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I haven't posted in a long time. We lost our older son 17 years ago in Iraq. But folks still remember. Never forget!

Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas was killed in action on Thursday, April 27, 2017, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. He was 23. Today, he was laid to rest at Culpeper National Cemetery in Virginia. There were many Special Forces troops, including a 4-star General, as well as family, friends and VFW members in attendance. About 20 of us Patriot Guard Riders were in the flag line. You can search news for more info and pictures. RIP, Sgt. Thomas.

Medal of Honor recipient Lewis Millett of Idyllwild died Saturday morning at Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA Medical Center in Loma Linda. He was 88. .... According to his Medal of Honor Citation, then-Capt. Millett distinguished himself "above and beyond the call of duty in action" in Korea, after he and his men came under heavy enemy fire on Feb. 7, 1951. He ordered and led a bayonet counterattack up the hill, killing enemy soldiers in hand-to-hand assault during which he was wounded by a grenade blast. But by early afternoon, his company had taken the hill. He was presented...

The good ones have a way of getting away from us... More at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/nyregion/15wright.html?_r=1

------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friends and Colleagues, I have exciting news! As many of you are aware, I have spent the last few months working on a one hour documentary about the November 2004 Battle for Falluja. The program, The Anvil of God, is scheduled to air this Friday (8/3) at 10pm eastern. This is the third hour that I have produced with correspondent Tom Foreman. (Ambush at the River of Secrets and The Lion in the Village) Our hope in creating Anvil is for viewers to pause and consider the sacrifices made every day by the men and women serving overseas...

"Two gruff bikers were a little late to the Memorial Day service at Culpeper National Cemetery Monday."

Richard J. Linn of Midlothian took a deep breath and exhaled slowly upon learning President Bush is telling lawmakers he will send thousands more U.S. troops to Iraq. "I know my Marines over there -- and I still refer to them as my Marines -- felt they were shorthanded," Linn said yesterday. One of those Marines was Linn's son, Lance Cpl. Karl Linn. He was killed in an ambush on Jan. 26, 2005, in Iraq's western Anbar Province. The plan Bush is expected to announce in a nationwide address tonight includes sending up to 20,000 additional troops to Iraq. The...

CNN will run a one hour special on the Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees show entitled “Ambush at the River of Secrets”. This is a memorial to Jonathan Bowling, Karl Linn, Chris Weaver and Jesse Strong of the 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, Charlie Company of Lynchburg, VA who were lost 1/26/2005 in Haqlaniyah (near Haditha). According to the producer, Amanda Townsend, it will probably air on Tuesday, January 2nd. (It may show again, possibly on 1/26.)

TAMPA - Dick Linn sits inside Room 109 at the La Quinta Inn, lost in the glow of his laptop. He's 53, a traveling software salesman far from his Virginia home. He's also the father of Marine Lance Cpl. Karl Linn, 20, who was killed during an ambush near Haditha, Iraq, in January 2005. Each month, the war creates new Dick Linns across the country. Despite the presence of support groups and counseling, many of them still grieve alone. But Linn and others like him have discovered a safe haven in a quiet corner of the Internet. The popular Web...

HOLMBERG: Another death in East End is overlooked MARK HOLMBERG TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST Sep 17, 2006 Mark Holmberg Mark's column appears Sun. and Wed. Contact him at (804)649-6822 or mholmberg @timesdispatch.com It was all-too easy to miss the death of a patriot late last month. Riddled with bullets, he fell to the ground in the 400 block of North 31st Street at 6:20 a.m. He was waiting for a bus to take him to work that Aug. 30 morning. The man had been robbed and shot by two juveniles, police reported that day. The slaying barely made the news -- another...

ARLINGTON, Va., May 16, 2006 — Paula Zwillinger knew something awful had happened when she saw two military officers waiting in her driveway as she came home from work on June 6, 2005. The officers told her that her son had been hit by a roadside bomb in Fallujah and had died 17 hours later. ..... ......Zwillinger would know nothing about her son's final hours until months later, when HBO called to tell her about an upcoming documentary called "Baghdad ER." It turns out that HBO was there in the Army hospital in Baghdad when Zwillinger's son, 21-year-old Lance Cpl....

The Minutemen, a national organization that seeks to limit illegal immigration into the United States, has set up shop in Herndon and is adding fuel to the debate on how to handle the day laborers who seek work at informal sites throughout Northern Virginia.

WASHINGTON, Oct.28 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Gold Star parents and military family members issued the following statement regarding Cindy Sheehan's die-ins at the White House this week on the occasion of the 2000th death of American servicemen and women serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom: "We, the parents and family members of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who have served and given their lives defending America in Operation Iraqi Freedom are thoroughly disgusted with Cindy Sheehan and her publicity stunts. "We are angered that Mrs. Sheehan is once again using our fallen loved ones against our wishes to undermine the cause they...

(CNSNews.com) - Like many other anti-war demonstrators, Cindy Sheehan has been waiting for the 2,000th American to be killed in Iraq. When that happened on Tuesday, Sheehan, the mother of one of those slain soldiers, resumed her protest in front of the White House -- a tactic that one of her critics called "desperate." "She will do anything to get publicity. Cindy Sheehan has been blown off the public map by [Hurricane] Katrina and [Hurricane] Wilma. She is desperate," said David Horowitz, the co-founder of the Los Angeles-based Center for the Study of the Popular Culture and a former 1960s...

I got this message from a Gold Star Mom of a Marine: "I was told of this website. I am not sure I understand it, but I believe a person has put our sons likenesses on toast and sold them on ebay. I did go to the site and found one of Ryan. I could not believe it! The site is at: http://runaway.contagiousmedia.org/t04_9-12.php I don't understand this at all." -------------------- If you scroll to the end, it links to here: http://www.newamericancentury.org/ This just may be a case where some idiot did a link to a conservative organization as a "joke"....

Antonio Castaneda spent three weeks this year in western Anbar province in Iraq with Marines in Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment, 4th Division. He was with the unit when it led an offensive into the city of Haditha in late May. He returned to the area after an August blast killed 14 Marines – and shortly before the unit began demobilizing to return to the U.S. by early October. HADITHA DAM, Iraq – Cpl. David Kreuter had a new baby boy he’d seen only in photos. Lance Cpl. Michael Cifuentes was counting the days to his wedding. Lance Cpl....

Stateside With Rosalea: No Child Left Behind 6/20/2005 Rosalea Barker ------------------------------------------------------- "My definition of leading a successful life would leave me with a good job, a nice place to live, a great soulmate, and my own family." - Karl R. Linn Today, the United States celebrates Fathers Day. Some young men will never become fathers. Here is the story of one of them, in his own words, annotated by his father. I am grateful to Richard Linn for sharing this with me, and hope I have treated it with due respect. It explains so much about the complexities of this...