My friend Jean emailed this request to me and I am asking for your help in bringing Sage safely home. Please donate what you can to help Sage .

I’d like to introduce you to Sage , a photo is attached to this email:

Lance Corporal Alex Werner lives in Milford, PA. He is the 2nd of four children. He joined the Marine Corps right out of high school, and chose to be a combat engineer since he’d always enjoyed construction, as well as destruction – ie bombs and blowing things up with them. One night while on a mission with his platoon in Iraq, Lcpl Werner’s vehicle rounded a corner and a dog ran out in front of them. The dog was killed, leaving behind a puppy who was on the side of the road. Lcpl Werner heard her crying and caught her (not an easy task he says). From that moment on, she has been with Lcpl Werner and the rest of the Marines of his platoon, being loved on by them and, according to Major Kleber’s telling, carried everywhere by them. The men have named the dog Sage. She is being showered with love and affection and toys that have been sent in care packages.

SPCA International has agreed to assist with transporting Sage back to the US from Iraq. Due to operational movements, it may be necessary to bring her home very soon. The cost of bring a dog from Iraq is over $7,000. SPCA International covers the majority of the costs, but requires the service member to provide at least $1,000 towards the cost of his own pup’s transport. Read the rest of this entry »

Sure, left wingers can come up with talking points, and soundbites, but over the past few weeks I’ve noticed that there are 10 core questions that most on the far left cannot seem to answer with any substance. Pass em on, try em out, and enjoy the mindfreak.

1. If all the world hated America because of George W Bush’s 2003 invasion of Iraq….then why was America attacked on Sept 11, 2001; 2yrs before that invasion?
2. Why has Al Queda been trying to exterminate every American for the past 17yrs?
3. Did you want Bush to fail in Iraq, or did you want America to succeed?
4. Given that Osama left Afghanistan in 2001, and Al Queda was largely destroyed in Afghanistan in 2002, how did the Bush Administration “take its eye off the ball [Afghanistan] by invading Iraq” in 2003?
5. What caused the great recession of 2007?

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I’m not sure what the bigger story is here… that the troops are feeling less than confident in their new Commander in Chief, or that this story is being reported in the New York Times.

But here it is… yesterday’s byline by Elisabeth Bumiller under the Military Memo, As the Commander in Chief Deliberates, Frustration Builds Within the Ranks

A number of active duty and retired senior officers say there is concern that the president is moving too slowly, is revisiting a war strategy he announced in March and is unduly influenced by political advisers in the Situation Room.

“The thunderstorm is there and it’s kind of brewing and it’s unstable and the lightning hasn’t struck, and hopefully it won’t,” said Nathaniel C. Fick, a former Marine Corps infantry officer who briefed Mr. Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign and is now the chief executive of the Center for a New American Security, a military research institution in Washington. “I think it can probably be contained and avoided, but people are aware of the volatile brew.”

Last week the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Thomas J. Tradewell Sr., gave voice to the concerns of those in the military when he issued a terse statement criticizing Mr. Obama’s review of Afghan war strategy.

“The extremists are sensing weakness and indecision within the U.S. government, which plays into their hands,” said Mr. Tradewell’s statement on behalf of his group, which represents 1.5 million former soldiers.

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President Barack Obama, flanked by members of Troop A, First Squadron, 11th Armored Combat Regiment, speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, during a ceremony honoring their service with the Presidential Unit Citation for their actions during the Vietnam War. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

From the NYTimes at the beginning of this month:

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — On the day Ray R. Moreno came home from Vietnam, the day antiwar protestors called him a baby killer, he decided to pack away his Army uniform for good. Memories and nightmares still intruded, but he rarely discussed them. Battle buddies were forgotten.

Until, that is, he started attending reunions of his troop a few years ago. Suddenly, a door reopened. “They were there; they understand,” Mr. Moreno, 58, said. “If we want to cry, we do. If we don’t, we don’t.”

For many members of his unit, Alpha Troop of the 11th Armored Cavalry, the annual reunions for veterans of Vietnam and Cambodia have become a form of therapy: a chance to reconnect, salve wounds and share bonds forged in an unpopular war.

But this year’s reunion was special for another reason.

At a hotel ballroom in September here, Alpha Troop unveiled a Presidential Unit Citation, the highest military honor for a unit, it received this year from the Army for “extraordinary heroism” in rescuing more than 70 soldiers from a larger North Vietnamese force on March 26, 1970. In the coming weeks, the veterans hope, President Obama himself will formally bestow the citation at a White House ceremony.

Today, President Obama honored the veterans of Troop A, 1st Squadron of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment….

Read the rest of this entry »

L-R: Rev. Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy, President Rev. Patrick Mahoney, of the Christian Defense Coalition and Father James Heyd hold a prayer service in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington. Today the high court will hear oral arguments in a case on involving the building of a memorial with a cross by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in a remote area within what is now a federal preserve.
Mark Wilson-Getty Images

Is anyone really damaged by seeing the 10 Commandments displayed on a government building? Are any of you offended when you see a Christmas tree in a public square? When the White House hosts an Easter egg hunt each year, as well as iftar dinner and menorah lighting? Are your feelings hurt because we have national holidays that are Christian?

Why?

Religious expression is part of this nation’s history. The jihadist crusade of the ACLU and militant secular extremists is beyond reason in its successful attacks over the last several decades against public expression of Christian traditions and national heritage that has been a part of this country’s 200-plus year history.

Today, the Supreme Court began deliberations over the Mojave Desert Cross:

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A family photo that shows a little girl beside her father and his fellow soldiers in uniform as they prepare to go to war has resonated well beyond the tight knit Bennethum clan.

Four-year-old Paige Bennethum really, really didn’t want her daddy to go to Iraq.

So much so, that when Army Reservist Staff Sgt. Brett Bennethum lined up in formation at his deployment this July, she couldn’t let go.

No one had the heart to pull her away.

Read more (video included) at A Soldier’s Perspective

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White House officials are increasingly worried liberal, anti-war Democrats will demand a premature end to the Afghanistan war before President Barack Obama can show signs of progress in the eight-year conflict, according to senior administration sources.

These fears, which the officials have discussed on the condition of anonymity over the past few weeks, are rising fast after U.S. casualties hit record levels in July and August.

Read more: www.politico.com…

Gosh
Why would they fear that?

The comment thread about the loss of one of Flopping Aces’ own, Maj. Chris Galloway, has all of us doing some head scratching as to what we can do as individuals. This sense of helplessness, *after* the loss, is simply not acceptable.

Wordsmith did provide some extra insight in his remembrance of Chris with a YouTube link, but I felt that Major General Mark Graham – Commander, Division West and Fort Carson, Colo – and his suicide prevention program needs to be broadened with a grassroots movement.

Below is the ACE card given to military members.. ASK, CARE and ESCORT. It’s an action plan when you see one of our warriors in trouble.

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Life and the internet are strange strange things. I’ve been trading emails and posts etc with Chris for years now. It wasn’t at all uncommon for his duties, deployments, and family to make those virtual conversations sporadic from time to time.   Well, Chris won’t be returning emails anymore.   He passed away suddenly on June 30, 2009.

Last Fall he and his wife Shannon had a baby girl, Lilly. Chris was so happy. We teased him about how awful it is to step on Barbie Doll high heels in the middle of the night, and he bragged about how his friends Mossberg and Remington were gonna help keep the boys away from his little beauty.

A few weeks later he deployed to Afghanistan. We still got emails from him. He sent pics, talked about the firefights, artillery barrages on Christmas night, and how, ‘once you accept that if you step off the path you’re in a minefield , and you’re dead, it’s not that bad. Ya just stay on the path.’ He didn’t love it over there in the ass-end of the planet by any stretch of the imagination, but he was extremely proud to be doing his duty-at least, that’s what he told us in emails. Read the rest of this entry »

There are no words. Wow, amazing, these kinda things just don’t say it.

Thank you both. That’s all I can say-that, and CONGRATULATIONS!

President Obama has chosen to continue President Bush’s policies regarding Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. He’s “tried” to talk to Iran but it’s not like he’s flown there himself to really reach out. President Clinton flew to North Korea and actually accomplished more than President Obama has. And with that…how are the hated Bush policies viewed by Americans (albeit with a different face marketing them)?

Only foreign policy offered a bright spot: 52 percent of poll respondents approved of his job on this front, compared with 38 percent who disapproved.

Proof yet again that opposition to President Bush’s policies was just opposition to Bush.

The remains of Navy Captain Scott Speicher, a pilot who has been missing since being shot down during the 1991 Gulf War, have been positively identified. The Pentagon has released a statement:

The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) has positively identified remains recovered in Iraq as those of Captain Michael Scott Speicher. Captain Speicher was shot down flying a combat mission in an F/A-18 Hornet over west-central Iraq on January 17th, 1991 during Operation Desert Storm.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Captain Speicher’s family for the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country,” said Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy. “I am also extremely grateful to all those who have worked so tirelessly over the last 18 years to bring Captain Speicher home.”

“Our Navy will never give up looking for a shipmate, regardless of how long or how difficult that search may be,” said Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations. “We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Captain Speicher and his family for the sacrifice they have made for our nation and the example of strength they have set for all of us.”

The statement goes on to recount the details of how Capt. Speicher’s remains were found, and the likelihood that he died on impact. I am so glad that the remains have been identified, and the mystery solved. Read the rest of this entry »

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….

As combat troops withdraw from major cities in Iraq, in victory, and in accordance with Article 5 of the security agreement between the U.S. and Iraqi governments, Operation Proper Exit brought 6 wounded warriors back to Iraq for closure and to see the progress that has been gained:

”It kind of helps you heal mentally and emotionally, to close that chapter in your life so you can move on,” he said. ”The progress that’s been made—it shows that we made a sacrifice but it was for a reason.”
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