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Today it was announced that in keeping with honoring the wounded and ill of our Armed Forces, the Silver Star Families of America will begin issuing certificates of appreciation to military medical personnel.

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2008 – President Bush today praised the former commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, who plans to retire next month after a 40-year Army career. Earlier this month, Gen. Dan K. McNeill wrapped up a 16-month duty tour in Afghanistan, where he oversaw a multinational force of roughly 48,000 troops, including about 18,000 U.S. servicemembers. “I've gotten to know the general well. He's a tough, no-nonsense patriot who was our commander in Afghanistan,” Bush said after his meeting with McNeill in the Oval Office this morning. “I want to thank you very much for...

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2008 – Searching for a tangible way to help Americans express their deep gratitude to servicemembers for their sacrifices, a Tampa, Fla., couple has designed their own challenge coin. The Grateful American coin is presented in the tradition of military challenge coins. With the five service insignia on one side and the phrase “Thank you for your service from a grateful American” on the other, it’s meant to be a tangible form of gratitude for the recipient. Net proceeds from sale of the coins help support two nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping wounded servicemembers and their...

.....Bush Made his speach standing before five of the six brigades of the 82nd Airborne during the Division's annual ceremony to review and inspect the soldiers.....

DETROIT, May 5, 2008 – Patriotism was in full gear at the Chrysler headquarters today, as hundreds gathered inside the star-spangled atrium of the automaker’s main hub to honor America’s men and women in uniform. Robert Nardelli, chairman and chief executive officer of Chrysler, signs a 5-Star Military Support Agreement on May 5, 2008, in Auburn Hills, Mich., pledging the automaker's commitment to continue supporting employees who are called into active military service. Defense Department photo by John J. Kruzel  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. On the tiered floors of the glass-enclosed plaza here, employees hung over railings...

Gathering of Eagles has just announced Recruiter Appreciation Day, Saturday, May 17 or there abouts. Being a Saturday, some recruiter stations have shortened hours or are closed. Friday or Monday might be a better day. As in other Support the Troop Events, one organization steps forward to be the main coordinating organization. GoE has once again stepped up to the plate this year. Check out the GOE site for pertinent info. Hopefully no one doubles up on a Recruiter Station while one across town is neglected.

Current Events Glad Bush Is Still AroundPaul Johnson 05.05.08, 12:00 AM ET I don't regard George W. Bush as a lame-duck president. Between now and next January all sorts of challenging and unexpected events may take place. We can rely on President Bush to react promptly and decisively to them.We saw this on Sept. 11. The President was as surprised as everyone else, as we grasped from the dramatic photograph of him taken as he was given the dreadful news at an elementary school. But he buckled down quickly to this unprecedented attack on America, determined that such a treacherous...

I received this list of facts about Iraq in an email from my beloved mother-in-law. You should be able to verify all of these facts on the Department of Defense website: http://www.defenselink.mil/ Facts: - 47 countries' have reestablished their embassies in Iraq. - The Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people. - 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are now under construction; and 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq. - Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating. -...

WESTMINSTER, MD RECRUITER APPRECIATION FReep - AAR BACKGROUND ON MILITARY RECRUITMENTtaken from WikipediaPrior to the outbreak of WWI, military recruitment in the US was conducted primarily by individual states. Upon entering the war, however, the need for a large and quickly mobilized military shifted the responsibility to the federal government. The increased emphasis on a national effort was reflected in WWI recruitment methods. Peter A. Padilla and Mary Riege Laner define six basic appeals to these recruitment campaigns: patriotism, job/career/education, adventure/challenge, social status, travel, and miscellaneous. Between 1915 and 1918, 42% of all army recruitment posters were themed primarily...

Washington, DC—Nevada Senator Harry Reid made the following statement today on the 4,000th military death in the war in Iraq:“Today, as a grateful and grieving nation, we mourn the 4,000 servicemembers who have died in this war and honor their families who have sacrificed so much in service to this nation.  The 4,000th death is no less regrettable than the 3,999 before it or any that may yet come; it is but the latest reminder that we still owe our nation’s bravest men and women a strategy to redeploy them from an endless civil war and make America more secure. “Last...

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2008 – Vice President Richard B. Cheney thanked American servicemembers today for their service in Afghanistan, saying they are making history every day. Cheney spoke with troops at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, and then presented five awards – including a Silver Star – and re-enlisted six servicemembers of Combined Joint Task Force 82. Cheney said the troops are making Americans proud. “Almost every factor that makes a battlefield tough is found right here in Afghanistan – rugged terrain, lousy weather, great distances, and a nasty, brutal enemy,” the vice president said. “But our military record here,...

MONROVIA, Liberia — It has been 30 years since a sitting president of the United States has visited this West African nation, and in the decades since, rebel generals with nicknames like Butt Naked laid waste to this seaside country, raping and plundering, and a brutal warlord named Charles G. Taylor campaigned for the presidency under the slogan, “He killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I will vote for him anyway.” Now Mr. Taylor is gone, pushed out in 2003 after more than a decade of civil war, and Liberia is taking tender steps toward recovery under Ellen...

As Americans prepare for the holidays with their families and loved ones, we have many challenges to face but also many reasons to be thankful. We are thankful we live in a nation that is still a land of freedom, hope and opportunity. And we can be thankful that President Bush has kept us safe. Too often our politicians in Washington and on the campaign trail seem to have forgotten this simple fact. It was disheartening when Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) questioned the sworn testimony of General David Petraeus, the troop commander of our forces in Iraq, when he reported...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2007 – More than 130,000 Americans sent messages of gratitude this week to the nation's troops through the "Giving Thanks" text messaging initiative. The initiative is part of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad. "The 'Giving Thanks' text message campaign has been a wonderful example of how Americans are still passionate about supporting the troops and saying thank you for their service," said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communication and public liaison. "Hopefully, our troops serving in 177...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2007 – Since 6 a.m. Nov. 17, thousands of Americans across the country paused to text a message of gratitude to the nation’s servicemembers for their sacrifices through the “Giving Thanks” text messaging program. “It already feels like a terrific, successful campaign, because from the thousands and thousands of messages that have come in already, we’re seeing that the American people really just want a chance to say ‘Thanks,’” said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communication and public liaison, of the America Supports You initiative. America Supports You is a Defense Department...

DUNCAN HUNTER HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF VETERANS DAY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 9, 2007 CONTACT: Gary Becks (619) 334-1655, dlhunter08@yahoo.com San Diego, CA - - - Presidential candidate and current Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Duncan Hunter, today made the following statement regarding Veterans Day. "Veterans Day provides our nation the opportunity to reflect thankfully on the sacrifices of those who have served the cause of freedom. "In the last century more than 619,000 Americans in uniform were killed on battlefields around the world protecting our nation and our way of life. "We cannot thank them all...

Military Appreciation Monday November 12, 2007 For the past 6 years, Golden Corral has been honoring the US Military with a free “thank you” dinner and beverage at any Golden Corral restaurant on Military Appreciation Monday (first Monday after Veteran’s Day). This year, Golden Corral has designated Monday, November 12, 2007, from 5 to 9 pm, to honor any person who has ever served in the United States Military.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2007 – First lady Laura Bush visited troops in Kuwait today to thank them for their service, calling them a force for good in the Middle East. (Video) First lady Laura Bush greets U.S. Air Force Col. Brian O'Connor, vice commander of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, in Kuwait, Oct. 24, 2007. The visit highlighted the accomplishments of the Middle East Partnership Initiative programs of the State Department. Defense Dept. photo by Staff Sgt. Tia Schroeder, U.S. Air Force   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “At the heart of your mission to protect America's freedom...

God’s greatest gift, that of life and the individual freedom attendant to life, is finding itself under relentless attack the world over. Attack by overt madmen who, with blood thirst in their words, proclaim their disdain for human life and liberty … and attack by covert ‘do-gooders’ in leadership positions here in America who see themselves as mini-gods, destined to wield unbridled power and influence over others. America represents the last best hope to stem that destructive, ungodly tide. And yet the majority of those in leadership positions in America count themselves among a god-like ‘ruling elite’ who profess...

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. General, thank you very much. It's an honor to be with you. As you know, today is Labor Day back home -- (hooah) -- so I thought I'd come by to thank you for all your hard work. (Hooah.) Every day -- every day -- you show bravery under incredibly difficult circumstances. Every day you're doing work on the sands of Anbar that is making it safer in the streets of America. And every day the United States of America is grateful for what you're doing. I want you to tell your families the Commander-in-Chief...

Military Appreciation Day is an event organized by volunteers to provide a day of fishing for our Active Duty Military, Guard and Reservists. The event also includes activities for their families and a southern style cookout.

WASHINGTON, July 5, 2007 – President Bush hailed members of the West Virginia Air National Guard yesterday and reminded them that they and their fellow servicemembers, like the patriots who celebrated the first Independence Day, are demonstrating fortitude during a critical conflict. President Bush offers remarks during a Fourth of July visit with members of the West Virginia Air National Guard’s 167th Airlift Wing and their family members in Martinsburg, W.Va., July 4, 2007. Bush thanked all the operational units of the West Virginia National Guard for their service. White House photo by Chris Greenberg  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

American soldiers in Iraq have shown the best of this country. There may be a lot to regret about the past policy of the United States in the Middle East, but the removal of Saddam Hussein and the effort to birth democracy in his place is surely not one of them. And we should remember that this Memorial Day. Whatever our righteous anger at Khomeinist Iran, it was wrong, well aside from the arms-for-hostages scandal, to provide even a modicum of aid to Saddam Hussein, the great butcher of his own, during the Iran-Iraq war. Inviting the fascist Baathist government...

"The first note was clear and absolutely certain. There was no question or stumbling in this bugle. It swept across the quadrangle positively, held a fraction of a second longer than most buglers hold it. Held long like the length of time, stretching away from weary day to weary day. . . . This is the song of the men who have no place, played by a man who has never had a place, and can therefore play it. Listen to it. You know this song, remember?" For novel readers who care about war and warriors who cared about novels, a great...

National Maritime Day, 2006 A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America The United States Merchant Marine plays an important role in ensuring our national security and strengthening our economy. As we celebrate National Maritime Day and the 70th anniversary of the Merchant Marine Act, we pay tribute to merchant mariners and their faithful service to our Nation. Since 1775, merchant mariners have bravely served our country, and in 1936, the Merchant Marine Act officially established their role in our military as a wartime naval auxiliary. During World War II, merchant mariners were critical to the delivery...

Today is Armed Forces Day. It never seems to get the attention it deserves -probably because it's not a three-day holiday, like Memorial Day. That it is able to keep its focus is one of its appealing qualities. It comes after Easter and a week before Memorial Day's long weekend of commemorations, which tend to overshadow Armed Forces Day's arrival a week before. Indeed, when President Bill Clinton appeared at Andrews Air Force Base on Armed Forces Day 2000, he used his speech to highlight a national initiative to "put the memorial back into Memorial Day" by observing a moment...

COLORADO SPRINGS - An Iraqi mayor stood before troops lined up on the lawn at Fort Carson on Friday morning and said only two words in English. But those two words brought the crowd to its feet. "Thank you." It was a telling gesture from Tal Afar Mayor Najim Al Jibouri, who spoke for about 20 minutes in his native tongue praising the 3rd Armored Cavalry for saving his city from certain ruin.

– This month we honor the extraordinary contributions of the men and women who serve our country in the Armed Forces. I am proud to serve alongside 2.4 million Americans in the Active, Guard and Reserve Force who have chosen to take the oath to defend our Constitution. Whether deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan, or supporting humanitarian operations at home or abroad, today's military personnel continue to serve this Nation with honor and distinction. In a month honoring the military, it is only fitting that on the 12th of May we specifically recognize military spouses - our silent heroes. They...

A Simple Thank You Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together. After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home. No, he responded. Heading out I asked? No.  I'm escorting a soldier home. Going to pick him up? No.  He is with me right now.  He was killed in Iraq.  I'm taking him home to his family. The realization of what...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 7, 2006 – Military Appreciation Month is under way, as millions of people have jammed the beach here this week for "Fleet Week USA - A National Salute to America's Heroes," sponsored by McDonald's. The company kicked off the salute on May 1. Today's McDonald's Air and Sea Show, featuring the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels demonstration team and the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, will conclude the week's festivities. The Canadian Forces Snow Birds precision aerobatics team is adding an international flavor to the weekend. The salute has been a fixture here for 12 years running,...

May is National Military Appreciation Month Legislation in the U.S. Senate in 1999 designated May as National Military Appreciation Month. This legislation tells our service members that their country has set aside an entire month to honor, remember and appreciate them. More comprehensive legislation – H. Con. Res. 328 – was passed by unanimous consent of both Houses of Congress in April 2004.

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 cojones in the whole world right now and should be damned happy with yourselves and damned proud of who you are. *snip* 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...

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2006 – Americans need to recognize the sacrifices made by men and women in the military, whose service has liberated millions of people in the Middle East and made this country more secure, President Bush said yesterday in Wheeling, W.Va. "America has got to appreciate what it means to wear the uniform today and honor those who have volunteered to keep this country strong," Bush said to an audience of military families at the Capitol Music Hall. "All of us should agree with the fact that we have a remarkable country when people who know that they're...

PRAY for PRESIDENT BUSH - DAY 2000!!!! In September of the year 2000, this prayer thread for George W. Bush was begun by freeper DittoJed2, who was renewing her Call to Prayer for the nation and the election from March of the same year. It has been posted daily since then, and today we are celebrating the 2000th day of the thread, and most importantly recognizing how God has worked and moved and answered prayers in our nation, and in our President.We believe that prayer is an essential and Scripturally mandated element of God's working in America, and we...

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 26, 2006 – In a biting cold wind, families and dignitaries gathered at Arlington National Cemetery here today to remember American servicemembers who gave their lives in operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Provide Comfort. Officials conducted the ceremony at section 60 of the cemetery, where most of those killed in the Persian Gulf War are buried. The Persian Gulf War ended with the liberation of Kuwait on Feb. 28, 1991. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, remembered the hundreds of U.S. servicemembers killed in the conflict. He said American servicemembers remember...

FAR FROM THE FEAST By RALPH PETERS DEAR Pfc. Smith, Most of your fellow Americans won't think of you today. Some may see a news clip of your Christmas dinner in Iraq, filmed against a backdrop of holiday decorations your unit scraped together. Those who once served in the ranks themselves will think of you at least briefly. And you'll be cherished in the hearts, if not in the arms, of your loved ones. But most of us won't think of you at all. And that's a wonderful thing. It's your great gift to us. Because of you, hundreds of...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2005 – Six servicemembers were lauded for their distinguished military service at a Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs dinner here Dec. 12. The servicemembers received the Grateful Nation Award, which JINSA established three years ago to express appreciation for the men and women of the armed forces. Each military branch and U.S. Special Operations Command chose one person to be honored. All the award recipients distinguished themselves by exceptional service and an outstanding demonstration of the values of their service branches, Norman Hascoe, the organization's president, said. David Steinmann, chairman of the JINSA board of...

11/15/2005 - ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) -- President George Bush stopped here on the first leg of his week-long Asia tour and thanked servicemembers and civilians for volunteering to serve and continuing the fight the global war on terrorism. It was the president’s second visit here. He spoke for nearly 45 minutes with more than 4,500 servicemembers and civilian workersfrom all the services . Army Staff Sgt. Joshua Ferguson was one the nearly 3,500 military members at the event. The Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment troop from Fort Richardson, Alaska, was excited to see the...

FOB WARRIOR, Iraq -- The day we should fly out of Iraq, this unit will have been deployed, including training time, for 486 days. Of that total, 333 days were spent in theater. By my own count, our platoon completed almost 400 patrols during that time and about another 200 "logistical package" missions to the local airbase. Driving in Humvees, a total of almost 18,000 miles of highways, roads and alleys were patrolled by this platoon. If each mission was four hours long, that would be 1,480 hours spent on patrol. (But of course the total number of hours spent...

The 2,000th soldier has fallen in Iraq. My prayers go out to the families of all the fallen and I thank them for making the ultimate sacrifice for their country. For those who question the war on terror and what we are fighting for, I will remind them of the recently approved, by democratic vote, Iraqi constitution. I will remind them of a free and Democratic Afghanistan, and the overall gains in the War on Terror. The sacrifice these brave men and women are making can’t be measured in statistics. The 2,000 lives lost in Iraq do not include the...

Soldier praises support I am a soldier and it is my turn to say thank-you. Since the war against terror began in 2001, I have been thanked for serving our nation by strangers when I attended weddings and funerals. I have been thanked on the street, in restaurants and at the airport. I have received e-mails from family, friends and friends of friends, and even their friends. I was even thanked by a half-frozen Salvation Army volunteer outside a Michigan Wal-Mart in December. In some cases, I have been in uniform. Other times, it is simply the short haircut that...

I was thinking about this before I saw the Fox News pictures of the downed Coast Guard Chopper (THANKFULLY THE CREW IS ALIVE, AND HOPEFULLY WELL) , but that only cemented my resolve to post this vanity. I live in a land locked state, although I did spend a few years in Florida and made a few trips out into the Gulf and Atlantic. But regardless of my current geographic location, I just wanted to extend my hearty thanks to The United States Coast Guard. Even here in Indiana your presence is felt; for evey watercraft I've ever been on...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2005 – With the four-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States three weeks away, President Bush used his weekly radio address to offer appreciation to current and former military veterans for their sacrifices in the war on terror. "In this war, our nation depends on the courage of those who wear the uniform," the president told radio listeners. Bush said the mission is clear to the nation's men and women serving in the armed forces. "Our troops know that they're fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere to protect their fellow Americans from...

Perhaps the only thing we can say to the men and women in military service this weekend is, "Thank you!" We don't have to agree about whether the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are good wars or bad wars. We don't have to agree on whether those wars are worth the expenditures of men and of treasure. We don't agree among ourselves on those issues. But it makes no difference. Men and women join the Army and the Navy and the Air Force and the Marines and the Reserves and the National Guard and they go where they are sent....

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2005 – Rubar S. Sandi, an Iraqi businessman, wants the American public to know U.S. troops killed in Iraq have not died in vain. "Your sons, your husband," he said to the wife of Army Capt. Bill Jacobsen, who died in a suicide-bomb attack in Mosul, Iraq, "I don't call them dead; they live in every one of us. "You all need to be proud of your sons and daughters," he said. "They are doing a terrific job. Their lives have definitely not been wasted. They are there because of you." Sandi, an outspoken critic of Saddam...

President Bush visited the troops at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. The President was cheered wildly by over 7,000 troops as he thanked them for their sacrifices to our Nation. The President later met with the families of over 30 Soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan

(AP) President Bush speaks about the War on Terror to troops at Fort Hood, Texas, Tuesday, April 12,...Full Image FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) - President Bush visited soldiers at the largest U.S. military base Tuesday, marking the two-year anniversary of the end of Saddam Hussein's regime by saying it will be remembered along with the fall of the Berlin Wall as one of history's greatest moments.Bush thanked the soldiers at Fort Hood who have recently returned from Iraq or are heading there this fall, but said it isn't time to start bringing U.S. forces home."Iraqis want to be led...

President Bush said Monday he is looking forward to attending Pope John Paul II's funeral and expressing Americans' gratitude for the life of such a courageous, moral and holy man. As Bush prepared to leave for Vatican City later this week, he recalled a trip to the pope's summer residence as one of the fondest memories of his presidency. He said even though they didn't agree on everything, he always appreciated hearing the pope's point of view. "Of course he was a man of peace, and he didn't like war," Bush said after meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in...

WIESBADEN, Germany — President Bush praised thousands of troops and their families during a Wednesday afternoon pit stop at the Wiesbaden Army Airfield during his three-country European tour. Before heading off to the Slovak Republic, the president and other White House officials stopped to thank war-weary troops and give them a bit of entertainment for a job well done. “Laura and I were in the neighborhood, thought we’d drop by and say hello — howdy,” said the military’s commander in chief to cheering troops and family members. Bush had spent most of the day meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder...

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — First lady Laura Bush (search) on Tuesday thanked U.S. soldiers for giving up their safety and the comforts of home to fight for democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Each of you has a greater impact than you can ever imagine on people that you will only know for a brief time," she told troops and their families in an aircraft hangar. "All of you are delivering the greatest gift they'll ever receive by sacrificing your own comfort, your own safety and your own lives so that others might know freedom."