I’ve got my mojo back. I’d like to introduce everyone to SSG Jason R. Arnette. Jason was killed on 1 April 2007 in Iraq and is the Hero of the Week on They Have Names. Please take the time to honor this young man’s life and sacrifice by checking out his profile on They Have Names.
“The Soldier above all others prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest scars of war.” – General Douglas MacArthur
That quote is what I have at the bottom of all of my emails. I have it there for a reason, and unfortunately one of those times is now.
We have suffered a terrible loss in the New York National Guard over the last few days. On Saturday morning, three soldiers from the New York National Guard were killed along with a Lieutenant Colonel from Active Duty when their Humvee was the target of a complex ambush that involved an IED initially and then small arms and RPG fire. I have known of this the last several days, but had to stay silent until the Army has a chance to do the proper notification. This spawned my one question on Monday with COL McGrath in the Blogger’s Roundtable, when I asked how his soldiers were doing despite the significant loss of lives in his area of operation. He actually talked about this attack specifically in the interview. If you did not hear that interview session, you can click HERE and listen to it.
Anyway, one of those soldiers, SGT Rodriguez, was one of mine once. I was his First Sergeant from the time he came into the National Guard until I deployed in 2006. I remember him well, and will now remember him always. He was a hard working soldier, that did what he was told, never complained and never made a fuss. He was very quiet, but at the same time was outgoing when he needed to be. I was fortunate enough to see him while I was down at Ft. Bragg right before the 27th BCT shipped out of the US. I spent time talking to him, his fellow soldiers and some of thier leaders, all of whom used to work for me when I was their First Sergeant.
The Buffalo News has a small article in the paper today that you can read if you would like, right here; http://www.buffalonews.com/180/story/377814.html, http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/378762.html or http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/06/revere_soldier_killed_in_afghanistan_ambush.html
The other two NY National Guardsmen has stories written about them also
SGT Seabrooks
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-lisold0626,0,3803486.story
SPC Mangano
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-limang0626,0,6372114.story
This Thursday, June 26th is the huge “From the Front Lines” 8-hour telethon hosted by the nation’s largest pro-troop organization Move America Forward – http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org
Their goal: to send the largest single shipment of care packages in U.S. history. They’re hoping to collect sponsorships in excess of $500,000 for care packages by the end of the day Thursday.
* Today Rush Limbaugh promoted the effort on his nationally syndicated show:
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_062408/content/01125111.guest.html
* Also, The San Francisco Chronicle wrote about it:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=27546
* And the Sacramento Union has two stories about the broader effort:
Here: http://www.sacunion.com/pages/california/articles/9981/
And Here: http://www.sacunion.com/pages/sacramento/articles/9974/
Now they’re looking for help from YOU. They are asking for your help to spread the word and explode with mentions of this effort – so that any American patriot who loves our military and is surfing the Net the next two days is sure to know about this effort. If nothing else, please ask your friends and family on June 26th to tune in to “From the Front Lines” via http://www.HotAir.com or http://www.ustream.tv/channel/from-the-frontlines
Supporters of our troops can sponsor care packages at: http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org
This Friday, June 27th, you can catch the special webcast of Wynonna Judd’s live performance at Alaska’s Operation Gratitude, a concert for the U.S. military. Check out http://www.attblueroom.com/music for the streaming webcast beginning at 8:30 p.m. ADT!
Not only can internet users enjoy the concert, but U.S. service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will be able to watch and interact with the country music superstar via video conferencing provided by AT&T.
I hope you and your readers will get a chance to check out the website to enjoy Wynonna Judd’s live performance as she honors our American military men and women, 8 PM ADT, on Friday June 27th!
You may have seen the latest ad from the far-left group MoveOn.org, which they spent over $500k broadcasting on television.
The ad uses a young mother, holding her infant son, to launch a baseless and, frankly, creepy political attack on Senator McCain.
You can watch the :30 second tv ad here:
Here is what she says: “Hi, John McCain; this is Alex. He’s my first. So far, his talents include trying any new food and chasing after our dog — that, and making my heart pound every time I look at him. So, John McCain, when you said you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? Because, if you were, you can’t have him.”
Former Air Force Major Eric Egland is running for Congress in the 4th Congressional District in California. He is married to Ania Egland. Here is Ania’s :30 second video response:
“Hello Senator McCain, these are my precious boys Noah and Daniel. Their daddy served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I grew up under communism. So, when you say we have to protect freedom in Iraq, I understand. And, someday, I would be proud if they volunteered to serve this great country. Senator, thank you for your leadership.”
Enjoy and please pass it on.
The military is very concerned with our impact on the environment. As long as I’ve been in the military, I’ve had to follow very stringent guidelines when it comes to any possible environmental impact as it relates to fuel, animals, waste, recycling, etc.
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Remember this line: “Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.” That was Congressman Jack Murtha on Wednesday, May 16, 2006. Not only that, but Murtha said that the accounts were true. He followed up his slander with, “”They actually went into the houses and killed women and children.”
Surely you’ve heard that the case against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani has been dismissed. This brings the number of Marines charged and found guilty in the Haditha case to….ZERO!!
In response to this, Congressman Murtha issued the following apology…
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Iraq’s military is progressing by leaps and bounds. With the surge producing the best possible environment for the government to plant their feet in the sand and put their shoulder to the wheel of progress, a lot is being done to ensure that the nation can defend itself. We all know that a military needs more than just combat troops. There is a saying, at least in the Army, that it takes ten support Soldiers for one combat arms Soldier to be effective. That Soldier has to be armed, fed, rested, paid, etc. The Iraqi military is quickly accomplishing that piece on its own.
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by Michael Marks
The sun beat like a hammer, not a cloud was in the sky.
The mid-day air ran thick with dust, my throat was parched and dry.
With microphone clutched tight in hand and cameraman in tow,
I ducked beneath a fallen roof, surprised to hear “stay low.”
My eyes blinked several times before in shadow I could see,
the figure stretched across the rubble, steps away from me.
He wore a cloak of burlap strips, all shades of grey and brown,
that hung in tatters till he seemed to melt into the ground.
He never turned his head or took his eye from off the scope
but pointed through the broken wall and down the rocky slope.
“About eight hundred yards,” he said, his whispered words concise,
“beneath the baggy jacket he is wearing a device.”
A chill ran up my spine despite the swelter of the heat,
“You think he’s gonna set it off along the crowded street?”
The sniper gave a weary sigh and said “I wouldn’t doubt it,”
“unless there’s something this old gun and I can do about it.”
A thunderclap, a tongue of flame, the still abruptly shattered;
while citizens that walked the street were just as quickly scattered.
Till only one remained, a body crumpled on the ground,
The threat to oh so many ended by a single round.
And yet the sniper had no cheer, no hint of any gloat,
instead he pulled a logbook out and quietly he wrote.
“Hey, I could put you on TV, that shot was quite a story!”
But he surprised me once again — “I got no wish for glory.”
“Are you for real?” I asked in awe, “You don’t want fame or credit?”
He looked at me with saddened eyes and said “you just don’t get it.”
“You see that shot-up length of wall, the one without a door?
Before a mortar hit, it used to be a grocery store.”
“But don’t go thinking that to bomb a store is all that cruel,
the rubble just across the street — it used to be a school.
The little kids played soccer in the field out by the road,”
His head hung low, “They never thought a car would just explode.”
“As bad as all this is though, it could be a whole lot worse,”
He swallowed hard, the words came from his mouth just like a curse.
“Today the fight’s on foreign land, on streets that aren’t my own,
I’m here today ’cause if I fail, the next fight’s back at home.”
“And I won’t let my Safeway burn, my neighbors dead inside,
don’t wanna get a call from school that says my daughter died;
I pray that not a one of them will know the things I see,
nor have the work of terrorists etched in their memory.”
“So you can keep your trophies and your fleeting bit of fame,
I don’t care if I make the news, or if they speak my name.”
He glanced toward the camera and his brow began to knot,
“If you’re looking for a story, why not give this one a shot.”
“Just tell the truth of what you see, without the slant or spin;
that most of us are OK and we’re coming home again.
And why not tell our folks back home about the good we’ve done,
how when they see Americans, the kids come at a run.”
You tell ‘em what it means to folks here just to speak their mind,
without the fear that tyranny is just a step behind;
Describe the desert miles they walk in their first chance to vote,
or ask a soldier if he’s proud, I’m sure you’ll get a quote.”
He turned and slid the rifle in a drag bag thickly padded,
then looked again with eyes of steel as quietly he added;
“And maybe just remind the few, if ill of us they speak,
that we are all that stands between the monsters and the weak.”
Michael Marks January 25, 2006
Obviously, Mohammed Jawad, an Afghan detainee charged with attempted murder at Guantanamo, doesn’t have any kids. The poor guy is complaining that Soldiers at GITMO won’t let him sleep. I say, “you’ll sleep when you’re dead.”
“Day and night, they were shifting me from one room to another,” Jawad said.
Here ya go, Jawad. Play me a sad, sad song:
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You Served's Claire talks about the life of a military spouse - the hardships, the joys, and everything in between.
Join the discussion in our new Spouse and Family section!
