Free Republic

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md., Oct. 2, 2009 – Minutes after the hulking C-17 transport jet rolled to a stop on the tarmac, two oversized ambulances backed up to its rear loading ramp to receive its precious cargo: 23 wounded warriors and sick or injured servicemembers in need of advanced medical care. The 779th Aeromedical Staging Facility at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., transports a severely wounded soldier being medically evacuated from Iraq for advanced treatment care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. DoD photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Most of the patients...

He may be a social pariah everywhere else -- but when Kanye West made a surprise appearance at Common's benefit concert last night in Hollywood, he got a hero's welcome. The crowd at the show -- which featured Common, Nas, Ludacris, De La Soul, The Roots, Mos Def, Talib Kweli and more -- just exploded when Kanye rushed out on stage. He stayed for a few songs -- including "Good Life" and "Run This Town" -- and had the crowd going nuts the whole time. Kanye was able to perform without interruption.

The Lockerbie bomber tonight landed in Libya to a hero's welcome as thousands greeted him at the airport waving flags and posters. He was greeted by a mob who had descended on Mitiga Airport brandishing placards and cheering. Some displayed Megrahi's face on their t-shirts while others waved Libyan and Scottish flags For more details and photos: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1207816/Obamas-desperate-appeal-Lockerbie-bomber-die-Scottish-prison-killers-fate-decided.html

Here is video of Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie Bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi arriving back in Libya to a hero's welcome. As he descended the steps of the airplane that flew him home from Scotland, you can see him waving his arms in victory as music plays and the crowd cheers. If ever there is a picture of the stark difference in moral values between America and the nations influenced and dominated by Radical Islam, here it is. We mourn the death of 270 innocent people while they cheer as a hero their killer. . . . (Watch Video)

Looking at the video, you'd think it was someone who had just won 5 gold medals in the Olympics getting off the plane, sadly this SOB is responsible for killing 270 people in 1988...

Hero's welcome for Lockerbie terrorist link

Over ferocious American objections, Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the only person convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie jet bombing, flew home to a jubilant welcome in Libya on Thursday night after the Scottish government ordered his release on compassionate grounds. Mr. Megrahi,57, a former Libyan intelligence agent, had served 8 years of a 27-year minimum sentence on charges of murdering 270people in Britain’s worst terrorist episode. Widely forecast in British news reports over the past week, his release angered many Americans whose relatives died in the bombing, leaving them to confront anew the agony and anguish of loss and to question...

Tripoli, Libya-- Libyans are celebrating this evening the return of their beloved son, Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi, with thousands are waiting for his plane to land at Ma’atiqa International airport. However, those who have had the chance to see today’s photos of Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi in such a bad state of his health are expressing their shock and some of them could not help but drop some tears on their faces. Many are blaming the Scottish authorities for not taking care of Megrahi’s health while in prison and speculate that he was left, on purpose, to die of his cancer. ---...

al-Megrahi was greeted at the airport in Tripoli by thousands of his cheering countrymen. Loudspeakers blared patriotic music and a ceremony with the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was said to be planned.

Tears filled the eyes of some Vietnam veterans who were warmly greeted with cheers from their family and friends Sunday in an re-enactment of their original return from the war, when they were often met with angry demonstrators and harsh headlines. The ceremony was a first for the 101st Airborne Division and the Army, said Maj. Patrick Seiber, an Army spokesman based at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. "Our hope is that other units and other posts will follow our lead in having this type of ceremony," he said...

U.S. soldiers were given a true Irish welcome at a wedding in Co Clare this week. The 300 troops were stranded in Shannon last weekend after their Iraq-bound plane was grounded. As luck would have it, they were booked into the same hotel as the wedding party for Amelia Walsh and Sean O'Neill. And so the 300 troops were invited to join the festivities at the Clare Inn in Newmarket-on-Fergus. The groom's uncle, Joe O'Neill said: "It didn’t take long before the combat fatigues were manoeuvring to the strains of ‘The Walls of Limerick'." The happy couple posed for pictures...

Future attorneys are taught in law school to never ask a witness a question they don't already know the answer to. On Saturday, CNN's Don Lemon learned this lesson the hard way. Well after President Obama finished his speech in Ghana, Lemon was speaking live to correspondent Nkepile Mabuse who was reporting on location. When Lemon asked whether the warm reception Obama received upon his arrival Friday was unprecedented, Mabuse caught him quite off guard with her response. Pay particular attention to Lemon's body language when Mabuse says, "It's not unprecedented. When President Bush was here, you will remember, in...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, June 29, 2009) -- Wounded Soldiers sent home from overseas are greeted by their own before they are even off the plane at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. The Army’s wounded are welcomed back to the country by a team of three Soldiers from the U.S. Army Military District of Washington: the Medical Evacuation to CONUS Hospitals team. Col. James Conaway, Master Sgt. Jon Taylor and Master Sgt. Juan Reyna act as advocates and liaisons for wounded Soldiers transitioning back to the United States. “We help to coordinate, communicate and just take care of all the...

A touch of home At Bangor's airport, the gateway back for many troops, greeters make sure they get the warmest of welcomes By David Filipov Globe Staff / May 24, 2009 BANGOR - As a chaplain in the US Army's First Cavalry Division, Captain Edward Tolliver just spent nearly a year in Iraq as the guy to whom soldiers came for advice, comfort, or just a welcome face. But on a recent May evening in Bangor International Airport, Tolliver was the one receiving the comforting embrace.

PRISTINA (AFP) – Vice President Joe Biden received a hero's welcome Thursday as the most senior US official yet to visit Kosovo since its disputed declaration of independence from Serbia last year. "Kosovo's independence was the only viable option for stability in the region," Biden told a special sitting of the Kosovo parliament in Pristina. "Your independence is irreversible," he said in a speech lawmakers greeted with several standing ovations. "The success of an independent Kosovo is a priority for our administration." Cheered on by a huge crowd, Biden's motorcade had made its way towards the parliament along streets lined...

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 2, 2009 – The Hoosier State welcomed home its National Guardsmen who have deployed around the globe during a tribute at Lucas Oil Stadium here Jan. 31. U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Euripides Perez, an Indiana National Guardsman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 150th Field Artillery, briefs soldiers before entering Lucas Oil Stadium during the homecoming celebration in Indianapolis, Jan. 31, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. William E. Henry  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Thousands of loved ones, friends and fellow Indiana residents, including Gov. Mitch Daniels, paid tribute to more than 4,500 soldiers and airmen who...

BAGHDAD – The residents of Tharwa 1 shook hands with Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Battalion, 42nd Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division, in the streets as they conducted house-to-house searches for unauthorized weapons and the residents gladly opened their doors and welcomed the Soldiers inside. Most residents offered tea and breakfast and they took handbills and tip cards with great interest as they hoped to show the Soldiers they were willing to help out in order to keep the area safe for their children. “The people here in Sadr City really appreciate our efforts, and...

11/7/2008 - ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) -- Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command has a new office charged with ensuring deploying reservists and their families are well taken care of. The Office of Deployment Cycle Support manages the command's Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. "The program helps Airmen and their families face the challenges of deployment," said Col. Mary Hill, DCS director. "It provides the family with information about the many programs and services that are available to help them and it addresses issues and concerns that families face when reintegrating back to their home communities." Colonel Hill and Master...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2008 – Two units of the 82nd Airborne Division will be treated to a heroes’ welcome in November when Holmdel and Middletown, N.J., host a joint homecoming for their “adopted” troops. The units and the cities were paired by America Supporting Americans, a California-based nonprofit group that links military units with communities across the country. “The centerpiece of ASA's work is the Adopt-A-Unit Program,” said Linda Patterson, the group’s president and founder. “Believing that a strong, supportive connection between young men and women of our armed forces and the civilian communities they are ready and willing...

On Thursday 17 July 2008, the Holy Father was formally welcomed to Australia by the Governor General, the Prime Minister and other officials. He delivered the following address. Your Excellencies, Dear Australian Friends, It is with great joy that I greet you today. I would like to thank the Governor-General, Major-General Michael Jeffery and Prime Minister Rudd for honouring me by their presence at this ceremony and for welcoming me so graciously. As you know, I have been able to enjoy some quiet days since my arrival in Australia last Sunday. I am most grateful for the hospitality that has...

THE PRESIDENT: It's been a pleasure of my presidency to get to know the leaders of Rolling Thunder. For our fellow citizens who don't know Rolling Thunder, Rolling Thunder is the moment in time here in Washington, on Memorial Day Weekend, when thousands of motorcyclers come to the nation's capital to pay tribute to those who have died in service, to those who sacrificed, and those who serve. And it's a magnificent sight. We just choppered in, Artie, and saw your brothers and sisters cranking up their machines and driving through the nation's capital -- many of them have got...

THREE years ago, in the final weeks of Pope John Paul II's papacy, the Vatican's diplomatic service took great care to distance the Catholic Church from American foreign policy, in order to protect Christians in mainly Muslim lands from being tarred with the same brush as the Bush administration. But as his successor Pope Benedict XVI arrives on Tuesday April 15th for a five-day trip to the United States, the gap between the Vatican and America seems to have narrowed a great deal. The Vatican fear that Middle Eastern Christians would pay a high price for the perceived misdeeds of...

ZAGREB, Croatia: U.S. President George W. Bush was warmly welcomed by the government in Croatia on Friday and he praised the ex-Yugoslav country as a trusted ally. But his opponents used the occasion to protest his foreign policies. Bush came to Zagreb from a NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, where Croatia was invited to join the alliance, one of the government's top goals. "We celebrate your invitation to become one of America's closest allies," Bush said in a toast to President Stipe Mesic. "We're so proud of our relationship," Bush said. Croatia's government sees Bush's two-day visit as a clear...

MONROVIA, Liberia — It has been 30 years since a sitting president of the United States has visited this West African nation, and in the decades since, rebel generals with nicknames like Butt Naked laid waste to this seaside country, raping and plundering, and a brutal warlord named Charles G. Taylor campaigned for the presidency under the slogan, “He killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I will vote for him anyway.” Now Mr. Taylor is gone, pushed out in 2003 after more than a decade of civil war, and Liberia is taking tender steps toward recovery under Ellen...

Cpl. Eric A. Otero, a squad leader with Company B, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, hugs his daughter Kiali, 3, after returning Feb. 12 from a seven-month deployment. MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Feb. 21, 2008) -- Wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, and other friends were among the excited greeters waiting for the return of Marines from 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Feb. 12 at the battalion’s home at 53 Area, Camp Horno. Flags waved and children played on the parade deck behind the headquarters building for 1/1 – the “First of the First� – who were drawing to...

Flags, applause, hugs and tears greeted 27 soldiers from the Rochester-based 79th Military Police Co. of the Army Reserve as they rolled into the city this morning for a homecoming celebration. Flags and motorcycles from the Minnesota Patriot Guard as well as nearly 200 family and friends were waiting for the soldiers as they returned to their unit's home after 14 months on active duty, mostly in Iraq. Fire trucks were parked on U.S. 52 overpasses as another greeting, and firefighters at the Army Reserve Center pulled out the ladder on their truck to hang the American flag from it....

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2007 – When the Carolina Panthers football players enter the stadium in Charlotte, N.C., Nov. 11 night for their Veterans Day home game, they will be joined by a large cannon blast and six war heroes. Former Marine Staff Sgt. Edwin Bono, center, reacts after tossing a football into a Carolina Panthers locker-room bin, as players, fellow veterans and family members cheer him on in Charlotte, N.C., Nov. 6, 2007. Bono’s toss earned him a mid-field spot for the pre-game coin toss at the Panthers vs. Falcons game on Veterans Day. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution...

Sgt. 1st Class Mendez J. Frith, Bravo Battery 9th Engineer Battalion, enjoys a brief chat with neighborhood youngsters while checking on a variety of essential service projects in northwest Baghdad. USACE photo. BAGHDAD — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing more than $50 million in essential service projects in northwest Baghdad. Water and sewer lines are being repaired, roads paved, and electrical distribution networks upgraded under contracts USACE is managing. “And that’s just a portion of the work being carried out there,� said Lt. Col. Glen Masset, commander of the U.S. Army’s 9th Engineer Battalion, who keeps track of...

By Lance Cpl. Robert C. FrenkeMarine Corps Base Camp Butler OKINAWA, Japan, Sept. 6, 2007 — More than 130 Marines and sailors from 1st Stinger Battery, Marine Air Control Group 18, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, returned here 1 a.m. Sept. 4 following the unit’s first combat deployment since the start of the war on terrorism. During the deployment, the servicemembers helped secure the movement of more than 100,000 vehicles and personnel while ensuring the safe, uninterrupted flow of personnel, supplies and materiel required for sustaining missions and operations at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, according to Capt. Christopher A....

YO, Bush! Welcome to Sydney. Forgive the informality, but you're a Texan and Australia is a pretty laid back as you'd know from the Aussies you've met over the years and though you're only visiting briefly, a lot of us hope you get to experience something of the flavour of the country we love while you're here. You've had an opportunity to see something of the Harbour, the Bridge and the Opera House and perhaps you'll get a chance to see Bondi and some other famous beaches before you leave. I certainly hope so. As you know from your escapades...

Members of Company D, 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry, attached to 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, went door-to-door recently in the neighborhoods of Hababiyah, in eastern Baghdad, to greet the people and collect information. Photo by Spc. Courtney Marulli, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Public Affairs. FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH — Knowing the lay of the land is important for a successful operation, but just as important is knowing the local people and showing them that coalition forces are here to help, and not harm them.Soldiers from 2nd Platoon, Company D, 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry, attached...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2007 – The National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys took a break from training camp recently to express team members’ gratitude to injured servicemembers recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. More than 25 injured servicemembers recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and Bank of America representatives enjoyed a day at the Dallas Cowboy's training camp at the Alamodome in San Antonio, on Aug. 6, 2007. Bank of America is the football team's official bank and its military segment capitalized on the relationship to create the opportunity and...

DALLAS, May 3, 2007 – Almost 200 deployed troops got a Texas-sized homecoming today as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates joined hundreds of friends, family members and local residents to welcome them home from the Middle East for two weeks of rest and recuperation leave. Kimberly Smith embraces Army Spc. Corie Barran at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after he arrives home May 3 for two weeks of rest and recuperation leave from his deployment to Iraq. Photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Gates took his place alongside the flag-waving, banner-carrying, chanting revelers gathered at Dallas/Fort...

Bronx, N.Y., native Staff Sgt. Juan A. Lopez, speaks Arabic with some Iraqi children during his unit’s patrol of a market in Baghdad’s Al Doura district. BAGHDAD -- “Face time.” It seems to be a term used more by celebrities than Soldiers, but as Iraqi Army and Police go on patrols with Coalition forces, “face time” is something one unit is saying is very important to their mission of capturing the bad guys. On what’s become a normal patrol mission in Baghdad’s northwest Al-Doura neighborhood, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers are using...

1/19/2007 - HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. (AFNEWS) -- A crowd of more than 500 gathered to welcome home 80 Hanscom deployers with praise and thanks at the Aero Club Hangar Jan. 19. The Heroes' Homecoming, the first event of its kind here, honored troops who returned from deployments over the past six months. Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Sirois, 66th Air Base Wing and Electronic Systems Center command chief master sergeant, called the celebration "absolutely awesome." "This is an opportunity to really say 'thank you' for the tremendous services that these individuals performed. They represented our country, our Air Force...

BRENTWOOD, Tenn., Nov. 11, 2006 ? Six cities delivered a simple message to about 750 of their extended family members here yesterday: ?Welcome Home 1/327th Infantry Regiment.? Residents of Brentwood, Ashland City, Franklin and Winchester, Tenn., were joined by representatives of San Mateo and Burlingame, Calif., to welcome home the 101st Airborne Division?s 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment based at Fort Campbell, Ky. That warm welcome came in the form of a parade down streets lined with cheering residents, but had little to do with the unseasonably warm temperatures, Brentwood Police Chief Ricky Watson said. ?I was in (the...

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, had a way with words. In 1922, she wrote a book chapter titled "The Cruelty of Charity." Charity toward the poor, especially toward poor immigrants, she opined, only "encourages the healthier and more normal sections of the world to shoulder the burden of unthinking and indiscriminate fecundity of others, which brings with it … a dead weight of human waste."

FORT HUACHUCA — Lena Cowboy, her daughter Christina and grandson Ethan drove Wednesday from the northern Four Corners-area community of Kayenta to this part of Southern Arizona. The hours on the road were worth it. Her daughter, Staff Sgt. Lisa Cowboy, was returning from a year assignment in Iraq. Lisa also traveled by road from Fort Bliss, Texas, for the reunion. Sitting in the Eifler Gym, Lena waited for the buses carrying her daughter and 25 other returning soldiers to arrive. The two buses were escorted on post by American Legion Riders, a group of local motorcyclists. The arrival time...

Business is brisk at Geno's Steaks. Supporters and the curious are flocking like pilgrims to see signs at the cheesesteak emporium that read: "This is AMERICA ... WHEN ORDERING, 'SPEAK ENGLISH.' " The small, laminated placards, tucked unobtrusively near the takeout window, have ignited a nationwide firestorm of debate about English, immigration and free speech. And, neighborhood gossip has it, they have done a better job at attracting customers than the store's Las Vegas-style neon lights ever did. (snip) Whether or not Vento accurately understands Latino attitudes on English, his signs have hit a nerve. They have spawned fans, including...

Police in Sierra Vista tell us that the added National Guard presence would be a "blessing" and the sheriff in Santa Cruz County also feels good about the plan. "They love to use this, this road." Santa Cruz County Deputy Fernando Ayon says about the illegal immigrants who use the Santa Cruz Wash as a roadway. He used to have picnics there with his family when he was a little boy. "See here, the fence has been damaged," Ayon points out. Now, Ayon says, the area is a well-known hot spot for illegal trafficking. "It's everywhere you go, everywhere you...

PRIME Minister John Howard has been welcomed to the White House in a lavish ceremony featuring hundreds of military guards, two brass bands and thousands of spectators. In scenes reminiscent of a Hollywood movie, Mr Howard was hailed by US President George W. Bush as a hero before waving to the crowd from the curved balcony overlooking the South Lawn. Ceremonial guards from all six of the US military forces began lining the South Lawn about half an hour before Mr Howard and his wife Janette arrived in a black limousine. The Howards were greeted by Mr Bush and his...

FORT HUACHUCA — One of the soldiers who returned from Kuwait Thursday was Spc. Carlos Smith, of the 269th Signal Company. While the majority of the returning 142 soldiers were members of the 69th Signal Company who spent most of a year in Iraq, Smith was stationed in Kuwait for six months during his second deployment. The troops were on a civilian airliner that first touched down on U.S. soil in Bangor, Maine. Unknown to Smith was that he was going to be honored by a group of greeters, local residents and veterans who have been welcoming military people back...

STILLWATER -- President Bush got a friendly welcome Saturday at Oklahoma State University, where he told students they face “unimagined opportunities” upon entering the job market. A steady mist fell throughout most of Bush’s short speech, which avoided hot-button policy issues such as the war in Iraq. Bush’s only mention of the war, which has spawned criticism, came after praising former OSU student Luke James, who died in Iraq as an officer in the 82nd Airborne Division after receiving his commission as a lieutenant in 2004. James, a husband and father, received the Bronze Star and was buried at Arlington...

by Mark Finkelstein March 24, 2006 Seemingly on every evening's Hardball, Chris Matthews enjoys chanting a mantra of allegedly failed Bush administration promises on Iraq.. Chief among them is his taunt that the White House claimed that our troops would be greeted as liberators. Just as it might be soothing to see someone silence an ostentatious Berkeley hippie endlessly chanting 'ummm', it was most satisfying to witness Christopher Hitchens on this evening's Hardball comprehensively refute Matthews on his claim. Once again, Matthews launched into his leitmorif: Pres. Bush: "strikes out . . . on the fact that we were going...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-- (March 7, 2006) -- Active duty and reserve service members who are legal residents of the state of Massachusetts may be eligible to receive a chunk of change from their state government. According to the state’s official website, www.mass.gov, the ‘Welcome Home’ Bonus program is administered by the state Treasurer’s office. It provides a one-time $500 or $1000 tax-free payment to service members activated since September 11, 2001. Those who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq will receive $1000, and those who have served domestically or in other foreign countries for a period of...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, down in the popularity polls and trying to regain his support, took up his other persona as a strongman Saturday at his annual bodybuilding competition. Fans shouted, "We love you, Arnold!" and "Arnold rules!" as Schwarzenegger entered the Greater Columbus Convention Center, one of the venues for the weekend's 2006 Arnold Sports Festival. The event combines a trade show, contests in several sports, and the centerpiece - the 18th annual Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition. Schwarzenegger stopped frequently to shake hands, pose for pictures and sign autographs as members of his California Highway Patrol security detail cleared...

New Delhi, March 2: US President George W Bush was on Thursday accorded a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. President A P J Abdul Kalam warmly welcomed Bush at the forecourt of the historic Rashtrapati Bhawan, where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his cabinet colleagues were also present. The US President took salute from the inter-services guard of honour with anthems of India and America being played in the background. Bush arrived on Wednesday on a three-day visit. Later talking to reporters, an elated Bush said, "I have been to many capitals around the world. I have never seen...

I'm looking for pictures of our troops being greeted in Iraq with flowers, as well as the pictures of Iraqis kissing pictures of President Bush, and other pictures which show the Iraqis welcomed us. Thanks.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Dec. 14, 2005) -- From privates first class to sergeants major to lieutenant colonels, all Marines who saw the newly promoted sergeant walking through their work areas were quick to render the appropriate military courtesies. After all, Brandon Rasnick had accomplished what no one else in the 2nd Marine Division had, made the rank of sergeant in one day. It’s a success the Lehigh Acres, Fla., native did not tout as he made his rounds throughout the base. Rather, the Marines and sailors smiled and waved as the shortest noncommissioned officer they had ever...

In calm, yet forceful statements of his administration's goals in Iraq, President Bush has correctly rejected all calls for a timetable to withdraw American troops from Iraq. Instead, he has reiterated that when the mission has been completed, the troops will begin to come home "with the honor they have earned." Absolutely. But, last night, as I was watching a rebroadcast of the last speech, I was thinking about what that phase might, and should mean. And at the very least, it should include a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, and a tickertape parade in NYC, up Broadway,...