THERMOPYLAE--Never have so few given so much. HISTORY WILL FOREVER HOLD THE SPARTAN AS THE STANDARD BY WHICH EVERY HONEST SOLDIER MUST WEIGH AND MEASURE HIMSELF. The word Spartan is still found in the vocabulary of the educated for to not know it is unforgiveable ignorance. NO Green Beret (Whose GREEN HERADRESS has been belittled and disgraced by GEORGE BUSH --THE LAP DOG OF THE ILLUMINATTI AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER THEY INTEND TO SHOVE DOWN THE THROATS OF ALL WHO KNEEL BEFORE THEM. HE DID THIS BY PUTTING BLACK BERETS ON THE HEADS OF ALL TROOPS>good men some may be but THE GREEN BERET should never have been buried by the tide of black caps that hides them from our view---ONLY A HANDFUL HAVE ACHEIVED A LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE --THEY EARNED THEIRS. My life long freind lies left behind by those who swore never to leave one of their own under a rice paddy in VIETNAM-now but bleached bones.) . HE PAID FOR HIS GREEN BERET WITH HIS BLOOD>To live a spartan life means to live without the pleasures of the flesh. to enter someone's home bereft of all but the essential is to call his home spartan. Some Bhuddist sects still live with a robe and beggar's bowl and nothing else. If it were not for a JUDAS in their midst Xerxes men may have turned from the fight for fear of tasting SPARTAN STEEL.WOULD KING LEONIDAS LED HIS TROOPS TO IRAQ? To not know the answer is to not know King Leonidas who fought to preserve his own county's freedom--not to foist freedom upon a 4,000 year old culture like IRAQ WHO HAVE CHOSEN FOR FOUR THOUSAND YEARS TO LIVE UNDER ANYTHING BUT DEMOCRACY. WHEN WE ARE GONE THEY STILL WILL NOT KNOW FREEDOM. WE DIE FOR NOTHING! WE ARE LEFT WITHOUT ENOUGH OF A MILITARY TO PROTECT US. BUT WE HAVE A HALF MILLION FOREIGN TROOPS SCATTERED ALL OVER MILITARY BASES AROUND OUR COUNTRY. Who fights in IRAQ?__NATIONAL GUARDSMEN WHO WERE NOT HOME TO HELP NEW ORLEANS WHICH IS THEIR TRAINING AND PURPOSE.ANYONE SUFFERING HEARING LOSS FROM MY USE OF UPPER CASE_SEND ME YOUR BILL AND I"LL PAY IT. Who gave the right to the idiot who calls caps the same as yelling-the lad needs to get himself a life.ARE YOU GOING TO LET SOME LITTLE WEASEL PUT A BULL RING IN YOUR NOSE AND LEAD YOU AROUND WITH A ROPE TIED TO IT?  In the 60's we had a saying on many a tee shirt 'IF YOU CAN"T TAKE A JOKE "F" YOU. I SAY IF YOU CAN"T USE A CAP WHEN YOU WANT TO "F" YOU! Talk of the SPARTAN brings these thoughts to me. THE WORLD WILL NEVER SEE ANOTHER SPARTAN_BUT YOU CAN MAKE HIM LIVE IN YOUR MEMORY AND IN YOUR HEART!!!!  I SHOULD TELL YOU AS A RETIRED HISTORY PROFESSOR OF 25 +YEARS------NO REPUBLIC TO THIS DAY HAS LASTED MORE THAN 300 YEARS-DO THE MATH!

Today is August 11. On this day in history, in 480 B. C., we review one of the famous last stands, the Battle of Thermopylae. This battle occurred on the coast in Central Greece.

Xerxes I of Persia was invading and trying to conquer Greece. He was opposed by the Greek City states. He had to use the pass at Thermopylae to get to Athens and the cities to the south.

The pass at Thermopylae was so narrow that two chariots could barely pass abreast. In that time, the mountains were on one side and the Gulf of Malis and the sea were on the other.

If you see the pass today, it is a broad plain running almost a mile to the sea. 2500 years of silting in by a nearby river has made that change.

The Greek allies held the Persians at the pass for several days inflicting enormous casulties. Finally the Persians found a Greek traitor who showed a goat path to get to the rear of the defending forces.

Spartan King Leonidas, commander, realized that the situation was hopless but he was determined to make a stand to allow the Greeks to rally. He only had a few hundred Spartans on hand. They knew they were doomed but were ready for the stand and pledged to die fighting.

Before going to Thermopylae, Leonidas knew how desperate the defense would be. When he picked his men to go to the pass, knowing the likely outcome of the battle, Leonidas selected his men on one simple criterion: he took only men who had fathered sons that were old enough to take over the family responsibilities of their fathers.

Leonidas dismissed the other Greeks, but remarkably, the men of Thespiae stayed also. It is remarkable as Thespiae was a democracy. The Thespians did not have to stay but chose to do so. Sparta was a monarchy. The Spartan's King's Guard, for instance, had to stay. Some Thebans were also forced to remain as they were being held hostage for their city's good conduct. After the battle started, however, the Thebans surrendered to the Persians and were saved.

The heroic bravery of the Thespians is unfortunately overlooked by history in favor of the Spartans. Historically, however, the Spartans did not overlook it. They were said to have exchanged cloaks with the Thespians and promised to be allies for eternity.

The fight was brutal to say the least. After their spears broke, the Spartans and Thespians kept fighting with their xiphos short swords, and after those broke, they were said to have fought with their bare hands, teeth and nails.

To end the slaughter of his troops, Xerxes killed the last of the Spartans and Thespians with flights of arrows.

The Persians suffered huge losses that could not be replaced. The Greeks used the time to prepare and the Persian defeats at Salamis and finally Plataea, saved Greece from the invasion.

Themorpylae is often cited in military academies how a small highly trained and dedicated force can use favorable terrain to have an impact all out of proportion to its number.