

---

Anyone who stormed Normandy beach on D day

Carlos Hathcock

fricking guy used a browning machine gun, which is supposed to be on a stand, and sniped with it. He killed so many Viet Kong, that they put a bounty on his head. It took an Over powered sniper rifle, with a spotter, and equipment to help him line his shot, to finally beat this guys longest kill.

Guy used a browning machine gun, and it took a 50 cal sniper rifle to beat his records.

This man is a fricking beast

quote:

---

he had killed between 300 and 400 enemy personnel during his time in Vietnam

---

quote:

---

Most of the war stories fall under perseverance and not giving up

There are few self sacrficing instances

---

Another one is Howard Gilmore.

quote:

---

The submarine continued to take a heavy toll on shipping on her fourth war patrol, and on the night of 6–7 February 1943, she approached a convoy stealthily for a surface attack. Suddenly a convoy escort, Hayasaki, closed and prepared to ram. As the small ship charged out of the darkness, Gilmore sounded the collision alarm and shouted, “Left full rudder!” — to no avail. Perhaps inadvertently, Growler hit the Japanese adversary amidships at 17 knots (31 km/h), heeling the submarine 50 degrees, bending 18 feet of her bow sideways to port, and disabling the forward torpedo tubes.

Simultaneously, the Japanese crew unleashed a burst of machine gun fire at Growler’s bridge, killing the junior officer of the deck and a lookout,[4] while wounding Gilmore himself and two other men. “Clear the bridge!” Gilmore ordered as he struggled to hang on to a frame. As the rest of the bridge party dropped down the hatch into the conning tower, the executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Arnold Schade — shaken by the impact and dazed by his own fall into the control room — waited expectantly for his captain to appear. Instead from above came the shouted command, "Take her down!" Realizing that he could not get below in time if the ship were to escape, Gilmore chose to make the supreme sacrifice for his shipmates. Schade hesitated briefly — then followed his captain’s last order and submerged the crippled ship.

---

MOH Citation:

quote:

---

For distinguished gallantry and valor above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Growler during her Fourth War Patrol in the Southwest Pacific from 10 January to 7 February 1943. Boldly striking at the enemy in spite of continuous hostile air and antisubmarine patrols, Comdr. Gilmore sank one Japanese freighter and damaged another by torpedo fire, successfully evading severe depth charges following each attack. In the darkness of night on 7 February, an enemy gunboat closed range and prepared to ram the Growler. Comdr. Gilmore daringly maneuvered to avoid the crash and rammed the attacker instead, ripping into her port side at 11 knots and bursting wide her plates. In the terrific fire of the sinking gunboat's heavy machineguns, Comdr. Gilmore calmly gave the order to clear the bridge, and refusing safety for himself, remained on deck while his men preceded him below. Struck down by the fusillade of bullets and having done his utmost against the enemy, in his final living moments, Comdr. Gilmore gave his last order to the officer of the deck, "Take her down." The Growler dived; seriously damaged but under control, she was brought safely to port by her well-trained crew inspired by the courageous fighting spirit of their dead captain.

---

quote:

---

the TD OT. where MLK gets downvotes

---

and Ronald Reagan is considered a badass.