US Military
In the face of this electoral season's acrimony, it behooves us all as Americans to every now and then declare a truce, step back from the brink and to take stock of this awesome Nation of ours.
Of all of ours. …
Remember the price of freedom. Our deepest gratitude to those who paid it on our behalf. #MemorialDay #CommonSoldier [video]
…The U.S. arranged papers for Barwari’s mother but, due to a clerical error, baby Lava wasn’t allowed to leave with her. She nearly had to stay in Iraq, left to the whims of Hussein’s brutal regime. That’s when an American soldier named Greg Peppin stepped in. … She grew up hearing stories about the man who saved her life but, until this past week, she had never met the former soldier….
There are no words that can express my outrage, as an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, to see the black flag of ISIS flying in Ramadi. There is no excuse that the current commander-in-chief can make. And as we head into Memorial Day weekend, I would prefer President Barack Obama just not make an appearance issuing empty words.
To those of my brothers and sisters who fought, lost limbs, and to the families who lost their loved ones — God bless you, and I for one shall honor your service and commitment.…
One Marine was killed and 21 others were hospitalized Sunday after an Osprey aircraft made a hard landing in Hawaii, causing a fire that sent dark smoke billowing into the sky. …
The bodies of all eight people on board the U.S. Marine helicopter that disappeared this week during a relief mission in earthquake-hit Nepal have been recovered, Nepal's army said Saturday.… [I have seen no word on why this helicopter might have gone down.]
Nepalese rescuers on Friday found three bodies near the wreckage of a US Marine helicopter that disappeared this week during a relief mission in the earthquake-hit Himalayan nation, and officials said it was unlikely there were any survivors from the crash.…
A missing Marine helicopter has not been spotted, a spokesman for U.S. Pacific Command told Military Times on Wednesday. …was carrying six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers when it disappeared Tuesday during a mission in a remote mountainous region in Nepal
…U.S. Marine Corps helicopter providing assistance in the wake of the Nepal earthquake is missing. … near Charikot, Nepal, on Tuesday. … part of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469.…
This is what Army Strong means… The video shows US Army Captain Sarah Cudd, who was finishing the grueling final 12-mile road march for her Expert Field Medical Badge (EFMB). …
Oklahoma City: Jerry Billings was a U.S. Navy aviation machinist airman who served his country in the 1960s. On Christmas Eve, the 69-year-old man passed away with no family to claim his remains. Christine Hoffman, who works for the city, took it upon herself to find out more about the veteran. …thanks to thousands of shares about the funeral service on social media… More than 750 people, from military men and women to first responders and bikers showed up to pay their respects to a man they never even knew. …
…But out of the blue, Sgt. Duckwall received an invitation from a non-profit organization to go on a fishing trip. “It absolutely turned my life around. It is impossible to describe the healing powers of water and nature but they are real if not describable.…"
…What is apparent is that HUMINT intelligence assets were not used to validate imagery. Then again, why would anyone want to support U.S. intelligence gathering in Pakistan after how this administration has treated Dr. Shakil Afridi who assisted in the identification of Osama bin Laden’s hideout? The preeminent question must be, who granted approval? …
On April 27, 2011, Afghan Air Force Colonel Ahmad Gul gunned down eight U.S. Air Force personnel and a civilian contractor inside the Afghan Air Force headquarters, including investigators who had just arrived in the country to examine rampant corruption in the Afghan military. … Multiple Air Force and CENTCOM investigations claimed to find no motive for the attack, leaving the families of those killed with no answers. … Now, a senior U.S. official has gone on the record claiming that a United Nations team tracked substantial payments to the killer and his family made days just prior to the incident. …
…I am shaking and tears are flowing down my cheeks as I watch the news and listen to the insensitive, pain inflicting comments made by you in regards to the fall of Ramadi.
“The city itself is not symbolic in any way”? Oh, really? Are you willing to meet with me and with the families who have lost a son, daughter, husband, wife, father, mother, aunt, uncle, grandson, or teammate?
My son Marc Lee was the first Navy SEAL who sacrificed his life in Ramadi Iraq Aug 2, 2006. His blood is still in that soil and forever will be. …
I’ve traveled to Ramadi and visited Camp Marc Lee in 2007. I brought back soil from that city where Marc breathed his last. I interviewed Iraqi General Anwer in 2010 when I returned. I asked him “If you could say one thing to the American people what would you tell them? He paused and with deep emotion said “We will tell our children, our grandchildren, for generations to come we will tell them what Americans have done. There is American blood poured out on our soil.” It seems the Iraqis understand the importance more than you do sir. …
“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Anyone Who Threatens It” [more]
…tens of thousands of veterans are being called mentally defective and banned from gun ownership? …if you need financial assistance to manage your benefits, you’re mentally defective? You mean, like calling an accountant is a sign of mental illness? This is outrageous!…
Secretary of the Army John McHugh announced today that he has directed the United States Army to provide all possible benefits to victims of a 2009 attack at Fort Hood who were recently awarded the Purple Heart medal.…
…the A-10 Thunderbolt, aka the “Warthog” …no greater sound to a ground combat soldier than the high pitched whine and the “blurp” sound of the Gatling Gun cannon in its nose. … Let me make one thing clear, no senior officer should impart such undue command influence against any member of our Armed Services. The A-10 is a potent aircraft and should not be retired and should undergo a service life extension program. I would recommend that the Secretary of Defense… transfer the A-10 from the U.S. Air Force to the U.S. Army and here’s why….
Victims of the 2009 Fort Hood terror attack finally received their long-delayed honor on Friday at a Purple Heart ceremony in Texas — though they may have to keep fighting to get military benefits. …
…Gunnery Sgt. Brian Jacklin, of 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, will be presented with the Navy Cross Thursday during a ceremony at his unit's headquarters at Camp Pendleton, California.
Jacklin earned the award for actions carried out June 14, 2012, while serving as an assistant leader of a team conducting village stability operations in the Upper Gereshk valley in Afghanistan's Helmand province, according to his medal citation.…
[Read for the whole incredible citation.]
…In a message she posted via Facebook, Shannon Allen, wife of Sgt. 1st Class Mark Allen, wrote 'Meet my husband, injuries directly brought to you by the actions of this traitor. He can't give an account of what went down, because he can no longer speak. Now, which guy is a "hero" again?!? Sick.' …
Rep.Louie Gohmert (TX-01) talked to Tucker Carlson on Fox and Friends about the Obama Administration's prisoner swap and handling of the Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl matter.
[Video, 3:27]
Operation Backbone, a non-profit organization for severely injured active duty and veteran warriors.
Operation Backbone was founded by Navy veteran Mike Sformo after he severely injured his back. The non-profit organization provides crucial brain and spine surgical treatments for the most severely wounded active duty and veteran warriors who need an accelerated substitute to their current care options. Post-surgery physical and mental training is provided by the Buffalo Sabres NHL team.
Currently, Operation Backbone serves the Buffalo, New York area, but Sformo hopes to expand to other cities.
Aircraft and military manufacturer Boeing has been granted a patent on a system that is designed to prevent explosion shockwaves from harming a target.… not designed to prevent direct impact from shells or shrapnel; rather, it is designed to protect a target — such as a vehicle or building — from the damaging effects of shockwaves from a nearby impact.
[I imagine there are good peacetime uses for such technology as well!]
Naval Base Kitsap, a marine base 20 miles from Seattle, may be home to the world's largest single-location arsenal of nuclear weapons, and it's defended by dolphins trained by the US Navy. …
The Navy Marine Mammal Program at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (or SPAWAR) in San Diego, California currently trains 85 dolphins and 50 sea lions for service in the US Navy.
When a dolphin finds a swimmer, the animals swim back to their trainers, who might give them a transponder to drop near the intruder.
Alternatively, according to Clayton Swansen, a dolphin handler who worked in the Navy program between 2003 and 2005, the marine mammals are equipped with a bite plate that holds a shackle that the dolphins can use to disable an intruder. …
The commandant of the Marine Corps told lawmakers that Marines who disarmed before departing Sanaa, Yemen during an embassy evacuation last month did so on the orders of U.S. Central Command and State Department officials.
The U.S. Army says it will soon be sending armored Stryker vehicles on a 1,100-mile convoy through six European countries to show solidarity to allies in the wake of recent Russian actions in the Ukraine and Crimea that have Eastern Europe on edge. …
"…Human remains and helicopter parts were recovered Wednesday after seven Marines and four soldiers crashed in heavy fog during military training in Florida. All 11 service members were presumed dead after the the Army National Guard’s UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter went down offshore… Despite the human remains washing ashore, the military still called it a rescue mission Wednesday, said Sara Vidoni, a spokeswoman for Eglin Air Force Base, outside Pensacola. …"
"For his 92nd birthday dinner on Feb. 21, a World War II veteran’s son took him to Outback Steakhouse. When it came time to pay, instead of a bill, the son found a hand-written note that brought 'tears' to his eyes."