Free Republic 3rd Qtr 2024 Fundraising Target: $81,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $68,975
85%  
Woo hoo!! And we're now over 85%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.

Military/Veterans (General/Chat)

Brevity: Headers | « Text »
  • San Diego Senior Gets Surprise Visit From Marine Father at Graduation

    06/11/2016 4:10:11 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 8 replies
    NBC San Diego ^ | Jun 10, 2016 | Jaspreet Kaur
    Camille Morris' father was deployed overseas last year with the U.S. Marine CorpsA Rancho Bernardo High School senior got a heartwarming surprise at her graduation in San Diego on Thursday. Camille Morris was reunited with her father, Master Sergeant Derrick D. Morris of the United States Marine Corp in a surprise visit during graduation. Camille said goodbye to her father last year when he was deployed overseas. When she found out he couldn't make it to her high school graduation, she was disappointed. Rancho Bernardo High School Principal David LeMaster asked Camille to join him during his graduation speech. He...
  • Will you fight?

    06/11/2016 10:27:40 AM PDT · by RevelationDavid · 114 replies
    Dear Patriots....
  • First ever Israeli-Russian war game is coming

    06/11/2016 7:22:48 AM PDT · by rickmichaels · 7 replies
    Debka ^ | June 10, 2016
    Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu decided at their June 7 meeting in Moscow to deepen the military ties between the Russian and Israeli armed forces, DEBKAfile reports exclusively from is military and intelligence sources. It was a historic decision that spells the end of the IDF’s unique relationship with the US military. The head of the IDF’s military intelligence branch, Maj. Gen. Hertzi Halevi, and Mossad chief Yossi Cohen also participated in the meeting. Our sources report that Putin and Netanyahu decided that a joint exercise by the Israeli and Russian naval and air forces...
  • America’s Worn-Out "Arsenal of Democracy" Looks More Like an Antiques Roadshow

    06/10/2016 3:28:16 PM PDT · by Smittie · 18 replies
    The National Interest ^ | June 10, 2016 | Loren B. Thompson
    Chinese fighter pilots trying to enforce Beijing's control of nearby airspace must be confused about the U.S. military. They have been trained to expect the latest in military technology from the world's sole superpower. But the U.S. planes they intercept look more like exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum. Earlier this month, two Chinese jets intercepted a U.S. Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane over the East China Sea. The RC-135 is based on an airframe developed in the 1950s; the last military version of the airframe was assembled in 1965. In May, the Chinese intercepted a U.S....
  • Admiral Enters Guilty Plea in Navy Bribery Scheme

    06/09/2016 5:58:45 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 17 replies
    NBC Bay Area ^ | 6/9 | R. Stickney
    This case is unusual as it is rare for an Admiral to even face criminal proceedings Source: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/San-Diego-Navy-Admiral-Guilty-Plea-Navy-Bribery-Scheme-382400401.html#ixzz4B8MhpHYZ Follow us: @nbcsandiego on Twitter | NBCSanDiego on Facebook A rear admiral in the U.S. Navy plead guilty to one felony charge in connection with a multi-million dollar bribery scheme that has led to the arrest or imprisonment of more than a dozen U.S. Navy officers and Pentagon employees. Rear Admiral Robert J. Gilbeau appeared in court Thursday in the downtown San Diego federal courthouse. Gilbeau entered a change of plea to one count of providing false statements to federal investigators and...
  • These Men are From Mars

    06/09/2016 8:43:19 AM PDT · by DUMBGRUNT · 13 replies
    WSJ ^ | 8 June 2016 | DAVID J. MORRIS
    Then Mr. Junger came home and set to work describing the surprisingly deadly environment that returning veterans face. In “Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging,” he argues that contemporary culture has divorced man from his roots as a tribal creature. A lack of intimacy and low levels of trust, he writes, have created “a sprawling and anonymous” society in which “people can get away with incredible levels of dishonesty” and misbehavior. This causes big problems, ranging from citizens being alienated from their neighbors to high rates of suicide, mental illness, homelessness, gun violence and financial fraud. Post-traumatic stress disorder, as Mr....
  • VA considers gender-confirming surgery for veterans

    06/09/2016 6:25:55 AM PDT · by Olog-hai · 44 replies
    Washington Post ^ | June 8, 2016 | Joe Davidson
    As debate swirls around who can use what restroom, the Department of Veterans Affairs is placing itself on the side of what makes sense. It is moving to change regulations so VA hospitals can provide gender confirming, or gender reassignment, surgery. This procedure alters a transgender person’s sexual characteristics in order to match the individual’s sexual identity. “This rulemaking proposes to remove a restriction… that prohibits VA from providing medical services that are considered gender alteration,” according to a document posted last week on a government regulations website. …
  • With women in combat, taking the 'man' out of job titles

    06/08/2016 9:37:24 PM PDT · by Olog-hai · 15 replies
    Associated Press ^ | Jun 9, 2016 12:15 AM EDT | Jennifer McDermott
    Now that women will be allowed to serve in all combat jobs, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are dropping the word man from some of their job titles to make them inclusive and gender-neutral. Much like the term fireman has evolved to firefighter, an engineman could be called an engine technician. A yeoman could be called an administrative specialist. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus says this is one more step in how the force has changed. …
  • Who Will Replace the Beretta M9 as the Official U.S. Army Sidearm? 20 Contenders Become 3

    06/08/2016 9:17:22 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 88 replies
    For nearly two years now, the U.S. Army has been trying to replace its Beretta M9 service weapon -- and believe it or not, the Army is finally starting to make some progress. Slow progress, to be sure, but progress nonetheless. Last week, the military hardware specialists at IHS Jane's reported that out of the 20 industry teams previously believed to be interested in selling the Army a new Modular Handgun System (MHS), only a dozen actually submitted bids in response to the Army's official Request for Proposals. From these, the Army expects to "downselect" just three finalists in August....
  • Surveillance satellite launching Thursday atop Delta 4-Heavy rocket

    06/08/2016 8:24:34 AM PDT · by Purdue77 · 14 replies
    SpaceFlight Now ^ | June 7, 2016 | Justin Ray
    Surveillance satellite launching Thursday atop Delta 4-Heavy rocket CAPE CANAVERAL — One of the largest satellites in the world will launch aboard America’s biggest operational booster Thursday, riding that power to a listening post 22,300 miles above the planet for its clandestine eavesdropping mission, all indications suggest. A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will fly from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 37 at 1:59 p.m. EDT (1759 GMT). Although the duration of the day’s usable launch window has not been revealed, officials previously said liftoff would occur by 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT). Weather forecasters say there is a risk of...
  • The British Royal Navy Is Down to 17 Frigates and Destroyers

    06/08/2016 6:18:14 AM PDT · by C19fan · 12 replies
    War is Boring ^ | June 8, 2016 | David Axe
    The Royal Navy was, quite recently, one of the world’s leading fleets. But that was before several rounds of deep budget cuts, the most recent in 2010, that compelled the senior service to officially decommission some of its best ships. The escort force arguably suffered the most, declining to a modern low of just 13 Type 23 frigates and six new Type 45 destroyers. And now the escort force has shrunk even further.
  • SOWING THE WIND: THE FIRST SOVIET-GERMAN MILITARY PACT AND THE ORIGINS OF WORLD WAR II

    06/07/2016 12:06:54 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 18 replies
    WAR ON THE ROCKS ^ | JUNE 7, 2016 | IAN JOHNSON
    Before dawn on June 22, 1941, German bombers began to rain destruction down on a swath of Soviet cities from Leningrad to Sevastopol. It was the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, the largest military operation in the history of the world. By the end of the day, three million German soldiers and their allies crossed the Soviet border, inaugurating the bloodiest phase of World War II. The invasion also brought to a bloody conclusion 20 years of secret cooperation between Germany and the Soviet Union. While Soviet-German military cooperation between 1922 and 1933 is often forgotten, it had a decisive impact...
  • International Defensive Pistol Association Endorses Donald Trump for President

    06/07/2016 11:10:21 AM PDT · by Eddie01
    Ammoland ^ | June 6, 2016 | Ammoland
    The International Defensive Pistol Association is proud to announce their endorsement of Donald Trump for President of the United States. There has never been an election with more serious potential outcomes for firearms owners and shooters as the one we are facing in November, 2016. [snip]
  • Video - 82d goes out for kielbasa

    06/07/2016 10:21:39 AM PDT · by ameribbean expat · 4 replies
    Twitter ^ | Julian Barnes
    Polska : Anakonda16: 82d Abn jumping in.
  • Report Says Canada Will Buy Super Hornets As An Interim Fighter Solution

    06/07/2016 8:25:03 AM PDT · by Yo-Yo · 15 replies
    The War Zone ^ | 6/6/2016 | Tyler Rogoway
    Over the past decade, Canada has lived through its own unique F-35 saga. It even crept into this TV spot where little kids compare their fighter jets. The conservative government of Stephen Harper had a fixation on buying just 65 examples of the stealth jet to replace the country's overextended fleet of 80 CF-18A+ Hornets. When liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took power early last winter, he made it clear that the F-35 deal was not going to happen. Now Trudeau’s cabinet has reportedly decided to order a batch of F/A-18 Super Hornets as an interim fighter solution, pushing off...
  • Final tally from the White House: 7 tweets about the Denver Broncos, 2 on D-Day/troops

    06/07/2016 7:17:46 AM PDT · by SargeK · 10 replies
    Twitchy.com ^ | 6/7/2016 | twitchy
    Yesterday was the 72nd anniversary of D-Day, but you wouldn’t know it from the official White House twitter feed. They posted or RT’d 7 different items about the Denver Broncos, who visited the White House Monday to celebrate their 2016 Super Bowl win, with 2 tweets on D-Day and the troops.
  • Islamic State Members From the West Seek Help Getting Home.(Rats fleeing sinking ship)

    06/06/2016 2:28:13 PM PDT · by chuckee · 17 replies
    Wall Street Journal ^ | June 6, 2016
    Disenchanted Islamic State members recruited from the West have increasingly been contacting their governments and asking for help in getting home, according to diplomats and a Syrian network that aids defectors. Some have turned up at diplomatic missions in Turkey, and others have sent furtive messages to their governments seeking assistance in escaping from territory the extremist group controls in neighboring Syria, according to the diplomats, who represent six Western missions in Turkey. The calls for help from Westerners come as Islamic State loses ground and faces fresh assaults on its Raqqa stronghold and on Fallujah, Iraq, where it has...
  • Air Force Secretary: ‘I’m Certain Transgenders Will Be Allowed to Serve in a More Open Way’

    06/06/2016 1:17:12 PM PDT · by Olog-hai · 33 replies
    Cybercast News Service ^ | June 6, 2016 | 1:49 PM EDT | Melanie Hunter
    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” on Friday that she is “certain” that transgender people will be allowed to serve in the U.S. military “in a more open way.” “I think the review on the transgender policy should be complete within the next few months would be my best guess. It’s proceeding. These are somewhat complex issues, and by the way, I am certain that the policy is going to change. I’m certain that transgenders will be allowed to serve in a more open way,” said James. …
  • Vanity - Compare Bing.com to Google.com

    06/06/2016 5:09:36 AM PDT · by tje · 30 replies
    Bing ^ | 6-6-16 | tje
    Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
  • New Miss USA from DC to take a break from Army reserves

    06/06/2016 1:58:30 AM PDT · by SMGFan · 27 replies
    Associated PressMSN ^ | June 5, 2016
    The newly crowned Miss USA is a 26-year-old Army officer from the District of Columbia who gave perhaps the strongest answer of the night when asked about women in combat. "As a woman in the United States Army, I think ... we are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I'm powerful, I am dedicated," Deshauna Barber said. "Gender does not limit us in the United States." The winner of Sunday's 2016 Miss USA competition held at the T-Mobile Arena off the Las Vegas Strip will go on to compete in the Miss Universe contest.