Free Republic

Let us pay tribute to these champions of freedom & heroes of the Red, White & Blue! God Bless Them (Living or deceased)

<p>In a 2001 interview with The Roanoke Times, Darrell "Shifty" Powers talked about some of his experiences during World War II.</p> <p>Powers, a United States Army paratrooper and sharpshooter, belonged to Easy Company, part of the legendary 101st Airborne Division. He recalled a bitterly cold day in the Ardennes when he was able to draw down on a German sniper, sighting his target by the misty cloud of the man's breath. He killed him with one shot.</p>

Staff Sgt. Jimmie Doyle, whose warplane crashed into the ocean off Palau in 1944, was given full military honors, along with a hero's homecoming, during funeral and graveside services Saturday at Lamesa. The location of the plane was unknown for 60 years, then found under 70 feet of water in 2004 by the BentProp Project that searches for soldiers missing in action. The plane and the crewmen still aboard were recovered in 2008, and Doyle's identification was completed earlier this year. His grandson, U.S. Marine Capt. Casey Doyle, recently escorted Staff Sgt. Doyle's casket from Hawaii to his hometown of...

Richard Phillips, captain of the US container ship the Maersk Alabama that was attacked by pirates off the Somali coast, has arrived back in the US. His home town of Underhill, Vermont, is preparing to give him a hero's welcome. After being reunited with his family, Capt Phillips thanked the military for rescuing him, saying there were the real heroes. During the attack, he offered himself as a prisoner to the pirates in return for them letting his crew go free. He was rescued after US snipers shot dead three of the pirates that were holding him captive on a...

This puts to shame the output of a number of Hollywood producers and/or directors. All I can say is WOW!!!!!!! This film was made by a 15 year old girl. It is the hottest thing on the internet and on Fox News today. Lizzie Palmer who put this YouTube program together, is 15 years old. There have been over 3,000,000 hits as of this morning. In case you missed it, here it is. Watch all of it.......and, pass it on!! http://www.youtube.com/v/ervaMPt4Ha0&autoplay=1

Announcing a bikers "Ride-In" in support of the Media March and Atlanta Tax Day Tea Party Meet at: The Varsity, downtown ATL - April 15 KSU: 4:30 p.m. Short ride through downtown Atlanta to the Capitol in support of the Media March and Atlanta Tax Day Tea Party. The media can only ignore us for so long. Let's rattle some windows at CNN Center, AJC and more...time for our 'voices' to be heard.

Hollywood’s gift to America – and the world – is the Hollywood Hero. Cue laughter from the Left: “How quaint! How primitive! How typical of lowbrow, right-wing culture! We give our Best Picture awards to nihilist movies like "No Country for Old Men" and Best Actor awards to anti-heroes like Daniel Plainview in "There Will Be Blood." No hope for millions of Americans there!” Many of you have probably taken courses in screenwriting and read several of books on the subject. You know about character arcs, emotional beats, and mid-point reversals. Yet, when it comes to putting words to paper,...

The leader of the nation's largest veterans organization says he is "deeply disappointed and concerned" after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases. "It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan," said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. "He says he is...

Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. 1 Chron. 29:11

Eric Besvold missed the HBO premiere of "Taking Chance" a few weeks ago, but he hopes to catch it on DVD. Besvold, 35, is drawn to the true story of Marine Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, who escorts the body of 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps, killed in Iraq, home to Dubois, Wyo. Besvold has traveled much the same road. In June 2006, Besvold, a St. Paul resident who works on the baggage ramp for Northwest Airlines, was jolted by what he saw one afternoon. After the normal sea of luggage down the conveyer belt came a military casket, "like just...

Links through to evil Bloomberg.... Senator Hollingsworth is the new leader.... Went to the new leader's site to listen to him. http://cssrc.us/web/36/ He Warmed My Heart! This is the Hope I and change I am looking for! Kind of like a Palin not in charge but will do everything it takes to fight hard. Researching him, thinking of sending some donations.

The Speech Given somewhere in England on June 5th, 1944 "Be seated." Men, this stuff that some sources sling around about America wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight, is a crock of bullshit. Americans love to fight, traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle. You are here today for three reasons. First, because you are here to defend your homes and your loved ones. Second, you are here for your own self-respect, because you would not want to be anywhere else. Third, you are here because you are real men and all real...

The White House meeting was in part the result of McCain's stunning pronouncement Wednesday that he would stop campaigning to return to Washington, where he had urged Bush to convene a summit to address the crisis. But for most of the afternoon, McCain has not visibly been part of the action on the issue. He was not present when House and Senate negotiators emerged from a two-hour meeting to declare success. That announcement was made by Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Sen. Robert F. Bennett (Utah) and Frank. McCain, by contrast, spent some time...

This is the story that never dies, because people with a love of our country have captured the day, the horror, the evil that attacks the innocent. I will never forget - I hope you will share this with your friends. God Bless the people who helped, the people who lost so much. Bless the men and women who volunteered to find the killers and to show them we will not be afraid - we will find them and do what we must to build a just world.

The movie industry no longer aspires to portray genuine heroism—even though that's precisely what audiences want to see. A spate of movies about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the war on terror came out last year, all of them hostile to U.S. involvement and all of them box-office flops. At the time there was a certain amount of soul-searching in the media as to why, when most Americans told pollsters they thought the Iraq war, at least, had been a mistake, they didn't seem to want to go and see movies that sought to show them just how...

MISSION - Volunteers with the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps have returned to the Rio Grande Valley. Participating in a month-long "muster" along the Rio Grande in Mission, the group hopes to aid federal authorities in stopping immigrants, criminal aliens and others from crossing the border illegally. The organization began patrolling the area between the Hidalgo International Bridge and the Los Ebanos International Ferry on March 29. Using night vision goggles, camouflaged vehicles and high-tech radios the group is credited with stopping thousands of illegal border crossers over the past several years. Although volunteers have no authority to detain illegal crossers,...

CAMP EGGERS, Afghanistan, March 3, 2008 – Fellow airmen, as well as soldiers, sailors, Marines and civilians, gathered to dedicate the Gillespie House here yesterday to honor a fallen airman. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Farrington reads the closing remarks at a March 2, 2008, dedication ceremony naming a building at Camp Eggers, Afghanistan, after Air Force Master Sgt. Randy Gillespie, who was killed in action in July 2007 while serving as an embedded training team senior mentor with the Afghan National Army 207th Corps in Herat. Photo by Seaman Timothy Newborn, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image...

"-- Week 140 of Honoring Our Wounded Warrior Heroes -- It was the Friday before Christmas; I thought we’d be lucky if the magnificent seven made it again. The city of DC was being deserted as the President had given Federal workers Christmas eve off and state and local governments were following suit. But what to my wondering eyes appeared St. Fraxnious and a hearty crew of patriots. Buford P and Gunny (Gathering of Eagles) North Carolina The Doctor of Freep CMKleinin02 a Doctor Raoul associate Nellie, another of Doctor Raoul’s fellow travelers from the Westchester front Albion Wilde and...

As fiery debris rained down on them, two city cops rushed through a pair of Bronx homes engulfed in flames Sunday and helped rescue 12 people, including two infants. Officers Michael Welsh and Christopher Scott kicked down doors and screamed to wake people as the blaze devoured 374 Bronx Park Ave. in West Farms. After they emerged from the inferno, they busted into the neighboring house, which was already spewing plumes of black smoke into the air. The cops suffered minor injuries, but no one else was hurt because of their heroic efforts while on patrol about 9:15 a.m., officials...

Saturday, November 3, 2007 63 Years Later, Medal-Winner Tells His Story Sun Photo by Bill Jones Delbert Fellers, 85, poses with the medals he won for his World War II military service. Among the medals is the Silver Star medal he received for silencing a Japanese machine gun that was pouring deadly fire on his unit on Angaur Island in September 1944. By: By BILL JONES/Staff Writer Source: The Greeneville Sun 11-03-2007 Sixty-three years ago, Delbert L. Fellers, of Greene County, was a reluctant warrior who had been drafted into the U.S. Army for service in World War II. “I...

Hero cops save 12 from fire in 2 Bronx homes BY PETER KADUSHIN, TINA MOORE and ETHAN ROUEN DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERSMonday, October 29th 2007, 4:00 AM Police Officers Christopher Scott (left) and Michael Welsh from the 12th Precinct As fiery debris rained down on them, two city cops rushed through a pair of Bronx homes engulfed in flames Sunday and helped rescue 12 people, including two infants.Officers Michael Welsh and Christopher Scott kicked down doors and screamed to wake people as the blaze devoured 374 Bronx Park Ave. in West Farms. After they emerged from the inferno, they...

UPDATE: The city of Malibu is advising residents in Puerco Canyon to begin evacuating due to a wildfire driven by powerful winds. This area is north of Pacific Coast Highway and about 1 mile west of Pepperdine University. Residents along the beach on Malibu Road may soon be evacuated. Pacific Coast Highway is closed between Kanan-Dume Road and Topanga Canyon. Residents are advised to head to the west. Evacuation centers are being set up in the Zuma Beach area. A wildfire driven by powerful winds in the Malibu Hills this morning threatened a university, destroyed at least one home and...

Navy corpsman becomes a Marine Oct. 11, 2007; Submitted on: 10/11/2007 08:35:08 AM ; Story ID#: 200710118358 By Lance Cpl. Ubon Mendie, MCRD Parris Island Pfc. Shawn Dickens, a new Marine, was a Navy corpsmen for about four years before deciding to join the Corps. Even throughout recruit training, Dickens was referred to as 'Doc' and aided his fellow platoon members with medical questions. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Ubon Mendie" Pfc. Shawn Dickens, a new Marine shows a mural of what he calls the “Corpsmen Code.” The words read “through hell and back for a wounded Marine.” Words Dickens believes...

Geesh, how much worse does it have to get before they finally admit they've got it wrong? Insurgent attacks in Iraq’s Ninewah province have dropped significantly, and if the trend continues, fewer U.S. troops will be needed in the region, an Army commander in the area said Friday. A sign of the improved security situation in the province is the fact that the province - which includes Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city - will transfer to Iraqi provincial control sometime next month, said Army Col. Stephen Twitty, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade, during a briefing with Pentagon reporters...

After serving in Iraq for more than a year, 2,600 members of the Minnesota National Guard's 1st Brigade Combat Team are finally coming home. The guard members were deployed a total of 22 months, 16 of which were spent in combat zones. That is longer than any other military unit in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Soldiers are returning Monday to armories in 10 different communities including Little Falls, Bloomington, Cottage Grove and Duluth. One of the reunions took place at the Brooklyn Park Armory where 45 soldiers unloaded off buses into the arms of loved ones. The guard members were part...

<p>It was a stand-off on the high seas like that which led to the arrest of 15 British sailors and marines by the Iranians earlier this year.</p> <p>But this time the potential captives were Australians and they were a little less meek in their response.</p>

Her heart was breaking, until the man with the flag restored Monika McGillicuddy's faith.

On a crisp spring morning in 1973 a pale and emaciated man made his way slowly across the Lo Wu bridge from China into Hong Kong. A British soldier at the frontier post saluted him as he approached. This was, the man later reflected, “the first act of dignity shown to him in 20 years”. His name was Jack Downey. He was a CIA agent, and since 1952 he and a colleague, Richard Fecteau, had languished in a Chinese prison, often in solitary confinement, secret hostages in the Cold War between the US and China. The capture, imprisonment and eventual...

WASHINGTON — A campaign by active-duty troops asking Congress to drop plans for a withdrawal from Iraq has collected more than 1,200 signatures in its first few weeks. The “Appeal for Courage” — which reads as a response to the anti-war “Appeal for Redress” presented to Congress last month — has been circulating both at bases in Iraq and online though military blog sites. Organizer Lt. Jason Nichols, a 33-year-old naval projects officer who has been in Baghdad since mid-January, said the goal is to keep lawmakers focused on letting the military finish its mission in Iraq, and not prematurely...

This weeks Sci-Fi Listing: Sunday: 9/8 Dresden Files -- SciFi Channel 10/9 Battlestar Galactica -- SciFi Channel Monday: 8/7 Heros -- NBC Wednesday: 9/8 Jerhico -- CBS

The Weekly Sci-Fi Thread: Sunday: 9/8 - Dresden Files ---> SciFi Channel 10/9 - Battlestar Galactica ---> SciFi Channel Monday: 9/8 Heros ---> NBC Wednesday: 8/7 Jericho ---> CBS

This Week Sci-Fi Listings: Sunday: 8/7 -- Dresden Files -- Sci-Fi Channel 10/9 -- Battlestar Galactica -- Sci-Fi Channel Monday: 9/8 -- Heros -- NBC Wednesday: 8/7 -- Jericho -- CBS

Sorry for not posting last week.... There was no new Dresden Files or BSG... Sunday 02/11/07: 9/8 - The Dresden Files 10/9 - Battlestar Galactica Monday 02/12/07: 9/8 - Heroes

The body of Master Sgt. Shawn A. Richardson arrived at Miami International Airport an hour behind schedule. It was 1:30 a.m. He was greeted by firetrucks and a row of Miami-Dade police officers, an impromptu honor guard that carefully draped the American flag over his casket and escorted the sergeant from the runway. The brief ceremony passed quietly, but not unnoticed. Touched, American Airlines Capt. Gary Blied wrote an essay and e-mailed it to some friends. They forwarded it to others. Blied's moving words spread quickly around the world. Thousands of e-mails popped into his inbox. Tearful phone calls came...

So, which of these 2 soldiers is your hero? By ROBERT L. JAMIESON Jr. P-I COLUMNIST This is the story of two soldiers with a common bond -- the mess that is Iraq. The first soldier, born in Tacoma, put on a military uniform after enlisting out of high school. The 24-year-old was living the bachelor life until the day he walked into the Taco Bell near Fort Lewis and locked eyes with a woman working there. She became his wife. The second soldier isn't married. Nearing 30, he made his way to the same Tacoma-area Army base, hundreds of...

RAMADI, Iraq— “In one of Iraq’s most turbulent areas, we’re seeing signs that the situation is changing,” says Navy Commander James Lee. He just finished a six-month tour with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as their representative on the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) for Al Anbar Province that includes the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah. “At one point the local tribal leaders and the population at large fought against us. But as they observed our continuing efforts to improve their communities, they’ve taken noticeable steps switching their alliance from sympathizing with the insurgents to helping us get the security...

TOTALLY OUTSTANDING..........MUST SEE This is just about the best slide show on Iraq that I've ever seen. I hope you get a chance to take a look at it. Be sure your sound is on. Be patient while it downloads. It's worth waiting for. Click below: http://www.clermontyellow.accountsupport.com/flash/UntilThen.swf

By Julie Carroll 9/6/2006 The Catholic Spirit ST. PAUL, Minn. (The Catholic Spirit) - Minnesota native Thomas Burnett Jr. once told his wife, Deena, that he believed God had a message for him. At the time, Burnett didn’t know what the message was, but he told his wife, “I know it will impact a great number of people, and it has something to do with the White House.” On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Burnett’s words proved prophetic as the hijacked airplane he was on, presumably targeting the White House, crashed in a rural Pennsylvania field. Voice recordings recovered...

Calling all fishermen. the Great state of Tennessee has long been known for its call to service and has earned the title, "Tennessee Volunteers." Well it time to step up to the plate for all of the fishermen out there as well as the lady fishermen. The American Bass Anglers, along with the Paris/ Henry Coounty Chambers, The Stewart Co Chamber, Northwest TN Tourism and the Friends of Paris Landing need your help to take the solders of the 101st Airborne Div on a fishing trip to be held on KY Lake out of Paris landing State Park on Oct...

The Rocky Mountain News was honored Monday with Pulitzer Prizes in writing and photography for its unflinching look at the way U.S. Marines honor comrades who have paid the ultimate price. In a newsroom celebration marked by emotion and tears, reporter Jim Sheeler was recognized for winning in feature writing and photographer Todd Heisler in feature photography for their collaboration, "Final Salute." The special report followed a Marine major who has the difficult task of making death notifications and of helping families begin to face life after loss. And while there was tremendous satisfaction in the awards, there was also...

Fred Phelps and his small group have been in the news garnering disrepute as they cross America and stage vulgar demonstrations at funerals of American soldiers killed in the Iraq war. Phelps’ zealots hold up offensive and profane placards protesting the war in Iraq, abortion, homosexuality and even the Catholic Church. As mourners arrive at the funerals of their loved one, they are faced with scripture quotes, vulgar slurs and offensive signs stating that the death of their loved one is God’s wrath on America because of our sins. Some of their offensive signs read “Thank God for Dead Soldiers”,...

General Robert L. Scott, fighter ace, best selling author and boyhood hero of mine, passed away this past Monday at 97. As a kid, I began to amass a small assemblage of ideals based on my reading, discussions around the dinner table and talks with friends. In the imagined room I constructed, with the sepia toned photos, heroic busts, lit by the yellow light cast from those old clear bulbs hidden behind the heavy cloth shades attached to the ancient lamps, arranged on sturdy tables, decorated with large leather bound volumes on heavy bookcases, above a busy thoroughfare, not unlike...

See for yourself.

BUHRIZ, IRAQ - It was nearing midnight as Pfc. Nicholas Outen and his platoon moved silently down an alley in this Sunni enclave of canals and palm groves, on a night of raiding houses with the Iraqi police. The patrol paused, and Outen had just crouched at a street corner when a large blast threw him backward. "I saw a flash and a boom and was smashed against the wall," recalled Outen, 20, of Baltimore. His shoulder was ripped by shrapnel from a bomb that exploded 15 feet away, killing an Iraqi policeman. Five in Outen's platoon were wounded, including...

REMEMBERING OUR HERO'S, ON VETERANS DAYHe was just 17, a newlywed, handsome and strong, the youngest of 7 sons, and 4 sisters, a product of a 1st generation Italian immigrant parents. They grew up poor as church mice in the tenement lined bowels of a neighborhood known as Little Italy on the near west side of Chicago. Pfc. Joseph Tripicchio, became the first American member of our family to offer his life in the service of our adopted country. On April 16, 1917 his country joined the Allied nations of Britain, France, Italy, and Russia, in declaring war on Germany....

The Flight That Fought Back incorporates the best possible research available, including actual voice recordings from passengers and crew members; information from the official 9/11 Commission Report; eyewitness accounts; and interviews with family members, some of whom describe what they heard in actual conversations with people on board the flight.

LANCASTER - Antelope Valley residents who support the troops and are interested in the work that is being done in Iraq and Afghanistan can meet with the military during the Antelope Valley Fair and Alfalfa Festival. Among those joining in will be spouses and families of soldiers who served in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East. Veterans of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom will appear at the fair with Valley Press Editor Dennis Anderson. "It's an interview format, with the public invited," Anderson said. "We will be talking to veterans about their service, and the experiences they...

There was an elderly man driving down the Interstate, doing a sedately 50 MPH. He seemed unaware of the looks he got as car after car passed him. He happened to be the first one who saw, off the side of the road, a terrible accident that had just occurred. Pulling over to the shoulder as best he could he made his way down the embankment to the smoldering vehicle.

The body of an unidentified American was exhumed from each of four American cemeteries............. on 22 October 1921. Each was examined to ensure that the person had been a member of the American Expeditionary Forces, that he had died of wounds received in combat, and that there were no clues to his identity whatsoever. After mortuary preparation, the bodies were placed in identical caskets and shipping cases. The next day they were carried by truck to Chalons-sur-Marne for the selection ceremony. [4] At 1500 on 23 October all four caskets arrived by truck at the city hall of Chalons-sur-Marne. Awaiting...