On Memorial Day, U.S. soldiers in Iraq contemplate 'forgotten war'
By Leila Fadel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 31, 2010; 4:40 PM
BAGHDAD -- Inside the ornate palace of the late dictator Saddam Hussein, now the main headquarters of U.S. forces in Iraq, dozens of U.S. service members bowed their heads in prayer at a Memorial Day commemoration.
They thought about their families waiting for them to come home. They thought about the fallen comrades lost in the past seven years of occupation and war. They thought about what would come next.
At the end of 2011, the last U.S. service member is supposed to leave Iraq. Sometimes, the service members wonder whether people at home remember that despite the drop in violence, Americans and Iraqis still die here. About 92,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq; about 4,400 have been killed. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Iraqis have also been killed.
"We've become the forgotten war, like Korea," said Maj. Scott Stewart, an anti-terrorism U.S. Air Force officer with the United States Forces-Iraq.
read more here
US soldiers in Iraq contemplate forgotten war
Monday, May 31, 2010
Camp Pendleton Marine Honors Vietnam Veterans
For the last eight years, he's been seen by hundreds of thousands of veterans as he stands there saluting the reason they all came. Sacrifice! People from around the country descend on Washington DC every year. Hundreds from the Nam Knights (Vietnam veterans, police officers, firefighters and other veterans including Iraq and Afghanistan) and hundreds of thousands from Rolling Thunder, all on motorcycles, and you can hear their engines coming from far away. All of these people pass by him but few even know his name.Staff Sgt. Tim Chambers, from Camp Pendleton, travels across the country to be there every year in full uniform because he says, "It is a reminder of their sacrifice for me." This year, I had a conversation with his parents Randy and Diane Hoge. Staff Sgt. Chambers was recovering from pneumonia he had two weeks ago. He was still just as determined to stand there saluting until the last bike went by. These pictures are from some of the years he's been there to honor our Vietnam Veterans.
The Nam Knights had their ride on Saturday but most of the members also joined Rolling Thunder on Sunday. They pulled out of the hotel at 9:00, due to pull out of the Pentagon Parking lot at 12:00. By all accounts when the bikes started to roll back into the hotel area it was 5:00 and there were still bikes passing through. Hundreds of thousands of veterans being touched by this act of honor by this honorable Marine just wanting to show his appreciation.
One generation honoring Vietnam veterans for their service as Staff Sgt. Chambers' heart is tugged every year. Standing there like the passing of a torch, saluting for four hours or more, in the heat and while many Vietnam veterans wipe tears from their eyes as they see him, they know they are remembered by other generations.
This is so important to them to see this Marine greeting them as they make their way to the Wall. Preparing their hearts for the magnitude of the emotional rush of seeing the names of people they knew engraved on the massive Wall, sadness replaces the joy of riding with their brothers. They remember the cost, they remember the fallen and they also remember how they were treated when they returned back to these states.
I don't know if any has thanked the commanders of Camp Pendleton for sending him or not, but they should be very proud of the impact they have had of Vietnam veterans as well as the newer generation. Many of the Vietnam veterans have sons and daughters serving right now. I know this is true for the Vietnam veterans in the Nam Knights. Some of the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan were riding in both groups on Saturday and Sunday. I also know this is true with members of Rolling Thunder.
There are so few combat veterans in this nation considering the size of the population. So few understanding what the price of our freedom really is and even less being reminded of the men and women who laid down their lives for it. The reminders of service engraved in the hearts and memories just as surly as the names are engraved on the Wall, connected by this act of appreciation and honor from this Marine from Camp Pendleton. The service trumps generations connecting them in a bond few others can understand.
When we honor the fallen on Memorial Day, we do not honor just one generation, but all of them and this example of dedication stands as a testament this is a family. They grieve for a "brother" and they grieve for a "sister" just as they would grieve for a blood relative. Staff Sgt. Chambers is connecting like a son because he is the son of a Vietnam veteran.
Friday, May 28, 2010
A hero soldier's life should be worth more than 111 words
A hero soldier's life should be worth more than 111 words
by
Chaplain Kathie
111 words to go with a headline "Hero Miami Soldier" and one of those words was a typo. How do you sum up the death of a soldier called hero in 7 lines of a news report? How do you do it without even checking the typing?
This is one of the biggest problems in this country right now. AP stated today that there have been 1,000 deaths in Afghanistan. The problem is, according to ICasualties.org, that number was reached well before today.
I am well aware of how easy it is to make typing mistakes, since I do it all the time. No matter how important a subject is to me, sooner or later I blow it with what I end up typing. This can be forgive on this article, if you can call it that, but the rest is very troubling. Not just from this reporter but from almost all reporters attempting to cover the fallen, the wounded and the suffering as well as the heroic stories we never seem to be hearing about.
I've heard it said that the rest of the American people want to honor the troops but they have a hard time understanding them. After all, when you think about how focused we are on our own problems and the stories that manage to become headline news, it is easy to just turn on American Idol or Desperate Housewives to get our minds off the problems. Yet when you actually look at the people we consider worthy of our attention, we really don't understand them either.
Celebrities, rich, famous, beautiful and most talented but do we really know what it is like to be one of them? Traveling around the world, eating exotic foods, having people take care of them all the time? Do any of us really know what that's like? No but we seem to want to read everything about their lives, especially their sex lives. We want to see pictures of what they are wearing and where they are traveling to. We want to read about their exploits and share their heartaches. We pay attention to them.
Sport figures, we watch their every move. We pay attention to what they are doing and what they are achieving for their team. We want to know about their personal lives but none of us will ever know what it is like to be one of them.
Politicians get our attention when they are running for office or do not do what we want them to do when they get in. Even though they are responsible for the direction this country will go in, we are more interested in their personal lives, especially their sex lives.
Our sense of values is messed up and we follow where the reporters lead instead of trying to get them to report on what matters to us. Amazing when you think that the above minorities the rest of us pay attention to are held up above us when real heroes risking their lives everyday end up being a news report of 111 words and an old figure reached that AP decided to release today, the kick off to Memorial Day weekend.
This will be the last post until Sunday. I am heading into Washington DC for the ride to The Wall and visit a few friends. I'll post about the trip when I get back.
Try to remember what this weekend is supposed to be about if you have other plans.
by
Chaplain Kathie
111 words to go with a headline "Hero Miami Soldier" and one of those words was a typo. How do you sum up the death of a soldier called hero in 7 lines of a news report? How do you do it without even checking the typing?
Hero Miami Soldier Killed in Combat in Iraq
Army tanker to be awarded Purple Heart and Bronze Star
By BRIAN HAMACHER
A hero soldier from Miami has died in a firefight in Iraq, according to the Department of Defense.
Staff Sgt. Amilcar H. Gonzalez, 26, died in Ash Shura when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire on May 21.Gonzalez was was assigned to,,,,,,,,
read the rest of these few words here
This is one of the biggest problems in this country right now. AP stated today that there have been 1,000 deaths in Afghanistan. The problem is, according to ICasualties.org, that number was reached well before today.
2001 12
2002 49
2003 48
2004 52
2005 99
2006 98
2007 117
2008 155
2009 316
2010 140
Total 1,086
http://icasualties.org/OEF/index.aspx
I am well aware of how easy it is to make typing mistakes, since I do it all the time. No matter how important a subject is to me, sooner or later I blow it with what I end up typing. This can be forgive on this article, if you can call it that, but the rest is very troubling. Not just from this reporter but from almost all reporters attempting to cover the fallen, the wounded and the suffering as well as the heroic stories we never seem to be hearing about.
I've heard it said that the rest of the American people want to honor the troops but they have a hard time understanding them. After all, when you think about how focused we are on our own problems and the stories that manage to become headline news, it is easy to just turn on American Idol or Desperate Housewives to get our minds off the problems. Yet when you actually look at the people we consider worthy of our attention, we really don't understand them either.
Celebrities, rich, famous, beautiful and most talented but do we really know what it is like to be one of them? Traveling around the world, eating exotic foods, having people take care of them all the time? Do any of us really know what that's like? No but we seem to want to read everything about their lives, especially their sex lives. We want to see pictures of what they are wearing and where they are traveling to. We want to read about their exploits and share their heartaches. We pay attention to them.
Sport figures, we watch their every move. We pay attention to what they are doing and what they are achieving for their team. We want to know about their personal lives but none of us will ever know what it is like to be one of them.
Politicians get our attention when they are running for office or do not do what we want them to do when they get in. Even though they are responsible for the direction this country will go in, we are more interested in their personal lives, especially their sex lives.
Our sense of values is messed up and we follow where the reporters lead instead of trying to get them to report on what matters to us. Amazing when you think that the above minorities the rest of us pay attention to are held up above us when real heroes risking their lives everyday end up being a news report of 111 words and an old figure reached that AP decided to release today, the kick off to Memorial Day weekend.
This will be the last post until Sunday. I am heading into Washington DC for the ride to The Wall and visit a few friends. I'll post about the trip when I get back.
Try to remember what this weekend is supposed to be about if you have other plans.
US soldier beaten after reporting crimes
US soldier beaten after reporting crimes: officials
(AFP)
WASHINGTON — A US soldier who blew the whistle on his comrades over possible drug use and the deaths of three civilians in southern Afghanistan suffered a severe beating in retaliation, officials said Tuesday.
The soldier was beaten after telling authorities about illicit drugs and then, while recovering in hospital, recounted his comrades' alleged role in the deaths of three Afghan civilians, said two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The soldier was "beaten within an inch of his life," one of the officials told AFP.
US Army authorities last week said they were investigating the "unlawful" deaths of three Afghans as well as allegations of illegal drug use, assault and conspiracy.
Defense officials said the investigation focuses on at least 10 members from the 2nd Infantry Division's Fifth Stryker Brigade, which deployed to Kandahar province in the summer of 2009 and initially suffered heavy casualties, officials said.
go here for more
US soldier beaten after reporting crimes
(AFP)
WASHINGTON — A US soldier who blew the whistle on his comrades over possible drug use and the deaths of three civilians in southern Afghanistan suffered a severe beating in retaliation, officials said Tuesday.
The soldier was beaten after telling authorities about illicit drugs and then, while recovering in hospital, recounted his comrades' alleged role in the deaths of three Afghan civilians, said two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The soldier was "beaten within an inch of his life," one of the officials told AFP.
US Army authorities last week said they were investigating the "unlawful" deaths of three Afghans as well as allegations of illegal drug use, assault and conspiracy.
Defense officials said the investigation focuses on at least 10 members from the 2nd Infantry Division's Fifth Stryker Brigade, which deployed to Kandahar province in the summer of 2009 and initially suffered heavy casualties, officials said.
go here for more
US soldier beaten after reporting crimes
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Pat Tillman elected to College Football Hall of Fame
The Associated Press
Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004.
Pat Tillman elected to College Football HoF
Ralph D. Russo - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 27, 2010 15:33:52 EDT
NEW YORK — The late Pat Tillman and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard are among the 14 newly elected members of the College Football Hall of Fame.
The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced its latest class Thursday at a news conference at the Nasdaq Stock Exchange.
Tillman played linebacker for Arizona State from 1994-97 and gave up an NFL career to enlist in the Army in 2002. He was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2004.
Howard was a wide receiver for Michigan and won the Heisman 1991. He said his mother received the notification of his election to the Hall of Fame and called to let him know.
“She said, ‘Baby, you did it again,’” Howard said. “I just knew it was something special. Just to hear those words and the way she said them let me know that it was something she was very proud of.”
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/05/ap_pat_tillman_hof_052710/
11,000 National Guardsmen have been sent to clean BP's mess
Watch Our New Ad
Oil Spill
For weeks now, we've watched oil gush into the Gulf of Mexico. But, did you know that over 11,000 National Guardsmen have been sent to clean it up? 11,000 men and women that signed up to protect America, not clean up an oil company's mess. Well, we've got a $1.5 million ad campaign making that point, and making clear that only by clean energy reform can we get off this addiction to oil that has us drilling so much, and so close to the shoreline.
The new ad features a veteran of the Louisiana National Guard, who served in the clean up effort. In the ad, he says, "When I signed on with the National Guard, I did it to help protect America from our enemies... Not to clean up an oil company's mess here in the Gulf of Mexico... But America needs a new mission. Because whether it's deep-drilling oil out here, or spending a billion dollars a day on oil from our enemies overseas, our dependence on oil is threatening our national security."
By passing a clean energy plan, we can cut our foreign oil dependence in half, invest billions in new energy technologies, and set up new rules that govern off-shore drilling. That's a fight worth taking on.
Oil Spill
For weeks now, we've watched oil gush into the Gulf of Mexico. But, did you know that over 11,000 National Guardsmen have been sent to clean it up? 11,000 men and women that signed up to protect America, not clean up an oil company's mess. Well, we've got a $1.5 million ad campaign making that point, and making clear that only by clean energy reform can we get off this addiction to oil that has us drilling so much, and so close to the shoreline.
The new ad features a veteran of the Louisiana National Guard, who served in the clean up effort. In the ad, he says, "When I signed on with the National Guard, I did it to help protect America from our enemies... Not to clean up an oil company's mess here in the Gulf of Mexico... But America needs a new mission. Because whether it's deep-drilling oil out here, or spending a billion dollars a day on oil from our enemies overseas, our dependence on oil is threatening our national security."
By passing a clean energy plan, we can cut our foreign oil dependence in half, invest billions in new energy technologies, and set up new rules that govern off-shore drilling. That's a fight worth taking on.
PTSD on trial: When they can't just use it
PTSD is not the new "get out of jail free card" and this is an example of it.This came out before the trial.
Pardun was not a combat veteran.
Yet he was treated for PTSD. The question is, since PTSD is only caused after trauma, how did he get it? Did he really have it? It seems as if he didn't.
The man he killed, was a Vietnam veteran with PTSD trying to help other veterans heal.
His life was taken and now his family has to live with the memory of this violent act. Pardun pleaded guilty. A medical exam showed he did not have PTSD.
When veterans have PTSD, there is something called a flashback which takes them back to when their lives were in danger. This can also come when under stress. There are times when anger pushes out everything else, except one thing. They need to be held accountable for their actions. Yes, real PTSD needs to be taken into account when determining what true justice will be. In this case, the system seems to have worked well considering he admitted guilt after tests showed he did not have PTSD.
The aftermath of what he decided to do left a Vietnam veteran dead after trying to help real combat veterans with PTSD, a wife and a young child to not only grieve for the loss but try to recover with the trauma they went through because of Pardun. This also ends up hurting PTSD veterans the next time a judge has to consider PTSD as a factor or not.
Pardun was not a combat veteran.
Eugene murder suspect to use insanity defense By Assocaited Press and Eugene Register-Guard
Pardun's sister told The Register-Guard last summer that her brother never saw combat in Iraq or Afghanistan, but was traumatized by video images of a mortar attack on a helicopter that killed members of his brigade while he was recovering from an injury in the United States.
Yet he was treated for PTSD. The question is, since PTSD is only caused after trauma, how did he get it? Did he really have it? It seems as if he didn't.
Pardun told investigators the day of the shooting that he was under treatment for extreme post-traumatic stress disorder related to his Army service five years earlier.
The man he killed, was a Vietnam veteran with PTSD trying to help other veterans heal.
Thurston was a fellow veteran who had also battled PTSD following his service in the Vietnam War. Thurston later spent his career counseling troubled former soldiers at the same Eugene clinic where Pardun received medical and psychiatric care.
His life was taken and now his family has to live with the memory of this violent act. Pardun pleaded guilty. A medical exam showed he did not have PTSD.
Creswell man pleads guilty to killing neighbor
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — An Army veteran who claimed he suffered from post-traumatic stress despite never seeing combat has pleaded guilty to murder for shooting a neighbor in front of the man's wife and 3-year-old child.
Jarrod William Pardun of Creswell entered the plea Wednesday in Lane County Circuit Court in Eugene.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Patty Perlow says Pardun pleaded guilty after a mental examination found he was not suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
go here for more
Creswell man pleads guilty to killing neighbor
When veterans have PTSD, there is something called a flashback which takes them back to when their lives were in danger. This can also come when under stress. There are times when anger pushes out everything else, except one thing. They need to be held accountable for their actions. Yes, real PTSD needs to be taken into account when determining what true justice will be. In this case, the system seems to have worked well considering he admitted guilt after tests showed he did not have PTSD.
The aftermath of what he decided to do left a Vietnam veteran dead after trying to help real combat veterans with PTSD, a wife and a young child to not only grieve for the loss but try to recover with the trauma they went through because of Pardun. This also ends up hurting PTSD veterans the next time a judge has to consider PTSD as a factor or not.
Document says number of attempted attacks on U.S. is at all-time high
Document says number of attempted attacks on U.S. is at all-time high
From Carol Cratty, CNN
May 27, 2010 1:38 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
DHS memo says number and pace of attempted attacks have surpassed "any other previous one-year period"
Attacks are expected to be attempted with "increased frequency," document warns
Report cites recent cases of homegrown terrorism, including failed Times Square bombing
Terror groups are increasingly using westerners as operatives, report says
Washington (CNN) -- Just weeks after the failed car bombing of New York's Times Square, the Department of Homeland Security says "the number and pace of attempted attacks against the United States over the past nine months have surpassed the number of attempts during any other previous one-year period."
That grim assessment is contained in an unclassified DHS intelligence memo prepared for various law enforcement groups, which says terror groups are expected to try attacks inside the United States with "increased frequency."
CNN obtained a copy of the document, dated May 21, which goes on to warn, "we have to operate under the premise that other operatives are in the country and could advance plotting with little or no warning."
go here for more
Document says number of attempted attacks on US is at all time high
From Carol Cratty, CNN
May 27, 2010 1:38 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
DHS memo says number and pace of attempted attacks have surpassed "any other previous one-year period"
Attacks are expected to be attempted with "increased frequency," document warns
Report cites recent cases of homegrown terrorism, including failed Times Square bombing
Terror groups are increasingly using westerners as operatives, report says
Washington (CNN) -- Just weeks after the failed car bombing of New York's Times Square, the Department of Homeland Security says "the number and pace of attempted attacks against the United States over the past nine months have surpassed the number of attempts during any other previous one-year period."
That grim assessment is contained in an unclassified DHS intelligence memo prepared for various law enforcement groups, which says terror groups are expected to try attacks inside the United States with "increased frequency."
CNN obtained a copy of the document, dated May 21, which goes on to warn, "we have to operate under the premise that other operatives are in the country and could advance plotting with little or no warning."
go here for more
Document says number of attempted attacks on US is at all time high
Iraq veteran told to take down his flag or leave?
The flag is not a religious symbol someone could be offended by. It is not a political symbol. This is America after all and the flag is a symbol of the nation itself. The condo development is in America. So how could any association have it within their rules to not allow the flag to hang from a window? I've read reports in the past about rules against flag poles and against having flags outside but for heaven's sake, this flag is inside the couple's unit! What if they had curtains made out of the red, white and blue stripes? After all it seems to be ok to have material with the colors but not the flag itself. We know things have gotten way out of control when a veteran willing to lay down his life for the sake of this country can't even hang a flag in his window.
Wisconsin Veteran Must Remove Flag After Memorial Day, Wife Says
By Joshua Rhett Miller
Published May 26, 2010
FOXNews.com
An Army veteran in Wisconsin will be allowed to display an American flag until Memorial Day, but the symbol honoring his service in Iraq and Kosovo must come down next Tuesday, his wife told FoxNews.com.
Dawn Price, 27, of Oshkosh, Wis., said she received a call from officials at Midwest Realty Management early Wednesday indicating that she and her husband, Charlie, would be allowed to continue flying the American flag they've had in their window for months through the holiday weekend. The couple had previously been told they had to remove the flag by Saturday or face eviction due to a company policy that bans the display of flags, banners and political or religious materials.
"It's basically an extension so we can fly the flag on Memorial Day," Price told FoxNews.com. "It does need to come down after that."
Charlie Price, 28, served tours of duty as a combat engineer in Iraq and Kosovo, his wife said. To honor his eight years of service, she began decorating their apartment during Veterans Day in November. An American flag topped off the display, she said.
"I knew it made Charlie really proud to see that," she said. "And this isn't something new. This has been up for quite some time now."
Veterans' groups were furious at the realtors' refusal to allow the flag to fly.
"As a veteran, it sickens me that the Dawn and Charlie Price's building management company would imply that the American flag could be construed as offensive by their residents," said Ryan Gallucci, a spokesman for AmVets.
"We're talking about our most revered national symbol. This is insulting to anyone who has defended our flag honorably, like Charlie Price."
go here for more
Wisconsin Veteran Must Remove Flag After Memorial Day
Contractor settles allegations over Black Hawks
Contractor settles allegations over Black Hawks
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 26, 2010 16:51:37 EDT
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A military contractor has agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle allegations by federal authorities that it failed to test armor plated inserts used in Black Hawk helicopters.
U.S. Attorney for Connecticut David Fein announced Wednesday that Ceradyne Inc. of Costa Mesa, Calif., agreed to the settlement over the inserts it makes for Sikorsky Aircraft. The helicopters are used by the Army.
Contractor settles allegations over Black Hawks
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 26, 2010 16:51:37 EDT
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A military contractor has agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle allegations by federal authorities that it failed to test armor plated inserts used in Black Hawk helicopters.
U.S. Attorney for Connecticut David Fein announced Wednesday that Ceradyne Inc. of Costa Mesa, Calif., agreed to the settlement over the inserts it makes for Sikorsky Aircraft. The helicopters are used by the Army.
Contractor settles allegations over Black Hawks
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