Let us never forget!

Let us never forget!

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

Why are you marching son?

Listen to the question raised by a true American, how would you answer?







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

Peoples true feelings about soldiers

There is nothing more true and shameful than the following quote:

For God and the soldier we adore, In time of danger, not before!The danger passed, and all things righted, God is forgotten and the soldier slighted." - Rudyard Kipling

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

Remember what Memorial Day is for........Please

I hope that you all enjoy your time off on what for most is a three day weekend. I do have this one request for all of you out there, please remember what this time off is all about. Most of you will go camping or to a fun vacation spot with your families and not even give a second thought to why you have the time off.

I ask that you remember the soldiers that never shared any more time with their loved ones, never played with their kids again, never grew old with their wife or husband.

I don't care if you support the current war in Iraq or if you have supported the reason we fought at any time in our history because to the soldier, politics means very little during a time of conflict.

Soldiers go where the leaders of our country point us, we have a job to do and our feelings on the issue at hand don't matter.

We only know that we must do our job even if it means we'll never see our home again. We only know that the person to our right and our left are counting on us to do our job so that they may live to see tomorrow and that is all we ask in return.

One of my duties since returning from Iraq is as a team leader providing the final honors for a fallen soldier and their families. Most of the services that we conduct are for WWII and Korean vets but we have had some soldiers from Iraq pass through the gates of the National Cemetary where I am stationed.

There is nothing worse than the thought of people protesting against these honorable soldiers during the last moments that their families can be near them. I have been lucky not to have run in to any protestors and I beg you all from the bottom of my heart, PLEASE keep your protests away from those that had no choice in the matter. Keep it away from the easy targets that crying family members make. Let them have their time, they have earned it.

This Monday there will be services honoring those that have passed during times of war, please go and support these honorable soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. If your politics don't agree with when or why you think they died leave that at home and go to support the people that are there to protect you, to offer your freedom to you and that allow you to stay with your families in your nice soft bed while they are alone, cold, hungry and scared.

Agree with why we fight or not, like us or not I don't care..........Just please don't forget us.

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

Illegal immigrants take to the streets!

If people want to have the rights granted to Americans shouldn't they want to become Americans?
If they want to become Americans, do they really think it is wise to start out by breaking not only our law but also our sovereignty by sneaking across our borders?
If our government bows to these law breakers then why should I follow any of our laws?
Why should I, a soldier that has earned every right granted to Americans, follow laws that don't mean very much?
What do you think would happen if a large group of Americans marched across the Mexican border waving American flags, I bet they would shoot at us and try to send us home!
I heard one protest "leader" today that said if the people that had died sneaking across the border were animals, Americans would be screaming for a fix to the problem but because they are Mexican, nobody cares. To that I say, if you were trying to get in to this country at a border crossing you wouldn't need to worry about staying alive!

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

More reasons to stop illegal immigrants.

I found this while surfing on BlogMad today and it proves my point on border security. Head on over to Part-Time Pundit to read the full story with good stats to back it up.

"Facts are a funny thing. They are conveniently forgotten if they don't uphold one's point-of-view, and they're easily overlooked if they are randomly scattered about. But when solid facts are brought together in one place, the pattern is difficult to ignore. The facts I'm about to provide below are just such a case. People may be able to overlook a single fact, but the weight of their significance cannot be denied when they come together in one place. That is the purpose of this week's Blogburst - to look at some hard facts."

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

What going to war has done to me.

Going to Iraq had a major impact on my life. While war is a nasty and terrible thing, it has opened my eyes to many things and I am grateful for that experience.
During my time in Iraq I felt that I was actually doing something important and that my actions made an impact on everybody around me.
My fellow soldiers looked to me for guidance and at times protection and the people in the villages that we helped looked to us for help building their new nation.
I will never be the same person again and for that I am grateful.
There were times when you didn't know if you'd see tomorrow and I wasn't even in the worst of it. Rockets would come in while you were in the porta-john and shake the plastic walls that gave no protection from fragments....what a way to die! I spent my time on convoy duty and civil affairs missions and from time to time rockets and mortars would fly over your head or we find that we missed getting caught in an ambush by seconds.
After all of this I haven't become addicted to drugs, I don't drink more than a beer a week, I'm not afraid of going outside and I have never hit my wife but I have changed.
I know that it could all come to an end at any second so I'd better make every second that I have count. I love my family more than I ever thought I could, I know I can do anything that I put my mind to, I watch what happens around me and try to help make things better when I can.
There will be a time when I must leave my home and return to combat, after all I did pick a combat related job and not a nice office chair like some, but I will do it with my head held high knowing that no matter what anybody else thinks, the person to my left or right knows that I can do my job well and that they can count on me no matter what.

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

Illegal Immigration must be dealt with!

I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and protect this country from ALL enemies both foreign and domestic.

One of the things that threatens the American way of life is not immigrants that come here to be Americans and live the American way of life, its those that sneak across the border, don't care to learn the language and don't care about being an American.

These people come from many different countries and while most are good hard working people, there are some that would wish to do us harm. Good or bad doesn't really mean very much when you look at the fact that they broke the law just by coming here the way that they did. Should we reward these people just because they have been here awhile? Should we show the world that as long as you make it here we will take care of you even though you show a disregard for our laws by sneaking across the border?

If you want to come to my country the proper way like my family and many of my friends did, I say Welcome to my country!

Its time that Americans put our money where our mouth is and demand that something gets done before we suffer a similar fate as Rome did.

Don't know what I mean by that? Maybe you should look it up.

We are starting to lose our national identity and that will always lead to a countries downfall.

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

JVERITAS - TRANSLATING THE IRAQ DOCUMENTS: March 2003 Top Secret Memo: TRANSFER OF SPECIAL AMMUNITION (POTENTIAL CHEMICAL WEAPONS) Translation

Below you'll find a link to what I believe to be a very important web site. This blog is run by a man born in Jordan that has become an American and loves his country. He has taken his own personal time and knowledge of Arabic and combined that with the captured documents from Iraq that have been released to the public. Do I know this man? No, I have heard his story on a local radio program and believe in what he is doing. While most natural born Americans sit on their couches watching the news and cussing out their country, this man is trying to lend a helping hand.

I will continue to post portions of his translations and links to the full text as well as links to the source documents as they are published.


Document ISGP-2003-0001498 ISGP-2003-0001498 contains a 9 pages TOP SECRET memo (pages 87-96 in the pdf document) dated March 16 2003 that talks about transferring “SPECIAL AMMUNITION” from one ammunition depot in Najaf to other ammunition depots near Baghdad. As we know by now the term SPECIAL AMMUNITION was used by Saddam Regime to designate CHEMICAL WEAPONS as another translated document has already shown. For example in document CMPC 2004-002219 where Saddam regime decided to use “CHEMICAL WEAPONS against the Kurds” they used the term “SPECIAL AMMUNITION” for chemical weapon http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1601810/posts . What is also interesting is that these “SPECIAL AMMUNITION” were listed as 122 mm, 130 mm, and 155 mm caliber shells which are not by itself SPECIAL unless it contain CHEMICAL WEAPONS. In fact the Iraqi have always used 122 mm, 130 mm, and 155 mm caliber shell as a main delivery tool for Chemical Weapons Agents by filling these type of shells with Nerve Gas, Sarin, Racin, Mustard gas and other Chemical Agents.


Beginning of partial translation of Pages 85-96 in document ISGP-2003-0001498


In the Name of God the Merciful The Compassionate


Top Secret

Ministry Of Defense

Chairmanship of the Army Staff

Al Mira Department

No. 4/17/ammunition/249

Date 16 March 2003

To: The Command of the Western Region

Subject: Transfer of Ammunitions

The secret and immediate letter of the Chairmanship of the Army Staff 4/17/308 on 10 March 2003

1. The approval of the Army Chief of Staff was obtained to transfer THE SPECIAL AMMUNITIONS in the ammunition depots group of Najaf and according to the following priorities:

A. The first priority

First. Ammunition (122 mm)

Second. Ammunition (130 mm)

Third. Ammunition (155 mm)

To the depots and storage of the Second Corp and the two ammunition depot groups Dijla/2/3

B. Second priority.

First. Ammunition (23 mm)

Second. Ammunition (14.5 mm)

To the ammunition depots of the air defense and distributed to the ammunition depot groups in (Al Mussayeb- Al Sobra- Saad).

2. To execute the order of the Chief Army Staff indicated in section (1) above, we relate the following:

A. Duty

Transfer of the ammunitions shown in sections (A) and (B) from the ammunitions depots of Najaf to the ammunition depots in (Dijla 2/3, and Al Mansor, and Saad, and Al Mussayeb, and Sobra and Blad Roz and Amar Weys from March 16 till April 14 2003.

Signature…

General Rasheed Abdallah Sultan

Assistant to the Army Chief of Staff- Al Mira

March 2003

End of Partial translation

The remaining pages of this 9 pages top secret memo talk about getting the special vehicles to transfer the SPECIAL AMMUNITION and the people assigned to supervise and execute the transfer and they were top Iraqi Army and Military Intelligence officers.

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

Students protest to foce the Government to do nothing!

Now I've seen everything!

I don't know how it is in other parts of the country but here in Washington state we've had students walk out of their class rooms in protest of the illegal immigration problem that this country faces. Did they walk out to show the Government that we need change? Did they walk out in support of fixing a problem that has plagued nations for centuries?

NO!

They walked out in an attempt to force the Government to do NOTHING!

These protestors wave the flag of Mexico and call these reforms racist but offer no suggestions to help fix the problem of illegal immigration in to this country. They have no solution for removing the strain on our emergency rooms or the welfare system that these people have caused.

Should I be suprised?
Not after hearing some of these same students say that a US Marine that was awarded the Medal of Honor is not a good role model for young adults. What is this country comming to? Are we destined to suffer the same fate as Rome for the same mistakes? Should we reward the breaking of our laws so we don't offend anybody?

I support the people that want to come to America to be Americans, what I don't support are those that come here by sneaking across our borders and don't want to be Americans. These are the people that live off of our system and hold on to their home country's identity. These people don't care to learn the language or give back to the country that is supporting them.

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

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