Free Republic

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ USS LEXINGTON VET Harry Frey, a World War II veteran, discusses his time serving aboard the USS Lexington with sailors assigned to the USS Halsey in Brisbane, Australia, May 5, 2012. Frey survived a bombing aboard the Lexington during the Battle of Coral Sea. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher Farrington Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. HELPING HAND Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Angelo Anderson...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ BALL BUMP Marine Corps Sgt. Stephen K. Lunt bumps the ball to a teammate as the all-Marine team plays the United Kingdom team in a sitting volleyball match during the 2012 Warrior Games at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 2, 2012. The undefeated Marines won the match in two games, continuing their 3-0 winning streak. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Chelsea Flowers Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ LOYALTY LIVES ON U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Derick Clark, a kennel supervisor with Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, comforts Yeager, an improvised explosive device detection dog, as they wait for the beginning of a memorial service in honor of Lance Cpl. Abraham Tarwoe, Yeager's handler, on Combat Outpost Duluth, Afghanistan, April 22, 2012. Tarwoe, who was assigned to Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, was killed in action during a dismounted patrol. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez Canteen Mission Statement...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ MAST MEN Ecuadorian sailors aboard the Ecuadorian steel-hulled barque BAE Guayas man the yardarms as they arrive in New Orleans for The War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration in New Orleans, April 17, 2012. The events in New Orleans are part of a series of city visits by the Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Operation Sail beginning this month and concluding in 2015. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Kenneth W. Robinson Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies'...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ GUN TOSS The Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team competes during the Joint Service Drill Exhibition at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C., April 14, 2012. The Air Force team took first place after competing against teams from all four of the armed services including the Merchant Marine Academy. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Perry Aston Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. SAILOR BRIEFING U.S. Navy Ensign...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ AFGHANISTAN BOUND Active-duty airmen and South Carolina Air National Guard airmen with the 169th Fighter Wing prepare to deploy to Afghanistan, April 12, 2012, on McEntire Joint National Guard Base in South Carolina. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Marvin Preston Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. SCANNING FOR DANGER U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christian Aleman scans the area for possible dangers while on patrol on Forward Operating...

House Democrats should launch a media blitz as soon as the Supreme Court rules Thursday on President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, according to a strategy memo obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. The memo, from the House Congressional Democratic Leadership operation, advises members to be on the alert Thursday morning to "quickly and effectively" communicate with media and constituents "as soon as the decision is announced." The memo outlined a game plan to use traditional media--plus FaceBook and Twitter to "serve as a way to inform your followers of the Court's decision while adding your voice to the conversation. Members...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ FLIGHTLINE FOCUS U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Jeremy Constantineau uses binoculars to scan the flightline on Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., April 3, 2012. Constatineau is an airfield operations systems officer assigned to the 49th Operations Support Squadron. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Leah Ferrante Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. MORNING LAUNCH U.S. sailors prepare an E-2C Hawkeye air craft for launch on the flight deck aboard...

WASHINGTON -- Television cameras will surround the Supreme Court on Thursday morning, as they did Monday, anticipating something that may, again, not happen. The momentous healthcare decision could be announced Thursday. Or not. All we really know is that it is extremely likely to be handed down by the following Thursday, June 28, when the court is expected to end its current term.

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ WING WORKERS U.S. Marines perform maintenance on two CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopters aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima under way in the Atlantic Ocean, April 4, 2012. The Marines are assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261. The Iwo Jima is deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis J. Kuykendall Canteen Mission Statement...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ COMPOUND SECURITY U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Daniel Thompson posts security while members of an Afghan narcotics interdiction unit search a compound during Operation Speargun in Urmuz, Afghanistan, March 27, 2012. Thompson is a fire team leader assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. James Mercure Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. ROLLOVER TRAINING U.S. Army 1st Lt. Hannah Rosenthal...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ RAPTOR REFUELING A Hawaii Air National Guard F-22 Raptor moves into position to take on fuel from a Stratotanker during a recent mission over the Pacific near the Hawaiian Islands, March 27, 2012. Air Force Academy cadets on spring break were aboard the Stratotanker to observe the refueling procedure. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. MARINE NAVIGATIONS U.S....

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ EXPLOSIVE DISPOSAL A U.S. Army explosive ordnance disposal unit safely detonates an improvised explosive device on the side of Route Crowbar in Khowst province, Afghanistan, March 24, 2012. The soldiers are assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Eric-James Estrada Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. OSPREY MANEUVERS An MV-22 Osprey maneuvers on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ FALCON FLIGHT An F-16 Fighting Falcon launches at dawn during a Peninsula Operational Readiness Exercise on Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, March 20, 2012. The exercise ensures service members are capable of performing their duties in wartime conditions. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Rasheen A. Douglas Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. COALITION PATROL A coalition soldier secures an area during a patrol in the Muqer district...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ ALASKA REFUELING An Alaska Air National Guard HC-130 aircraft and HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter practice helicopter aerial refueling over Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, March 14, 2012. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Sean Mitchell Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. STUCK TRUCK U.S. Army Spc. Tylor Calhoun, kneeling, provides security while fellow soldiers work to recover their heavy expanded mobility tactical truck wrecker from thick mud during a...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ CONSTITUTION MAST Navy sailors place the sail on the yard of the mizzenmast aboard USS Constitution in Charleston, Mass., March 14, 2012. The sailors assigned to the Constitution routinely work to improve seamanship skills to prepare for possibly sailing the ship during the bicentennial of the War of 1812. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas Rooney Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. ROOFTOP SECURITY U.S. Army...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ DAND PATAN PATROL U.S. Army soldiers prepare to conduct security checks near the Pakistan border on Combat Outpost Dand Patan in Afghanistan's Paktya province, Feb. 29, 2012. The soldiers are paratroopers assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Epperson Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. MARINE MOVES U.S. Marine Sgt. Jeremy Scott, left, and Lance Cpl. Tyler Dickinson play chess...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ ISOLATED POST After unloading from several UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, U.S. soldiers make their way to Village Stability Platform Chenar, an isolated post in the Khakrez district, Afghanistan, Jan. 16, 2012. The soldiers are assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, and 2nd Infantry Division's 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Spc. April York Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. A MEDAL AT...

The Justice Department this week sent a follow-up notice demanding former Border Patrol Agent Jesus E. Diaz Jr.’s family immediately pay nearly $7,000 and imposing a lien on his property, even though he remains in prison unable to pay and his family says a judge gave them a grace period. It’s the second notice the Justice Department has sent to the family of Diaz, who was sentenced to prison for two years for using excessive force in arresting an illegal immigrant who was suspected of smuggling drugs. The new notice threatens new penalties if the money isn’t paid within 30...

Largest state unions won't seek recertification by Thursday deadline Madison - By the end of Thursday, the major state employee unions covering tens of thousands of workers will have effectively lost their official status. Top leaders for those unions say they won't seek to meet the high hurdle for keeping that current status laid out in Gov. Scott Walker's union bargaining law. With a deadline set for the close of business Thursday, so far only four smaller state unions have said they'll seek to keep their status by winning a difficult recertification election. Marty Beil, executive director of the 23,000-member...