Free Republic

Thousands of motorcycles poured into the D.C.-area today for Rolling Thunder, an annual event drawing motorcycle enthusiasts from across the country. The massive collection of motorcycle riders is descending on Washington in memory of the thousands of prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action from the Vietnam War.

KABUL, Afghanistan – Nine NATO service members were killed Thursday in Afghanistan, including seven U.S. troops among eight who died when a powerful bomb exploded in a field where they were patrolling on foot, officials said. Two Afghan policemen also died and two others were wounded in the explosion in the mountainous Shorabak district of Kandahar province, 12 miles from the Pakistan border, said Gen. Abdul Raziq, chief of the Afghan border police in the province. "Two months ago, we cleared this area of terrorists, but still they are active there," Raziq said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast....

Daddy's Poem Her hair was up in a pony tail, her favorite dress tied with a bow. Today was Daddy's Day at school, and she couldn't wait to go. But her mommy tried to tell her, that she probably should stay home Why the kids might not understand, if she went to school alone. But she was not afraid; she knew just what to say. What to tell her classmates of why he wasn't there today. But still her mother worried, for her to face this day alone. And that was why once again, she tried to keep her...

The killing on Friday of an American soldier made April the deadliest month for US forces in Iraq since 2009, according to figures compiled by AFP... The death brought to 11 the number of US troops to have died in Iraq in April... Around 45,000 US soldiers still remain stationed in Iraq... Friday's death also brings to 4,452 the number of American troops to have died in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion...

York, PA - First Lt. Daren Hidalgo, a former Dallastown resident, was killed Sunday near Mama Kiriz, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations, according to the website of the 2nd Cavalry Association and Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations. He was assigned to G Company, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Rose Barracks, Germany. Hidalgo was a 2005 graduate of Dallastown Area High School, according to newspaper archives, and received a U.S. Military Academy appointment to West Point. Phil Bayliss said he and Hidalgo were best friends from the time Hidalgo moved to the York area when they were in fifth grade. Bayliss, now...

Prayer Request > We are asking everyone to say a prayer for "Darkhorse" 3rd > Battalion 5th Marines and their families.  They are > fighting it out in Afghanistan & they have lost 12 > marines in 4 days. > > IT WOULD BE NICE TO SEE the message spread if more could > pass it on. > God Bless America and God Bless the United States Marine > Corps... Semper Fi, > Often Tested, Always Faithful, Brothers Forever: > Justin Allen, 23, > Brett Linley, 29, > Matthew Weikert, 29, > Justus Bartett, 27, > Dave Santos, 21, >...

Marine Sgt. Garrett A. Misener's family will not be able to travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware tonight -- when his body is expected to return to the U.S. -- because of the blizzard that struck the East Coast and forced airlines to cancel flights nationwide. Misener's mother, Janne Zaccagnino, said a five-hour flight from Dover to Memphis will then bring her son home. Misener, a 25-year-old Marine squad leader, died in the early morning hours Monday in Afghanistan, fatally wounded by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Helmand province, according to his family and the...

Vietnam Wall First click on a state. When it opens, scroll down to the city and the names will appear. Then click on their names. It should show you a picture of the person, or at least their bio and medals.

The bodies of nine American soldiers and sailors killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan two days ago have arrived home to a Delaware air base. -excerpt- Among them was Navy Lt. Brendan John Looney, 29, a 2004 graduate of the Naval Academy, where he was an All-American lacrosse player. Since June 2008, he'd been assigned to a Navy SEAL unit based in Coronado, Calif., the Los Angeles Times reported. His comrades considered Looney "a skilled SEAL operator who led and motivated the people around him," the Times quoted a Navy statement as saying. Another Navy man killed was Senior...

<p>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A senior U.S. military official and Afghan officials say the body of a second U.S. sailor who went missing in a dangerous part of eastern Afghanistan has been recovered.</p> <p>The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information, says the family of Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove — a 25-year-old from the Seattle area — has been notified of his death.</p>

Visual artist Kaziah Hancock paints portraits of fallen soldiers free of charge for their families as part of Project Compassion. Video by KARE 11/ Minneapolis/ St. Paul.

Eight American soldiers and two Afghans have been killed in an attack on two outposts in remote eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said on Sunday. A tribal militia launched the attack from a mosque and a nearby village in Nuristan, one of the most dangerous regions of Afghanistan, the U.S. military said in a statement. The Americans and Afghans repelled the attack and "inflicted heavy enemy casualties," the statement said. In the U.S. statement, Col. Randy George described it as "a complex attack in a difficult area." The Taliban claimed responsibility.

...The morning he came back to the Naval Academy was a Wednesday, but it will stick in your memory as the day you heard that Ted Kennedy had died and the week when you learned that someone might have killed Michael Jackson. The politician and the entertainer of their generations, they were lionized by many and scorned by some. One pleaded guilty, the other was found innocent. But they each died with an indelible asterisk, a footnote to their legacies that time will not erase. Matt Freeman died clean....

As we said before, please do not buy a new car until the end of November — inventories are so low, you’re not likely find the color and features you want and you will most likely over pay. If you must buy a car now, both Hyundai and Kia are the first car manufacturers to offer big incentives after the ”clunkers’ program ended. While KIA offers the better deals, you’ll still likely save more if you can’t wait until the end of November for supply to catch back up to levels where deals abound.

Hailed as a jump-start for the U.S. economy, the federal government's "cash for clunkers" gave the biggest boost to foreign automakers. Overall, auto sales in August were the highest in more than a year, according to industry figures released Tuesday. Carmakers sold more than 1.2 million cars and trucks, up 1% from the same month last year and the first year-over-year sales gain since August 2007. Much of that was a result of the clunkers program, which ran July 24 to Aug. 24 and provided hefty government rebates to consumers who traded in gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient new vehicles....

Speicher Search Details Announced Story Number: NNS090807-14 Release Date: 8/7/2009 4:11:00 PM From the Department of Defense WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy announced Aug. 7 additional details regarding the recent discovery of the remains of Navy Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher in Iraq. Speicher was shot down flying a combat mission in an F/A-18 Hornet over west-central Iraq Jan. 17, 1991, during Operation Desert Storm. Acting in part on information provided by an Iraqi citizen in early July, Multi National Force–West's (MNF-W) personnel recovery team went to a location in the desert which was believed to be the crash site of...

<p>WASHINGTON (Aug. 2) - Navy pilot Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher was shot down over the Iraq desert on the first night of the Gulf War in 1991 and it was there he apparently was buried by Bedouins, hidden in the sand from the world's mightiest military all these years.</p>

It's the worst year in history for the industry: Two Detroit companies went bankrupt, and even the Japanese are losing money. But nothing stops those Koreans. Hyundai and Kia are expanding their lineups, a new Kia plant is to open in Georgia, and they are setting most ambitious goals. Their cars may not be the best, but they are improving--many get on the "recommended" list in Consumers Reports--and they are getting major help from the home country's weak currency. The two are connected under the name Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. Hyundai is larger and owns a 39% controlling stake in...

I got this video today on the Facebook group: Let's find over 1,000,000 supporters of the U.S. Marine Corps It will touch your heart...I know it has mine. Thank God for USMC LC Seth Sharp and all like him who understand the cost and worth of liberty. God rest his soul and God comfort and bless his family, loved ones, and friends...may they be sure in the knowledge of a glorious resurrection and reuniting with this fallen hero. Video of USMC LC Seth Sharp Motorcade July 10, 2009 - Adairsville, GA, KIA Afghanistan July 2, 2009.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ii4j7Y-SOs

Kia Motors has hired almost 700 workers for its west Georgia factory, which is scheduled to go into production in December Kia’s human resources manager, Randy Jackson, told the Troup County Coalition on Monday that the South Korea-based automaker had just added 90 more employees. The assembly plant expects to have 1,000 to 1,200 workers when it starts production and 2,500 making 300,000 cars per year by the end of 2010. The new generation Sorento will be the first model in West Point, and a small number of test vehicles have been built since April. Jackson says suppliers will add...