Free Republic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After months of grueling road marches through the north Georgia mountains, a group of elite paratroopers had to put their training to the test in a trial by fire. They leapt from an airplane, bullets whizzing past parachutes and shrapnel pelting the plane's side panels. Ed Shames was among them. Now 90, Shames was 19 when he signed up for new parachute units created military leaders who wanted a quicker, more aggressive unit that could sneak behind enemy lines in Europe. This week, thousands of active-duty soldiers and veterans are gathering at Fort Campbell, Ky., to honor...

I write this because of something I just saw on Fox News as they showed a clip from NBC’s coverage of the Olympics. The video clip started out saying some Americans were complaining about our athletes celebrating their gold medal wins and the Nike T-shirt they wore bearing the phrase “GREATNESS HAS BEEN FOUND”. What I found difficult to watch was watching two of the women’s soccer team bend down and pick up two American Flags that laid on the ground and wrapped themselves in them. It was not the action I felt uncomfortable with, it was the disrespect shown...

Progressive organizations behind White House policy have crafted specific, second term plans for President Obama to transform the U.S. Armed Forces into a social work-style organization designed to combat “global warming,” fight global poverty, remedy “injustice,” bolster the United Nations, and increase “peacekeeping” forces worldwide. The groups, already instrumental in influencing Obama’s first term defense agenda, call for massive, second term slashes to the military budget. The savings are to be used to invest in “sustainable energy” and in fighting worldwide climate change. These schemes and many more are documented in the soon-to-be-released book, Fool Me Twice: Obama’s Shocking Plans...

CORPSMAN UP! An Hoa, RVN, August, 1969 HM/3 Tom Mitchell, Lima 3/5 & HM/3 Glenn G. Simpson, Mike 3/5Corpsmen’s Quarters, An Hoa. 4Aug1969 Doc Simpson and I went through Field Med School together at Camp Pendleton, Calif, in March, 1969. We were both assigned to the 3rd Batt. 5th Marines, arriving in country 28 April 1969. Glenn served with Mike Company and I was initially detailed to Kilo Company. I was medevaced out in late June due to an infection in my right hand - spent a month in hospital at USNH Yokosuka. I returned in-country 4 August and...

CLEVER, MO—July 6, 2012—The Silver Star Families of America (SSFOA) proudly announces the 2012 recipient of the prestigious SSFOA Commendation Award—actor and musician Gary Sinise.

The 149th Anniversary of Day 3 and Longstreet's Assault. The band Iced Earth wrong a rock song about it (below). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh6M4jBd1O8

Iced Earth's Song, Hold At All Costs, about Day 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsW3i9rY58k

I know that the real focus on Gettysburg will be next year with the 150th anniversary then but I found a Hard Rock band that put together a "Rock Opera" of the battle and figured the 149th was a good enough time to show it. Days 2 and three to follow.

For many of us older veterans, we have prayed that returning veterans would never again be stigmatized and shunned as those returning from Vietnam where. In fact many of us have said, “Never again,” and that we would never allow it to happen.

Two hundred and thirty-seven years ago, our Nation's leaders established the Continental Army, beginning a rich heritage of successfully defending this great country and her citizens. Today, we celebrate the continued honor, loyalty and bravery of our Soldiers in this noble calling. Our Soldiers remain Army Strong with a deep commitment to our core values and beliefs. This 237th birthday commemorates America's Army – Soldiers, families and civilians – who are achieving a level of excellence that is truly Army Strong. We also celebrate our local communities for their steadfast support of our Soldiers and families. We are "America's Army:...

6/8/2012 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFNS) -- The 99th Air Base Wing headquarters building here is adding solar panels in an effort to make the building more energy efficient. Nellis Air Force Base is in the process of starting and completing eight separate projects to make Nellis AFB, Creech AFB and the Nevada Test and Training Range more energy efficient. "A while back, a major command-wide energy audit came to Nellis," said Lynn Haarklau, the 99th Civil Engineer Squadron chief of asset options. "They decided that one option to increase energy efficiency use on base was to install...

Well I have given better interviews. I have sourced this back to the original thread

A Revski classic with a little Christian humor!

An angry Steve Newton, Founder of the Silver Star Families of America, called on Chris Hayes to resign or be terminated for his recent comments on MSNBC on the fallen of the United States Military.

In Memory of a Fallen Comrade I write this in memory of MSG William B. Hunt, U.S. Army Special Forces, MIA, November 4, 1966. It is an account of the sacrifice he made to his country, to his comrades, and to the Vietnamese people. In November 1966, SSG Hunt and I served together at Special Forces ODA Camps under Detachment B-32, 5th Special Forces Group, Tay Ninh Province, in the Republic of Vietnam. Hunt was with ODA-322 at Camp Suoi DA, and I was assigned to ODA-323 at Camp Trai Bi. Our camps were about 30 kilometers apart and we...

As age continues to overtake my eyes and body, my mind and memories too begin to dim.

<p>This is a video posted by VetsClub on YouTube. The title of the music is "If I Young."</p>

Here is a soldier in Iraq , stationed in a big sand box. He asked his wife to send him dirt ( U.S. soil), fertilizer, and some grass seed so that he can have the sweet aroma, and feel the grass grow beneath his feet. When the men of the squadron have a mission that they are going on, they take turns walking through the grass and the American soil — to bring them good luck. Of all the things he could have asked his wife to send to him from home………..he asked for American soil.

Give a shoutout/p.m. to Hotmetal(a FReeper in Afganistan). He needs us right now. Its lonely and desolate over there. Please p.m. or leave a note here. Sorry, brotherman, but I had to let everyone know. We got your back. I posted this for you and all your buds. Hey dude, we love you! At least me and Carrie do! Come home safe, brotherman! My offer stands forever! Prayers up, Soldier! God Speed. I would appreciate a 'howdy' to Hotmetal from y'all Freepers, and so would he. Thanks

An excellent insight into what is sometimes called the command mindset or command ego. Does this remind you of someone you have worked for? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuVc2SDZd9Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player

SO I ran into a situation where a friend of mine is finishing his term of military service in his home country, and he has his eyes set on moving to the USA and joining the US Army or US Marine Corps. He has applied to the standard visa lottery system, but with no success. He is applying again for next year. In the mean time, I thought I'd ask if there are any informed Army or Marine recruiters on FR who know if military veterans from Partners for Peace countries can get some sort of special visa to directly...

My son heads to Quantico on 27 May for USMC OCS as a senior candidate. I was using google maps and google earth as aerial recon, and for the life of me I cannot definitively locate the Quigley course. I am failing my photo interpretation class ;-). Can you vets who have been there/ done that tell me WHERE the Quigley course is? I believe it may be south of the bridge, in the woods/water west of Timmerman, north of Flemming.

<p>This is the story of two women named “Paula.” Both have “battled” the U.S. Navy. But that is where the similarity between them ends.</p> <p>Paula Fisk, a federal civil service worker assigned to the Miramar Naval Air Station (NAS) in California, prior to her illegal dismissal after 28 years of outstanding service, is a genuine “whistleblower” who was retaliated on and treated abusively by her chain-of-command.</p>

This is a very brief video, and it will inspire you. God bless our brave men and women.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2878460/posts Dude could use some prayers, since he is currently doing the hardest thing you can do - keeping on breathing. Ain't a single vet will let a brother twist in the wind.

LAPTOPS FOR WOUNDED WARRIORS, founded by GATHERING OF EAGLES, has delivered another free laptop to a deserving serviceman today, April 28, 2012. It is with great pleasure I wish to announce the donation of a laptop to a wounded warrior today, SSgt Charlie Pannell, in Anderson, South Carolina. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3826515071826.161724.1546263781&type=3 Charlie was injured in September 2008 by an Iraqi terrorist's grenade in operations while clearing houses in a combat action. He told me that most of the men hit that day had died of their wounds, while his injuries have led to the amputation of his left leg and continuing infections...

This is a YouTube video I came across. During the 1970s, the Sultanate of Oman was threatened by Communist guerillas of the PFLOAG (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf), and the UK sent SAS soldiers to help the government. On July 19, 1972, a SAS squad was stationed outside the town of Mirbat, in Dhofar province. They came under attack by several hundred Adoo (Communists), and they had to hold the line until support could arrive. Here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxmtbMFGSXo&feature=autoplay&list=PL5FFDDFA750F39D0A&lf=results_main&playnext=4

Another group of unclaimed veterans’ remains will be placed in a columbaria at the Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery during a 1 p.m. ceremony Friday. It will the third placing of unclaimed remains, some whom were homeless or indigent veterans, headed by the Missing In America Project. Bob Day, the Arizona M.I.A.P. state coordinator said, “Similar to no man left behind in battle, we believe no veteran should be forgotten and that each deserves to be laid to rest with honor to acknowledge his or her contributions to our freedom.” The Friday event will begin in Tucson where the cremains...

Knew him in passing. Know his kids and grandkids. He was a neighbor and a patriarch in the area (Becker). He was a good man. RIP Bill. Good job, soldier. God Bless you and your family. You will be missed. Carry on.

The following is an update to the previous blog post on the new VRAP GI Bill “retraining” benefit: The new program, now known as Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP), will offer up to 12 months of Montgomery GI Bill benefits for older unemployed veterans. The program is part of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act which also includes tax breaks for companies that hire veterans. That means that pre-9/11 veterans who often feel left out, may soon qualify for as much as $17,600 ($1473 a month) for education and training. Here’s what you should know about the new VRAP:

"As promised… I just walked into a local pub (PUB 25, Newtown, CT) and asked to speak with the Owner/Manager. I asked if I could leave a cold one on the bar for Michael all day . I showed him the “Reserved” sign I made and explained I wanted to leave him sufficient funds to buy a random person a Guinness every hour today, and that when the surprised patron asks him “Who is this from?” he should reply: “It’s from LT Michael P. Murphy.” and point to the reserved sign. The Owner/Manager was so in tune with this small...

Soldiers asked to disarm during Leon Panetta speech

The biggest knife for slicing Tricare costs off future defense budgets is not new and higher enrollment fees or deductibles proposed for retirees and their families who use one of the military’s health insurance options of Tricare Prime, Standard, Extra or, for the elderly, Tricare for Life. Those phased increases, as detailed here last week, would save a total of $23 billion over 10 years, mostly by sticking retirees with higher costs. But even more dollars — $28 billion over 10 years — would be saved in Tricare pharmacy costs alone under a separate proposed plan to revise co-payments for...

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey told service members Tuesday that the Defense Department is continuing to review the military’s health care structure after proposing changes in its fiscal 2013 budget that would increase TRICARE fees.

Pfc. Douglas J. Jeffries Jr. – 20 Springville, CA – 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with a roadside bomb in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on September 8, 2011 I spoke with Doug's grandfather Steve Jeffries today at a local gas station and he asked me why a singer that died from a drug overdose rated flags lowered to half-staff statewide when all his grandson got was flags lowered to half-staff in Tulare county by order of the Board of Supervisors. Good question but I...

Jets from the 20th Fighter Wing provided a key role in taking a down corrupt regime during Operation Unified Protector. Their actions in OUP led to the capture of Moammar Gadhafi, the Libyan dictator for 42 years, by the Libyan revolutionaries on Oct. 20, 2011. The 20th FW first sent support at the beginning of April to support NATO forces in protecting the Libyan civilians from the dictatorship. "Around the middle of March, when things were starting to heat up in Libya, we were starting to pay attention," said Col. Charlie Moore, 20th FW commander. "It became apparent that we...

Military personnel costs for retirees versus active-duty service members are among the “most politically sensitive” competing interests within the fiscal 2013 Defense Department budget process, according to a new analysis from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Andrew Krepinevich, CSBA’s president, called personnel costs in the future years’ defense plan “the 600-pound gorilla,” and CSBA senior fellow Todd Harrison urged leaders to address the uncomfortable topic now. http://www.govexec.com/defense/2012/02/budget-debate-pits-military-retiree-interests-against-those-active-duty-analysts-warn/41141/

Hi my name is Collin Bell. I am currently a Sophomore at Andover High School and I recently made a video about climate change for my World Geography class. Tell me what you think: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WG7fpta8zI

WINDOW ROCK — Another Navajo Code Talker has died. Sgt. Jimmie Begay, of Sawmill, died Wednesday afternoon, the Navajo Nation says. He was 86. --------------------- Services are pending.

TAKES 10 SECONDS ... DO IT AND PASS IT ON Own a Gun? Please Keep This Moving Guess they were not happy with the poll results the first time so USA today is running another one... Vote now Attorney General, Eric Holder, has already said this is one of his major issues. He does not believe the 2nd Amendment gives individuals the right to bear arms. This takes literally 2 clicks to complete. Please vote on this gun issue question with USA Today. It will only take a few seconds of your time. Then pass the link on to all...

For freedom’s way the patriots bled, The crosses mark our honored dead. More clearly than mere words e’er may That field lays out their final say: No greater love, they gave it all, In answer to man’s highest call. But don’t forget that most returned. To them we owe esteem they earned. And last of all, remember this: Our LORD betrayed by one mere kiss. For from within true danger lies, Though carefully as friend disguised. So fight my friend, from where you stand, For freedom rides on every man. E pluribus unum

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Large crowds are gathering in downtown St. Louis to honor Iraq War veterans Saturday during the nation's first big welcome home parade since the last troops left the country in December. Veterans dressed in camouflage lined up alongside military vehicles at the start of the parade, while organizers handed out small American flags to people along the route, many holding signs reading "Welcome Home" and "Thanks to our service men and women."

There is nothing quite like the smell of burning human feces in the morning. If this first sentence offends you, I make no apologies. It may offend you because you have never been in combat, or if you were in a combat zone you were far enough in the rear to enjoy modern conveniences. It reminds me of a Harley-Davidson T-shirt which many riders have worn so proudly, including yours truly. Of course, the shirt is emblazoned with an artist's cool rendition of a raucous H-D, but the words thereon say it all. "If I have to explain, you wouldn't...

From the 1906 Book "The Latest Views of Washington", L.H. Nelson Company, Portland, Maine. Except where noted, all materials are from the collection of Michael Robert Patterson. Updated 22 January 2006

This was the Year of the Middle Class -- as in, its falling incomes, loss of job security and anger. The global economic forces fueling the decline, such as foreign competition and computers, have been well reported. But what about cultural factors? Is the middle class going down partly because it stopped acting middle class? For those who remember the American middle's golden era of 40 years ago -- or see it reconstructed on TV dramas -- the cultural losses are pretty shocking. The middle managers in "Mad Men" returned to orderly homes with tidy children, even as their personal...

This animation of a mother American Bald eagle feeding her young eaglets in a high nest that is firmly perched in a tree top, inspiring event! The song of this video is the first and last verse of, Amazing Grace! The singer is female and unknown!

Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffery T. Stitzel, regimental sergeant major for the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), was the Army’s first NCO of the year in 2002 while serving as a sergeant first class. Since that inaugural competition – now known as The Best Warrior Competition and held at Fort Lee, Va. – Stitzel has seen the status of the noncommissioned officer evolve into having a more crucial role in the Army. "We’re asking noncommissioned officers to do things now at the staff level that we entrusted career course-graduate captains to do," Stitzel said. Adding, "You’ve got noncommissioned...

From my friend in the Military: F-35B...WOW! THIS IS THE MARINE CORPS VERSION OF THE F-35, AND THEY CAN'T WAIT TO GET DELIVERY. THE 'A' MODEL GOES TO THE AIR FORCE, AND THE 'C' MODEL IS THE NAVY VERSION. I'VE GOT A HUNCH THEY WILL BE FLYING THESE BIRDS INTO THE LATE 2030's. NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT FOLLOW-ON AIRCRAFT. Short video of an amazing plane from Lockheed Martin. http://www.aircraftowner.com/videos/view/f-35b---taking-stovl-to-a-new-level_1126

ANAHEIM – He was beaten. Marched before a firing squad. Starved at Buchenwald. Only a small twist of fate saved him – four days before the Nazis planned to execute him. They have survived Buchenwald. But the world isn't ready to hear it. After the war, they are told to not speak about it. The official U.S. stance was that no American POWs went to Buchenwald. "We were still negotiating certain things with the Germans," says Dorsey, of Temecula. "The government didn't want to upset people by saying U.S. servicemen were held in concentration camps."