Free Republic

A few weeks ago, we warned against an increasingly prevalent narrative in news: That war Veterans are violent, unstable, and dangerous. I explained why that simply isn’t the case, and how those aspersions can hurt Vets and deepen the divide between us and civilians. Thursday, the national media moved a step closer to establishing this unfortunate characterization as conventional wisdom in the newsroom. USA Today, a national newspaper second to only the Wall Street Journal in distribution, published a story with a headline brimming with violent imagery:

The Sideshow: A team of salvage divers has discovered an unexplained object resting at the bottom of the Baltic Sea near Sweden. “This thing turned up. My first reaction was to tell the guys that we have a UFO here on the bottom,” said Peter Lindberg, the leader of the treasure hunters. Sonar readings show that the mysterious object is about 60 meters across, or, about the size of a jumbo jet. And it’s not alone. Nearby on the sea floor is another, smaller object with a similar shape. Even more fascinating, both objects have “drag marks” behind them on...

A military veteran in need of a kidney transplant had $14.3 million sitting on a table in his house and didn't know it. For three days after it was announced that the winning Megabucks ticket from the Jan. 14 drawing had been sold at a Wisconsin Mobil station, Napolean Elvord had no idea a life-changing sum of money was right at his fingertips. The clerks at the Madison store that Elvord visits daily asked him if he was the one who bought the winning ticket. But he said it wasn’t him — and as the days passed, no one came...

Ben Franklin, a World War II veteran who saw combat in North Africa, Normandy and at the Battle of the Bulge and went on to be honored by both France and the U.S. president for his service, died Thursday on his 87th birthday.

When Jermaine Green and his fiancee Violet Roberts got on a Metro bus in Bellflower Monday night, they took notice of another passenger. "The lady got on the bus with a stroller full of pillows, she was very polite, said hello to everyone and sat down," Green said. At the next stop, two LA County sheriff's deputies, one male and one female, boarded the bus and called the passenger by name. "They said get off the bus. She then started cursing at (the female deputy). You could tell she had special needs. After that they grab her, she curses him...

LTC Stefan Cook (AKA Major Stefan Cook) is in the hospital and not doing well. The prognosis is dire. Please pray for him and his family.

Always ready to recruit the embittered and disgruntled at any opportunity, the Communist Party USA has established a special veterans committee. The target – demobilized Iraq War veterans. From the People’s World; With the Iraq war officially over, leaving 4,500 U.S. troops and 100,000 Iraqis dead plus tens of thousands wounded, the soldiers who fought and experienced the horror are returning home. They’re stepping out of one war zone and into another. Faced with high rates of unemployment and discrimination in hiring, many are coping with horrific injuries and post traumatic stress disorder, fueling drug and alcohol abuse, and divorce...

The women who serve in today’s military differ from the men who serve in a number of ways. Compared with their male counterparts, a greater share of military women are black and a smaller share are married. Also, women veterans of the post-9/11 era are less likely than men to have served in combat and more likely to be critical of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In other ways, however, military women are not different from military men: they are just as likely to be officers; they joined the armed services for similar reasons; and post-9/11 veterans of both...

The veterans group the Greatest Generation Foundation is refusing to accept an apology from the series' executive producer after crew members for the show allegedly disrupted the group's visit to Honolulu's National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

With his waggly tail in the air, three-and-a-half month-old labrador puppy Monty refuses to let go of the keys in his mouth. After shaking them from side to side, he eventually decides to drop them and bounces off to find another set. To see this naughty little mutt in action, it’s hard to believe that, in less than 18 months, he could be transforming the life of a young man who has lost limbs in Afghanistan, a policewoman shot in the line of duty or an injured firefighter. ... Hounds For Heroes is the creation of Allen Parton, 53, a...

My nine hunting companions last weekend in South Texas didn't look particularly special. Ranging from early-30s to mid-40s, they could be mistaken for the young doctor down the street, the general manager of the car dealership, the guy who builds custom motorcycles. But they are extraordinary. Among them, they had a Navy Cross, four Silver Stars, 26 Bronze Stars for valor and four Purple Hearts. These were Navy SEALs with a combined 150 years of service and more than 67 overseas deployments in the war against terror.

"Leadership is about submission to duty-  not elevation to power" Ever met an actual hero before? Here's your chance... You might remember a news story that began a couple years back, re. the 'stubborn' old man who defied his homeowners association, refusing to take down the 21-foot flagpole and full-size US flag he'd recently erected on his property. A little bit of background might help you understand his point: the man in question was born Van T. Barfoot -a Choctaw Indian, actually- in Edinburg, Mississippi on June 15, 1919.  Twenty-five years later, a world away near Carano, Italy, the lanky, 6'4", Van T....

Watch this,Until Then , and be prepared to get emotional.Then consider helping out The Wounded Warrier Project And to all of our veterans, thank you.

When this day rolls around annually, it's difficult to pick a single unit, battle or warrior to honor. And despite all attempts, the story is only fractionally told. Truly all Veterans, from all wars, are to be honored, respected and given heartfelt thanks for their contributions to our freedoms. But this year I decided to zero in on Patton's Tiger's Division, serving in his Third Army, and single out only one of their remarkable accomplishments…Combat Command B's Herculean efforts in WWII's Siege of Bastogne in the war's largest, and bloodiest, battle - the Ardennes-Alsace campaign. Or as it is...

The clash between Oakland police and Occupy Wall Street protesters left a Marine veteran who completed two Iraq tours in critical condition Wednesday after he was struck by a police projectile, a veterans' group said. Scott Olsen, 24, suffered a fractured skull Tuesday as he marched with other protesters toward City Hall, said Dottie Guy, of the Iraq Veterans Against the War. The demonstrators had been making an attempt to re-establish a presence in the area of a disbanded protesters' camp when they were met by police officers in riot gear. Several small skirmishes broke out and officers cleared the...

A zoning board in Fairfax County, Va., is standing firm in its decision to order a war veteran to destroy a tree house he built for his two young sons. County officials determined Mark Grapin, an Army aviation specialist, violated zoning regulations when he built a tree house in his backyard. “The boys wanted a tree house,” Grapin told Fox News Radio, explaining it was a promise he made to his 8-year-old and 10-year-old sons before he left for Iraq. “It was a commitment I made to the boys and, frankly, we should do our best to keep our commitments...

A source on the Rick Perry campaign tells Hot Air that the Texas governor conducted some Texas-size fundraising in the third quarter. Coming in just a little over halfway through, Perry raised $17.1 million. That number would put Perry somewhere between $4-6 million ahead of Mitt Romney’s rumored total for Q3, according to this report last week from the Boston Globe. It’s also likely to far outpace Herman Cain’s fundraising or that of the other Republicans currently in the race. The pace is even more impressive. Perry had 49 days in which to raise funds, rather than the full 92...

67 year old vet beats down a gangbanger. Sad thing was that he was on the bus to go to his moms funeral. Vietnam Veteran Smack Down

Can you believe such a comic book could have existed from Archie Comics just a few years ago? In Life With Archie #16, which looks at the world of a twenty-somthing Archie cast has recently created gay character Kevin Keller returning from war to get married to his partner in Riverdale. And everyone turns up to the ceremony… just as Archie is separating from his wife, Veronica. Is this proof that gay marriage does destroy traditional marriage after all? Written by Paul Kupperburg, drawn by Fernando Ruiz, Pat Kennedy, Tim Kennedy, Al Milgrom, Bob Smith with a cover from Batman’s...

John Henderson couldn’t take it any longer. He put down his half-eaten Whopper, got up from his seat inside Burger King on West Perkins Avenue and sauntered outside. It was late afternoon, about one week ago. He stopped at the flag pole, where he proceeded to lower the American flag that was flying high above the restaurant. Henderson, 63, folded up the huge mass of red, white and blue and loaded into his pickup. Then he drove to the nearby VFW post, where he hoped the flag would be “retired properly.” “When I looked at the flag he brought in,...

SENT VIA EMAIL Subject: Retired disabled military dog Rocky dies if not adopted — Pets For Patriots Blog Three tours in Iraq and they want to kill this Marine.  Disgusting end for one of our veterans. Our military should stand by our K-9 soldiers or leave them alone.   I have forwarded this article on to my congressman.  Prayers up for someone to love and help Rocky.  Read comments after article.   Carl http://blog.petsforpatriots.org/retired-disabled-military-dog-rocky/ PLEASE CONGRESSMAN HULTGREN, HELP THIS VETERAN OUT.  THANK YOU. CARL SWENSEN

Col. Cecil L. Reavis, USAF Ret., age 90, of San Antonio, TX, passed on August 8, 2011. He died quickly and peacefully in the place he loved and was loved, the Inn at Los Patios. After enjoying his dinner, thanking the staff for the meal, and complimenting them on the fancy bulletin board, he simply walked to his room and passed into the Lord's embrace. Cecil was born in Childress, TX, the oldest of three sons born to Cecil and Ira Reavis who later moved to Shamrock, TX, where Cecil graduated high school in 1938. After high school, Cecil began...

When men and women join the American military, they take an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies. It’s an oath we all take very seriously, but when they leave the service, many veterans lose a tangible way to continue to fulfill it. They also lose the brotherhood and camaraderie that go along with serving our country in the armed services. A new veterans group, called Veterans in Defense of Liberty, has risen up to fill both voids.

<p>Another Super PAC has been formed by a supporter of Gov. Rick Perry’s potential presidential bid, this one highlighting his support for military veterans in the context of an overall message of job creation.</p>

I crawled out of my bed early yesterday morning, to witness what promised to be a very special tribute to Florida servicemembers killed in action. http://warriorwalklakeland.com/ It was. God bless Melissa Sanchez, The First Presbyterian Church, all the veterans service organizations, and everyone else who were involved or participated in this event. It was free of political campaigning, and was what it advertised itself to be...a tribute to our fallen veterans.

Jul 20, 2011 — Will the Texas governor elbow his way into the crowded presidential race? Longtime Perry watcher Evan Smith of the Texas Tribune talks about why he thinks Perry will run and what kind of candidate he'd be. [snip] We spoke with the Texas Tribune's Evan Smith about the man he has followed since the early 1990s. A former editor of Texas Monthly magazine, Smith says he's convinced Perry will make a run at the White House, and tells us why other Republican hopefuls should be worried.

"When vets seek therapy, they want a professional who can relate to soldiers in combat, and that usually means a therapist who has military experience. Without such empathy, therapy often is doomed, vets say. Because most psychologists and mental health care professionals don't have a military background, there's a void in the safety net for vets. Some veterans' organizations have stepped up, training members to help their peers, and the Soldiers Project provides free counseling from licensed professionals and veterans by phone to newly returned vets."

Robert L. Gibson MSG. Robert L. Gibson, US Army SF (RET), passed away on Feb. 10, 2011. He was born on May 16, 1927 to Lacy & Mary Gibson. When he was 16 he signed up for the draft. He was drafted and turned 18 while serving in Germany during WWII. He stayed in the Army, and became a Paratrooper with Special Forces. He was the youngest Paratrooper in the 17th Airborne according to "Thunder From Heaven". He served in WWII, Korea, and 3 tours to Viet Nam. He served in various outfits including: 17th Airborne Division, 506th Parachute Infantry...

Two years after losing all four limbs in a bomb explosion in Iraq, a Staten Island soldier was finally given the keys to his new, state-of-the-art home yesterday. And he could not stop smiling. Brendan Marrocco beamed with pride as he crossed the threshold into his new abode in Prince's Bay, which has been tailor-made to suit his every need. "It's very overwhelming. The house is amazing," the 24-year-old said. "I can finally just try to live my life like everybody else. I really appreciate this." Marrocco was behind the wheel of an armored vehicle on Easter Sunday 2009 when...

A U.S. Army veteran who lost his legs while deployed in Iraq died after he was thrown from a 200-foot-tall roller coaster at an upstate theme park on Friday. James Thomas Hackemer, 29, was ejected from the Ride of Steel roller coaster at the Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, located between Buffalo and Rochester, at about 5:30 p.m., the Genesee County sheriff's office said. The park confirmed a guest "came out of the Ride of Steel roller coaster" and said it was "saddened to report that the guest has passed." Hackemer, of Gowanda, lost his right leg below his knee...

Arleen Ocascio, director of the VA cemetery in Houston, has decided to take the Marxist Revolution a step further and has decreed that there will be no references to God or Jesus and that all ceremonies must be written and submitted to her for pre-approval. Obviously, this low level bureaucrat has decided Obama's Revolution is stalled and she must pick up the standard and impose her will on the veterans who come to the cemetery to bury their loved ones. According to her, there will be no mention of a Christian or Jewish God at future ceremonies, she has spoken...

GLOUCESTER— — James Downey Jr., who survived the infamous Bataan Death March in 1942 and became an inspiration to his family, died Monday. He was 96 years old. Downey served with the Army's 26th Cavalry Philippine Scouts, a decorated unit that still rode horses into battle in the early days of World War II. Half-Filipino by birth, his mother was of Philippine and Spanish heritage and his father was from Augusta County, a cavalry officer who fought in the Spanish-American War.

The daughter of a prominent New York lawyer has told of her amazing transformation from sheltered, society girl to seasoned combat veteran. Former Manhattan jetsetter Jane Blair swapped her pampered life in New York to become one of the first women on the frontline in Iraq. In her new memoir Hesitation Kills, Mrs Blair, now a 38-year-old captain in the Marine Reserves, recalls the moment that changed her life. She said: 'I grew up in this environment where I never had to work for a living. My dad told me, "I will always take care of you".' She was in...

They went with songs to the battle, they were young. Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. Ode of Remembrance.

OSWEGO, Ill. -- A World War II bomber made what appeared to be an emergency landing in a cornfield on Monday, and all seven people on board escaped before it was consumed by fire, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. "The plane departed the airport, noted an emergency, and the pilot made what appears to be an emergency landing, after which the plane was consumed by fire," FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said in an e-mail. None of the passengers was injured. The accident occurred right after the plane, known as the "Liberty Belle," took off from the Aurora Municipal...

Will Memorial Day 2011 be the last one that we have? Will Memorial Day 2011 be the last one where “we the people” have the freedom to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice? Will “we the people” still hold the freedom that so many shed blood for in 2012 and earlier? I am not so sure. Our nation was founded on a few simple truths, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of...

Thousands of motorcycles poured into the D.C.-area today for Rolling Thunder, an annual event drawing motorcycle enthusiasts from across the country. The massive collection of motorcycle riders is descending on Washington in memory of the thousands of prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action from the Vietnam War.

A Tucson, Ariz., SWAT team defends shooting an Iraq War veteran 60 times during a drug raid, although it declines to say whether it found any drugs in the house and has had to retract its claim that the veteran shot first. And the Pima County sheriff scolded the media for "questioning the legality" of the shooting. Jose Guerena, 26, died the morning of May 5. He was asleep in his Tucson home after working a night shift at the Asarco copper mine when his wife, Vanessa, saw the armed SWAT team outside her youngest son's bedroom window. "She saw...

This week, KGUN9 News reporter Joel Waldman interviewed Pima Co. Sheriff's Department Lt. Michael O'Connor about the shooting of Jose Guerena, who died last week when a SWAT team tried to serve a search warrant at his Tucson home. The victim's wife Vanessa has stated that neither she nor her husband knew that the people breaking into her home were deputies. She said that her husband, who pointed a rifle at deputies, was only trying to defend himself. Guarena never got off a shot. But SWAT team members fired a total of at least 71 rounds, leaving the home riddled...

St. Petersburg , Florida -- Operation Desert Storm, which pushed Iraqi troops out of Kuwait but kept Saddam Hussein in power, took a huge toll on American servicemen and women. 159,705 veterans were injured or became ill, and 10,617 veterans have died of combat related injuries or illnesses since the initiation of the Gulf War during August 1990. Since the second Gulf War began, there have been another 5,884 casualties. Most of the veterans we talked to for this story say they are aware when they sign their name on the dotted line, they might not come home or could...

WASHINGTON – Handsome and friendly, Clay Hunt so epitomized a vibrant Iraq veteran that he was chosen for a public service announcement reminding veterans that they aren't alone. The 28-year-old former Marine corporal earned a Purple Heart after taking a sniper's bullet in his left wrist. He returned to combat in Afghanistan. Upon his return home, he lobbied for veterans on Capitol Hill, road-biked with wounded veterans and performed humanitarian work in Haiti and Chile. Then, on March 31, Hunt bolted himself in his Houston apartment and shot himself.

Following is an email I received today from a close friend & co-worker. Her dad who was a career military man and a veteran (of WWII, Korea and Nam, I think)passed away in December 2010. This account of our government's actions towards this hero and his now widowed wife of 65 years makes my blood boil towards this thugocracy that now rules over us. If anyone has any suggestions I can pass along to my friend that may help her mother in any way, it would be much appreciated. - OB1 Begin Email: By the way, I just heard about...

How will they send off the Last Doughboy? A Texas congressman who worked with the last surviving World War I veteran to try to create a national memorial to “The Great War” is calling for the late Army veteran Frank Buckles to lie in repose in the Capitol Rotunda — a setting usually reserved to honor those who have been president. Honoring Buckles at the Capitol “is our chance to say thank you to the last of a generation,” said Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, who served in the Air Force Reserves in the 1970s. “It is the final legacy of...

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - What was it like? What was it like in the trenches? What was it like in all those places whose names have faded in the dusty recesses of memory, places like Ypres and Gallipoli, Verdun and the Marne? What was it like to fight the war that was supposed to make the world safe for democracy? There's no one left to ask.

A very short but interesting video of Frank Buckles discussing his experiences in WWI. Seemed like a true gentleman. RIP.

Frank Buckles, the last living U.S. World War I veteran, has died, a spokesman for his family said Sunday. He was 110. Buckles "died peacefully in his home of natural causes" early Sunday morning, the family said in a statement sent to CNN late Sunday by spokesman David DeJonge. Buckles marked his 110th birthday on February 1, but his family had earlier told CNN he had slowed considerably since last fall, according his daughter Susannah Buckles Flanagan, who lives at the family home near Charles Town, West Virginia Buckles in 1917

Frank Buckles, the last living U.S. World War I veteran, has died, a spokesman for his family said Sunday. He was 110. Buckles “died peacefully in his home of natural causes” early Sunday morning, the family said in a statement sent to CNN late Sunday by spokesman David DeJonge Buckles marked his 110th birthday on February 1, but his family had earlier told CNN he had slowed considerably since last fall, according his daughter Susannah Buckles Flanagan, who lives at the family home near Charles Town, West Virginia

Allen West for President!!! Well, not so fast. Just last week, the Shark Tank opined that Allen West should be seriously considered for the Presidential ticket in 2012.

At Clinton Speech: Veteran Bloodied, Bruised & Arrested for Standing Silently As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave her speech at George Washington University yesterday, condemning governments that arrest protestors and do not allow free expression, 71-year-old Ray McGovern was grabbed from the audience in plain view of her by police and an unidentified official in plain clothes, brutalized and left bleeding in jail. She never paused speaking. When Secretary Clinton began her speech, Mr. McGovern remained standing silently in the audience and turned his back. Mr. McGovern, a veteran Army officer who also worked as a C.I.A. analyst for...

Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) has announced that he will not run for reelection in 2012. Webb's decision, long anticipated by many in Virginia politics, will make his seat more difficult to hold for his party. Ex-Sen. George Allen (R), who lost the seat in 2006 to Webb, is running to win it back, and a handful of other GOP candidates are also running. Some Democrats hope ex-Gov. Tim Kaine will decide to run for the seat, but he has given no indication yet that he is interested.