Free Republic

The Army has suspended the use of its new square parachutes because of problems found after a Fort Bragg soldier died during a training jump. The Fayetteville Observer reported Wednesday that the T-11 parachutes initially were praised as safer. Tests had shown the new parachutes provide a slower, more stable descent than the traditional mushroom-shaped style.

<p>Dick Winters, the former World War II commander whose war story was told in the book and miniseries “Band of Brothers,” has died.</p> <p>Dick Winters led a quiet life on his Fredericksburg farm and in his Hershey home until the book and miniseries “Band of Brothers” threw him into the international spotlight.</p>

LYRICS: He was just a rookie trooper and he surely shook with fright. He checked off his equipment and made sure his pack was tight. He had to sit and listen to those awful engines roar. You ain't gonna jump no more. Chorus: Gory, gory, what a hell of way to die. Gory, gory, what a hell of way to die. Gory, gory, what a hell of way to die. He ain't gonna jump no more. "Is everybody happy?" cried the sergeant looking up. Our hero feebly answered, "Yes", and then they stood him up. He jumped into the icy...

Army Staff Sgt., Awarded Medal of Honor for Valor in Afghanistan, Says Comrades Going Beyond Call Every Day America's first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War says the heroic actions he undertook in Afghanistan are as brave as what every American soldier experiences day in and day out during their tours of duty in that country. Interview - Staff Sgt Salvatore Giunta

Retired Archbishop Philip. M. Hannan of New Orleans, still alive at the age of 97, discusses his service in the video above, made in 2007, with the 505th parachute infantry regiment of the 82nd Airborne in World War II. Ordained at the North American College in Rome on December 8, 1939, he served with the 82nd Airborne as a chaplain from 1942-46, and was known as the Jumping Padre. He was assigned to be the chaplain of the 505th Regiment with the rank of Captain shortly after the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. He had many adventures during his...

FORT BRAGG, N.C., July 23, 2010 – Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Sanders, a 43-year-old senior interrogator with the XVIII Airborne Corps here, battled a bad knee to earn the coveted master parachutist wings, the highest-level airborne skills award, other than the combat parachutists badge. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Sanders (right), a jumpmaster and senior interrogator with the XVIII Airborne Corps, yells “Go” to paratroopers during a tailgate jump training mission at Fort Bragg, N.C., June 11, 2010. This was Sanders’ 65th parachute jump, which earned him the coveted master parachutist wings, the highest award a jumpmaster...

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Witnesses and police say a Connecticut man drove his car into a stone wall, went airborne and landed on the roof of an accountant's office before stopping in a yard. Police say Chenpai Lee drove his car into the opposite lane and hit a wall late Thursday in Stamford. They say the car flipped several times, flew and punched a hole in the roof of the office, where it briefly landed.

Uncle Jimbo, Tankerbabe, and two senior NCO's discuss the Battle for Wanat. SSG Ryan Pitts, SGT Michael Denton, Jim Hanson and Tankerbabe (Leta Carruth) will be our guests Monday night. We will be discussing "The Battle of Wanat." SSG Ryan Pitt and SGT Michael Denton (both are medically retired from the Army) were in the battle of Wanat. "Somethings wrong when someone gets a Silver Star and a Reprimand at the same time".

The Chinese 15th Airborne Corps (three airborne divisions and an aviation brigade) has, for the last two decades, been the primary airborne infantry force in the Chinese military, and the primary rapid reaction force as well. China has enough air transports (Il-76s, Yu-8s, Yu-7s) to move one of the 11,000 man airborne divisions to anywhere in China within 48 hours. This was demonstrated two years ago, when one division was sent to Sichuan province, to assist in earthquake relief. The first use of this capability was in1988, when a division was moved to Tibet. The 15th Airborne Corps is now...

Here is a video report on the plan for close to 10,000 U.S. Military Personnel to be on the ground in Haiti, or on ships just offshore by Monday. The speed with which everything can be put in place is being hampered there by the fact that the Port-Au-Prince Airport has only one usable runway, and there are so many planes needing to use it. An entire brigade of 3,500 from the 82nd Airborne is expected to be on the ground by this weekend to provide security in the devastated area. The Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Carl Vinson should arrive on...

SNIPPET: "A team of researchers convened by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began a series of tests today at 20 MBTA stations to determine how airborne contaminants would spread in a terrorist attack on Boston's subway system." SNIPPET: "The findings will help guide the design of future detection systems and help strengthen evacuation, ventilation, and other emergency response plans on mass transit across the country. "We hope to use the data from the two to come up with a model to predict the behavior (of chemicals) in other subway systems," Lustig said."

Seriously, how awesome does that look? Imagine Special Forces soldiers zooming through the skies at 60 mph, covering distances of 30 miles or more without being picked up by radar. It could actually happen. A group of German companies with expertise in parachute systems have joined forces to create the Gryphon Next Generation Parachute System. Designed for high altitude jumps, the Gryphon has a 6-foot wingspan and a glide ratio of 5:1, meaning that a solider can glide up to 30 miles in the air—60 if they go ahead with plans to add a small engine like the one...

In a recent test at the White Sands Missile Range, a specially equipped C-130 plane fried a parked truck with a powerful laser. And while we still haven't seen evidence of the laser "defeating" a ground target, as Boeing puts it, a video of it scorching a direct hit on the hood of a truck is still pretty amazing.Click here for the video. As you can see, the laser beam burns right through the truck's hood, and then through the engine, "defeating" the vehicle. Called the "Advanced Tactical Laser" (ATL), this is the first time the megawatt-powered chemical laser has...

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Aug. 13, 2009 – As an 8-year-old boy sitting on the roof of a friend’s house in war-torn Haiti in 1994, Claudy Bellanger saw a sight that captivated his attention: helicopters speeding past carrying American soldiers. Army Spc. Claudy Bellanger’s experiences with U.S. soldiers as a boy growing up in Haiti led to his joining the Army. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Kissta M. Feldner  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “I’d never seen them with my own eyes before, only on television,” he said. Bellanger’s boyhood experiences with U.S. troops in his home country set him...

29th Annual Veterans Wheelchair Games Scheduled for Spokane July 6, 2009 WASHINGTON -- A wide range of disabilities cannot stop more than 500 of America’s greatest wheelchair athletes, all U.S. military Veterans who will begin competition at the 29th National Veterans Wheelchair Games being held July 13-18 in Spokane, Wash. “President Obama recently said that caring for Veterans and their families is a matter of honor as a nation,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The National Veterans Wheelchair Games highlight our nation’s commitment to our wounded heroes. The Games also allow those Veterans to teach us all...

On a dreary, overcast June afternoon in Exeter, England, Cpl. William Wildes attached nozzles to the wings of the green and white C-47 Skytrain aircraft formerly known as the "Pride of Minnesota." Pouring approximately 100 gallons of fuel into each wing, he did it exactly like he had done several times before in the previous months for the training missions to prepare for the Normandy invasion. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except the white invasion stripes and the large "6Z" that was painted onto the fuselage earlier in the day. "The planes were fueled in the afternoon of June...

A popular historical portrayal describes General Dwight Eisenhower managing a political/military alliance, but reminds us he never lead troops in combat. However, his leadership sustained many unprecedented initiatives for successful Normandy landings. The air assault examples the frightful uncertainties of many critical hazards run on this “Day of Days”. The night before D-Day, 20,400 American and British paratroopers dropped behind the Normandy beaches from 1,250 C-47 aircraft plus gliders. This massive assault was attempted just 17 years after Charles Lindberg flew the Atlantic solo for the first time. To the last moment Ike's air commander, British Air Chief Marshall Leigh-Mallory,...

SAINTE MERE EGLISE, France - This town loves paratroopers - in particular, American paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne and the 101st Airborne Divisions. It was those two divisions that liberated Sainte Mere Eglise June 7, 1944, making it the first town in France to be liberated during World War II. To show their appreciation for the veterans, an Airborne Museum opened here in 1964. A non-profit organization, all proceeds go back into the museum to pay for upkeep, new exhibits or extensions. The money is also used to provide decorations and celebrations for the anniversary of D-Day, travel for veterans,...

MOSCOW, May 27 (RIA Novosti) - The newly-appointed commander of Russia's Airborne Troops, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov said on Wednesday his personnel remained the core of the Russian army, but modern equipment was needed. Shamanov, a Hero of Russia and commander of the 76th Airborne Division during the second Chechen War, has replaced Lt. Gen. Valery Yevtukhovich, who was discharged on May 6 after reaching the retirement age of 55. "The Airborne troops proved during the five-day war [with Georgia] that they...remain the backbone of Russia's conventional forces," the general said at a first meeting with his staff. However, like...

PADUCAH, Ky. - A federal jury spared a former soldier Thursday of the death penalty for his conviction on raping and fatally shooting a 14-year-old girl after killing her parents and younger sister while he was serving in Iraq. Pfc. Steven Dale Green will be sentenced to life, capping an unusual case of a crime in a war zone being prosecuted in civilian court. Green, 24, of Midland, Texas, was being tried in federal court because he had been discharged from the Army for a personality disorder before he was charged with the Iraq crimes. Green's defense team had asked...

Bud passed away at his residence in Cottage Grove, MN on April 26, 2009. Funeral arrangements are pending... http://www.mnlegion.org/paper/html/ollom.html Bud was also a member of the Midwest All Airborne Alliance http://www.midwestallairborne.com/Pages/Events.php

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Oct. 28, 2008 – If there’s one thing that keeps the 82nd Airborne’s deputy commander awake at night, it’s competing requirements that could threaten the division’s ability to project no-notice combat power and conduct forced-entry missions. Army Brig. Gen. William Mayville shared his concerns as the division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team trains to re-assume its role in June as the U.S. global response force. In this capacity, the brigade will be on 24/7 standby, ready to deploy anywhere in the world within 18 hours. Its mission, if called, would be to forcibly enter and seize a defended...

In Sainte-Mère-Eglise, a small town in the Normandy region of France, is Rue Robert Murphy, a street named in honor of the Roslindale lad who joined the Army at 17, parachuted there on D-day, and dedicated part of his life to maintaining the memory of the civilians and soldiers who died there on June 6, 1944.

President's Proclamation for National Airborne Day, Aug. 16 WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2001 – Sixty-one years ago, 48 brave volunteer members of the U.S. Army Parachute Test Platoon pioneered a new method of warfare. Their successful jump led to the creation of a mighty force of more than 100,000 paratroopers. Members of this force were assigned to the legendary 11th, 13th, 17th, 82d and 101st Airborne Divisions and numerous other units that fought in every theater during World War II. The soldiers of the Parachute Test Platoon also forged a unique warrior spirit, a relentless passion for victory, and a reputation...

WOW, what a fun and exciting rally!! 40-50 patriots shows up and the passers by were overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic!! OC Vaughn organized a day laborer site rally - Home Depot Westminster, CA - 40 ralliers were assembled at 7:30 am 6/28/08 At approximately 8:30am a male Hispanic, driving, stopped his truck and yelled at assembled ralliers. He asked "You Minutemen?" No one answered at first, then Kingfish stepped forward and stated "I AM." "You are sick!" The man yelled. "And you, are a little overweight" Kingfish replied. The man became enraged quickly exited the truck ran around and ran...

North Myrtle Beach Times - page 8, Thursday, March 20, 2008Jenerette Completes School KATHERINE JENERETTE GRADUATES from US ARMY AIRBORNE SCHOOL Former North Myrtle Beach Planning Commissioner, U.S. Army Lieutenant Katherine Jenerette recently graduated from the U.S. Army's Airborne school at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Airborne officers are considered to be among the Army's most valuable combat officers. Every member of the Rangers and Special Forces - two of the Army's most elite corps - is airborne qualified.Information about the Airborne school states: Throughout the fast-moving course of instruction, mental alertness and physical conditioning are emphasized and Airborne School is...

Iraqi pilots of the Iraqi Air Force's 3rd Squadron take off from the runway here during the first Iraqi flown sortie in the King Air 350I aircraft. The King Air is currently the most advanced aircraft in Iraq’s arsenal and enhances the abilities of this re-born Air Force. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman SerMae Lampkin. KIRKUK — The Iraqi Air Force’s 3rd Squadron took another step on the path to establishing a fully functioning airpower capability here as Iraqi pilots recently took the controls of a King Air 350 for the first time. The King Air is the...

Airborne astronomers to track intense meteor shower 16:59 03 January 2008 NewScientist.com news service Stephen Battersby The most intense meteor shower of the year hits Earth tonight. If the skies are clear and you live at high northern latitudes, then you could see dozens of Quadrantid meteors streaking over the pole. Or you might spot a plane full of astronomers racing northward, trying to find out how this unusual meteor shower was created, and whether it is the shrapnel of a celestial explosion witnessed in the 15th century. Like other meteor showers, the Quadrantids appear when Earth moves through an...

BAGHDAD - Hundreds of American and Iraqi troops backed by helicopters descended Friday on a remote desert area southwest of Baghdad to root out al-Qaida in Iraq and search for two U.S. soldiers missing after a deadly insurgent ambush six months ago. Acting on intelligence, the soldiers dug with shovels through heaps of sand and went house-to-house after a dramatic pre-dawn air assault into two Sunni villages near the boundary with Anbar province. U.S. officers said there was no sign of the missing soldiers but stressed it was only the first day of the operation dubbed Marne Courageous, which also...

THE DAY OF AUGUST 26, 2007, began like any other for the soldiers of Charlie Company, 2-505 Parachute Infantry Regiment (from the 82nd Airborne Division) -- with a mission in the city. Over a year into its deployment to Samarra, Iraq, and now working on the three-month extension announced by Secretary of Defense Gates in the spring, the company knew the city like the back of its collective hands and had its operational routine down to a science, whatever the mission it might be tasked with. On this morning, that mission was to establish a defensive perimeter around a block...

BANBAR COMMAND POST, Afghanistan, Oct. 23, 2007 – Army Sgt. Jim McKinzie has always made a living out of getting dirty.  Judging from his smiling face and his combat uniform -- soiled and stained with dirt, oil and gasoline -- it looks like he’s not planning to change that any time soon. Army Sgt. Jim McKinzie, a mechanic, squad leader and truck commander in Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, helps secure a drop zone that will soon receive an air supply drop in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, Oct. 10, 2007....

A man diagnosed with a rare strain of tuberculosis will be flown to Denver for treatment at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center. This morning, officials at Denver’s National Jewish Medical and Research Center weren’t sure when the now world-famous TB patient would arrive for treatment. "I think they’re still figuring out how he’s going to get here," said hospital spokesman William Allstetter. The unidentified patient was transferred from New York to Atlanta on a CDC airplane. Allstetter stressed that National Jewish, which is world renown for treatment of respiratory and immune disorders, is well-prepared to handle the case....

U.S. Army Spc. Blake Wise, a combat medic with 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, receives a Combat Medical Badge from Col. Bryan Owens, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division commander, at Forward Operating Base Brassfield-Mora, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Amanda Morrissey Airborne Division Soldiers Receive Combat Badges By Spc. Amanda Morrissey 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment SAMARRA, Iraq, Jan. 29, 2007 -- Various combat badges were awarded here yesterday to soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, who have faced enemy contact in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom....

Explosive new info in the Iron Triangle Case in the NYT this morning showing that not only did the Army already handle the four Iraqi deaths that the Rangers are charged with, they reprimanded the commander for them and ended his career. The commander, Col. Michael Steele, knowing he had already been punished for the incident, still allowed his men to be charged with murder and imprisoned. No charges have been filed against Colonel Steele in the Army’s continuing investigation. But two Defense Department officials said last week that Colonel Steele was formally reprimanded in the summer by Lt. Gen....

My son enlisted (delayed entry) in the U.S. Army yesterday! He will be follow in the old man's footsteps and, God willing, become a member of the 82ND AIRBORNE!

U.S. Army Capt. Tim Peterman, commander, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, (center), talks with a local farmer about security in the city of Bayji, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Amy A. Bishop 82nd Airborne Takes Over Operations in Bayji Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division officially took command and control of Forward Operating Base Summerall from the 101st Airborne Division Rakkasans. By U.S. Army Capt. Amy A. Bishop 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment BAYJI, Iraq, Sept. 18, 2006 -- The torch has been passed in the city of...

Photos by Plea Deal and [Mrs] Trooprally WASHINGTON, DC, 9/08/06-- Two officers in full camo uniforms waved enthusiastically as their vehicle exited Walter Reed Army Medical Center to be greeted by our troop-support rally spread over the four corners of the gates. We had arrived and had set up our displays while they were inside the hospital visiting wounded members of their unit. Seeing the DC Chapter's huge banners and dozens of U.S. flags, they wheeled their vehicle back around and stopped at the northwest corner to talk with the young people who were gathered there to hold signs, wave...

Ukraine, Poland and the United Kingdom hold joined military exercises Zhytomyr region hosts "Cossack Steppe 2006" the Ukraine-Poland-UK military exercise. It is the first time the exercises are held in this region of Ukraine, the Cabinet press office informs. The exercises are to deal with training a multinational peacekeeping battalion. All the Ukrainian and Polish military participating in the exercise are experienced in Iraqi peacekeeping mission. The British military will join the exercises on September 7. The exercise is underway within the framework of the Partnership for Peace NATO program. As Military Attaché of the Polish Embassy in Ukraine Krzysztof...

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...

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....

"There are other effects when a leader in an organization like this goes down. The lesser tiers of the terrorist leadership have to start talking. They will use any number of sophisticated and unsophisticated means to do that talking. Some of them will do what is easy — get on the phones and cell phones. They’ll have to move to meet and determine their next steps. All that talk and all that movement generates what’s called ‘actionable intelligence.’ It puts more and more of them in our crosshairs."

In four days of desperate fighting, from 29 February to 3 March 2000, a large force of Chechen fighters wiped out a Russian paratroop company in the harsh defiles and ridges of the Argun Gorge in the mountains of southern Chechnya. Although the battle was a catastrophic tactical defeat for the Russian airborne force, the company's stubborn defense to the last man and the concentration of Russian relief forces inflicted a strategic setback on the Chechens. The Russians stumbled into this catastrophe through poor unit leadership, but Russian blood and valor transformed it into victory. Hatred to the Bone In...

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Wortley, 40th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron, replaces a B-52 generator. Wortley is deployed from Barksdale AFB, La., in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. John Rohrer Air Force Crew Keeps Aging B-52s Airborne U.S. airmen assigned to the 40th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron keep the aging B-52s airborne, a task vital to the success of Operation Enduring Freedom. By U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Scott King 40th Air Expeditionary Group OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, May 3, 2006 — Thirty thousand feet above Afghan terrain, the U.S. Air Force B-52’s...

 ONE STATION UNIT TRAINING GRADUATION A CO 2-58 and C CO 2-19 INFANTRY 21 APR 2006 FORT BENNING , GA GOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THAT WAS PRETTY WEAK LET'S TRY IT AGAIN..... GOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! ~ MUCH BETTER! THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THE GRADUATION CEREMONY FOR ALPHA COMPANY, 2 ND BATTALION 58 TH INFANTRY REGIMENT; AND CHARLIE COMPANY, 2 ND BATTALION 19 TH INFANTRY ON BEHALF OF MG WALTER WATCH-A-COW-SKI, COMMANDER OF FT BENNING, COL SCOTT HENRY, THE COMMANDER OF THE INFANTRY TRAINING BRIGADE, AND LTC RICK MITCHELL, COMMANDER OF 2-19 INFANTRY; I'D LIKE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY...

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Army News Service, April 17, 2006 ) – When Sgt. Maj. Kenny Gilluly landed from the final parachute jump of his 30-year airborne career, he didn’t have to make the long walk across the drop zone alone. His son, 1st Lt. Christopher Gilluly, made the jump with him. Sgt. Maj. Gilluly and 1st Lt. Gilluly made their first – and last – jump together a special one when they parachuted from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter onto Sicily Drop Zone April 13. The jump was Sgt. Maj. Gilluly’s 131st and Lt. Gilluly’s 11th. Sgt. Maj. Gilluly, 48,...

1st COSCOM conducts last airborne operation By Capt. Sonise Lumbaca April 13, 2006 FORT BRAGG, N.C.(Army News Service, April 13, 2006) — More than 250 Soldiers of the 1st Corps Support Command took to the skies April 12 to conduct their last airborne operation as COSCOM members. As a unit that is undergoing transformation, the 1st COSCOM will not only lose its airborne status, but will also change its designation to the 1st Theater Sustainment Command after April 18. “There is a little sadness in as much as this is our last official airborne operation,” said Brig. Gen. Kevin A....

Preparing to greet the commies - Early Saturday Morning DStarr chooses a sign from her arsenal as she prepares to confront the leftist march. This past Saturday, March 18, 2006 we conducted our third annual FReep in commemoration of the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. As in past years, leftists marched through the streets of Fayetteville, NC (home of Fort Bragg and Pope Airforce Base) and congregated in Rowan Park for their day of music and speeches, coordinated by NC Peace and Justice Coalition. The support the troops rally was conducted on the hillside overlooking Rowan Park. Wolfpat's sound...

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:

And as far as the U.S. effort is concerned, it seems there is almost nothing the White House, the Pentagon, or for that matter any American rifleman on the ground can do that is good enough to garner so much as a one-line "attaboy" from many of our country’s largest newspapers and television news networks. 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: