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)

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.

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.

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

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

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

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!