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An Iraqi Soldier walks under crossed sabers as he is recognized as a new non-commissioned officer during a combined NCO induction ceremony between the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and the 12th Iraqi Army Division at K1 Iraqi Military Base near Kirkuk, July 29. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Douglas, 1st Cavalry Division. KIRKUK — The U.S. Army’s way of recognizing newly-promoted non-commissioned officers to the NCO corps is through an NCO induction ceremony; a time-honored tradition for the U.S. Army which has now been shared with Soldiers of the new Iraqi Army. For the first time, newly...

Ooopsie. Looks like the public school teacher that is responsible for turning a group of young black teens into an Obama Nazi Youth Corps has been suspended pending an investigation for posting the video of his mind numbed paramilitary Obama youth drill team’s little soiree.

It is hard to believe how fast this is happening. We need to impeach this guy NOW. Here's the money quote: The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a plan to set up a new "volunteer corps" and consider whether "a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people" should be developed. The legislation also refers to "uniforms" that would be worn by the "volunteers" and the "need" for a "public service academy, a 4-year institution" to "focus on training" future "public sector leaders." The training, apparently, would occur at "campuses." The vote yesterday came on...

President Obama made a surprise visit to the White House press corps Thursday night, but got agitated when he was faced with a substantive question. Asked how he could reconcile a strict ban on lobbyists in his administration with a Deputy Defense Secretary nominee who lobbied for Raytheon, Obama interrupted with a knowing smile on his face. "Ahh, see," he said, "I came down here to visit. See this is what happens. I can't end up visiting with you guys and shaking hands if I'm going to get grilled every time I come down here." Pressed further by the Politico...

<p>JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) - Police say they've stopped searching for the remains of a Jersey City baby thrown out in a hospital's trash.</p> <p>Police have been looking for the body of Bashere Moyd Jr. since Jan. 2, when a funeral home worker who went to pick it up at Christ Hospital in Jersey City was told that it was missing.</p>

It's a shocking story for anyone to hear; a hospital throws away the body of a newborn. The baby, named Basheare, was thrown in the trash in Jersey City. Police say they are searching landfills in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and even in Kentucky at landfills that take trash from that area. On Wednesday, a train headed to Boyd County from New Jersey was stopped in Greenup County. Kentucky State Police tell us it was the train they were waiting for from New Jersey, containing trash. They are now working with New Jersey police to determine what their next step will...

Yes, I mentioned that Rahm Emanuel has proposed, in his book "The Plan", that young people, between the ages of 18 and 25, be enlisted for 3 months of civilian service. They would report for basic civil defense training in their state or community to learn what to do in the event of biochemical, neclear, or conventional attack. On WMAL Radio, Washington, DC, this morning, I heard Chris Plante tell people about this book and about Emanuel's youth training. He played a radio snip of Obama saying that "this youth corps should be as strong and as well-financed as our...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2008 – The Afghan National Army Air Corps has made big strides, with 27 operational aircraft – three times the number it had a year ago –flying 350 percent more missions in direct support of Afghan security forces, a senior military official reported today. Air Force Maj. Gen. Jay Lindell, commander of the Combined Air Corps Transition Force in Afghanistan, told Pentagon reporters via teleconference from the Afghan capital of Kabul that the Afghan air corps is developing capabilities needed to assume missions currently carried out by coalition forces. The air corps is taking on more of...

5/5/2008 - KABUL, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- Graduates completed the first orientation course for the Afghan National army air corps April 30 at the Kabul Air Corps Training Center here. The four-week inaugural course laid the foundation for the air corps soldiers as they began their careers in the ANAAC. "This is an exciting new age," said Brig. Gen. Jay H. Lindell, the Combined Air Power Transition Force commander. "I congratulate you as you build, and rebuild, the Afghan air corps." During the course, KACTC instructors taught 20 students airfield safety, computer instruction, the history of the air corps, logistics and...

WASHINGTON, March 27, 2008 – With progress made in developing Afghanistan’s army and police forces, the coalition focus there has expanded to include building an Afghan air corps, the U.S. general leading the effort told military analysts today. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jay H. Lindell, commander of the Combined Air Power Transition Force, described “an aggressive campaign” under way to develop a fully self-sustaining and operationally capable Afghan National Army Air Corps. That effort has made solid momentum within the last year, since U.S. Central Command issued an approved development plan in September, Lindell said during a conference call from...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2008 – Don’t be surprised to see a poster featuring a white-goateed Uncle Sam in a star-spangled top hat, his index finger jutting through the canvas above a row of block letters that read: “Я Xочу Bа�” -- “I Want You.” A familiar WWI recruting poster altered to reflect a shifting American cultural landscape that places greater demand on linguists. Originial poster by J.M. Flagg, modified by Fred W. Baker III for use by American Forces Press Service.   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Starting today, Uncle Sam wants skilled speakers of Russian, Mandarin Chinese,...

Local citizens stand in line at the Iraqi Conservation Corps Force sign-up Dec. 27 in Al Huda, Iraq. Photo by Sgt. Natalie Rostek. FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — Soldiers and leaders of Company C, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, held an Iraqi Conservation Corps (ICC) sign-up Dec. 27 for citizens of Al Huda. According to Capt. John Horning, from Houston, Texas, commander of Company C, the members of the ICC conduct one of three services in their communities within the Nahia. These services are sanitation, construction, and security.“A program like this takes the Concerned Local Citizens Program to the next...

Question: I was in my local pub tonight debating the war in Iraq with some of the idiot libs from the local college when this guy interjected "You keep saying 'we did this,' 'we should have done that.' Did you serve?" I told him that I had not served (I'm 50 years old and have been legally deaf since my teens), and explained that I used the word "we" in reference to "we" as a Country and as a supporter of our Military, President Bush, and the War on Terror. He said that he served in the U.S. Marine Corp...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Pentagon plans to train and equip an expanded paramilitary force in Pakistan's tribal areas in a major effort to counter the growing strength of Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces, officials said Monday. US Army troops will be used to train the Pakistani Frontier Corps at a new center in the tribal areas that border Afghanistan, said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell. The efforts come amid political instability in nuclear-armed Pakistan under President Pervez Musharraf and mounting US concerns over the spread of Islamic militancy. It was unclear how many military trainers will be required, but any increase...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Oct. 22, 2007) -- A lot of families have traditions, something that is passed down from generation to generation. For some, its opening presents on Christmas Eve. For others, it is passing the reins of the company business on to the kids. For one family, it is serving in the military. The Flaherty family, from Sewell, N.J., have three generations of serving in the military. Members of two generations were able to spend a day together in Al Asad, Sept. 18, after almost a year apart. Cpl. Shannon Flaherty, an avionics technician with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2007 – It will take 10 years to breed Iraq’s noncommissioned officer corps, the general who oversees training for Iraq’s security forces said today. Often described as “the backbone of the Army,” a noncommissioned officer, or NCO, is an enlisted member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. The NCO corps includes all grades of sergeant, in addition to corporals. “Growing an NCO corps is not a month-long deal; it’s a decade-long deal,” Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, told online journalists and “bloggers”...

Christina Formosa was settling down for the night in front of the behemoth television in her snug South Philadelphia rowhouse. That was when all was still right in her world. At 10:30 p.m. July 27, the phone rang. It was the coroner in San Bernardino County, Calif. He said her husband, Master Gunnery Sgt. Nicholas Formosa, 55, a Marine stationed at the large base at Twentynine Palms, Calif., had been killed.

BAGHDAD — Noncommissioned officers are known as the backbone of the U.S. Army. They train their Soldiers, care for their needs, and ensure they have and know everything necessary to be successful on the battlefield. NCOs were once an important factor in the Iraqi army as well, but under the Baath Party regime, their importance dwindled as officers took on all aspects of leadership. For years, the Iraqi NCO Corps weakened. Now, with the help of U.S. and coalition forces, that corps is being rebuilt into an important force in the modern Iraqi Army, starting with the most senior Iraqi...

NEW ORLEANS - To better protect the nation from flooding and hurricanes, the Army Corps of Engineers, and by extension politicians who push pork-barrel projects on the agency, need to acknowledge that the world is heating up and seas are rising, a report by two environmental groups said. The report, released Thursday by Environmental Defense and the National Wildlife Federation, was a compendium of complaints against the agency that have gained momentum since its catastrophic engineering mistakes caused about 88 percent of the flooding of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. The policy analysis said that unless the corps prioritizes its...

NEW ORLEANS Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu (LAN'-droo) says she's blocked the Senate confirmation for the proposed head of the Army Corps of Engineers so there can be a debate on his role in rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. The Corps has been hammered by critics for installing faulty drainage pumps to protect New Orleans. Landrieu wants government auditors to find out if contracts for the work were subject to improper influence. She also wants to know if New Orleans was in danger, and what the Corps was thinking when it had them installed. The Corps has said that having some pumping...

The city of New Orleans filed a $77 billion damage claim against the Army Corps of Engineers Thursday for flooding that inundated the city when levees failed after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Under the Federal Tort Act, Thursday was the last day residents could file such a claim against the Corps. The claim is a required step before any lawsuit could be brought to recover damages. City Attorney Penya Moses-Fields said uncertainty over which federal statute might govern the city's damage claims against the Corps made it "prudent" to file under the tort act "to preserve the city's claim."...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2007 – The Marine Corps is reaching out to former Marines in its effort to grow the service, the Marine commandant said today. Marine Gen. James Conway said in a media roundtable that the increase of 27,000 Marines by fiscal 2011 will allow Marines to spend more time at home between deployments. He also said the corps will maintain the current quality of recruits. Part of the effort to grow the force is to contact noncommissioned officers who have separated from the service and offer them the option of coming back in. Conway is sending a...

Cpl. Jeffrey T. Christian Marine Returns to Corps to 'Get Some' By Lance Cpl. Nicole A. LaVine, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., Dec. 14, 2006 -- There are countless ways American’s serve their country. Some become doctors or lawyers, while others become teachers and authors. But, for people like Cpl. Jeffrey T. Christian, a more hands-on job is all that can satisfy their needs to serve. Christian, a 35-year-old native of Huntington, W.Va., re-enlisted in the Marine Corps this year, 13 years after his initial enlistment began in September...

Nothing on the planet can see the F-22, much less outfight it. But when the F-35 comes online, the two will literally dominate the skies. The F-35 will be able to see virtually hundreds of airplanes at distances far exceeding the scope of previous fighter systems. Tracking distances are classified, but the new aircraft's sight range is said to be twice that of existing fighters (about 40 miles in every direction for existing aircraft).

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2006 -- The commander of the Army’s 3rd Corps and Fort Hood used the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States as an opportunity to remind his troops -- most of whom have played active roles in the global war on terror -- about the importance of their mission in keeping America safe. Soldiers and first responders at Fort Hood, Texas, drape a large flag over the second story balcony in the east atrium of the 3rd Corps Headquarters building during a Sept. 11 ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the...

For those who may never have served in an elite unit, laughing and singing in the face of death, boasting about wanting to fight and welcoming the sting of battle, might seem like the behavior of disturbed, socially disconnected people. Nothing could be further from the truth.

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan (Aug. 11, 2006) -- The Marine Corps has established a profile on the popular social networking Web site MySpace.com in order to spread interest and boost its recruiting mission, according to officials from Marine Corps Recruiting Command. The Marine Corps recruiting profile features videos, desktop wallpapers and a link that helps visitors contact a recruiter through Marines.com, the Corps' official recruiting Web site. More than 14,500 users have signed up as friends of the Marine Corps on the popular site, which boast 98 million registered users. "The objective of advertising on MySpace.com is to generate awareness...

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- As the leadership of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force changed hands, the departing and incoming commanders said they believe an investigation into accusations that U.S. Marines deliberately shot civilians in Haditha, Iraq, will ultimately strengthen the corps. Lt. Gen. Keith Stalder took command of the Camp Lejeune-based group on Wednesday from Lt. Gen. James Amos, who is headed to the Pentagon to become deputy commandant in charge of combat development. "We don't know the facts on Haditha, let alone what the facts mean at this point," said Stalder. "We do owe it to the American people...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., July 26, 2006 — A 12-year-old from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics exits a commercial flight in Detroit during 1988 and steps foot on U.S. soil for the first time. More than 18 years later, that 12-year-old boy is now walking full stride amongst his brothers-in-arms within the Corps. Lance Cpl. Dennis Greenberg, an administrative clerk with the Group Consolidated Administration Center, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, has led many walks of life that ultimately led him to being an enlisted Marine at Camp Lejeune. “Life is full of challenging journeys and changes,”...

The Death of the Marine Corps. Is it the Old Corps anymore? Is our Corps dead now? Where is the Semper Fidelis that we were taught to uphold and believe in?

It’s a simple concept, requiring only that you: A) Never be hesitant or too embarrassed to express a concern to authorities or share information about something you believe to be unusual or out-of-the-ordinary, no matter how seemingly insignificant that something or suspicious looking someone may be. Don’t fall into the trap of NOT trusting your own senses, or hoping that if you ignore something it will simply go away. B) Commit to educating and conditioning yourself to be aware – be a sensor – at all times. C) Help other family members do the same. So how do we notice,...

Outsiders often view SEALs as supermen. Perhaps they are in the sense of infused commitment to both achieving the objective and never quitting. But ordinary, according to insiders, in the sense that they are just highly trained men doing extraordinary things. “Definitely not Supermen, my classmates particularly,” says Worthington. “One guy, however, could hold his breath five minutes. Another was a two-pack-a-day smoker who still survived BUDS. “BUDS, incidentally, is between your ears. Sure, you have to make times on the O-Course [obstacle course], the four-mile run, etc., but the kid who sticks in there, survives. It’s a mindset of...

"I honestly don’t remember ever being afraid,” Command Sergeant Major Gary L. Littrell (U.S. Army, ret.) says, recalling a fierce four-day, four-night battle he led against a numerically superior enemy force that had surrounded his battalion and was hell-bent on destroying it. “I just remember being very, very angry, because all of sudden — from the first mortar round that killed one of my best friends and seriously wounded several others — there was this nonstop fighting that lasted for days where the enemy was killing my soldiers. The effect it had on me was extreme anger.”

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va., June 7, 2006 – Calling freedom of religion a principal right in "a nation of people from all races and creeds who believe in liberty and freedom," Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England helped the Marine Corps dedicated its first Islamic prayer center here yesterday. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee unveil a plaque to dedicate the new Islamic prayer center at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., June 6. Photo by Lance Cpl. Kara L. Coonrod, USMC  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. England offered his congratulations to the...

AL ASAD, Iraq (May 16, 2006) -- "Generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war, in both hemispheres, and in every corner of the seven seas that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security." These words, written several generations of Marines ago by Lt. Gen. John A. Lejeune, 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, describe with uncanny accuracy the service one proud warrior with Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, has given to his country and Corps over a career spanning 30 years. Sgt. Maj. Abelardo Flores passed his position as Group...

V Corps continues success in Iraq By Spc. James P. Hunter Polish Army Warrant Officer 4th Class Jardseaw Krysinski (right) of the Military Training Team, Multi-National Division - Central South at Camp Echo, Diwaniyah, Iraq, uses lines of dirt and bricks as a map to explain an exercise while training 8th Iraqi Army Division Soldiers on proper cordon and search procedures last month.Senior Airman Jason T. Bailey CAMP VICTORY, Iraq (Army News Service, May 8, 2006) – Since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom more than three years ago, coalition forces have thwarted the regime of Saddam Hussein, battled a...

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2006 – Just as noncommissioned officers and petty officers are the backbone of the U.S. military, they also are increasingly becoming the backbone of NATO, a top U.S. NCO said here today. Marine Sgt. Maj. Alford L. McMichael, senior noncommissioned officer for NATO's Allied Command for Operations, is at the forefront of that effort. He spoke during a conference of service senior enlisted advisors and combatant command senior enlisted leaders meeting at the Pentagon this week. McMichael is a former sergeant major of the Marine Corps. He assumed his current position in September 2003 and is the...

CAMP PENDLETON - He was shot seven times. Then 40 pieces of super-heated shrapnel melted into his flesh. And at three different moments, in nanoseconds laced with adrenaline, confusion, sweat and blood, Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Bradley Kasal took account of his life. Then he decided it would be OK if he died. His decision earned him the Navy Cross on Monday. In November 2004, while serving with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Kasal rushed into a house in Fallujah where Marines were trapped in a small room. They were pinned down by Iraqi insurgents firing into the...

Those young paratroopers were proud. In fact, as proud as any members of any elite military unit I had ever served with or encountered. What bolstered that pride was a committed-to-death blending of nationalism, military tradition, and religious faith that few national armies can match. Though military service is mandatory in Israel, there is an almost spiritual quality to it. There is a reason for that.

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm welcome. Sergeant Major, thanks for the introduction. It's an honor to be here. I've been really looking forward to coming to Twentynine Palms. The General told me that I'm the first President ever to have come. It's an honor to be the first President, but he also reminded me that my mother beat me to the punch. (Laughter.) I want to share some thoughts with you right quick. One, I'm incredibly proud of the United States Marine Corps. (Applause.) You bring honor to our country. You represent the very best of America. You represent...

Despite bombs, boats and rubber bullets, dozens of sea lions are continuing to kill salmon near the Bonneville Dam. This month, biologists are trying one last time to scare off the problem sea lions, but if that doesn't work, they may try to kill them. Sea lions could kill as much as 10 percent of this spring's salmon run and biologists say if they cannot get the problem solved soon, the situation could get ugly. The problem is that the salmon are disappearing. An estimated 8,000 salmon will be lost this spring at Bonneville Dam. "The difficult part about it...

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (March 31, 2006) -- When Hurricane Katrina hit his home town of New Orleans, Pfc. Eric J. Brown, Platoon 2061, Company E, thought he lost his chance, once again, to become a Marine. Brown was originally sent to boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., the training facility designated for most male recruits from east of the Mississippi River and all female recruits. During a medical re-evaluation at Parris Island, it was discovered that after several duck hunting trips without hearing protection, Brown damaged his hearing to a point that was...

ARLINGTON DEPOT, Iraq (Army News Service, March 16, 2006) – After almost three years of hard and dangerous work, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers celebrated the last major demolition under the Coalition Munitions Clearance Program in Iraq. Col. John Rivenburgh, commander of the Huntsville Engineering and Support Center, Dr. John Potter, chief of the Ordnance and Explosives Directorate and Bill Sargent, program manager of the Coalition Munitions Clearance Program recently traveled to Iraq to witness the last major demolition and initiate the next phase of the ordnance destruction work. “The last demo consisted of over 248 tons of stockpiled...

The DNC's mantra that President Bush "misled the nation into war" is losing whatever clout it once had as more and more people become better informed. The massive post-invasion evidence mounts confirming that it was the mainstream media and leading Democrats -- not the Bush Administration -- who lied to the American people on the issue of pre-war ties between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaida terrorists. We now know that during the years before 9/11/01 and the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, over 8,000 terrorists were trained inside Iraq by the Iraqi military.

MARINE CORPS RECRUITING STATION DENVER, Colo. (March 13, 2006) -- It was a perfect day in Denver to build a house for Habitat for Humanity -- assuming your idea of perfect is 12 degrees below zero. The weather factor, however, did not deter the Marines and poolees of Recruiting Substation Metro South, Recruiting Station Denver, who teamed up to build a home in the Denver area as a part of their weekly pool function. “The weather, in fact, made the experience much more memorable and rewarding,” said Staff Sgt. James D. Regan, canvassing recruiter, RSS Metro South. “When one steps...

NEW ORLEANS - A foundation problem — although not the one targeted by earlier studies — caused the 450-foot-long break in a floodwall and levee on New Orleans' western edge when Hurricane Katrina hit, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday. A naturally occurring, 20-foot-thick layer of clay that helped support the floodwall was too weak for the job, according to a report by a Corps task force set up to find out why the levees broke. Had the floodwall and levee held, much of the western half of the city would have escaped flooding. Previous analyses by other...

"...the 21st-century battles for Kandahar and Fallujah were won on wrestling mats and football fields in small towns all over America."

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq (Feb. 18, 2006) -- A Marine from Maryville, Tenn., was recognized here today for his life-saving actions during combat operations in Husaybah, Iraq, last November. Cpl. Neill A. Sevelius, a 21-year-old combat videographer with Regimental Combat Team-2, received the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat “V” for valor for aiding a wounded Marine while under fire. The Combat “V” device is awarded specifically for heroic actions in combat. Sevelius was attached to a Marine infantry company during Operation: Steel Curtain – the Marine and Iraqi Army-led, two-week offensive, in western Al Anbar Province to disrupt insurgent...

U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Glennon Parks Jr. Mailman Sheds Weight, Obtains Age Waiver to Join Corps By Sgt. Scott Whittington 4th Marine Corps District EVANSVILLE, Ind., Feb. 14, 2006 —He already has an eagle on his uniform, but now he’s ready to put that one on hold for another – the eagle, globe and anchor. This 34-year-old, postal worker hung up his mailbag and headed for Parris Island Oct. 12 but not without a few bumps in the road. Glennon Parks Jr., has been a postal worker for the last 15 years. He started at the U.S. Postal Service...

The Northwest Regional Control Center will stabilize and control electricity by Polli Barnes Keller Gulf Region North U.S. Army Corps of Engineers One of many substations that allow monitoring and control of power production and transmission in the Northern Region providing a more stable electrical system. (GRD photo by by Polli Barnes Keller) Mosul, Iraq—There is no totally functioning system in Iraq designed to tie all the elements and control functions of the National Electrical Network together. The Northwest Regional Control Center, or NRCC—a $4.9M system developed to improve the reliability of the country-wide automatic monitoring and control system—is...