Good day Gold Star Families, I was contacted today from the Gold Star Mothers in Houston with a disturbing report that has taken place here recently. It involves a photograph taken by a journalist of a young Marine, LCpl Joshua Bernard from Portland, ME who was hit by a rocket. The picture is quite graphic & disturbing. Sadly, this young-dedicated Marine lost his life. LCpl Bernard's father asked that this picture not be published. The president of the Assoiciated Press, Mr. Tom Curley ran the photo any way. This picture was published in many national & international papers. The article accompanying the picture of course defends the reason for publishing such a graphic picture. I personally can not sit by quietly without posting my own dismay at such disrespect. If you would like to submit your own feelings, please do so by posting to info@ap.org God's blessings to you all & remember, Freedom is not free! It comes at a very high price. It should never be taken for granted. Hugs to you all, KIM
Kimberly Rairdan
Our email-
Mr. Tom Curley
Your organization recently published a photo of LCpl. Joshua Bernard who was hit by a rocket while serving our nation in Afghanistan. I understand that this Marines father had requested that the photo not be published. Your organization ignored this request.
This is one of the more despicable acts of total disregard of a fallen Marines parents wishes and disrespect of a fine Americans supreme sacrifice for his country.
As a parents of a fallen soldier we have long harbored disgust and contempt for the press. Your method to attract readership has failed and I will do all I can to bring your organizations lack of morality and decency into public view.
Shame on you Mr. Curley.
JC and Pam Colnot
Gold Star Parents and Co_Founders www.ourfallensoldier.com
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Obama plans to bring 9/11 self proclaimed mastermind to VA.
Dear Military Families United Member and Supporter, Military Families United has just learned that the President is planning to bring Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and his co-conspirators to Alexandria, Virginia for trial. This decision is not only dangerous but risks the lives of the more than 12,000 people who live and work within a mile of the courthouse and jail, and it makes our nation’s capital ground zero for the next terrorist attack.
These terrorists have already implemented an attack that killed nearly 3,000 innocent people in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington DC. It defies logic to relocate these terrorists a mere five miles from the Pentagon, a location where they have already hit.
We cannot allow this happen!
It's not too late to change the President's mind. We need you to call the White House and tell the President to keep terrorists off of our soil. We need you to send this email to all of your friends and family and ask them to take action by calling the White House or signing our online petition: www.DontFreeTerrorists.org. Please tell the President that this decision will hurt not only the families of all of those lost on 9/11 but all of our troops who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Call President Obama at 202-456-1414 NOW
We appreciate everything that you have done to help Military Families United and this cause but we need your help now more than ever. As Americans and military families we cannot stand quietly by and allow President Obama to endanger our national security by putting campaign promises above protecting our homeland.
We need your help! Donate to Military Families United to help us continue to hold the President accountable for these dangerous and reckless actions.
These terrorists have already implemented an attack that killed nearly 3,000 innocent people in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington DC. It defies logic to relocate these terrorists a mere five miles from the Pentagon, a location where they have already hit.
We cannot allow this happen!
It's not too late to change the President's mind. We need you to call the White House and tell the President to keep terrorists off of our soil. We need you to send this email to all of your friends and family and ask them to take action by calling the White House or signing our online petition: www.DontFreeTerrorists.org. Please tell the President that this decision will hurt not only the families of all of those lost on 9/11 but all of our troops who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Call President Obama at 202-456-1414 NOW
We appreciate everything that you have done to help Military Families United and this cause but we need your help now more than ever. As Americans and military families we cannot stand quietly by and allow President Obama to endanger our national security by putting campaign promises above protecting our homeland.
We need your help! Donate to Military Families United to help us continue to hold the President accountable for these dangerous and reckless actions.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Obama Admin. Proposes Possible Freeing of Gitmo Detainee
Obama Administration Proposes Possible Freeing of Gitmo Detainee Mohammed JawadJuly 30, 2009 ABC NewsPolitical Punch
President Obama's Justice Department Wednesday night proposed a way for District Court Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle to order the freeing of Guantanamo detainee Mohammed Jawad, a writ of habeas corpus that will give Justice Department officials 22 more days to determine whether or not they can try Jawad in a criminal court in the U.S.
Jawad was arrested by Afghan police in December 2002 for allegedly throwing a grenade into a vehicle containing two US troops and an Afghan interpreter. It's unclear how old Jawad was at the time, but he was almost certainly 17 years old or younger. Jawad confessed to Afghan police that he had committed the crime, but later told US officials that he only did so because he had been tortured by them, likely making the evidence unusable under President Obama's new rules for detainees.
The Justice Department says it has "newly available evidence" of Jawad's "involvement with the grenade attack on two U.S. servicemen." But the Justice Department isn't asking for more time to investigate the new evidence.
"We have informed the judge in this case that we will not contest the writ of habeas corpus and that we are not detaining Jawad in order to conduct a criminal investigation of his actions," Justice Department spokesman Matt Miller said in a statement. "Instead, we have informed the court that there are a number of steps the government must undertake to comply with Congressional reporting requirements before any transfer can take place. In the meantime, Department prosecutors are investigating whether they can make a criminal case against Jawad, an effort that is proceeding separate and apart from his habeas case.
Miller said that the Obama administration "made a dramatic break with the policies of the past by rejecting the use of torture without exception or equivocation and making it clear that we will not rely on statements obtained through such methods. This case is one of more than a hundred initiated during the last several years that continue to work their way through the federal courts. It is clear that, in addition to serving as a recruiting tool for terrorists, the status quo left behind by the previous administration at Guantanamo is legally unsustainable, which is why we are working to close Guantanamo and develop a new legal framework to govern detention policy that is grounded in the rule of law and will strengthen our national security."
Under the Obama administration's proposed writ of habeas corpus for Jawad, the US government would "no longer treat petitioner Mohammed Jawad as detainable under the Authorization for Use of Military Force…" The government would be given seven days to submit the Congress the proper notification for Jawad's release in Afghanistan. Fifteen days after that, assuming Jawad is not brought up on criminal charges, the government would "promptly release petitioner Jawad from detention at the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay and transfer him to the custody of the receiving government."
The Pentagon has asserted that Jawad in December 2002 "attempt(ed) to commit murder in violation of the law of war, by throwing a hand grenade into the passenger compartment of a vehicle transporting U.S. or Coalition Forces," namely Army Sgts. Michael Lyons and Christopher Martin, and interpreter Assadullah Khan Omerk.
"I received shrapnel and burns all along my left side," Martin later told a National Guard publication. The blast shattered his right eardrum, broke bones in his feet and left leg, and sprayed shrapnel into his eye, arm and leg. Lyons had similar injuries as well as damage to an artery in his right leg. Omerk had a head wound.
According to the Combatant Status Review Board report, Jawad, originally from Miran Shah, Pakistan, was recruited by six men attending the local Qari mosque to clear Russian mines in Kabul, Afghanistan. Affiliated with the Hezb-E-Islami organization, a terrorist group with long-established ties to Osama bin Laden, Jawad attended a "Jihad Madrassa" where he prepared to fight on the front lines. He attended a training camp in late 2002 where he received instruction on how to use AK-47s, shoulder-held rocket launchers and grenades, and he "told a senior Afghani police officer that he was proud of what he did and if he were let go, he would do it again."
The Pentagon said that according to Afghan policeman who witnessed the attack, there was only one suspect involved. In addition, the Pentagon said that a member of the Afghanistan National Security Council reported that Jawad "stated none of the people who trained him were around and he acted alone in the grenade incident." Jawad "also stated he was trained to target Americans and the Afghanistan government," the Pentagon said.
Jawad admitted having been there, but pleaded innocence. "I am not the person who threw the grenade," he said.
"I was there," he told the tribunal. "A person gave me something, but I did not know what the object was that the person gave me." After the incident, a "shopkeeper told me that it was a bomb and that I should go and throw it in the river. I put the thing back in my pocket and I was running and shouting to say 'Stay away, it's a bomb.' When I got close to the river, people [the police] caught me."
The Afghan police "tortured me. They beat me. They beat me a lot. One person told me, 'If you don't confess, they are going to kill you.' So I told them anything they wanted to hear. I told them anything they wanted me to say. By forcing me, beating me, and scaring me, I confessed."
Jawad's journey began, he said, when his uncle gave him money to go to the market in Pakistan. At prayer time he went to the mosque, where he was approached by a man who offered him a job to clear mines in Afghanistan, offering him 12,000 Pakistani Rupees to do the job. Whisked away by the man and another to a training camp, Jawad said, he was given "two small pills each day, which made me sleepy and forget my family. Two men came and told me to fire guns they said everybody does this and it is fun...They gave me injections in the leg and I hallucinated about many things, like my nose coming off and giving my ear to people. They showed me how to use the grenade, how to throw the bomb."
Jawad said that before the grenade incident, "they gave me orange chewing gum, chocolate candy and a tablet. When I took this pill I didn't know what I did. I was out of my mind. I couldn't think clearly."
During his detention at Gitmo, Jawad was subjected to sleep deprivation, according to his attorney, Air Force Major Reserve David Frakt, who referred to records indicating that prison guards had transferred Jawad "from cell to cell 112 times over a two week period, shackling, moving and unshackling him on average every two hours and fifty minutes," according to Human Rights First. "Just several months earlier, Jawad had attempted suicide."
The ACLU says that Jawad is one of two Guantanamo prisoners the US "has charged with war crimes for acts allegedly committed as juveniles...Jawad's former military prosecutor, Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld, supports the ACLU's legal challenge, and has stated that there is 'no credible evidence or legal basis' to justify Jawad's detention and prosecution, and that his release presents no risk."
But Military Families United holds the opposite view.
Referring to Jawad as "a terrorist who attacked and wounded two U.S. soldiers and an Afghan citizen in a grenade attack," Navy Commander Kirk Lippold (Ret.), former commander of the USS Cole and a senior fellow at Military Families United, asked, "How many more terrorists does the President need to release before he realizes the threat they pose to our troops? Our country and the brave troops that protect it should not be put at greater risk because vital national security decisions are being made to meet arbitrary deadlines and repay campaign debts to the ACLU. Americans ...We cannot allow terrorists to slip through our fingers because of misplaced and untrue political perceptions about Guantanamo Bay.”
Jawad's attorneys had requested that Judge Huvelle immediately order Jawad's release into the hands of the receiving government or "a neutral intermediary such as the International Committee of the Red Cross," but in a memorandum in support of their own proposed writ of habeas corpus, Justice Department officials say that isn't necessary since Jawad is currently being held in Camp Iguana, the least restrictive facility for Guantanamo detainees.
At Camp Iguana, the officials say, Jawad has "relative freedom of movement and opportunities for not only education, but also social interaction, physical exercise and recreational activities. Camp Iguana is a communal camp with wooden, hut-like living structures, which provide freedom to move about from different buildings designated for housing, prayer, library, laundry facilities, shower/bathroom, outdoor recreation, and lounge areas. Detainees also have free access to satellite television, books, newspapers, magazines, handheld games, puzzles, and art supplies."
Judge Huvelle is hearing the case this morning in Washington, DC. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. plans to release AfghanBY MARISA TAYLORMcClatchy News ServiceJuly 30, 2009
The Obama administration on Wednesday said it plans to release a young Guantánamo detainee after military and civilian judges banned almost all evidence against him that they ruled was extracted through torture.Government attorneys, however, reserved the right to file new charges in federal court against Mohammed Jawad if they find evidence against him before he's freed.
The Justice Department asked U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle to grant them 22 days to release Jawad -- seven days to notify Congress of the release plans, as current law requires, and then 15 days until a cooling-off period mandated by law expires.
If no new charges are filed during that time, the government said it would promptly release Jawad. The Justice Department didn't specify where it would send him, but his lawyers say they expect he'd be returned to his native Afghanistan.
In a separate decision, another federal judge ordered a second detainee released late Wednesday because the government didn't have enough evidence against him.
Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said the department's handling of the Jawad case showed that the administration has ``made a dramatic break with the policies of the past by rejecting the use of torture without exception or equivocation.''
``It is clear that, in addition to serving as a recruiting tool for terrorists, the status quo left behind by the previous administration at Guantánamo is legally unsustainable,'' she said.
``We are working to close Guantánamo and develop a new legal framework to govern detention policy that is grounded in the rule of law and will strengthen our national security.''
Jawad's lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union said that while they're hopeful that their client will be sent home soon, they think the government should move more quickly.
``We're cautiously optimistic that they appear closer to recognizing that Mr. Jawad needs to be sent home as soon as possible,'' said Jonathan Hafetz, a lawyer with the ACLU's National Security Project.
Jawad was originally charged with throwing a grenade that wounded two U.S. soldiers in Kabul. A military judge ruled last year, however, that his confession to Afghan authorities had been coerced by torture. A federal judge in Washington earlier this month told Justice Department attorneys that without the confession they had no evidence against him and should consider sending him home.
President Obama's Justice Department Wednesday night proposed a way for District Court Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle to order the freeing of Guantanamo detainee Mohammed Jawad, a writ of habeas corpus that will give Justice Department officials 22 more days to determine whether or not they can try Jawad in a criminal court in the U.S.
Jawad was arrested by Afghan police in December 2002 for allegedly throwing a grenade into a vehicle containing two US troops and an Afghan interpreter. It's unclear how old Jawad was at the time, but he was almost certainly 17 years old or younger. Jawad confessed to Afghan police that he had committed the crime, but later told US officials that he only did so because he had been tortured by them, likely making the evidence unusable under President Obama's new rules for detainees.
The Justice Department says it has "newly available evidence" of Jawad's "involvement with the grenade attack on two U.S. servicemen." But the Justice Department isn't asking for more time to investigate the new evidence.
"We have informed the judge in this case that we will not contest the writ of habeas corpus and that we are not detaining Jawad in order to conduct a criminal investigation of his actions," Justice Department spokesman Matt Miller said in a statement. "Instead, we have informed the court that there are a number of steps the government must undertake to comply with Congressional reporting requirements before any transfer can take place. In the meantime, Department prosecutors are investigating whether they can make a criminal case against Jawad, an effort that is proceeding separate and apart from his habeas case.
Miller said that the Obama administration "made a dramatic break with the policies of the past by rejecting the use of torture without exception or equivocation and making it clear that we will not rely on statements obtained through such methods. This case is one of more than a hundred initiated during the last several years that continue to work their way through the federal courts. It is clear that, in addition to serving as a recruiting tool for terrorists, the status quo left behind by the previous administration at Guantanamo is legally unsustainable, which is why we are working to close Guantanamo and develop a new legal framework to govern detention policy that is grounded in the rule of law and will strengthen our national security."
Under the Obama administration's proposed writ of habeas corpus for Jawad, the US government would "no longer treat petitioner Mohammed Jawad as detainable under the Authorization for Use of Military Force…" The government would be given seven days to submit the Congress the proper notification for Jawad's release in Afghanistan. Fifteen days after that, assuming Jawad is not brought up on criminal charges, the government would "promptly release petitioner Jawad from detention at the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay and transfer him to the custody of the receiving government."
The Pentagon has asserted that Jawad in December 2002 "attempt(ed) to commit murder in violation of the law of war, by throwing a hand grenade into the passenger compartment of a vehicle transporting U.S. or Coalition Forces," namely Army Sgts. Michael Lyons and Christopher Martin, and interpreter Assadullah Khan Omerk.
"I received shrapnel and burns all along my left side," Martin later told a National Guard publication. The blast shattered his right eardrum, broke bones in his feet and left leg, and sprayed shrapnel into his eye, arm and leg. Lyons had similar injuries as well as damage to an artery in his right leg. Omerk had a head wound.
According to the Combatant Status Review Board report, Jawad, originally from Miran Shah, Pakistan, was recruited by six men attending the local Qari mosque to clear Russian mines in Kabul, Afghanistan. Affiliated with the Hezb-E-Islami organization, a terrorist group with long-established ties to Osama bin Laden, Jawad attended a "Jihad Madrassa" where he prepared to fight on the front lines. He attended a training camp in late 2002 where he received instruction on how to use AK-47s, shoulder-held rocket launchers and grenades, and he "told a senior Afghani police officer that he was proud of what he did and if he were let go, he would do it again."
The Pentagon said that according to Afghan policeman who witnessed the attack, there was only one suspect involved. In addition, the Pentagon said that a member of the Afghanistan National Security Council reported that Jawad "stated none of the people who trained him were around and he acted alone in the grenade incident." Jawad "also stated he was trained to target Americans and the Afghanistan government," the Pentagon said.
Jawad admitted having been there, but pleaded innocence. "I am not the person who threw the grenade," he said.
"I was there," he told the tribunal. "A person gave me something, but I did not know what the object was that the person gave me." After the incident, a "shopkeeper told me that it was a bomb and that I should go and throw it in the river. I put the thing back in my pocket and I was running and shouting to say 'Stay away, it's a bomb.' When I got close to the river, people [the police] caught me."
The Afghan police "tortured me. They beat me. They beat me a lot. One person told me, 'If you don't confess, they are going to kill you.' So I told them anything they wanted to hear. I told them anything they wanted me to say. By forcing me, beating me, and scaring me, I confessed."
Jawad's journey began, he said, when his uncle gave him money to go to the market in Pakistan. At prayer time he went to the mosque, where he was approached by a man who offered him a job to clear mines in Afghanistan, offering him 12,000 Pakistani Rupees to do the job. Whisked away by the man and another to a training camp, Jawad said, he was given "two small pills each day, which made me sleepy and forget my family. Two men came and told me to fire guns they said everybody does this and it is fun...They gave me injections in the leg and I hallucinated about many things, like my nose coming off and giving my ear to people. They showed me how to use the grenade, how to throw the bomb."
Jawad said that before the grenade incident, "they gave me orange chewing gum, chocolate candy and a tablet. When I took this pill I didn't know what I did. I was out of my mind. I couldn't think clearly."
During his detention at Gitmo, Jawad was subjected to sleep deprivation, according to his attorney, Air Force Major Reserve David Frakt, who referred to records indicating that prison guards had transferred Jawad "from cell to cell 112 times over a two week period, shackling, moving and unshackling him on average every two hours and fifty minutes," according to Human Rights First. "Just several months earlier, Jawad had attempted suicide."
The ACLU says that Jawad is one of two Guantanamo prisoners the US "has charged with war crimes for acts allegedly committed as juveniles...Jawad's former military prosecutor, Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld, supports the ACLU's legal challenge, and has stated that there is 'no credible evidence or legal basis' to justify Jawad's detention and prosecution, and that his release presents no risk."
But Military Families United holds the opposite view.
Referring to Jawad as "a terrorist who attacked and wounded two U.S. soldiers and an Afghan citizen in a grenade attack," Navy Commander Kirk Lippold (Ret.), former commander of the USS Cole and a senior fellow at Military Families United, asked, "How many more terrorists does the President need to release before he realizes the threat they pose to our troops? Our country and the brave troops that protect it should not be put at greater risk because vital national security decisions are being made to meet arbitrary deadlines and repay campaign debts to the ACLU. Americans ...We cannot allow terrorists to slip through our fingers because of misplaced and untrue political perceptions about Guantanamo Bay.”
Jawad's attorneys had requested that Judge Huvelle immediately order Jawad's release into the hands of the receiving government or "a neutral intermediary such as the International Committee of the Red Cross," but in a memorandum in support of their own proposed writ of habeas corpus, Justice Department officials say that isn't necessary since Jawad is currently being held in Camp Iguana, the least restrictive facility for Guantanamo detainees.
At Camp Iguana, the officials say, Jawad has "relative freedom of movement and opportunities for not only education, but also social interaction, physical exercise and recreational activities. Camp Iguana is a communal camp with wooden, hut-like living structures, which provide freedom to move about from different buildings designated for housing, prayer, library, laundry facilities, shower/bathroom, outdoor recreation, and lounge areas. Detainees also have free access to satellite television, books, newspapers, magazines, handheld games, puzzles, and art supplies."
Judge Huvelle is hearing the case this morning in Washington, DC. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. plans to release AfghanBY MARISA TAYLORMcClatchy News ServiceJuly 30, 2009
The Obama administration on Wednesday said it plans to release a young Guantánamo detainee after military and civilian judges banned almost all evidence against him that they ruled was extracted through torture.Government attorneys, however, reserved the right to file new charges in federal court against Mohammed Jawad if they find evidence against him before he's freed.
The Justice Department asked U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle to grant them 22 days to release Jawad -- seven days to notify Congress of the release plans, as current law requires, and then 15 days until a cooling-off period mandated by law expires.
If no new charges are filed during that time, the government said it would promptly release Jawad. The Justice Department didn't specify where it would send him, but his lawyers say they expect he'd be returned to his native Afghanistan.
In a separate decision, another federal judge ordered a second detainee released late Wednesday because the government didn't have enough evidence against him.
Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said the department's handling of the Jawad case showed that the administration has ``made a dramatic break with the policies of the past by rejecting the use of torture without exception or equivocation.''
``It is clear that, in addition to serving as a recruiting tool for terrorists, the status quo left behind by the previous administration at Guantánamo is legally unsustainable,'' she said.
``We are working to close Guantánamo and develop a new legal framework to govern detention policy that is grounded in the rule of law and will strengthen our national security.''
Jawad's lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union said that while they're hopeful that their client will be sent home soon, they think the government should move more quickly.
``We're cautiously optimistic that they appear closer to recognizing that Mr. Jawad needs to be sent home as soon as possible,'' said Jonathan Hafetz, a lawyer with the ACLU's National Security Project.
Jawad was originally charged with throwing a grenade that wounded two U.S. soldiers in Kabul. A military judge ruled last year, however, that his confession to Afghan authorities had been coerced by torture. A federal judge in Washington earlier this month told Justice Department attorneys that without the confession they had no evidence against him and should consider sending him home.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
ACLU AT IT AGAIN- STOP THIS NONSENSE NOW
ACTION ALERT: ACLU Fights To Allow Protestors At Military Funerals
Dear Friends,
As many of you know, my Michael gave his life in Iraq in 2005. The burial of my son was the hardest experience of my life and it is one that I know many of you have experienced with the death of your own son, daughter, husband or wife. I was fortunate that at Michael’s funeral there were no protestors. Many cities, states and even the federal government have protected the privacy of grieving families by creating a protective corridor around the funeral ceremonies and the families. Citizens are allowed to express their rights of free speech outside the corridor while the families are laying their loved one to rest. One such city that has protected the rights of grieving families is Maplewood , Missouri . Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) joined a lawsuit to sue Maplewood for regulating the funeral protests of our fallen Heroes.
My Michael fought and died for the rights of every American, the same rights that the ACLU now seeks to exploit. The ACLU will stop at nothing to drive an agenda that disrespects and degrades the service and sacrifice of our fallen Heroes and their families. Although these protestors have the right to protest and speak, freedom of speech cannot come at the cost of inflicting irreversible and irreparable harm on these families who have suffered so much. Every American should recognize just how wrong and hurtful these protests are for grieving families.
The current law banning the military protests clearly falls into the Constitution’s time, place, and manner restrictions on free speech. These protests are not only disrespectful to the service and sacrifice of our military, they pour salt into an open wound for those left behind. Our courageous men and women deserve more than to have their families' privacy disregarded and the honor of our fallen Heroes degraded for the sake of the ACLU's agenda.
ACLU needs to hear from us, real Americans who care about our troops and their families. We ask you today to call the ACLU and let them know that their disrespect for our troops and their families will not be tolerated.
To call the ACLU’s Headquarters call (212) 607-3300To find your local ACLU affiliate in your state click here
We appreciate all that you do for Families United and need your help to stop organizations that seek to dishonor our troops and their families.Sincerely,Merrilee Carlson, Chair - Shrek's Mom Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission
Dear Friends,
As many of you know, my Michael gave his life in Iraq in 2005. The burial of my son was the hardest experience of my life and it is one that I know many of you have experienced with the death of your own son, daughter, husband or wife. I was fortunate that at Michael’s funeral there were no protestors. Many cities, states and even the federal government have protected the privacy of grieving families by creating a protective corridor around the funeral ceremonies and the families. Citizens are allowed to express their rights of free speech outside the corridor while the families are laying their loved one to rest. One such city that has protected the rights of grieving families is Maplewood , Missouri . Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) joined a lawsuit to sue Maplewood for regulating the funeral protests of our fallen Heroes.
My Michael fought and died for the rights of every American, the same rights that the ACLU now seeks to exploit. The ACLU will stop at nothing to drive an agenda that disrespects and degrades the service and sacrifice of our fallen Heroes and their families. Although these protestors have the right to protest and speak, freedom of speech cannot come at the cost of inflicting irreversible and irreparable harm on these families who have suffered so much. Every American should recognize just how wrong and hurtful these protests are for grieving families.
The current law banning the military protests clearly falls into the Constitution’s time, place, and manner restrictions on free speech. These protests are not only disrespectful to the service and sacrifice of our military, they pour salt into an open wound for those left behind. Our courageous men and women deserve more than to have their families' privacy disregarded and the honor of our fallen Heroes degraded for the sake of the ACLU's agenda.
ACLU needs to hear from us, real Americans who care about our troops and their families. We ask you today to call the ACLU and let them know that their disrespect for our troops and their families will not be tolerated.
To call the ACLU’s Headquarters call (212) 607-3300To find your local ACLU affiliate in your state click here
We appreciate all that you do for Families United and need your help to stop organizations that seek to dishonor our troops and their families.Sincerely,Merrilee Carlson, Chair - Shrek's Mom Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Obama To Release Terrorist Into The U.S., Violating U.S. Law
Received this in our email, wanted all Gold Star Families and Friends to read- JC
Dear Military Families United Member and Supporter,
First, President Obama announced that he was closing Guantanamo Bay to fulfill two campaign promises without a plan on the future of the detainees. Then came the release of Binyam Mohammed, a terrorist who admitted to training at various al-Qaeda camps and has alleged to have plotted multiple attacks on American soil. After that came the announcement of two more GITMO releases, both of whom trained at al-Qaeda camps and met with Osama bin Laden. Today, Military Families United has learned that as many as seven GITMO detainees will be freed in the United States, which not only endangers the lives of American citizens but is a violation of U.S. law.
The seven terrorists, known as “Uighurs,” were captured on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and were trained at the al-Qaeda affiliated East Turkistan Islamic Movement (“ETIM”) Tora Bora camp. Many of you may recognize the name Tora Bora because in December of 2001, U.S. and Afghan forces were closing in on the location of Osama bin Laden in Tora Bora, Afghanistan. Not so coincidentally the Uighurs were captured in the area around Tora Bora while Osama bin Laden was using an escape route from that region. And now these terrorists will be freed in the United States, no trial, no detention, no justice.
The release of these terrorists will not only endanger American citizens on our own soil but is against U.S. Law. U.S. law (8 U.S.C. 12 § 1182) which plainly states that any alien who had engaged in various forms of terrorist activity or training cannot be permitted into the United States. However, the Administration appears more concerned with the safety of these detainees than that of the American people and what our laws say.
We need your help to keep terrorists out of our country. If you haven’t signed our petition at DontFreeTerrorists.org, please do so today. Also, please send this email to 5 of your friends and family members to let them know about these newest developments.
Our brave men and women in uniform fought to capture these terrorists, only to be released onto US soil. We used to “fight them there, so we didn’t have to fight them here.” What kind of a message does it send our troops that while they are putting their lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are chartering planes for those who they have captured to live in the very communities our military families live.
We need your help to let America know about the dangers of freeing suspected terrorists. We cannot allow our country be put in danger. Quotes from this morning’s papers:
“The Obama administration is preparing to free into the United States Chinese Muslims being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the first release of any of the detainees into this country, according to current and former U.S. officials.” – Chicago Tribune
“Officials have not said where in the United States they (Uighurs) might live. But many Uighur immigrants from China live in Washington's Virginia suburbs, and advocates have urged that the detainees be resettled near people who speak their language and are familiar with their customs.” – Los Angeles Times PS- We know the media won't cover this story fairly. We are depending on you - and your ability to "spread the truth". Please continue to help us by forwarding this email to your friends and family and ask them to sign our petition. One person can make a huge difference. Please click on the link - www.DontFreeTerrorists.org and help us defend our country.
Dear Military Families United Member and Supporter,
First, President Obama announced that he was closing Guantanamo Bay to fulfill two campaign promises without a plan on the future of the detainees. Then came the release of Binyam Mohammed, a terrorist who admitted to training at various al-Qaeda camps and has alleged to have plotted multiple attacks on American soil. After that came the announcement of two more GITMO releases, both of whom trained at al-Qaeda camps and met with Osama bin Laden. Today, Military Families United has learned that as many as seven GITMO detainees will be freed in the United States, which not only endangers the lives of American citizens but is a violation of U.S. law.
The seven terrorists, known as “Uighurs,” were captured on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and were trained at the al-Qaeda affiliated East Turkistan Islamic Movement (“ETIM”) Tora Bora camp. Many of you may recognize the name Tora Bora because in December of 2001, U.S. and Afghan forces were closing in on the location of Osama bin Laden in Tora Bora, Afghanistan. Not so coincidentally the Uighurs were captured in the area around Tora Bora while Osama bin Laden was using an escape route from that region. And now these terrorists will be freed in the United States, no trial, no detention, no justice.
The release of these terrorists will not only endanger American citizens on our own soil but is against U.S. Law. U.S. law (8 U.S.C. 12 § 1182) which plainly states that any alien who had engaged in various forms of terrorist activity or training cannot be permitted into the United States. However, the Administration appears more concerned with the safety of these detainees than that of the American people and what our laws say.
We need your help to keep terrorists out of our country. If you haven’t signed our petition at DontFreeTerrorists.org, please do so today. Also, please send this email to 5 of your friends and family members to let them know about these newest developments.
Our brave men and women in uniform fought to capture these terrorists, only to be released onto US soil. We used to “fight them there, so we didn’t have to fight them here.” What kind of a message does it send our troops that while they are putting their lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are chartering planes for those who they have captured to live in the very communities our military families live.
We need your help to let America know about the dangers of freeing suspected terrorists. We cannot allow our country be put in danger. Quotes from this morning’s papers:
“The Obama administration is preparing to free into the United States Chinese Muslims being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the first release of any of the detainees into this country, according to current and former U.S. officials.” – Chicago Tribune
“Officials have not said where in the United States they (Uighurs) might live. But many Uighur immigrants from China live in Washington's Virginia suburbs, and advocates have urged that the detainees be resettled near people who speak their language and are familiar with their customs.” – Los Angeles Times PS- We know the media won't cover this story fairly. We are depending on you - and your ability to "spread the truth". Please continue to help us by forwarding this email to your friends and family and ask them to sign our petition. One person can make a huge difference. Please click on the link - www.DontFreeTerrorists.org and help us defend our country.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Project Compassion
OFS- There are truly wonderful people and organizations in our country, Kennas' is one of them. Please visit her website- JC
Kenna Larra
In Honor Of All our fallen Heroes
Projectcompassion@manti.com
”Honor and Remember” - “Project Compassion” We love our Soldiers! We love our country and we cannot express enough love and compassion to the families of our fallen heroes. War does not discriminate – It breaks our hearts to see the faces of the fallen. We want to give this gift to you. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization! Over 1,450 portraits have been completed and shipped to the parents and or spouse - at no cost as this is a gift from one American to another!
Contact us directly at Projectcompassion@manti.com or go to www.heropaintings.com . If you have already had a portrait completed, we pray that you are enjoying the portrait and God Bless You.
Sincerely,
Kenna Larra
Kenna Larra
In Honor Of All our fallen Heroes
Projectcompassion@manti.com
”Honor and Remember” - “Project Compassion” We love our Soldiers! We love our country and we cannot express enough love and compassion to the families of our fallen heroes. War does not discriminate – It breaks our hearts to see the faces of the fallen. We want to give this gift to you. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization! Over 1,450 portraits have been completed and shipped to the parents and or spouse - at no cost as this is a gift from one American to another!
Contact us directly at Projectcompassion@manti.com or go to www.heropaintings.com . If you have already had a portrait completed, we pray that you are enjoying the portrait and God Bless You.
Sincerely,
Kenna Larra
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Your Action Required-
BREAKING NEWS: Obama To Release Another GITMO Terrorist
Dear Military Families United Member and Supporter, Last night, the Obama administration agreed to release yet another terrorist currently being held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Ayman Saeed Batarfi, a Yemeni doctor, is a member of al-Qaida, supported the Taliban and has been an official of al-Wafa - another organization identified by the U.S. Government as a terrorist supporting group. The U.S. government had charged him with providing medical support to al-Qaida terrorists and he has freely admitted meeting with Osama bin Laden. As a medical doctor, he also worked closely with senior al-Qaida microbiologists while in Afghanistan and purchased medical equipment for al-Qaida.
He’s not the first
This is not the first terrorist that President Obama has set free. On February 23rd Obama released Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed. Mohamed was captured in Pakistan in April, 2002 and has admitted to training at various al-Qaida camps. He is alleged to have plotted multiple attacks on American soil and now he is free in England.
This frightening development means that we need your help more than ever. Please consider signing our petition below. If you’ve signed it already, please consider forwarding this email to friends and family.
Why is he being released?
Batarfi is being released not because he has been deemed innocent or no longer a threat, but because the evidence against him is not admissible in a civilian court. In other words, without your help, this could be the beginning of a disturbing trend that will prevent many of the remaining 240 GITMO detainees from standing trial and being brought to justice for their activities. Your voice can help stop this.
We need you!
As Americans and military families we cannot stand quietly by and allow President Obama to endanger our national security by putting campaign promises above protecting our homeland and our brave men and women in uniform. If this is frightening to you, please consider helping us fight once again. No timetable has been set for the Batarfi release so we have to take action now before he rejoins the fight to kill innocent people. We ask you to do three things:
Please visit www.DontFreeTerrorists.org and sign the petition that lets President Barack Obama know that we need to protect our country and keep terrorists locked up.
Please send this to every friend and family member you have today. It is incredibly important to grow our grassroots movement and we are relying on you to do it.
Donate Here
We need your help to let America know about the dangers of freeing suspected terrorists. Please forward this to your friends and family asking them to sign the petition. We cannot allow our country be put in danger. Quotes from this morning’s papers: “he (Saeed Abdullah Batarfi) had worked for a charity that had terrorist ties and that he had met with Osama bin Laden.” – New York Times (3/31/09) “Justice Department lawyers contend he (Saeed Abdullah Batarfi) was at one of al-Qaida's major battles, and not just as a charity worker.” – Associated Press (3/31/09)
“he (Saeed Abdullah Batarfi) was the chief medical adviser for a group designated a terrorist organization shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.” – Washington Post (3/31/09)
Dear Military Families United Member and Supporter, Last night, the Obama administration agreed to release yet another terrorist currently being held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Ayman Saeed Batarfi, a Yemeni doctor, is a member of al-Qaida, supported the Taliban and has been an official of al-Wafa - another organization identified by the U.S. Government as a terrorist supporting group. The U.S. government had charged him with providing medical support to al-Qaida terrorists and he has freely admitted meeting with Osama bin Laden. As a medical doctor, he also worked closely with senior al-Qaida microbiologists while in Afghanistan and purchased medical equipment for al-Qaida.
He’s not the first
This is not the first terrorist that President Obama has set free. On February 23rd Obama released Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed. Mohamed was captured in Pakistan in April, 2002 and has admitted to training at various al-Qaida camps. He is alleged to have plotted multiple attacks on American soil and now he is free in England.
This frightening development means that we need your help more than ever. Please consider signing our petition below. If you’ve signed it already, please consider forwarding this email to friends and family.
Why is he being released?
Batarfi is being released not because he has been deemed innocent or no longer a threat, but because the evidence against him is not admissible in a civilian court. In other words, without your help, this could be the beginning of a disturbing trend that will prevent many of the remaining 240 GITMO detainees from standing trial and being brought to justice for their activities. Your voice can help stop this.
We need you!
As Americans and military families we cannot stand quietly by and allow President Obama to endanger our national security by putting campaign promises above protecting our homeland and our brave men and women in uniform. If this is frightening to you, please consider helping us fight once again. No timetable has been set for the Batarfi release so we have to take action now before he rejoins the fight to kill innocent people. We ask you to do three things:
Please visit www.DontFreeTerrorists.org and sign the petition that lets President Barack Obama know that we need to protect our country and keep terrorists locked up.
Please send this to every friend and family member you have today. It is incredibly important to grow our grassroots movement and we are relying on you to do it.
Donate Here
We need your help to let America know about the dangers of freeing suspected terrorists. Please forward this to your friends and family asking them to sign the petition. We cannot allow our country be put in danger. Quotes from this morning’s papers: “he (Saeed Abdullah Batarfi) had worked for a charity that had terrorist ties and that he had met with Osama bin Laden.” – New York Times (3/31/09) “Justice Department lawyers contend he (Saeed Abdullah Batarfi) was at one of al-Qaida's major battles, and not just as a charity worker.” – Associated Press (3/31/09)
“he (Saeed Abdullah Batarfi) was the chief medical adviser for a group designated a terrorist organization shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.” – Washington Post (3/31/09)
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Did You Forget- Operation Iraqi Freedon 6th Anniversary
Some Gave All: Operation Iraqi Freedom 6th Anniversary
Story by Tech. Sgt. Craig LiftonDate: 03.19.2009JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq
In the dark of a night filled with the thick dust of an approaching storm, stands the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Fallen Airman Memorial. Perhaps nothing symbolizes six years since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom more than the memorial.
Built of steel on top of cement, the memorial stands in front of the 332nd AEW Headquarters here. Three flag poles tower over it, flying the U.S., Iraqi and Air Force flags day and night (except during inclement weather). On the memorial are the names of 47 brave men and women who gave all in service to their country for a country not their own.
On a small plaque, a dedication is engraved. Part of the dedication reads: “Many were called to serve in the global war on terror, all have sacrificed.” The 47 did. They left the safety of their homes and the love of family and friends to go halfway around the world and bring freedom and democracy. They would live in austere conditions and engage the enemy in combat.
Engraved on the memorial are the individuals’ names, jobs and the dates of their deaths. Above each placard is the member’s functional badge or flying wings.
With every name there is a story, with every story there is a sacrifice that sadly ended the same way: Each Airman on this memorial paid for freedom with their life.
One of the first to fall was Maj. William “Salty” Watkins, a weapons officer on an F-15E Strike Eagle that was lost during a combat mission bombing enemy positions near Tikrit, Iraq, on April 7, 2003. As a boy growing up in Virginia, Watkins dreamed of flying. He was the 28th OIF casualty to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
On April 10, 2004, insurgents attacked then Balad Air Base. A mortar crashed through the roof of the tent Airman 1st Class Antoine Holt lived in and exploded, killing him and wounding two others. Holt was a data systems technician. Later, the stadium here would be named after him.
When an Army vehicle rolled over into a canal Feb. 13, 2005, firefighter Staff Sgt. Ray Rangel tried desperately to rescue two Soldiers trapped in the vehicle. He died in the attempt.
When coalition ground forces came under heavy fire on Nov. 27, 2006, Maj. Troy Gilbert swung his F-16 Fighting Falcon in to support them. While engaging with the enemy, his fighter crashed northwest of Baghdad. Gilbert was the first F-16 pilot to die since the start of OIF.
On Nov. 1 2007, while on a mission, a convoy of Office of Special Investigations agents was struck by an improvised explosive device. Master Sgt. Thomas Crowell, Staff Sgt. David Wieger and Special Agent Nathan Schuldheissl were all killed.
These are just a few of the names on the memorial, a few of the stories of service, sacrifice and heroic actions. As the dedication also reads:
“They stood in the gap and manned a post, bore a weapon, operated a convoy vehicle, or flew a jet aircraft all in support of our national objective to help Iraq transition to democracy.”
Our fallen 332 AEW Airmen’s sacrifice has not been vain. This year, Iraq held successful elections for the first time since 2005. As the commanding general of Multi-National Force – Iraq, Gen. Raymond T. Odierno recently wrote in a letter to the men and women of MNF-I, “The Iraqi government is able to exercise its sovereignty and to take increased responsibility for the future of its people.” That’s thanks to us here marking the sixth anniversary of OIF. That’s thanks to Watkins, Holt, Rangel, Gilbert, Crowell, Wieger and Schuldheissl.
Story by Tech. Sgt. Craig LiftonDate: 03.19.2009JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq
In the dark of a night filled with the thick dust of an approaching storm, stands the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Fallen Airman Memorial. Perhaps nothing symbolizes six years since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom more than the memorial.
Built of steel on top of cement, the memorial stands in front of the 332nd AEW Headquarters here. Three flag poles tower over it, flying the U.S., Iraqi and Air Force flags day and night (except during inclement weather). On the memorial are the names of 47 brave men and women who gave all in service to their country for a country not their own.
On a small plaque, a dedication is engraved. Part of the dedication reads: “Many were called to serve in the global war on terror, all have sacrificed.” The 47 did. They left the safety of their homes and the love of family and friends to go halfway around the world and bring freedom and democracy. They would live in austere conditions and engage the enemy in combat.
Engraved on the memorial are the individuals’ names, jobs and the dates of their deaths. Above each placard is the member’s functional badge or flying wings.
With every name there is a story, with every story there is a sacrifice that sadly ended the same way: Each Airman on this memorial paid for freedom with their life.
One of the first to fall was Maj. William “Salty” Watkins, a weapons officer on an F-15E Strike Eagle that was lost during a combat mission bombing enemy positions near Tikrit, Iraq, on April 7, 2003. As a boy growing up in Virginia, Watkins dreamed of flying. He was the 28th OIF casualty to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
On April 10, 2004, insurgents attacked then Balad Air Base. A mortar crashed through the roof of the tent Airman 1st Class Antoine Holt lived in and exploded, killing him and wounding two others. Holt was a data systems technician. Later, the stadium here would be named after him.
When an Army vehicle rolled over into a canal Feb. 13, 2005, firefighter Staff Sgt. Ray Rangel tried desperately to rescue two Soldiers trapped in the vehicle. He died in the attempt.
When coalition ground forces came under heavy fire on Nov. 27, 2006, Maj. Troy Gilbert swung his F-16 Fighting Falcon in to support them. While engaging with the enemy, his fighter crashed northwest of Baghdad. Gilbert was the first F-16 pilot to die since the start of OIF.
On Nov. 1 2007, while on a mission, a convoy of Office of Special Investigations agents was struck by an improvised explosive device. Master Sgt. Thomas Crowell, Staff Sgt. David Wieger and Special Agent Nathan Schuldheissl were all killed.
These are just a few of the names on the memorial, a few of the stories of service, sacrifice and heroic actions. As the dedication also reads:
“They stood in the gap and manned a post, bore a weapon, operated a convoy vehicle, or flew a jet aircraft all in support of our national objective to help Iraq transition to democracy.”
Our fallen 332 AEW Airmen’s sacrifice has not been vain. This year, Iraq held successful elections for the first time since 2005. As the commanding general of Multi-National Force – Iraq, Gen. Raymond T. Odierno recently wrote in a letter to the men and women of MNF-I, “The Iraqi government is able to exercise its sovereignty and to take increased responsibility for the future of its people.” That’s thanks to us here marking the sixth anniversary of OIF. That’s thanks to Watkins, Holt, Rangel, Gilbert, Crowell, Wieger and Schuldheissl.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Families’ Wishes Will Drive New Media Guidelines at Dover, Gates Says
By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 18, 2009 – The wishes of the families will be the overriding principle guiding any media coverage of fallen warriors’ remains arriving at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today.
Gates directed a working group to come up with a plan to change a ban on such coverage imposed during the Gulf War in the early 1990s. “The working group I tasked to come up with an implementation plan has reported back, and we will put a number of its recommendations into action starting next month,” Gates said during a Pentagon news conference.
If several remains return to Dover on the same flight, for example, “the media will be permitted to cover only the dignified transfer of individuals whose families have given permission,” he said. “Further, should immediate family members wish to be present for the arrival of their fallen hero at Dover, and this can be done without unduly delaying a fallen’s return to his or her own hometown, we will facilitate that travel, and we will fund it,” Gates said. The study began with a survey of the groups concerned with the process. Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael J. Basla chaired the Defense Department's working group. He said his group spoke with Gold Star Mothers, Gold Star Wives, veterans groups and senior enlisted advisors. “What we heard were two sides of the story,” Basla said during an interview. “Some were very in favor of media access to the dignified transfers when the families agree, and some had concerns.” The concerns were all around wanting to put the fallen heroes in the best of light. “They were concerned that that may not happen if we lose control,” Basla said. On the other hand, he said, many family members wanted to tell the stories of their loved ones. Officials at Dover will work out how the process will work. If families do not want media present, then officials at Dover can accomplish the dignified transfer of remains for those fallen warriors before allowing the media out to the tarmac. Media professionals will have a strict protocol to follow when covering the story, Basla said. “If any part of the media violates those protocols, then their access would be restricted in the future. We’re going to preserve the privacy of these families, and we’re going to maintain the dignity of these transfers.” In making his announcement, Gates echoed those sentiments. “We are committed to seeing that America's fallen heroes are received back to their loved ones and their country with the honor, respect and recognition that they and their families have earned,” he said.
WASHINGTON, March 18, 2009 – The wishes of the families will be the overriding principle guiding any media coverage of fallen warriors’ remains arriving at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today.
Gates directed a working group to come up with a plan to change a ban on such coverage imposed during the Gulf War in the early 1990s. “The working group I tasked to come up with an implementation plan has reported back, and we will put a number of its recommendations into action starting next month,” Gates said during a Pentagon news conference.
If several remains return to Dover on the same flight, for example, “the media will be permitted to cover only the dignified transfer of individuals whose families have given permission,” he said. “Further, should immediate family members wish to be present for the arrival of their fallen hero at Dover, and this can be done without unduly delaying a fallen’s return to his or her own hometown, we will facilitate that travel, and we will fund it,” Gates said. The study began with a survey of the groups concerned with the process. Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael J. Basla chaired the Defense Department's working group. He said his group spoke with Gold Star Mothers, Gold Star Wives, veterans groups and senior enlisted advisors. “What we heard were two sides of the story,” Basla said during an interview. “Some were very in favor of media access to the dignified transfers when the families agree, and some had concerns.” The concerns were all around wanting to put the fallen heroes in the best of light. “They were concerned that that may not happen if we lose control,” Basla said. On the other hand, he said, many family members wanted to tell the stories of their loved ones. Officials at Dover will work out how the process will work. If families do not want media present, then officials at Dover can accomplish the dignified transfer of remains for those fallen warriors before allowing the media out to the tarmac. Media professionals will have a strict protocol to follow when covering the story, Basla said. “If any part of the media violates those protocols, then their access would be restricted in the future. We’re going to preserve the privacy of these families, and we’re going to maintain the dignity of these transfers.” In making his announcement, Gates echoed those sentiments. “We are committed to seeing that America's fallen heroes are received back to their loved ones and their country with the honor, respect and recognition that they and their families have earned,” he said.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Thank You- We made a difference!
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
Dear Military Families United Member and Supporter,
Yesterday we sent out an action alert asking you send to an email to the President urging him to reconsider his plan to charge veterans for their treatment of service-related injuries. This morning we are pleased to announce that due to the overwhelming number of responses from you and the immense criticism the President received over this issue, he has abandoned this outrageous proposal.
Over the last 24 hours nearly 3,700 of you sent in emails and letters to the White House. You are the reason that our veterans’ health care needs will not be abandoned by the government. Your action made a difference for our nation's heroes. The tremendous response is a testament your profound respect for our America's veterans. We cannot thank you enough for helping us fight this potentially damaging policy.
Sincerely,
Military Families United Team
Dear Military Families United Member and Supporter,
Yesterday we sent out an action alert asking you send to an email to the President urging him to reconsider his plan to charge veterans for their treatment of service-related injuries. This morning we are pleased to announce that due to the overwhelming number of responses from you and the immense criticism the President received over this issue, he has abandoned this outrageous proposal.
Over the last 24 hours nearly 3,700 of you sent in emails and letters to the White House. You are the reason that our veterans’ health care needs will not be abandoned by the government. Your action made a difference for our nation's heroes. The tremendous response is a testament your profound respect for our America's veterans. We cannot thank you enough for helping us fight this potentially damaging policy.
Sincerely,
Military Families United Team
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Call for Action- Urgent
Dear Military Families United Member and Supporter,President Obama announced this week that he is considering a plan to make our veterans pay for treatment of injuries they received while serving this country. For the first time, President Obama’s plan to charge veterans through their private insurance for service-related treatments will expose wounded veterans to co-pays and deductibles for care of their war wounds. A policy like this would amount to a betrayal to our troops.
We Can Not Allow This To Happen
Military Families United, the nation’s leading military family advocacy organization, has joined America’s veterans organizations in adamantly opposing this fundamentally flawed change in policy. Obama’s plan will drive up premiums for veterans, make it more difficult for veterans to find and maintain health insurance, and hurt employment opportunities for disabled veterans.
The Veterans Administration has a responsibility to care for our current and future veterans. This plan falls drastically short of the support that our veterans deserve.
Today, we ask you to help us fight this apparent abdication of the Obama Administration’s responsibility to our veterans. We ask that you:
Send an email to President Obama letting him know that you will not tolerate forcing our veterans to pay for injuries they received protecting this country
Forward this email to 3 friends
Our veterans are our nation’s heroes. They answered the call when our country needed them most. They served their country with pride, with honor, and with courage. For their sacrifice and their service we owe our veterans a debt of gratitude. As the thousands of troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan, they deserve to have the full support and resources of the Veterans Administration.
Click the link below to log in and send your message:http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/mfu30331024.aspx
We Can Not Allow This To Happen
Military Families United, the nation’s leading military family advocacy organization, has joined America’s veterans organizations in adamantly opposing this fundamentally flawed change in policy. Obama’s plan will drive up premiums for veterans, make it more difficult for veterans to find and maintain health insurance, and hurt employment opportunities for disabled veterans.
The Veterans Administration has a responsibility to care for our current and future veterans. This plan falls drastically short of the support that our veterans deserve.
Today, we ask you to help us fight this apparent abdication of the Obama Administration’s responsibility to our veterans. We ask that you:
Send an email to President Obama letting him know that you will not tolerate forcing our veterans to pay for injuries they received protecting this country
Forward this email to 3 friends
Our veterans are our nation’s heroes. They answered the call when our country needed them most. They served their country with pride, with honor, and with courage. For their sacrifice and their service we owe our veterans a debt of gratitude. As the thousands of troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan, they deserve to have the full support and resources of the Veterans Administration.
Click the link below to log in and send your message:http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/mfu30331024.aspx
Sunday, March 15, 2009
And Now The Rest of The Story-
News from Afghanistan
From a Recon Marine in Afghanistan
It's freezing here. I'm sitting on hard, cold dirt between rocks and
shrubs at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains along the Dar'yoi
Pomir River watching a hole that leads to a tunnel that leads to a cave
Stake out, my friend, and no pizza delivery for thousands of miles.
I also glance at the area around my butt every ten to fifteen seconds
to avoid another scorpion sting. I've actually given up battling the
chiggers and sand fleas, but the scorpions give a jolt like a cattle
prod. Hurts like a bastard. The antidote tastes like transmission
fluid but God bless the Marine Corps for the five vials of it in my
pack.
The one truth the Taliban cannot escape is that they are human beings,
which means they have to eat food and drink water. That requires
couriers and that's where an old bounty hunter like me comes in handy.
I track the couriers, locate the tunnel entrances and storage
facilities, type the info into the handheld, shoot the coordinates up
to the satellite link that tells the air commanders where to drop the
hardware, we bash some heads for a while, then I track and record the
new movement.
It's all about intelligence. We haven't even brought in the snipers
yet. These scurrying rats have no idea what they're in for. We are but
days away from cutting off supply lines and allowing the eradication
to begin.
I dream of bin Laden waking up to find me standing over him with my
boot on his throat as I spit into his face and plunge my nickel plated
Bowie knife through his frontal lobe. I've said it before and I'll say it
again: This country blows. It's not even a country.
There are no roads, there's no infrastructure, there's no government.
This is an inhospitable, rock pit shit hole ruled by eleventh century
warring tribes. There are no jobs here like we know jobs.
Afghanistan offers two ways for a man to support his
family: join the opium trade or join the army. That's it. Those are
your options. Oh, I forgot, you can also live in a refugee camp and
eat plum-sweetened, crushed beetle paste and squirt mud like a goose
with stomach flu if that's your idea of a party. But the smell alone
of those 'tent cities of the walking dead' is enough to hurl you into
the poppy fields to cheerfully scrape bulbs for eighteen hours a day.
I've been living with these Tajiks and Uzbeks and Turkmen and even a
couple of Pushtins for over a month and a half now and this much I can
say for sure: These guys, all of 'em, are Huns Actual, living Huns.
They LIVE to fight. It's what they do. It's ALL they do.
They have no respect for anything, not for their families or for each
other or for themselves. They claw at one another as a way of life.
They play polo with dead calves and force their five-year-ol d sons
into human cockfights to defend the family honor
Huns, roaming packs of savages, heartless beasts who feed on each
other's barbarism. Cavemen with AK47's.
Then again, maybe I'm just cranky.
I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is
running out of juice and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in
a few hours. Oh yeah! You like to write letters, right? Do me a
favor, Bizarre. Write a letter to CNN and tell Wolf and Anderson and
that awful, sneering, pompous Aaron Brown to stop calling the Taliban
'smart'. They are not smart. I suggest CNN invest in a dictionary
because the word they are looking for is 'cunning'.
The Taliban are cunning, like jackals and hyenas and wolverines. They
are sneaky and ruthless and, when confronted, cowardly. They are
hateful, malevolent parasites who create nothing and destroy
everything else. Smart.. Pfft. Yeah, they're real smart.
They've spent their entire lives reading only one book (and not a very
good one, as books go) and consider hygiene and indoor plumbing to be
products of the devil. They're still figuring out how to work a Bic
lighter. Talking to a Taliban warrior about improving his quality of
life is like trying to teach an ape how to hold a pen; eventually he
just gets frustrated and sticks you in the eye with it.
OK, enough. Snuffie will be up soon so I have to get back to my hole.
Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice but I'm good at
it. Please, I tell you and my fellow Americans to turn off the TV sets
and move on with your lives.
The story line you are getting from CNN and other news agencies is
utter bullshit and designed not to deliver truth but rather to keep
you glued to the screen through the commercials. We've got this one
under control The worst thing you guys can do right now is sit around
analyzing what we're doing over here because you have no idea what
we're doing and, really, you don't want to know. We are your military
and we are doing what you sent us here to do.
Jack
Recon Marine in Afghanistan
Semper Fi
From a Recon Marine in Afghanistan
It's freezing here. I'm sitting on hard, cold dirt between rocks and
shrubs at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains along the Dar'yoi
Pomir River watching a hole that leads to a tunnel that leads to a cave
Stake out, my friend, and no pizza delivery for thousands of miles.
I also glance at the area around my butt every ten to fifteen seconds
to avoid another scorpion sting. I've actually given up battling the
chiggers and sand fleas, but the scorpions give a jolt like a cattle
prod. Hurts like a bastard. The antidote tastes like transmission
fluid but God bless the Marine Corps for the five vials of it in my
pack.
The one truth the Taliban cannot escape is that they are human beings,
which means they have to eat food and drink water. That requires
couriers and that's where an old bounty hunter like me comes in handy.
I track the couriers, locate the tunnel entrances and storage
facilities, type the info into the handheld, shoot the coordinates up
to the satellite link that tells the air commanders where to drop the
hardware, we bash some heads for a while, then I track and record the
new movement.
It's all about intelligence. We haven't even brought in the snipers
yet. These scurrying rats have no idea what they're in for. We are but
days away from cutting off supply lines and allowing the eradication
to begin.
I dream of bin Laden waking up to find me standing over him with my
boot on his throat as I spit into his face and plunge my nickel plated
Bowie knife through his frontal lobe. I've said it before and I'll say it
again: This country blows. It's not even a country.
There are no roads, there's no infrastructure, there's no government.
This is an inhospitable, rock pit shit hole ruled by eleventh century
warring tribes. There are no jobs here like we know jobs.
Afghanistan offers two ways for a man to support his
family: join the opium trade or join the army. That's it. Those are
your options. Oh, I forgot, you can also live in a refugee camp and
eat plum-sweetened, crushed beetle paste and squirt mud like a goose
with stomach flu if that's your idea of a party. But the smell alone
of those 'tent cities of the walking dead' is enough to hurl you into
the poppy fields to cheerfully scrape bulbs for eighteen hours a day.
I've been living with these Tajiks and Uzbeks and Turkmen and even a
couple of Pushtins for over a month and a half now and this much I can
say for sure: These guys, all of 'em, are Huns Actual, living Huns.
They LIVE to fight. It's what they do. It's ALL they do.
They have no respect for anything, not for their families or for each
other or for themselves. They claw at one another as a way of life.
They play polo with dead calves and force their five-year-ol d sons
into human cockfights to defend the family honor
Huns, roaming packs of savages, heartless beasts who feed on each
other's barbarism. Cavemen with AK47's.
Then again, maybe I'm just cranky.
I'm freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is
running out of juice and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in
a few hours. Oh yeah! You like to write letters, right? Do me a
favor, Bizarre. Write a letter to CNN and tell Wolf and Anderson and
that awful, sneering, pompous Aaron Brown to stop calling the Taliban
'smart'. They are not smart. I suggest CNN invest in a dictionary
because the word they are looking for is 'cunning'.
The Taliban are cunning, like jackals and hyenas and wolverines. They
are sneaky and ruthless and, when confronted, cowardly. They are
hateful, malevolent parasites who create nothing and destroy
everything else. Smart.. Pfft. Yeah, they're real smart.
They've spent their entire lives reading only one book (and not a very
good one, as books go) and consider hygiene and indoor plumbing to be
products of the devil. They're still figuring out how to work a Bic
lighter. Talking to a Taliban warrior about improving his quality of
life is like trying to teach an ape how to hold a pen; eventually he
just gets frustrated and sticks you in the eye with it.
OK, enough. Snuffie will be up soon so I have to get back to my hole.
Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice but I'm good at
it. Please, I tell you and my fellow Americans to turn off the TV sets
and move on with your lives.
The story line you are getting from CNN and other news agencies is
utter bullshit and designed not to deliver truth but rather to keep
you glued to the screen through the commercials. We've got this one
under control The worst thing you guys can do right now is sit around
analyzing what we're doing over here because you have no idea what
we're doing and, really, you don't want to know. We are your military
and we are doing what you sent us here to do.
Jack
Recon Marine in Afghanistan
Semper Fi
Friday, March 6, 2009
Sgt. Scott Stream
Sgt. Scott Stream, of Mattoon, Ill., second from left, is one of 2 members of the Illinois Guard's 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team who were killed by an improvised explosive device Feb. 24, 2009, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Family photo / February 26, 2009) As President Obama and military officials plan for a marked escalation in the number of American troops in Afghanistan, the powerful words of a fallen soldier show how much the mission continues to mean to the women and men on the ground.Illinois National Guard Sgt. Scott Stream, 39, of Mattoon, Ill., was killed Tuesday in Afghanistan. Below is a letter he wrote to a friend on New Year's Eve. The Tribune received a copy of the letter from Stream's mother.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
A Strange Thing
When I think about what surrounds me, the institutional corruption, the random violence, the fear and desperation. I feel the reasons why I am here more and more sharply.
As we grow in our soldiers skills, surviving by finding the hidden dangers, seeing the secret motives and the shifting politics... we grow a set of skills that is unique and powerful in this situation.We also see what you cannot see in the States, you are surrounded by the love of Christ and faith in freedom and humanity, like a fish you think water is 'a puff of air' because it is always there, you do not notice it... we who are out of the water look back and see the world we love surrounded by enemies, poison and envy that wants to fall on you like a storm of ruin.We who joined with vague notions of protecting our country see how desperate the peril, how hungry the enemy and how frail the security we have is. So the more I love you all the more I feel I must keep fighting for you. The more I love and long for home the more right I feel here on the front line standing between you and the seething madness that wants to suck the life and love out of our land.Does that mean I cannot go home? I hope not, because I want this just to be the postponement of the joy of life, not the sacrifice of mine.
If it costs me my life to protect our land and people then that is a small thing, I just hope that fate lets me return to the promise land and remind people just how great our land is.War is a young mans game, and I am getting an old mans head... it is a strange thing. I just hope that I am not changed so that I cannot take joy in the land inside the wire when I make it home. I want to be with you all again and let my gun sit in the rack and float on my back in a tube down a lazy river...
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
God Bless Bill Arter "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"
Reprinted from war on terror news -MsMarti. Copyright 2008-2009 All rights reserved.
Posted by MsMarti - on March 04, 2009 at 04:03
Born June 10, 1923 in Woodriver, Illinois, William Bernard Arter was destined to live forever in a song.
As a young man, William tried out for a spot on the St. Louis Cardinals as a second baseman. He was told to report for spring training, but never made it there. Instead he was drafted into the Army as a bugler into the Medical Unit of Company B.
Most everyone has heard "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", a song written and later recorded on January 2, 1941 by the Andrew Sisters.
BILL ARTER, "BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE BOY": As I played songs and played all my calls, I would go over to Company C, which was an all black outfit, and we had our jam sessions. And that's when they nicknamed me the "Bugle Boy from Company B," because I fit that -- I fit that like a glove, you know. THOMPSON: Bill was discovered by the Andrews Sisters while he was in basic training. He took his music with him when he was deployed with a third wave of troops on D-Day. As a World War II medic, he cared for wounded soldiers but says he spread even more healing through his music. ARTER: It's something you can't tell people about, because they wouldn't understand. But it seemed like whatever I played, I played to entertain them, just to keep their mind off what they were going to go through next. We didn't know what was up there in front of us.
William Bernard Arter went on to earn 5 Bronze Stars through the course of his military career as an Army medic. In the heat of the battle, who goes out to the wounded? The medics do. On the beaches of Normandy, he earned one of those 5 Bronze Stars during the D-Day Invasion. William turned twenty-one while he was there.
After the war, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he met his future bride, Lois. They were married for 52 years and had 4 daughters, 3 sons, 11 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren!
In Okmulgee, Oklahoma William and Lois built a Christian retreat. William continued playing his trumpet at church, military funerals and social events. On their 40th wedding anniversary, he made a special recording of music for his wife. When he became unable to play the trumpet because of a problem with his hand he didn’t let that stop him. William taught himself to play his trumpet with his other hand and continued on with his music.
Last year William Arter attended a Medal of Honor ceremony, and what did he have in his hand? You would be correct if you guessed his trumpet.
On February 4, 2009 William (Bill) Arter passed away at his home in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma surrounded by his family, as they sang the song, “When the Saints go marching in.” Later, his son James played Taps as the family did a flag presentation in his honor at their home.
Bill was about 4 things… God, Family, Country, Music.
Born June 10, 1923 in Woodriver, Illinois, William Bernard Arter was destined to live forever in a song.
As a young man, William tried out for a spot on the St. Louis Cardinals as a second baseman. He was told to report for spring training, but never made it there. Instead he was drafted into the Army as a bugler into the Medical Unit of Company B.
Most everyone has heard "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", a song written and later recorded on January 2, 1941 by the Andrew Sisters.
BILL ARTER, "BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE BOY": As I played songs and played all my calls, I would go over to Company C, which was an all black outfit, and we had our jam sessions. And that's when they nicknamed me the "Bugle Boy from Company B," because I fit that -- I fit that like a glove, you know. THOMPSON: Bill was discovered by the Andrews Sisters while he was in basic training. He took his music with him when he was deployed with a third wave of troops on D-Day. As a World War II medic, he cared for wounded soldiers but says he spread even more healing through his music. ARTER: It's something you can't tell people about, because they wouldn't understand. But it seemed like whatever I played, I played to entertain them, just to keep their mind off what they were going to go through next. We didn't know what was up there in front of us. CNN transcript
William Bernard Arter went on to earn 5 Bronze Stars through the course of his military career as an Army medic. In the heat of the battle, who goes out to the wounded? The medics do. On the beaches of Normandy, he earned one of those 5 Bronze Stars during the D-Day Invasion. William turned twenty-one while he was there.
After the war, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he met his future bride, Lois. They were married for 52 years and had 4 daughters, 3 sons, 11 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren!
In Okmulgee, Oklahoma William and Lois built a Christian retreat. William continued playing his trumpet at church, military funerals and social events. On their 40th wedding anniversary, he made a special recording of music for his wife. When he became unable to play the trumpet because of a problem with his hand he didn’t let that stop him. William taught himself to play his trumpet with his other hand and continued on with his music.
Last year William Arter attended a Medal of Honor ceremony, and what did he have in his hand? You would be correct if you guessed his trumpet.
On February 4, 2009 William (Bill) Arter passed away at his home in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma surrounded by his family, as they sang the song, “When the Saints go marching in.” Later, his son James played Taps as the family did a flag presentation in his honor at their home.
Bill was about 4 things… God, Family, Country, Music.
the dna of life passed from father to son
Here below, stand two men from different generations, both heroes in their own right.
And now, the words to the song "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."
He was a famous trumpet man from old Chicago way
He had a boogie style that no one else could play
He was the top man at his craft
But then his number came up and he was gone with the draft
He's in the army now, a-blowin' reveille
He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B
They made him blow a bugle for his Uncle Sam
It really brought him down, because he couldn't jam
The Captain seemed to understand
Because the next day the Cap' went out and drafted a band
And now the company jumps when he plays reveille
He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B
A-toot a-toot, a-toot diddle-ee-ada-toot
He blows it eight to the bar - in boogie rhythm
He can't blow a note unless the bass and guitar
Is playin' with 'im
He makes the company jump when he plays reveille
He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B
He was the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B
And when he plays boogie-woogie bugle
He's as busy as a bzz bee
And when he plays he makes the company jump eight to the bar
He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B
Toot toot toot, toot diddle-ee-ada-toot-diddle-ee-ada, toot toot
He blows it eight to the bar
He can't blow a note
If the bass and guitar isn't with 'im
A-and the company jumps when he plays reveille
He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B
He puts the boys to sleep with boogie every night
And wakes them up the same way in the early bright
They clap their hands and stamp their feet
Because they know how he plays
When someone gives him a beat
He really breaks it up when he plays reveille
He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B
Da-da, da-do-da-da
Da-da, da-do-da-da
Da-da, da-do-da-da
Da-da, da-do-da
A-and the company jumps when he plays reveille
He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B
I want to thank Sgt. TJ Edwards for guiding me in the right direction. Had it not been for an email of his, I would never have known who William Arter was, and that would have been a shame.
So the next time you hear this catchy tune, think not just of the song, but of William B. Arter, may he never be forgotten! Rest in peace Bill. God Bless!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sec. Gates Overturns Dover Ban Without Consulting Military Families
Dear Military Families United Member and Supporter,
As many of you already know, Defense Secretary Robert Gates today announced that the current ban on the media photographing the transfer cases ceremony at Dover Air Force Base has been overturned. We at Military Families United are disappointed with this decision because we feel that the families of the fallen heroes were not consulted prior to announcing this unnecessary change in policy. Despite Sec. Gates saying that he received “input from a number of sources, including all of the military services and the organizations representing military families,” Military Families United, the largest military family organization, was not contacted or consulted. To read the Military Families United press statement about this click here
John Ellsworth, President of Military Families United, sent the following letter to Secretary Gates tonight.
Dear Secretary Gates:
Let me begin by thanking you for your service and your leadership for this country. I am a Gold Star father, and am painfully aware of the sacrifices that you have made and the tremendous successes that you have achieved with the surge in Iraq. With your leadership and guidance you have played a crucial role in fostering Iraq as a more stable and secure ally in the Middle East.
However, as the President of Military Families United, I am disappointed in your recent actions during your review process of the Dover AFB media ban at the transfer cases ceremony. At your press conference today you said that to make your decision to overturn this ban you received “input from a number of sources, including all of the military services and the organizations representing military families.”
As the nation’s leading military families organization, we are wondering why we were not consulted before your decision was announced today. We represent the largest number of military families around this nation, including those whose family members have paid the ultimate sacrifice for this country. If you did not consult with the largest military family organization, who did you speak to you?
Last week, Families United asked our military families to tell us how they feel about the possibility of the media ban being overturned. We heard from nearly a thousand families and the overwhelming majority, more than 85%, told us not to overturn the ban. We heard from mothers terrified that their fallen hero would be used as political propaganda; from fathers who didn’t want to have to answer media questions as they watched their son come home; and from parents who wanted their solemn moment to remain private and far from the media lenses. We would have been happy to share these responses with you and play a role in your decision making process, but unfortunately that was not an option presented to us.
You have been an unwavering advocate for America’s military families and we know your heart aches with every fallen hero and their family. This is why this decision, and the “review process” that apparently advised it, was so out of character. We respectfully ask that as you form the task force to answer the many unresolved issues surrounding your decision, that you allow us a seat at the table. We would also like to know what military family organizations you consulted to make your decision to reverse the ban? We are America’s military families and our voices deserve to be heard.
Sincerely,
John EllsworthProud Father of Lance Corporal Justin Ellsworth (KIA 11/13/04)
Dear Military Families United Member and Supporter,
As many of you already know, Defense Secretary Robert Gates today announced that the current ban on the media photographing the transfer cases ceremony at Dover Air Force Base has been overturned. We at Military Families United are disappointed with this decision because we feel that the families of the fallen heroes were not consulted prior to announcing this unnecessary change in policy. Despite Sec. Gates saying that he received “input from a number of sources, including all of the military services and the organizations representing military families,” Military Families United, the largest military family organization, was not contacted or consulted. To read the Military Families United press statement about this click here
John Ellsworth, President of Military Families United, sent the following letter to Secretary Gates tonight.
Dear Secretary Gates:
Let me begin by thanking you for your service and your leadership for this country. I am a Gold Star father, and am painfully aware of the sacrifices that you have made and the tremendous successes that you have achieved with the surge in Iraq. With your leadership and guidance you have played a crucial role in fostering Iraq as a more stable and secure ally in the Middle East.
However, as the President of Military Families United, I am disappointed in your recent actions during your review process of the Dover AFB media ban at the transfer cases ceremony. At your press conference today you said that to make your decision to overturn this ban you received “input from a number of sources, including all of the military services and the organizations representing military families.”
As the nation’s leading military families organization, we are wondering why we were not consulted before your decision was announced today. We represent the largest number of military families around this nation, including those whose family members have paid the ultimate sacrifice for this country. If you did not consult with the largest military family organization, who did you speak to you?
Last week, Families United asked our military families to tell us how they feel about the possibility of the media ban being overturned. We heard from nearly a thousand families and the overwhelming majority, more than 85%, told us not to overturn the ban. We heard from mothers terrified that their fallen hero would be used as political propaganda; from fathers who didn’t want to have to answer media questions as they watched their son come home; and from parents who wanted their solemn moment to remain private and far from the media lenses. We would have been happy to share these responses with you and play a role in your decision making process, but unfortunately that was not an option presented to us.
You have been an unwavering advocate for America’s military families and we know your heart aches with every fallen hero and their family. This is why this decision, and the “review process” that apparently advised it, was so out of character. We respectfully ask that as you form the task force to answer the many unresolved issues surrounding your decision, that you allow us a seat at the table. We would also like to know what military family organizations you consulted to make your decision to reverse the ban? We are America’s military families and our voices deserve to be heard.
Sincerely,
John EllsworthProud Father of Lance Corporal Justin Ellsworth (KIA 11/13/04)
Monday, February 16, 2009
A Pentagon study that reveals troop levels have remained relatively the same since 9/11. A more alarming statistic: 6% of active duty troops have served more than 25 months in a combat zone while 74% have less than twelve months in. The study concludes that the lower to mid enlisted and company grade officers are carrying the most burden.
Army sees sharp rise in suicide rate
It's the highest in 30 years. Military officials say in a report that prevention efforts are inadequate.
By Julian E. Barnes and Jia-Rui Chong January 30, 2009
Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington --
It's the highest in 30 years. Military officials say in a report that prevention efforts are inadequate.
By Julian E. Barnes and Jia-Rui Chong January 30, 2009
Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington --
The suicide rate among Army soldiers reached its highest level in three decades in 2008, military officials said Thursday in a report that pointed to the inadequacy of anti-suicide efforts undertaken in recent years.At least 128 Army soldiers took their own lives last year -- an estimated suicide rate of 20.2 per 100,000, a sharp increase from the 2007 rate of 16.8.
It marked the first time the Army rate has exceeded the national suicide rate for the corresponding population group -- 19.5 per 100,000 -- since the Pentagon began systematically tracking suicides nearly 30 years ago.
The 2008 figure does not include 15 additional deaths under investigation that officials suspect were suicides.
Also Thursday, Marine Corps officials revised their suicide numbers upward, reporting a rate of 19.0 per 100,000 in 2008, the highest for the Marines since 1995.
"Why do the numbers keep going up? We cannot tell you," Army Secretary Pete Geren said.
Army officials believe that contributing factors include emotional and psychological stress caused by repeated combat deployments, along with the toll that the tours have taken on marriages.
About a third of suicides occur during deployments abroad, a third after deployments and a third among soldiers who never deploy.
"We all come to the table believing stress is a factor," said Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the Army's vice chief of staff.
Between 2003 and 2007, the Pentagon frequently extended combat tours and barred soldiers from leaving at the end of their enlistment.
In 2007, it extended all Army deployments abroad to 15 months, from 12.
The blanket extension ended last year, and units beginning new tours now will serve only a year. However, some units assigned 15-month tours must complete them before the longer deployments end later this year.
Dr. Judith Broder, founder of the Soldier's Project, a counseling service for troops and their families in the Los Angeles area, said the repeated deployments caused some soldiers and Marines to lose faith in religion or themselves. Some become suicidal after abusing drugs or alcohol and they lose rational judgment.
"They become extremely depressed and really hopeless, like, 'This is never going to end. I'm never going to be myself again. I'm never going to be able to be with my family again,' " she said.
Jose Coll, chairman of the Military Social Work Program at USC, also blamed frequent and lengthy deployments. "And when the soldier comes back, it's not like he's on vacation. He comes back to training, and that creates a lot of stress for the family," said Coll, who served in the Marine Corps.
Army officials said they realized that longer tours would increase strains on soldiers and their families, and they attempted to head off problems by increasing the money they spent on assistance programs to $1.5 billion, from $700 million.
"We could feel the pressure families and soldiers were under," Geren said.
The Army and Defense Department stepped up mental health screening and hired more mental health professionals. The military also devoted more resources to treating post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries -- battlefield wounds that have compounded stress on soldiers and their families. Still, some say those efforts -- particularly the mental health screening -- have been inadequate.
"Until the Department of Defense starts taking aggressive action, the suicide crisis will get worse," said Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense. "We are looking at the tip of an iceberg of a social catastrophe unless the military and VA start fighting stigma and start getting help for the veteran."
Cindy Williams, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is an expert on military personnel systems, said that reporting a mental health infirmity cut against the ethos of the Army.
"In the Army, there is a culture that says you don't get sick," she said. "Even if the Army wants to change it.
In November, a Marine safety board called for bolstering suicide prevention efforts by improving training for officers and by incorporating anti- suicide training into the martial arts program.
In the Army, Geren said he had placed Chiarelli at the head of a new effort to reduce suicides. As a first step, the Army will begin training soldiers in how to identify people who may be at risk of suicide and how to get help.
"We obviously haven't turned this around yet," said Col. Elspeth Ritchie, the Army's top behavioral health expert. "This really has to be a national effort where everyone is reaching out to soldiers and their families."
Last year, the Army announced a five-year initiative with the National Institute of Mental Health to study military suicides and ways to prevent them.
The Army reported that in 2008, 31 suicides occurred in Iraq and seven in Afghanistan. There are far fewer U.S. troops in Afghanistan than in Iraq.
The Marine Corps this week reported that 41 Marines had committed suicide in 2008, for a rate of 19 per 100,000 troops, the highest rate since 1995 when it was slightly under 20 per 100,000. Among the 41 Marine suicides, six were in Iraq. The Marine Corps had said that the rate for 2008 was 16.8 per 100,000, only marginally higher than the 2007 rate of 16.5. But officials said that figure was incorrect because of a computational error.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Suicides- OIF and OEF Veterans
As stated in our two year reflection Our Fallen Soldier has expanded our mission to include the other tragedies of current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will seek and pursue any assitance we can offer to all OIF/OEF Veterans.
We were thankful to see that the main stream media has begun to report the alarming increase in suicides committed by warriors returning from mid-east wars.
Attributed to post traumatic stress disorders, and particularly to the strain caused by multiple deployment's and separation anxiety 128 suicides with 15 deaths under investigation have occcured. Two thirds of these men and women had served in the middle east.
What is alarming is that in January 2009, 29 suicides were reported. This exceeds the casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan for the month.
Our organization has become involved with the Wounded Warrior Battalion West. Soon we will have the honor of meeting and assisting recovering soldiers at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Assistance programs have been placed for military use-
http://www.communityofveterans.com/
http://www.warriorcare.mil/
We commend our military for these efforts.
A veteran's experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan are unimaginable, and returning home isn't always easy. As a family member or friend of a veteran, you have the power to help, but knowing where to start can be difficult. Please refer to another website for tips, and stories http://supportyourvet.org/
I'll add information as it is received. God Bless JC
We were thankful to see that the main stream media has begun to report the alarming increase in suicides committed by warriors returning from mid-east wars.
Attributed to post traumatic stress disorders, and particularly to the strain caused by multiple deployment's and separation anxiety 128 suicides with 15 deaths under investigation have occcured. Two thirds of these men and women had served in the middle east.
What is alarming is that in January 2009, 29 suicides were reported. This exceeds the casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan for the month.
Our organization has become involved with the Wounded Warrior Battalion West. Soon we will have the honor of meeting and assisting recovering soldiers at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Assistance programs have been placed for military use-
http://www.communityofveterans.com/
http://www.warriorcare.mil/
We commend our military for these efforts.
A veteran's experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan are unimaginable, and returning home isn't always easy. As a family member or friend of a veteran, you have the power to help, but knowing where to start can be difficult. Please refer to another website for tips, and stories http://supportyourvet.org/
I'll add information as it is received. God Bless JC
Monday, January 26, 2009
Hunter Levine- Hero
PFC Hunter Levine is 21 years old and hails from The Woodlands, TX.
He was wounded on 9 May, 2008 while conducting combat operations in East Baghdad. He received a very serious injury to his face, resulting in the loss of his entire bone structure, mouth, nose, and vision.
He was evacuated to Walter Reed Hospital where the doctors performed numerous surgeries to repair his face. He received his Purple Heart at Walter Reed in June with his father, Beau, by his side.
Hunter was then transferred to a VA hospital in Palo Alto, where the best care for his vision would be available. He is a true fighter with a heart of gold. Although his wounds on the outside may look bad, they may never compare with the wounds he has on the inside. The reality is that he still has a long road to recover and may never see again. This young man has everything to live for and is a true inspiration. He is exactly the kind of person we would all want in a brother, son, or friend.
Hearts for Hunter was created to make sure that Hunter has what HE needs to successfully begin his road to recovery.
He was wounded on 9 May, 2008 while conducting combat operations in East Baghdad. He received a very serious injury to his face, resulting in the loss of his entire bone structure, mouth, nose, and vision.
He was evacuated to Walter Reed Hospital where the doctors performed numerous surgeries to repair his face. He received his Purple Heart at Walter Reed in June with his father, Beau, by his side.
Hunter was then transferred to a VA hospital in Palo Alto, where the best care for his vision would be available. He is a true fighter with a heart of gold. Although his wounds on the outside may look bad, they may never compare with the wounds he has on the inside. The reality is that he still has a long road to recover and may never see again. This young man has everything to live for and is a true inspiration. He is exactly the kind of person we would all want in a brother, son, or friend.
Hearts for Hunter was created to make sure that Hunter has what HE needs to successfully begin his road to recovery.
Our friend Gunny forwarded this note from Hunters father today-
Several have asked about Hunter, his Dad emailed me saying he’s doing as well as can be expected. I know he has the Army will to complete his mission.
Hunter lost his left eye during battle in Bagdad. His right eye was also damaged and he does not have any usable vision(no light perception).
Maybe technology in the future will be able to restore his vision
Hunter lost his left eye during battle in Bagdad. His right eye was also damaged and he does not have any usable vision(no light perception).
Maybe technology in the future will be able to restore his vision
Check him out at http://heartsforhunter.com/about/
Beau LeVine
A Proud ARMY Father of a U.S.Soldier
PFC Hunter LeVine
A Proud ARMY Father of a U.S.Soldier
PFC Hunter LeVine
Friday, January 23, 2009
Meet Cpl. Steven Schultz, Retired
U.S. Marine Corporal Steven Schulz grew up playing baseball, football, piano and was a Boy Scout.
After 9/11, Steven entered the Marine Corp because he wanted to make a difference. He did two tours of duty in Iraq and on April 19, 2005, he was hit by an IED, leaving him with a severe traumatic brain injury. His parents immediately rushed to his side...and his mother, Debbie, quit teaching to stay by his side night and day.
This was particularly difficult for the Schulz family who had two children still at home and it was a team effort to support Steven’s recovery. Elaine (18) and Clay (15) both accepted that Mom and Dad would miss the majority of their high school activities...and did so without complaint.
The financial strain of caring for Steven full time, changing his bandages, reading to him, trying to stimulate his brain took its toll on the Schulz family. They were forced to rely on family and friends to help with finances.
This very brave young man now stood a fighting chance for recovery because of all the sacrifices his family made for him. Steven first came home in a wheelchair, barely able to communicate at all. After a year of rehab, he finally took his first step. The support his family gave encouragement to him to keep fighting for each step of progress.
Today, Steven is able to communicate, though clearly still having difficulty with basic care. “My dream is to work, find a wife, and have kids - like a normal person,” said Steven.
I visited Steven today, 22 January 2009. He is a typical Marine, talking about his buddies in his unit.
What Steven does not have are buddies here in the Friendswood Texas area, from the internet, from around the world! His business card at the head of this letter has his phone and email, please drop him a line or call him.
Once a Marine, always a Marine! Marines DO take care of their own!
OFS Staff Note:
This was sent to be by my friend Robert Hiles, http://www.gunnerysergeant.net/
Contact Gunny if you would like to contact Steven - gunny@gunnerysergeant.net
A note received from Gunny today-
I spoke to Stevens mother a short time ago regarding what he would like in a care package as several have asked about (Valentine Cards) as well as-
· Marine Corps books or magazines, preferably LARGE type font, he’s blind in one eye and has vision problems in the other.
· Automobile magazines or books.
· Joke books or funny and amusing literature.
I have some Marine Corps memorabilia getting dusty on my shelves I will take over, we live maybe 5 miles apart.
Phone calls, emails, cards, anything to help occupy his time. But most of all, friends, buddies.
After 9/11, Steven entered the Marine Corp because he wanted to make a difference. He did two tours of duty in Iraq and on April 19, 2005, he was hit by an IED, leaving him with a severe traumatic brain injury. His parents immediately rushed to his side...and his mother, Debbie, quit teaching to stay by his side night and day.
This was particularly difficult for the Schulz family who had two children still at home and it was a team effort to support Steven’s recovery. Elaine (18) and Clay (15) both accepted that Mom and Dad would miss the majority of their high school activities...and did so without complaint.
The financial strain of caring for Steven full time, changing his bandages, reading to him, trying to stimulate his brain took its toll on the Schulz family. They were forced to rely on family and friends to help with finances.
This very brave young man now stood a fighting chance for recovery because of all the sacrifices his family made for him. Steven first came home in a wheelchair, barely able to communicate at all. After a year of rehab, he finally took his first step. The support his family gave encouragement to him to keep fighting for each step of progress.
Today, Steven is able to communicate, though clearly still having difficulty with basic care. “My dream is to work, find a wife, and have kids - like a normal person,” said Steven.
I visited Steven today, 22 January 2009. He is a typical Marine, talking about his buddies in his unit.
What Steven does not have are buddies here in the Friendswood Texas area, from the internet, from around the world! His business card at the head of this letter has his phone and email, please drop him a line or call him.
Once a Marine, always a Marine! Marines DO take care of their own!
OFS Staff Note:
This was sent to be by my friend Robert Hiles, http://www.gunnerysergeant.net/
Contact Gunny if you would like to contact Steven - gunny@gunnerysergeant.net
A note received from Gunny today-
I spoke to Stevens mother a short time ago regarding what he would like in a care package as several have asked about (Valentine Cards) as well as-
· Marine Corps books or magazines, preferably LARGE type font, he’s blind in one eye and has vision problems in the other.
· Automobile magazines or books.
· Joke books or funny and amusing literature.
I have some Marine Corps memorabilia getting dusty on my shelves I will take over, we live maybe 5 miles apart.
Phone calls, emails, cards, anything to help occupy his time. But most of all, friends, buddies.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Capt. Robert J. Yllescas and Family
One of the ways I have dealt with the loss of my son is to read soldiers blogs, soldiers who are presently deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Kyle deeply cared about his battle buddies, and I feel comfort in reading their words. They remind me that I am reading the words of genuine, 110% American Heroes. I respect their thoughts, observations and passion.
Today I read a blog by T.T. Carnehand. It was a tribute to Capt. Robert J. Yllescas, who died Dec. 1 at the National Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. of wounds suffered Oct. 28 when an improvised explosive detonated near his unit at Camp Outpost Keating, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 6th Sqaudron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Ft. Hood, Texas.
Carnehand referred to a blog maintained by Capt. Yllesca's wife Dena. I went to her blog and read every word. My words can not express my respect for the Yllescas family. I encourage anyone reading this to visit the blog at http://yllescasfamily.blogspot.com/
T.T. Carnehand blog at http://longwarrior.blogspot.com/
Other soldiers blogs http://gocomics.typepad.com/the_sandbox/
Today I read a blog by T.T. Carnehand. It was a tribute to Capt. Robert J. Yllescas, who died Dec. 1 at the National Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. of wounds suffered Oct. 28 when an improvised explosive detonated near his unit at Camp Outpost Keating, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 6th Sqaudron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Ft. Hood, Texas.
Carnehand referred to a blog maintained by Capt. Yllesca's wife Dena. I went to her blog and read every word. My words can not express my respect for the Yllescas family. I encourage anyone reading this to visit the blog at http://yllescasfamily.blogspot.com/
T.T. Carnehand blog at http://longwarrior.blogspot.com/
Other soldiers blogs http://gocomics.typepad.com/the_sandbox/
A memorial page has been established on http://www.ourfallensoldier.com/
It was my honor to do so, God Bless the Yllescas family.
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