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WASHINGTON, May 21, 2006 – More than 1,000 families and friends of servicemembers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq gathered near the Washington Monument for "A Time of Remembrance" today. The event, initiated by the White House Commission on Remembrance, was designed to remember America's heroes, military and civilian, who have lost their lives in defense of the nation's freedom. It also served as a tribute to the families, whom speaker Marine Gen. Peter Pace called "the heroes here today who do not even think about themselves as heroes." "Somehow, we hope that days like today, we can tell these wonderful...

Same-sex couples from states where gay marriage is banned cannot legally marry in Massachusetts, the state's highest court ruled Thursday. The Supreme Judicial Court, which three years ago made Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage, upheld a 1913 state law that forbids nonresidents from marrying in Massachusetts if their marriage would not be recognized in their home state. "The laws of this commonwealth have not endowed non-residents with an unfettered right to marry," the court wrote in its 38-page opinion. "Only non-resident couples who come to Massachusetts to marry and intend to reside in this commonwealth thereafter can...

IWO JIMA, Japan (NNS) -- Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) along with Sailors from USS Essex (LHD 2) and USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) paid a visit to the volcanic island of Iwo Jima to support the 61st anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, March 8. A ceremony was held with veterans of the battle, from both the United States and Japan. Sailors and Marines from the Forward Deployed Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) used Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) from Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 5 Detachment Western Pacific and helicopters from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMH)...

Admin Moderator: I wasn't sure whether to place this in News/Activism or Chat. Pleas feel free to move it where you see fit. Today is the 170th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo, an epic battle that almost everyone has heard of. Though I'm not a Texan, I'm reminded of their sacrifice every year. Today, take a moment and think how the defenders of the Alamo stood up to foreign tyranny and said "Enough!" Click on the source URL for great information regarding the battle and events being held in San Antonio regarding the anniversary/commemoration.

I came across this and feel that we all need a little reminding once in a while...

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., Feb. 1, 2006 – Korean army Lt. Col. Hyunmo Lee did not fight in the Korean War. But the sacrifices U.S. troops made during that war are in the forefront of his mind as he works as a coalition partner in the global war on terror. "The U.S. has shed their blood in order to support our freedoms," Lee said. "When I look back on our history, Korea has benefited a lot with U.S. help." The Korean War began in June 1950 when North Korean troops invaded South Korea. Nearly 37,000 U.S. servicemen died in...

No more Patriot Act means Operation Able Danger and 9/11 all over again. Don't let the sun set on the Patriot Act. Call your state senator at 202-225-3121. Freed Iraq. No thanks to Democrat oposition. Cowards cut and run. Marines never do. Stay the course. Peace with God. I believe in a time when Americans had guts. Maximum Effort. Abandon Iraq? NO! Thank you, FreeRepublic, for allowing me to post my work!

As we celebrate this holiday season, we should also celebrate the spirit of the American Soldier. For more than 230 years, this spirit led America’s men and women to courageously answer the call to duty and help preserve liberty throughout the world. Today, this same noble spirit inspires our Soldiers as they simultaneously fight the war on terror and transform the Army to meet future challenges. This holiday season should also be a time of remembrance. We should remember our Soldiers deployed in 120 countries around the world. Likewise, we should keep in our hearts our family members while their...

WHETSTONE — June 9, 1944, is a day Bob Strosser remembers well. The submarine he was serving on was on war patrol off Truk Island, retrieving Army Air Force crew members from aircraft that might have been downed by Japanese gunfire. Strosser, now 80, was one of three lookouts on the surfaced USS Snapper. The former torpedoman put that day’s harrowing experience succinctly. “We got strafed,” he said, as he talked about that day more than 61 years ago. A lookout and torpedoman named McKee was killed, and Strosser and the other sailor were wounded. Strosser was hit by shrapnel...

SIERRA VISTA — Those who serve in today’s America’s armed forces will be treated with respect, veterans of a couple of other wars said Friday. Miguel Arvizo, a veteran of the Korean conflict often called the Forgotten War, and Chuck Bianco, who served in Vietnam, a conflict that raised the American people’s level of hate for the military, promised those serving in harm’s way today in Iraq and Afghanistan will neither be forgotten nor dismissed as killers. Both former soldiers, who were wounded during their time in combat, spoke about the need for the nation to appreciate those who are...

ARLINGTON, Va. (Oct. 23, 2005) -- Marines and family members gathered under sunny skies Sunday at the Arlington National Cemetery to remember service members killed in a terrorist attack at a Marine barracks in Lebanon 22 years ago. The somber ceremony took place where 21 of the 241 servicemembers killed were laid to rest. A memorial stone marking the site sits alongside a Lebanese cedar symbolizing the nation in which they died. The Marines of First Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment were stationed in Beirut, as part of an international peacekeeping force in a nation torn by war. On Oct. 23,...

ROME, Oct 5 (Reuters) - An Italian man who spent two years supposedly unconscious in a deep coma, written off by doctors as nearly-dead, awoke saying he heard and understood everything happening around him during the long ordeal, his family said. Salvatore Crisafulli, a father of four, is describing his case as a "miracle" which proves that lost causes are anything but hopeless and his recovery appeared to strengthen the hand of Italians opposed to end-of-life solutions. His brother even called Crisafulli "an Italian Terri Schiavo case" with reference to the brain-damaged Florida woman who died in March after her...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 15, 2005) –This year’s observance of National POW/MIA Recognition Day is on Sept. 16 and it has a special poignancy to those with ties to the remembered. As Americans, we should pause to remember our fellow citizens who were prisoners of war in a World War II POW camp – like the heroes of Bataan and Corregidor held in the Cabanatuan POW camp that is the subject of the current film, “The Great Raid” -- or who are still missing from the Vietnam War. It’s one thing, though, when that tie to those remembered is...

The John Roberts I remember Douglas Newcombe August 4, 2005 When President Bush announced his nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court, I felt an overwhelming surge of pride. I spent four years with John in a small college prep school called La Lumiere, a very special place that formed the character and drive we would retain for the rest of our lives. It was at La Lumiere that John and I grew from boys to men. I knew him well. You can't get up every morning and brush your teeth next to someone for four years without getting...

Remember when the entire country held their breaths over the rescue of one little girl trapped in a well. Its been a rough week folks, but this is America, we will win this one also.

Democrats Should Regroup, Reach Out to Voters August 30th, 2005 John Baer Remember the Democratic Party? No? How about the 2004 presidential election, where their candidate met a decisive loss against the incumbent President Bush? Ring a bell? It’s no real surprise that their current run of bad luck seems to have caused this formerly-reputable party to all but fall off the map. After news networks and talking heads decided to streamline presidential election coverage down to color-coordination, the branding of “blue-state” (Virginia not being one of these, FYI) on those that turned their electoral votes to the democratic side...

I don't know if this has been on FR before or not. If so, fine it is good to see and hear it again. If not, I hope that as you watch the images scroll past you take time to remember what we faced on return. SLB

TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq (July 14, 2005) — American Soldiers and Airmen joined their British partners in a somber memorial service July 9 to remember victims of the subway and bus bombing attacks in London and show solidarity with Britons struggling to cope with the tragedy. The memorial service was held in the chapel at Tallil Air Base, located about 30 miles northwest of Basrah in southern Iraq. For many in the crowd, the painful memory of the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City Sept. 11, 2001, resurfaced again as heart-wrenching pictures of the devastation and...

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2005 – The White House Commission on Remembrance urges Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30 at 3 p.m. local time. Congress established the commission on Dec. 28, 2000, to honor Americans who have died while serving the nation, to recognize veterans and those who continue to serve, and to educate Americans, particularly children, about the sacrifices made to preserve freedom and liberty. According to the commission's Web site, "The time 3:00 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when many Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national...

George Washington was born 273 years ago today in the British colony of Virginia. At his death in 1799, after an active life as soldier, surveyor, planter, politician, revolutionary, and first Chief Executive of the greatest republic since Rome, he was widely regarded as the greatest man of his time. And although he was once routinely voted the “best” president by Presidential scholars, recent surveys of the public unaccoutably have demoted him. Very few average Americans, one would venture to guess, would be able to give a cogent reason why. Perhaps this is simply a further example of our dismal...