Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
How could "Winning the War" be a big problem for any American?
The following story by two writers from the NY Times (yes, the NY Times!) and published in the very liberal "Brookings Institute" should be read and give pause to those who repeatedly state the war in Iraq is lost (Pelosi, Reid, Murtha to name just a few). Stability in Iraq: "A War We Just Might Win" and there is plenty of caution in the story as well.
http://www.brookings.edu/views/op-ed/ohanlon/pollack20070730.htm
Add to this the following from a New York Times poll: the number of Americans who think it was right for the United States to go to war in Iraq rose from 35 percent in May to percent 42 percent in mid-July, rather than promptly report the new poll findings, the paper conducted another poll. As the Times' Janet Elder wrote Sunday, the increased support for the decision to go to war was "counterintuitive" and because it "could not be easily explained, the paper went back and did another poll on the very same subject."
Round Two found that 42 percent of voters think America was right to go into Iraq, while the percentage of those polled who said that it was wrong to go to war had fallen from 61 percent to 51 percent. The headline for Elder's piece read, "Same Question, Different Answer. Hmmm." But it should have read: "America's Paper of Record Out of Touch With American Public."
The WashingtonPost.com ran an interview conducted by Washington Post über-reporter Dan Balz and Chris Cillizza of WashingtonPost.com with Democratic Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina who also happens to be the House Majority Whip.
Balz asks Clyburn:
"What do Democrats do if General Petraeus comes in in September, and says, 'This is working very, very well at this point. We would be foolish to back away from it'?"
Clyburn responds:
"Well, that would be a real big problem for us, no question about that."
No, Jim. No. That would not be a "real big problem." That would be what most non-medicated people would refer to as "good news."
How could hypothetical good news ("working very, very well at this point") be consider a "big problem" by Clyburn? Is this about politics or is this about winning the war in Iraq? My point isn't to suggest things are great in Iraq or that Bush hasn't blundered at times. But if we honestly look at any war the US has fought in, there have been very edgy moments when all seemed lost! Never from my readings of American History (excluding wars fought from Vietnam forward) have such statments of defeatism, surrender and alarm been raised to such shrill heights when glimmers of hope and success were shared with the public. And these are the people we voted into the majority in our Senate and Congress?
http://www.brookings.edu/views/op-ed/ohanlon/pollack20070730.htm
Add to this the following from a New York Times poll: the number of Americans who think it was right for the United States to go to war in Iraq rose from 35 percent in May to percent 42 percent in mid-July, rather than promptly report the new poll findings, the paper conducted another poll. As the Times' Janet Elder wrote Sunday, the increased support for the decision to go to war was "counterintuitive" and because it "could not be easily explained, the paper went back and did another poll on the very same subject."
Round Two found that 42 percent of voters think America was right to go into Iraq, while the percentage of those polled who said that it was wrong to go to war had fallen from 61 percent to 51 percent. The headline for Elder's piece read, "Same Question, Different Answer. Hmmm." But it should have read: "America's Paper of Record Out of Touch With American Public."
The WashingtonPost.com ran an interview conducted by Washington Post über-reporter Dan Balz and Chris Cillizza of WashingtonPost.com with Democratic Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina who also happens to be the House Majority Whip.
Balz asks Clyburn:
"What do Democrats do if General Petraeus comes in in September, and says, 'This is working very, very well at this point. We would be foolish to back away from it'?"
Clyburn responds:
"Well, that would be a real big problem for us, no question about that."
No, Jim. No. That would not be a "real big problem." That would be what most non-medicated people would refer to as "good news."
How could hypothetical good news ("working very, very well at this point") be consider a "big problem" by Clyburn? Is this about politics or is this about winning the war in Iraq? My point isn't to suggest things are great in Iraq or that Bush hasn't blundered at times. But if we honestly look at any war the US has fought in, there have been very edgy moments when all seemed lost! Never from my readings of American History (excluding wars fought from Vietnam forward) have such statments of defeatism, surrender and alarm been raised to such shrill heights when glimmers of hope and success were shared with the public. And these are the people we voted into the majority in our Senate and Congress?
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Proud American
Such a photo appeared on the front page of the New York Times's national edition, (see below) a picture of the scene after a bombing in Baghdad. Adding to the chaos of the bombing which killed at least 21 people and injured at least 66, was a shooter, maybe targeting people in the crowd.
An amazing and touching set of photos! Look at the soldier standing upright and alert while everyone else runs! Some news photos are so rich in symbolism they're almost like renaissance paintings in how much they communicate.
Amid all the Iraqis who are running from the gunfire was a U.S. soldier, standing tall, perhaps looking in the direction of the gunshots, not apparently looking for cover.
An Iraqi boy seeks shelter behind the soldier, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. The boy knows who will not kill him but will save him.
The first picture shows it all. The Lad's face shows he is scared to death, and he's running to the safest spot he can find: this soldier who stands between him and danger.
It would be difficult to stage a picture that provides a more poignant metaphor for the role played by United States in this wretched world.
That Lad just did a virtual essay on "What America Means To Me".
I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN~!!!!!! How 'bout YOU
An amazing and touching set of photos! Look at the soldier standing upright and alert while everyone else runs! Some news photos are so rich in symbolism they're almost like renaissance paintings in how much they communicate.
Amid all the Iraqis who are running from the gunfire was a U.S. soldier, standing tall, perhaps looking in the direction of the gunshots, not apparently looking for cover.
An Iraqi boy seeks shelter behind the soldier, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. The boy knows who will not kill him but will save him.
The first picture shows it all. The Lad's face shows he is scared to death, and he's running to the safest spot he can find: this soldier who stands between him and danger.
It would be difficult to stage a picture that provides a more poignant metaphor for the role played by United States in this wretched world.
That Lad just did a virtual essay on "What America Means To Me".
I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN~!!!!!! How 'bout YOU
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Now this Woman Loves our Troops and their Families!
http://mfile.akamai.com/21772/wmv/gannett.download.akamai.com/21772/streaming/wmv/hancockportraits.asx
Hopefully you will love this as much as I did. Bob
Hopefully you will love this as much as I did. Bob
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Parade Magazine Article - Gary Sinise
This article was in the May 27, 2007 Parade Magazine.
Memorial Day Mission
This month, while other actors were glued to the TV ratings wars, CSI: NY's Gary Sinise was visiting our troops in Iraq. Just back, he's spending the emorial Day weekend in Washington and co-hosting tonight's National Memorial Day Concert, telecast on PBS.
Sinise, 52, first got involved with the military 25 years ago. His wife had two brothers in Vietnam: One was killed, the other scarred. "America took out its grief over Vietnam on the veterans, " says Sinise, an Oscar nominee as Lt. Dan, the Vietname officer who loses his legs in Forrest Gump. When U.S. troops were sent to Afghanistan and Iraq, he vowed to help. "They need to know they aren't forgotten,"says Sinise. He's visited three times and helped create Operation Iraqi Children, which sends kids' supplies for our troops to distribute. "They can pull into a village and hand out soccer balls." Sinise explains. For ways you can help, visit Parade.com.
This is my kind of Movie star! Thank you Mr. Sinise.
Memorial Day Mission
This month, while other actors were glued to the TV ratings wars, CSI: NY's Gary Sinise was visiting our troops in Iraq. Just back, he's spending the emorial Day weekend in Washington and co-hosting tonight's National Memorial Day Concert, telecast on PBS.
Sinise, 52, first got involved with the military 25 years ago. His wife had two brothers in Vietnam: One was killed, the other scarred. "America took out its grief over Vietnam on the veterans, " says Sinise, an Oscar nominee as Lt. Dan, the Vietname officer who loses his legs in Forrest Gump. When U.S. troops were sent to Afghanistan and Iraq, he vowed to help. "They need to know they aren't forgotten,"says Sinise. He's visited three times and helped create Operation Iraqi Children, which sends kids' supplies for our troops to distribute. "They can pull into a village and hand out soccer balls." Sinise explains. For ways you can help, visit Parade.com.
This is my kind of Movie star! Thank you Mr. Sinise.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
When Congress says they Support our Troops what exactly does that mean? (A letter from my friend Lee)
Family & Friends,
I believe you will appreciate what the Congressman has to say about the present situation in Iraq from the perspective of a POW, soldier and legislator. Whatever your feelings may be on President Bush and his adminsitrations handling of the war in Iraq, the soldier is not the entity to be left out in the cold, to take the fall, to suffer the consequences. If the newly elected Congress believes that leaving Iraq is in the best interest of the citizens they represent and they prescribe leaving then say so...defund and bring the soldiers back home...that is within their constitutional perogatives. However, to suggest that a non-binding resolution and hamstringing the fighting capabilities of the commanders and soldiers on the ground is supporting the troops, then the world has been stood on it's head and "Work will set you free!" Those who support this strategy are cowards fearing the political fallout as the American public (as recent polls have suggested) really doesn't support removal of the troops or surrendering to the greater risk of Islamic extremism. Rather then deal with it forthrightly they choose to once again let the US Military be the fall guy. Yeah, "We support the troops!" is the biggest political lie of the "cut and run" crowd in Congress...no matter their political party. And don't ask me how I really feel, OK!
Subject: POW U.S. CONGRESSMAN SAM JOHNSON
To Our Troops We Must Remain Always Faithful
By Rep. Sam JohnsonFebruary 16, 2007
(Note: The following is the text of remarks delivered by Rep. Johnson on the floor of the House ofRepresentatives February 16, 2007)
You know, I flew 62 combat missions in the Korean War and 25 missions in the Vietnam War before being shot down.I had the privilege of serving in the United States Air Force for 29 years, attending the prestigious National War College, and commanding two air bases, among other things.
I mention these stories because I view the debate on the floor not just as a U.S. Congressman elected to serve thegood people of the Third District in Texas, but also through the lens of a life-long fighter pilot, student of war, a combat warrior, a leader of men, and a Prisoner of War.
Ironically, this week marks the anniversary that I started a new life - and my freedom from prison in Hanoi. I spent nearly seven years as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam, more than half of that time in solitary confinement. I flew out of Hanoi onFebruary 12, 1973 with other long-held Prisoners of War - weighing just 140 pounds. And tomorrow - 34 years ago, I had
my homecoming to Texas - a truly unspeakable blessing of freedom.
While in solitary confinement, my captors kept me in leg stocks, like the pilgrims... for 72 days... As you can imagine, they had to carry me out of the stocks because I couldn't walk. The following day, they put me in leg irons... for 2 ½ years. That's when you have a tight metal cuff around each ankle - with a foot-long bar connecting the legs.
I still have little feeling in my right arm and my right hand...and my body has never been the same since my nearly 2,500 days of captivity. But I will never let my physical wounds hold me back. Instead, I try to see the silver lining. I say that because in some way ... I'm living a dream...a hope I had for the future. "From April 16, 1966 to February 12, 1973 - I prayed
that I would return home to the loving embrace of my wife, Shirley, and my three kids, Bob, Gini, and Beverly...
And my fellow POWs and I clung to the hope of when - not if - we returned home. We would spend hours tapping on the adjoining cement walls about what we would do when we got home to America. We pledged to quit griping about the way the government was running the war in Vietnam and do something about it... We decided that we would run for office and
try to make America a better place for all.
So - little did I know back in my rat-infested 3 x 8 dark and filthy cell that 34 years after my departure from Hell on Earth...I would spend the anniversary of my release pleading for a House panel to back my measure to support and fully fund thetroops in harm's way....and that just days later I would be on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives surrounded by distinguished veterans urging Congress to support our troops to the hilt.
We POWs were still in Vietnam when Washington cut the funding for Vietnam. I know what it does to morale and missionsuccess. Words cannot fully describe the horrendous damage of the anti-American efforts against the war back home to the guys on the ground. Our captors would blare nasty recordings over the loud speaker of Americans protesting back home...tales
of Americans spitting on Vietnam veterans when they came home... and worse.
We must never, ever let that happen again. The pain inflicted by your country's indifference is tenfold that inflicted by your ruthless captors. Our troops - and their families - want, need and deserve the full support of the country - and the Congress. Moms and dads watching the news need to know that the Congress will not leave their sons and daughters in harm's way
without support.
Since the President announced his new plan for Iraq last month, there has been steady progress. He changed the rules of engagement and removed political protections. There are reports we wounded the number two of Al Qaeda and killed his deputy. Yes, Al Qaeda operates in Iraq. It's alleged that top radical jihadist Al-Sadr has fled Iraq - maybe to Iran. And Iraq's
closed its borders with Iran and Syria.
The President changed course and offered a new plan ...we are making progress. We
must seize the opportunity to move forward, not stifle future success.
Debating non-binding resolutions aimed at earning political points only destroys morale, stymies success, and emboldens the enemy. The grim reality is that this House measure is the first step to cutting funding of the troops...Just ask John Murtha about his 'slow-bleed' plan that hamstrings our troops in harm's way.
Now it's time to stand up for my friends who did not make it home and those who fought and died in Iraq - so I can keep my promise that when we got home we would quit griping about the war and do something positive about it...and we must not allow this Congress to leave these troops like the Congress left us.
Today, let my body serve as a brutal reminder that we must not repeat the mistakes of the past... instead learn from them. We must not cut funding for our troops. We must stick by them. We must support them all the way. ..To our troops we must remain...always faithful.
God bless you and I salute you all. Thank you.
Warmest regards,
Lee
I believe you will appreciate what the Congressman has to say about the present situation in Iraq from the perspective of a POW, soldier and legislator. Whatever your feelings may be on President Bush and his adminsitrations handling of the war in Iraq, the soldier is not the entity to be left out in the cold, to take the fall, to suffer the consequences. If the newly elected Congress believes that leaving Iraq is in the best interest of the citizens they represent and they prescribe leaving then say so...defund and bring the soldiers back home...that is within their constitutional perogatives. However, to suggest that a non-binding resolution and hamstringing the fighting capabilities of the commanders and soldiers on the ground is supporting the troops, then the world has been stood on it's head and "Work will set you free!" Those who support this strategy are cowards fearing the political fallout as the American public (as recent polls have suggested) really doesn't support removal of the troops or surrendering to the greater risk of Islamic extremism. Rather then deal with it forthrightly they choose to once again let the US Military be the fall guy. Yeah, "We support the troops!" is the biggest political lie of the "cut and run" crowd in Congress...no matter their political party. And don't ask me how I really feel, OK!
Subject: POW U.S. CONGRESSMAN SAM JOHNSON
To Our Troops We Must Remain Always Faithful
By Rep. Sam JohnsonFebruary 16, 2007
(Note: The following is the text of remarks delivered by Rep. Johnson on the floor of the House ofRepresentatives February 16, 2007)
You know, I flew 62 combat missions in the Korean War and 25 missions in the Vietnam War before being shot down.I had the privilege of serving in the United States Air Force for 29 years, attending the prestigious National War College, and commanding two air bases, among other things.
I mention these stories because I view the debate on the floor not just as a U.S. Congressman elected to serve thegood people of the Third District in Texas, but also through the lens of a life-long fighter pilot, student of war, a combat warrior, a leader of men, and a Prisoner of War.
Ironically, this week marks the anniversary that I started a new life - and my freedom from prison in Hanoi. I spent nearly seven years as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam, more than half of that time in solitary confinement. I flew out of Hanoi onFebruary 12, 1973 with other long-held Prisoners of War - weighing just 140 pounds. And tomorrow - 34 years ago, I had
my homecoming to Texas - a truly unspeakable blessing of freedom.
While in solitary confinement, my captors kept me in leg stocks, like the pilgrims... for 72 days... As you can imagine, they had to carry me out of the stocks because I couldn't walk. The following day, they put me in leg irons... for 2 ½ years. That's when you have a tight metal cuff around each ankle - with a foot-long bar connecting the legs.
I still have little feeling in my right arm and my right hand...and my body has never been the same since my nearly 2,500 days of captivity. But I will never let my physical wounds hold me back. Instead, I try to see the silver lining. I say that because in some way ... I'm living a dream...a hope I had for the future. "From April 16, 1966 to February 12, 1973 - I prayed
that I would return home to the loving embrace of my wife, Shirley, and my three kids, Bob, Gini, and Beverly...
And my fellow POWs and I clung to the hope of when - not if - we returned home. We would spend hours tapping on the adjoining cement walls about what we would do when we got home to America. We pledged to quit griping about the way the government was running the war in Vietnam and do something about it... We decided that we would run for office and
try to make America a better place for all.
So - little did I know back in my rat-infested 3 x 8 dark and filthy cell that 34 years after my departure from Hell on Earth...I would spend the anniversary of my release pleading for a House panel to back my measure to support and fully fund thetroops in harm's way....and that just days later I would be on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives surrounded by distinguished veterans urging Congress to support our troops to the hilt.
We POWs were still in Vietnam when Washington cut the funding for Vietnam. I know what it does to morale and missionsuccess. Words cannot fully describe the horrendous damage of the anti-American efforts against the war back home to the guys on the ground. Our captors would blare nasty recordings over the loud speaker of Americans protesting back home...tales
of Americans spitting on Vietnam veterans when they came home... and worse.
We must never, ever let that happen again. The pain inflicted by your country's indifference is tenfold that inflicted by your ruthless captors. Our troops - and their families - want, need and deserve the full support of the country - and the Congress. Moms and dads watching the news need to know that the Congress will not leave their sons and daughters in harm's way
without support.
Since the President announced his new plan for Iraq last month, there has been steady progress. He changed the rules of engagement and removed political protections. There are reports we wounded the number two of Al Qaeda and killed his deputy. Yes, Al Qaeda operates in Iraq. It's alleged that top radical jihadist Al-Sadr has fled Iraq - maybe to Iran. And Iraq's
closed its borders with Iran and Syria.
The President changed course and offered a new plan ...we are making progress. We
must seize the opportunity to move forward, not stifle future success.
Debating non-binding resolutions aimed at earning political points only destroys morale, stymies success, and emboldens the enemy. The grim reality is that this House measure is the first step to cutting funding of the troops...Just ask John Murtha about his 'slow-bleed' plan that hamstrings our troops in harm's way.
Now it's time to stand up for my friends who did not make it home and those who fought and died in Iraq - so I can keep my promise that when we got home we would quit griping about the war and do something positive about it...and we must not allow this Congress to leave these troops like the Congress left us.
Today, let my body serve as a brutal reminder that we must not repeat the mistakes of the past... instead learn from them. We must not cut funding for our troops. We must stick by them. We must support them all the way. ..To our troops we must remain...always faithful.
God bless you and I salute you all. Thank you.
Warmest regards,
Lee
If we pack up and leave Iraq the war is over, right? Wrong. Dead wrong.
6 charged with plot on Army post in N.J.
By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press Writer
FORT DIX, N.J. - Six Islamic militants from Yugoslavia and the Middle East were arrested on charges of plotting to attack the Fort Dix Army post and "kill as many soldiers as possible authorities said Tuesday.
In conversations secretly recorded by an FBI informant over the past year, the men talked about killing in the name of Allah and attacking U.S. warships that might dock in Philadelphia, according an FBI criminal complaint.
"This was a serious plot put together by people who were intent on harming Americans," U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said Tuesday. "We're very gratified federal law enforcement was able to catch these people before they acted and took innocent life."
One suspect reportedly spoke of using rocket-propelled grenades to kill at least 100 soldiers at a time, according to court documents.
"If you want to do anything here, there is Fort Dix and I don't want to exaggerate, and I assure you that you can hit an American base very easily," suspect Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer said in one conversation secretly recorded by a government informant, according to the criminal complaint.
"It doesn't matter to me whether I get locked up, arrested or get taken away," a suspect identified as Serdar Tatar said in another recorded conversation. "Or I die, it doesn't matter. I'm doing it in the name of Allah."
Another suspect, Eljvir Duka, was recorded saying: "In the end, when it comes to defending your religion, when someone is trying attacks your religion, your way of life, then you go jihad."
White House spokesman Tony Snow said Tuesday there is "no direct evidence" that the men had ties to international terrorism.
The FBI was tipped off in January 2006 when a shopkeeper alerted agents about a "disturbing" video he had been asked to copy onto a DVD, according to court documents. The video showed 10 men in their early 20s "shooting assault weapons at a firing range ... while calling for jihad and shouting in Arabic 'Allah Akbar' (God is great)," the complaint said.
Six of the 10 men on the tape were identified as those arrested in the plot. They were arrested Monday trying to buy automatic weapons from an FBI informant, officials said.
Christie said one of the suspects worked at Super Mario's Pizza in nearby Cookstown and delivered pizzas to the base.
"What concerns us is, obviously, they began conducting surveillance and weapons training in the woods and were discussing killing large numbers of soldiers," said Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd.
The six were scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Camden later Tuesday to face charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. servicemen, said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey.
Four of the men were born in the former Yugoslavia, one in Jordan and one in Turkey, officials said. All had lived in the United States for years. Three were in the country illegally; two had green cards allowing them to stay permanently; the other is a U.S. citizen.
Besides Shnewer, Tatar and Eljvir Duka, the other men were identified in court papers as Dritan Duka and Shain Duka. Checks with Immigration and Customs Enforcement show that the Dukas were illegally in the U.S., according to FBI complaints unsealed with their arrests.
Five of the men lived in Cherry Hill, a Philadelphia suburb about 20 miles from Fort Dix.
"They were planning an attack on Fort Dix in which they would kill as many soldiers as possible," Drewniak said.
A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because documents in the case remain sealed, said the attack was stopped in the planning stages. The men also allegedly conducted surveillance at other area military institutions, including Fort Monmouth, a U.S. Army installation, the official said.
By March 2006, the group had been infiltrated by an informant who developed a relationship with Shnewer, according to court documents. The informant secretly recorded meetings in August in which Shnewer said he and the others were part of a group planning to attack a U.S. military base, the complaints said.
Shnewer named Fort Dix and a nearby Navy base, explaining that the group "could utilize six or seven jihadists to attack and kill at least one hundred soldiers by using rocket-propelled grenades" or other weapons, the complaints said. The Navy base was not named in the papers.
Fort Dix is used to train soldiers, particularly reservists. It also housed refugees from
Kosovo in 1999.
The base has been closed to the public since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and has heavily armed guards at entrances, yet the main road through neighboring Cookstown cuts through the base and is accessible to the public.
The description of the suspects as "Islamic militants" renewed fears in New Jersey's Muslim community. Hundreds of Muslim men from New Jersey were rounded up and detained by authorities in the months following the 2001 attacks, but none was connected to that plot.
"If these people did something, then they deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law," said Sohail Mohammed, a lawyer who represented many of the detainees. "But when the government says 'Islamic militants,' it sends a message to the public that Islam and militancy are synonymous."
"Don't equate actions with religion," he said.
___
Associated Press Writers Matt Apuzzo and Ben Feller in Washington, Geoff Mulvihill in Mount Laurel, Tom Hester Jr. in Trenton and Jeffrey Gold in Newark contributed to this story.
By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press Writer
FORT DIX, N.J. - Six Islamic militants from Yugoslavia and the Middle East were arrested on charges of plotting to attack the Fort Dix Army post and "kill as many soldiers as possible authorities said Tuesday.
In conversations secretly recorded by an FBI informant over the past year, the men talked about killing in the name of Allah and attacking U.S. warships that might dock in Philadelphia, according an FBI criminal complaint.
"This was a serious plot put together by people who were intent on harming Americans," U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said Tuesday. "We're very gratified federal law enforcement was able to catch these people before they acted and took innocent life."
One suspect reportedly spoke of using rocket-propelled grenades to kill at least 100 soldiers at a time, according to court documents.
"If you want to do anything here, there is Fort Dix and I don't want to exaggerate, and I assure you that you can hit an American base very easily," suspect Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer said in one conversation secretly recorded by a government informant, according to the criminal complaint.
"It doesn't matter to me whether I get locked up, arrested or get taken away," a suspect identified as Serdar Tatar said in another recorded conversation. "Or I die, it doesn't matter. I'm doing it in the name of Allah."
Another suspect, Eljvir Duka, was recorded saying: "In the end, when it comes to defending your religion, when someone is trying attacks your religion, your way of life, then you go jihad."
White House spokesman Tony Snow said Tuesday there is "no direct evidence" that the men had ties to international terrorism.
The FBI was tipped off in January 2006 when a shopkeeper alerted agents about a "disturbing" video he had been asked to copy onto a DVD, according to court documents. The video showed 10 men in their early 20s "shooting assault weapons at a firing range ... while calling for jihad and shouting in Arabic 'Allah Akbar' (God is great)," the complaint said.
Six of the 10 men on the tape were identified as those arrested in the plot. They were arrested Monday trying to buy automatic weapons from an FBI informant, officials said.
Christie said one of the suspects worked at Super Mario's Pizza in nearby Cookstown and delivered pizzas to the base.
"What concerns us is, obviously, they began conducting surveillance and weapons training in the woods and were discussing killing large numbers of soldiers," said Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd.
The six were scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Camden later Tuesday to face charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. servicemen, said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey.
Four of the men were born in the former Yugoslavia, one in Jordan and one in Turkey, officials said. All had lived in the United States for years. Three were in the country illegally; two had green cards allowing them to stay permanently; the other is a U.S. citizen.
Besides Shnewer, Tatar and Eljvir Duka, the other men were identified in court papers as Dritan Duka and Shain Duka. Checks with Immigration and Customs Enforcement show that the Dukas were illegally in the U.S., according to FBI complaints unsealed with their arrests.
Five of the men lived in Cherry Hill, a Philadelphia suburb about 20 miles from Fort Dix.
"They were planning an attack on Fort Dix in which they would kill as many soldiers as possible," Drewniak said.
A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because documents in the case remain sealed, said the attack was stopped in the planning stages. The men also allegedly conducted surveillance at other area military institutions, including Fort Monmouth, a U.S. Army installation, the official said.
By March 2006, the group had been infiltrated by an informant who developed a relationship with Shnewer, according to court documents. The informant secretly recorded meetings in August in which Shnewer said he and the others were part of a group planning to attack a U.S. military base, the complaints said.
Shnewer named Fort Dix and a nearby Navy base, explaining that the group "could utilize six or seven jihadists to attack and kill at least one hundred soldiers by using rocket-propelled grenades" or other weapons, the complaints said. The Navy base was not named in the papers.
Fort Dix is used to train soldiers, particularly reservists. It also housed refugees from
Kosovo in 1999.
The base has been closed to the public since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and has heavily armed guards at entrances, yet the main road through neighboring Cookstown cuts through the base and is accessible to the public.
The description of the suspects as "Islamic militants" renewed fears in New Jersey's Muslim community. Hundreds of Muslim men from New Jersey were rounded up and detained by authorities in the months following the 2001 attacks, but none was connected to that plot.
"If these people did something, then they deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law," said Sohail Mohammed, a lawyer who represented many of the detainees. "But when the government says 'Islamic militants,' it sends a message to the public that Islam and militancy are synonymous."
"Don't equate actions with religion," he said.
___
Associated Press Writers Matt Apuzzo and Ben Feller in Washington, Geoff Mulvihill in Mount Laurel, Tom Hester Jr. in Trenton and Jeffrey Gold in Newark contributed to this story.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Congress needs to stop the politics and begin supporting our Men and Women in Uniform
Sent:Tuesday, March 13, 200710:43 AM
Subject: usma1955: FROM THE CHIEF OF CHAPLAINS WRAMC
I have had enough and am going to give my perspective on the news aboutWalterReedArmyMedicalCenter. Please understand that I am speakingfor myself and I am responsible for my thoughts alone.
The news media and politicians are making it sound like Walter Reed is a terrible place and the staff here has been abusing our brave wounded soldiers; what abunch of bull!
I am completing my 24th year of service in the Army next month so youdecide for yourself if I have the experience to write about this topic.I have been the senior clinical chaplain at Walter Reed for four yearsand will leave to go back to the infantry this summer. I supervise thechaplain staff inside Walter Reed that cares for the 200 inpatients, the650+ daily outpatients from the war who come to us for medical care, the4000+ staff, and over 3000 soldiers and their families that come forclinical appointments daily.
Walter Reed has cared for over 5500 woundedfrom the war. I cannot count the number of sick and non-battle injuredthat have come through over that timeframe. The staff at this facilityhas done an incredible job at the largestUSmilitary medical center withthe worst injured of the war. We have cared for over 400 amputees andtheir families. I am privileged to serve the wounded, their families,and our staff.
When the news about building 18 broke I was on leave. I was in shockwhen the news broke. We in the chaplains office in Walter Reed, as wellas the majority of people at Walter Reed, did not know anyone was inbuilding 18. I didn't even know we had a building 18. How can thathappen? Walter Reed is over 100 acres of 66 buildings on twoinstallations. Building 18 is not on the installation of Walter Reed andwas believed to be closed years ago by our department. The fact thatsome leaders in the medical brigade that is in charge of the outpatientsput soldiers in there is terrible. That is why the company commander,first sergeant, and a group of platoon leaders and platoon sergeantswere relieved immediately.
They failed their soldiers and the Army. Thecommanding general was later relieved (more about this) and his sergeantmajor has been told to move on--if he gets to. The brigade sergeant major was relieved and more relief's are sure to come and need to. Asany leader knows, if you do not take care of soldiers, lie, and then tryto cover it up, you are not worthy of the commission you hold and shouldbe sent packing. I have no issue, and am actually proud, that they did relieve the leaders they found who knew of the terrible conditions someof our outpatients were enduring.
The media is making it sound likethese conditions are rampant at Walter Reed and nothing could be furtherfrom the truth. We need improvements and will now get them. I hate it that it took this to make it happen. The Army and the media made MG Weightman, our CG, out to be the problemand fired him. This was a great injustice. He was only here for six months, is responsible for military medical care in the 20 Northeaststates, wears four "hats" of responsibilities, and relies on his subordinate leaders to know what is happening in their areas of responsibilities.
He has a colonel that runs the hospital (my hospitalcommander), a colonel that runs the medical brigade (where theoutpatient wounded are assigned and supposedly cared for), and a colonel that is responsible to run the garrison and installation. What people don't know is that he was making many changes as he became aware of themand had requested money to fix other places on the installation. TheArmy did not come through until four months after he asked for themoney, remember that he was here only six months, which was only daysbefore they relieved him. His leaders responsible for outpatient care did not tell him about conditions in building 18. He has been an incredible leader who really cares about the wounded, their families,and our staff. I cannot say the same about a former commander, who was my first commander here at Walter Reed, and definitely knew about many problems and is in the position to fix them and he did not.
MG Weightmanalso should not be held responsible for the military's unjust andinefficient medical board system and the problems in the VA system. We lost a great leader and passionate man who showed he had the guts tomake changes and was doing so when he was made the scapegoat for others.
What I am furious about is that the media is making it sound like all of Walter Reed is like building 18. Nothing could be further from thetruth. No system is perfect but the medical staff provides great care in this hospital.
What needs to be addressed, and finally will, is thebureaucratic garbage that all soldiers are put through going intomedical boards and medical retirements. Congress is finally giving the money that people have asked for at Walter Reed for years to fix placeson the installations and address shortcomings.
What they don't want youto know is Congress caused many problems by the BRAC process saying theywere closing Walter Reed. We cannot keep nor attract all the qualitypeople we need at Walter Reed when they know this place will close inseveral years and they are not promised a job at the new hospital.
Then they did this thing call A76 where they fired many of the workers herefor a company of contractors, IAP, to get a contract to provide careoutside the hospital proper. The company, which is responsible formaintenance, only hired half the number of people as there wereoriginally assigned to maintenance areas to save money. Walter Reed leadership fought the A76 and BRAC process for years but lost. Congressinstituted the BRAC and A76 process; not the leadership of Walter Reed.
What I wish everyone would also hear is that for every horror story weare now hearing about in the media that truly needs to be addressed, youare not hearing about the hundreds of other wounded and injured soldierswho tell a story of great care they received. You are not hearing about the incredibly high morale of our troops and the fact that most of them want to go back, be with their teammates, and finish the job properly.You should be very proud of the wounded troopers we have at Walter Reed.They make me so proud to be in the Army and I will fight to get their story out.
I want you to hear the whole story because our wounded, their families,our Army, and the nation need to know that many in the media and select politicians have an agenda. Forget agendas and make the changes thathave been needed for years to fix problems in every military hospitaland the VA system.
The poor leaders will be identified and sent packing and good riddance to them. I wish the same could be said for thepoliticians and media personalities who are also responsible but now want it to look like they are very concerned. Where have they been for the last four years?
I am ashamed of what they all did and the pain ithas caused many to think that everyone is like that. Please know that you are not hearing the whole story. Please know that there are thousands of dedicated soldiers and civilian medical staff caring foryour soldiers and their families. When I leave here I will end up deploying. When soldiers in my division have to go to Walter Reed from the battlefield, I know they will get great medical care. I pray that you know the same thing. God bless all our troops and their families wherever they may be.
God bless you all,
+Chaplain John L. Kallerson
Senior Chaplain Clinician WalterReedArmyMedicalCenter
Subject: usma1955: FROM THE CHIEF OF CHAPLAINS WRAMC
I have had enough and am going to give my perspective on the news aboutWalterReedArmyMedicalCenter. Please understand that I am speakingfor myself and I am responsible for my thoughts alone.
The news media and politicians are making it sound like Walter Reed is a terrible place and the staff here has been abusing our brave wounded soldiers; what abunch of bull!
I am completing my 24th year of service in the Army next month so youdecide for yourself if I have the experience to write about this topic.I have been the senior clinical chaplain at Walter Reed for four yearsand will leave to go back to the infantry this summer. I supervise thechaplain staff inside Walter Reed that cares for the 200 inpatients, the650+ daily outpatients from the war who come to us for medical care, the4000+ staff, and over 3000 soldiers and their families that come forclinical appointments daily.
Walter Reed has cared for over 5500 woundedfrom the war. I cannot count the number of sick and non-battle injuredthat have come through over that timeframe. The staff at this facilityhas done an incredible job at the largestUSmilitary medical center withthe worst injured of the war. We have cared for over 400 amputees andtheir families. I am privileged to serve the wounded, their families,and our staff.
When the news about building 18 broke I was on leave. I was in shockwhen the news broke. We in the chaplains office in Walter Reed, as wellas the majority of people at Walter Reed, did not know anyone was inbuilding 18. I didn't even know we had a building 18. How can thathappen? Walter Reed is over 100 acres of 66 buildings on twoinstallations. Building 18 is not on the installation of Walter Reed andwas believed to be closed years ago by our department. The fact thatsome leaders in the medical brigade that is in charge of the outpatientsput soldiers in there is terrible. That is why the company commander,first sergeant, and a group of platoon leaders and platoon sergeantswere relieved immediately.
They failed their soldiers and the Army. Thecommanding general was later relieved (more about this) and his sergeantmajor has been told to move on--if he gets to. The brigade sergeant major was relieved and more relief's are sure to come and need to. Asany leader knows, if you do not take care of soldiers, lie, and then tryto cover it up, you are not worthy of the commission you hold and shouldbe sent packing. I have no issue, and am actually proud, that they did relieve the leaders they found who knew of the terrible conditions someof our outpatients were enduring.
The media is making it sound likethese conditions are rampant at Walter Reed and nothing could be furtherfrom the truth. We need improvements and will now get them. I hate it that it took this to make it happen. The Army and the media made MG Weightman, our CG, out to be the problemand fired him. This was a great injustice. He was only here for six months, is responsible for military medical care in the 20 Northeaststates, wears four "hats" of responsibilities, and relies on his subordinate leaders to know what is happening in their areas of responsibilities.
He has a colonel that runs the hospital (my hospitalcommander), a colonel that runs the medical brigade (where theoutpatient wounded are assigned and supposedly cared for), and a colonel that is responsible to run the garrison and installation. What people don't know is that he was making many changes as he became aware of themand had requested money to fix other places on the installation. TheArmy did not come through until four months after he asked for themoney, remember that he was here only six months, which was only daysbefore they relieved him. His leaders responsible for outpatient care did not tell him about conditions in building 18. He has been an incredible leader who really cares about the wounded, their families,and our staff. I cannot say the same about a former commander, who was my first commander here at Walter Reed, and definitely knew about many problems and is in the position to fix them and he did not.
MG Weightmanalso should not be held responsible for the military's unjust andinefficient medical board system and the problems in the VA system. We lost a great leader and passionate man who showed he had the guts tomake changes and was doing so when he was made the scapegoat for others.
What I am furious about is that the media is making it sound like all of Walter Reed is like building 18. Nothing could be further from thetruth. No system is perfect but the medical staff provides great care in this hospital.
What needs to be addressed, and finally will, is thebureaucratic garbage that all soldiers are put through going intomedical boards and medical retirements. Congress is finally giving the money that people have asked for at Walter Reed for years to fix placeson the installations and address shortcomings.
What they don't want youto know is Congress caused many problems by the BRAC process saying theywere closing Walter Reed. We cannot keep nor attract all the qualitypeople we need at Walter Reed when they know this place will close inseveral years and they are not promised a job at the new hospital.
Then they did this thing call A76 where they fired many of the workers herefor a company of contractors, IAP, to get a contract to provide careoutside the hospital proper. The company, which is responsible formaintenance, only hired half the number of people as there wereoriginally assigned to maintenance areas to save money. Walter Reed leadership fought the A76 and BRAC process for years but lost. Congressinstituted the BRAC and A76 process; not the leadership of Walter Reed.
What I wish everyone would also hear is that for every horror story weare now hearing about in the media that truly needs to be addressed, youare not hearing about the hundreds of other wounded and injured soldierswho tell a story of great care they received. You are not hearing about the incredibly high morale of our troops and the fact that most of them want to go back, be with their teammates, and finish the job properly.You should be very proud of the wounded troopers we have at Walter Reed.They make me so proud to be in the Army and I will fight to get their story out.
I want you to hear the whole story because our wounded, their families,our Army, and the nation need to know that many in the media and select politicians have an agenda. Forget agendas and make the changes thathave been needed for years to fix problems in every military hospitaland the VA system.
The poor leaders will be identified and sent packing and good riddance to them. I wish the same could be said for thepoliticians and media personalities who are also responsible but now want it to look like they are very concerned. Where have they been for the last four years?
I am ashamed of what they all did and the pain ithas caused many to think that everyone is like that. Please know that you are not hearing the whole story. Please know that there are thousands of dedicated soldiers and civilian medical staff caring foryour soldiers and their families. When I leave here I will end up deploying. When soldiers in my division have to go to Walter Reed from the battlefield, I know they will get great medical care. I pray that you know the same thing. God bless all our troops and their families wherever they may be.
God bless you all,
+Chaplain John L. Kallerson
Senior Chaplain Clinician WalterReedArmyMedicalCenter
Friday, March 02, 2007
A Marine Says Goodbye.
http://www.pcsuccess.us/yrg/farewellmarine_final.swf
They fight to protect you. The cost is high. May God bless our men and women in uniform.
They fight to protect you. The cost is high. May God bless our men and women in uniform.
The Intrepid (Slide Show)
http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2007/intrepid_center2/ <http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2007/intrepid_center2/>
The general's words are telling. These men and women do not feel like that have "lost" anything. They have "given" themselves and their lives for our welfare. What better kind of love is there than that. My God bless our men and women in uniform.
The general's words are telling. These men and women do not feel like that have "lost" anything. They have "given" themselves and their lives for our welfare. What better kind of love is there than that. My God bless our men and women in uniform.
A Well Deserved Welcome Home!
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2845945
This video shows the respect our men and women in the military should receive every day. May God bless our men and women in uniform. (please note you have to sit through a commercial first)
This video shows the respect our men and women in the military should receive every day. May God bless our men and women in uniform. (please note you have to sit through a commercial first)
Ben Stein's Open Letter to our Men and Women in Uniform.
Greetings From Rancho Mirage
BY: Ben Stein,
Open Letter 02/02/2007
Dear Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, National Guard, Reservists, in Iraq, in the Middle East theater, in Afghanistan, in the area near Afghanistan, in any base anywhere in the world, and your families:
Let me tell you about why you guys own about 90 percent of the backbone in the whole world right now and should be happy with yourselves and proud of whom you are.
It was a dazzlingly hot day here in Rancho Mirage today. I did small errands like going to the bank to pay my mortgage, finding a new bed at a price I can afford, practicing driving with my new 5 wood, paying bills for about two hours. I spoke for a long time to a woman who is going through a nasty child custody fight. I got e-mails from a woman who was fired today from her job for not paying attention. I read about multi-billion-dollar mergers in Europe, Asia, and the Mideast. I noticed how overweight I am, for the millionth time.
In other words, I did a lot of nothing.Like every other American who is not in the armed forces family, I basically just rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic in my trivial, self-important, meaningless way.Above all, I talked to a friend of more than forty-three years who told me he thought his life had no meaning because all he did was count his money.
And, friends in the armed forces, this is the story of all of America today We are doing nothing but treading water while you guys carry on the life or death struggle against worldwide militant Islamic terrorism. Our lives are about nothing: paying bills, going to humdrum jobs, waiting until we can go to sleep and then do it all again. Our most vivid issues are trivia compared with what you do every day, every minute, every second.
Oprah Winfrey talks a lot about "meaning" in life. For her, "meaning" is dieting and then having her photo on the cover of her magazine every single month (surely a new world record for egomania).
This is not "meaning."- Meaning is doing for others.- Meaning is risking your life for hers.- Meaning is putting your bodies and families' peace of mind on the line to defeat some of the most evil, sick killers the world has ever known.- Meaning is leaving the comfort of home to fight to make sure that there still will be a home for your family and for your nation and for free men and women everywhere.
Look, soldiers and Marines and sailors and airmen and Coast Guardsmen, There are six billion people in this world. The whole fate of this world turns on what you people, 1.4 million, more or less, do every day. The fate of mankind depends on what about 2/100 of one percent of the people in this world do every day and you are those people.
And joining you is every policeman, fireman, and Emergency Medical Technician in the country, also holding back the tide of chaos.
Do you know how important you are?
Do you know how indispensable you are?
Do you know how humbly grateful any of us who has a head on his shoulders is to you?
Do you know that if you never do another thing in your lives, you will always still be heroes?
That we could live without Hollywood or Wall Street or the NFL, but we cannot live for a week without you?We are on our knees to you and we bless and pray for you every moment. And Oprah Winfrey, if she were a size two, would not have one millionth of your importance, and all of the Wall Street billionaires will never mean what the least of you do, and if Barry Bonds hits hundreds of home runs it would not mean as much as you going on one patrol or driving one truck to the Baghdad airport.
You are everything to us, as we go through our little days, and you are in the prayers of the nation and of every decent man and woman on the planet. That's who you are and what you mean. I hope you know that.
Love,
Ben Stein
BY: Ben Stein,
Open Letter 02/02/2007
Dear Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, National Guard, Reservists, in Iraq, in the Middle East theater, in Afghanistan, in the area near Afghanistan, in any base anywhere in the world, and your families:
Let me tell you about why you guys own about 90 percent of the backbone in the whole world right now and should be happy with yourselves and proud of whom you are.
It was a dazzlingly hot day here in Rancho Mirage today. I did small errands like going to the bank to pay my mortgage, finding a new bed at a price I can afford, practicing driving with my new 5 wood, paying bills for about two hours. I spoke for a long time to a woman who is going through a nasty child custody fight. I got e-mails from a woman who was fired today from her job for not paying attention. I read about multi-billion-dollar mergers in Europe, Asia, and the Mideast. I noticed how overweight I am, for the millionth time.
In other words, I did a lot of nothing.Like every other American who is not in the armed forces family, I basically just rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic in my trivial, self-important, meaningless way.Above all, I talked to a friend of more than forty-three years who told me he thought his life had no meaning because all he did was count his money.
And, friends in the armed forces, this is the story of all of America today We are doing nothing but treading water while you guys carry on the life or death struggle against worldwide militant Islamic terrorism. Our lives are about nothing: paying bills, going to humdrum jobs, waiting until we can go to sleep and then do it all again. Our most vivid issues are trivia compared with what you do every day, every minute, every second.
Oprah Winfrey talks a lot about "meaning" in life. For her, "meaning" is dieting and then having her photo on the cover of her magazine every single month (surely a new world record for egomania).
This is not "meaning."- Meaning is doing for others.- Meaning is risking your life for hers.- Meaning is putting your bodies and families' peace of mind on the line to defeat some of the most evil, sick killers the world has ever known.- Meaning is leaving the comfort of home to fight to make sure that there still will be a home for your family and for your nation and for free men and women everywhere.
Look, soldiers and Marines and sailors and airmen and Coast Guardsmen, There are six billion people in this world. The whole fate of this world turns on what you people, 1.4 million, more or less, do every day. The fate of mankind depends on what about 2/100 of one percent of the people in this world do every day and you are those people.
And joining you is every policeman, fireman, and Emergency Medical Technician in the country, also holding back the tide of chaos.
Do you know how important you are?
Do you know how indispensable you are?
Do you know how humbly grateful any of us who has a head on his shoulders is to you?
Do you know that if you never do another thing in your lives, you will always still be heroes?
That we could live without Hollywood or Wall Street or the NFL, but we cannot live for a week without you?We are on our knees to you and we bless and pray for you every moment. And Oprah Winfrey, if she were a size two, would not have one millionth of your importance, and all of the Wall Street billionaires will never mean what the least of you do, and if Barry Bonds hits hundreds of home runs it would not mean as much as you going on one patrol or driving one truck to the Baghdad airport.
You are everything to us, as we go through our little days, and you are in the prayers of the nation and of every decent man and woman on the planet. That's who you are and what you mean. I hope you know that.
Love,
Ben Stein
Why We Won't Hear about our Medal of Honor Recipient!
Why the New York Times buried Maj. Bruce Crandall's Medal of Honor on page 15.
BY DANIEL HENNINGER
Amid the mad jumble that makes the news in our time, the White House on Monday held a ceremony for a Medal of Honor recipient. His name is Bruce Crandall. Mr. Crandall is 74 now, and earned his medal as a major, flying a Huey helicopter in 1965 in the Vietnam War.
The Medal of Honor is conferred only for bravery in combat. It is a military medal, and it is still generally regarded as the highest public tribute this nation can bestow. It is also very rare.
Still, the Medal of Honor does not occupy the place in the nation's cultural life that it once did. This has much to do with the ambivalent place of the military in our angry politics.
In the House debate just ended on a "non-binding" resolution to thwart the sending of more troops to Iraq, its most noted element was the Democratic formulation to "support the troops" but oppose the war. We will hear more of this when the members of the Senate debate their own symbolic resolution.
In last November's congressional election, the Democrats picked several military veterans as candidates to mitigate the notion, a burden since Vietnam, that an endemic hostility toward things military runs through the party's veins. Those Democratic veterans won.
Notwithstanding the bitter divide over Iraq, the presence of these veterans in Congress should be a good thing, if one thinks that the oft-publicized "divide" between the professional military and American civilians is not in this country's interest. It surely cannot be in the country's interest if over time more Americans come to regard the life of U.S. soldiers at war and in combat as an abstraction--as say, mainly Oscar nominees or as newspaper photographs of scenes of utter loss at arms.
Two men have received the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq: Army Sgt. First Class Paul R. Smith, who died defending some 100 fellow soldiers, allowing their withdrawal; and Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, who died after he dove atop a live grenade to protect his squad. (Cpl. Dunham's act was the subject of a 2004 Wall Street Journal story by reporter Michael M. Phillips and later a book, "The Gift of Valor.")
Bruce Crandall's Medal of Honor, at an emotional remove of 42 years, offers a chance to ponder just where the military stands now in the nation's life. The particulars of Lt. Col. Crandall's act of heroism, and what others said of it at the awarding of the medal on Monday, offers we civilians a chance to understand not merely the risks of combat but what animates those who embrace those risks.
Mr. Crandall, then a major, commanded a company with the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, carrying soldiers to a landing zone, called X-ray, in the la Drang Valley. An assault from the North Vietnamese army erupted, as described at the White House ceremony Monday. Three soldiers on Maj. Crandall's helicopter were killed. He kept it on the ground while four wounded were taken aboard. Back at base, he asked for a volunteer to return with him to X-ray. Capt. Ed Freeman came forward. Through smoke and bullets, they flew in and out 14 times, spent 14 hours in the air and used three helicopters. They evacuated 70 wounded. The battalion survived.
A Medal of Honor requires eyewitness accounts, and an officer there attested, "Maj. Crandall's actions were without question the most valorous I've observed of any helicopter pilot in Vietnam."
Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, spoke at the ceremony of what he called "the warrior ethos." Look at his words and consider whether they still stand today, or whether as a matter of the nation's broader ethos of commonly accepted beliefs, they are under challenge. Gen. Schoomaker said: "The words of the warrior ethos that we have today--I will always place the mission first; I will never accept defeat; I will never quit; and I will never leave a fallen comrade--were made real that day in the la Drang Valley."
At issue today is the question: Is that ethos worth it, worth the inevitable sacrifice? And not only in Iraq but in whatever may lie beyond Iraq?
The secretary of the Army, Francis Harvey, went on in this vein: "The courage and fortitude of America's soldiers in combat exemplified by these individuals is, without question, the highest level of human behavior. It demonstrates the basic goodness of mankind as well as the inherent kindness and patriotism of American soldiers."
An American soldier in combat demonstrates "the basic goodness of mankind"? And the highest level of human behavior? This was not thought to be true at the moment Maj. Crandall was flying those choppers in Vietnam. Nor is it now.
To embrace the thoughts of Gen. Schoomaker and of Secretary Harvey is to risk being accused of defending notions of American triumphalism and an overly strong martial spirit thought inappropriate to the realities of a multilateral world. This is a debate worth having. But we are not having it. We are hiding from it.
In a less doubtful culture, Maj. Crandall's magnificent medal would have been on every front page, if only a photograph. It was on no one's front page Tuesday. The New York Times, the culture's lodestar, had a photograph on its front page of President Bush addressing governors about an insurance plan. Maj. Crandall's Medal of Honor was on page 15, in a round-up, three lines from the bottom. Other big-city dailies also ran it in their news summaries; some--the Washington Post, USA Today--ran full accounts inside.
Most schoolchildren once knew the names of the nation's heroes in war--Ethan Allen, John Paul Jones, Stephen Decatur, the Swamp Fox Francis Marion, Ulysses S. Grant, Clara Barton, Billy Mitchell, Alvin York, Leigh Ann Hester. Lee Ann who? She's the first woman to win a Silver Star for direct combat with the enemy. Did it in a trench in Iraq. Her story should be in schools, but it won't be.
All nations celebrate personal icons, and ours now tend to be doers of good. That's fine. But if we suppress the martial feats of a Bruce Crandall, we distance ourselves further from our military. And in time, we will change. At some risk.
Mr. Henninger is deputy editor of The Wall Street Journal's editorial page. His column appears Thursdays in the Journal and on OpinionJournal.com.
BY DANIEL HENNINGER
Amid the mad jumble that makes the news in our time, the White House on Monday held a ceremony for a Medal of Honor recipient. His name is Bruce Crandall. Mr. Crandall is 74 now, and earned his medal as a major, flying a Huey helicopter in 1965 in the Vietnam War.
The Medal of Honor is conferred only for bravery in combat. It is a military medal, and it is still generally regarded as the highest public tribute this nation can bestow. It is also very rare.
Still, the Medal of Honor does not occupy the place in the nation's cultural life that it once did. This has much to do with the ambivalent place of the military in our angry politics.
In the House debate just ended on a "non-binding" resolution to thwart the sending of more troops to Iraq, its most noted element was the Democratic formulation to "support the troops" but oppose the war. We will hear more of this when the members of the Senate debate their own symbolic resolution.
In last November's congressional election, the Democrats picked several military veterans as candidates to mitigate the notion, a burden since Vietnam, that an endemic hostility toward things military runs through the party's veins. Those Democratic veterans won.
Notwithstanding the bitter divide over Iraq, the presence of these veterans in Congress should be a good thing, if one thinks that the oft-publicized "divide" between the professional military and American civilians is not in this country's interest. It surely cannot be in the country's interest if over time more Americans come to regard the life of U.S. soldiers at war and in combat as an abstraction--as say, mainly Oscar nominees or as newspaper photographs of scenes of utter loss at arms.
Two men have received the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq: Army Sgt. First Class Paul R. Smith, who died defending some 100 fellow soldiers, allowing their withdrawal; and Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, who died after he dove atop a live grenade to protect his squad. (Cpl. Dunham's act was the subject of a 2004 Wall Street Journal story by reporter Michael M. Phillips and later a book, "The Gift of Valor.")
Bruce Crandall's Medal of Honor, at an emotional remove of 42 years, offers a chance to ponder just where the military stands now in the nation's life. The particulars of Lt. Col. Crandall's act of heroism, and what others said of it at the awarding of the medal on Monday, offers we civilians a chance to understand not merely the risks of combat but what animates those who embrace those risks.
Mr. Crandall, then a major, commanded a company with the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, carrying soldiers to a landing zone, called X-ray, in the la Drang Valley. An assault from the North Vietnamese army erupted, as described at the White House ceremony Monday. Three soldiers on Maj. Crandall's helicopter were killed. He kept it on the ground while four wounded were taken aboard. Back at base, he asked for a volunteer to return with him to X-ray. Capt. Ed Freeman came forward. Through smoke and bullets, they flew in and out 14 times, spent 14 hours in the air and used three helicopters. They evacuated 70 wounded. The battalion survived.
A Medal of Honor requires eyewitness accounts, and an officer there attested, "Maj. Crandall's actions were without question the most valorous I've observed of any helicopter pilot in Vietnam."
Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, spoke at the ceremony of what he called "the warrior ethos." Look at his words and consider whether they still stand today, or whether as a matter of the nation's broader ethos of commonly accepted beliefs, they are under challenge. Gen. Schoomaker said: "The words of the warrior ethos that we have today--I will always place the mission first; I will never accept defeat; I will never quit; and I will never leave a fallen comrade--were made real that day in the la Drang Valley."
At issue today is the question: Is that ethos worth it, worth the inevitable sacrifice? And not only in Iraq but in whatever may lie beyond Iraq?
The secretary of the Army, Francis Harvey, went on in this vein: "The courage and fortitude of America's soldiers in combat exemplified by these individuals is, without question, the highest level of human behavior. It demonstrates the basic goodness of mankind as well as the inherent kindness and patriotism of American soldiers."
An American soldier in combat demonstrates "the basic goodness of mankind"? And the highest level of human behavior? This was not thought to be true at the moment Maj. Crandall was flying those choppers in Vietnam. Nor is it now.
To embrace the thoughts of Gen. Schoomaker and of Secretary Harvey is to risk being accused of defending notions of American triumphalism and an overly strong martial spirit thought inappropriate to the realities of a multilateral world. This is a debate worth having. But we are not having it. We are hiding from it.
In a less doubtful culture, Maj. Crandall's magnificent medal would have been on every front page, if only a photograph. It was on no one's front page Tuesday. The New York Times, the culture's lodestar, had a photograph on its front page of President Bush addressing governors about an insurance plan. Maj. Crandall's Medal of Honor was on page 15, in a round-up, three lines from the bottom. Other big-city dailies also ran it in their news summaries; some--the Washington Post, USA Today--ran full accounts inside.
Most schoolchildren once knew the names of the nation's heroes in war--Ethan Allen, John Paul Jones, Stephen Decatur, the Swamp Fox Francis Marion, Ulysses S. Grant, Clara Barton, Billy Mitchell, Alvin York, Leigh Ann Hester. Lee Ann who? She's the first woman to win a Silver Star for direct combat with the enemy. Did it in a trench in Iraq. Her story should be in schools, but it won't be.
All nations celebrate personal icons, and ours now tend to be doers of good. That's fine. But if we suppress the martial feats of a Bruce Crandall, we distance ourselves further from our military. And in time, we will change. At some risk.
Mr. Henninger is deputy editor of The Wall Street Journal's editorial page. His column appears Thursdays in the Journal and on OpinionJournal.com.
Friday, February 16, 2007
The Intrepid Center
What a great monument to honor our injured heroes. http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2007/intrepid_center2/
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Iraq in Pictures
Check out this great slide show. (It takes a minute to load.)http://www.clermontyellow.accountsupport.com/flash/UntilThen.swf
May God bless our men and women in uniform no matter what political party may be in power at the time.
May God bless our men and women in uniform no matter what political party may be in power at the time.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Are There Two Different Fort Bennings ?
*** QUOTE ***
"Bush Cheered at Fort Benning: FORT BENNING, Ga.--
President Bush, surrounded on Thursday by cheering soldiers in camouflage, defended his decision to send 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq and cautioned that the buildup will not produce quick results. 'It's going to take awhile,' he said."--headline and lead paragraph, Associated Press www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2788642 , Jan. 11
"Bush Speaks and Base Is Subdued: FORT BENNING , Ga. , Jan. 11--
President Bush came to this Georgia military base looking for a friendly audience to sell his new Iraq strategy. But his lunchtime talk received a restrained response from soldiers who clapped politely but showed little of the wild enthusiasm that they ordinarily shower on the commander in chief."-- New York Times www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/us/12prexy.html?ex=157680000&en=2d94eb639b0ae539&amp;amp;amp;ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink , Jan. 12
*** END QUOTE ***
"Bush Cheered at Fort Benning: FORT BENNING, Ga.--
President Bush, surrounded on Thursday by cheering soldiers in camouflage, defended his decision to send 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq and cautioned that the buildup will not produce quick results. 'It's going to take awhile,' he said."--headline and lead paragraph, Associated Press www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2788642 , Jan. 11
"Bush Speaks and Base Is Subdued: FORT BENNING , Ga. , Jan. 11--
President Bush came to this Georgia military base looking for a friendly audience to sell his new Iraq strategy. But his lunchtime talk received a restrained response from soldiers who clapped politely but showed little of the wild enthusiasm that they ordinarily shower on the commander in chief."-- New York Times www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/us/12prexy.html?ex=157680000&en=2d94eb639b0ae539&amp;amp;amp;ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink , Jan. 12
*** END QUOTE ***
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