Free Republic

The Warrior Song Project http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTs6a0ORdQU would like to thank all of the following individuals for their selfless contributions to this effort: James De Vito, US Marine Corps, for vocals Sachiko De Vito, for being brilliant Rock Williams, for vocals Sean Hurwitz, for the guitars Bernie Pershey, for the marching snares Kashan Curry, US Marine Corps, for images & advice Justin Sullivan, for “The Wobble Beat” Robb Hendrick, for advice & creative design LYRICS: I’ve got the reach and the teeth of a killin’ machine, with a need to bleed you when the light goes green best believe, I’m in...

Subject: Vietnam Facts vs Fiction FYI, We do not live in Viet Nam, Viet Nam lives in us. Vietnam Facts vs Fiction. I found this article very interesting. The most notable fact is that 2.7 million Americans actually served in the Vietnam Theater of war. In the last census nearly 14 million Americans claimed they served in Vietnam . Four out of five are lying. I wonder why. Vietnam Facts vs Fiction For over 30 years I..like many Vietnam veterans..seldom spoke of Vietnam , except with other veterans, when training soldiers, and in public speeches. These past five years I...

If you want to send a holiday card to one of our troops, please send it to Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capital Heights, MD 20791-5456, but it must be postmarked no later than Dec. 7th.

Moldovan soldiers has been issued with an extra ration of onions and garlic to ward off swine flu, the defence ministry's chief doctor said Thursday. "We have introduced an extra 25 grams (one ounce) of onion and 15 grams of garlic in their daily ration," Sergiu Vasilita told AFP. So far, 24 soldiers have completed treatment for swine flu, while 19 are in hospital with acute respiratory infections, he said.

We have volunteer Soldier "contacts" on the "Where to Send" page. Click through the names and select the one(s) you wish to support. They list what the folks they represent want and need. We even have a search capability so you can easily identify what the troops need most. All the Soldiers involved in this effort are military volunteers stationed in areas that are in harm's way. You send your support (letters and/or packages) addressed to them and when they see the "Attn: Any Soldier®" line in their address they put your letters and packages into the hands of Soldiers...

PHOENIX - Three Army soldiers were among those arrested during Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's most recent crime sweep. In all 51 suspects were arrested, including 37 illegal aliens. Deputies arrested the three soldiers on drug, money laundering and conspiracy charges. The soldiers, Dwayne Campbell, Llewellyn Stamoulis and Romaine May were discovered to have 680 pounds of marijuana and $10,000 in cash during a traffic stop in north Phoenix. They were wearing military clothing and identified themselves with U.S. Government issued military identification. The driver of that vehicle was also charged with driving on a suspended driver's license. "It is...

Capt. John Gaffaney Capt. John Gaffaney, 56, was a psychiatric nurse who worked for San Diego County, Calif., for more than 20 years and had arrived at Fort Hood the day before the shooting to prepare for a deployment to Iraq. Born in Williston, N.D., Gaffney had served in the Navy and later the California National Guard as a younger man, his family said.

ABOARD USS NIMITZ IN THE INDIAN OCEAN, Nov. 16, 2009 – Two soldiers working deep inside this aircraft carrier serve as liaisons between the aviators of Carrier Air Wing 11 and coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan. Army Maj. Johnnie Gallegos and Army Sgt. 1st Class Percy Patterson joined Nimitz Carrier Strike Group as ground liaison officers when Nimitz entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Their work directly supports a tactical directive issued in July by Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, that places limitations on the use of force that could...

Suicides reported among active-duty soldiers more than doubled in October, according to Army data released Friday. The Army is investigating 16 potential suicides for October in comparison to the seven suicides reported to Army officials in September of this year. The Army is still investigating four of the suicides reported in September. The newly released October data brings the number of reported suicides in 2009 to 133, 18 more cases than were reported between January 2008 and October 2008. Among soldiers in the Reserve component of the Army, who are not serving on active duty, there were eight potential suicides...

Sorry, it won't link, story here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/255/story/1156644.html Go to the photos tab at top and click "Honoring Aaron Aamot" or... Photos here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/493/gallery/1156623.html#http://media.bellinghamherald.com/smedia/2009/11/12/18/s150-AAMOT_CASKET_0029.standalone.prod_affiliate.39.JPG Had the priviledge of standing with thousands of fellow patriots yesterday to honor Spc. Aaron Aamot, the first soldier from Whatcom County to fall in Afghanistan. Even in one of the most liberal states in the union, small town people still love this country and stand up for their own. We all cried. I just wanted to share.

As a veteran of the U.S. Army, I was brought to tears by the horrific massacre at Fort Hood, Texas. Seeing coverage of my former comrades brutally murdered at my former duty station was almost too much to take. The news that it was allegedly the act of a fellow soldier remains unfathomable. While stationed there a few years back, we knew were sitting ducks for a terrorist attack and that only the appearance of security kept it from happening. Anyone on the inside, like the alleged gunman in this case, knew he could easily pull off such a massacre....

Need a break from the depressing news Dogs welcoming home their "daddies"

I can’t begin to imagine how hard it would be to leave my family for months at a time, especially if my destination were Iraq or Afghanistan. And I don’t know how I could deal with my wife being deployed overseas. These reunion videos—for me, at least—shed a tiny beam of light on how emotionally draining being a military family can be. They’ll also make you want a dog. To commemorate Veterans Day, here are some overjoyed dogs greeting returning soldiers.

Time after time, public murder sprees occur in "gun-free zones" - public places where citizens are not legally able to carry guns. The list is long, including massacres at Virginia Tech and Columbine High School along with many less deadly attacks. Last week's slaughter at Fort Hood Army base in Texas was no different - except that one man bears responsibility for the ugly reality that the men and women charged with defending America were deliberately left defenseless when a terrorist opened fire.

Now more than ever the soldiers of Fort Hood, Texas need help. Many of our service men and women return home from Afghanistan or Iraq to face financial crisis, foreclosure and lack. "Operation Once In A Lifetime" is an organization dedicated to helping those returning to Fort Hood who are in need.

KILLEEN, Texas, Nov. 10, 2009 – Waiting at the airport last night for the last families to arrive for today’s ceremony honoring victims of the fatal shooting rampage at nearby Fort Hood, several soldiers were dealing with their own pain and confusion by reaching out to families of the fallen and to each other. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Hall, Army Sgt. 1st Class Marcus Rodriquez and Army Spc. Laurence Palmer man a table in Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport in Texas on Nov. 9, 2009, to welcome families arriving for a ceremony scheduled the next day to honor the 13 people...

MORE THOUGHTS CONCERNING FT HOOD Maybe one of these days people will realize that hating one’s country, whether for religious reasons or otherwise, is more than adding another colour thread to society’s rich tapestry but wicked, warped, and very, very dangerous. --NINME, from Quote of the Day–So far via SondrakRemember Obama's Cairo apologia? He'd probably you just as soon forget what he said back in early June. "The attacks of September 11th, 2001 and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only...

Former President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush made a private visit to Darnall Army Medical Center at Ft. Hood Friday evening. The former president and first lady visited with soldiers wounded in the incident on Thursday, as well as some of their family members.

FORT HOOD, Texas – The Army released an official list of the 13 people fatally shot at Fort Hood and said 16 victims were still being treated in hospitals, 9 of them in intensive care units. Fort Hood's Deceased The fatal victims of the Fort Hood shooting, as released by the Department of Defense on Saturday. * 1. Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, 55, Havre de Grace, Md. * 2. Maj. Libardo Caraveo, 52, Woodbridge, Va. * 3. Cpt. John P. Gaffaney, 54, San Diego, Calif. * 4. Cpt. Russell Seager, 41, Racine, Wis. * 5. Staff Sgt. Justin Decrow, 32,...

FORT HOOD, Texas – The Army released an official list of the 13 people fatally shot at Fort Hood and said 16 victims were still being treated in hospitals, 9 of them in intensive care units.

Breaking News: Military Releases Names of Dead in Fort Hood Shooting

They were soldiers preparing to go to war, sometimes for the second or third time. They were also sons, daughters, fathers and a mother-to-be. They were 21-year-old Jason Dean Hunt, who his sister said was proudest behind the wheel of his Bradley Armored Vehicle, from rural Oklahoma; Francheska Velez, 21, who was looking forward to the birth of her first child, from Chicago; and Amy Krueger, 29, a sports and outdoors enthusiast, from tiny Kiel, Wis. These were three of the 13 people -- a dozen soldiers and a civilian Defense Department police officer -- killed Thursday when an Army...

ACTION ALERT: FT. HOOD SHOOTINGS November 6th, 2009 8 : 09 AM Our Family has a soldier stationed at Ft. Hood. We have contacted him and he is safe. Overnight I have made contact with friends at the 1st Cav and I am collecting cards and letters from the public of support for those who were injured and for the families of those who were killed. We will collect your cards and letters of support and get them to the correct individuals in bulk via Federal Express. Send them today! It costs you 44 cents to support these troops and...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Nov. 4, 2009 – Many U.S. servicemembers working and living alongside Afghan soldiers here find they have much in common with their Afghan counterparts. Army Capt. Jacob White discusses planning with Afghan soldiers Maj. Mohammed Ahmen and Capt. Zalmay at Forward Operating Base Bullard in Afghanistan’s Zabul province, Sept. 29, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Stephen Decatur  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team live on the same bases with their Afghan counterparts and work side by side with them during combat operations. The U.S. soldiers advise and...

This is a two-fold story about an adaptive sports rehabilitation program for severely disabled US soldiers who are veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. The first half focuses on a river rafting trip down the Salmon River in Idaho, the second focuses on the medical facility where these men have been rehabilitated. It is a story of how these men reach a point where they can embrace life again and feel a reason to go forward despite their permanent, often horrifying injuries. The three soldiers on the river trip are Major Anthony Smith, 39, an African American man who...

-- Roadside bombs today killed eight U.S. service members in Afghanistan, the military said.

U.S.: 4 Troops Die in Afghan Chopper Collision Hostile fire ruled out in Monday morning crash; two soldiers injured KABUL - The U.S. military said four American troops were killed and two injured in a collision of two helicopters in southern Afghanistan Monday morning. Hostile fire was ruled out in the crash. No further details were released. In an unrelated incident, another helicopter went down Monday during a joint, international security force operation against insurgents in western Afghanistan in which a dozen militants were killed.

How many more US soldiers have to die before B. Hussein Obama does what only his generals—his most qualified voices—tell him to do regarding troop levels?! Dick Cheney is absolutely correct for decrying Obama as dithering while US troops are in battle because all you have to do is count the number of US war dead in Afghanistan from the time that Gen. McChrystal asked Obama for more troops, which was waaaay back on Aug. 30th! It is the opinion of this writer that less US troops would’ve died—so the ones that did die were preventable deaths—if Obama would’ve just...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 17) -- More than 3,000 U.S. troops scheduled to deploy to Iraq won't go after all, as the military tries to draw down troop levels in the war-torn country, a Pentagon spokesman said Saturday. The 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division will not replace a North Carolina National Guard unit already in Iraq, Lt. Col. Eric Butterbaugh told CNN. The 3,500-troop combat team, based in Fort Drum, New York, was to leave in January, he said. "[The cancellation] reflects a thorough assessment of the security environment in Iraq and continued improvement in the ability of the...

The US military on Friday cancelled plans to send a 3,500-strong Army brigade to Iraq because of improving security conditions there, possibly freeing up troops for the war in Afghanistan. The 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the 10th Mountain Division based in Fort Drum, New York, had been scheduled to relieve another combat brigade in Iraq in January but will not deploy, the Defense Department said in a statement. With the US commander in Afghanistan asking for major reinforcements, the move could provide another brigade for the troubled mission if President Barack Obama decides to approve the troop request....

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Oct. 15, 2009 – In a country where fewer than 30 percent of people are considered literate, U.S. forces are working to help in rebuilding Afghanistan’s education system, which has been devastated from 30 years of war, anti-education politics and an unstable government. Soldiers with the 649th Regional Support Group are helping children like this boy from a village in the Deh Chopan district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. The soldiers are distributing backpacks filled with school supplies in the province, where many children do not have the resources to attend school. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Elisebet...

In the chaos of an early morning assault on a remote U.S. outpost in eastern Afghanistan, Staff Sgt. Erich Phillips' M4 carbine quit firing as militant forces surrounded the base. The machine gun he grabbed after tossing the rifle aside didn't work either. When the battle in the small village of Wanat ended, nine U.S. soldiers lay dead and 27 more were wounded. A detailed study of the attack by a military historian found that weapons failed repeatedly at a "critical moment" during the firefight on July 13, 2008, putting the outnumbered American troops at risk of being overrun by...

WASHINGTON (AP) - In the chaos of an early morning assault on a remote U.S. outpost in eastern Afghanistan, Staff Sgt. Erich Phillips' M4 carbine quit firing as militant forces surrounded the base. The machine gun he grabbed after tossing the rifle aside didn't work either. When the battle in the small village of Wanat ended, nine U.S. soldiers lay dead and 27 more were wounded. A detailed study of the attack by a military historian found that weapons failed repeatedly at a "critical moment" during the firefight on July 13, 2008, putting the outnumbered American troops at risk of...

Lt. Col. Kristan L.K. Hericks (center), CO of the 419th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion "Wolfpack," and her 419th Soldiers successfully completed a 12-month tour at Camp Taji and will be redeploying home to Irvine, Calif, soon. Photo courtesy of the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). CAMP TAJI — After a long and often-times grueling year here, the 419th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB) "Wolfpack" is on its way home. Over the next few days, the Wolfpack Soldiers will see a Relief in Place/Transfer of Authority ceremony where they officially pass the torch to the 541st CSSB, as well as an awards...

Im wondering if anyones heard specifics about the casualties.Have friends in the 4BCT which are deployed in this area. Thanks.

~ EXCERPT ~ KABUL — Two more NATO soldiers, including one American, are reported dead in the latest fighting in Afghanistan. A NATO statement says the U.S. soldier died of wounds suffered in an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan on Sunday. The statement says a second service member died of wounds in a roadside bombing Monday in southern Afghanistan. NATO is not releasing the service member's nationality.

The men of Bravo Company have a bitter description for the irrigated swath of land along the Arghandab River where 10 members of their battalion have been killed and 30 have been wounded since the beginning of August. “Like Vietnam without the napalm,” said Spc. Nicholas Gojekian, 21, of Katy, Texas. A prime agricultural area of vineyards and pomegranate orchards, the 18 miles of valley that the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment patrols includes Taliban insurgents, booby traps and buried explosives... ...So far, the Army mission has been an uneasy mix of trying to woo elders with offers of generators,...

KABUL – Hundreds of insurgents armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades stormed a pair of remote outposts near the Pakistan border, killing eight U.S. soldiers and capturing more than 20 Afghan security troops in the deadliest assault against U.S. forces in more than a year, military officials said Sunday. The fierce gunbattle, which erupted at dawn Saturday in the Kamdesh district of mountainous Nuristan province and raged throughout the day, is likely to fuel the debate in Washington over the direction of the troubled eight-year war. It was the heaviest U.S. loss of life in a single battle since...

Will soldiers have enough time to vote?Published: Saturday, October 3, 2009 FORT DRUM (AP) — Military and election officials insist that hundreds of deployed Fort Drum soldiers will have enough time to return their absentee ballots in next month’s special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District, even though they won’t be mailed out for another two weeks. Friday was the regular deadline for counties to mail out absentee ballots to military personnel for the Nov. 3 general election. But those ballots don’t have the names of the three candidates in the 23rd District because the special election wasn’t set...

The high school football ritual is a little different for the Falcons of Fort Campbell High School in Kentucky. As the name implies, the school is on a military base. Therefore on top of sports, homework and standard teenage drama, many players are also dealing with the stress of having a parent deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Playing football on a military base is a different experience from a standard public school. For one, Gerard J. Counts, a retired command sergeant major, gives the team fiery pre-game speeches before they play. Almost every high school football team hears such a...

As we are living our lives back home, the war goes on. As we lay our heads down on a soft and comfortable pillow every night, there are soldiers fighting a war. As we run about our busy lives from errand to errand, our soldiers are fighting for our freedom. As we enjoy our delicious home cooked meals, our soldiers are eating less than desirable meals. While we are concerned with the next television show that comes on, our soldiers are concerned with the next I.E.D that is headed their way. While we get so busy that we forget to...

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...

I have just returned from giving a talk on the benefits of Army education to new recruits at the Army Training Centre at Pirbright, Surrey. A red-brick facility with its own parade ground, it delivers the 14-week training course undertaken by all adult recruits when they first join the Army. On completion of the Common Military Syllabus, these Soldiers Under Training (SUTs) go on to learn their chosen trade, which covers a host of military professions ranging from anti-aircraft radar operator and artillery gunner to Army musician. Pirbright trains more than 4,000 men and women a year, and as such...

I would like some guidance on the best way of adopting a soldier currently serving in Afghanistan. I am a history teacher and freeper from Maine who would like his homeroom to adopt a soldier for the year. Obviously we would like to send care packages directly to the soldier if possible and not money to an organization. Any advice would be helpful.

FED up with pop charts full of weedy boy bands? Well, here's a trio of REAL men aiming for No1. All three are serving soldiers who have witnessed the horrors of war first-hand, from Afghanistan to the Gulf. And now Trooper Ryan Idzi, Sergeant Major Gary Chilton and Sergeant Richie Maddocks - who are known simply as The Soldiers - have signed a recording deal with Warner Records. There are high hopes for the threesome's debut album, which is out on October 26. ******* ...it is this sense of how important camaraderie is to our Armed Forces that looms large...

Not long ago at Fort Bragg, N.C., the country's largest military base, seven soldiers sat in a semi-circle, lights dimmed, eyes closed, two fingertips lightly pressed beneath their belly buttons to activate their "core." Electronic music thumped as the soldiers tried to silence their thoughts, the key to Warrior Mind Training, a form of meditation slowly making inroads on military bases across the country. Think military and you think macho, not meditation, but that's about to change now that the Army intends to train its 1.1 million soldiers in the art of mental toughness.

I dare anyone to watch this video...it will stop you dead in your tracks, lest we never forget 1 million + plus men and women have given their lives for our freedom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ul60BvTk0U&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efacebook%2Ecom%2Fhome%2Ephp%3F&feature=player_embedded

Four US soldiers have been killed by a bomb in southern Afghanistan, a Nato spokesman has said. Brig Gen Eric Tremblay said they were struck "while patrolling in one of the most violent areas of Afghanistan", but did not give an exact location. The deaths bring the number of foreign forces killed in Afghanistan in 2009 to 295, the deadliest year since the US-led invasion to overthrow the Taliban. The previous deadliest year was 2008, when 294 military personnel died.