Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2007 – When people ask him why the U.S. military should be helping Iraq establish a free and stable society, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Jeremy M. de Vries cites how France helped the American colonies gain their independence from Great Britain during the Revolutionary War. De Vries is one of eight servicemembers who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa who have been speaking to American community groups and businesses across the nation as part of the Defense Department’s “Why We Serve” public-outreach program. “If it wasn’t for the French support, with supplies and...

WASHINGTON - Overwhelming numbers of Iraqis say the U.S. troop buildup has worsened security and the prospects for economic and political progress in their country, according to a poll released Monday that provides a strikingly bleak appraisal of the war. Forty-seven percent want American forces and their coalition allies to leave the country immediately, the survey showed, 12 points more than said so in a March poll as the troop increase was beginning. And 57 percent — including nearly all Sunnis and half of Shiites — said they consider attacks on coalition forces acceptable, a slight increase over the past...

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2007 – In the month after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Mike Talleda was searching for a way to help the country and motivate others to do the same. His answer was the “9-11 HelpAmerica Foundation.” “The 9-11 HelpAmerica Foundation’s mission is to recognize and support the families of … fallen and wounded warriors,” Talleda, the foundation’s president, said. “(It’s) huge for families to know that people have not forgotten their sacrifice.” For the past six years, the foundation has focused on providing monthly financial support to wounded servicemembers and families of the fallen. That support...

Riding horses is part of the wild west charm of Southern Arizona. But, for some local veterans, it's a way to get back in the saddle of life. It's been a long, hard ride for retired Navy Airman, Rene Suarez. "I have arthritis in every joint in my body pretty much." This time last year, he needed a cane just to walk. Now, thanks to weekly visits to Therapeutic Riding of Tucson, he no longer needs that cane. Rene credits rides on Bisbee (the horse) for helping him gain strength, by stretching his legs and using muscles he wouldn't normally...

BAGHDAD — Iraqis in the country’s north, fed up with ongoing violence, are leading U.S. and Iraqi forces to some of the largest weapons and bombs caches found in the region to date, the commander of Multi-National Division-North told Pentagon reporters Friday. This comes as U.S. troops in that area are handing off most counterinsurgency missions to Iraqi forces. This allows U.S. forces to focus on killing or capturing those who finance, make and emplace IEDs, said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of MND-N and the 25th Infantry Division. So far this year, his forces have nearly doubled...

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2007 – Iraqis in the country’s north, fed up with ongoing violence, are leading U.S. and Iraqi forces to some of the largest weapons and bombs caches found in the region to date, the commander of Multinational Division North told Pentagon reporters today. This comes as U.S. troops in that area are handing off most counterinsurgency missions to Iraqi forces, allowing U.S. troops to focus on killing or capturing those who finance, make and emplace the deadly improvised explosive devices, said Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of Multinational Division North and the 25th Infantry Division....

RAWAH, Iraq (March 7, 2007) -- In a town set on the Euphrates River, 150 miles northwest of Baghdad, two Marines stood calmly as a group of local Iraqi men surrounded them. Although Marines from the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion had posted security up and down the street in the city of roughly 30,000 people, ready for any situation, Maj. Sean Quinlan’s hands weren’t anywhere near his own weapon. Instead, his hands were gripping those of the elderly men around him in friendly greeting. Mostly former school teachers, the Iraqi’s told Quinlan, the commanding officer for...

ANALOGY WARNING: I have been told by those closest to me that when I try to wind up a lengthy analogy, sometimes I miss the mark. That said, I am going to try to equate the Governor's behavior with California Democrats to a football game. Wish me luck: Imagine that we are all on the same football team, and that is the middle of an important game. We're all on the field, intent on scoring an important touchdown. Suddenly, our quarterback, who without doubt is our leader out there on the field, receives the ball, and to the amazement of...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2007 – Sometimes all it takes for a wounded veteran to begin healing is being surrounded by family and friends. That’s the premise on which the Minnesota-based Veterans Airlift Command was founded. Walter Fricke, founder of the nonprofit organization and a former Army aviator, knows having family and friends nearby can aide a wounded vet’s recovery. “I was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, and I was wounded while flying a helicopter,” he said. Fricke said he spent about six months in a military hospital with 700 miles separating him from his family. It was only after...

DAMASCUS, Syria - As the U.S. debates whether to reach out to Syria for help in calming Iraq, some close to the Syrian regime say the country would be willing to help, but only if it got something valuable in return. Syria certainly is interested in political dialogue with the West and wants talks with Washington, many here say. But the regime of President Bashar Assad will want, in return, help on issues it cares deeply about — such as a return of the Golan Heights, the strategic plateau Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War. The regime itself has...

Spc. Carrielynn Spillis (left) of Toledo, Ohio, a medic with Company C, 210th Brigade Support Battalion attached to 4-31, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, examines a young Iraqi girl. Spc. Chris McCann, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs. RUSHDI MULLA -- The first few were hesitant, coming in by ones and twos, but soon the floodgates opened and the citizens here came from all over town to receive medical care for a variety of ailments Oct. 19 at a Multi-National Division - Baghdad medical operation. The Soldiers of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division,...

SIERRA VISTA — Many wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan know what it is to be disabled, Col. Greg Rose told an audience attending a Sierra Vista Commission on Disability Issues. The Intelligence Center’s deputy commander for training had an audience who knew about being disabled, as some at the Wednesday luncheon suffered from a variety of maladies. But, like returning wounded GIs, who Rose called “Wounded Warriors,” those sitting in wheelchairs or who were sight-impaired, know that the spirit of overcoming a personal problem will be done by the soldiers. The horrific wounds soldiers and other members of...

Pakistan denies helping terrorists (Filed: 28/09/2006) Seeking to defuse a row, Tony Blair has reassured Pakistan's leader that the leaked document accusing Pakistan's secret service of backing Islamist extremism did not reflect the view of the British government. Mr Blair's conciliatory words followed the leak of a report prepared for the Ministry of Defence that said Pakistan's powerful secret service was aiding terrorist groups through its support for religious organisations. Pakistan has been accused of helping Taliban fighters Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf said before talks with Blair today that he planned to protest over the British think-tank report alleging that...

Edmay Mayers’ heart was touched by the children and the teachers at Al Diwaniyah Kindergarten. For Edmay Mayers the desire to volunteer for service in Iraq was the same as it was for many Americans - she wanted to do her part to support her country in the Global War on Terrorism. Once in Iraq however, she felt her heart open to the victims of war, especially those too young to have been anything but pawns of the previous regime. Mayers has been in Iraq for more than nine months of her one-year tour. She has traveled all over the...

An Iraqi boy looks up to Sgt. Michael D. Grant in his house Husayba, Iraq, during Operation Rubicon. Department of Defense photo. HUSAYBA -- Marines in this western border town say that if there is no other reason why they are in Iraq it is that they are here for the kids. Stopping through during Operation Rubicon, Marines assigned to the 2nd Marine Regiment met with neighborhood kids in this small city near the border with Syria to show them there is a bright future for Iraq. With the water treatment facility in the town damaged by insurgents, the Marines...

RADWANIYAH — As efforts continue to return normalcy to Iraqi citizens around the country, security often takes center stage. However, ensuring safety is only one part of delivering Iraq from decades of repression and stagnation under Saddam Hussein. Coalition forces are also working to empower Iraqis to take part in the economic restoration of their country. On Sept. 2, Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers and local Iraqi staff celebrated the grand opening of the al-Bashair Center for Micro-Finance at the Radwaniyah Civil Military Operations Center. The center’s opening was the culmination of an 11-month project under the combined efforts of...

Helping Iraqi Youth a Rewarding Experience   By Norris Jones Gulf Region Central District US Army Corps of Engineer BAGHDAD, Aug. 24, 2006 -- Bettering the lives of Iraqi youngsters is what Peter Debski says is the best part of his job. He’s been involved in overseeing millions of dollars of reconstruction work in and around Baghdad over the past 10 months including new water and sewer networks, electrical distribution projects, police and fire stations, and primary healthcare centers. But he says “renovating two youth centers and four schools were definitely the most personally rewarding projects, seeing the joy...

BAGHDAD, Aug. 11, 2006 -- Bettering the lives of Iraqi youngsters is what Peter Debski says is the best part of his job. Project engineer Peter Debski poses for a photo with local children at a youth center in Baghdad’s Kadamiyah district in February. Debski said renovating the facility is one of the most fulfilling things he’s done in his career. Photo by Norris Jones  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. He’s been involved in overseeing millions of dollars of reconstruction work in and around Baghdad over the past 10 months, including new water and sewer networks, electrical distribution...

U.S. Army Capt. Demechel Robinson Supply Officer Enjoys Helping People By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nikki Prodromos 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment TIKRIT, Iraq, July 25, 2006 -- U.S. Army Capt. Demechel Robinson likes helping people. From her job as the assistant S-4 of Operations, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division to her involvement in many charitable organizations, she spends most of her time giving something back. Robinson helps bring the 3rd Brigade Combat Team troops on the ground their medical supplies, water, food, ammunition, and other necessities by providing an accurate and continuous picture of the brigadeÂ’s...

Lt. j.g. Alfred Nuzzolo mingles with school children in Iraq during his recent seven-month deployment. Nuzzolo helped local Iraqis rebuild a training base that had been damaged during the global war on terrorism. Courtesy Photo U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Alfred Nuzzolo Engineer Returns from Helping Rebuild Iraq By Pat FisherMarine Corps Logistics Base MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE ALBANY, Ga., July 21, 2006 -- A Navy engineer assigned to the Resident Officer in Charge of Construction office here recently returned from a seven-month deployment to Iraq to help rebuild an Iraqi training base. Lt. j.g. Alfred Nuzzolo, assistant resident in...