"Support Our Troops" thread....part II ;) [Archive] - The Black Hole -//- Universal Community

rebelchick

02-01-2005, 04:30 PM

Soldiers Make a Difference One Step at a Time
Texas Guardsmen to follow in footsteps of New Hampshire Guard unit

By U.S. Army Master Sgt. Lek Mateo
56th Brigade Combat Team, Texas Army National Guard
TALLIL, Iraq, Feb. 1, 2005 — U.S. Army Capt. Adil B. Elnour, an artillery officer of the New Hampshire National Guard’s 197th Field Artillery Brigade, used to measure the success of his mission by hitting a target located miles away with a high-explosive shell fired from his big guns.
Today he measures the success of his job in Iraq as a civil affairs officer by the number of smiles he and the soldiers in his unit receives as they visit small villages and towns located in the Euphrates Valley where they are helping the destitute people rebuild their lives. more

Soldiers Make a Difference One Step at a Time
Texas Guardsmen to follow in footsteps of New Hampshire Guard unit

By U.S. Army Master Sgt. Lek Mateo
56th Brigade Combat Team, Texas Army National Guard
TALLIL, Iraq, Feb. 1, 2005 — U.S. Army Capt. Adil B. Elnour, an artillery officer of the New Hampshire National Guard’s 197th Field Artillery Brigade, used to measure the success of his mission by hitting a target located miles away with a high-explosive shell fired from his big guns.
Today he measures the success of his job in Iraq as a civil affairs officer by the number of smiles he and the soldiers in his unit receives as they visit small villages and towns located in the Euphrates Valley where they are helping the destitute people rebuild their lives.

http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/jan2005/articles/ai013105a2.jpg
http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/jan2005/a013105wm1.html

HoosierDaddy

02-01-2005, 06:09 PM

From one of my buds in Gardez.

http://img133.exs.cx/img133/1590/dsc038440sg.jpg

:)

Winter

02-01-2005, 06:43 PM

From one of my buds in Gardez.

http://img133.exs.cx/img133/1590/dsc038440sg.jpg

:)Thats an awesome pic HD. Thanks!

GBA

02-01-2005, 07:42 PM

http://www.riesgraphics.com/jpeg_images/support_troops.jpg

bengalcatt

02-01-2005, 11:28 PM

http://www.riesgraphics.com/jpeg_images/support_troops.jpg

Love those pics and I support our troops completely!!!!!!!

bengalcatt

02-01-2005, 11:29 PM

From one of my buds in Gardez.

http://img133.exs.cx/img133/1590/dsc038440sg.jpg

:)Thats an awesome pic HD. Thanks!\

Winter..........your avatar looks like Katie Couric.....our arch enemy.....SUPWIDAT????????

Winter

02-01-2005, 11:39 PM

Syn

02-02-2005, 02:30 PM

It is Katie Couric. LMAO I thought it was funny and I'll use it for a while. :lol:Katie Couric, wtf??

Ever seen this pic?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/parzlee/fwinter.jpg

:lol:

(Now, now...I didn't make it, just sharing) :wink:

exitwound

02-02-2005, 02:51 PM

bloody great pics all around! :twisted:

Winter

02-02-2005, 06:10 PM

OMG Syn, I love that. LOL

Winter

02-02-2005, 06:16 PM

01/22/04 - U.S. Marines and Sri Lankan citizens work together in Galle, Sri Lanka, on Jan. 22, 2005, to clean up the rubble left by the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami. The Marines from 3rd Force Service Support Group, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, Okinawa, Japan, are part of the more than 14,000 service members deployed throughout Southeast Asia with Combined Support Force 536 in support of Operation Unified Assistance, working with international militaries and non-governmental organizations to aid those affected by the tsunami. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. JoAnn S. Makinano, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

http://jccc.afis.osd.mil/images/show_jpg.pl?sz=1&key=1119618

Winter

02-02-2005, 06:49 PM

http://www.dod.gov/home/images/photos/2005-02/index/20050202e.jpg

HEADING TO SEA – Sailors aboard the USS Mustin "man the rails" as it departs 32nd Street Naval Station San Diego, Calif., Feb. 1, 2005, to begin a six-month, around-the-world deployment. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel N. Woods

YEAH! I did it, I did it.....I got a pic to work! :D

GBA

02-03-2005, 02:23 PM

Hey !

I've been supporting the troops all along and didn't even know it.
I was talking to my tennanttoday,who happens to work in the National Guard Armory here.
Well I've been recording all my VHS tapes onto DVD and giving him the tapes.
He's been shipping them off to Iraq for the troops to watch.
How cool is that ?
:D

Winter

02-03-2005, 06:25 PM

01/03/05 - Petty Officer 2nd Class James Lambert examines a local man complaining of vision problems during a visit to a settlement near Khowst, Afghanistan, on Jan. 3, 2004. Lambert, a Navy hospital corpsman with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, is providing rudimentary medical treatment to Afghanis during the stop. DoD photo by Cpl. James L. Yarboro, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)

http://jccc.afis.osd.mil/images/show_jpg.pl?sz=1&key=1113846

rebelchick

02-04-2005, 11:56 AM

God Bless Our Troops

Takes a second to load and turn the sound on!

http://www.clermontyellow.accountsupport.com/flash/UntilThen.swf

Winter

02-04-2005, 12:12 PM

01/10/05 - A U.S. Army Soldier, with the assistance of an Afghanistan Soldier, set up a communications antenna at an Afghanistan police compound in the city of Nuristan on Jan. 10, 2005. The U.S. Soldier is assigned to the Asadabad Provincial Reconstruction Team. DoD photo by Spc. Harold Fields, U.S. Army. (Released)

http://jccc.afis.osd.mil/images/show_jpg.pl?sz=1&key=1111968

Winter

02-07-2005, 03:20 PM

01/08/05 - Slovakian soldiers assigned to the Engineer Unit gather ammunition rounds at the destruction site on the outskirts of the Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, Jan. 8, 2005. As part of the Multi-National Division duty, members of the Slovakian Eng. Unit are destroying ordnance in an effort to maintain order and security in south central Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jose M. Hernandez) (Released)

http://jccc.afis.osd.mil/images/show_jpg.pl?sz=1&key=1125336

Winter

02-07-2005, 04:50 PM

'Angels of Mercy,' Others Descend With Super Bowl Party
By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2005 – The full-house audience sat transfixed by former Beatle Paul McCartney, belting out the song "Get Back" on the large television screen showing the Super Bowl XXXIX halftime entertainment.

Six NFL representatives came from New York to Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Mologne House hotel for a special Super Bowl XXXIX party Feb. 6. They brought NFL T-shirts, hats, little football dogs, posters, pennants and other memorabilia for patients being treated at the hospital for injuries suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shown with some goodies are NFL's Will Worzel, left, and Aracely Diaz. The patient is Army Pfc. Paul Skarinka, who was wounded while serving in Iraq with the 1st Cavalry Division. At the right is his father, Peter Skarinka, of Whitman, Mass. Photo by Rudi Williams
(Click photo for screen-resolution image); high-resolution image available.

"This is a helluva party, isn't it?" one partygoer asked aloud.

"Sure is," another responded, popping his fingers to the beat of the music.

These "party animals" were wounded servicemembers from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan and their families at the Mologne House hotel on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center here Feb. 6.

More than 150 wounded patients and their families gathered to watch the New England Patriots edge the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 to win their third Super Bowl in four years.

Jay Edwards and Marian Chirichella, founders of the Auxiliary Unit's "Angels of Mercy" program at American Legion Post 270 in McLean, Va., came up with this year's party idea, according to Peter Anderson, Mologne House general manager. Co-sponsors were the Wounded Warriors Project, Fairfax (Va.) Harley Owner's Group, United Service Organizations and the National Football League.

Anderson said there was plenty of food, and door prizes included DVD and CD players, and lots of NFL and Harley-Davidson memorabilia. All servicemembers got an NFL cap, T-shirt and a copy of the program sold at the game. Partygoers also received Wounded Warrior T-shirts and a goodie bag from the American Legion Auxiliary. The Angels of Mercy also provided three large sheet cakes decorated with Patriots, Eagles and Super Bowl XXXIX written on them.

Six NFL headquarters representatives also traveled from New York. "We came down here to celebrate the Super Bowl with our soldiers," said Betsy Murphy, NFL benefits coordinator. She said they had visited some patients at the party earlier in the day on their wards.

"It's an honor and privilege to be here on behalf of the commissioner (Paul Tagliabue) and the National Football League. We support these guys; we commend them and their families for their courage and strength," she said. "They truly are America's best."

"Typically, we come for bike shows and have a picnic to get the wounded servicemembers out of the Mologne House," said Larry Larson of the local Harley owner's group. "It was easy for them to stay in the rooms (today), so we thought that bringing the bikes here would encourage them to come out of their rooms.

"We're just appreciative of our country and guys and gals in the military," Larson noted. "I don't think all of us as citizens really appreciate what these men and women do for us. They're the most patriotic people we've ever met. It has been a tremendous experience for us.

"They're saying 'thank you' to us as we're going out the door, and we're the ones saying we couldn't possibility thank them enough," he pointed out.

"There's a great kinship and strong feelings between the members that are veterans coming here and spending time with the soldiers," Larson continued, pointing out that many of the biker group's members are military veterans. "Everybody has his or her own personal reasons for coming. But all of us go away absolutely committed to the soldiers and our country and really appreciative of everything they do for us."

Legionnaire Jay Edwards said, "The main thing we do is to let them know that their country supports them."

One combat-wounded partygoer was Army Pfc. Paul Skarinka, 25, hit by a rocket- propelled grenade in Iraq on Sept. 13 while serving with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He arrived at Walter Reed on Sept. 20.

He called the Super Bowl party "a great thing."

"I love to see this kind of support," he said. "It's a great feeling to know that people out there have our backs and haven't forgotten about us. That's the biggest thing."

His father, Peter Skarinka, who spent four years in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, said the support his son is receiving at Walter Reed is "wonderful."

"People have been great, not only for the Super Bowl, but throughout Paul's hospitalization," said the former Air Force staff sergeant.

Army Sgt. John Keith, Jr., 37, was hit in Iraq while serving as a medic with the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, on Nov. 9. The Humvee he was riding in was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. He arrived at Walter Reed on Nov. 12.

"It's really nice that they put this Super Bowl party together for us," said Keith, a Patriots fan. "We really feel very blessed that we have people that are willing to give their time to help us."

Winter

02-07-2005, 05:22 PM

http://www.dod.gov/home/images/photos/2005-02/index/20050207d.jpg

MARKSMAN – Seaman Chris Bissett (right) tallies a U.S. Navy sailor's score during small arms weapons qualification aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, Jan. 19, 2005. Carrier Air Wing 3, embarked aboard the Truman, provides close air support and conducts intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance over Iraq in support of the war on terror. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Kristopher Wilson

Winter

02-07-2005, 05:28 PM

God Bless Our Troops

Takes a second to load and turn the sound on!

http://www.clermontyellow.accountsupport.com/flash/UntilThen.swf:( That was so sad RC! I couldn't stop tearing up. I'll have to email that one around for sure. I love the guy hitchhiking with the sign Florida and the little girl with the sign "my daddy, my hero"! :(

bengalcatt

02-07-2005, 05:58 PM

As you may know, the President and Mrs. Bush visited the Washington Burn Center on Friday 14 September. Among those they visited was LTC Brian Birdwell, who was badly burned in the Pentagon attack.

Mrs. Bush went into Brian's room, spoke to him for about a minute, all the time as if they had been long acquaintances. She then turned to Brian's wife Mel, who at this time had been at the hospital for probably 2 1/2 days, and apparently, according to Mel herself, was dirty, grimy and had blood on her shirt.

Mrs. Bush hugged Mel for what Mel said seemed like an eternity, just as if Mel were one of her closest family members.

Mrs. Bush then told Brian and Mel that there was "someone" there to see him.

The President then walked in, stood by Brian's bedside, asked Brian how he was doing, told him that he was very proud of them both and that they were his heroes.

The President then saluted Brian. Now, at this point in time, Brian is bandaged up pretty well. His hands are burned very badly as well as the back of him from the head down. His movements were very restricted.

Upon seeing the President saluting him, Brian began to slowly return the salute, taking, from the accounts so far, about 15-20 seconds to get his hand up to his head.

During all of this, 15-20 seconds, President Bush never moved, never dropped his salute. The President dropped his salute only when Brian was finished with his, and then gave Mel a huge hug for what also probably seemed like an eternity.

Pray for our leadership. Thank God for what we are, have, and will be.

As a note to those of you who might not be familiar with military protocol, the subordinate normally initiates a salute and will hold it until the superior officer returns the salute.

In the above incident, President Bush acted in the role of the subordinate to show his respect and high regard for the injured man.

From http://snopes.com/glurge/birdwell.htm

Winter

02-07-2005, 06:02 PM

bengalcatt

02-07-2005, 06:06 PM

:(

Oh sorry Winter.......I forgot you lived around the Pentagon at that time. Wasn't trying to bring you down......I thought it was a nice story to tell on your thread.

SOWWY!!!!!! :oops:

Winter

02-07-2005, 06:28 PM

:(

Oh sorry Winter.......I forgot you lived around the Pentagon at that time. Wasn't trying to bring you down......I thought it was a nice story to tell on your thread.

SOWWY!!!!!! :oops:No, thats ok. It was a long time ago for me anyways. All pains heal. Its just a sad story, thats all. I hope he is doing well by now. ;)

ReallyRotten

02-08-2005, 04:02 AM

Ist Cav heading to Kuwait, after 13 months looks like My nephew made it..They were told in the middle of the superbowel to pack up. We are heading home to Ft hood...dont look like hes got to go back to that shit hole..

nuggy

02-08-2005, 06:27 AM

01/24/05 - An MH-53E Sea Dragon delivers much needed supplies and materials to the residents of Sumatra, Indonesia, on Jan. 24, 2005. The helicopter and its crew are attached to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fifteen (HM-15) aboard USS Essex (LHD 2). U.S. Marines and Navy Sailors aboard Essex are participating in Operation Unified Assistance, a multinational relief effort to bring food, water and medical care to those affected by the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami. DoD photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Bart A. Bauer, U.S. Navy. (Released)

http://jccc.afis.osd.mil/images/show_jpg.pl?sz=1&key=1117905

I love you for this post! :)

Winter

02-08-2005, 11:28 AM

01/16/05 - U.S. Navy Sailor Christopher M. Michael pitches a water bottle to a young boy during a "baseball" game on Jan. 16, 2005, near a Koggala, Sri Lanka, schoolhouse that was destroyed by the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami. Michael, a steel worker with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Seven, is deployed supporting Combined Support Force 536 and Operation Unified Assistance. DoD photo by Journalist Seaman S.C. Irwin, U.S. Navy. (Released)
http://jccc.afis.osd.mil/images/show_jpg.pl?sz=1&key=1125423

Winter

02-08-2005, 11:31 AM

Winter

02-08-2005, 11:33 AM

02/05/05 - Sgt. Orlando Arocho, a rifleman with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment (3/3), looks through the sights of an AT-4 anti-tank rocket while providing security during an operation in Khowst Province, Afghanistan, Feb. 5, 2005. 3/3 is currently conducting security and stabilization operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. James L. Yarboro) (Released)

http://jccc.afis.osd.mil/images/show_jpg.pl?sz=1&key=1125870

Winter

02-10-2005, 05:57 PM

02/05/05 - A young Iraqi girl asks for candy from U.S. Army Soldiers of 256th Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 2nd Battalion as they arrive at an undisclosed location near Baghdad, on Feb. 5, 2005. Louisiana Army National Guard 256 BCT's mission, Amber Waves, delivered more than 262,000 metric tons of fertilizer and agricultural supplies to local farmers throughout the Baghdad area. (U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Brien Aho) (Released)

http://jccc.afis.osd.mil/images/show_jpg.pl?sz=1&key=1126665

exitwound

02-10-2005, 08:52 PM

Great stuff, Winter! keep it up! 8)

Winter

02-11-2005, 02:58 PM

Great stuff, Winter! keep it up! 8);)

http://www.dod.gov/home/images/photos/2005-02/index/20050211g.jpg

ROOFTOP WATCH – A soldier with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division Stryker Brigade Combat Team pulls security from a rooftop while another squad bounds to another building in Mosul, Iraq, on Feb. 8, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson

Winter

02-14-2005, 11:53 AM

02/11/05 - Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld presents the Purple Heart Medal to a servicemember at the Combat Surgical Hospital in Mosul, Iraq, on Feb. 11, 2005. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby, U.S. Air Force. Released.
http://jccc.afis.osd.mil/images/show_jpg.pl?sz=1&key=1129443

Winter

02-14-2005, 11:55 AM

02/10/05 - The USS Shiloh (CG-67) and the USS Benfold (DDG-65) fall in line behind the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), on Feb. 10, 2005. Lincoln is currently deployed to the Western Pacific Ocean. Carrier Strike Group NINE (CSG-9) is the first to be used in the Surge Role in support of the Chief of Naval Operations Fleet Response Plan. (U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Patrick M. Bonafede) (Released)
http://jccc.afis.osd.mil/images/show_jpg.pl?sz=1&key=1128504

Winter

05-11-2006, 10:16 AM

Protecting Troops Priority of Defense Bill By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
43 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Combating makeshift roadside bombs — a primary cause of U.S. troop deaths — is a high priority in a House bill aimed at protecting American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The House is to vote Thursday on the wide-ranging measure that would allow the Pentagon to spend millions of dollars more so it can continue to develop bomb countermeasures and equip vehicles and troops with armor.

"This is the year of troop protection," said Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record), R-Calif., who is the House Armed Services Committee chairman. "Taking care of our troops has been a real priority."

Rep. Ike Skelton (news, bio, voting record) of Missouri, the lead Democrat on the committee, called the measure "excellent" in part because it "takes steps to ensure that our troops have the best equipment available."

The House was expected to approve the defense bill overwhelmingly. Lawmakers were mindful that, during wartime and an election year, opposing such a measure could invite criticism that they were turning their backs on troops.

Still, some anti-war Democrats — and possibly some Republicans — were expected to oppose it to make a statement about the Iraq war, which has grown increasingly unpopular and has dragged President Bush's approval ratings to an all-time low.

Overall, the bill contains hundreds of provisions outlining Pentagon policies and setting a spending level of $512.9 billion for the next budget year that begins Oct. 1, including $50 billion to cover the first part of next year's costs for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Actual money for specific programs is provided in separate legislation that is to be considered later.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved its version of the bill but the Senate is not expected to vote on it until later this spring.

Up for re-election in six months, House lawmakers say the bill gives troops what they need to be successful during wartime and addresses concerns arising from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

In that vein, the bill aims to "take back the roads" by planning $109.7 million for jamming devices that detect roadside bombs and prevent their explosions as well as $100 million for at least 10 manned surveillance aircraft to patrol above roads in Iraq where the bombs are prevalent.

Known as improvised explosive devices or IEDs, the bombs are a leading killer of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and Congress has pressured the Pentagon for more than a year to speed up its efforts to counter the bombs. A Pentagon task force has been working on the issue.

Additionally, the bill calls for millions of dollars more to put armor on Humvees and provide body armor for troops, including ceramic plates to protect the sides of torsos. It also plans more money for essential war-zone vehicles and equipment, such as night-vision devices.

Under the measure, survivors of slain civilian Defense Department employees would get a $100,000 death benefit that's currently available to families of service members killed in combat zones since Oct. 7, 2001. Since the two wars began, eight civilian Defense Department employees have died as a direct result of their assignments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The bill calls for more money to be spent on weapons heavily involved in Iraq and Afghanistan, such as M-1 Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles. It also directs the Pentagon to increase the number of F-22 aircraft and submarines being built.

At the same time, the bill slices millions of dollars from new weapons systems — the Joint Strike Fighter and the Future Combat System — as well as for the presidential helicopter and the ballistic missile defense program.

On other high-profile issues, the bill says the Navy must have 12 aircraft carriers, despite a Pentagon desire to retire one of the 12. It also requires the Air Force to maintain a fleet of 44 B-52 bombers until 2018 or until a comparable long-range strike aircraft is developed, even though the service wants to retire 38 of the bombers over two years.

The bill also plans 2.7 percent pay raise for military personnel — 0.5 percent higher than what the president requested — as lawmakers seek to continue to lessen a gap that exists between military salaries and those in the private sector.

And, as in previous years, the bill again calls for a manpower increase of 30,000 for the Army — to 512,400 — and 5,000 for the Marine Corps — to 180,000. Congress has been calling for increases since 2003 because of a concern that the United States has too few forces during wartime.
___

The bill, H.R. 5122, may be found at http://thomas.loc.gov or the House Armed Services Committee site: http://www.house.gov/hasc

rebelchick

06-06-2006, 11:27 AM

America Supports You: Virginia Reservist Helps Troops

By Ashleigh Covington
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2006 – An Army Reserve soldier who received care packages from Americans while serving for a year in Iraq is taking that effort to another level through a program he started in Fairfax, Va.
Sgt. William Dunn, of the 229th Engineering Company, said that after his tour in Iraq, he wanted to reach out to troops still serving overseas, particularly soldiers from his own unit. He founded "Project We Care," which calls upon the community to donate and mail packages to deployed servicemembers.
Dunn and others in the community maintain lists of soldiers they know and units that are deployed. People can then ship care packages to individual soldiers and remain in contact with them throughout their duty, making the gifts personal and meaningful over time, he explained.
We Care got its start in 2004, with Dunn calling on his colleagues at the Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation Services to bring in items to send to troops in Iraq. Though the program began on a small level, it immediately drew attention from the community.
"People truly do want to help. They just didn't know how, and they need a little guidance," Dunn said.
Since then, the campaign has received overwhelming support from the community, including senior citizens, church congregations, high school clubs and even children's groups. Dunn said he tries to do at least two especially big shipments each year, but donations and mailings go out every day.
"For soldiers, something so small can mean so much. The only thing that's guaranteed out there is mail," Dunn said.
Dunn said his main program goal is to show soldiers the community's overwhelming support for their efforts. Voted "Best New Program of the Year" in Fairfax County for 2004-2005, Dunn's program has sent out more than 600 packages from the James Lee Community Center alone.
To send a package full of goodies or to donate items for care packages, people simply stop by any community center in the county. We Care also accepts cash to help defray mailing costs, Dunn said.
While We Care remains one of Dunn's main priorities, he said, he also emphasized that any individual or group can begin its own packaging efforts. He wants people to know their help is always appreciated.
"It means something to me, because when I was (in Iraq), I was getting boxes from an elementary school out in Arizona, and I didn't know any of those kids out there," he said. "And they kept sending me boxes, and it meant a whole lot to me." Dunn said he wrote back to the class, and he and the children stayed in touch.
Dunn's first trip after returning from Iraq was to visit students who had sent him packages. "I flew out to Albuquerque, N.M., to a public school to surprise those kids and let them know how much they made my day," he said. Visiting citizens who supported them during their deployment isn't an uncommon thing for soldiers to do, he added. Dunn stressed the importance of supporting the nation's servicemembers, especially in the time of war.
"Outside of the fact that they are giving up their lives and their freedom out there so people can spend time with their families in a safer environment, it's just important to support the soldiers because they know they have a job to do, and their job is to protect America," he said. "Without them, just imagine what would happen." I know I'd be wearing a burka or heiling to hitler!!

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2006/20060605_5337.html

rebelchick

06-06-2006, 03:56 PM

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/Photos/Jun/060603.jpg

U.S. Army Sgt. Karlo Endaya marks an Iraqi girl's hand to identify the medical care she requires during a medical operation near Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday May 24, 2006. The combined medical operation, conducted with U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers, provided basic medical aid to the local community.

rebelchick

06-06-2006, 04:04 PM

Our troops are doing so much more than combat operations in Iraq.
God bless them!!

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/Photos/Feb/15.jpg
U.S. Army Spc. Derek Castro, a native of Dandan, Saipan, jokes with Ali, a 10-year-old Iraqi boy, during a goodwill visit toIstaqal, Iraq. Soldiers from the U.S. Army 490th Civil Affairs Unit visited Istaqal to address current economical and health issues with the local populous.
(U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Michael Larson) (Released)

Peggy_sue

06-06-2006, 09:42 PM

12th Armored Division http://www.12tharmoredmuseum.org/img/home_04.jpg

World War II

"Near the end of April 1945, the 12th began the daunting task of liberating Nazi death camps. The members of the Division saw the horror of the Nazi atrocities up close as they liberated camp after camp, including Hurlag, Landsberg and Dachau. A survivor at Dachau reported if the 12th had not liberated the camp so quickly, all the prisoners would have been killed and the camp demolished. If this had happened to Dachau and many of the camps south of the Danube, there would be no evidence of the atrocities practiced in this part of Germany. The full extent of the Holocaust would not have been known to the outside world.
...
After liberating the death camps the 12th pushed south and crossed the Austrian border at Kufstein, Austria on 3 May 1945. The 12th was pulled from the front lines on 5 May 1945. In the short space of five months, the 12th had seen their Division transformed from a green, untested outfit into one of the most feared fighting machines on the Western front. 72,243 prisoners were credited to the Division. Nearly 8,500 Allied P.O.W.s, including 1,500 Americans, and an additional 20,000 non-military prisoners were liberated by the 12th. The 12th Armored Division was singled out for commendation from 7th Army, 3rd Army, French First Army , and every Corps under which it operated."

http://www.12tharmoreddivision.com/FullMapG.gif

http://www.12tharmoreddivision.com/history.html

The 12th armored division began their push near the top left of the map at Le Havre and in a few months with only a single day 'off' they marched across France and Germany liberating one death camp after another.

I am proud to say my uncle was a member of the 12th Armored. My sister and I took him to the museum's grand opening, scheduled to coincide with the annual reunion of his division. I was in complete awe as I dined with those fascinating veterans. They were touched deeply by the fact the museum became a reality while there were still a couple hundred of them left to enjoy the honor. This reunion was the last one my uncle was able to attend. I am very glad I was able to help him make the trip to Abilene, Texas to see his old friends and reminisce.

On the way home I learned of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan when I overheard other travelers talking at a truck stop. I gathered round a small black and white TV set with a dozen other people and felt conflicting feelings. I had just been surrounded by a couple hundred of the bravest military men I'll likely ever have the opportunity to be around. Then I stood there in that truck stop with a sinking feeling in my gut, wondering. Just wondering. After all our military men and women have gone through in the past, surely this administration would prosecute the war in the smartest way possible. Surely.

http://www.12tharmoreddivision.com/museum.html

http://www.12tharmoreddivision.com/Museum.jpg

Peggy_sue

06-06-2006, 09:46 PM

"June 6, 1944 (known as D-Day), the western Allies launched the single largest amphibious invasion force in world history, landing almost 150,000 soldiers under the command of U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower on the beaches of Normandy, France. By the end of the month, more than 850,000 American, British, and Canadian troops had come ashore to embark upon what Eisenhower called the “Great Crusade, ” the “destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.” "

This was the beginning of the liberation of the death camps and prisoners of war.

11 months later, Germany surrendered unconditionally.

http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/liberation/

nuggy67

06-06-2006, 11:34 PM

StrategyPage gives you rapid access to military news. We report these events as history, not headlines, and provide concise, comprehensive and easy-to-understand descriptions of the troops, their equipment and why wars the world over are being fought.
http://strategypage.com/

rebelchick

06-09-2006, 09:04 AM

SALUTES a job well don!!

http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/june2006/index/ii060806d.jpg

STRIKE SITE — Iraqi and U.S. soldiers inspect the blast site of an air strike that killed terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Hibhib, Iraq, June 7, 2006. Al-Zarqawi was the leader of Al Qaeda operations in Iraq and was considered the top insurgent target prior to his death. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Zach Mott, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

WakeUp

06-10-2006, 03:34 AM

Serving Was Soldier's Mission
Sudan Native Killed in Iraq Did 'Good Deeds'

By Martin Weil
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 4, 2006; A13

Ayman Taha, a Berkeley graduate who was described as athletic, a speaker of many languages, and a friend to all who met him, had only to write his dissertation to earn his PhD, his father said.

But three years ago, Taha, a budding economist and the son of a Northern Virginia couple, Abdel-Rahman and Amal Taha, joined the Army to serve in the Special Forces. About a year ago, he was sent to Iraq.

On Friday, as Staff Sgt. Ayman Taha, 31, was preparing a cache of munitions for demolition in the town of Balad, the explosives detonated and he was killed, the Pentagon said yesterday.

It is "a very terrible thing," Abdel-Rahman Taha said. "He was a son, and a very special son."

The father added: "If you believe in God and you realize that this is God's will . . . it makes it a lot easier."

There is also consolation, the father said, in feeling that "this is something Ayman wanted to do."

A family friend, Nada Eissa, agreed. "No, he didn't have to do it," she said. "This is something he wanted to do."

Ayman Taha was born in Sudan, into an academically accomplished international family. Both parents hold doctorates. When his father worked for the World Bank, Ayman attended elementary school in McLean. He went to secondary school in England, then received a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a master's in economics from the University of Massachusetts, where he was working toward a PhD.

"He lived in many cultures," his father said, and spoke English, Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese. More important, his father said, were his personality and character.

"If he has a five-minute conversation with you, that would be the beginning of a lifetime relationship," the father said. "I never heard anybody who ever complained that Ayman did something wrong to him.

"He was just that type of character," the father said.

About three years ago, Ayman Taha told his father, "Dad, I have been going to school since I was 5 years old. I want to take a break."

The father said he suggested that his son "try something in the World Bank . . . or Merrill Lynch." But one day, "out of the blue," his son told him that he had signed the papers that would take him into the Special Forces.

He said his son was "definitely" patriotic and believed "in the mission."

"He strongly agreed that what they were doing is good and that they were helping people in the Middle East to get out of the . . . historic bottleneck" that had confined them.

Since boyhood, those who knew him recalled, Ayman Taha had taken an interest in military matters, which showed itself in the books he read and the toys he played with.

Joining the Special Forces was "something he felt compelled to do," said a friend, Hisham Eissa, who lives in Los Angeles and is Nada Eissa's brother.

In economics, Taha's interest was in development. "He felt very strongly about making a difference," and "I think he felt that people like him" were needed for it, Eissa said.
"Everyone whose life he touched loved this guy," Hisham Eissa said. "There isn't a single person who knew him who isn't torn up about this."

The Pentagon said Taha was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, based at Fort Campbell, Ky.

His wife, Geraldine, and child Sommer live near the base. One sister, Rabah, is a special education teacher in Fairfax County, and another, Lubna, attends Marymount University.

His father said Taha was a devout Muslim who believed that "the message of Islam is very simple . . . to believe in God and do good deeds."

"He believed that what he was doing were the good deeds Islam is asking for."

© 2006 The Washington Post Company

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...400003_pf.html

WakeUp

06-10-2006, 11:39 PM

Capt. Jacqueline Naylor, a family practice physician from the 173rd Support Battalion,
holds a premature baby she helped deliver at a hospital
in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan.
Sgt. Erin Maynard

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d147/WakeUpAmerica/OCPA-2005-07-15-161931.jpg

Army captain helps deliver Afghan baby
By Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell
July 15, 2005
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Army News Service, July 15, 2005) – An Army family practice physician had an unexpected surprise while touring a civilian hospital – she helped deliver a premature baby.

During her first visit to the Lashkar Gah’s Hospital labor and delivery ward, Capt. Jacqueline Naylor’s observation of a woman in the waiting area, who did not appear to be pregnant, prompted immediate medical attention.

Naylor, assigned to Charlie Company, 173rd Support Battalion (Airborne), asked to examine the woman after feeling her stomach and determining that she was about 32 weeks pregnant.

“All I could think about was that it would not be a good outcome for the baby if it was premature,” Naylor said.

During the exam, she noticed the baby was in a breech position and asked the mid-wife if breech babies were delivered at the hospital – the mid-wife said no.

She quickly realized the urgency of the situation when she discovered the baby’s feet were already protruding and concluded the baby had to be delivered immediately.

“The baby was purple and the cord was prolapsed, which means the cord was also coming, and also that the baby is basically dead,” Naylor said. “This baby needs to be delivered right now.”

Naylor explained that when the doctor arrived the woman appeared disturbed by his presence so she offered to deliver the baby to make her feel more comfortable, but the doctor insisted.

“He yanked the baby out by the feet and the head got stuck, which usually happens during a breech delivery,” she said.

Naylor warned the medics that the baby might be still born because it is a common occurrence in cases like that. The medics consequently concentrated on the mother and laid the baby down.

“That’s when noticed that the baby looked at me and kind of rolled its eyes” she said. “I yelled oh my goodness - that baby is alive.”

While putting on gloves, she ran to the baby and saw an area with a suction machine and cranked it with her foot. Naylor put the suction tube down the baby’s throat to stimulate its breathing.

“As soon as I did that, it started to cry and after patting the baby it started to turn pink,” she said.

The purpose of the visit to the hospital was to review all of the projects that had been instituted by the Provincial Reconstruction Team, Naylor said.

Prior to helping deliver the baby, Naylor had watched another baby being born at the hospital to observe how the mid-wives manage patients in labor.

“I was impressed because with their medicines and how well they managed the baby,” she said. “Even thought they don’t have an incubator, they wrap the baby in decorative clothing and give it to the mom - I thought that was pretty cute.”

http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/print.php?story_id_key=7606

rebelchick

06-12-2006, 08:52 AM

My heart goes out to this soldier and his family. We don't just lose our soldiers in combat. In peacetime we lose many soldiers in training missions. We must remember our military in War and Peace

1 Dead, 4 Injured In Ky. Military Chopper Accident

(AP) FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. A soldier was killed as a military helicopter was landing Friday near Fort Campbell, and four others were taken to a hospital, an Army spokeswoman said.

Cathy Gramling, a spokeswoman for Fort Campbell, said the UH60 Blackhawk helicopter made a "precautionary landing" at 10:30 a.m. after a warning light came on in the cockpit. The soldier died during emergency procedures to exit the aircraft, she said.

The Army was not releasing how the soldier was killed. Gramling said she had no information on the condition of the other soldiers.

The helicopter was from the 159th Aviation Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, which is based at Fort Campbell. It was on a routine maintenance mission when it went down at an airfield in Clarksville, Tenn., just outside Fort Campbell.

http://wcco.com/national/topstories_story_160134920.html

rebelchick

06-12-2006, 08:53 AM

Salutes!

America Soldier
Toby Keith
I'm just trying to be a father
Raise a daughter and a son
Be a lover to their mother
Everything to everyone
Up and at 'em, bright and early
I'm all business in my suit
Yeah, I'm dressed up for success
From my head down to my boots

I don't do it for the money
There's bills that I can't pay
I don't do it for the glory
I just do it anyway
Providing for our future's my responsibility
Yeah I'm real good under pressure
Being all that I can be

And I can't call in sick on Mondays
when the weekends been too strong
I just work straight through the holidays
And sometimes all night long.
You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door
Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady, hey, I'm true down to the core
And I will always do my duty no matter what the price
I've counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice
Oh, and I don't want to die for you
but if dyin's asked of me
I'll bear that cross with honor
'cause freedom don't come free

I'm an American soldier, an American
beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand
When Liberty's in jeopardy, I will always do what's right
I'm out here on the front line
Sleep in peace tonight
American soldier, I'm an American soldier

Yeah, an American soldier, an American
Beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand
When Liberty's in jeopardy I will always do what's right
I'm out here on the front line
So Sleep in peace tonight
American soldier, I'm an American
An American, an American soldier

rebelchick

06-19-2006, 12:58 PM

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/feature/Jun/photos/060617b.jpg

Soldiers help Baghdad citizens

Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika
133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAGHDAD, Iraq - About 200 families outside Baghdad will have one more meal in their bellies after a recent humanitarian mission conducted by Coalition forces outside Sadr City, Iraq.

Maj. Deborah Yarbrough of the 445th Civil Affairs Battalion and her team develop an Iraqi farming cooperative that Coalition forces help implement. After checking on the seed, tractors and plows, which is what Yarbrough calls a “long-term solution” it’s time for a quicker fix.

The four-vehicle convoy pulled into one of the many “squatter-towns” that have sprung up in the last 18 months. No sooner did the convoy’s engines stop than the colorfully-clad, children drew near. Some of the team pulled guard as a translator and two Civil Affairs Soldiers moved to the back of the trailer attached to one of the Humvees. The trailer was filled with brown cardboard boxes, containing two- hundred bright yellow bags.

“It’s like a meal in a bag,” Yarbrough explained.

The packages contained canned beef, rice, flour, water, oil, sugar and tea.

“It’s not much, but it’s a token of good will. Handing-out these bags has another benefit because we put a card in it with a number that these people can call if they see any suspicious activity,” said Yarbrough. “That way they don’t have to talk to us directly if they don’t feel comfortable.”

It was useless to try and bring order to the people that had gathered around the vehicle, although the Civil Affairs Soldiers gave it their best effort. The line of women and children stretched out behind the Humvee had swollen. It resembled the crowd at a heavy-metal rock concert more than anything; women and children sometimes push each other to get to the food. Many tried to get to the head of the line more than once, hoping for an extra meal.

More Soldiers moved around the back of the Humvee trying to put space between the trailer and the crowd and keep some semblance of a line. Meanwhile, both children and adults tried to score an added bonus—the cardboard boxes the meals had come in. When the Soldier’s had handed out all the meals in the box, they would flatten the cardboard and toss it to the side of the trailer. From there it’s fair game.

When asked if it was the women and children that usually approach her team to receive the humanitarian assistance, Yarbrough replied, “Yeah, especially when they see that we have female Soldiers. We sometimes hand out toys too, and the kids love that. If the kid walks away smiling then their parent is usually smiling, but we don’t hand them out at the same time. We’ve found that it’s just too much.”

Half the bags were handed out, and the team decided to divide the day’s load between two locations. They mounted up and moved down the road about a half-mile. Some of the people followed Yarbrough’s team down the dirt road through the web of electrical wires. Though the women’s black burkas made it hard to recognize who had already received food, the children’s faces and brightly colored clothes were easy to recognize.

The second location mirrored the first. Women and children crowded the back of the trailer and walked away with bright yellow bags and smiles on their face.

“We try to involve the community as much as possible,” said Yarbrough. “The food is local, local people put the bags together, and then we distribute them—locally.”

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/feature/Jun/060617b.htm

rebelchick

06-20-2006, 07:06 AM

Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice defending our freedom that we soooooooo take for granite.
http://www.foxnews.com/images/209000/11_25_061906_missing_soldier.jpg

APU.S. Army Pfc. Thomas Lowell Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore.

rebelchick

06-20-2006, 07:07 AM

Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice defending our freedom that we soooooooo take for granite.
http://www.foxnews.com/images/209000/12_26_061906_troop2.jpg
Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston

rebelchick

06-20-2006, 01:14 PM

Task Force Rebuilds School, Clinic in Yemen
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa funded the renovation projects.

http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/june2006/articles/ai062006b2.jpg

U.S. Navy Capt. Stephen Johnson (left), representing Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, and U.S. Ambassador Thomas Krajeski (second from right) tour the Al-Mansura Clinic with Dr. Elham Fahim, clinic director. The task force funded and sponsored a project to refurbish the clinic, which included a new roof and new plumbing and electrical work. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Robert Palomares

http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/june2006/a062006dg2.html

rebelchick

06-20-2006, 01:16 PM

Wow awesome picture!! Good job Salutes!
Renovated Yusufiyah Playground Reopens
http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/june2006/index/ii061906c.jpg
NEW PLAYGROUND — U.S. Army Sgt. Jacob Nestor, Military Transition Team 4, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, pushes local children on swings during a playground ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Yusufiyah area, south of Baghdad, June 12, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kelly McDowel
http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/june2006/a061906tj1.htmll

skyhawk691

06-20-2006, 05:22 PM

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web: http://defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060620-13303.html
Media Contact: (703)697-5131 Public contact:
http://www.dod.mil/faq/comment.html
or +1 (703) 428-0711

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 579-06
June 20, 2006

DoD Announces Units for Next Operation Iraqi Freedom Rotation

The Department of Defense announced today additional major units scheduled to deploy as part of the next Operation Iraqi Freedom rotation. This announcement involves several combat brigades and headquarters elements consisting of approximately 21,000 service members. This is a follow-on announcement to the Nov. 7, 2005, press release identifying eight other headquarters, combat and combat support units for deployment. The scheduled rotation for the forces identified in this announcement will begin in late-2006.

Force levels in Iraq continue to be conditions-based and will be determined in consultation with the Iraqi government. Deployment decisions are made by the secretary of defense at the recommendation of military commanders in Iraq. Based on ongoing assessments of the conditions on the ground, changes may be made that could affect units now being identified and advised to prepare to deploy.

This rotation continues the U.S. commitment to Operation Iraqi Freedom, yet is flexible and adaptable in order to meet the evolving requirements for the mission in Iraq.

For Operation Iraqi Freedom, the major units announced today include:

III Corps Headquarters, Fort Hood, Texas

II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

1st Cavalry Division Headquarters, Fort Hood, Texas

2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas

3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas

4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska

2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

The individual services will announce the smaller, supporting units for this rotation.

In consultation with the Iraqi Government, commanders continue to assess the situation to ensure sufficient forces levels to best support the Iraqi government. The U.S. force rotations may be tailored based upon changes in the security situation. Iraqi security forces continue to develop capability and assume responsibility for security in Iraq.

DoD will continue to announce major unit deployments as they are identified and those units are alerted. For information on the units announced today or other units involved in this rotation, please contact Army Public Affairs at (703) 692-2000 or Marine Corps Public Affairs at (703) 614-4309.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GBA

06-21-2006, 12:07 AM

Dunno why, but this picture cracked me up:
http://www.challenging-islam.org/whatsnew/iraq_injured.jpg

rebelchick

06-21-2006, 10:24 AM

Dunno why, but this picture cracked me up:
http://www.challenging-islam.org/whatsnew/iraq_injured.jpg
I love that pic was my sig for awhile somewhere else here's the story behind it! Brave awesome man!!

The Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant in the picture is Michael Burghard, part of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team that is supporting 2nd Brigade 28th Infantry Division (Pennsylvania Army National Guard). I heard the below story first hand last Saturday during a video teleconference between his Brigade Commander and the 28th Infantry Division Commander. I thought that others should hear it as well, as I think it demonstrates the true spirit of most of our troops on the ground.
Leading the fight is Gunnery Sgt Michael Burghardt, known as "Iron Mike" or just "Gunny". He is on his third tour in Iraq. He had become a legend in the bomb disposal world after winning the Bronze Star for disabling 64 IEDs and destroying 1,548 pieces of ordnance during his second tour. Then, on September 19, he got blown up. He had arrived at a chaotic scene after a bomb had killed four US soldiers. He chose not to wear the bulky bomb protection suit. "You can't react to any sniper fire and you get tunnel-vision," he explains. So, protected by just a helmet and standard-issue flak jacket, he began what bomb disposal officers term "the longest walk", stepping gingerly into a 5ft deep and 8ft wide crater. The earth shifted slightly and he saw a Senao base station with a wire leading from it. He cut the wire and used his 7in knife to probe the ground. "I found a piece of red detonating cord between my legs," he says. "That's when I knew I was screwed."

Realizing he had been sucked into a trap, Sgt Burghardt, 35, yelled at everyone to stay back. At that moment, an insurgent, probably watching through binoculars, pressed a button on his mobile phone to detonate the secondary device below the sergeant's feet. "A chill went up the back of my neck and then the bomb exploded," he recalls. "As I was in the air I remember thinking, 'I don't believe they got me.' I was just ticked off they were able to do it. Then I was lying on the road, not able to feel anything from the waist down."

His colleagues cut off his trousers to see how badly he was hurt. None could believe his legs were still there. "My dad's a Vietnam vet who's paralyzed from the waist down," says Sgt Burghardt. "I was lying there thinking I didn't want to be in a wheelchair next to my dad and for him to see me like that. They started to cut away my pants and I felt a real sharp pain and blood trickling down. Then I wiggled my toes and I thought, 'Good, I'm in business.' As a stretcher was brought over, adrenaline and anger kicked in. "I decided to walk to the helicopter. I wasn't going to let my team-mates see me being carried away on a stretcher." He stood and gave the insurgents who had blown him up a one-fingered salute. "I flipped them one. It was like, 'OK, I lost that round but I'll be back next week'."

Copies of a photograph depicting his defiance, taken by Jeff Bundy for the Omaha World-Herald, adorn the walls of homes across America and that of Col John Gronski, the brigade commander in Ramadi, who has hailed the image as an exemplar of the warrior spirit. Sgt Burghardt's injuries — burns and wounds to his legs and buttocks — kept him off duty for nearly a month and could have earned him a ticket home. But, like his father — who was awarded a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts for being wounded in action in Vietnam — he stayed in Ramadi to engage in the battle against insurgents who are forever coming up with more ingenious ways of killing Americans.

Origins: On
19 September 2005, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Michael Burghardt, a 35-year-old native of Huntington Beach, California, who had served with the Marine Corps for 18 years (the last 15 of them in bomb disposal), was called upon to disarm some improvised explosive devices (IEDs) near Ramadi, Iraq. As a member of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit, Sgt. Burghardt was tasked with locating, identifying, disarming and disposing of the IEDs that Iraqi insurgents have increasingly been using as offensive weapons against U.S. troops.

Unfortunately, that day Sgt. Burghardt was unsuccessful at disarming an IED before the device exploded, showering and burying him with dirt, shrapnel, and other debris. Colleagues rushed to his aid, initially fearing he was dead, but remarkably his injuries were mostly limited to wounds and burns on his back, legs, and backside, and he returned to duty less than a month later.

While Sgt. Burghardt spent over three weeks recuperating at his unit's headquarters — days he described as "among the most difficult of his career" — he proclaimed that despite his injuries, he was not looking for a ticket out of the country — the incident occurred during his third deployment to Iraq, and he stated that he planned to see plenty more action: "I don't want a ticket out. I want to stay here so we can take as many people home as possible. I'll do 30 years, as long as I'm having fun. Unless I die."

The Omaha World-Herald photograph of Sgt. Burghardt displayed above — taken in the aftermath of the bomb blast and showing him "standing on his own two feet, pants cut off, legs bandaged and directing a single-digit salute of defiance at his attackers" — appeared in that newspaper five days later and quickly became one of the most popular iconic images of the Iraq War. As the World-Herald noted of its origins and impact:
... with two new young Marines in his ordnance disposal unit — and the insurgent attackers undoubtedly looking on — "I didn't want them to see the team leader carried away on a stretcher," said.

So after the Nebraskans tended to wounds that reached from his boot tops to the small of his back, Burghardt rose to his feet and reached back with a one-finger salute for his attackers.

"[B]I was angry," Burghardt said.

The photo appeared on numerous Marine-related Internet web logs. Burghardt received more than 100 e-mails within days of the picture's publication. It has become a screensaver on soldiers' and Marines' computers across Iraq.

"I don't know how my anger turned into a motivational picture," Burghardt said.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/burghardt.asp

GBA

06-21-2006, 11:19 AM

WOW!

Excellent story, Thanks!

rebelchick

06-28-2006, 08:12 AM

http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/june2006/index/ii062706d.jpg
RADWANIA MEDICAL MISSION — A U.S. Army soldier gives a child a toy while providing outer security during a medical mission in Radwania, Baghdad, Iraq, June 24, 2006. The soldier is assigned to Alpha Battery, 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery and is working with Iraqi army soldiers in providing free medical assistance to the local citizens. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kevin L. Moses Sr.

rebelchick

06-28-2006, 08:16 AM

http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/uploads/medium/2006/OCPA-2006-06-27-121404.jpg
Senior Airman Christine Noldee, an aerospace medical technician with the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Operations Group feeds a baby at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The baby boy was found on the side of the road by a patrol from Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery, 3rd Heavy BCT, 4th Inf. Div., Task Force Band of Brothers.

Soldiers rescue abandoned baby

By Pfc. Paul J. Harris

BALAD, Iraq (June 27, 2006) – Recently, Soldiers from Logistical Support Area Anaconda saved the life of an abandoned, near-death baby they discovered in a box on the roadway they were patrolling.

Staff Sgt. Donald White, patrol leader, Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery, 3rd Heavy BCT, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers, and his team came across a box on the side of the road. Initially, White thought it was an IED until he heard crying coming from the box. He made sure there were no wires protruding from the box to ensure it wasn’t booby-trapped. Then he picked it up.

“I snatched the box off the ground and ran as fast as I could and kept on running – thankfully, nothing blew up,” White said.

White then asked Spc. John Sullivan, healthcare specialist, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Bn., 29th FA to evaluate the child’s medical needs.

“The skin was literally hanging off the baby and we could see he was extremely dehydrated and malnourished. Sullivan told me we needed to get the child to a hospital right away so we jumped into the trucks and drove to the hospital as fast as we could,” Smith said.

In transit to Balad Air Base hospital, Sullivan turned the air conditioning vents in the baby’s direction so the air would cool the child.

“I was nervous because I’ve never had to professionally treat a sick child before,” Sullivan said. “He didn’t cry at all in the vehicle but his eyes rolled in the back of his head and I thought, ‘oh my goodness he is starting to die on me.’”

By the time the Pacesetter patrol arrived at the hospital the staff was ready and waiting. The Air Force medical staff treated the child by putting a feeding tube into him to replenish lost fluids. Finally the baby regained his strength and was in stable enough condition to be released. A civilian liaison with the Iraqi hospital in Balad was called and the child was released to hospital care.

The baby was reunited with his mother June 19. The mother told Iraqi Police she left the child in her daughter’s care. The daughter was carrying the baby along the road when she was chased by wild dogs. She left the baby so she could run faster, according to a report given to Capt. Lance Awbrey, commander, Btry. B, 3rd Bn., 29th FA.
http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=9208

skyhawk691

06-29-2006, 12:36 PM

Latest Iraq war videos from Pat Dollard. These are pretty good..some profanity --be advised..

http://www.patdollard.com/

exitwound

06-29-2006, 01:32 PM

I frigging love that pic and the article that goes with it, RC :-)

exitwound

06-29-2006, 01:33 PM

Latest Iraq war videos from Pat Dollard. These are pretty good..some profanity --be advised..

http://www.patdollard.com/

Many thanks for the great link, my friend! :-)

Peggy_sue

07-03-2006, 12:12 AM

http://defendamerica.mil/images/photos/apr2005/articles/ai042605c1.jpg
U.S. Army Spc. April Clark, from Marydel, Md., C Company, 199th Forward Support Battalion, 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, takes time out for a photograph with a young Iraqi girl after giving her toys during a medical civil affairs project held at Al Nassir School in Thineeyah, Iraq, April 12, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Benoit

Army Medics Bring Care to Remote Village
The team provided basic medical assistance to children and adults
as part of the ongoing effort by multinational forces to help rebuild Iraq.
By U.S. Army Sgt. Thomas Benoit
256th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office

THINEEYAH, Iraq, April 26, 2005 — Armed with school supplies and multivitamins, U.S. soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division sponsored a medical civil affairs project held at Al Nassir School in Thineeyah, Iraq, April 12.

The team provided basic medical assistance to children and adults as part of the ongoing effort by multinational forces to help rebuild Iraq.

Once the patients were seen by the physician or physician assistant, they received various gifts or a care package containing toys for the children and dental hygiene products and toiletries. School supplies and treats were freely given out to the delight of young Iraqi children; additionally, several pairs of shoes were given along with apparel.

If a patient had a diagnosis which was beyond the scope of the physicians, the families were educated via the interpreters on the importance of the abnormality and stressed the importance of seeking an Iraqi physician.

“Multivitamins and medicines were dispensed to combat epilepsy, congenital abnormalities, and movement disorders in the elderly and post-traumatic palsies. The predominant health problems diagnosed included dermatological, gastrointestinal, and upper respiratory ailments, “said U.S. Army Lt. Col. (Dr.)Joseph Dore, combat team surgeon.

Once the medical civil affairs project in Thineeyah concluded, the team traveled to a remote nomadic settlement where the doctors treated several patients with the principal of “tailgate medicine” ranging from common cold ailments to redressing the bandages of a broken arm.

The remainder of care packages, clothing and school supplies from Al Nassir School were handed out.

Once care was complete at the settlement, the team was once again on the move to a new family of nomads herding sheep. The family was very healthy and only required basic medical attention.

.

rebelchick

07-12-2006, 09:53 PM

http://www.operationmailfromhome.50megs.com/images/wwfplarge.jpg
http://www.operationmailfromhome.50megs.com/photo2.html

GBA

07-13-2006, 09:22 PM

Bumper sticker of the year:
"If you can read this, thank a teacher -and, since it's in English, thank a soldier"

WakeUp

07-15-2006, 06:30 AM

Bumper sticker of the year:
"If you can read this, thank a teacher -and, since it's in English, thank a soldier"

A heroes salute ~ see here.
http://blackhole.xerces.com/showthread.php?p=46646#post46646

Peggy_sue

07-23-2006, 08:49 PM

http://images.military.com/pics/usa3_20060720.jpg

Old Guard Soldiers Build Houses for Katrina Victims

Army News Service | Spc. Nancy Van Der Weide | July 20, 2006

Biloxi, MS. - Twenty-five Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) put selfless service into action July 14 when they spent their weekend in Biloxi, Miss., building houses for people who lost their homes in last year’s Hurricane Katrina.

Maj. C’Wayne Brittian, chaplain for Arlington National Cemetery, and Capt. Stephen Pratel, chaplain of Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), worked together with Habitat for Humanity International to arrange the trip.

The Soldiers were received by Lutheran Episcopal Disaster Response, a church group dedicated to rebuilding the region hit by Hurricane Katrina. LEDR provided food and lodging for the Soldiers while they were in Biloxi.

Bart Tucker, a volunteer for HFHI and supervisor for the projects the Soldiers worked on, said the Soldiers worked so far beyond his expectations. The Soldiers put in nine-hour days in 90-degree temperatures to work on four houses instead of just two as planned. They installed windows, doors and siding, and also worked on the roofs of three houses.

“The Old Guard overran the game plan. The work they accomplished was amazing,” said Tucker.

Even unit officers were impressed by the Soldiers’ dedication.

“The trip exceeded my expectations in every way,” said Pratel. “Working with these Soldiers reminds me of why I love my job.”

“The pinnacle of our experience is the fact that the Soldiers had a positive attitude and they worked hard. The selfless service that I saw was amazing,” said Capt. Mike Navarro.

Soldiers explained their drive to work in Biloxi as a combination of seeing a need for work to be done there and meeting people who welcomed their support.

“When we got there, we were welcomed by friendly people all coming together for a common goal,” said Pvt. Charles Clymer, a casket bearer from Company A. “It was gratifying to know we were making a difference.”

For Spc. Matthew Yelverton, a casket bearer from Honor Guard Company, the motivation was as simple as seeing work that needed to be done, and the reward was in the results.

“All of us got together as a team and we got a lot of work done for families who needed it,” he said. “I’d love to do it again.”

“Being a Soldier is about service,” said Pratel. “When the day is done, that’s what it’s about – selfless service. This trip sparked and highlighted (in the Soldiers) an interest in service – doing it not because it’s their job, but because it’s within us.”

While the trip inspired the Soldiers to want to do more community-service projects, it also left an impression on the civilians who worked with them.

“It really restores my faith in America to see the quality and esprit de corps of this group of Soldiers,” said Tucker.
Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion.

Copyright 2006 Army News Service. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of Military.com.

http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,106265,00.html

Electric

07-25-2006, 04:54 AM

Marines Rescued Americans from Lebanon

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/v3/07-21-2006.n1a_21mideastLEDE.GO71UD6V9.1.jpg
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-mideast_21int.ART.North.Edition1.1b11b51.html

Marines lead evacuation effort- More Americans pulled from Beirut

By JAD MOUAWAD and STEVEN ERLANGER The New York Times

BEIRUT, Lebanon – U.S. Marines landed in Beirut on Thursday for the first time in more than 20 years to help evacuate Americans from Lebanon, as Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people to flee southern Lebanon "immediately," preparing for a likely ground offensive to set up a buffer zone. There were more strong condemnations of Israel's heavy use of force in Lebanon.

KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/AP

U.S. military personnel helped steer Americans in Beirut, Lebanon, to a vessel that took them to the USS Nashville on Thursday. With the fighting continuing for a ninth day, there were more fierce clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters inside Lebanon.

Hundreds of Israeli troops were trying to destroy Hezbollah outposts and storage facilities, Israeli army officials said. Two Israeli soldiers and a Hezbollah fighter were killed late Wednesday as Israel discovered a warren of storage rooms, bunkers and tunnels. The death toll in Lebanon for the nine days passed 300; the vast majority were said to be civilians.

Late Thursday, two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others wounded in new fighting. Two Hezbollah fighters were killed.

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz, visiting northern towns hit by scores of Hezbollah rockets, hinted at a broader ground operation. "We have no intention of occupying Lebanon, but we also have no intention of retreating from any military measures needed," he said. "You can mark one thing down: Hezbollah flags will not hang over the fences of Israel."

Official reports said at least 306 people have been killed in Lebanon, and 32 people in Israel, since the fighting started with the capture of two Israeli soldiers during a Hezbollah raid into Israel on July 12.

At the U.N., Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned the Israeli operation as an "excessive use of force."

Russia, which reduced parts of Chechnya to rubble in its fight against rebels there, also sharply criticized Israel, with the Foreign Ministry calling Israel's actions in Lebanon "far beyond the boundaries of an anti-terrorist operation" and calling for a cease-fire.

At the White House, President Bush's press secretary, Tony Snow, called on Israel to "practice restraint" and said that Mr. Bush was "very much concerned" about a growing human crisis in Lebanon...

Diplomats are investigating the idea of a more robust international force under U.N. auspices but more likely made up of European troops, that could help the weak Lebanese government move its army to the Israeli border and push back a weakened Hezbollah.

Ephraim Sneh, Israel's deputy defense minister and a former Israeli commander in Lebanon, told Israeli television: "We have no choice but go in and physically clean up Hezbollah posts on the ground. The air force can't do that. So when we talk about a ground operation, the intention is not necessarily a massive incursion but more pinpoint operations."

The small force of about 40 U.S. Marines who landed in Beirut on Thursday were the first U.S. military personnel to be deployed in Lebanon since the withdrawal of forces after a Hezbollah suicide attack killed 241 Americans, mostly Marines, in 1983. The Marines who landed Thursday were from the same unit as those killed 23 years ago.

Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown of the U.S. Naval Central Command in Bahrain said a small number of Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit landed on a beach north of Beirut, near shorefront belonging to the U.S. Embassy on Thursday morning. They helped waiting U.S. citizens board a landing craft that ferried them to the amphibious assault ship Nashville.

By late afternoon, 1,052 evacuees had been boarded and the Nashville was preparing to head to Cyprus, Cmdr. Brown said.

Helicopters also evacuated 161 Americans on Thursday, the military said, and the Queen Orient, a cruise liner that had transported the first large group of American evacuees to Cyprus on Wednesday, was expected to reach Beirut on Thursday night for reloading.

A planeload of Americans who had been on the Queen Orient's first trip to Cyprus arrived at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport on Thursday morning. Five more naval vessels and a high-speed ferry are expected to arrive in the area today.

Citizens of Britain and more than 600 relatives of U.N. peacekeepers from several countries were also evacuated from Beirut and Tyre.

On Thursday, Israel continued its large-scale air attacks on Hezbollah positions and equipment. It also leafleted southern Lebanese villages, made taped phone calls, informed local leaders and broadcast messages in Arabic to warn residents to move north of the Litani River if their villages contained Hezbollah assets or rockets, but gave no deadline...

HOORAY MARINES and MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO GOT OUR CITIZENS TO SAFETY
YOU ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

exitwound

07-25-2006, 03:44 PM

It's times like these that try men's souls, Bubba.

Peggy_sue

07-30-2006, 08:50 AM

This is a spectacular video of the U.S. Navy's Ceremonial Guard Drill Team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWGU3mpfRoM&mode=related&search=

rebelchick

08-23-2006, 08:34 AM

http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/aug2006/index/ii082306a.jpg

VILLAGE OF TABYLLAH — U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Edward Taijeron, assigned to 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, reaches out to a child in the village of Tabyllah, Iraq, during a village assessment, July 30, 2006. U.S. and Iraqi forces combine efforts to assess the needs of individual villages. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin Hi-Res |

al_gy

11-08-2006, 09:22 PM

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."

~Author Unknown~

It's the Military, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press. It's the Military, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech. It's the Military, not the politicians that ensures our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. It's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag.
If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and appreciation for the Military, please pass this on and pray for our men and women who have served and are currently serving our country and pray for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

Pentagongirlie

12-07-2006, 02:23 PM

By Bob Sipchen
Los Angeles Times

Capt. Jeffrey Toczylowski
BOB SIPCHEN / LOS ANGELES TIMES

Before he died, Jeffrey Toczylowski earmarked money from his savings and insurance policies to assist friends and help cousins with college tuition and to fund a scholarship.

LAS VEGAS — Shortly after Jeffrey "Toz" Toczylowski's last mission in Iraq a year ago this month, friends received a message.

"If you are getting this e-mail, it means that I have passed away," the missive said. "No, it's not a sick Toz joke, but a letter I wanted to write in case this happened."

The Army Special Forces captain, 30, said he would like family and friends to attend his burial at Arlington National Cemetery, "but understand if you can't make it."

The message, distributed by a fellow Green Beret after Toczylowski's family had been notified of his death, added: "There will also be a party in Vegas with a 100k to help pay for travel, room and a party."

Last Saturday, Toczylowski's mother, Peggy, hustled about Las Vegas' Palms Hotel and Casino, making final arrangements for a bash that drew family and childhood friends from her son's hometown in Upper Moreland, Pa., near Philadelphia, men and women from his days at Texas A&M University, and comrades in arms who had bonded with "Toz" on missions they could not discuss with civilians.

By 7 p.m., the last of 120 or so guests were offering hotel bouncers the password and trooping into the Palm's 10,000-square-foot Hardwood entertainment suite.

Two women in skimpy outfits poured liquor from the fully stocked bar. Disc jockeys blasted rock and rap from a loft decked out with a pool table, a wide-screen video-game console and a circular loveseat with remote controls that rotated it out of view.

At 9 p.m., six Green Berets swarmed an unsuspecting colleague on the suite's attached basketball court. A few feet from where one chef carved rare prime rib and a sushi chef sliced young yellowtail and spicy tuna rolls, the men wrestled their thrashing comrade onto an 8-foot stepladder, secured him from chin to shoes with a few hundred feet of duct tape, covered him with whipped cream and strategically placed cherries, spray-painted his hair red, poured whiskey down his throat and then hoisted the ladder into a vertical position and stuck a microphone to his face.

"The first time this happened we were in Bosnia," said detachment leader Ryan Armstrong, 31, spitting booze and dessert toppings. "Jeff was a sniper-team leader. I was the assault-team leader. ... That time they left me taped to a dolly for a couple of hours. ... Toz was the one who cut me loose."

A limbo contest erupted. With help from soldiers from the Special Forces base near Stuttgart, Germany, a full-size cutout of Toczylowski in red flight suit appeared to hold the pole while a long line of partygoers wobbled underneath.

Around midnight, the Toz cutout — wearing a Russian fur cap with goofy earflaps — joined in the dance contest, wriggling between couples to show off moves of dubious propriety. Inspired by this boldness, several former girlfriends danced suggestively with the photo.

Bittersweet night

At 3 a.m., music still thudded, guests were hurling basketballs at the hoop (the three Murphy beds in the court's walls had yet to be unfolded) and the Toz cutout hovered over the suite's glass-enclosed Jacuzzi, as if gawking at the whooping, squealing stew of young women and soldiers.

Toz's mother had placed photos of the missing host — hoisting a big fish, grinning beside a waterfall, posing with his motorcycle — near the gurgling chocolate fountain, around the pasta station and throughout the opulent bedrooms and baths.

Likewise, although most of the wall-mounted flat-screen TVs aired football games, the main room's largest screen featured home videos Toz's sister Pam, 34, had assembled.

Early in the evening, the footage was of Toczylowski as a child, frolicking in the snow, helping his father build a backyard swimming pool, playing football and soccer.

As the night wore on, the young man went skydiving across the screen, ran with the bulls in Spain and helped lock a friend in an outhouse at a car race.

Peggy, 55, had wanted all the images to be joyful. But well past midnight, someone put in a more current DVD. Tracer bullets streaked across the Iraq sky. Buildings exploded in fireballs. And there was Toz, crammed into a helicopter with Special Forces comrades.

A soldier who had served on Toczylowski's 12-man A-team was making seductive overtures to an A&M alum when the screen filled with footage of his teammate's memorial service at a dusty base in Iraq. Taps sounded. The Green Beret turned away, weeping.

Off and on, Peggy Toczylowski got teary, too.

A manager at a Pennsylvania design studio, she was in her office on Nov. 4, 2005, when three uniformed soldiers came to inform her that her son had been killed on a combat mission in Iraq's Anbar province.

A few weeks after her son's Nov. 14 burial at Arlington, a team of Special Forces soldiers arrived at her home and gave an hourlong PowerPoint presentation on the details.

"No regrets"

On Nov. 3, a string of Blackhawk helicopters had been roaring across the desert on a nighttime counterinsurgency raid, carrying Special Forces soldiers to hunt high-value targets who had been making improvised explosive devices.

Flying over the desert at night is disorienting. Toz apparently believed the helicopter had touched down. He stepped out. It was more than 100 feet off the ground and thundering ahead at 100 mph.

His mother was impressed with the professionalism of the Army's presentation and took comfort in learning that the mission had been a success. Her son's e-mail precluded any resentment.

"Don't ever think that you are defending me by slamming the Global War on Terrorism or the U.S. goals in that war," Jeffrey Toczylowski wrote. "As far as I am concerned, we can send guys like me to go after them or we can wait for them to come back to us again. I died doing something I believed in and have no regrets except that I couldn't do more."

Toczylowski had gone through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Pennsylvania's Valley Forge Military College and then turned his Texas A&M criminal-justice degree into an assignment as platoon leader with the military police. He had completed the Special Forces training course in 2003.

After a sergeant in his company died of a heart attack, Toczylowski got serious about his mortality, fellow soldiers said. He earmarked money from his savings and insurance policies to assist friends and help cousins with college tuition and to fund a scholarship at Valley Forge, his mother said.

Honoring his wishes

The party was the challenge for the family. But Peggy and Pam say Toczylowski was wise, and they're convinced he knew that assigning them planning duties would keep their minds off losing a son and brother.

By the time a waiter pushed through the door of the suite with a breakfast cart full of juices and pastries, Pam Toczylowski ventured to guess that the party probably would come in just under $100,000, including airfare and rooms for her brother's teammates and a few friends who otherwise might not have been able to attend.

She said it was worth it.

"Jeff was the kind of person who lived every day as if it would be his last," Pam said. And he would want them to make his farewell bash "a party that when people leave, they will talk about it forever."

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

GodzGurl59

12-07-2006, 05:49 PM

Girlie,

I loved that story when I read it awhile back. I love that these brave, strong men cried over their friend. Men strong enough not to be afraid of tears of pain.....heros all! Thanks for the story!

Love and blessings,

GG

Pentagongirlie

12-08-2006, 10:12 AM

al_gy

02-04-2007, 11:09 AM

Omar's home used to train forces to destroy Taliban

By Jason Straziuso
The Associated Press

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j6/al_gy/2003552118.jpg

(http://javascript<b></b>:PopoffWindow('2003552475','750','675','http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/zoom/html/2003552475.html','yes','no');)
RAFIQ MAQBOOL / AP
An Afghan man walks past a display inside the former compound of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, now the base of U.S. Special Forces in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Monday.

FIREBASE MAHOLIC, Afghanistan — Osama bin Laden built it. Taliban leader Mullah Omar lived in it. But today it's the Green Berets who call it home.
Firebase Maholic, a sprawling and spacious compound on the outskirts of the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, is plush living by typical U.S. Special Forces standards.
A constant roar of shooting-range gunfire bounces off a towering granite peak behind the complex. Military missions are planned here. And Special Forces soldiers recently started training 130 new Afghan recruits for the country's fledgling auxiliary police force.
"The irony of this is that the home of the [Taliban's] supreme leader is being used to train forces whose mission it is to destroy the force he created," said Rusty, the team leader of a Special Forces detachment. Rusty, like all Green Beret soldiers in the field, is not allowed to be fully identified.
But soldiers here readily acknowledge that Omar's digs aren't a bad place to refresh in between multi-day missions conducted in the barest of conditions.
The Green Berets can relax in front of a double-wide fireplace in the cafeteria, admire the three catfish in the nearby two-tier fountain or take a dip in the swimming pool — a rarity in Afghanistan.
Meant to be the Taliban's presidential palace and once used as a militant training ground, the complex is big enough for a looping five-mile run through the rolling hills that obscure the complex from a distance. Canadian and other elite units are also based at the complex, which was shattered by U.S. bombs in late 2001 but has since been rebuilt.
Even the food gets extra-high marks. Soldiers on Sunday night enjoyed barbecue chicken, spicy hamburgers and pork ribs roasted on an outdoor grill.
"Oh man, it doesn't get any better than this," said one Special Forces soldier, a sergeant 1st class intelligence specialist. "I've been to Afghanistan enough to know living at a firebase can't get much better."
Secretive units of U.S. Special Forces have been deployed at the compound since soon after the fall of the Taliban and were an integral part of two NATO-led operations last fall in the province of Kandahar — the militia's former stronghold — that NATO says killed more than 500 suspected fighters.
http://local.ads.nwsource.com/ads/adv.gif Their crests — skulls with crossed arrows — and such mottos as "Pressure, Pursue, Punish" and "Free the Oppressed" adorn the compound's walls. Three eagles by the pool wear green berets. A skull in another painting has evil red eyes and a yellow-and-green turban.
Two hundred yards outside the compound, Omar built a bunker system some 40 feet below ground that once had electricity and running water. Three large craters — the result of 2,000-pound bombs — mark each of the cave's entrances. The Taliban leader had already fled by the time U.S. forces arrived in late 2001 and remains at large.
"Whoever was in there, I'm sure their ears were ringing," said the U.S. commander, a Special Forces major, in charge of Maholic.
The bunker, built in a "T" shape at the bottom of a large hill, still has its lighting and shower fixtures. The metal framework holding the concrete roof in place is bent in half from the bombs' force. The cave, with concrete floors and walls, has two bedrooms, two bathrooms with squat toilets and two rooms for weapons and ammo storage.
Omar, the one-eyed leader of the fundamentalist regime that hosted al-Qaida, seldom left his heavily guarded compound. The outside world was not welcome and he rarely met anyone who was not a Muslim. In his bedroom was a trunk of money out of which he paid his commanders.
Construction on it began around 1996 — the year the Taliban took control in Afghanistan — and took about three years to complete. Rusty said Bin Laden financed it for Omar — whose whereabouts are still not known, although a Taliban spokesman captured by Afghan officials last week said he is living in Quetta, Pakistan, across the border from Kandahar province. Pakistani officials claim Omar is still somewhere in Kandahar province, directing the Taliban insurgency.
The complex was first called Camp Gecko, after the creatures that scale the walls. It was renamed Firebase Maholic after Master Sgt. Thomas Maholic, of Bradford, Pa., who was killed in Kandahar province's Panjwayi district in June.
Special Forces soldiers are training about 130 Afghans as auxiliary police, a new program designed to boost police ranks across the country. The Afghans, from three districts in northern Kandahar province, will receive weapons, driver's and human-rights training. About 30 Afghans completed a similar training program in the fall.
"This is the way ahead for us. The more capable these guys are, the less involved we have to be," said the captain in charge of the training. "It's definitely worthwhile."

exitwound

02-04-2007, 10:51 PM

I love our guys and girls.

I had tears watching the Pearl Harbor survivors yesterday. :(

Yeah, that was a heck of an event this year. So many of those remarkable people won't be here when the next anniversary comes around :(

rebelchick

02-19-2007, 02:56 PM

http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/feb2007/Index/ii020716c.jpg
WORKING DOG — U.S. Air Force military working dog Jackson sits on a U.S. Army M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle before heading out on a mission in Kahn Bani Sahd, Iraq, Feb. 13, 2007. His handler is Tech. Sgt. Harvey Holt, of the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall

Nyar

02-19-2007, 03:02 PM

how can you be "for the soldiers" but "against the war"? its like being for artists but against art.

soliders are in the military....and its the militarys job to break things and kill people.

Lonewarrior

02-20-2007, 03:11 AM

how can you be "for the soldiers" but "against the war"? its like being for artists but against art.

soliders are in the military....and its the militarys job to break things and kill people. Or like rooting for the players but not to win the game.

The left tries to spin this war around but I called on Fox on Sirius to Alan Colmes show tonight and ask a question which could not get an answer.

"If the left won and we pulled out of Iraq and the terrorists followed us back here with another attack which liberal would be willing to accept responsibility?"

A few callers called in saying we had no buiness being there to begin with blah blah blah but not one could answer.

Nyar

02-20-2007, 12:59 PM

Or like rooting for the players but not to win the game.

The left tries to spin this war around but I called on Fox on Sirius to Alan Colmes show tonight and ask a question which could not get an answer.

"If the left won and we pulled out of Iraq and the terrorists followed us back here with another attack which liberal would be willing to accept responsibility?"

A few callers called in saying we had no buiness being there to begin with blah blah blah but not one could answer.
they never can answer because theyre intellectually dishonest when you hold a mirror up to their face. Time after time have i seen them either slink away or just spin the top(ic).

Lonewarrior

02-20-2007, 04:50 PM

they never can answer because theyre intellectually dishonest when you hold a mirror up to their face. Time after time have i seen them either slink away or just spin the top(ic).Exactly

Preacher_Man

02-24-2007, 11:46 AM

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/01/tnsRedress070116/

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=41810&archive=true

Lonewarrior

02-24-2007, 12:08 PM

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/01/tnsRedress070116/

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=41810&archive=true
1000?
That is pretty low.
During all major conflicts and including WWII they had sometimes thousands of servicemen wanting to end the wars and writing letters to their elected leaders to do so.
Just as their are many of vets and including injured heroes that want to see this war through.
Your point?

Eartha Kitten

02-24-2007, 03:02 PM

"This is a special section. There will be no arguments, disrespect or political agendas. Any and all posts that do not conform to these rules will be deleted."

Show some respect ;)

Lonewarrior

02-24-2007, 03:09 PM

"This is a special section. There will be no arguments, disrespect or political agendas. Any and all posts that do not conform to these rules will be deleted."

Show some respect ;)I can understand that but why does pot calling kettle black come to mind?

Eartha Kitten

02-24-2007, 03:13 PM

I can understand that but why does pot calling kettle black come to mind?Show some respect.

Lonewarrior

02-24-2007, 08:43 PM

Show some respect. I know about respect.
Unlike many on the left.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8213/45150202143cb97bd8ojq8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Sacha

02-24-2007, 11:49 PM

I know about respect.
Unlike many on the left.

Lone,

Please keep politics out of this section.

Thank you

Sacha

Lonewarrior

02-25-2007, 02:34 PM

Lone,

Please keep politics out of this section.

Thank you

SachaI was just responding to some political rhetoric as I often do.

al_gy

02-28-2007, 06:59 AM

Briefly stated....

Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosivesif (navigator.userAgent.indexOf('MSIE')!=-1) document.write(''); else document.write('
');Dow Jones Real-Time News for InvestorsSM
6:23 p.m. 02/27/2007The Justice Department has beefed up bomb squad training for soldiers and Marines headed to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Tuesday.
("DOJ, DoD Build Ties To Train Better Bomb Squads For Iraq," published at 3:24 EST did not include the full name of the Justice Department agency commonly known as ATF.)

al_gy

03-09-2007, 10:08 PM

Berlin man dies in Iraq

By MARK HAYWARD
New Hampshire Union Leader
22 hours, 6 minutes ago (http://www.unionleader.com/default.aspx?storyDate=2007-03-09)

BERLIN – A Berlin native who worked in Iraq dismantling and destroying confiscated explosives and ordnance died yesterday when ammunition he was handling detonated, his sister said.
Donald Neil, 44, worked for Tetra Tech, a California-based company. Neil had been in Iraq about 10 months and had been scheduled to return home last month. He opted to stay another four to five months after taking a promotion, said his sister, Lisa Couture of Berlin.
"He felt that he could help out because he knew his job and they (American troops) could be safer with him there rather than with him sitting home doing nothing," Couture said. "He used to say the more I can blow it up, the less that can shoot at us."
Neil lived in Marston Mills, Mass., with his wife, Cynthia Neil, and two children, Margaret Mary Neil, 14, and Thomas, 12.
"The kids are pretty devastated," Couture said. Many of his relatives remain in the Berlin area, Couture said.
Neil graduated from Berlin High School in 1979 and joined the military, where he served for more than 20 years, Couture said.
After his discharge, Neil took jobs involving ordinance and blasting. He had spent a year in Iraq earlier with the company. He loved the work, and it paid well, she said.
Couture said the detonation took place in a military base outside of Baghdad. Neil died instantaneously. Two others were injured, one with shrapnel wounds to his abdomen, the other with burns to his hands and legs.
It's unclear when Neil's remains will return to the United States, Couture said.
She said her brother will be buried in Berlin alongside his parents.

al_gy

04-18-2007, 09:47 AM

White House trades new weapons to support troops
7:10 p.m. 03/12/2007

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - The White House plans to shift $3.2 billion in defense spending -- partly from new weapons like the Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter -- to support troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, a trade publication reported on Monday.
In a letter to Congress detailing revised plans for its fiscal 2007 emergency wartime spending request, the White House said it would reduce spending on three aircraft programs by $923 million, freeing up money for armor kits and transport vehicles needed by U.S. troops.
The letter was obtained and released by insidefense.com on Monday.
"Items ... that have been used as offsets have been deemed less timely or lower priorities than those in the current request," said the letter from the White House Office of Management and Budget.
It said it would remove $388 million for five Lockheed C-130J transport planes; $146 million for one CV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft built by Boeing Co. (BA) and Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron Inc. (TXT) ; and $389 million for Lockheed F-35s.
Instead, it would spend an additional $1.5 billion on armor kits and transport vehicles, including $500 million for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, the newest generation of tactical vehicles designed to protect troops against mines and roadside bombs.
General Dynamics Corp. (GD) has already won a contract for some of the new vehicles, but Britain's BAE Systems Plc and Armor Holdings (AH) are also in line to get orders for the new vehicles, said defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Virginia-based Lexington Institute.
Thompson said the proposed changes confirmed defense industry fears that money was beginning to flow out of weapons programs and into personnel and other near term needs.
He said it also marked a reversal of the Pentagon's decision last fall to include all the costs of the global war on terror in its supplemental funding request.
"What these changes show is the tug back and forth between near-term needs and long-term moderation, and as usual, near-term needs are winning out," Thompson said.

Lonewarrior

04-18-2007, 03:49 PM

al_gy

12-08-2007, 12:30 PM

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20071208/capt.d89c9df7b7044e00871f3690c114ad16.moose_kills_ soldier_ny133.jpg?x=228&y=345&sig=oA_HV50FEH5mvkvNwwJTww--

Fri Dec 7, 10:05 PM ET Fri Dec 7, 10:05 PM ET

Previous (http://72.14.203.104/translate_c?hl=en&langpair=ar%7Cen&u=http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Iraq-Iraq-United-States-Marines-Camp-Pendleton2C-California-Al-Anbar-Province/ss/events/iraq/082701iraqplane/im:/071208/ids_photos_ts/r68061434.jpg/&prev=/translate_s%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dtake%2Bme%2Bto%2Balqae da%26sl%3Den%26tl%3Dar) 23 of 562 Next (http://72.14.203.104/translate_c?hl=en&langpair=ar%7Cen&u=http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Iraq-senior-US-State-Department-official-quizzed-over-family-links-private/ss/events/iraq/082701iraqplane/im:/071208/photos_pl_afp/5fabbb6533e2145836a5ab7141895456/&prev=/translate_s%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dtake%2Bme%2Bto%2Balqae da%26sl%3Den%26tl%3Dar) Previous (http://72.14.203.104/translate_c?hl=en&langpair=ar%7Cen&u=http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Iraq-Iraq-United-States-Marines-Camp-Pendleton2C-California-Al-Anbar-Province/ss/events/iraq/082701iraqplane/im:/071208/ids_photos_ts/r68061434.jpg/&prev=/translate_s%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dtake%2Bme%2Bto%2Balqae da%26sl%3Den%26tl%3Dar) 23 of 562 Next (http://72.14.203.104/translate_c?hl=en&langpair=ar%7Cen&u=http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Iraq-senior-US-State-Department-official-quizzed-over-family-links-private/ss/events/iraq/082701iraqplane/im:/071208/photos_pl_afp/5fabbb6533e2145836a5ab7141895456/&prev=/translate_s%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dtake%2Bme%2Bto%2Balqae da%26sl%3Den%26tl%3Dar)
This undated photo provided by the U.S. This undated photo provided by the US Army shows Spc. Army shows Spc. Stephen M. Stephen M. Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh, who survived more than 300 missions in Iraq, died on Dec. Cavanaugh, who survived more than 300 missions in Iraq, died on Dec. 6, 2007 after his car hit a moose in Alaska. 6, 2007 after his car hit a moose in Alaska. The 24-year-old Fort Richardson soldier was in a coma when he was taken off life support Thursday, Dec. The 24-year-old Fort Richardson soldier was in a coma when he was taken off life support Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007. 6, 2007.
(AP Photo/U.S. Army) (AP Photo / US Army)