BlogMad is opening to the public!

On Monday March 20th, BlogMad will open its doors to the public with a payout rate of 2 credits for every blog that you view! I have been using this service for a little while now and it has really helped me reach out to many new people.
BlogMad also includes games and many more ways to earn traffic for your blog as well as meet new people. They have a Promisance server, cage fighting, puzzles and much, much more! Check them out by clicking the following image!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Last year at this time I was in Ireland drinking a Guiness....ahhhhhh the memories of what seems so long ago and so much like yesterday. Our plane from Kuwait back to the states made a stop in Shannon Ireland on St. Patty's Day and go figure, the bar was open even though it was something like 0300 in the morning and we were the only people in the airport! I called my wife to rub it in and let her know that I would be home the next day, that was a $60 phone call and worth every penny!



Technorati Tags : Iraq, Baghdad, War, OIF, Army, Military, Navy, Marines, Veterans

Civil war in Iraq!

If you read the news papers or watch CNN it sounds like Iraq is now tearing itself apart after the mosque attacks. Lets hear what real soldiers and people in Iraq have to say about this and not just the US, anti-Bush media in this country.

Head on over to The Real Ugly American to read more.

Get more traffic to your blog!

A new traffic exchange site is forming and looking for people to take part. Its still in the testing stages right now so they are offering 25 credits for signing up and 30 for each person you refer.

All you need to do is follow the link below, create an account and read up on the details that will come by e-mail.



Blogmad has gone in to beta testing and will be "live" in the very near future.

A soldiers Christmas

I have seen this poem posted in a few places and received copies in my e-mail. I just had to pass it along to you. This is how I spent last Christmas and there are thousands spending theirs like this on this Christmas. Never forget them while you are enjoying spending time with your family and enjoying that wonderful Christmas dinner.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

T'was the night before Christmas,
He lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house, made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney, with presents to give,
And to see just who, in this home, did live.
I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by mantle, just boots filled with sand,
On the wall hung some pictures of far distant lands.
With medals and badges, awards of all kinds,
A sober thought, came through my mind.
For this house was different, it was dark and dreary,
I found the home of a soldier, once I could see clearly.
The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor, in this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle, the room in such disorder,
Not how I had pictured an American soldier.
Was this the hero, of whom I'd just read?
Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?
I realized the families, that I saw this night,
Owed their lives to these soldiers,
Who were willing to fight.
Soon round the world, the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate, a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom, each month of the year,
Because of the soldiers, like the one lying here.
I couldn't help wonder, how many lay alone,
In a cold Christmas eve, in a land far from home.
The very thought brought, a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees, and started to cry.
The soldier awakened, and i heard a rough voice,
"Santa don't cry, this life is my choice;
I fight for freedom, i don't ask for more,
My life is my god, my country, my corps."
The soldier rolled over, and drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it, i continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours, so silent and still,
And we both shivered, from the cold night's chill.
I didn't want to leave, on that cold, dark, night,
This guardian of honor, so willing to fight.
When the soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure,
Whispered, "Carry on Santa, it's Christmas Day & all is secure."
One look at my watch, and I knew he was right.
Merry Christmas my friend, and to all a good night.

Technorati Tags : Iraq, Baghdad, War, OIF, Army, Military, Navy, Marines, Veterans, Christmas

Update on our progress in Iraq

I'm tired of people saying that we aren't doing any good in Iraq, I'm tired of not seeing the real news stories broadcast on T.V. I'm getting sick of our supposed leaders saying that we should cut and run before this job is done and I'm really tired of listening to people that have never left the comfort of their own over stuffed couch try to tell me what is going on in Iraq and how messed up it is.

I want to share this document that includes an update of the number of attacks on our troops and some information on what is being done on a day to day basis by our troops. Get a clue people, stop eating up what you see on T.V. or read in blogs by the anti-everything people. Let me tell you how to find out the truth, its easy, not too complicated.....ASK SOMEONE THAT HAS BEEN THERE FOR MORE THAN A DAY!!!!

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, here is the link to the .pdf file that I was talking about.

Click to read.

Lies!!!! Or are they??????

I had a reader complain about the quotes that I posted awhile back. This person seems to think that I'm playing a game or trying to be funny. I never wanted this to be about politics, I wanted to use this space to share my thoughts about comming home, give a different view on the events in Iraq and maybe give out some useful information.

What I can't stand are people that "forget" what they have said in the past to attack our President because they think that the people will turn on him. They set themselves up to gain from this mission in Iraq if WMDs were found and now that they aren't turning up in the numbers that we had expected they cut their support, call the President a liar and forget that they were saying the same exact things back in the 90's.

Stop following the party line and open your eyes to what is going on. Stop following the Kerrys and the Moores or the Clintons. Look at what is really going on and not just eat up the one sided view of the media. Look in to things for yourself, talk to the soldiers that have been there and who will go back. Ask us how we feel about putting our lives on the line in Iraq because we are the ones taking the risk for these people and not you, not the actors in Hollywood or the Dems in Washington, but us!

Truth or lies part 2

Well, I have had a few hundred people look at my list of quotes but only one has guessed who said any of them. Yes you are right, all of the statements were made by Democrats. What angers me is that when the Dems. said these things it was the truth but when the President was saying them he was lying. I don't understand how they could have such short memories.

The quotes that I posted weren't all from post 9/11 speeches either, some were made by the Dems. during the Clinton administration. Was he telling lies back then as well?

Check out the full text with the date and the name of the person that said it at Right Wing News.


Technorati Tags : Iraq, Baghdad, War on Terror, OIF, Army, Military, Navy, Marines, Bush, Government, Politics

Resources for help with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

I have received a few requests for help with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from my readers and some of the people that I talk to locally. I thought I'd list some links to resources as well as some more information on what PTSD is.

The first thing that I suggest to the folks that I talk to is seek out your Chaplin or someone that you trust to talk with about your feelings. Not all of the feelings that you experience after returning from a war zone are true PTSD but may just be a reaction to the extreme change in environment. I always suggest that a person seek help and not try to handle this alone because you never know what might develop if you don't get your adjustment problems worked out in a timely manner.

The Community counseling Center on post along with the VA are wonderful places to start for either the person suffering from stress or depression or their family.

You might think that soldiers are more prone to suffering from PTSD but in my experience I have found that women that were raped or abused are much more common. This could be because of the training that a soldier receives helps them to deal with the harsh situations that they face but nobody really knows.

What I'm getting at is that this can happen to anybody at any time for many different reasons. Don't let it control your life, attack this issue by seeking help before it causes harm to your family, your career or yourself.

Help is out there!

Links:

What is PTSD?

Department of Veterans Affairs

Ft. Lewis ACS

Self Help Following Disasters

National Center For PTSD

I am not a health care professional, I am just a simple soldier that has been asked for help and I am trying to offer it in any way I can. Please seek help for you or your loved ones no matter how or where they experienced their traumatic incident or how long ago it was. All we have is each other.

Technorati Tags : Iraq, Baghdad, Stress, OIF, Army, Military, Navy, Marines, PTSD

Iraqi Police, U.S. Soldiers Help Children Hurt in IED Attack

Iraqi Police, U.S. Soldiers Help Children Hurt in IED Attack American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2005 – Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers responded to help five Iraqi children injured in a Nov. 20 roadside bomb explosion in eastern Baghdad, military officials reported. Officials said the bomb most likely was targeting an Iraqi police patrol, but missed the target and detonated near a vehicle filled with children. Police and U.S. soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, secured the site and took the wounded children to a local hospital for treatment. In other news, Iraqi police and soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team killed one suspect and injured two more Nov. 19 while responding to a roadside bomb attack in Tikrit, officials reported. Soldiers located the triggermen as they attempted to escape the area and chased them into a hastily prepared roadblock. Once the attackers saw the roadblock, they tried to turn around and began ramming other civilian vehicles on the road in an attempt to escape the containment area, officials said. Soldiers at the roadblock used several warning measures, attempting to stop the vehicles. When the drivers did not stop, the soldiers opened fire and stopped both vehicles, killing one occupant and injuring two others. All three men tested positive for explosive residue. A search of the vehicles revealed a large sum of money. Iraqi police took the two wounded terrorists to the Bayji hospital for treatment. About 150 Iraqi army soldiers and 300 Marines and soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Marine Division, began Operation Bruins in northern Ramadi on Nov. 19, officials reported. Operation Bruins is part of a series of disruption operations in Ramadi, military officials said, and is designed to set the conditions for successful elections in December. Forces are conducting cordon-and-search operations, blocking off known terrorist escape routes and searching for weapons caches. The operation comes on the heels of Operation Panthers, which disrupted operations in the Sophia district of eastern Ramadi. During Panthers, the team discovered weapons caches and detained suspected terrorists. Bruins also follows the Nov. 17 engagement in which the 2nd Brigade Combat Team successfully repelled a terrorist attack in downtown Ramadi, killing 32 terrorists. The caches found during Panthers, along with the recent capture of three high-value terrorist targets, have been part of continuous disruption operations in the Ramadi area, officials said. Attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces in the Ramadi area have decreased 60 percent in the last few weeks, officials reported, as a result of these ongoing operations. Iraqi and Task Force Baghdad soldiers saved an Iraqi woman who had been shot by terrorists Nov. 19 in the Abu Ghraib area of western Baghdad. After being hit in a drive-by shooting, the woman was treated by combat medics on the scene from 1st Squadron, 11th Cavalry Regiment, a unit from Fort Irwin, Calif., and immediately was evacuated to a local hospital with the help of soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Division. The woman was shot in the chest with an AK-47 assault rifle fired from a white sedan as it approached a military checkpoint. She was reported to be in stable condition at the hospital. Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, operating in southwestern Baghdad, detained three suspected terrorists in two separate incidents Nov. 19. After striking a roadside bomb, the soldiers of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, searched the area and detained a man positively identified to have been tampering with explosive material. He also had multiple timers, detonators and initiators in his possession, officials said. Later in the day, A Company, 2-101st Brigade Troops Battalion, in support of 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, discovered a roadside bomb consisting of a propane tank with a timer attached to it. The patrol secured and searched the area, detaining two individuals who were positively identified to be tampering with explosives. Coalition aircraft flew 39 close-air-support and armed-reconnaissance sorties Nov. 20 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Air Force F-16s struck roadside bomb locations near Ramadi, while other U.S. Air Force F-16s provided close air support to coalition troops in contact with enemy fighters near Hawijah and Husaybah. In addition, 12 U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. Also, Royal Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a nontraditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors. (Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Task Force Baghdad and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)

Technorati Tags : Iraq, Baghdad, War on Terror, OIF, Army, Military

On this Veterans Day

I don't have much time because of all of the Veterans activities that I have been supporting today but I wanted to leave you all with this brief thought.....

I don't care what service you were in, how long you served, or what your job in the Military was....... Today is OUR day! To all of you that have something against us, you are welcome! You are welcome for the right to have a different view of life and to speak out. You are welcome for the chance to sleep in your bed knowing that there are rough men standing guard over you while you sleep.

Technorati Tags : Iraq, Baghdad, War, OIF, Army, Military, Navy, Marines, Veterans

Smoking ban passes in Washington State

Well it is happening, your rights as a business owner to choose how you run your business are being taken away. A new law in Washington State will be put in place on Dec. 8th 2005 to ban smoking in bars, restaurants and other privately owned establishments. What ever happened to the right of a consumer to go someplace else if they didn't like the way a business was run? If a business owner wants to only offer service to people over 6 feet with pink hair they should be able to and allowing smoking or not allowing it should be their right as well.

What happened to freedom of choice? If you don't like what I say you have the right to stop listening, if you are offended you have the right to leave, if you don't like eating or drinking near smokers GO AWAY! I had somebody tell me that they were offended by my cigarettes so I told them that I was offended by their breath and that they should leave before I complained to the police.

We have home owners groups that can put a lien on your home for painting it an un approved color or having a flag pole that is too big. The state can tell business's how to run their stores.

I guess I'd better check the state approved dress code before I leave the house.....I wouldn't want to offend anyone!

Technorati Tags : Smoking, Laws, Government, Election

Military.com Launches Career Resource for Veterans

The Department of Defense news service has released the following information about job placement for separating service members.

About 250,000 people leave the military each year, Christopher Michel, president and founder of Military.com, said. A goal of the new network, found at www.military.com/network, is to help veterans capitalize on the training they received in the military by connecting them with employers who value this type
of training and to make that connection more efficient.

They talk about how it has been made easier for employers to find veterans to hire.

To make it easier for those wanting to hire a veteran to find one, veterans' resumes are literally "flagged" in Monster.com's resume database. A small American flag has been added next to veterans' resume listings, Michel said.

This is a great article for all vets to read and I suggest that you all check it out over at the DOD web site.


Technorati Tags : Employment, Jobs, Veterans, Vet, Army, Military, Navy, Marines, Air Force

My take on the Paris riots

To all of those in Paris, good luck, stay safe and remember..... You know where to find us when you need us.... as always.



Technorati Tags : Paris, Riots

Truth or lies, you tell me!

I found some quotes of government officials and I thought I'd play a little game with them. I want you guys to use the comments section for your answers. I will post my source and the person or persons that made the quote in a couple of days.

Lets get started!

1) "[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."

2) "This December will mark three years since United Nations inspectors last visited Iraq. There is no doubt that since that time, Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to refine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer- range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies."

3) "What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. Baghdad's regime did use such weapons in the past. Today, a number of evidences may lead to think that, over the past four years, in the absence of international inspectors, this country has continued armament programs."

4) "The community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists. If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow."

5) "There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein's regime is a serious danger, that he is a tyrant, and that his pursuit of lethal weapons of mass destruction cannot be tolerated. He must be disarmed."

Lets stop for now and see how many of you get them correct. Please format your answers like so:

1) (True or False) or like this (Dem or Rep)

Either true / false or political party answers are ok. Good luck to all!

Technorati Tags : Iraq, Baghdad, War on Terror, OIF, Army, Military, Navy, Marines, Bush, Government, Politics

Have some fun at Blogshares!

I know that this is way off topic but I have just started playing the Blogshares trading game. I'm sure that most of you have heard of this by now but I am new and just love it. The idea is that you trade shares in blogs like they were stocks, a good blog with links is worth more than one that has few links.

Blogs produce "ideas" that can be grouped in to bonds and traded on the bond market. If you click the link to blogshares on the right side of this page you'll be taken to the status page for this blog, if you just want the main page, click here.

Check it out, its a lot of fun and the people are really helpful.



Technorati Tags : links, retail, blogs, blogging, marketing, traffic

Some things to think about after the 2,000th American death in Iraq

I guess its about time that I added my 2 cents to the news of the last couple of days. It has happened, we have now lost our 2,000th soldier in Iraq. I feel for the families of all of those soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen that have lost their lives or had them forever changed.

Mine was forever changed the day I left my family for 13 months, that's 13 months that I will never get back with my 70 year old parents, my beautiful wife or my 9 year old son. I am forever changed by the events of my time in Baghdad and the things that I have seen. Some may say that I lost a year, I say that I lived for that year.

There are children and families in Iraq that are able to vote, to choose their own future because of what my brothers in arms and I have done. Do not make this political, do not try to divide our country as it was during Viet Nam. What we are doing is just, it is necessary and it should have been done a long time ago.

Do not cry for our service men and women, hold them high for what they are doing. Keep them close to your hearts and offer them thanks. If we were afraid to pay the price to spread freedom and democracy the French, Belgians, English and most of Europe would be called Germans. China and the far east would be a part of Japan. We didn't stop because it was hard or we had lost too many people during that struggle, we continued to fight the good fight and we made the world a better place. Germany and Japan were about as much of a threat to us back then as Iraq or any other "enemy" of our is now.

According to the D-Day Museum, we suffered 1,465 killed in action during the Normandy landings. On Iwo Jima during the 36 day battle for the island we lost 6,000 American soldiers.
During the Civil War at a place called "Little Round Top" the armies of the north and the south suffered 51,000 casualties during fighting that lasted only 3 days.

Freedom is not free, it is bought and paid for by the people that have the will to leave their homes and their families, to go and knowingly put them selves at risk not only to protect their current family but to protect future generations. To offer a future not only to Americans but to every person on this planet.

Today you hurt for the loss of a loved one either dead or far away, do not cry for them, support them and help to keep the memory of their deeds alive for future generations to look back on so that they may decide if it was just or not.


Technorati Tags : Iraq, Baghdad, War on Terror, OIF, Army, Military, Navy, Marines

New Link Exchange Program for blogs and retail sites

Everything Below Retail is offering a new link exchange program for your blog or retail web site. Right now it is set up for outdoor related blogs, sporting good and automotive sites but I bet if you ask for a new category one will be added for you. Get the full story over at the EBR Blog

Technorati Tags : links, retail, blogs, blogging, marketing, traffic

Response to comments from my last post

This post is for the person that left the long winded comment in my last post about the uninformed. Click here to read the comment.

I am educated and so are my men. Everybody on my crew has atleast an AA if not a BA, mine is in electrical engineering. We are the highest educated fighting force that America has ever fielded so I can tell that you are far removed from the American soldier. I can tell you what makes a terrorist, poverty like none you have ever seen in America, a lack of hope for tomorrow, a life that isn't a life. That is what I saw when I arrived in Iraq. Have you been there? Have you seen the new look of hope in the faces of the young and old alike? Have you seen the warm welcome and the thanks that the Iraqi people offer up to the American soldiers? I think not! If you had you would know that we are doing the right thing by offering those people a chance to choose their own life, to be free of a mad man. I don't know where you get your "facts" but maybe you should put your boots on the ground and see for yourself like I have and will do again! Stop swallowing everything that people like Michael Moore are feeding you because it is full of slander, half truths, and utter nonsense.


Technorati Tags : Iraq, Baghdad, War on Terror, OIF, Army, Military

The uninformed are everywhere!

Check out what this guy has to say and be amazed at the level of stupidity that some people posses. I hate to even link to this page but when I read it I didn't know if I should fall out of my chair laughing at this person or choke the living sh*t out of them. You figure it out for me please!

Attitudes we need to fight!


Technorati Tags : Iraq, Baghdad, War on Terror, OIF, Army, Military