Free Republic

Newt Gingrich is the only Presidential Candidate now running who: 1.) Has a comprehensive platform that will rapidly release America's businesses from the crushing grip of a no-interest Fed, Nanny-State Regulations, and terminate endless obstacles to work projects in America. 2.) Will approve the Keystone Pipeline from Canada on his first day in office. 3.) Will ask Congress to stay in Session for 17 days before his Inauguration to pass legislation for him to sign on his first day in office. 4.) Fully understands how to work with a hostile Congress to achieve Conservative goals. 5.) Has a comprehensive plan...

"Now the Republicans, you know when I, I talked about this earlier in the week. They said 'well, this is class warfare.' You know what? If asking a billionaire to pay their fair of taxes. To pay the same tax rate as a plumber or a teacher is class warfare, then you know what? I, I, I, I, I'm, I'm a warrior for the middle class. I'm happy to fight for the middle class," President Obama said at the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati, OH.

There’s an art to the way one lives one’s life. Perspective, serenity, openness to beauty, the ability to see goodness in things – these qualities are only possible when one is in balance. And right now film director Gavin O’Connor is in balance, though perhaps a precarious one, pulled as he is in so many different directions with the release of his much-anticipated film WARRIOR fast approaching (in theaters September 9). As he painstakingly polishes the various elements of what some are predicting will be a breakout hit, O’Connor is also addressing an aspect every bit as demanding but which...

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2011 – His first significant brain injury was a setback, but when he experienced several more a few years later, Army Capt. Galen Peterson figured he’d reached the end of his military career. “One of the biggest things that I struggled with when I was going through [traumatic brain injury] is the impression that my career and life as I knew it was over, that there was no way I could stay on active duty, much less an armor officer,” he said. But with hard work and perseverance, he was able not only to remain on active...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The international assault on Libya has shown Barack Obama to be a cautious presidential warrior who has reframed US rules for war abroad after absorbing the painful lessons of Iraq. Though he escalated the Afghan conflict, one of two wars he inherited, the Libyan action is the first military adventure Obama has actually launched and reveals key aspects of his philosophy as commander in chief. The president's preference for avoiding overseas entanglements led him to anchor his political rise on opposition to "dumb" wars. He was against the Iraq invasion launched by his Republican predecessor George W....

Watch these two videos...spread them around. Dedicated to the brave men and women of the US armed force, past, presnt and future. THE WARRIOR SONG - US ARMED FORCES THE WARRIOR SONG - HARD COPRS EDITION

Paramount Pictures and sister company Spike TV are joining forces to turn the cable channel's series Deadliest Warrior into a feature film. Shawn Levy and Dan Levine will produce through his 21 Laps banner.

SIERRA VISTA - A 21-gun salute marked a farewell Tuesday to Army Spc. Christian M. Adams during a funeral service at the Main Post Chapel at Fort Huachuca. Maj. Gen. John Custer, commanding general of the Army Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca, presented folded flags to loved ones, including Adams' mother, Donna Adams, his wife, Amanda, and their 2-year-old daughter, Faith Marie. Tears flowed among the crowd of more than 100 gathered at the military honors ceremony when little Faith Marie reached out, then held onto the flag presented by Custer in the chapel courtyard. A private funeral...

Montmorenci, IN (PRWEB) May 24, 2010 -- Not many new charities start life with experience and a proven track record and no logo, but Cooking with the Troops Inc. has done just that. Today sees the launch of a nationwide logo contest for a charity that has grown out of a program at Soldiers' Angels, Cooking with the Wounded, and out of barbecues done for the last several years at Walter Reed by "Concrete" Bob Miller. By combining these two efforts, and bringing in a strong commitment to culinary education and careers, the charity aims to support U.S. and Allied...

It’s an amazing coincidence of fate that the most un-American, unpatriotic, and unappealing woman we can think of is named Michelle — and happens to be our current First Lady — while the most pro-American, patriotic, and wonderful woman we can think of is also named Michele. One less “L” in a name sure makes one “Hell” of a difference. Obama vs. Bachmann---(cont'd @ hillbuzz.org/)

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2010 – I stepped out from the van and onto the rain-drenched flightline, shivering from the cold that seemed to whip straight through my wool coat. I had traveled to Dover Air Force Base, Del., in late February to write stories about the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center. I wasn’t supposed to start working until morning, but I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to witness an event known as a dignified transfer, which marks the return of a servicemember who has died while supporting a combat operation overseas to U.S. soil. I looked up...

Subject: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs Miss Edwards, I read of your 'student activity' regarding the proposed memorial to Col Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive a bellyful of angry e-mails from conservative folks like me. You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of servicemen and servicewomen on whose shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naïveté. It may be that you are, simply, a sheep. There's no dishonor in being a sheep - - as long...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2010 – When Staff Sgt. Megan Krause returned home from a deployment in Iraq in 2006, she thought the scariest moments of her life were over. Jill Herzog, of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, comforts Army Staff Sgt. Megan Krause after her speech about her battle with post-traumatic stress disorder. Krause spoke during the 2010 Suicide Prevention Conference sponsored by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., Jan. 11, 2010. DoD photo by Elaine Wilson  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. At her homecoming, “I ran to...

During the Clinton reign, posters and bumper showed up stating 'America...the only place where a veteran sleeps in a box and a draft dodger is in the White House.' This was meant as a statement against the way that returning heroes are treated. We notice them in every large city and encounter them in every town. But, in this fast paced society, we don't see them. We cross the street.....

On October 1, 2009, the liturgy of the Church celebrates the memory of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, "the greatest saint of modern times," in the words of Pope Saint Pius X. The charm of her "Little Way," with all its sweetness and mercy, admirably harmonizes with the traits of a genuine warrior, "I would die in a battlefield, arms in hand," she once stated. Her soul had infinite aspirations: she wanted to be a warrior, priest, apostle, doctor of the Church and martyr; she felt the courage of a crusader, of a Papal...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2009 – Defense Department federal employees could receive up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a military family member injured in the line of duty if an Office of Personnel Management proposal is adopted. The proposal would allow eligible federal employees to take 26 "administrative work weeks" provided for under the Family and Medical Leave Act to care for a servicemember wounded in the line of duty, OPM officials explained during a telephone conference call. The provision would extend to families of National Guard members or reservists injured while on active duty, explained Jerry...

From Gov. Palin via Twitter: See letter from my attorney on baseless allegations of past 24hrs @ http://tinyurl.com/l4ct5n(excerpt)The Palin-hating left has been salivating this weekend over lies that began at an Alaska ankle biter website, percolated up to the national nutroots and got mentioned on several major liberal media outlets. At Conservatives 4 Palin, Mel traces the genesis of the rumors through the land of the loonies. Start at the bottom of the post and read up. In a telephone interview with Josh Meyer of the LA Times, an FBI spokesman in Alaska dismissed the leftist lies that an FBI...

, Marine Corps Capt. Kenneth Reusser and his wingman were flying a mission in the Pacific region during World War II when they came upon a Japanese surveillance plane. The cold air had frozen the fighters’ guns, so Reusser tipped his F4U-4 Corsair toward the aircraft, allowing his wingman to rake his propeller across the plane’s tail. The move downed the enemy plane and would have been a heroic highlight of any military career. But it was just a start for Reusser. Known as one of the most decorated Marine Corps aviators ever, he died June 20 of natural causes...

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2009 – A foundation formed by the family of a fallen Marine whose story was told in the HBO movie “Taking Chance” has donated $10,000 to a group that works to help wounded veterans and their families. Hope for the Warriors, a national nonprofit group, received the donation from the Chance Phelps Foundation during Fleet Week activities in New York on May 22. Gretchen Mack, mother of Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Chance R. Phelps and founder of the Chance Phelps foundation, said her family decided to make the donation based on what they experienced last year...

Even when half your skull is missing, life goes on. For ex-soldier Erik Castillo, gravely wounded by mortar fire in Iraq in 2004, life is going better than expected. Five years have passed since he woke up drooling and paralyzed in an Army hospital with a coconut-sized hole in his cranium — an injury from which doctors said he would never fully recover. The road back to some sort of normalcy has been rife with pain and indignity. He's been stared at by strangers, coped with countless surgeries and infections, and battled rage, self-pity and depression. Through it all, he...

Allen Hoe, 62, served as a combat medic in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. His son, K. Nainoa Hoe, served as a first lieutenant infantry officer with the Army's 3rd Battalion in Mosul, Iraq. He died there on Jan. 22, 2005, at the age of 27. On Memorial Day that year, Allen traveled to Washington, D.C., from his home in Honolulu for services being held at the Vietnam Memorial, often referred to as "the wall." Army nurses returning home from the war were being honored there that day. "I thought it would be great to welcome these young trauma nurses...

5/7/2009 - LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- Staff Sgt. Daniel Acosta woke May 7 thinking he was a senior airman. He was surprised to discover that he was promoted to staff sergeant without his knowledge. Lt. Col. Michael Glass, 59th Medical Support Squadron commander, advised Sergeant Acosta that Lt. Gen. Richard Newton, deputy chief of staff for Manpower and Personnel, approved the promotion with an effective date of Nov. 1, 2008. "I am really happy and excited about this promotion," said Sergeant Acosta. "It was such a surprise." Sergeant Acosta, an explosive ordnance technician from Hill Air Force...

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Feb. 11, 2009 – The noncommissioned officer in charge of training operations for the Warrior Transition Battalion here appears to be a typical soldier. But if the right sleeve of his shirt should come up a bit, you might catch a glimpse of a story whose protagonist is more than typical. Army Sgt. Cameron E. Stroeh takes an early morning walk in Fort Bragg, N.C., Feb. 9, 2009. Injuries he suffered in 2007 during his deployment to Iraq have limited his physical training. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Victor J. Ayala  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image...

Perhaps you've seen him — or them. Victor Wanchena explains why he rides his salt-encrusted Ural on an arctic January day.

1/13/2009 - DAYTON, Ohio (AFNS) -- A new exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Air Force now gives visitors a chance to see not only the service's past, but also its present and future. Called "Warrior Airmen," the new exhibit highlights how today's Airmen are contributing to the war on terrorism, both in the air and on the ground. The exhibit includes more than 400 artifacts, three dioramas with fully dressed and equipped mannequins, an audiovisual presentation on a 15-foot wide screen, and compelling firsthand accounts "The Air Force has always been an adaptive service," said Dick...

A video inspired by a trip to Walter Reed, set to the beautiful music of Sara Groves "I Saw What I Saw" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5vKKAGttC4

SCHWEINFURT, Germany, Dec. 22, 2008 – Danger lurks on every stretch of road in Iraq with the prospect of roadside bombs, which have taken a terrible toll on those serving downrange. Army Spc. Jake Altman knows very well the destruction they can cause. Army Spc. Jake Altman, wounded during his first deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007, is preparing to re-join his unit in Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Emily Athens  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. After serving two years in the Army, Altman deployed in 2006 with 9th Engineer Battalion, 172nd Infantry Brigade, stationed just north...

Robert Peters felt guilty. Guilty that he is here while our armed forces risk their lives, worlds away. That's when the idea came to him: Warrior Vacations. Oases of condos line the shores of Amelia Island. Empty condos, including his. Why not loan them out to active military and their families? So, Peters is asking condo owners to donate their property for one or two weeks. The process will be fairly simple one: Fill out a form at warriorvacations.org and wait to be paired with a condo owner. Peters said soldiers must be active duty, in good standing, be married...

Iranian archeological teams working at the reservoir area of the Khoda-Afarin Dam have recently discovered a burial site of a Kurgan warrior during their rescue excavations. A bull, a number of ancient weapons, dishes, and bronze artifacts have also been found in the warrior's grave, MNA quoted the Director of the Archaeological Research Center of Iran (ARCI) Mohammad Hassan Fazeli Nashli as telling the Persian service of CHN on Sunday. "According to the archaeologists, the warrior enjoyed a special status among his people," he added. The Kurgans were an Indo-European culture living in northern Europe, from Russia across Germany during...

SAN ANTONIO — Mary Dague hears the catty whispers sometimes. "So ugly," the strangers say when they think she can’t hear. The 24-year-old has bright green eyes, a quick smile, and on the days she gets her husband’s help, perfectly applied mascara and blush. But all the gawkers really see are her arms, each amputated above the elbow. What they don’t suppose — with no fatigues or standard-issue Army T-shirt to clue them in — is that this chatty young woman, who likes to wear a little black dress to fancy parties as much as the next girl, is an...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2008 – President George W. Bush presented a prestigious award today to a severely wounded warrior at Fort Campbell, Ky., who mentors other wounded troops and their families and volunteers at the post’s Fisher House. Army Staff Sgt. Joshua Forbess, seriously injured in a fiery Black Hawk helicopter collision over Mosul, Iraq, in November 2003, said he was motivated during his recovery to do everything in his power to return to full duty. President George W. Bush presented Forbess the President’s Volunteer Service award Nov. 25, 2008, for his work with other wounded warriors. DoD photo...

On the tour, The Twins performed their single “Wild Out.” When the song becomes available on I-Tunes. all proceeds will go to the Brooke Army Medical Center – a care facility that provides level-one trauma and prosthetic limbs for soldiers

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2008 – The Air Force Warrior and Survivor Care Program is reaching out to wounded airmen from the point injury on the battlefield and throughout their rehabilitation and reintegration and beyond, the program’s manager said yesterday. The program’s success relies largely on family liaison officers and community readiness consultants, John Beckett said in a “Dot Mil Docs” radio interview on BlogTalkRadio.com. “The backbone of that entire program is what we call the family liaison officer,” he said. “The family liaison officer is assigned to a family to be their personalized assistant, if you will, to help...

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 17, 2008 – Navy Senior Chief Jim Pitts was not exactly what the doctor ordered when the leaders of Safe Harbor called and interviewed him for a job to be an advocate for wounded warriors. Navy Senior Chief Jim Pitts made the unlikely move from cook to wounded sailor advocate. Now his colleagues call him a "super star" in his field. U.S. Navy courtesy photo.   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Pitts had none of the experience to make him a likely candidate. He had no medical background. No psychiatric background. Not even a...

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, Nov. 13, 2008 – The Warrior and Family Support Center located steps away from Brooke Army Medical Center here is one packed place. Retired Army Lt. Gen. Glynn Mallory talks about the new $4 million, 12,000-square-foot Warrior and Family Assistance Center that opens Dec. 1, 2008, on the Brooke Army Medical Center complex at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. It is stuffed from floor to ceiling with homey decorations, leather furniture, stacks of snacks, baskets of books, computer work stations, a video library...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2008 – The detonation of a large roadside bomb near Baghdad on May 3, 2005, caused enough damage to Army Sgt. Robert Bartlett’s body to cost him his life -- and it did, at least temporarily. Then-Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey, left, and his wife, Mary, meet with Army Sgt. Robert Bartlett, center, and Army Cpl. Todd Bishop. The soldiers were recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital in Washington. Both were injured by a roadside bomb near Baghdad on May 3, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Carmen L. Burgess  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2008 – A bomb disguised as a cigarette stand on the side of an Iraqi highway ended up claiming Army Sgt. Robert M. Price III’s right leg below the knee Jan. 14, 2007, but it didn’t take away his will to succeed. Price was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division’s 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion out of Fort Hood, Texas, when he deployed to Iraq for the second time in October 2006 as part of Task Force Iron Claw, a team of engineers with the sole mission of keeping Iraq’s streets clear of roadside bombs. “It’s...

11/5/2008 - SAN ANTONIO (AFNS) -- Looking in the mirror, Marine Capt. Ryan Voltin couldn't get past his ears. Not that they were strange looking, but that they were there at all. He just wasn't used to seeing them. The AH-1 Cobra pilot lost his when the helicopter he was flying erupted in flames during a training accident last year. The fire severely burned the captain's face -- to the point that his ears simply dissolved. "I was conscious the entire time," he said. "And I remember thinking that I shouldn't be alive." But, he was, because of the quick...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2008 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said  a new handbook is another step in improving the care and support wouynded, ill or injured troops and their families deserve.  The handbook compiles the myriad information they need in one succinct, easy-to-read publication. In his foreword to the Compensation and Benefits Handbook, Gates said its biggest benefit is that it “compiles into one source the relevant information that you and your family previously had to search through numerous sources to find.” The handbook was created to help servicemembers and the family members helping to care for them...

Is Barack Obama the "promised warrior" coming to help the Hidden Imam of Shiite Muslims conquer the world?

FORT DETRICK, Md., Oct. 30, 2008 – In most ways, Army Capt. Alex Houston is like any other Army commander. Army Capt. Alex Houston, 21st Signal Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company commander, talks with soldiers at Fort Detrick, Md. Houston lost his left hand in Iraq, but continues to serve. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. He comes to work here every day ready to lead and set the standard for the soldiers who work for him. He diligently performs all of his administrative duties as the 21st Signal Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company commander, and...

OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 7, 2008 – With the world’s attention focused on the Olympic Games that open tomorrow in Beijing, a former 3rd Infantry Division soldier severely wounded in Iraq is gearing up to compete in the Paralympic Games that open there Sept. 6. Former Army Spc. Scott Winkler, a 3rd Infantry Division soldier severely wounded in Iraq, has his sights set on winning gold medals in discus, shot put and javelin during the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. Defense Dept. photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Former Army Spc. Scott Winkler has his sights...

7/24/2008 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFPN) -- The Joint Base Balad Town Hall filled with brothers and sisters mourning the loss of a military family member July 20. Tech. Sgt. Jackie Larsen, a paralegal working with the Law and Order Task Force of the 732nd Expeditionary Support Squadron, died from non-combat related causes July 17. Sergeant Larsen, deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., operated out of Forward Operating Base Shield and was the NCO in charge of all personnel movements for the LAOTF. The LAOTF trains Iraqi lawyers, paralegals and investigators in proper investigations and documentation of evidence...

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2008 – Wounded veterans have a new source to turn to when looking for housing to meet their individual challenges after the expansion of a successful pilot program in Texas. “Helping a Hero” has been working for the past year to provide adaptive homes to wounded veterans of the war on terrorism, said Meredith Iler, chairman of the organization’s Wounded Hero Home Program. “Our principal activity is to provide specially adapted homes for qualifying servicemembers as well as engaging the community to provide services and resources for our wounded heroes and their families,” she said. “We...

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, May 23, 2008 – When Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Cornejo was wounded in Iraq, he had to return stateside for medical treatment, reluctantly leaving his comrades and mission behind. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Cornejo, who was injured in Iraq in 2007, speaks at his change of responsibility ceremony May 13, 2008, at the 187th Medical Battalion headquarters at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Photo by Elaine Wilson, Fort Sam Houston Public Information Office  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. But one thing that never left him was his desire to serve. After three months...

4/24/2008 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Staff Sgt. Matthew Slaydon lay motionless on a dusty road in Iraq, his body riddled with shrapnel after an improvised explosive device exploded about 2 feet from his face. His left arm hung by a couple of tendons and his face was unrecognizable. His friends worked frantically to save him from an early grave. Sergeant Slaydon, an explosive ordnance disposal technician from the 56th Civil Engineer Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., was critically injured Oct. 24, 2007, while serving to protect convoy routes in Iraq. The explosion left him...

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2008 – Retired Army reservist Joseph L. Bowser was 9 years old when he first experienced the thrill of skating and using his hockey stick to whack a rubber puck across the ice on a frozen pond in his birthplace of Toledo, Ohio. Retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Joseph L. Bowser plays competitive ice hockey despite the loss of his lower right leg due to an injury suffered from an exploding enemy rocket April 12, 2004, in Balad, Iraq. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Today, the 48-year-old Iraq veteran still plays ice hockey,...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Another Canadian soldier has been killed in Afghanistan. Pte. Terry John Street, 24, from Hull, Que., was killed when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device. Street was with the 2nd Battalion of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Man. The incident took place early Friday evening in the volatile Panjwaii district west of Kandahar city, long a hotbed of Taliban activity. Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche, the commander of Canadian forces in Afghanistan, says Canada’s presence in Afghanistan brings hope to its people. Laroche says he hopes this comes as some comfort to the family...

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2008 – The majority of severely wounded warriors say the military health system is on the right track, and is doing all it can and should to provide their care, a new Zogby International survey shows. The poll of 435 servicemembers wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan shows 77 percent are satisfied the military health system is doing all it can to meet their health care needs, and nearly 60 percent said their trust and confidence in the system has increased since they began receiving medical treatment for their wounds. The poll was conducted Feb. 27 and...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (March 10, 2008) -- He faded in and out of consciousness. He knew his legs were injured, but he did not know to what extent. Capt. Ray Baronie, the executive officer for the Wounded Warrior Battalion-East, Wounded Warrior Regiment, Manpower and Reserve Affairs, has few clear memories of his hospital stays overseas. One of the things he remembers is watching the doctors cut off his boots, as they talked about amputation. Baronie, at the time, a liason officer between the Iraqi Security Forces and the Marines of II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was on...