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AHOY Marines! "School circle, ready seat, adjust." I will make this short, I know you all have a 96 hour pass burning a hole in your pocket, and the bus will be here soon to get you on the road to family and friends for the 4th of July Holiday Weekend. Question: "Why is it you and I have never received a BILL for our freedoms?" Answer: "Someone else has already paid the price, usually with their shed blood." We mark this weekend for celebration of our Nations 241st birthday, as well we should. But let us call to mind...

On a remote beach in Japan, sand sculptors from many countries came to create large, high quality sculptures of famous American patriotic scenes. Happy 4th of July, my FRiends! Check out the pics!

This is what happened to this Kurdish female sniper. This insane video footage shows how truly badass one Kurdish lady sniper is. Would you find it funny if a bullet came within inches of ending your life? This female Kurdish sniper, a member of the Women’s Protection Units, laughs in the face of danger–and the astonishing act was all caught on tape. (And if that’s not crazy enough, she’s wearing pink socks and sandals to boot). The incredible footage comes from Raqqa, in the north of Syria, and shows the awesome response a sharpshooter has to an incoming bullet fired...

Link only due to copyright issues: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-0/space-us-air-force-armed-forces-space-mission-a7818001.html

WASHINGTON — Tim Rogers is scheduled to graduate next week with dual bachelor’s degrees: social work and in public service and public policy. He is one of 649 veterans who applied for graduation at Arizona State University this semester. The 39-year-old Army veteran and father of four said he is excited to be done with school, but brushed off any special attention. “Most veterans, when they go to school, they are highly motivated,” Rogers said. That was the finding of first-ever research published earlier this year by Student Veterans of America, which reported that veterans are earning college degrees at...

Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice is giving President Donald Trump a vote of confidence on international diplomacy. Rice tells CNBC that while Trump's language "may be different", she says she believes Trump will stand up for both American interests and values on the world stage. Rice noted that it's still early in the Trump administration.....

Canadian elite special forces sniper makes record-breaking kill shot in Iraq and the distance is astronomical. Movies and Hollywood have made snipers a folklore and myth that brings fear into the minds of their enemies. But this sniper shot is 100% real and it is unbelievable to comprehend. A sniper with Canada’s elite special forces has obliterated the world record for the longest confirmed kill shot ever. An other wordly distance of 3,540 meters long. That is 2.19964 miles away. Let your brain think on that one for a little bit. Read the rest of the longest shot story here.

1776: The unfinished American garrison guarding Charleston harbor comes under attack by nine British ships under the command of Adm. Sir Peter Parker. The British attack the fort for 12-plus hours, but their cannonballs are no match for the palmetto log defenses of Fort Sullivan. In what has been described as the "first decisive victory of American forces over the British Navy" during the American Revolution, Col. William Moultrie and his South Carolina militiamen inflict heavy casualties on the Royal Navy forces and repel the assault. 1778: The Battle of Monmouth, N.J. is fought between Gen. George Washington’s Continental Army...

1864: After two months of flanking maneuvers, driving Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate Army of Tennessee some 70 miles rearward, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman launches a frontal assault at Kennesaw Mountain (near Marietta, Ga.). Casualties are heavy on both sides: 3,000 Union soldiers and 1,000 Confederates. Although Sherman's assault was unsuccessful, Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield's successful attack on Johnston's left flank forces the Confederates to withdraw again towards Atlanta. 1942: Gen. Henry H. "Hap" Arnold presents 23 "Doolittle Raiders" with the Distinguished Flying Cross at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.'s Bolling Field. A week later, another three...

1862: Confederate forces led by Gen. Robert E. Lee launch a counteroffensive against Maj. Gen. George McClellan's Army of the Potomac. Although the outnumbered Confederates suffer heavy casualties and subordinates fail to execute Lee's plans, McClellan will ultimately withdraw from Richmond following the Battle of Mechanicsburg - the first major engagement of the Seven Days Battles - and abandon the Peninsula Campaign. 1917: A convoy containing the first American Expeditionary Forces - members of the 5th Marine Regiment - land at the beaches of Saint-Nazaire France. The American troops will train for four months before entering combat. More than two...

 Image from theguardian.com: In this widely circulated image of Aisha Gombi Bakari, you can see the homemade revolving shotgun that she uses to hunt Baka Haram Islamic terrorists.  The lock up does not look impressive, but it will do for a small number of shots.  The cylinder is probably turned by hand. There are index cuts to make sure it is lined up with the barrel.  Aisha is supposed to be paid about $25 a month, but the payments are spotty.  An official has recently been indicted on embezzeling 1.8 billion dollars marked for anti-terrorism efforts. That might explain...

I visited Bill Mitchell's twitter page throughout the campaign and as a Trump supporter, it got you fired up. A few months back, Mitchell stepped up his game and started posting podcasts, and I listened to a couple. Good content. But just now I saw a couple of Youtube videos -- and particularly this one with Dr. Sebastian Gorka, one of Trump's key advisors. It's fantastic and I think you're going to love the Skye-like relatively low production videos. It's real and the guests I saw so far are great. Check it out. Rush and Hannity must be looking over...

Federal officials say nearly one out of six young men in Washington state are committing a felony, and they might not even know it. Their crime? Not registering for a nonexistent military draft. Despite the United States not having pressed anyone into military service since 1973, virtually all men ages 18 to 25 still are required to register with the Selective Service System. The agency keeps men’s information on file in case the country needs to mobilize a military force during a time of crisis. Not registering can cause men big problems down the road, officials say. For one, it...

FORT HUACHUCA — CW3 Michael Moore wants to make one thing clear: his orders to Fort Huachuca have nothing to do with inactivating the Fort Huachuca Military Intelligence Corps Band (MI Corps). Moore currently serves as the band’s — also known as the 62nd Army Band — commander. He officially took command on May 3. The process of inactivating a band comes from a higher up, like the Department of the Army, Moore said. “So that direct instruction come through the various echelons of the Army.” The official Department of the Army memorandum of inactivation was signed and dated on...

1812: Immediately after war is declared, a squadron of American ships led by Commodore John Rodgers sails to intercept a British convoy sailing from Jamaica. When the frigate HMS Belvidera is spotted, Rodgers personally aims and fires the first shot of the War of 1812 - the cannonball striking the British ship's rudder and penetrating the gun room. 1865: Confederate Brig. Gen. - and Cherokee chief - Stand Watie surrenders his First Indian Brigade of the Army of the Trans-Mississippi to Union forces in Oklahoma Territory, becoming the last general to surrender in the Civil War. 1923: Over the skies...

1807: Off the coast of Norfolk, Va., the British frigate HMS Leopold attacks the American vessel USS Chesapeake, forcing Commodore James Barron to surrender the ship after only managing to fire one shot. Four Americans are dead and 17 wounded in the attack, and the British board Chesapeake, taking four British deserters. The British impress thousands of American sailors into their service during the Napoleonic War, but "Chesapeake-Leopold Affair" outrages the Americans and will lead to the War of 1812. 1813: Some 2,000 Royal Marines and British soldiers attempt to attack the American fortifications at Craney Island, guarding Hapton Roads,...

1900: The Chinese empress Cixi formally declares war on foreign powers. 100,000 members of the nationalist "Righteous and Harmonious Fists" movement (nickamed the "Boxers" by the British) launch attacks against Christian and foreign targets in Peking's (modern-day Beijing) Legation Quarter. The siege lasts nearly two months before Western reinforcements arrive. Marine legend Dan Daly will earn his first of two Medals of Honor (one of only two men to accomplish the feat) when he single-handedly kills some 200 Boxers. 1916: During Gen. John J. Pershing's "Punitive Expedition" into Mexico to capture or kill Pancho Villa, Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th...

The Internet and video games like "Call of Duty" often have us questioning what's actually real when it comes mind-boggling firearms and weapons. Although unbelievable, these six military weapons are real… and awesome. Everything you see on the Internet is true, right? Unfortunately, that isn't always the case. So what about these amazing military weapons? These six incredible weapons all are actually real, and amazing all in their own way. Some had very few made, and one isn't technically a military weapon, but nonetheless, they will all blow your mind. See the rest of the 6 military weapons here.

....but I suspect you'd be inclined to believe it if you read the following..... 'Russia last week deployed strategic nuclear bombers in the Caribbean, while Russian naval infantry simulated an air assault nearby. Russian heavy artillery also took part in a major live firing exercise in the Kaliningrad enclave, a few miles from Polish and Lithuanian NATO territory. This is typical of Russia's aggressive posture in the new Cold War.' Actually, I made all that up. Here is what actually happened, as reported in yesterday's (June 18 2017) Sunday Times: 'Russia's western enclave of Kaliningrad was surrounded on three sides...

Per the USNavy's 7th Fleet public affairs office; USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) was involved in a collision with a merchant vessel at approximately 2:30 a.m. local time, June 17, while operating about 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan. The merchant vessel was the Filipino-flagged ACX Crystal container-ship (IMO:9360611) and she did have her AIS transponder on at the time of the incident. From the news footage below you'll notice an area of severe damage which looks to me to be from an impact at a perpendicular angle, and not a grazing strike, since there is no scraping or dragging...