Free Republic

My son just recently returned from Iraq. His screen name is hollywoodusmc. He's looking at this post now so please welcome him. Thanks all.---optiguy

The youngest soldier to win the George Cross has criticised Gordon Brown for ‘betraying’ the Armed Forces and revealed he now works in a call centre, selling insurance. ‘My medal says I am a hero of the Iraqi conflict, a man of extraordinary valour and strength of character,’ says Chris Finney. ‘But now I work in a call centre. My life has gone from one extreme to the other.’ At 18, he won Britain’s highest civil accolade for rescuing a wounded comrade from a burning Scimitar armoured vehicle. If his courage had been in response to an attack by the...

As a Democrat in a very red state, Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick knew from the day he was elected that he would have a hard time holding on to his seat in 2010. But there's also an interesting tale to be told about just which candidate the Republicans will put up to run against Minnick. Political blogger Randy Stapilus has the story about how Ken Roberts, the majority leader of the Idaho House, has racked up a slew of statehouse endorsements and is well-plugged into the Idaho GOP establishment - but now looks like he could get swamped by newcomer...

Despite court prodding and changes in state election laws, 16 Virginia localities have failed to meet a deadline to allow absentee ballots of military personnel serving overseas to be counted on time. Nancy Rodriques, secretary of the State Board of Elections, said she did not know how many ballots will not be counted. The local election districts include the cities of Richmond, Colonial Heights and Williamsburg as well as Caroline County. "Words cannot express my disappointment in our commonwealth," said Rusty McGuire of Hanover County, chairman of the Iraqi Freedom Veterans Plate Project and deputy commonwealth's attorney in Louisa County....

CHICAGO (CBS) ― They serve on the front lines only to come home to the unemployment line. National statistics show the jobless rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is skyrocketing. CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports with what's being done to change them. A few hundred veterans showed up to a "Recruit Military" job fair at The University of Illinois Chicago Thursday. Those just returning from war were especially appreciative. "It's difficult. I'm married. I have two kids," said 23-year-old Marine Reservist Corporal James Dillingham. Afghanistan veteran Javier Sandoval, 22, says it's difficult to go from having a steady job to...

MUNCIE, Ind. -- A 21-year-old military veteran fatally shot himself inside a central Indiana movie theater shortly after he argued with employees over being asked to produce ID to see an R-rated film, police said. Muncie police said no one else was hurt at the theater, including the man's two brothers, a friend and eight others attending the horror comedy "Zombieland."

An Iraq war veteran died after receiving cancerous lungs from a heavy smoker in a transplant. Matthew Millington, 31, a corporal in the Queen’s Royal Lancers, had the operation to save him from an incurable respiratory condition. But the organs were from a donor who was believed to have smoked 30 to 50 roll-up cigarettes a day. A tumour was found after the transplant, and its growth was accelerated by the drugs that Mr Millington took to prevent his body rejecting the organs. Because he was a cancer patient, he was not allowed to receive a further pair of lungs,...

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Sept. 22, 2009) — The Missouri National Guard will host two events near the Lake of the Ozarks that are designed to assist and recognize soldiers who recently returned from supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. About 100 soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 106th Assault Helicopter Battalion, of Fort Leonard Wood, and Detachment 3, 1st Battalion, 185th Theater Aviation Company, of Springfield, are expected to attend the Yellow Ribbon and Freedom Salute programs on Oct. 3 and 4 at Tan-Tar-A Resort. Yellow Ribbon is a reintegration program for soldiers returning from a long deployment. As part of the...

Frank Wilborn served his country during wartime and lived to tell about it. But he couldn’t survive the war back home in Paterson. Wilborn, a recently discharged U.S. Navy veteran, was shot to death Saturday morning when two men burst through the door of an apartment on Ryle Avenue. First, they took his money. Then, they took his life, pumping two shots into his chest as his girlfriend watched in horror, police said. After being hit, Wilborn "was either thrown out or jumped out the window," said Lt. Det. Ronald Humphrey, a Paterson police spokesman. After hitting the pavement, he...

Gov Palin skipped the Values Voter Summit since her son Track is back from Iraq this weekend....

We all knew he was due to return soon...but now we now for sure when he will be arriving back home! Meg Stapleton issued the following statement: "The Palins are expecting the return of eldest son Track this weekend from a yearlong deployment with an Army combat brigade in Iraq," etc..

Thane Thompson – 9/11 survivor, Morgan Stanley employee, and Iraq veteran – wrote a first hand account just after his experience on Sept. 11, 2001 in Tower 2. It’s an appropriate read this morning. Never forget.

Russell Speaks at Tea Party Express EventCalls on Citizens to “Guard This Nation”September 9, 2009 (JOHNSTOWN, PA) – Republican 12th Congressional district candidate William Russell called on citizens to “Guard this nation” in a speech to a large crowd gathered at Johnstown’s Central Park Wednesday evening, as part of the National Tea Party Express. Crossing the nation and calling on all Americans to oppose the out-of-control spending, higher taxes, bailouts and growth in the size of government, the Tea Party Express is expected to draw hundreds of thousands to the final stop in Washington DC on Saturday. The following is...

MONTPELIER — Democratic Vermont Auditor Tom Salmon is switching parties to the GOP. Salmon announced his plans today, saying he is frustrated with the Democrats’ handling of the budget, and says the party has moved too far to the left. Salmon says he plans to run for auditor next year, but says if Republican Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie does not run for governor, there’s a very slim chance he might. Salmon says he’s been considering switching parties for some time and says the Republican party is the closest to accepting the realities of the times. He says when he returned...

No one reads about the long snapper until he flubs the snap on a critical field-goal attempt or sails one over the punter’s head in a tight game. If the starting snapper is obscure, that makes the third-teamer nearly invisible. But South Carolina’s Matthew Grooms has a story that goes beyond football. It started on a dirt road in Marlboro County, wound through the deserts of Kuwait and included a stop on the new sod at N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium, where Thursday night the 26-year-old walk-on and Iraqi War veteran stood on the sidelines for the Gamecocks’ opener. Grooms made...

In a breaking story, The Louisiana Weekly and Bayoubuzz.com have learned that the hero of Hurricane recovery, General Russell Honore is seriously considering entering the Republican Primary for the U.S. Senate seat against incumbent David Vitter. Honore, a Republican since the Reagan Administration and a registered Louisiana voter from his Zachary home, has spoken to friends and supporters in the last two weeks signaling that he is, according to one, "more than 50% sure that he will run." The news comes mere hours after Third District Congressman Charlie Melancon announced his firm intention to be the Democratic challenger to David...

Retired Lt.General Russell Honore is considering running in a primary race against Senator David Vitter (R – Louisiana).

28 year old Jesse Kelly of Tucson Ariz., a Republican seeking to boot Democrat Gabrielle Giffords from the U.S. House of Representatives. "If you're not going to get anyone's attention, you might as well not waste your time or money." “I'm tired of President Obama and the liberals who control Congress insulting us, calling us racist, and calling us a mob. I'm tired of their double-talk. I'm tired of their bait-and-switch shell games. I'm tired of being avoided by my public servants. They have forgotten that they work for us. ... “ Ronald Reagan once famously said, "Freedom is never...

"Send a warrior to Congress." "Does this look like a Rino?" In the battleground of American political power, candidates for office tend to use every weapon at their disposal to be heard above the din. Now, a U.S. Marine who helped lead the initial charge into Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein is taking that approach literally by brandishing his M-16 assault rifle in some eye-catching campaign fundraising ads. "I'm taking full credit for that," says 28-year old Jesse Kelly of Tucson, Ariz., a Republican seeking to boot Democrat Gabrielle Giffords from the U.S. House of Representatives. "If you're not going...

This is required watching. We all need to step up like this young man.

VILSECK, Germany — A manhunt is under way for a U.S. Special Forces soldier who fled after being convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a German woman. Sgt. 1st Class Kelly A. Stewart — who was found guilty of multiple charges including kidnapping, forcible sodomy and aggravated sexual assault of a woman in an August 2008 incident — was last seen early Thursday morning by his escort at an on-post hotel. Stewart, 36, is an Iraq war veteran who trains fellow Special Forces soldiers at the International Special Training Center in Pfullendorf. “He’s an angry animal and not a human,”...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Soldiers from an Army unit that had 10 infantrymen accused of murder, attempted murder or manslaughter after returning to civilian life described a breakdown in discipline during their Iraq deployment in which troops murdered civilians, a newspaper reported Sunday. Some Fort Carson, Colo.-based soldiers have had trouble adjusting to life back in the United States, saying they refused to seek help, or were belittled or punished for seeking help. Others say they were ignored by their commanders, or coped through drug and alcohol abuse before they allegedly committed crimes, The Gazette of Colorado Springs said.

Vargas to challenge Hastert in the 14th Illinois Review - 23 July 2009 [This article was syndicated via RSS from Illinois Review. The views represented do not necessarily represent those of the Chicago Daily Observer.] A 27 year old graduate of Elgin's Judson College is close to announcing his intention to run in the 14th CD, taking on attorney Ethan Hastert for the Republican bid to regain Congressman Bill Foster's seat back from the Democrats. Mark Vargas , who grew up in St. Charles, has been working for the past few years in Iraq for Defense Secretary William Gates....

CHULA VISTA, Calif., July 22, 2009 – Army Sgt. Jerrod Fields hasn’t just learned to adapt as an amputee since hitting a roadside bomb in Iraq. He is on his way to becoming a record-holding sprinter. Army Sgt. Jerrod Fields, an Army World Class Athlete Program sprinter and Paralympic hopeful, works out at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. A below-the-knee amputee, Fields won a gold medal in the 100 meters with a time of 12.15 seconds at the Endeavor Games in Edmond, Okla., on June 13, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Tim Hipps  (Click photo for screen-resolution...

Reporting from Spokane, Wash. -- Cpl. Anthony Alegre's unit knew the Humvees they drove through the streets of Ramadi, Iraq, were woefully under-armored. They stuffed sandbags in the doors, but when roadside bombs turned the sand into shrapnel, they began wedging pieces of metal and wood around their seats. No use. The car bomb that hit Alegre's patrol on May 29, 2004, killed three of his fellow Marines and left four pieces of metal in his brain. No one expected the 20-year-old infantryman to survive. The doctor in the Baghdad hospital, unequipped to reattach a piece of his skull that...

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2009 – When Army Staff Sgt. John Bennett got shot by a sniper in Iraq in February 2005, his dreams of competition crumbled along with three vertebrae. Steve McGuire, a now-retired Navy petty officer second class disabled by a motorcycle accident after returning from an Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment, said the National Veterans Wheelchair Games give him an opportunity to share with and learn from other disabled veterans. Photo courtesy of VA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Looking back over that day in Hawijah, Iraq, the Montana Army National Guardsman feared he’d lost far more than...

ESCONDIDO ---�“ Ryan Kahlor, an injured Iraq War veteran, said he knew some volunteers were coming to help paint his Escondido home Saturday morning, but he had envisioned a "couple of guys with spray guns." When nearly 50 people descended on the U.S. Army sergeant's house, he was overwhelmed.

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) - Daniel Nichols, who accidentally ran over his 5-year-old son while the boy lay sleeping in a tent, says the state is threatening to take away his children. A Muskegon County Department of Human Services worker visited Nichols' wife Thursday at the hospital, where his son is recovering, and told her a campground was no place for children to live, Nichols told 24 Hour News 8. "She went to the hospital and told my wife that she doesn't think it's acceptable for us to be staying in the campground, which we weren't staying in the campground, we...

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq, June 29, 2009 – Six wounded soldiers, all amputees, returned here last week hoping to close the door on the combat that changed them forever. Left to right; U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Brown, retired Staff Sgt. Bradley Gruetzner, and Sgt. Christopher A. Burrell, soldiers wounded in combat while deployed to Iraq, walk through “Hero’s Highway” at Air Force Theater Hospital before returning to Camp Victory after a visit to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, June 25, 2009. Brown, Gruetner, Burrell, and four other soldiers had the opportunity to return to Iraq and to visit the places they...

KEYSER, W.Va. — More than two years since leaving her prison cell, the woman who became the grinning face of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal spends most of her days confined to the four walls of her home. Former Army reservist Lynndie England hasn't landed a job in numerous tries: When one restaurant manager considered hiring her, other employees threatened to quit. She doesn't like to travel: Strangers point and whisper, "That's her!" In fact, she doesn't leave the house much at all, limiting her outings mostly to grocery runs.

Duncan Hunter, a retired Republican who once chaired the Armed Services Committee, has decided that Iraq War veterans are the perfect candidates to revive the Republican Party in 2010. Hunter -- a Vietnam War vet who briefly sought the 2008 Republican presidential nomination -- is already backing two such candidates as they launch challenges to two of the more junior members of the House Democratic majority: Jesse Kelly, who wants to take on two-term incumbent Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona's 8th District, and Vaughn Ward, whose target in Idaho's 1st District is freshman Democrat Walt Minnick. Hunter will be attending a...

No direct impact caused Paul McQuigg’s brain injury in Iraq three years ago. And no wound from the incident visibly explains why Mr. McQuigg, now an office manager at a California Marine base, can get lost in his own neighborhood or arrive at the grocery store having forgotten why he left home. But his blast injury — concussive brain trauma caused by an explosion’s invisible force waves — is no less real to him than a missing limb is to other veterans. Just how real could become clearer after he dies, when doctors slice up his brain to examine any...

Staff Sgt. Bradley K. Gruetzner explains his prosthetic arm to servicemembers at Al-Faw Palace here on Camp Victory, June 21. Photo by Sgt. Kathleen Briere, Multi-National Corps – Iraq. BAGHDAD — Six amputee combat veterans put their uniforms back on and returned to Iraq recently for the first time since sustaining their injuries in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In the rotunda of the Al Faw Palace here on Camp Victory, they introduced themselves to hundreds of their brothers and sisters in arms in support of yet another operation, Operation Proper Exit. Operation Proper Exit is a pilot program being...

Even when half your skull is missing, life goes on. For ex-soldier Erik Castillo, gravely wounded by mortar fire in Iraq in 2004, life is going better than expected. Five years have passed since he woke up drooling and paralyzed in an Army hospital with a coconut-sized hole in his cranium — an injury from which doctors said he would never fully recover. The road back to some sort of normalcy has been rife with pain and indignity. He's been stared at by strangers, coped with countless surgeries and infections, and battled rage, self-pity and depression. Through it all, he...

Lt. Col. Allen West is one of today’s most admired veterans, leaders and speakers. His speech is a direct reflection of his philosophy, leaving no one in question as to where he stands. We hope to create here, a home where excerpts from his great speeches can be easily accessed by all who care to hear words of clarity from a great patriot. Bookmark this site and/or hit the subscribe button and each week you will receive at no charge his latest podcast. What a better way to end a news week than with the uplifting conservative commentary of Allen...

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2009 – Many cheering and excited Virginians lined the route of the “Ride 2 Recovery” Memorial Challenge bicycle ride, in which 35 wounded warriors took part last month. Cyclists pose with actor Gary Sinise at the National Memorial Parade in Washington, D.C., May 25, 2009, before Virginia's "Ride 2 Recovery" Memorial Challenge bicycle ride. Fifty cyclists, including 35 wounded warriors, participated in the six-day, 350-mile bicycle ride across Virginia. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. This is the second year the ride was held in Virginia. “The event was very successful,” said John Wordin,...

Star Enterprize personnel examine ductile pipes before moving them from the GRD Loyalty Residence Office in Baghdad to Victory Base Compound, recently. GRD awarded its first veteran-owned contract to Star Enterprize in April. Photo courtesy of Star Enterprize. BAGHDAD — Over the past five years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Gulf Region Division (GRD) has embarked on a dedicated campaign that has enabled many “firsts� for the Iraqi people. Across the region, GRD personnel have worked tirelessly on projects that in many cases allow Iraqis to enjoy the benefits of running water and electricity for the first time....

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2009 – A soldier who was wounded in Iraq is looking for closure for his injuries and a new starting point for his life this week as part of a team attempting to scale North America’s highest peak. Army Spc. Dave Shebib is among four wounded warriors attempting to summit Mt. McKinley, also known as Denali, in Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve, June 1, 2009. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Spc. David Shebib -- along with three other wounded veterans, two peer mentors and a guide -- set out June 1...

As the nation once again honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country, the Veterans of Foreign Wars is struggling to recruit a new generation of warriors returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Newsmax.TV's Kathleen Walter takes a look at what VFW members are doing to ensure the organization survives for decades to come.

Murtha Rival Says Congressman's Top Aide Threatened to Have Him Court-Martialed Bill Russell, an Iraq war veteran who served with the Army, says Rep. John Murtha's chief of staff threatened to have him court-martialed when he ran against the Democratic congressman in 2008. By Judson Berger FOXNews.com Wednesday, May 13, 2009 Talk about hardball politics. Rep. John Murtha's opponent in the 2008 election claims the Pennsylvania congressman's chief of staff has threatened to have him recalled to active duty and court-martialed for campaigning while in the military, which is in violation of military code. Bill Russell, an Iraq war veteran...

A soldier injured in a rocket attack in Iraq finally completed the London Marathon today – in 13 days, two hours and 50 minutes. Major Phil Packer has been walking the course on crutches, two miles at a time, every day since the race started on April 26. The 36-year-old was told he would not walk again after the blast in Basra last February. But he has proved doctors wrong after working with staff at Headley Court, the MoD’s rehabilitation centre in Surrey. Crossing the finishing line in The Mall, Major Packer was greeted by well-wishers and awarded his medal...

"A soldier who lost the use of both of his legs in Iraq is today celebrating reaching the half way stage of the London Marathon, despite the race finishing last week. Major Phil Packer, 36, suffered catastrophic injures during a rocket attack in Basra, but is determined to complete the arduous marathon on crutches, and is notching up two miles per day."

SAN ANTONIO — Sgt. Darron Mikeworth's first glimpse in the mirror was largely a blur. He'd just come out of a drug-induced coma three weeks after a bomber blew up his Humvee in Iraq. Mikeworth awoke in a bed at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. He was relieved he still had his arms, legs and ears. But his face was in bad shape, and his left eye was useless. His nose was mostly gone. His top right lip was curled into a snarl, his right jaw was torn and his bottom teeth were wired...

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), lifelong wounds, external and internal, are all real. Thousands of veterans have returned severely wounded and will need daily support for the rest of their lives. It is our country’s duty to care for them and provide them the very best. But, in addition to supplying them the best medical benefits possible, we owe it to these veterans to portray them as the heroes they are and ensure they are honored and accepted -- not feared or scorned -- when they return from the battlefield. These men and women -- wounded or not -- are the...

Janet Napolitano continues to thrash around for any rationalization she can find for the DHS report that painted political organizing on abortion, federalism, and immigration as potential national-security threats and called returining military vets a danger to the country they served. Yesterday on CNN, Napolitano tried explaining that the DHS doesn’t see these vets as threats. The DHS sees them as saps who don’t know any better than to fall into extremist traps: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Sunday portrayed veterans as victims – not perpetrators – of right-wing extremism as she sought to combat the political controversy arising...

he head of homeland security said Sunday she regrets that some people took offense over a report warning that right-wing extremist groups were trying to recruit disgruntled troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. But Secretary Janet Napolitano added that "a number of groups far too numerous to mention" want to commit domestic terrorism attacks and are looking for new recruits. She told a cable news network the warning report that went out to American law enforcement agencies was consistent with reports that were issued before. "Here is the important point. The report is not saying that veterans are extremists. Far...

ANN ARBOR, MI – The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced that yesterday evening it filed a federal lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The lawsuit claims that her Department’s “Rightwing Extremism Policy,” as reflected in the recently publicized Intelligence Assessment, “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” violates the civil liberties of combat veterans as well as American citizens by targeting them for disfavored treatment on account of their political beliefs.

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation earlier this year launched a nationwide operation targeting white supremacists and "militia/sovereign-citizen extremist groups," including a focus on veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to memos sent from bureau headquarters to field offices. The initiative, dubbed Operation Vigilant Eagle, was outlined in February, two months before a memo giving a similar warning was issued on April 7 by the Department of Homeland Security. Disclosure of the DHS memo this week has sparked controversy among some conservatives and veterans groups. Appearing on television talk shows Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano defended the assessment,...

Acknowledging that “an apology is owed,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano promised Thursday to “meet and clear the air” with veterans groups that were offended by her agency’s report citing “returning veterans” as terrorist risks to the U.S. “To the extent veterans read it as an accusation,” Napolitano told FOX News, “an apology is owed.” “I’ll meet with the leaders of some of the veterans groups,” she promised on “FOX & Friends.” “The last thing we want to do is offend or castigate all veterans. To the contrary, let’s meet and clear the air.” Napolitano said she was briefed on...