Free Republic

Americans are tired of war. For the 17 members of Congress who served in Iraq, that means watching helplessly as the cities they fought for fall once more to extremists. Militants believed to be associated with al-Qaida overtook Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, on Tuesday. The group then seized Tikrit, hometown of former President Saddam Hussein, on Wednesday.

Once again we are being treated to sensationalized accounts of returning Veterans that may run afoul of the law. Just like during the Viet Nam era, the media spares no effort at informing us when a Veteran may have crossed the line. As a Fox News fan I thought they would prove their motto of “Fair and Balanced” by rising above this or at least balancing reports with articles of good that returning Veterans also may do. I guess I am wrong. Clicking on the Fox News Home Page this morning, in their Latest News section, on the lower right,...

For too many years now, socialist whiners masquerading as your granddaddy’s Democrats have been maligning our troops in battle in what I will call a traitorous fashion, all the while screaming at the top of their lungs, “but, we support our troops!” (snip) As a result, 17 true modern American heroes have returned from duty in Iraq only to take their fight for America’s future to the halls of congress. (snip) But what positive action are they [conservatives] taking to insure that America moves in the right direction this fall, instead of allowing the worst candidates in American history to...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon said Wednesday it has created a new Web site to help veterans who face difficulty returning to their old jobs or finding new ones after deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Michael Dominguez, principal deputy under secretary of Defense, said the program, dubbed TurboTAP, seeks to improve on its current Transition Assistance Program by letting National Guard and Reserve servicemembers get job information, build a resume online and do a job search all in one place. In addition, veterans would be able to create a customized transition plan from military to civilian life. They also would...

Subject: Commander 18th MP Brigade Observations From a 12-Month Tour A great after action report by the Commander, 18th MP Brigade in Iraq. Camp Victory, Iraq 4 November 2005 It is my last night in Iraq. Tomorrow night I will begin the long journey home as we depart BIAP and fly to Kuwait and then fly on to our homes in Germany at 0300 the next day. Cindy has forwarded me a lot of your discussions of strategy in Iraq, discussions about Nate Sassman, the media and questions about the way ahead. I just wanted to share with you some...

The below was faxed to Pennsylvania's John Murtha by a disability retired Vietnam vet (me) who has noticed that the Viet Vets who have done REALLY WELL in politics since the Vietnam War are the ones who sucked up to the same liberalism which defeated the Vietnam War effort ... John Murtha, John Kerrey, Bob Kerry, John McCain, Max Cleland . . . and more lately, Marine Iraq veteran Paul Hackett from Ohio who called President Bush an "S.O.B." He'll be running for the Ohio Congress as a John Kerrey anti-war "hero," Lord unwilling. Fax sent in CAPS DEAR REPRESENTATIVE...

Take a look at a fascinating Web site called Operation Truth (http://www.optruth.org), which was recently started by a group of military veterans to present the views of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group pledges to educate the American public about the wars in both those countries from the perspective of soldiers who have served there, especially when "political approaches to military operations" cause problems on the front lines. It also offers soldiers' perspectives on issues that affect the troops, from the role of private contractors in military operations, to the efforts to cut combat pay and the closing of...