Free Republic

Google has once again failed to commemorate Memorial Day with a special logo. Google has ignored this special day every year since 1999, when it first began using special logos on its main page. The only reminder of this important day on Google’s home page is a tiny graphic of a yellow ribbon superimposed on a small American flag. Apparently, the sacrifices made by millions of American soldiers through the ages in defense of freedom and preservation of our liberties and the lives of hundreds of millions of other people around the world is not worthy of recognition.

The soldiers came in a convoy And each one had a bag The mission: to make certain Every headstone had a flag The soldiers who lay silent From wars that had come and gone Awaited our remembrance On Memorial Day’s bright dawn. (Continued)

Thank God for our soldiers that took the load Fighting to keep America on the right road Seeing many a sunset and a waving flag The coming darkness causing spirit to sag Wondering what would come at dawn's early light Hoping the flag would be their first sight The enemy loves to prey on fear in the dark Wondering if at daybreak they will still embark On our mission to make sure Old Glory still waves Over our country and not just over graves They stood as brave in the darkest of night As with greatest of courage with morning...

When the people of America were giving birth to a new nation, under God, it suffered all that could ever be experienced in the birthing process. It was never easy or without pain, suffering, sacrifice and death. Today thousands will visit the places where our dead are buried. There will be gatherings at military cemeteries across the nation as well as in Arlington Cemetery in our nation's capital. In cemeteries there will be music, speeches, parades, flags, the sound of guns, playing of taps, prayer and the recounting of the meaning of this special day. Christians, the believers in Jesus...

On a more serious note, Americans have a variety of feelings about Memorial Day. The speaking of it brings different meanings to people. Some see it as a time to have a free day off from work; others view the day as a way to connect with family and friends at a picnic or backyard cookout, taking advantage of big sales at all the malls, and others know the time is set aside to honor those who serve and have served to defend our nation's freedoms. Regardless of your thoughts about what this day represents, know and understand that the...

Arizona got a response. Texas is still waiting for an answer. After repeated requests for help, President Barack Obama has agreed to send 1,200 National Guard troops to Arizona's border with Mexico. But so far, the president hasn't responded to Texas' request for assistance. Gov. Rick Perry has sent letters to Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano requesting National Guard troops for the Texas-Mexico border.

Link to Thank you Soldiers I know this is a bit early. I thought I'd post now anyway. Thank you to all of our troops and their families. For your precious sacrifices. WE LOVE YOU and GOD BLESS YOU!!!

KIRKUK - Fridays are considered a day of rest for Iraqis, when they traditionally spread out blankets to enjoy good food and company.  U.S. Soldiers were invited to join their Iraqi counterparts for Friday relaxation during a picnic here at Dibbis Dam, May 7.Leaders of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, out of Fort Bliss, Texas, enjoy a picnic with their Iraqi Army partners at Dibbis Dam, near Kirkuk, Iraq, May 7, 2010. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Jessica Luhrs. The day was filled with food, jokes, stories and no business, according to 1st Lt. Ali Mohammed Ahmed,...

President Barack Obama — who came to power with the help of government employee unions across the nation and has lavished on them hundreds of billions in stimulus funds to keep them on federal, state and local payrolls with no strings attached — is moving to cut spending on salaries for military personnel. This weekend The Washington Post headlined story, "Pentagon Asking Congress to Hold Back on Generous Increases in Troop Pay,” disclosed that the Obama administration is “pleading” with Congress to give military personnel a much smaller increase in pay than lawmakers have proposed. The Pentagon contends that Congress...

There is a new surge making ripples across Iraq, say 3rd Infantry Division commanders with a close view of life on the ground in cities stretching from Mosul to Baghdad. And it is a movement that's anything but sinister. "My hat goes off to them," said Col. Charles Sexton, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID, based in northern Iraq. "Because the Iraqi Security Forces are in the streets every day, fighting the terrorists with less equipment than the Army has, doing the same job. "It takes a heck of a brave person to do this. ... They...

A scholarship program for the children of dead soldiers is raising questions among some professors at the University of Regina. They say they're concerned about Project Hero, a program that pays the tuition of students who have had a parent die while on military duty for Canada. More than 80 universities and colleges in Canada have committed to the project, which pays for four years of tuition, plus $1,000 for books. U of R president Vianne Timmons announced two weeks ago the university would provide the scholarship, but that has led to a campus controversy. Sixteen professors have signed a...

MUSCATATUCK URBAN TRAINING CENTER, Ind., March 19, 2010 – Patriot Academy, the military’s first accredited high school, graduated its first class here yesterday. Army Pfc. Scott Wayne proudly holds his newly earned high school diploma with smiling family members at the Patriot Academy’s first graduation ceremony at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville, Ind., March 18, 2010. Wayne decided to join the Patriot Academy to earn his diploma and serve his country. The Patriot Academy is the U.S. military’s first accredited high school. U.S. Army photo by John Crosby  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The program provides troubled...

Harry Reid is a traitor. For a United States Senator to stand in the halls of Congress and state categorically that he feels the war (in Iraq) is lost is to give aid and comfort to the enemy while our young men and women are over there fighting (and dying). Reid made this statement on April 19th 2007.

2/25/2010 - SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- The members of Sheppard Air Force base learned about the legacy of Buffalo Soldiers during a banquet Feb. 19 here. Buffalo Soldiers were the first African Americans to serve in the "regular" U.S. Army immediately after the Civil War. "The Buffalo soldiers were mostly former slaves from all over the nation, but a lot of them were from the South," said Trooper Fred Gray, the former president of the Lawton-Fort Sill, Okla. Chapter of the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Association of the Buffalo Soldiers. "They made up about 20 percent...

Five soldiers have been arrested on charges of trying to poison the food supply at South Carolina's Fort Jackson. Chris Grey, a spokesman for the Army's Criminal Investigation Division, says the ongoing investigation began 2 months ago, leading to the arrests. The 5, detained in December, were part of an Arabic translation program called "09 Lima" and are all reportedly Muslims. Grey says the Army is taking the allegations, "extremely seriously," adding at this time, "there is no credible information to support the allegations."

Niger's new military junta says it has dissolved the government after a coup that toppled President Mamadou Tandja in the impoverished but uranium-rich west African country. The Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD) announced on Friday that its head would be squadron leader Salou Djibo, whose heavily armed unit played a key role in Thursday's coup. "The government is dissolved," said a statement signed by Djibo and read by an unnamed military officer on state television.

PARIS (AFP) – France used soldiers as guinea pigs in nuclear tests in the 1960s, deliberately exposing them to radiation from atomic blasts to test the effects, according to a report revealed on Tuesday. The secret military report, obtained by AFP, said that between 1960 and 1966 France sent troops onto Algerian desert test sites "to study the physiological and psychological effects caused on humans by an atomic weapon." One operation in 1961 involved military personnel advancing on foot and in trucks to within a few hundred metres (yards) of the epicentre of a nuclear blast less than an hour...

MADISON, Wis. (Midwest Communications) - Wisconsin National Guard soldiers are about to enjoy what they missed last fall – deer hunting. The DNR is matching up soldiers with farmers who own deer damage permits. So far, 95 guard members who are just home from Iraq or Afghanistan have signed up for the special hunt. 9 farmers have volunteered 50 deer tags – and so far, 22 soldiers have been matched up with farmers. The first hunts are expected to begin this month. In January, 3,500 members of Wisconsin’s Red Arrow Brigade returned from Iraq – the guard’s largest call up...

In Israel a combatant is a citizen in uniform. His state ought to have a compelling reason for jeopardizing his life. There is no army in the world that will endanger its soldiers in order to avoid hitting the warned neighbors of an enemy or terrorist. Israel should favor the lives of its own soldiers over the lives of the lives of the well-warned neighbors of a terrorist when it is operating in a territory that it does not effectively control, because in such territories it does not bear moral responsibility for properly separating between dangerous individuals and harmless ones.

Three US soldiers are among at least 10 people killed when a blast hit a convoy near a school in north-west Pakistan.Police said around 70 people, including 63 school girls and a US soldier, were injured in the bombing in Lower Dir. The soldiers were believed to have been training Pakistan's Frontier Corps in counter-insurgency operations. The two governments deny substantial numbers of US troops are based inside Pakistan, where public opinion is strongly opposed to their presence. The US embassy has declined to comment on the killings. Taliban presenceMilitary spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas told the BBC that the...