Happy Halloween

Steakhouse Marks Two Years of Friday Nights With Troops

This Steakhouse deserves the thanks of us all. What a wonderful thing to do for our troops.

By Samantha L. QuigleyAmerican Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2005 – Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse in the Capitol Hilton here was the place to be Oct. 28, as the restaurant owners expressed appreciation for the troops and had the favor returned.

"Tonight this is about reunion and thanks," Gordon England, acting deputy secretary of defense, told the group of about 230 people. "But it's primarily about thanks."

Gordon presented steakhouse owners Hal Koster and Marty O'Brien with framed letters expressing his gratitude and that of President Bush, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace.

The "Friday Night Dinners Reunion Celebration" marked two years of Fran O'Brien's providing free steak dinners every Friday night to wounded troops from Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Patients from the two medical facilities, some of whom have left the medical centers, and family members were on hand to celebrate the milestone.

"It's just an honor to be around (the troops)," Koster said, adding that the dinners won't stop as long as there are still troops in need of the morale boost the evenings away from the hospitals provide. "The doctors have said (getting away from the hospital) speeds healing. We see that a little bit ourselves."

Story

They Fired an Army Wife For Seeing Her Husband Off To War?

WTF were they thinking? It's not even Christmas yet, Scrooge!
From the Army Times:

Army wife fired for seeing husband off to war

Associated Press
CALEDONIA, Mich. — A woman who took an unpaid leave of absence from work to see her husband off to war has been fired after failing to show up for her part-time receptionist job the day following his departure.

“It was a shock,” said Suzette Boler, a 40-year-old mother of three and grandmother of three. “I was hurt. I felt abandoned by people I thought cared for me. I sat down on the floor and cried for probably two hours.”

Officials at her former workplace, Benefit Management Administrators Inc., confirmed that Boler was dismissed when she didn’t report to work the day after she said goodbye to her husband of 22 years.

“We gave her sufficient time to get back to work,” Clark Galloway, vice president of operations for Benefit Management, told The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press for a story published Wednesday.
He added that other factors were involved in the decision but he declined to elaborate.
On Oct. 16, Boler went with her husband, Army Spc. Jerry Boler, 45, to an Indianapolis-area airfield, where he and others in his National Guard unit gathered to be transported to Fort Dix, N.J. The unit soon will be deployed to Iraq, where he will help guard convoys from insurgent attacks.

Suzette Boler had received permission to take off work the week leading up to her husband’s departure. As a part-time employee at Benefit Management, she did not receive vacation pay and was not compensated for her time off.

When Boler returned home from Indiana on the night of Oct. 16, a few hours after leaving her husband at the airfield, she said she felt drained by the emotional ordeal.

She said she had told her bosses that she would try to return on Oct. 17 but if she could not, she would definitely be back Oct. 18, she said.

But on the afternoon of Oct. 17, she received a call from work telling her to come in the following day and get her things because she was being fired. Her pink slip said the reason was she failed to show up for work Oct. 17, a Monday, she said.

“If I had even an inkling that I would be fired for not coming in Monday, I would have been there,” she said.

Four Year Old Ranger Completes Mission

CHARLESTON -- The wind blew strongly against pint-sized paratrooper Dayton Black’s deployed parachute Saturday afternoon.

Nevertheless, the 4-year-old completed his mission: taking part in Charleston’s annual Halloween costume parade on the square. In fact, he won grand prize with his camouflage outfit topped with a plastic tubing facsimile of a deployed parachute.

Dayton was one of dozens of children who marched in the parade, sponsored by the Charleston Jaycees, Junior Women’s Club and Kiwanis Club.

His mother, Rhonda Black, said the costume was inspired by Dayton’s uncle Mike, who is a paratrooper with the U.S. Army Rangers.

“He loves uncle Mikey,” Black said.

Story

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

SSG George T. Alexander

My old Army unit, B co. 1st and 15th, 3rd Id, was known for having been Audie Murphy's old unit. It now can add another hero to it's roll.

The following is from Blackfive:

"Not A Number - Godspeed Staff Sergeant George T. Alexander

On Saturday, SSG George T. Alexander, of Killeen, Texas, died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. On October 17th, Alexander's vehicle was hit by an IED. SSG Alexander was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga. The 1st/15th is a top unit in the Army - Audie Murphy is just one of it's more well-known WWII combat soldiers. Another from the Gulf War is Special Forces MilBlogger Jack Army.

I've done a lot of digging to try to find more about SSG Alexander. I believe that this was his second tour in Iraq and, during his first tour, he was deployed from Fort Hood, Texas, with the 4th ID.

There are two groups that will celebrate and use George Alexander's sacrifice.

The morally bankrupt anti-war movement.

And Al Qaeda.

I found this picture in an old Soldiers magazine from 2003 (US Army photo by SPC Goff). It's a picture of Staff Sergeant Alexander's young son showing support for him.

Remember George Alexander. Because his death was no more terrible, and no more horrible, than any other soldier who gave their life. Remember Staff Sergeant Alexander for those he left behind.

Others will seek to marginalize his sacrifice into a number, a sideline marker.

Don't let them.

Update: This post has offended some on the left. My response is here."

God Bless My Soldier Too

'God Bless My Soldier Too' is a beautifully touching video by Eric Horner.

'The Footsteps of a Hero' is worth a view as well.

IRAQI TRUTH PROJECT

"Filmmakers Brad Maaske and Kurdish/American Jano Rosebiani have provided the world with long overdue heart-wrenching visual evidence that millions of human beings were living a literal hell on earth. How ironic. Hell in the Cradle of Civilization."

From Free Republic

Click logo for more information

Warning, this site contains graphic images

Defend the Defenders.org

Our Troops should not be second guessed for life or death decisions made in the heat of battle. They should not have to think about what charges they may have to face, when that hesitation could cost them their lives and those of their comrades.

About Us

DefendtheDefenders.org raises money and awareness for the defense of soldiers and Marines whose actions in the heat of combat are being second-guessed.

---

The following is a series of letters written by Merry Pantano, proud mother of Marine Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano and founder of DefendtheDefenders.org.

Since When Do Soldiers Need Defending?
DefendtheDefenders.org believes that the basic legal coverage provided by the military is not nearly enough for a fair and adequate defense in both the court of law and the court of public opinion. Outside civilian counsel is an important component of a successful legal defense.

Who Defends Those Who Defend Us?
As America rallies behind the rhetoric, the talk of "bringing terrorists to justice" must be translated into action. Fighting men and women with wills of steel are in dark corners of the world getting their hands dirty where "the rubber meets the road" so policy can become a reality.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
We thank everyone who took such a personal interest in the successful fight to have my son, Marine 2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano, exonerated of all the charges against him giving him freedom and restoring his good name.

Current Case
Private First Class Edward L. Richmond, US Army

PFC Edward Richmond chose to join the Army after 9/11 to protect his family and country. He is currently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and will have to live the rest of his life with a felony on his record and a dishonorable discharge from the Army. Sadly, Edward's choices in life will now be limited because he tried to protect himself during a time of war.
Please help us appeal his sentence and restore his honor.

Please help us appeal his sentence and restore his honor.

Marine For Life Program Honored

CONCORD, North Carolina, Oct. 28, 2005 - Typically, the Marine For Life program uses the term “where the rubber meets the road” to describe the hard-charging Reserve Marines who serve as District officers-in-charge and hometown links for the program.

But this phrase took on literal meaning here at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway when Team Rensi Motorsports honored the program by displaying the Marine For Life logo on the McDonalds number 35 Ford racecar that was driven by Jason Keller in the Dollar General 300 NASCAR Busch Series race.

Team Rensi Motorports, a staunch supporter of the Marine For Life program since the program’s inception in 2001, and McDonald's agreed to place the program’s logo on their racecar after a local hometown link approached the racecar owners with an offer, he knew, they couldn’t refuse.

"The Marine For Life Program has been a success story as a whole and we are thankful to Team Rensi Motorsports and McDonald's for displaying our logo this weekend in Concord," said Staff Sgt. Michael Brown, hometown link for the Marine For Life program in the greater Charlotte, N.C., area.

Story.

You Think You're Tough?

From Mens Health Magazine. As I have a son who is a Ranger, I know that what this guy did is exceptional and, yes, that makes him, tough!

Peter Springer lost an eye to an Iraqi suicide bomber -- and then joined the Army Rangers

By: Peter Moore, Photographs by: Lynda Churilla
Posted on 10/06/2005

On the morning of December 9, 2003, Peter Sprenger was 2 weeks from the end of an eventful tour in Iraq. He'd been at the "tip of the spear," in army parlance, spending the preceding 10 months roaring through the invasion of Iraq, occupying Baghdad, securing other restive towns. As a member of the 101st Airborne Division, he had a clear mission: to probe for trouble and take care of it. But on that particular morning, the trouble found him.

Corporal Sprenger drew radio duty that day in company headquarters in Tal Afar, 60 miles southwest of Mosul. He felt relatively safe in the shadow of a two-story guard tower, behind barbed wire and barricades, sheltered by a 12-foot-high cinder-block wall. The front doors of the building were open to the morning air. Sprenger wore no flak jacket, no helmet.

At 4:40 a.m., he heard gunfire and suspected that it issued from neighboring buildings. But, no, it had come from the guard tower, and the bullets and barricades had failed to halt a suicidal insurgent bent on delivering 1,000 pounds of TNT to the 101st's doorstep. The bomb detonated 10 to 15 yards from where Sprenger was standing.

Knocked down and blinded by the explosion, he crawled back to his position and patted himself down for missing parts. He felt warm blood, punctured flesh, and a confused tangle of facial features. He peeled back a tattered eyelid and saw a spiderweb of lines radiating out from a bloodred center. He remembers thinking, Yes, well, we'd better let a professional deal with that one.

The eye that Corporal Sprenger sacrificed that morning, the seven units of blood he left on the walls and floor, are real costs. "Going through all that changes you," he notes, with typical understatement. For a lot of men, it would embitter or destroy them. But in Sprenger's case, it focused his vision of who he is and what he hopes to gain from his life. "People don't look far enough into the future," he says, "and gauge what's realistic for them to accomplish."

But he has. And that vision drove him to rehab his many wounds, turn down the desk job the army offered, and gear up for the most rigorous training any infantryman can endure: Ranger School.

Sprenger not only passed it, but was also singled out as the epitome of the Ranger creed--"Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to . . . complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor"--and asked to recite that creed at his graduation ceremony last July.

Since the army began keeping records a quarter century ago, he is the first man with his kind of physical disability to earn the Ranger patch. And by the time you read this, he will have returned to Iraq. As he puts it, he needs to finish what he started.

Article.

Portrait of Valor

(From Military.com) This is a recreation of the battle in which

Medal of Honor recipient SFC Smith

was killed. It is a commemoration of his honorable actions.

This video was created by the America's Army developers.

The video gives an intensity to the action that the

MOH Citation

can't capture.

.

VBIED Video-Courtesy of Military.com

U.S. Military detonates discovered VBIED

Video courtesy of Military.com

Powered by Castpost

Warning: Strong profanity (imagine that)

Armor Geddon

No one tells a story better than a soldier at the front. Here's a good one from the blog page, Armor Geddon.

1st Platoon - Red Bastards - at full strength outside the second floor of our Fedayeen Barracks that Avenger Company inhabited here at FOB Scunion.

"This isn't nearly as exciting as combat but I've tried to explain it before: Iraq is about 1% action; like Baqubah, Fallujah, or running into SGT Lizzie. The rest is 99% routine boredom. 90% routineis actually just missions in sector where nothing happens except maybe an IED blows up and we do our village assessments. Good stuff, just not an adrenaline rush or worthy of Hollywood. 5% routine is the maintenance of tanks and weapons. Finally, what you're left with is the account below which falls under that last 4%. This is right up there with drinking corn-syrup and Tabasco sauce, and getting into arguments with the Bridge Marines at the river because we were there for protection, not to fix their bridge. Another story. If anyone is willing to host the AVI files, I filmed the set-up on SGT Pritsolas and SGT Kennedy. It's just dialogue but I think it's worth it in the end to see them pout and to see SSG Terry's evil, leathery smiling face. I can upload to an FTP or do a file transfer thru Yahoo IM."

Atomic Sit-Up Revenge

"One day in December, SFC Kennedy and I were just hanging out in our room downstairs. We had a day off from missions to do maintenance and since that had been completed early, the platoon was upstairs unwinding. There was a knock on our door and SSG Terry busted in. “We’re gonna play a prank on P and K.” He said with an evil yellow toothy smile."The rest of the Story.

Faces From the Front

This from Faces From the Front :

Taking a Number

"The Pentagon announced that Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander Jr., 34, of Killeen, Texas, died Saturday in San Antonio of injuries sustained Oct. 17.Alexander was wounded in Samarra, a town 60 miles north of the Iraqi capital. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga."Unfortunately, the media and the anti-war factions will never see Staff Sgt. Alexander as more than number 2000--a number used to wage a political battle.

...............................................................................

The Marines and soldiers who fight in Iraq are not numbers, but the media and certain groups are treating them as if they were. Number 2,000 was a national treasure, just as number 1,435 was and number 2,038 will be. For what is the value of a man who will fight a war for others who despise him?But for those who are willing to take action, there would be no wall at all hold back evil and those men and women on the wall deserve more than a number.

Visit Faces From the Front

IDIOT ALERT!!

Warning!!

Cindy Sheehan Plans To Tie Herself To White House In Protest...

Tells Supporters to Oppose Hillary for Iraq War Support...

How to Tell if There is a Terrorist at the Airport...

Small Print: I know, not politically correct.

Even smaller print: Sorry!

Guardsman is Military Idol Winner

Stars and Stripes Leo Shane III October 24, 2005

WASHINGTON — A 42-year-old guardsman with the 258th MP Company currently assigned to Darmstadt was named the Army’s first Military Idol on Sunday, capping off the quest to find the service’s best singer.

Sgt. William Glenn, a guardsman with the 258th, earned a $1,000 cash bonus and the unofficial title of “ambassador of Army entertainment” by winning the contest. Organizers hope to use him in special performances around the globe in the coming year, with permission from his command.

Sunday’s announcement capped off the week-long final round of the singing competition, which brought together 33 of the winners from regional competitions from around the world.

The winner was decided by an online vote of soldiers and their families. Glenn performed the Otis Redding song “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” for his final performance, and received glowing praise from the judges during Saturday’s webcast of the competition.

Two other soldiers currently living in Germany also placed in the top five of the competition.

Spc. Richard Sianoya of the 523rd Medical Company in Wurzburg earned second place and a $500 bonus for his talent. Spc. Festus Togbeola of the 177th Armored Battalion in Schweinfurt, also placed in the top five.

Glenn, a pastor and VA hospital employee in civilian life, served in the active-duty Army in the 1980s, where he sang at events around the world with the 82nd Airborne Division’s choir.

Before the competition, he downplayed his chances of winning, but joked he had a few bills he’d like to pay off with the $1,000 winner’s check.

The event at Fort Gordon’s Performing Arts Center mirrored the popular “Idol” TV shows, complete with a panel of judges critiquing each performance and plenty of dramatic pauses before the final results were announced.

Sports personality Leeann Tweeden hosted the live webcast of Saturday’s competition and Sunday’s announcement, and an enthusiastic studio audience of several hundred soldiers greeted each of the finalists performances with a loud “Hooah.”

The 28 contestants eliminated earlier in the week, which included seven other soldiers from Germany and five from the Pacific arena, performed medleys of Motown classics and patriotic songs, complete with choreography.

Organizers also included a tribute to the soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, who were not allowed to participate in the competition due to security reasons.

Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you.

Today is my mother's birthday. It is the first one, in more than half a century that I will celebrate without her.

When you're a child, you think that life goes on forever. As you get older, you learn that sometimes people die. But, it is always other people. It isn't someone that you know. Ever.

So, you're annoyed when they call at an inopportune-for you-moment. Or they 'drop by' when you had other plans. Or, in any way, take up your important time. Why not feel that way? Aren't we all going to live forever?

I urge you to take the time for family or friends or loved ones.

Write someone, far away from you, a letter that lets them know, "I wish that you were here."

Pick up that ringing phone, when your caller ID tells you that you could talk to them later. Don't listen to it. Listen to them.

Don't say, "Daddy's tired" or "Not now. Mommy's busy".

Or, "Can't this wait Dad?" Or, "Mom, let's talk about this some other time."

Hug a friend, as if it is you that needs the hug.

Look in the eyes of your lover, before you kiss them, as if it is, at that very moment, that you realize just how much you love them.

Take the time.

Make the time.

Before, there is

no time.

Still Here!

Click to view

There are so many strong feelings that run deep in times of war especially with those who suffer great losses. During such times it is easy to lose sight of the end goal. Over 30 years ago, this nation sold a part of it's soul to purchase peace. The hole left behind continues to fester to this day in the hearts of men and women who gave so much for what they felt was a just cause. They returned to an ungrateful nation that had bought into the spin of certain poorly-principled, ill-informed, and perhaps even over-privileged individuals. We have learned our lesson to be supportive of those we send to defend us. But once again the spin begins spouted by strangely familiar voices. This presentation is dedicated to those who will "stay the course." They know that if we do not, it is our children or their children that will have to finish or even repeat what we have started and those who have sacrificed so much will be all for not. Music - Portions of "Suite from Forrest Gump" Performed by Alan Silvestri - © 1994 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Courtesy of GCS Distributing. These people have done some wonderful videos is cupport of the United States Military.

http://www.gcsdistributing.com/?pv=tr&tf=TDP&DT=SH

Expect No Mercy

I loved this picture!

Military Spot.Com

A great military website: Links, feeds, everything military!!!!

Forums Links Mags eBay Resources Photos Reviews

Rumsfeld Thanks Mongolian Troops for Terror War Support

I wish to extend my thank you to the Army of Monglia, for their contribution to the war on terror.

By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia, Oct. 22, 2005 – A group of almost 200 Mongolian Army soldiers got a personal thank you today from U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for their service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rumsfeld, who made a stop here during an eight-day trip to China, South Korea and Lithuania, praised Mongolia for its support in the war on terror.

"You are a sovereign nation and you made a choice," Rumsfeld told the group, assembled in an auditorium in Mongolia's Government House. "It showed political courage and it showed personal courage on the part of your troops.

"But that decision, he said, has contributed to the liberation of 50 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan. And these people, he noted, now "will have lives that will be noticeably different than what they otherwise would have been."

Rumsfeld told the Mongolian soldiers they will one day look back and recognize the full significance of what they contributed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Similarly, he said, the people of those countries will fully appreciate the significance of what's been accomplished in their countries.

"And I know the people of those countries will be deeply grateful to you and the Mongolian people for allowing you to participate as you have done," the secretary said.

Rumsfeld singled out two soldiers - Sgts. Azzaya and Sambuu-Yondon - who fired on a suicide bomber attempting to drive a truck into their unit's compound at Logistics Site Charlie in Hilla, Iraq, in February 2004.

The soldiers "showed a great deal of courage" and "behaved in a heroic manner" by stopping an attack that could have caused great loss of life, the secretary said.

"I congratulate each of you," he said. "To put your lives at risk for your fellow soldiers is admirable."

Rumsfeld called the soldiers an example of Mongolia's army and its professionalism. "The Mongolian army has demonstrated that it is a force worthy of pride and emulation," he said.

During a news conference before Rumsfeld met with the troops, Tserenkhuu Sharavdorj, Mongolia's defense minister, reaffirmed Mongolia's continued commitment to the global war on terror.

Mongolia currently has 131 soldiers deployed the country's fifth rotation to Iraq, where they are patrolling, maintaining perimeter security and conducting a variety of other security missions. Another 15 Mongolian troops are expected to deploy next week for their country's fifth rotation to Afghanistan, where they will operate as a mobile training team to instruct the Afghan army.

"I'm proud that I had an opportunity to serve in Iraq," said Azzaya, one of the soldiers Rumsfeld singled out for recognition today.

"By doing so, I helped defend the country and contribute to international security," he said. "I believe the mission was successful, and I am proud of it."

Military Idol Competition

'Idol' quickly becomes coveted military title

By Leo Shane III, Stars and StripesEuropean edition,

Saturday, October 22, 2005

WASHINGTON — Sgt. William Glenn didn’t join the Army to sing, but he keeps finding ways to stretch his vocal cords.
As an active-duty soldier in the 1980’s, he sang at events around the world with the 82nd Airborne Division’s choir. Now, as a guardsman with the 258th MP Company currently assigned to Darmstadt, Germany, he’s competing in the first servicewide singing competition.
And he couldn’t be happier about the mission.

“It’s just been so much fun,” he said between rehearsals at the Military Idol finals on Friday. “I’ve been more nervous than a cat in a dog pound. But just to be able to do it has been great.”

Glenn, 42, is one of five finalists in the competition, which combed the Army for the best singer/soldiers in the world. This week 36 crooners who won regional competitions in the contest descended on Fort Gordon, Ga., to compete with the best.

The final five, who will sing for the title Saturday, include three U.S. soldiers from Germany: Spc. Festus Tobeola of Schweinfurt, Spc. Richard Sianoya of Würzburg and Glenn.

Tobeola is a native of Nigeria who has served with the 177th Armored Battalion since 2001. He said he studied drama and was friends with musicians in college, but his only real vocal experience before the competition was “just singing in the bathroom for kicks.”

Sianoya, a 21-year-old from the Philippines who has served with the 523rd Medical Company for three years, says that although he has performed on stage in the past, “it’s overwhelming and exciting, but this is nerve-wracking as well.”

The five finalists are competing for a $1,000 cash prize and unofficial title of “ambassador for Army entertainment,” with the chance to travel around the world for various MWR events.
The format is based on the popular reality show format, with judges critiquing soldiers on their tone and talent.

When Glenn belted out the Temptations’ “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” during one elimination round on Thursday, country singer Michael Peterson gushed that he wished his voice had Glenn’s soulful sound.

Glenn, a pastor in civilian life, said he didn’t know about the competition until he stumbled upon auditions in a base dining hall on his dinner break. Several of his friends egged him on to show off his voice.

“I didn’t know I had a fan club,” he said, laughing. “But here (in Georgia), my mother drove all the way from Alabama to watch me, and it’s just wonderful to have that support, too. She just keeps yelling, ‘Sing, baby, sing!’”

The winner of the competition will be announced in a special online show on Sunday.

"Picture of You"

I hope that you enjoy this thoughtful song and well done video.

Picture of You
Welcome and thanks for visiting the official Tony Diana website. The currently released single Picture of You© is dedicated to our troops and military families who fight to protect freedom and liberty throughout the world.

http://www.tonydiana.com/PictureOfYou.swf

For The Troops: Part II

Big Easy 5K Run Aids Hurricane Victims

When I read this story, I thought, "How cool". Here was a race run, by American soldiers fighting for the Iraqi people,to benefit their fellow Americans and, it was being run in Saddam's hometown.

The run raised more than $6,200 for the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund.

By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Timmons 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, TIKRIT, Iraq, Oct. 21, 2005 — While Iraqi citizens were helping themselves take a step forward to a representative government during the constitutional referendum, some U.S. soldiers were helping those struck hard by Hurricane Katrina by donating time and money to the Big Easy 5K run held here Oct. 16.

"It is important because it shows solidarity," said Damian Gonzalez, a member of the Forward Operating Base Speicher Fire Department and overall winner of the race. "We saw it after 9/11 when we as Americans came together."

Gonzalez added that it was part of the relief and a way that those deployed to Iraq can help raise money.

Along with Gonzalez, 500 people signed up for the run and another 200 donated money to the relief, said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Alisha Ramsey, the event founder and coordinator. The event raised more than $6,200 for the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund.

Rest of the story.

...and we will defend it, so help us God.

From the blog page, One Marines View :

"The Marine Corps is an institution. One that you have to prove you have what it takes to join and to survive. We are an organization that develops strong bonds even between Marines who had never met before but hold the same title. We have a saying that reads, “Once a Marine, Always a Marine” because when you get out of the Army or other branches you say I use to be in the Army. Marines don’t say “Im a former Marine”. We stay Marine and we stay together. We have lost Marines in the past months here. We have lost Marines in the past months back in the states as well. Some by accidental deaths and some by old age. To all the Marines, we salute you and your families for the hardship that you endured. For what you have done in the past and for what you are being trained to do in the future. Semper Fi Marines we hope to fill your shoes and make you proud.We have a continued commitment to duty to complete what we were sent here to do because we believe in it.

Before any service member begins their military career they are sworn in and repeat the below:

I, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.It may be difficult for those who never have been in the military to understand but it’s a dedication, an oath. That’s right America, an oath to defend and have allegiance to the greatest country in the world. If for some reason you wake up and eat a bowl of dumbass and break what you have sworn, you can and will be tried by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This is the military system of law. This a building block to our foundation of defending this great country. We are sworn to do it……and we will defend it so help us God!"

On behalf of my Marine grandfather, Semper Fi!

On behalf of the citizens of the United States of America, Thank you!

Whiney Terrorist Bastard

From the blog page: IowaHawk. Thanks.

Stop Questioning My Patriotism

Iowahawk Special July 4 Guest Commentary
by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi

Americans are famous for their diversity, and nowhere is this diversity more on display than in the various ways we celebrate the Fourth of July. Whether you are a traditional infidel enjoying hot dogs and cold watermelon, a recent immigrant infidel celebrating your new citizenship with a colorful piñata full of sweet treats, or like me, a not-as-yet-arrived-there-American who celebrates our independence through videotaped beheadings, we Americans have an almost infinite variety of ways of ‘lighting up the Fourth.’

Unfortunately, there are some who are angered by this rich Independence Day tapestry of watermelon and piñatas and decapitations, and express their anger through intolerance. Ironically, these angry voices have chosen to ignore the message of the Founding Infidels, and have instead lashed out against their fellow Americans, and aspiring-Americans, by openly questioning our patriotism and threatening our civil liberties with their GPS-guided ‘Bunker Busters.’

Sadly, this chorus of intolerance has grown since America embarked on its disastrous campaign of militarism in the Mideast. Instead of focusing on the real issues that trouble us -- like rampant poverty, Zionist aggression, and our immodestly dressed female cousins who have dishonored our clans -- these ‘neocon’ voices have sought to distract us with a stupid war for oil and empire. Those of us who have stood up in principled, armed opposition to Bush’s misadventure have been branded “unpatriotic.”

This chilling wind should alarm the millions of Americans and future-Americans everywhere who have called for the immediate timed withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, and have expressed their opinion through their local newspapers, peace marches, and rocket-propelled grenades. It sometimes seems that the Administration is more interested in the “rights” of their foreign Iraqi clients than the rights of their own citizens, and their own inevitable invading conquerors.

If nothing else, the Fourth of July should prompt all Americans, whether they are an infidel fornicating whore-woman in a Miami strip club or a fresh-faced enlistee in a secret Prague martyr cell, to reflect on the true meaning of ‘patriotism.’ To me, patriotism is not some empty flag-waving gesture, or spouting jingoistic slogans. To me, dissent is the real patriotism. And what could be more patriotic than the ultimate in dissent – bloody jihad against the kufr and their heretic puppets in Baghdad?

So, on this day when we mark the birth of the Great Satan, let us remember that true patriotism is not a “one-size-fits-all” idea. While there may be precious little to celebrate America as it is, millions of us real patriots will continue to celebrate the idea of America as it could be. Allah willing.

Last Aussie digger to fight in WWI dies

And, some gave all-

The last Australian to fight in World War I, William Evan Allan, has died at the age of 106.

The death of the former sailor in a Melbourne nursing home on Monday night leaves just one Australian World War I serviceman still alive, but one who never saw active service.

Mr Allan, who was also the last surviving veteran to see active service in both world wars, will be honoured with a state funeral, the Victorian government announced.

The former seaman, who enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy at the age of just 14 shortly before the outbreak of war, passed away at the Gregory Lodge nursing home at Flemington, said Veterans Affairs Minister De-Anne Kelly.

Rest of story

Frozen Body May Be WWII Airman

A very interesting story.

FRESNO, Calif., Oct. 20, 2005

---

The mostly ice-encased body found by climbers. (AP) Quote "We're not going to go fast. We want to preserve him as much as possible. He's pretty intact." Kings Canyon National Park spokesperson Alexandra Picavet on the excavation process

(CBS/AP) Rangers in Kings Canyon National Park and a military recovery expert started excavating a glacier-entombed corpse on Wednesday. The body is believed to be a World War II airman who died in a 1942 plane crash.

Two ice climbers reported seeing a frozen head, shoulder and arm while climbing the glacier on the side of 13,710-foot Mount Mendel in the Sierra Nevada on Sunday, park spokesperson Alexandra Picavet said. The body was 80 percent encased in ice, and still wearing an Army-issued parachute.

Officials say the man's torn sweater reveals skin, and parts of his sandy-blonde hair are still intact, reports (video) CBS News correspondent Teri Okita. Several numbers discovered on the icy body could help the Fresno, Calif. coroner's office and the military identify the body.

"I think it's more the mystery that everyone is intrigued by … the fact that here's this plane that crashed more than 63 years ago, and there's still somebody up there," Picavet said.

A crew of rangers and specialists are camped on the mountainside, in subfreezing temperatures, ready to stay there during the entire excavation process, Picavet said. The ice is thick in the area but rangers, trained in high altitude rescue operations, expect to be able to free it by Thursday, Picavet said.

"We're not going to go fast," Picavet said. "We want to preserve him as much as possible. He's pretty intact."

The crew includes an expert from the Joint Prisoner of War Accounting Command, which recovers and identifies missing military personnel.

Park officials believe the serviceman may be a member of the crew of an AT-7 navigational training plane that crashed on the mountain on Nov. 18, 1942 — one of several military planes that have crashed among the craggy peaks.

The wreckage and four bodies were found by a climber in 1947.

This body may be connected to that expedition, although it's hard to tell until the recovery is complete, Picavet said.

The remains were found at the base of the glacier, in remote and stark wilderness that takes days to reach by foot. Park officials don't know exactly where the plane landed. A decades-old file on the crash marked the spot on a map with an "X" but noted that the engine broke off and rolled to the bottom of the glacier, Picavet said.

Rest of the story.

Somali 'Black Hawk Down' suspect arrested

Outstanding, I say!!

Suspect arrested on war crimes charges while in Sweden

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 Posted: 0037 GMT (0837 HKT)

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- A Somali suspected of being a militia leader during the 1993 "Black Hawk Down" battle that left 18 Americans dead was arrested Monday on suspicion of war crimes while attending a conference in Sweden, police and organizers said.

A man identified as Abdi Hassan Awale, who once served as Somalia's interior minister, was taken into custody after Somalis living in Sweden recognized him and reported him to police, said Gillian Nilsson, an organizer of the conference on development in the Horn of Africa.

Awale, also known as Abdi Qeybdiid, was a commander in warlord Farah Aidid's militia when it fought a 19-hour battle against American troops in Mogadishu on October 3, 1993.

Two U.S. helicopters were shot down and hundreds of Somalis died, in addition to the American soldiers. The story was featured in the book and movie "Black Hawk Down."

Police spokesman Karl Sandberg would not confirm the suspect's identity, but said the 57-year-old Somali man was arrested on suspicion of war crimes early Monday at a hotel in Lund and taken to Goteborg for questioning.

The suspect's lawyer, Pieter Kjessler, told Swedish public radio that he denied the allegations against him during questioning on Monday.

Somalia was thrown into civil war and anarchy after clan-based warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. More than 500,000 people have been killed and some 3.5 million have been driven from their homes, 1.5 million of whom have taken refuge in neighboring countries.

Awale, who was a colonel in Somalia's former army, was named interior minister in the internationally unrecognized government that was declared in the capital after Barre's ouster.

News of Awale's capture was welcomed by Somalis living in the United States.

"We were joyous to hear this," said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy center in St. Paul, Minnesota. "It sends a loud and clear message to all the other Somali war criminals."

Jamal said Awale was involved in the 1993 militia fighting with American troops.

Nilsson said Awale was part of a six-member Somali delegation headed by Parliamentary speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden that attended the development conference in Sweden.

Sheehan Thrashing 'War Hawk' Hillary

Is this a trick? Is Sheehan just a stooge, being used to make Hillary look more palatable to the right? Or is she just plain stupid?

THE LEGEND OF CRAWFORD
Sheehan thrashing 'war hawk' Hillary
Cindy tears into Clinton for Iraq support,
compares her to radio's Rush Limbaugh
Posted: October 19, 2005
2:15 p.m. Eastern
By Joe Kovacs
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

Cindy Sheehan

Cindy Sheehan, the so-called "peace mom" on a crusade to end U.S. involvement in the Iraq war, is publicly blasting Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for her continued support of the ongoing conflict.

"I think she is a political animal who believes she has to be a war hawk to keep up with the big boys," Sheehan writes in an open letter posted on anti-Bush filmmaker Michael Moore's website. "I would love to support Hillary for president if she would come out against the travesty in Iraq. But I don't think she can speak out against the occupation, because she supports it. I will not make the mistake of supporting another pro-war Democrat for president again: As I won't support a pro-war Republican."

"I believe that the intelligent thing for Democrats to do for 2006 and 2008 would be to come out strongly and correctly against the botched, bungled, illegal, and immoral occupation of Iraq," Sheehan added.

Oh Mama!

Powered by Castpost

Funny video of what REALLY goes on in Iraq.

Footage comes courtesy of the Mullet Mafia

Get a Life

Recently I was advised to "get a life". I thought that I would post it today, which is my birthday. I made the appropriate update to reflect my ancient age of 59.


It is annoying for some pup to tell me to get a life. Here's why:

In my lifetime there have been:

11 U.S. Presidents and 6 Popes.
26 military conflicts involving the Unted States.
15 Summer Olympic games, 58 World Series and all 39 Super Bowls.
134 countries were added to the world map.
The Nuremberg Trials were finished and the Berlin Wall was erected and torn down.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was settled and WW III was avoided. (As a first grader in 1952 we were taught to get under our desks in case of a nuclear attack. We should have been learning our ABC's.)
Sputnik as launched and man set foot on the moon.
TV and the Internet were invented.
Churchill, Stalin and Elvis died.
Rock and Roll was born.
Small pox was eliminated, Polio all but erased and Aids has become the new epidemic.

I have survived cancer, 3 marriages and 2 divorces.

I was a single parent.

I have 2 biological sons, 2 adopted daughters, 3 stepdaughters and more than 12 grandchildren.

My country thanks me for my service as a Cold War and Vietnam-era veteran of the Army.

I have attended 3 colleges and have earned 2 degrees.

I have celebrated 59 Christmases, New Years, 4th's of July and birthdays.

I have buried both mother and father.

I was even briefly homeless.

I own a computer because I couldn't reach my oldest son (the Ranger) on the morning of 9/11. I knew that he would be deployed before the second plane hit the Trade Center and I had no way to e-mail him. I bought a copy of Blackhawk Down only because it involved Rangers. I would play it more often if not for a 3 year old grandson. He is often waiting for me when I get home from my job with Homeland Security (which I took to do my part in the war on terror). He prefers to play on the Game Cube for 4-5 hours at a time for 4-5 days a week.

If it wasn't for little Johnny, I might play online even more.

It seems to me that I have earned the right to do whatever I want. Whenever I want. Wherever I want. Even to the annoyance of some kid who has no idea of what anything I have said is all about.

"Get a life", he said. O.K.

"I GOT YOUR BACK"

A video courtesy of

Operation Military Pride :

http://www.operationmilitarypride.org/salute.html

"This movie is dedicated to the men and women of the greatest military in the world. The ones who are out there providing freedom for the rest of America as well as countries around the world.

The photographs used in this movie are photographs sent to us from the people that we have supported during their deployments. We thank each and every one of you for the sacrifices tha you make. God Bless America and its Armed Forces!

More information about "I GOT YOUR BACK" can be found at www.igotyourbackusa.com along with information about Damon Henrichs (the song writer) and the origins of this song."

Soldiers, Marines Team Up to Secure Camp

U.S. Army Sgt. David C. Harrington, of Henderson, Texas, and assigned to 3rd platoon,

Company B, 2nd Battalion, 112th Armor Regiment, 56th Brigade Combat Team,

36th Infantry Division, reviews the mission plan with his team of soldiers

and Marines before starting their joint Army-Marine

security patrol in western Iraq.

U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo More photos

Soldiers, Marines Team Up to Secure Camp

"War Horses" and "Devil Dogs" maintain vigilance

while performing camp security in western Iraq.

By U.S. Army Master Sgt. Lek Mateo 56th Brigade Combat Team Texas Army National Guard
CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq, Oct. 18, 2005 —

U.S. Army Sgt. David C. Harrington felt a tight knot in his stomach as he gave the command over the high frequency radio for his team to start up their heavily armed Humvees and move out on their patrol.

"Granted, we're Army and Marines. But we don't look at the uniforms because we see each other as one team."

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. William E. TuckerHe has been on many of these patrols before, but this mission is different because for the first time, he will be in charge of the mixed group of U.S. soldiers and Marines cramped inside who are responsible for the force protection of the sprawling Marine camp located on a high dusty plateau near Lake Habbiniyah in western Iraq.

As the late afternoon sun beat mercilessly on them, the small armada of Humvees exited past the rows of razor sharp concertina wire at the camp's heavily fortified entrance and started its sweep of the rural roads nearby, looking for tell-tale signs of improvised explosive devices that may be hidden in the trash along the shoulder.

A native of Henderson, Texas, and a soldier assigned to the 3rd Platoon, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 112th Armor Regiment, 56th Brigade Combat Team, 36th infantry Division, Harrington acknowledged that he felt very nervous at first leading a dangerous mission with a diverse team of soldiers and Marines.

But that nervousness went away as he relied on his leadership training and the team members's experience to help him complete the mission. "It feels good to be here performing my job as an noncommissioned officer fighting alongside with other soldiers and Marines who come from different backgrounds who are trying to accomplish the same goals," Harrington said.

Rest of the story.

Kevin Sites: unbiased Journalism at its worst

For some reason, Yahoo has been heavily promoting 'Kevin Sites-in the Hot Zone From Yahoo' . For those of you who don't remember, this is the 'journalist' who taped the much publicized video of the Marine shooting the insurgent in the Falluja Mosque. Sites chose to make it an international incident. He had to have known would inflame the Muslim world and would likely cost the very lives of the young Marines that he was embedded with. I thought that it was wrong for Sites to have done so. I believed that he should have given the Pentagon time to respond.

I wondered why he would choose to release that particular piece of film. After all, he must have shot miles of film. At the time of the incident, I checked Sites out and learned that he maintained a blog page that was tantamount to an anti-war site. To me, that equals anti-military.

The Marine was absolved of all charges. Sites seemed to disappear from the limelight for awhile. But, here he is again. I will have to 'smoke' him with words and he seems want to do to the military. I can't trust a man who protests with words and film against war, yet makes his entire living off of war. As Frank' (portrayed by Henry Fonda, in 'Once Upon a Time In The West', as an evil villain who was totally devoid on any redeeming qualities-a role so much better suited for his daughter) said, "How can you trust a man who wears both a belt and suspenders? The man can't even trust his own pants."


I don't trust Kevin Sites and neither should you. From his blog page 'apology' to the Marines, comes this:

" While I continue to tape, a Marine walks up to the other two bodies about fifteen
feet away, but also lying against the same back wall. Then I hear him say this about one of the men:
"He's fucking faking he's dead -- he's faking he's fucking dead."
Through my viewfinder I can see him raise the muzzle of his rifle in the direction of the wounded Iraqi. There are no sudden movements, no reaching or lunging."


The italics are mine. Why would Sites feel that it was necessary to write that?

More from Sites (written during the Falluja battle and, I think, indicative of his anti-war mindset):


" The Marines I'm embedded with are nearly ebullient. This looks to be a cakewalk.
One jokes they'll be sipping 'Pina Coladas by the Euphrates River by fifteen-hundred.' "


" They are eager "to get some," to pay "haji" back for the car bombs and IED's
(improvised explosive devices) that have killed or maimed so many of their brother 'Devil Dogs.'"


"We're going to let loose the dogs of war," says Staff Sgt. Mortimer, "before the
Falluja offensive begins. "It will be hell," he says, smiling after."

From comes this:

"Smearing Kevin Sites

Warfloggers are busy shooting the messenger. Poor Kevin Sites. All his war reporting in Kosovo and Afghanistan and Iraq, and the fact that he's embedded in the most dangerous place in Iraq isn't enough to save him from Republicans on Auto Smear. As with the Abu Ghraib torture photos, the problem for the pro-war With Us Or Against Us crowd isn't the act that horrifies the world, it's the fact that the pictures came out.

I guess InstaWarPundit won't be recommending Kevin Sites anymore."

And neither will I!!!

Liberalism

Rangers! Lead the way!

Officials: Syria Could Be Site of Next Struggle

By JAMES RISEN & DAVID E. SANGER
The New York Times

WASHINGTON -- A series of clashes in the last year between U.S. and Syrian troops, including a prolonged firefight this summer that killed several Syrians, has raised the prospect that cross-border military operations may become a dangerous new front in the Iraq war, according to current and former military and government officials.

The firefight, between Army Rangers and Syrian troops along the border with Iraq, was the most serious of the conflicts with President Bashar al-Assad's forces, according to U.S. and Syrian officials.

It illustrated the dangers facing U.S. troops as Washington tries to apply more political and military pressure on a country that President Bush last week labeled one of the "allies of convenience" with Islamic extremists.

One of Bush's most senior aides, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject, said that so far U.S. military forces in Iraq had moved right up to the border to cut off the entry of insurgents, but he insisted that they had refrained from going over it.

But other officials, who say they got their information in the field or by talking to Special Operations commanders, say that as U.S. efforts to cut off the flow of fighters have intensified, those operations have spilled over the border -- sometimes by accident, sometimes by design

Some current and former officials add that the U.S. military is considering plans to conduct special operations inside Syria, using small covert teams for cross-border intelligence gathering.

The broadening military effort along the Iraqi-Syrian border has intensified as the Iraqi constitutional referendum scheduled for Saturday approaches, and as frustration mounts in the Bush administration and among senior U.S. commanders over their inability to prevent foreign radical Islamists from engaging in suicide bombings and other deadly terrorist acts inside Iraq.

Covert military operations are among the most closely held of secrets, and planning for them is extremely sensitive politically as well, so none of those who discussed the subject would allow themselves to be identified. They included military officers, civilian officials and people who are otherwise actively involved in military operations or have close ties to Special Operations forces.

In the summer firefight, several Syrian troops were killed, leading to a protest from the Syrian government to the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, according to U.S. and Syrian officials.

A military official who spoke with some of the Rangers who took part in the incident said they had described it as an intense firefight, although it could not be learned whether there had been any U.S. casualties. Nor could the exact location of the clash, along the porous and poorly marked border, be learned.

Rest of the story.

__________________________________________________________

aljazeera.com's version: Here is an excerpt-

"Former U.S. officials have recently revealed that the U.S. Army is considering conducting special operations inside Syria, using small teams for intelligence gathering.

Repetitive clashes between U.S. and Syrian forces on the Iraqi border over the past year, according to former military and government officials may become a new front in the Iraq war.

The firefight, between Army Rangers and Syrian troops demonstrates the dangers facing U.S. troops....."

If several Syrian troops were killed, as the American version notes and the al Jazeera version fails to mention, then it would seem to me that the danger is all to the Syrians.

For the Troops

Warning: May be harmful to your eyes.

Looking Good/ From the blog page: One Marine's View

I feel a little bad, copying and pasting a few articles from the blog page, 'One Marine's View'. But, this Marine Captain is the best set of 'eyes and ears' as well 'as boots on the ground' that I've seen. It's good to hear the truth articulately told, in real time. Job well done, Capt. B!

Saturday, October 15, 2005
LOOKING GOOD
As the sun came up today no one really knew what to expect to happen as Iraq began their democratic elections. One thing for sure Marines & Soldiers were ready to do their job and provide the necessary security required to ensure the scumbags didn’t interfere with our mission at hand.

Across the entire AO (Area of Operations) the tempo was mild although not without fighting. The typical in your face IEDs and RPGs were ever present but your armed services prevailed and insured a safe voting atmosphere for the Iraqi people. Although the news probably wont have much to say about it, it was a success for the country of Iraq, its Army and its people. Unfortunately there were service members wounded and unfortunately paid the ultimate price today in surrounding fighting throughout the AO. We knew it wouldn’t be totally quiet and the few contact (IEDs) today took their toll on some units. Across the board the area was eerie silent as streets and markets were empty. Only polling sites were the busy places. The famous purple finger that voters get when they vote was the popular sign of the day. Unfortunately some service members will receive Purple Heart medals for their actions this day.

Now as the country has made a milestone achievement they have democracy in motion. As Americans we want things done yesterday and have little patience for things not produced now. Patience is what is needed here and the coward left wing bed wetters won’t understand that. Iraq is where the US was 200 yrs ago. Will their constitution change? Yes of course as ours still changes to this day. Will there be continued fighting? Yes, there are plenty of scumbags here that need to be delt with as they recognize that their days are numbered now since they couldnt alter the elections. The fact that there wasn’t a major mass casualty of voters, SBVIED in polling centers or assassinations conducted that the foaming mouth reporters could get in the middle of just reinforces how far the Iraqi forces have come and how they are getting stronger than the scumbags. Reporter’s countrywide saturated the area days prior to the elections to hopefully catch the US forces failing. Well to damn bad it didn’t happen so pound sand! You be the judge on just how much coverage there is of the actual elections on the news tomorrow. My bet is that there won’t be much beside some BS doubters or what if this or what if that negative crap on. I know that if there were an unsuccessful election, it would have been nothing but “Breaking News” shots about how we failed. It’s a good day to be an American, stand tall America we helped a country get on its feet today. Semper Fi-Capt B