Free Republic

101st Airborne prepares for deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan

I received an e-mail today from Mrs. Irma Haex of Holland. She and her teenage son, Wesley, have adopted the graves of four Americans buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.Irma writes... We do this out of respect for the men who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, it is 62 years ago that the war ended, but most of the Dutch people won’t forget. I thought people here might enjoy knowing that there people like Irma and Wesley Haex, tending the graves of our fallen overseas. _______________________________ Irma Haex at the grave of Sergeant Robert E. Grame,...

SWEETWATER, Tenn. – A 6-foot banner hanging from a gazebo in the center of this town of 6,000 reads: “Ray fought for Sweetwater. Now let's fight for Ray.”Folks in Sweetwater are standing by hometown soldier Raymond Girouard, raising more than $18,000 for his defense against murder charges.The 24-year-old staff sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division, was one of four soldiers charged with murdering three Iraqi detainees last year.“Anybody that knows Raymond knows his character, and this is not Raymond,” said his grandfather, 64-year-old Ron Bentley.The other soldiers have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors; Girouard, the squad leader,...

A Eulogy for Rene Schmidt, Soldier of the CrossLast Thursday night, Feb. 1, 2007, my brother in Christ, Rene Schmidt, Soldier of the Cross, was honorably discharged from the battle of this life at age 89. It appeared God just stilled his great heart and his soul departed in peace. What an uncommon blessing for an uncommon saint! I know he’s never been happier, nor I for him. Without ever shirking God’s call on his life, he spoke often to me, in the five years I knew him, of his longing to be in heaven with Jesus and reunited with...

Calling all fishermen. the Great state of Tennessee has long been known for its call to service and has earned the title, "Tennessee Volunteers." Well it time to step up to the plate for all of the fishermen out there as well as the lady fishermen. The American Bass Anglers, along with the Paris/ Henry Coounty Chambers, The Stewart Co Chamber, Northwest TN Tourism and the Friends of Paris Landing need your help to take the solders of the 101st Airborne Div on a fishing trip to be held on KY Lake out of Paris landing State Park on Oct...

Titans get surprise wakeup by 101st Airborne Division By Gary Glenn Titans Online Linebacker Keith Bulluck (53) and Titans players were surprised with an early morning workout Monday at nearby Ft. Campbell. CLARKSVILLE, TN, Aug. 7, 2006 -- As Titans players went to bed Sunday evening, they had no idea what was about to transpire only a few hours later. With only a single practice scheduled for Monday afternoon, they figured Monday morning would be a piece of cake. That turned out to be far from the truth. They were awakened at 4:30 a.m. by fists pounding on their doors from...

New Unit has Developed the Army’s New Iraq Strategy The newest unit for Operation Thank You is the Pathfinder Company of the 5th Battalion of the 101st Airborne Regiment. The 60 members of Pathfinder Company are deployed to Central Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit, Iraq, and have developed the Army’s newest strategy in dealing with the Terrorists targeting US Troops and the civilians supporting the new Iraqi government.

On Aug. 6, Sgt. Paul Cortez will face the first steps in the military trial process. Cortez will undergo an Article 32 hearing in Iraq for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the killing of her family while serving in Mahmudiya.

The honor guard arrives with the colors during the 101st Brigade Troops Battalion NCO Induction Ceremony. Story and photo by Sgt. Rachel Brune101st Sustainment Brigade Q-WEST BASE COMPLEX -- Fourteen newly-promoted noncommissioned officers of the 101st Brigade Troops Battalion were inducted into the NCO corps in an induction ceremony July 19 at the MWR Theater here. The Soldiers inducted belong to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Company A, Company B, 620th Movement Control Team and 55th Postal Detachment. After viewing a musical slide show depicting NCOs in action around the battalion, Command Sgt. Maj. Stephen D. Blake, 101st Sustainment Brigade, led...

US MILITARY officials fear that religious hurdles in exhuming the body of a teenage girl could complicate the prosecution of American soldiers accused of raping and murdering her. The officials said a vigorous prosecution was essential and punishment should be severe if the five servicemen and one former soldier were convicted. Five soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division are accused of raping and murdering Abeer al-Janabi near the town of Mahmoudiya on March 12. A sixth soldier is accused of failing to report the crime. Three of her family members were also killed in the assault. The victim's male relatives...

The Patriot Guard Riders need help on the afternoon/evening of Wednesday July 12th for a PGR SPECIAL MISSION in Oak Grove, KY for the Ft. Campbell Eagle Remeberance Ceremony. There is a possibility that protestors may try to show up but PGR really wants to do a tremendously positive display at the front gate that will honor America's fallen heroes and they are requesting help.DETAILS FROM THE PGR WEBSITE: "Ft. Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division are holding the monthly Eagle Remembrance Ceremony to honor all 101st Airborne Division soldiers who have been killed in the previous month. July's...

Shelby Monroe, a reporter embedded with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division in Iraq, stands in front of an overturned truck that had been found filled with explosives near Tal Afar, Iraq. Courtesy photo by Shelby Monroe Reporter Spends 101 Days with 101st Airborne Tennessee reporter embeds with 101st Airborne to report on soldiers' stories. By U.S. Army Capt. Lyn Graves 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment KIRKUK, Iraq, July 3, 2006 -- Spending 101 days with the 101st Airborne Division in the heat of north-central Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom is not what some journalists would call a...

Hello Everyone who is posting to this story. First I would like to introduce myself. My name is Laura Anderson and I am Tommy Tuckers cousin who lives in Portland, Or. I am so grateful that so many people from all over the world have been so supportive of my families loss. This was definately our worst fear. I know that on friday the city of madras is going to have a candle light vigil so please all who are supportive please lite a candle to honor all the soldiers who have fought for us and lost their lives. If...

WASHINGTON - Three soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division have been charged with murder in connection with the deaths of three Iraqi detainees in their custody last month, the U.S. military said Monday. The sergeant and two lower-ranking soldiers with the division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team from Fort Campbell, Ky., also have been charged with attempted murder, conspiracy, communicating a threat and obstructing justice. The three detainees died May 9 during an operation near Thar Thar Canal in southern Salah ad Din province, U.S. Central Command said. The soldiers charged are Staff Sgt. Raymond Girouard, Spc. William Hunsaker and Pfc....

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2006 – U.S. soldiers from Task Force Band of Brothers scored successes in two operations this week. Soldiers from the task force caught seven suspected insurgents in the act of emplacing explosives yesterday. Soldiers on patrol with Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, observed the suspects digging. As the patrol approached, the suspects tried to flee in two vehicles. The soldiers stopped, searched and detained all the suspects. In one vehicle, a blue truck, soldiers discovered more than 120 mortar rounds, fuses and four missiles. At the site where the...

The latest criticism of the war in Iraq has become so politically manipulative, so disingenuous, so over-the-top that it is undermining a critical cause that we cannot, for a variety of global security reasons, afford to lose... Let’s look at last Thursday, March 16, the day the Iraqi National Assembly opened in Baghdad and a high-profile "air assault" northeast of Samarra, as an example:

Six members of a fringe church in Kansas picketed Thursday outside the funeral of a Minnesota soldier who was killed in Iraq, leading to a heated exchange with the grieving mother. The six men and women, standing outside the Anoka funeral for Cpl. Andrew Kemple, 23, who died Feb. 12 after his vehicle came under fire, are members of a church in Topeka, Kan., that espouses the belief that God is killing American soldiers because they fought for a country that tolerates homosexuality. They were countered by a group of 20 affiliated with the Patriot Guard Riders, a rapidly growing...

It's taken a while to download ... but I have a very well done 3-minute video clip of the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq. The video is very well done and professional grade in appearance. If anyone is interested in viewing this clip, send me a note with an email contact!

A 23-year-old Cambridge, Minn., soldier has been killed fighting in Iraq, the Department of Defense announced today. Cpl. Andrew J. Kemple died in Tikrit on Sunday, when his Humvee came under small arms fire. Kemple was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Ky. Kemple is the 31st military member with Minnesota ties killed in Iraq and the second in 2006. Kemple joined the Army in 2003, the Defense Department said. His military awards include the Army Service Ribbon, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal,...

TIKRIT, Iraq (Army News Service, Jan. 9, 2005) -- The 101st Airborne Division’s “Rakkasan” brigade assumed control of operations in the Salah Ad Din Province in a ceremony Jan. 5 at Forwarding Operating Base Speicher as Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division prepared to head home. Various Iraqi officials attended the ceremony, including Lt. Gen Abdel Aziz, Iraqi Army 4th division commander, and Humad Mumood Shugti governor of Salah Ad Din. The ceremony opened with the Iraqi national anthem and the United States national anthem played by the 101st Army Band. The ceremony passed authority at FOB Speicher to the...