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Armed Forces hits recruiting goalsMilitary Recruitment Hits 35 Year High 10-19-09 Last Update: 7:47 pm Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - For the first time in 35 years, all branches of the military met their recruiting goals for 2009. The Army had more than 70,000 people sign up; the Navy had close to 36,000; the Marine Corps got 31,000 new recruits and the Air Force came in with close to 32,000. The high unemployment rate, coupled with increased education costs, is at the heart of the successful recruiting campaign. Recruiting tactics haven't changed. Recruiters still work hard to reach people, especially at high...

Bob Basso has just released another powerful video message as Thomas Paine. In this one, he urges a restoration of the common bond over diversity. He asks us to defend the principals of our founding fathers in the Second American Revolution. Video: Thomas Paine - “The Broken Common Bond”

Yesterday Sharia loving UK Muslim Anjem Choudary released a video statement stating that the non-Muslims of the UK should convert to Islam or accept Sharia Law. Today I am posting some new comments that I came across on Right Side News, that show us that the true Brits still have a fighting chance. written by True Englishman, October 16,

Lord Monckton is one of the few people who has thorough familiarity with a recently completed draft of the treaty President Obama will sign in Copenhagen in just a matter of weeks. He does not mince words about what he has found in the course of his reading of the document. The treaty is not just a foot in the door for one-world government. It IS communist, one-world government. And because of the high regard in which our Constitution holds foreign treaties, this document, if ratified by Congress, would supercede the Constitution. The treaty will, of course, be signed under...

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Oct. 15, 2009) — While Waynesville and Saint Robert officials said Wednesday they expect annexing Fort Leonard Wood’s on-post housing areas will help attract new development by substantially boosting their Census 2010 population statistics, post officials aren’t yet able to give solid estimates of how many more people would actually be added to the two cities by the proposed annexation. However, it’s very unlikely that even the highest estimates of increased population would bring the populations of either Waynesville or St. Robert up to the level of Lebanon or Rolla, the closest cities on the I-44...

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Oct. 16, 2009) — City officials in Saint Robert and Waynesville believe annexing the housing areas of Fort Leonard Wood would help the cities attract new businesses while not requiring military personnel to pay more taxes or requiring the cities to provide more services to their new on-post residents. However, calculating precisely how many people would actually be brought into the new city limits isn’t easy. Fort Leonard Wood officials released estimates Friday morning of how many housing units are available in three main categories of on-post housing with a total of 21,250 available bedrooms in...

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Oct. 15, 2009) — In a bid to increase Census 2010 population statistics for Waynesville and Saint Robert, officials from those two cities announced Wednesday that they plan to seek voluntary annexation of housing areas on Fort Leonard Wood so both cities will have a larger population and be more attractive to potential developers. “A while back, I kind of alluded to something that was in the works,” said St. Robert City Administrator Alan Clark at Wednesday’s monthly lunch meeting of the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce. “I pray to God this thing comes to fruition...

The Iraqi Army appears to be reconfiguring to a modular brigade organization. This has tactical and operational advantages but, requires increased support forces.

Proposed wilderness designations for parts of the Colorado mountains could threaten the Army's only high-altitude training site for helicopter pilots, an Army officer said Tuesday. The proposed "Hidden Gems" wilderness designations would put all of the high-altitude landing zones used by the High-Altitude Army Aviation Training Site off-limits, said Col. Joel Best, senior aviation officer for the Colorado Army National Guard. "We really can't afford to lose any of that land for the security of this nation," Best said. He spoke at a briefing for Colorado county commissioners and legislators. The site, known by the acronym HAATS, is the only...

Here, passed along by retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, is an account of the recent battle in Nuristan in which eight American soldiers were killed. @@@@@ Here are the facts, without revealing sensitive information. I feel compelled to write this because I heard some very fine, brave Americans foght for their very lives Saturday, 03 OCT 09. They fought magnificently. Eight of them made the Ultimate Sacrifice. I don't know their names, only their call signs. Though it may have been smaller in scale, and shorter in duration, their battle was no less heroic than the exploits of their ancestors, in...

Reporters from the controversial Arab TV channel Al Jazeera - infamous for broadcasting video messages from Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden - are to be allowed to report for the first time alongside UK troops from the frontline in Afghanistan. Until now, so-called 'embeds' in Helmand Province, where most UK troops are fighting, have been restricted to British media outlets such as the BBC, ITV and Sky, plus US TV stations. But the Ministry of Defence confirmed last night that Al Jazeera - dubbed 'terror television' for broadcasting hostage executions and the deaths of British and US soldiers -...

When GEN David H. Petraeus ’74 comes to West Point to attend his 35th Reunion this afternoon, he also will attend a ceremony for the re-naming of about a mile of County Route 107 in Cornwall, NY, currently known as Quaker Avenue, in his honor. GEN Petraeus was raised in Cornwall-on-Hudson, graduated from Cornwall High School, and then entered West Point, just eight miles away. Now Quaker Avenue connects to Highway 9W and has exit signs that are very prominent, but a more interesting section of road to re-name in the general’s honor would have been a lesser-known stretch of...

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Oct. 8, 2009) — Most people probably don’t know Gregory Rhodes, but his story, which can be considered inspirational, is worth a look. It starts with humble beginnings, continues with a long battle through adversity, and culminates where it is today — with Rhodes as a happily married family man and a graduate of the Missouri National Guard’s officer candidate school. “I understand that everything I have overcome has led me to where I am today. I am a survivor,” Rhodes said. “Even before joining the Missouri Army National Guard, without realizing it, I have been...

I hope this works as I am doing this wi-fi from Patrick Air Force Base across the street...there are literally thousands lined down the road here waiting for the procession of Sgt. Robert Sanchez, 24, of Satellite Beach, who died Thursday after an explosive device went off while he was fighting enemy forces. Tons of news choppers and fire trucks and flags and military and cops all over present along with the general public...live coverage is streaming on the local channels. MELBOURNE -- The body of a Brevard County soldier killed in Afghanistan is expected to arrive at Melbourne International...

Fort Bragg soldiers and Central Asian immigrants staged courtships and marriages to reap the benefits America gives those who get hitched, according to federal investigators. The scheme has landed the several young soldiers and three foreign brides in the hot seat. This week, two of the soldiers and one of the brides pleaded guilty to marriage fraud in federal court; the crime could land each in prison for as long as five years. The arrangements were tempting. By marrying an American, the women, immigrants of Russia and nearby countries, could stay in the United States indefinitely. The soldiers, young single...

<p>Because it's Monday and everyone needs a lift, consider this high-flying historic parachute moment - a recent tandem airborne jump from 12,500 feet above Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., by U.S. Army Sgt. Chris Lalonde; his military working dog, Sgt. Maj. Fasco; and civilian jumpmaster Kirby Rodriguez. The three-way jump from that altitude was a first.</p>

Ten American troops were killed at the weekend in two surprise attacks that caused alarm in Nato’s US-led coalition. In one, hundreds of insurgents attacked a pair of isolated outposts in eastern Afghanistan, killing eight US soldiers and several Afghan policemen in the deadliest battle in 15 months. Scores more Afghan policemen were reportedly captured by the Taleban. In the other an Afghan policeman opened fire on the American soldiers with whom he was working in central Wardak province, killing two and injuring three. It was unclear whether the policeman was working for the Taleban or simply ran amok but...

This Iraqi Security Force Update provides a summary of changes to the ISF during September 2009. The Iraqi Security Force Order of Battle as of 30 September 2009 is published at Montrose Toast. During September, the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior held 23 course graduations. The emphasis in the Ministry of Interior is still on basic training of the backlog of untrained and already hired Iraqi Police. The emphasis of the Iraqi Army remains on support elements, with particular emphasis on engineer and indirect fires. ------ The first 40 Kurdish personnel to go through Phase III “Caribinieri” as...

Specialist Alexander Miller had been watching a mysterious Afghan standing in a cornfield for 20 minutes. But it took only a split second for the American soldier to be mortally wounded. As Miller turned his back momentarily, the Afghan picked up a weapon hidden at his feet and fired a burst. One of the rounds tore into the 21- year-old soldier’s groin. Troops rushed to apply pressure to the wound as they called in a helicopter, but he was dead on arrival at the nearest field hospital... Nuristan’s rugged landscape, dotted with stone huts encircled by farmland, formed the backdrop...

162nd Inf Bde, FSF-TT mission move forward By Maj. FRANK L. NIETO Fort Polk Guardian Posted Oct 02, 2009 @ 09:36 AM Fort Polk, La. —The hot desert sun splashed down on a group of Soldiers clustered outside the Iraqi Army compound. Maj. Gen. Mustafa, the Iraqi Division commander, shook hands with the brigade commander politely covering his heart and gesturing towards the door. Standing beside these two was another colonel, wearing the distinctive 1st Armored Division patch. In the past, this may have seemed out of place. The three and their entourages then stepped inside and got down to...

Before soldiers leave on missions in Iraq or Afghanistan, they often are ordered to do everything in their power to bring their buddies back. "Leave no man behind" is the motto. But does that military ethos apply to soldiers heading out for a rowdy weekend in the United States? That question is being raised at an unusual court-martial on this massive Army base, where a young paratrooper who struggled to bring a combative, drunk soldier back to the barracks has been accused of causing his death. Pfc. Luke Brown died after a night of drinking at the Ugly Stick Saloon...

On Aug. 6, 2001, our vacationing president was warned by the CIA for the 36th time in eight months that Osama bin Laden was determined to strike in the United States and that recent intelligence had suggested an attack might be imminent. There were at that moment, George W. Bush was told, 70 bin-Laden-related field investigations being conducted in the country. “All right,’’ our president told the CIA officer, “you’ve covered your ass.’’ On one level, Jon Krakauer’s “Where Men Win Glory’’ represents a detailed look at the tragic tale of Pat Tillman, the football star who quit the NFL...

Political ideology and feelings about the Bush administration aside, history is likely to show that the surge in Iraq was a success — at least militarily... Remember, too, that the first six months of the surge, from January to early July 2007, were some of the war's toughest months. Into this complicated global stew, David Finkel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter, has gone micro to look at a group of soldiers brought into the surge to serve a 15-month deployment. Finkel's often lyrical book, "The Good Soldiers," follows a U.S. Army battalion, the 2-16, nicknamed the Rangers, from tearful...

Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan - The soldiers in his New York-based combat unit call Staff Sgt. Brandon Camacho the "Bullet Magnet." Camacho - either the luckiest or unluckiest soldier in Afghanistan - is on his second tour here with the Fort Drum-based 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. The reason for the nickname: He's just earned his fifth Purple Heart after being shot in the left knee in a firefight 100 miles south of Kabul, military officials said. "One of my friends said, 'You're the luckiest unlucky person I know,'" said Camacho, 24, who grew up in Saipan...

Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan - The soldiers in his New York-based combat unit call Staff Sgt. Brandon Camacho the "Bullet Magnet." Camacho - either the luckiest or unluckiest soldier in Afghanistan - is on his second tour here with the Fort Drum-based 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. The reason for the nickname: He's just earned his fifth Purple Heart after being shot in the left knee in a firefight 100 miles south of Kabul, military officials said. "One of my friends said, 'You're the luckiest unlucky person I know,'" said Camacho, 24, who grew up in Saipan...

British officer wins two gallantry awards for fending off Taliban attack with bayonet A young British officer, Lieutenant James Adamson, who won two gallantry awards while serving in Afghanistan has told how he fended off an enemy attack by bayoneting a Taliban fighter to death. Lieutenant James Adamson was awarded the Military Cross after killing two insurgents during close quarter combat in Helmand's notorious "Green Zone".

An e-mail from my friend Michael Anton, who gave me permission to pass it on: I visited West Point today for a series of business meetings, mostly with faculty and some with Cadets.**** It was of course the eighth anniversary of 9/11, which was on my mind as I listened to the NY radio stations' remembrance shows on the way up..***** They feed the entire Corps (4,400) plus much of the faculty and staff in one sitting, every day, in a gigantic building shaped like a six-pointed asterisk.***** About halfway through the meal, there was another announcement from the poop...

Eight years ago, Yacov Margolese was driving his car, his then 2-year-old daughter Serena in the back seat. He was working that day as a massage therapist in a day spa in Potomac, Md. It was in the car that he heard the news come over the radio, the act of terror that would change the world. In this personal story, it would absolutely change Yacov Margolese’s life. Two years after Sept. 11, 2001, Army Spec. Yacov Margolese took cover in an outpost outside of Baghdad, Iraq, when an enemy missile, possibly a Scud, eerily whistled overhead, its deadly payload...

Obama’s master plan As part of his strategic plan, Barack Obama has been surrounding himself with czars and officers that are responsible only to him. One such a czar is Obama’s FCC Chief Diversity Officer, Mark Lloyd, who is a former senior fellow at George Soros’s Center for American Progress and a consultant to Soros’s Open Society Institute. Mark Lloyd is a believer that the same methods used in the Venezuela revolution to bring Hugo Chavez to power should be modeled in the US and that the first amendment (Freedom of Speech) should not be used to prevent localism. View...

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Rich Ellerson has Army playing option football again and the initial results were promising. Kingsley Ehie ran for two touchdowns and Army beat Eastern Michigan 27-14 on Saturday night as the new Black Knights' coach became the first to win his debut with the academy in 18 years. The Black Knights rushed for 308 yards as Patrick Mealy, who rushed for 109 yards on five carries, and Jameson Carter also had touchdowns runs.

This Iraqi Security Force Update provides a summary of changes to the ISF during August 2009. The Iraqi Security Force Order of Battle as of 31 August 2009 is published at Montrose Toast. Peshmerga Prime Minister Maliki has apparently reached an agreement with Kurdish leaders regarding the status of the Kurdish Regional Guard. According to Member of Parliment Firyad Rawandouzi, from the Kurdistani Alliance, Maliki agreed to absorb the Peshmerga into the “national defense apparatus”. The agreement would facilitate the transfer and commissioning of two new divisions (15th and 16th). The remaining Peshmerga members would either be absorbed into the...

SPRING HILL, FL -- While showing off her JROTC uniform, 16-year-old Heather Lawrence told us joining the Army is her next big goal, to follow in the footsteps of her father and grandfather. "Our flag represents everything that our country is," she said. The teen says an issue over the American flag is why she was written up and handed a five-day suspension from Springstead High School this week for criticizing a Muslim student. Heather says the other girl was sitting down during the Pledge of Allegiance. "You know, I made a not-so-kind remark, and I do sincerely apologize for...

MIAMI — Tim James apologized for being late. A rough day at work, said the Miami Heat's 1999 first-round draft pick. Vehicles broke down, problems flared up, and he simply fell behind. "It happens," James said. "Even here." Even on the front line of the Iraq war. A former NBA player who often wondered about his true calling, Tim James is now a U.S. Army soldier, a transformation that even many of the people closest to him never saw coming.

In August 2007 and June 2008, I wrote monster articles projecting Iraqi Security Forces planned development by 2012 and, in some cases, beyond. I am not going to do that this year. Instead I have been writing separate articles addressing the components of the Iraqi Security Forces: June 30, 2009: Commandos in the ISF June 30, 2009: Iraqi Special Operations Force June 30, 2009: The Iraqi Emergency Response Brigade July 15, 2009: Kurdish Regional Guards: The best OPSEC in Iraq July 20, 2009: Iraqi Federal Police: More than a name change? July 26, 2009: Low on the Iraqi MoI Totem...

Thursday's show, I believe, it's the most controversial of all the shows this week — and maybe ever. I will give you some facts, some history but also some of the future. The reason Thursday's show is the last before Friday's solution, I wanted you to see who was advising the president and what they are doing, before I could ask you to look at this phrase from Barack Obama and think he meant it literally: (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) THEN-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BARACK OBAMA: We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've...

"In their own words: OFA and ACORN may soon look to use violence against political opponents Organizing for America (OFA) is a cadre of Obama supporters, first marshaled a few weeks ago to ignite grassroots support for the President's massive budget bill. Last week, The Birmingham News reported that groups like OFA and ACORN were organizing volunteers to canvas for Obama's agenda. The iconography of the OFA marketing material is bizarre: it is affiliated not with the Democrat Party, but Barack Obama himself. Those who gathered at Kelly Ingram Park in downtown Birmingham were urged to enlist others who share...

Today, my daughter, FReeper Anoreth (since 11/29/03) graduates from Coast Guard Basic Training. We're also celebrating "The Boy," son of FReeper AnAmericanMother, who is graduating today from Marine Corps Basic. And "ForgotenKnight," grandson of Monkey Face, recently deployed with a Stryker unit to Afghanistan. Other FReepers with children (grandchildren, nieces and nephews, etc.) in the military, please join us in celebrating all our family members who are serving our country in the military.

(English-language translation) During a meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in Caracas, American essayist and political analyst Noam Chomsky yesterday criticized the use of Colombian military bases by the United States Army. "The U.S.'s justification to establish military bases in Colombia is narcotraffic. However, this justification is not very serious," the essayist said and added: "There exists an intervention attitude under the pretext of narcotraffic." President Chávez greeted Chomsky at Miraflores Palace, where he received "the warmest welcome". "It was time you visited us and for the Venezuelan people to see and hear you directly," Chávez told the Professor Emeritus...

In August 2007 and June 2008, I wrote monster articles projecting Iraqi Security Forces planned development by 2012 and, in some cases, beyond. I am not going to do that this year. Instead I have been writing separate articles addressing the components of the Iraqi Security Forces: June 30, 2009: Commandos in the ISF June 30, 2009: Iraqi Special Operations Force June 30, 2009: The Iraqi Emergency Response Brigade July 15, 2009: Kurdish Regional Guards: The best OPSEC in Iraq July 20, 2009: Iraqi Federal Police: More than a name change? July 26, 2009: Low on the Iraqi MoI Totem...

I had a strong need to somehow note an important...actually,pivotal...day in my life.It was forty years ago today that I raised my right hand and took the oath of enlistment of the United States Army.I was scared out of my wits (as,I suspect,were most guys entering the service in '69...and other years).But my "hitch" was *far* less "eventful" than that of many.I never got close to combat.Or even to a combat theater.And I,unlike so many,most certainly never got close to "bravery" or "courage" and I also never got close to the UCMJ either.As I said...uneventful.In fact,so uneventful that I feel...

Pfc. Brian Watts’ uniform was dripping when he stepped off the bus. His body ached, his eyelids felt heavy. And tucked under his right arm was a brown stick horse with a plush head. “His name’s Fred,” the 21-year-old Georgia native said Friday, his sentences interrupted by laughs. “They gave it to me in the beginning, and I had to keep up with him the whole time. I’m supposed to gallop with him everywhere I go. But it’s over and done with, so I’m not galloping anymore.” That essentially summed up the previous 36 hours for Watts, a human resources...

Since 2005, it has been the Iraqi Army’s stated policy to keep the Soviet-designed tanks in one division, the 9th Division based at Taji. New, non-Soviet design tanks would go to upgrade other divisions. That policy has colored all analysis and projections of where the new M1A1 tanks and M1126 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers (APC) were likely to go first. That policy has changed according to an 18 August 2009 comment by Jack Winters: "On another topic about the M1 and where they're going to go, that question was asked by reporters to the defense minister; and he said they're...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Four U.S. soldiers have been charged with cruelty and maltreatment of four subordinates in Iraq after a suicide investigation brought to light alleged wrongdoing, the military said Friday. There is no confirmed evidence that the suicide, which involved a fifth subordinate in the unit, was a result of any mistreatment, said Lt. Col. Kevin Olson, a spokesman for Multi-National Division-South, who said the military is looking into that possibility. Charges were brought Wednesday against three sergeants and a specialist with the 13th Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Bliss, Texas, accusing them of engaging in "verbal abuse, physical...

HEIDELBERG, Germany — The Army is reviewing personnel records of nearly 19,000 noncommissioned officers as it seeks to purge the senior enlisted ranks of underperforming, or even criminal, leaders. The records are being checked for courts-martial, negative evaluations, failed leadership courses, removals for cause, reprimands and other disciplinary actions incurred since these sergeants made their current ranks. Among the reasons for records of reprimands and disciplinary actions are driving under the influence, sexual harassment charges, drug abuse and alcohol problems. If such sergeants do not voluntarily retire, they will, for the most part, be discharged within six months. “We’re trying...

In August 2007 and June 2008, I wrote monster articles projecting Iraqi Security Forces planned development by 2012 and, in some cases, beyond. I am not going to do that this year. Instead I have been writing separate articles addressing the components of the Iraqi Security Forces: June 30, 2009: Commandos in the ISF June 30, 2009: Iraqi Special Operations Force June 30, 2009: The Iraqi Emergency Response Brigade July 15, 2009: Kurdish Regional Guards: The best OPSEC in Iraq July 20, 2009: Iraqi Federal Police: More than a name change? July 26, 2009: Low on the Iraqi MoI Totem...

August is a seminal month in the history of the airborne, and especially of the 82nd Airborne Division. Aug. 15, 1942, is the birth date of the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions. "Airborne" was already well under way before the magic date 67 years ago when the War Department formally ordered the formation of two divisions of jumpers and glidermen. Battalions of jumpers had been training at Fort Benning, Ga., since 1940, and the high command of the Army was eager to grow the airborne force. By March, a new infantry division, the 82nd, was activated for training at Camp...

A Comment about Gays in the US Military and Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Mexico replaced all 700 of its customs inspectors with agents newly trained to detect contraband, from guns and drugs to TVs and other big-ticket appliances smuggled to avoid import duties. The shake-up — part of a broader effort to root out corruption and improve vigilance at Mexican ports with new technology — doubled the size of Mexico's customs inspection force. The inspectors at all 49 of Mexico's customs points were replaced with 1,400 better-educated agents who have undergone background checks and months of training, Tax Administration Service spokesman Pedro Canabal said Sunday. He said the inspectors were not fired. Instead,...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2009 – Ramping up the numbers of Afghan soldiers and police is part of President Barack Obama’s multi-pronged Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, National Security Advisor James L. Jones said here yesterday. On March 27, Obama announced his plan to increase U.S. support to Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat terrorist groups in the region and to provide security and a better quality of life for residents. The president also directed the deployment of 4,000 extra U.S. troops to Afghanistan to train Afghan soldiers and police. The president’s Afghanistan strategy, Jones said on the CBS program “Face the Nation,” looks toward...

AFTER two days of intense preparation in searing 45-degree desert heat, Australia's newest band of brothers went to war under the command of 22-year-old Lieutenant Todd O'Callaghan. The troops from the Townsville-based 1st Battalion's Pioneer Platoon will face the most intense enemy threat of the seven-year campaign just 10 days out from crucial national elections. The Taliban launched four roadside bomb attacks against Diggers from the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force in Oruzgan Province over just 24 hours, wounding two men and damaging two armoured vehicles. The threat from the insidious weapons, known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), has featured...