Free Republic

United States Army Corporal Matthew Britten Phillips, age 27, of Cumming, GA, died Sunday, July 13, 2008 while bravely and proudly serving his country at a forward operating base in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province. Cpl. Phillips was one of nine soldiers to die that day; just days before his unit was scheduled to leave the base. "We feel angry, even bitterly so, because our young men lived better lives, had higher hopes and more perfect love, than their attackers," Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Stevan Horning said during a memorial service held in Vicenza, Italy. "Please help us to not become...

Americans can be good at collective sacrifice. During World War II, they were encouraged to buy war bonds and lived with rationed gas, coal, and foods. During the 1970s oil crisis, they had to slow down to 55 m.p.h. But what about now, when the country faces pricey challenges, from global warming to over-heated healthcare costs?

ISRAEL’S PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE By Reverend Dr. ELDER CUMMING (At Glasgow Conference, June, 1894) Let us return to Romans 9:3-5: "For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsman according to the flesh," &c. this is one of the most eloquent, and it is, without doubt, the most solemn passage in the writings of St. Paul. For what he declares them that passage is, that he has been brought into such sympathy and fellowship with Christ to that, if it were possible, which he well knows it is not, it is in his...

History vs Noise. An Iraq vet in the Air Force spells it out in plain language. Support our troops. Video at the link.

The life of Sgt. 1st Class L. David Ezell can be summarized by his last moment on Earth. Unafraid, the man nicknamed "Easy" by his Army comrades waded into a pile of garbage to disarm a bomb April 30 in a Baghdad neighborhood. He knew the bomb could kill him, but his goal was to save the lives of the Iraqis the homemade device could have slaughtered. Something went wrong on the delicate job. The bomb detonated and Ezell died. But hundreds of times before, with the same calm demeanor, Ezell won his fight with insurgent explosives in Iraq and...

This Memorial Day, with its familiar trappings of parades and decorated graves, finds the nation at a crossroads. Americans will soon vote in a presidential election that will serve partly as a referendum on the wisdom of continuing to fight a war in Iraq. That discussion can wait. Today imposes a more solemn duty -- to put aside differences and honor those who have fallen in their nation's service. Soldiers, Marines, airmen, sailors -- these are not the ones who start wars. In answering the call of honor, duty and tradition, these brave Americans have strived only to end the...

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2008 – President Bush today honored the courage, sacrifice and service of several 82nd Airborne Division soldiers who served with distinction in Afghanistan and Iraq. During a ceremony at Fort Bragg, N.C., Bush made posthumous awards of the Distinguished Service Cross to Sgt. Charles Wyckoff’s wife, Erika, and the Silver Star medal to Barbara Walsh, mother of Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Sebban. The Distinguished Service Cross is the highest military award after the Medal of Honor. The Silver Star is the third highest military award. “America is fortunate to have courageous men and women who volunteer...

RAMADI, IRAQ (April 29, 2008) – It was a typical quiet morning on April 22, with the temperature intensifying as a bright orange sun emerged high from the horizon. Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, a rifleman with 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, and Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale, a rifleman with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, RCT-1, were standing post, just as they’ve done numerous times before. During a standard length watch in a small checkpoint protected by concrete barriers where they overlooked the small gravel road, lined with palm trees leading to their entry control point.

We sat down next to a local who introduced himself as "Sticks." He asked us why we were in town. We told him. Sticks stood up and asked for the bar's attention. He announced the reason for our visit and then everyone in the room stood and gave us a lengthy ovation. They had heard of Blue. We had to practically fight to get out of the bar and back on our way to Blue's parents' house. During the drive, the other lieutenant and I decided that although the rest of the country might not care, people in the small...

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - The son of the Dutch defense chief was killed Friday by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, and the Taliban claimed they deliberately made the young lieutenant a high-profile target. While the Dutch quickly cast doubt on the Taliban claim, the death underscores the danger high-profile soldiers can face and illustrates a grim reality for families, famous and not, who choose the military life. Lt. Dennis van Uhm, 23, was one of two Dutch soldiers killed in the explosion seven miles northwest of Camp Holland, the Dutch military base in the restive southern province of Uruzgan. Two...

Back in the days when I was student of social anthropology, I used to spend time worrying about ritual sacrifice. A common feature of many cultures is that they mark periods of stress with elaborate ceremonies accompanied by sacrifice - be it a tethered goat, hobbled chicken or something more gruesome. The tribal world of Wall Street is no exception. In the last few days, or since the Bear Stearns drama came to a climax, a palpable sense of relief has erupted in equity markets. There are all manner of fundamental reasons for this mood shift. If you dig into...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2008 – Since the birth of America, African-Americans have been fighting and dying alongside their countrymen as the United States has struggled for freedom and peace at home and abroad. African-American soldiers have fought in every war the United States has participated in, including the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the current war on terror. African-Americans, both free and slaves, participated in all the conflicts in the early days of America. About 5,000...

Ancient Mass Sacrifice, Riches Discovered in China Tomb Kevin Holden Platt in Beijing, China for National Geographic NewsJanuary 29, 2008 A 2,500-year-old tomb containing nearly four dozen victims of human sacrifice has been excavated in eastern China, yielding a treasure trove of precious artifacts and new insights into ritual customs during the era of Confucius, archaeologists say. The tomb was discovered in January 2007 after police caught looters plundering the site in the province of Jiangxi (see map), said Xu Changqing, who heads the excavation team. Among the most impressive artifacts found in the tomb is a black, gold, and...

Husband cut off wife’s ears, nose on Eid day by Abudlhadi Hairan December 23, 2007 Qalat: A man named Mumtaz in southern Zabul province of Afghanistan first shaved wife, Nazia’s head and then cut off her ears, and nose and damaged her teeth on the first day of Eid ul Adha, an Islamic ritual of sacrifice. Hospital sources in Qalat, center of Zabul, told this scribe by phone that Nazia, 17, was admitted on Wednesday (First day of Eid) evening and now she was in a critical condition due to the severe beating she has borne. Provincial Police Chief of...

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — Today the birth of the savior will be celebrated by an extended family that is far from their real ones, the 11th Signal Brigade’s chaplain said. For this special holiday “married and single soldiers here in Iraq are our family,” Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Mark Zerger said. For those who are Christian the day has a significant meaning for it is about “Christ coming into the world to have a personal relationship with us. That’s the true meaning of Christmas,” the Southern Baptist pastor said. And, while the brigade soldiers are separated from their families, it is...

Muslims are asking farmers to illegally slaughter animals as part of their Eid celebrations. Environmental health chiefs are warning farmers against the illicit practice after one was approached by a group of Muslims wanting to ritually sacrifice 40 lambs. The men approached farmer Alan Davies asking to buy and illicitly kill lambs on his land as part of the Eid celebrations which start today. Mr Davies, 58, of Pinfold Farm, Ribchester, Lancs, alerted health officers after men came knocking at his door on two separate occasions. Environmental health chiefs across East Lancashire have since sent out hundreds of letters to...

Veterans Day: From Valley Forge to Gettysburg, from Pointe du Hoc to the Pusan Perimeter, and from Khe Sanh to Fallujah, we salute and give thanks to those who gave their last full measure of devotion.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2007 – This weekend Americans will celebrate the service and sacrifice of tens of millions of citizens who have donned a military uniform for their country, the top two defense leaders said in their Veterans Day messages to the troops. “We owe each and every one of them a debt of gratitude,” said Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. “Today, volunteers are once again deployed on distant battlefields against those who would terrorize and intimidate the civilized world.” Veterans Day was originally created to commemorate the ending of World War I. “We now set aside Nov. 11...

Ronald Reagan Speeches Remarks at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Nov. 11, 1988) Download Audio (mp3) For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land. In this outward and physical ceremony we attest once again to the inner and spiritual strength of our Nation. As my high school teacher, Miss Julia Coleman, used to say: "We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles." Here before me is the Bible used in the inauguration of our first President, in 1789, and I have just taken the...

MANILA, Philippines, Nov. 8, 2007 – Robert Perkowitz stepped up seven concrete stairs to a towering memorial and placed a flowered wreath at its base. Members of the 74th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Manila American Cemetery Memorial Chapel, Philippines, Nov. 8, 2007. Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael D. Heckman, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. In his pocket was a military coin given to him by a Special Forces buddy in the hospital recovering from a gun battle in Afghanistan. In his heart swelled a deep appreciation for...

Can't post Vanity Fair material, but recommend this moving and thoughtful piece.

Aztecs, Mayas and their preceding civilizations in Central America are famous for their appetite for blood. The cruel and megalomaniac sacrifice rites produce stupor amongst modern people and these people knew very well how to use it against their enemies. Would you have opposed them when you were risking to be sacrificed by ripping off your heart from your chest while still alive? A new discovery adds another gruesome aspect to the picture. Archaeologists have found the remains of 24 children who must have been sacrificed in the honor of the rain god a millennium ago. "The bones of the...

    Inca Sacrifice Victims "Fattened Up" Before Death Kelly Hearnfor National Geographic News October 3, 2007   Children selected for Inca ritual sacrifice were "fattened up" with high-protein diets in the months leading up to their deaths, a new study has found. Researcher Andrew Wilson and his team conducted DNA and chemical tests of hair samples taken from four child mummies found in the Andes mountains in the 1990s. (See a photo gallery of the frozen Inca mummies.) By studying the ratios of chemicals present in the hair, the team helped show how victims were prepared for death...

Recently I saw a story that seems, at first, to be a heartwarming tale of a selfless American sacrificing, if only in a small way, for one of our soldiers in uniform. But, upon reflection, the story does more than tell the tale of one American doing something nice for a soldier. It tells the tale of American priorities that are warped, if not turned entirely on their head. As writer Roddy Stinson of the San Antonio Express-News relates the tale, the story is a disarmingly simple one. A woman on an airliner gives up her seat in first class...

Contact: Craig Brierley c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk 44-207-611-7329 Wellcome Trust Scientists uncover Inca children's countdown to sacrifice Hair samples from naturally preserved child mummies discovered at the world's highest archaeological site in the Andes have provided a startling insight into the lives of the children chosen for sacrifice. Researchers funded by the Wellcome Trust used DNA and stable isotope analysis to show how children as young as 6-years old were "fattened up" and taken on a pilgrimage to their death. A team of scientists led by Dr Andrew Wilson at the University of Bradford analysed hair samples taken from the heads and from...

Nepal's state-run airline has confirmed that it sacrificed two goats to appease a Hindu god, following technical problems with one of its aircraft. Nepal Airlines said the animals were slaughtered in front of the plane - a Boeing 757 - at Kathmandu airport. The offering was made to Akash Bhairab, the Hindu god of sky protection, whose symbol is seen on the company's planes. The airline said that after Sunday's ceremony the plane successfully completed a flight to Hong Kong. "The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights," senior airline official Raju...

Nepal airline sacrifices goats to appease sky god Tue 4 Sep 2007, 13:37 GMT   KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Officials at Nepal's state-run airline have sacrificed two goats to appease Akash Bhairab, the Hindu sky god, following technical problems with one of its Boeing 757 aircraft, the carrier said on Tuesday.Nepal Airlines, which has two Boeing aircraft, has had to suspend some services in recent weeks due the problem.The goats were sacrificed in front of the troublesome aircraft on Sunday at Nepal's only international airport in Kathmandu in accordance with Hindu traditions, an official said. "The snag in the plane...

SHARANA, Afghanistan, Sept. 2, 2007 – Sgt. 1st Class Rocky Herrera, Sgt. Cory Clark and Sgt. Bryce Howard are men to whom every American owes a debt that can’t be repaid, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, left, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks about his experience of combat and the profound effect it had on his life and military career to servicmembers of Task Force Rugged on a forward operating base in Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan, Sept. 2, 2007. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — A routine meeting on Aug. 18 became a saga of tragedy and heroism when one young Iraqi man gave his life to save his family and his friends in the U.S. Army. The Soldiers he saved that day say they will never forget the man’s sacrifice. The plan was to visit a leader of the al-Arafia Concerned Citizens Program. After a hectic month of raids and route clearance missions, the scouts of 2nd platoon, Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, weren’t worried about that day’s particular...

The Hubbard family of Clovis has lost a second son to the war in Iraq, according to the Clovis Police Department. Army Specialist Nathan Hubbard, 21, was killed while serving his country. The military has not yet released any details surrounding Hubbard’s death. The Hubbard family received notification of his death Wednesday afternoon. In 2004, Nathan's brother Lance Corporal Jared Hubbard and his childhood friend Jeremiah Baro were killed in action near Ramadi in November of 2004. Both Nathan and a third brother, Jason Hubbard, joined the the Army in 2005 following Jared's death.

In an echo of Hollywood blockbuster 'Saving Private Ryan', a California family's third son is to return home from Iraq after his two brothers were killed in action. The Hubbard family lost its second son, Nathan Hubbard, 21, in Iraq on Wednesday - one of the 14 U.S. soldiers killed in a Black Hawk helicopter crash. Nathan's older brother Jared Hubbard, a marine, died in a roadside bomb explosion in Ramadi in 2004. Now their third son, Jason, is to return from Iraq to be with the family, in a striking similarity with events in Steven Spielberg's 1998 war film...

EDMONTON (CP) - The first warning is a phone call. It is never good. It alerts an unlucky spouse, partner or parent that within the next few minutes they can expect a visit from a team of sombre military officers. Even before the dreaded knock on the door, the family knows something bad has happened. Practice makes perfect in tragedy as in everything else, and military officials acknowledge that 18 months of fighting in southern Afghanistan has made them much better at delivering word of death or injury - and supporting those affected by it. "Unfortunately, we've gotten very good...

Honoring Those Who Sacrificed Life and Limb By Mike Baird Sunday, August 12, 2007 Twenty-two Purple Heart recipients shared wartime stories and thanked one another for their sacrifices as 100 family members and supporters at Sherrill Park sweltered in the Saturday morning sun. Retired Navy chaplain Capt. Alston Kirk talked about a Vietnam soldier he remembered who died using his body to protect a wounded Marine. "Take this story and multiply it by thousands of corpsman, combat medics and grunts who looked after each other," he said. "Those people without legs, in wheelchairs, still suffering from wars, paid for our...

Today, in the Philadelphia Inquirer: John Wroblewski's son was killed in Ramadi in 2004. Now, he says, the U.S. should focus on winning the war... what the country needs, he says, is "more discussion about victory and how we're going to win." What he seeks is leadership. Courage, to stand up to a relentless, smart and brutal enemy. Patience, to see the nation through the inevitable dark days. Strength, to set priorities and see them through. ...The high school athletic director from Jefferson Township, N.J., is unapologetic in his support for the war and those fighting it - "You can't...

John Wroblewski suggests Congress stop all the talk about leaving Iraq in 60 days, or 90 days, or 120 days. Instead, what the country needs, he says, is "more discussion about victory and how we're going to win." What he seeks is leadership. Courage, to stand up to a relentless, smart and brutal enemy. Patience, to see the nation through the inevitable dark days. Strength, to set priorities and see them through. Wroblewski sees these characteristics in those fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, young men and women he considers heroes. Is it too much to ask the same of those...

Poetry and lore speak of a mother’s grief, a mother’s tears for a deceased child. So perhaps the spotlight after her soldier-son’s death in 2004 was bound to be captured by Cindy Sheehan. For Pat Sheehan, the very private role of simply continuing to be Casey’s father has been enough - until recently, that is. In a blip of publicity Cindy Sheehan bowed out of her diminishing limelight, announcing that she would stop her activism against the Iraq war. In doing so, she declared that Casey Sheehan “did indeed die for nothing.” That statement ended Pat Sheehan’s silence. He called...

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three sailors who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died July 6 as a result of enemy action while conducting combat operations in the vicinity of Baghdad, Iraq. The three sailors were assigned to an East Coast-based SEAL team. Killed were: Petty Officer First Class Jason Dale Lewis, 30, of Brookfield, Conn., Petty Officer First Class Robert Richard McRill, 42, of Lake Placid, Fla., Petty Officer First Class Steven Phillip Daugherty, 28, of Barstow, Calif.

Jack Layton didn't waste any time in handing the Taliban a propaganda victory yesterday. No sooner did news reach Canadian shores about the death of six of our soldiers than the NDP leader again urged an end to Canadian military operations in Afghanistan. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Mr. Layton declared that "this simply underlines, with this escalating death toll of the soldiers and of civilians in Afghanistan, that this mission is going in the wrong way." Mr. Layton symbolizes why the West may just lose the battle against militant Islam: As soon as our enemies draw blood,...

Utah artist Kaziah Hancock is so touched by the sacrifices of American soldiers in Iraq that she is determined to pay tribute to each one of those who lost their lives, and to offer a kind of eternal comfort to their grieving families in the process. Kaziah Hancock lives alone (if you don’t count her hundred goats and handful of chickens) on a ranch at the base of a mountain in Utah. To understand this independent, middle-aged woman who is devoting her extraordinary gifts to repay our fallen heroes, and to witness the indescribable effect that her love and...

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2007 – As the nation’s servicemembers continue to fight the global war on terrorism, a group is working to make sure the Americans they’re defending are aware of their sacrifices. “The Greer Foundation raises public awareness of the sacrifices of serving the nation through outreach and commentary on the war on terror,” said Steve Greer, the group’s founder. His experiences as an Army command sergeant major in Kosovo and other places that give him the knowledge base for this endeavor, he added. Greer retired from the Army in January 2003, and started the foundation that same...

The skeletons of two dozen children killed in an ancient mass sacrifice have been found in a tomb at a construction site in Mexico. The find reveals new details about the ancient Toltec civilization and adds to an ongoing debate over ritualistic killing in historic Mesoamerica. Construction crews unearthed the burial chamber this spring near the town of Tula, the ancient Toltec capital, 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Mexico City (see Mexico map). The chamber contained 24 skeletons of children believed to have been sacrificed between A.D. 950 and 1150, according to Luis Gamboa, an archaeologist at Mexico's National...

Construction crews unearthed the burial chamber this spring near the town of Tula, the ancient Toltec capital, 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Mexico City (see Mexico map). The chamber contained 24 skeletons of children believed to have been sacrificed between A.D. 950 and 1150, according to Luis Gamboa, an archaeologist at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History. All but one of the children were between 5 to 15 years of age, and they were likely killed as an offering to the Toltec rain god Tlaloc, Gamboa said. The Toltec, a pre-Aztec civilization that thrived from the 10th to...

The Last Mass of Father Ragheed, a Martyr of the Chaldean Church They killed him in Mosul, together with three of his subdeacons. In a tormented Iraq, he was a man and a Christian of limpid and courageous faith. Here is a portrait of him, written by someone who knew him well by Sandro MagisterROMA, June 5, 2007 – They killed him on the Sunday after Pentecost, after he had celebrated Mass in his parish church, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, in Mosul. They killed Father Ragheed Ganni, a Chaldean Catholic priest, together with three subdeacons who were with him...

This Memorial Day, we must do more than just remember the fallen. We must dedicate ourselves to sharing their sacrifice. Let us find the moral courage to match their physical courage. Let us re-dedicate ourselves to the principles for which our country stands.

RAINELLE, W.Va. - Cole Kayser signs his name on a white shirt for fifth-grader Christian Martin, then rises from the grass outside Rainelle Elementary School, a tall and imposing figure. He is every inch the retired Marine, from silvery brush-cut hair and camouflage cap to black leather motorcycle boots and the ``USMC'' tattoo on the edge of his right hand, on display when he salutes. But ask him how it feels to be here, in a sleepy southern West Virginia town where children chase one-time warriors like Hollywood paparazzi, and a tear slides down his cheek. ``I've been holding back...

Here's a poem I just wrote for this Memorial Day...

Serving as a member of the United States armed forces is a great personal sacrifice. Unlike the average American, our troops willingly give up many of their civil liberties. Once in the military, they are held to a very high personal standard. For example: Where else in the United States can you get convicted and serve a prison term for committing adultery? Where else in America can you go to jail, simply for telling your boss "no" or for being late to work? Most civilians have no idea what military life is like or just what our troops have to...

For Release: May 24, 2007 Contact: J. Tucker Martin or David Clementson Email: tucker.martin@oag.state.va.us or dclementson@oag.state.va.us Phone: 804-786-2071 Virginia Wall of Honor Dedicated Permanent Memorial to Virginia’s Fallen Heroes in the Global War on Terrorism Richmond - Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell, joined by Governor Tim Kaine, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, a host of state and military dignitaries, and hundreds of family members of Virginia’s fallen, dedicated Virginia’s Wall of Honor today in honor of Virginians who have died in the Global War on Terrorism. The dedication occurred with a 1 p.m. ceremony on the South Portico of the State...

PROSPECT, Conn. -- A man is being called a hero in his hometown of Prospect after he died trying to help a pregnant woman. Michael Rutkowski's family said they are not surprised that he died trying to help someone else and that they are very proud of his actions. Rutkowski, 44, was killed Friday in New Mexico by a man who is accused of running over his pregnant girlfriend. Police said Michael Branch struck and killed Rutkowski, who stopped to help the woman. Rutkowski and his wife, both engineers at National Security Technologies in Los Alamos, were on their way...