Ward Churchill (remember him?) references the book, Smallpox and the American Indian, during his testimony in his civil suit against the University of Colorado at the City and County Building in Denver, Colorado March 23, 2009. Churchill is suing the University of Colorado for wrongful termination.
AP photo.

Today, I picked up 2 kids I carpool to the gymnastics club from their magnet school, as I do every Monday. Apparently, there was no mention about Columbus Day. Nada. Zippo. Nothing negative or positive. But they did watch a performance by dancers dressed like Mayan/Aztec Indians; and the older one said it was “Latino Heritage month”.

This school was closed for Yom Kippur (where 99% of the kids are black and Hispanic). But they were open today, with no mention of Columbus, but did celebrate “Latino heritage”. Oooookaaay…..

I’m recognizing my country, less and less, as time wears on…. Read the rest of this entry »

With the Labor Day weekend upon us, it cannot be said enough that the engine of the US is us, her citizens. From those that are perceived to carry the lowliest of jobs to the highest CEO, it is the fruits of our labor, and the regulations we must abide by to harvest those fruits, that enable the elite in the beltway. Truly a fact I believe they have long since discarded as inconvenient.

Today, I am reminded that our military are also toiling daily… sans days off and always on call. And while all deserve mention and our respect, I’m here to tell you the story of just one crew, from one crew member’s personal story.

On Sept. 14th, the Crew of Torqe 05, 40th Airlift Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas, will be the recipient of the Lt. General William H. Tunner Award for 2009 in a ceremony at the Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington DC.

To examine the honor of this award, we might want to first examine the man for whom it was named… Lt. Gen. William H. Tunner, the most outstanding authority on airlift operations of the United States Air Force (and Army Air Corp in WWII). The below are excepts from a biography, written by a grateful recipient of Tunner’s “Candy Bombers” in Germany as a young girl.

Lt. Gen. Tunner first helped orginally create, the “Air Corps Ferrying Command” divisions in the early 40s.

July 1942, the name “Ferrying Command” was changed to Air Transport Command. General Tunner, by now a Colonel, was made Commanding Officer of the Ferrying Division. At that time, this division was ferrying 10,000 aircraft monthly to the Allied Forces, which was of vital importance in the early days of World War II.

In Sept of 1944, then Col. Tunner was called to command “The Hump” airlift transport of supplies to the Chinese people in the China-Burma-India theatre of the war. It was there he demonstrated his exceptional abilities to organize efficient and successful airlift missions.

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Something uplifting for you, courtesy of Savannah writer, Carol Megathlin.

It’s the story of a small US flag, transferred into the hands of a SC soldier deployed to Iraq, and it’s return home… with the soldier. Per Carol, now in possession of that flag, it’s worn and weary from the experiences… much like that young soldier. But, like that soldier, that flag is a cherished possession.

Read, and be of good cheer and pride in America’s finest…. our military.

On the wall next to my computer hangs a small American flag. It is tattered and dirty, but there is no way I will ever part with this little flag.

It was put into my hands on July 1, 2008, by First Sergeant Jovito Casanova as I stood at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah. I was there to welcome home 3rd Infantry Division troops returning from Iraq.

As he handed me the flag, I gave him my email address and asked him to tell me its story. Only recently was he willing to talk about his 14 months in one of the most dangerous places in Iraq. Here is the story he recounted in an email.

“It was late in the night when we were loading the aircraft out of Hunter Army Airfield and I noticed up ahead there were a handful of volunteers handing out small American flags. I remember feeling how nice it was to have them come to see us off when it felt we were the only ones who knew we were leaving.

“I grabbed a flag from an older gentleman. I could barely fit it in my pack and I didn’t think it would make the flight without breaking.

“We eventually arrived in Iraq. After initial in-processing into country we moved by rotary aircraft to Forward Operating Base Falcon. We lived in large tents that accommodated roughly 20 soldiers.

“The flag I received was stuffed into my assault pack and I remember looking at the flag, surprised that it had survived the loading and unloading of bags and equipment so far. I looked around the tent and I noticed a few other flags sticking out of corners of tents and tops of rucksacks. Mine found a place above my head held up by a piece of thin green lanyard.

Continue reading here….

Got plans for July 4th? Live in or around Philly? The Tea Party 3 is not to be missed!

The Philly Tea Party this past April 18th was a remarkable success and the organizers want to keep the passion and conversation alive with Tea Party 3 – Independence Hall.

You can read more about the organizers and the event at their website: Independence Hall Tea Party Association

INDEPENDENCE HALL TEA PARTY III

A Celebratory Picnic Commemorating 233 years of American Independence!

July 4th, 2009
Noon-3PM
Independence Mall
5th and Chestnut Streets
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Bring a Picnic Basket and a Lawn Chair!

Featuring: Talk Show Host Dom Giordano; Notable Speakers on Cap and Trade,
Universal Health Care, EFCA, FOCA; Information Tables;
Activities for Children; Musical Entertainment;
Tea Party Sign Contest – Best Design, Best Message;
Colonial Costume Contest – Best Overall, Best Founding Father/Mother

Contact us via email at

So many fine historical posts on D Day today, but so many of those memories are in black and white. I did find this video in color. A rarity at the time:

Go figure that the one day Obama doesn’t talk about himself is during a D-Day tribute. Good for him, and us:

Over at Aarrggh there is a copy of an email sent to members of the Combined Joint Task Force 82, who are currently in Afghanistan, from the French:

To Combined Joint Task Force 82,

65 years ago, at 2h30 (French Local time), you jumped from hundreds of DAKOTAS in the dark skies over Normandie in order to liberate France and Europe.

That D-Day, you wrote the most glorious page of your history and the name of your Division is forever famous in France.

That D-Day, you and the allied forces met their rendezvous with destiny.

6 June 2009, Afghanistan; we are still brothers in arms.

We will never forget what you did on D-Day.

In the name of all the French soldiers embedded with CJTF-82, thank you for what you have done.

Today, in celebration of those events 65 years ago, we are “All Americans.”

Airborne!

Ltc Pierre V.
French LNO

And while Obama’s speech was nice, there is one that many people have not seen because of the death of Ronald Reagan that same day. President Bush gave one that brought the people out of their seats in 2004: Read the rest of this entry »

Surely, in the dawn before any theatre action, so much must run thru the minds of our warriors. The scale of D-Day is humbling, and much is captured in this video on the Army’s website. Visit the page for more photos, maps and historic data on the June 6th, 1944 airborne and beach assaults on Omaha, Utah, Gold and June Beaches by American, British and Canadian forces.

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25 years ago it remains a timeless memorial address to the American sacrifice that liberated a continent!

Remarks by President Ronald Reagan on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day
delivered 6 June 1984 in Pointe Du Hoc, Normandy, France

Full text here.

Mata has the video below.

More photos:
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By now, the current POTUS/TOTUS has landed in France… set to address another world audience on the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Regardless of the political scrutiny of Obama’s performance, this is as it should be. Our CIC *should* be there to pay honor to our heroes, resting on French soil.

But I will say this… considering Obama’s track record of speeches across Europe as POTUS, and as a candidate, I’m not looking forward to his D-Day Obama comments, and his half-baked pride in America that gets buried under platitudes during a fence balancing act. This is a day I want a Commander in Chief that delivers. A President who remembers and mourns the “boys” that left for war, and is proud and forever beholding to those same boys who became the “men” who conquered a cliff and saved a continent

Old Trooper has sent me the perfect tribute, with a promise I would post this to remind all FA readers of the honest and heartfelt thanks from a genuine Commander in Chief from decades past. So, together we take you back in time to 1984… President Ronald Reagan’s speech commemorating another anniversary of fallen heroes on sacred ground.

It is fitting, it is a speech worthy of the day, delivered by a Commander in Chief proud not only of his country today, but also it’s history. And today, I want to share it with you… and with heartfelt thanks to Old Trooper for reviving this stirring memory.

Today, as 40 years ago, our armies are here for only one purpose. To protect and defend democracy. The only territories we hold are memorials, like this one, and graveyards where our heroes rest. We in American have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars. It is better to be here, ready to protect the peace, than to take blind shelter across the sea… rushing to respond only after freedom is lost.

President Ronald Reagan, June 6, 1984, Normandy

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Above is the Doonesbury cartoon that ran this past Sunday. What’s different about it from previous Memorial Day Doonesbury ‘toons?

Well, in 2004, a new tradition began to “honor” Memorial Day and the recently fallen:

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