Wow, I definately believe someone who has done so much for his/her country should be more widely recognized at the time of his/her death. The main difference people see in celebrities such as Michael Jackson or Tiger Woods, is that they are world renowned. People know them all over the world for what they have done. But that doesn't mean that a war hero should only be known by his family and fellow veterans.

Celebrity attention on the other hand is always going to be how it is today; blown up to make everyone think they are the sweetest, hottest, best people that ever walked the earth. The media posts always let us know who's dating who, and who had a baby with someone else's daddy and whatever else. The number one reason; money. If they can make just one more dollar off something else they come up with, they will keep on doing it till it stops working.

Retired Marine Col. John Ripley, who was credited with stopping a column of North Vietnamese tanks by blowing up a pair of bridges during the 1972 Easter Offensive of the Vietnam War, died at home at age 69, friends and relatives said Sunday. Ripley's son, Stephen Ripley, said his father was found at his Annapolis home Saturday after missing a speaking engagement on Friday. The son said the cause of death had not been determined but it appeared his father died in his sleep.