Free Republic

Six year-old Michael surprised his US Marine father. Michael walked to his dad for the first time when his father returned home from war. Absolutely wonderful. (Warning: You may need a Kleenex for this one!)

His name was Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Wilson - although I did not know it when his life brushed mine on March 25 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Lance Cpl. Wilson was not there in the terminal that afternoon; at age 24 and newly married, he had been killed in Afghanistan on March 22 by a roadside bomb. A coincidence of overbooked flights led our lives to intersect for perhaps an hour, one I will never forget. I did not meet his family that day at the airport, either, although we were there together that evening at the gate,...

Early last month, Army Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo (left) issued General Order #1 as a means of informing those assigned to his Multi-National Division North (a.k.a., "Task Force Marne") that becoming pregnant -- or assisting in the effort -- is one of several types of conduct deemed "prejudicial to the maintenance of good order and discipline" among members of the 22,000-strong task force headquartered in Tikrit, Iraq. In fact, it ranks alongside alcohol, drugs, guns and similar vices on the general's list of prohibited activities.

Car bombs exploded amid busy streets and official buildings in Baghdad this morning, killing at least 127 people and wounding 450 more, in the latest assault on the Iraqi government by militants, according to police officials.

If this works, I finally figured it out). I am so not good with computers.

Kyle Anderson, a Marine who was injured in Iraq in 2004, received a $10,000 grant from a citizens group designed to show appreciation for military members and their families. The grant, awarded Tuesday, was the largest monetary amount the Minnesotans' Military Appreciation Fund has handed out. The money will go toward reading materials and other resources for Anderson's recovery. Anderson, a former state high school wrestling champion, was injured in October 2004 while on duty in Iraq. Shrapnel from an explosive device penetrated his helmet, crushing the back of his skull and injuring the left side of his brain. Now,...