Free Republic

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will sign copies of her memoir, Going Rogue, for three hours Dec. 4 for members of the military and their families at Fort Hood, base officials said. The event will be from 7 to 10 p.m. Dec. 4 at the base’s Clear Creek Post Exchange, or “PX,” said Bruce Zielsdorf, deputy chief of public affairs at Fort Hood. It is open only to people showing military identification cards, he said. Palin is scheduled to be in Plano earlier that day. Zielsdorf said her appearance will be treated as a simple book signing, which...

Sarah Palin is rolling her "Going Rogue" book tour into Fort Hood, the site of the Nov. 5 shooting that left 13 dead and dozens wounded. "I'm especially looking forward to meeting our brave men and women in uniform at Fort Hood," Palin, 45, wrote on her Facebook page. She'll be at the base on Dec. 4. "I'm joining the efforts of many others by donating my royalties from the book sales during our stop at Fort Hood to the families of the victims whose lives have been forever changed by the tragic events of November 5th," she wrote.

"By the way, how many golf games have you played? How many parties have you had? How many fundraisers and campaign events have you attended in the last ninety days since you were told we needed more troops?" A video by the mother of soldier deployed to Afghanistan posted to You Tube on Veterans Day contains an emotional plea to Barack Obama to send more troops to Afghanistan and rips Obama for partying, golfing and dithering while soldiers like her son are in desperate need of reinforcements. The video is entitled, Mr. Obama, Our Troops are Dying!She calls herself 'Debbie'...

FORT HOOD, Texas, Nov. 12, 2009 – November 5 began and might have ended like any other day for Kanesha Howard, an Army spouse and mother of two. Instead, she found herself living a nightmare by midday, franticly wondering if she still had a husband. Eventually, she learned that Staff Sgt. Alvin Howard, a heavy-wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to the 20th Engineer Battalion, had been wounded in the massacre here, while preparing with other troops for their upcoming deployment. Since that fateful day, however, Howard has mustered the strength to smile again. Amid unimaginable frustration and destruction, Howard’s husband’s unit...

Dressed as ‘zombie soldiers’ killed in combat, ‘ghosts of war victims,’ witches and healthcare fairies, members of Code Pink menacingly paraded in front of a captive audience of children one block from the White House, who waited along the sidewalk in front of Decatur House just off Lafayette Park for a Halloween party hosted by President Obama.Last Saturday, the President hosted several hundred military families for trick or treating. Also invited were children of White House staff and about 2000 children from eleven D.C. area elementary schools.In a press release published at their website, key Obama ally Code Pink –...

"I'm sorry." Those were the first words that U.S. Army Pvt. Najee Hull said to his mother after he was shot Thursday at Fort Hood, according to the Sun-Times. "He thought he had disappointed me. He knew I worried about him [being in the Army]," Yvonne Hull said Sunday. Paramedics rushed the Homewood soldier to a hospital while his mother sought to reassure him. "I said, 'I love you. You can never disappoint me; I'll be right there,' " she said. Hull, 20, says he was the first person shot Thursday when Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly opened fire at...

ABC News' Pentagon correspondent Luis Martinez reports that Barack Obama brought twenty-four reporters, photographers and videographers from fourteen media outlets to Dover Air Force Base to cover his 'surprise' visit there early Thursday morning.The New York Times reported earlier that there was a "small contingent" of media at Dover. However, two dozen is a crowd, especially when vulnerable grieving families are involved.Liz Cheney is being attacked (and here) for pointing out that Obama imposed the question of media coverage on the families by his presence at Dover. Seventeen out of the eighteen families of the fifteen soldiers and three DEA...

Barack Obama was nearly denied the photo-op he traveled to Dover Air Force Base for early this morning as all but one of the military and civilian families of the fallen refused permission for the media to report on the return of their loved ones.The sole family to allow media coverage was the family of Sgt. Dale R. Griffin.According to media reports, Griffin's casket was the last to be brought off the C-17 cargo plane that carried the bodies of 15 soldiers and 3 DEA agents killed this week in Afghanistan.That is a stark contrast to the reported 60% approval...

It was the last way John Bernard would have wanted his voice to gain prominence in the national debate over the war in Afghanistan. The retired Marine had been writing to lawmakers for weeks complaining of the new rules of engagement he believed put U.S. troops at unacceptable risk in the insurgency-wracked country. He got little response. Then Bernard's only son, 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard — a Marine like his dad — was killed in an insurgent ambush in Afghanistan's volatile Helmand province, the latest victim of a surge in U.S. combat deaths. Three weeks later, Joshua became the...

It was 4 years ago today that I kissed him goodbye as he left for boot camp in Parris Island. Can't believe how fast the time has flown!

NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2009 – To the envy of all the neighborhood kids, I was invited to New York yesterday to attend the taping of a special Sesame Workshop production aimed at helping military children. Elmo's dad, Louie, helps Elmo cope with the loss of his Uncle Jack during the filming of a Sesame Workshop video aimed at helping military children deal with the loss of a loved one. Elmo wears his uncle's hat in memory and celebration of his uncle's life. The video was filmed in Queens, New York, Oct. 14, 2009. Courtesy photo by Gil Vaknin  (Click photo...

NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2009 – As filming for Sesame Workshop’s latest “Talk, Listen, Connect,” video got under way here yesterday, it became clear that while it’s not always sunny on Sesame Street, ultimately the clouds can be swept away. Deborah Mullen, wife of Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, poses with Elmo’s mom, Mae, on the New York set of Sesame Workshop’s third “Talk, Listen, Connect,” video Oct. 15, 2009. The new video in the TLC series addresses the loss of a loved one and offers parents and children alike tools to deal with...

It was the last way John Bernard would have wanted his voice to gain prominence in the national debate over the war in Afghanistan. The retired Marine had been writing to lawmakers for weeks complaining of the new rules of engagement he believed put U.S. troops at unacceptable risk in the insurgency-wracked country. He got little response. Then Bernard's only son, 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard — a Marine like his dad — was killed in an insurgent ambush in Afghanistan's volatile Helmand province, the latest victim of a surge in U.S. combat deaths.

NEW PORTLAND, Maine – It was the last way John Bernard would have wanted his voice to gain prominence in the national debate over the war in Afghanistan. The retired Marine had been writing to lawmakers for weeks complaining of the new rules of engagement he believed put U.S. troops at unacceptable risk in the insurgency-wracked country. He got little response. Then Bernard's only son, 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard — a Marine like his dad — was killed in an insurgent ambush in Afghanistan's volatile Helmand province, the latest victim of a surge in U.S. combat deaths. ----- Bernard's...

Burial of an American Lady Written by Norman Fulkerson    Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Colonel Ripley often referred to Moline as his "queen." On September 25, 2009, a small group of family and friends said their final farewell to Moline Blaylock Ripley. She died at her home in Annapolis, Md., on Saturday, September 12, 2009 at the age of 68. Moline was born in Bluefield, W.Va., on Pearl Harbor day, December 7, 1941, to Arnold Vincent and Edna Pais Blaylock. Her family eventually moved to Radford, Va. where she attended Radford High School and later went on to graduate...

She should be Secretary of State.

This is a REALLY LONG POST — this came directly from my husband, SGT Daddy (with some minor edits from me for OPSEC reasons) The morning began with the siren signaling incoming. I ignored it. I hate putting on my gear and besides the big boy voice had dutifully reminded me that I should remain in hard shelter. I didn’t argue by deed or word. In the meantime the 155’s began to blaze away in support of some action that did not affect me. Later I was called out of my room to help in the aid station. Two of...

Abby Bennethum of Laureldale is pregnant with her third child. She says she got pregnant back in June or July just before her husband, U.S. Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Brett Bennethum, deployed to Iraq with the 733rd Transportation Company, based in Reading. "I've heard of deployment babies, but I never thought I'd be having one," Abby said. If Abby's daughter Paige, who turned 4 last week, is any indication, Abby is going to have her hands full. Abby was wrestling with her second daughter, Lena, 10 months, when I spoke to her. Staff Sgt. Bennethum got a four-day pass just...

Paige Bennethum, 4, holds her daddy's hand as he lines up in formation before heading to Iraq. Credit: Abby Bennethum Some things are just not allowed when soldiers are standing in formation. One of them is 4-year-old girls. However, there was no soldier stern enough to pry Paige Bennethum of Laureldale, Pa. from her father as he prepared to leave last July for a year-long deployment in Iraq.

Four-year old Paige didn't want to say goodbye to her daddy before he was shipped off to Iraq. A family photo that shows a little girl beside her father and his fellow soldiers in uniform as they prepare to go to war has resonated well beyond the tight knit Bennethum clan. Four-year-old Paige Bennethum really, really didn't want her daddy to go to Iraq. So much so, that when Army Reservist Staff Sgt. Brett Bennethum lined up in formation at his deployment this July, she couldn't let go. No one had the heart to pull her away. The commanding officer...

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., Oct. 6, 2009 – The woman she sees in her bleaker yesterdays is unrecognizable to her now -- almost a stranger. Domestic violence survivor, military spouse and playwright Carolyn Louise Herring Moore, right, goes over a scene with actress Jasmine Wilson at a play rehearsal in Fayetteville, N.C., Sept. 29, 2009. Moore wrote a play, "Women Shoptalk While Real Men Wait," about her experiences with domestic violence. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Victor J. Ayala  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Her fear is gone, and there is strength in its place. She is outgoing again and pursuing...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2009 – Ruth Stonesifer dreamed of a quiet life in Kintnersville, Penn., passing her days quilting for her three grandchildren. Left, Ruth Stonesifer and her son Kristofor pose for a picture in July 2001, just months before the Army Ranger was killed in an October 2001 helicopter crash over Pakistan, and right, Ruth pictured today. Ruth is now the president of American Gold Star Mothers Inc., a nonprofit group made up of mothers who have lost sons and daughters in the line of duty while serving in the U.S. armed forces. Courtesy photos  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

Army Tells Dad His Soldier-Son Killed in War ... But He Wasn't September 15, 2009 BUFFALO, New York — An Army unit is reviewing how it delivers information to families after a call to a western New York couple led them to believe their son had been killed in combat. Ray Jasper of Niagara Falls said he, his wife, Robin, and their extended family spent four hours Sunday mourning their son, Sgt. Jesse Jasper, before learning from his girlfriend that he was alive. The 26-year-old soldier called his father from Afghanistan to prove it after hearing about the mix-up. "Dad...

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – Military officials say they're investigating why an upstate New York man was told his son had been killed in Afghanistan when the soldier was alive and well. Ray Jasper of Niagara Falls says he was camping Sunday when he received a call on his cell phone from a woman who said she was a military liaison. He says the woman told him his son, Staff Sgt. Jesse Jasper, was killed in action Saturday.

I feel guilty because originally I supported the decision by the Associated Press to release the photo of the young Marine that was taken as he lay dying. I lost readers over that and I do not blame them. Sarah Palin weighed in on Facebook. "Many of us join Secretary Gates in condemning the Associated Press for its heartless and selfish decision to turn its back on the wishes of a grieving family in order to exploit the tragic death of a true American hero. Lance Corporal Joshua ‘Bernie’ Bernard was a selfless young American who sacrificed everything for our...

Many of us join Secretary Gates in condemning the Associated Press for its heartless and selfish decision to turn its back on the wishes of a grieving family in order to exploit the tragic death of a true American hero. Lance Corporal Joshua 'Bernie' Bernard was a selfless young American who sacrificed everything for our freedom. Shame on the AP for purposely adding to the grieving family's pain. Ignoring the family's wishes by publishing a sacred image of their loved one proved a despicable and heartless act by the AP. The family said they didn't want the photo published. AP,...

On August 14 in Afghanistan, Marine LCPL Joshua Bernard was killed in action when he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. As Bernard lay maimed and dying, embedded Associated Press photographer Julie Jacobsen smelled a Pulitzer, so she snapped picture after gory picture instead of helping those trying to save LCPL Bernard. After the young Marine was buried, the AP dispatched a minion to Bernard’s parents, John and Sharon, ostensibly to “get their permission” for the publication of the gruesome photograph. John Bernard emphatically denied their request,

NEW YORK – Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed disappointment Friday at news outlets that used a picture taken and distributed by The Associated Press depicting a U.S. Marine mortally wounded in combat in Afghanistan. The AP distributed the picture despite personal pleas from Gates and the dead Marine's family in a case that illustrated the difficult decisions in reporting on a conflict where Americans have seen relatively few images of fallen U.S. troops over eight years.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is objecting “in the strongest terms” to an Associated Press decision to transmit a photograph showing a mortally wounded 21-year-old Marine in his final moments of life, calling the decision “appalling” and a breach of “common decency.” The AP reported that the Marine’s father had asked – in an interview and in a follow-up phone call — that the image, taken by an embedded photographer, not be published. Gates: “I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Lance Corporal Bernard’s death has caused his family. Why your organization would purposefully defy the family’s wishes knowing full well...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is objecting “in the strongest terms” to an Associated Press decision to transmit a photograph showing a mortally wounded 21-year-old Marine in his final moments of life, calling the decision “appalling” and a breach of “common decency.” The AP reported that the Marine’s father had asked – in an interview and in a follow-up phone call — that the image, taken by an embedded photographer, not be published.rest of story at link...

This is a "Heads Up" on a battle we are facing now and down the road with the new Administration. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has already drafted proposed legislation that would basically reduce our TRICARE for Life benefits to a system whereby we pay deductibles and co-pays up to $6,301 the first year for you and your spouse, with future years being indexed to increase with inflation. What can we do? The article below, obtained from an Air Force Association and written by BG Bob Clements, best describes what we can do. Please read it and check the links...

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Heath Wieseler chats with his sister, Sgt. Andrea Wieseler, in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter on COB Speicher Aug. 13. Heath and Andrea spent a few days together here after not seeing each other for more than two years. Photo by Rich Kemp, Multi-National Division – South. COB SPEICHER — Deployments usually separate servicemembers from their families. However, for one U.S. Soldier here, it provided the chance to reunite with her brother. Sgt. Andrea Wieseler, a telecommunications sergeant with the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, hadn't seen her brother, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Heath Wieseler, in more...

The sister of Seaman James McDaniels, a sailor killed in the terror attack on the U.S.S. Cole wants President Barack Hussein Obama impeached over his decision to withdraw charges against the al Qaeda mastermind of the attack.Diane McDaniels, the mother of the slain sailor, related her daughter's outrage over the President's decision during an interview on the Fox News Channel show Your World with Neil Cavuto this afternoon.Ms. McDaniels also expressed her own regret for having voted for Obama last November. She declined an invitation to meet Obama with other Cole family and crew members and 9/11 families at the...

Seven months after she poured out her heartbreak in a wrenching letter to then President-elect Obama, the mother of murdered Brooklyn Marine Sgt. Jan Pawel Pietrzak finally got a response - a form letter. "Thank you for contacting President Obama," the note to Henryka Pietrzak-Varga begins. "We hope the issue you brought to the President's attention has been resolved." Pietrzak-Varga, whose son and daughter-in-law were tortured and murdered last year allegedly by four other Marines, told a Polish newspaper she doubts Obama saw her letter. "This is a standard response, something that can be sent out to anyone for any...

Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:17:49 -0400 Prayer request for Gary and Cindy Hogman by way of Faith Presbyterian Church, Emmaus PA Gary is serving in Iraq, while his young wife is fighting cancer here. See his request below. Bobby S. Briggs, MSgt, USAF 823 ESFS/SFOC Flight Sergeant BAGHDAD AB , IRAQ My name is Gary Hogman. Some of you receiving this know me, some do not. My wife, Cin dy, is 32 years old and has just been diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer and her chances for survival are very slim. She was pregnant with our second child...

More Americans need to realize how Obamacare will hurt them, particularly military families who's breadwinner earned their health care insurance by serving in the armed forces. President Obama seeks to give out these same benifits to those who have not earned them, and force military families and others who played by the rules by buying insurance

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8163643.stm

BAGHDAD — Army family member Katie Glenn has created a cool way for kids of deployed military personnel to express their feelings about their parent being away or who have lost a parent from the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan. With the assistance of Families United, a non-profit organization, Glenn created www.militarykidsblog.com . She said she got the idea after taking a “new media� course at American University in Washington, D.C., where she is a senior.“I read a lot of articles on how political campaigns, charities and social activism organizations were learning to use new forms of media like Twitter,...

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2009 – Military children and their families were honored here yesterday by a troop-support group and others when the Washington Nationals took on the New York Mets. Left to right, Riley Anderson, his sister, Olivia, and his brother, Adrian, participate in Tribute to Our Troops, July 21, 2009. Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, Careerbuilder.com’s "Mission Get Hired" program and troop-support group Our Military Kids joined together for the event at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. As part of this event, 1,500 tickets were given to military families to enjoy an evening of baseball. Riley Anderson threw out...

While the Pentagon said Monday that troops are "sparing no effort" to find an American soldier captured by the Taliban, his godmother in Portland disputed increasing speculation that the 23-year-old may have deserted. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who spoke at a Pentagon news conference Monday, condemned a video of Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl released by the Taliban, saying he was disgusted by the exploitation of a prisoner. Members of Bergdahl's family, who live in central Idaho, released a statement through the local sheriff and turned down all requests for interviews. The circumstances of Bergdahl's capture on June 30 are not...

Staff Sgt. Glennie Burks, Jr., left, and Maj. Glennie Burks, Sr. enjoy some father-son time before his son re-deploys. Photo by Photo by Chief Petty Officer Michael Kennedy. BAGHDAD — Burks and Burks—one a major and the other a staff sergeant—are both serving their country on their second combat tour in Iraq. The younger Burks, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Glennie Burks, Jr., has done 15 months this time around. He’s been serving in the Army for seven years and has excelled since basic training in 2002 at Fort Sill, Okla. In 2003, Burks, Jr. did his first deployment to Iraq...

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2009 – “Sesame Street” usually conjures visions of Muppets teaching young children their letters and numbers, but they also teach life lessons to help military children cope with deployments, injuries, and now, loss. Sesame Rooms provide a child-friendly place for military children to play. Sesame Street will send a “room-in-a-box” to 35 locations across the United States, including military hospitals, libraries, child care centers, and family support centers. Photo courtesy of Sesame Workshop  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The newest phase of Sesame Workshop’s “Talk, Listen, Connect” initiative is aimed at helping children cope with the...

FORT POLK, La., July 15, 2009 – Don't blame the soldiers here if you see them do a double take when two of the unit's newest captains pass by. Levi Lyles, foreground, pins captain bars on his son, Derrick Lyles, while Lisa Lyles, background, pins captain bars on her husband and Derrick's twin brother, Darrell Lyles, during a promotion ceremony on Fort Polk, La. July 1, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Chuck Cannon  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Despite appearances, the soldiers of 10th Mountain Division’s 94th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team are not seeing double --...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., July 13, 2009 – When Army Pfc. Joseph James deploys this month he won’t have to say goodbye to his wife, Army Pfc. Samantha James -- she will be with him throughout his yearlong deployment to Iraq. Army Pfc. Joseph James and his wife, Army Pfc. Samantha James, volunteered to deploy together to Iraq. The couple is assigned to the Florida Army National Guard’s 1218th Transportation Company, based in West Palm Beach, Fla. Photo courtesy of Florida National Guard.   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Joseph and Samantha are one of three married couples deploying...

ESCONDIDO ---�“ Ryan Kahlor, an injured Iraq War veteran, said he knew some volunteers were coming to help paint his Escondido home Saturday morning, but he had envisioned a "couple of guys with spray guns." When nearly 50 people descended on the U.S. Army sergeant's house, he was overwhelmed.

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) - Daniel Nichols, who accidentally ran over his 5-year-old son while the boy lay sleeping in a tent, says the state is threatening to take away his children. A Muskegon County Department of Human Services worker visited Nichols' wife Thursday at the hospital, where his son is recovering, and told her a campground was no place for children to live, Nichols told 24 Hour News 8. "She went to the hospital and told my wife that she doesn't think it's acceptable for us to be staying in the campground, which we weren't staying in the campground, we...

A day before New York Rep. Peter King called Michael Jackson a “pervert” unworthy of nonstop media coverage, the aunt of a U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan on the same day Jackson died asked why her nephew's death went virtually unnoticed while the King of Pop got memorial shrines across the country. "Mr. Jackson received days of wall-to-wall coverage in the media," Martha Gillis wrote to the Washington Post. "Where was the coverage of my nephew or the other soldiers who died that week?" Gillis' nephew, Lt. Brian Bradshaw, 24, died in Kheyl, Afganistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised...

My childhood friend of 31 years visited my home on base, in Quantico, a few months after I gave birth to my first baby. As we took a leisurely stroll one evening through the lingering humidity of early September, I explained to her how different military life is from the world in which we grew up in San Francisco. We passed rows of colorful houses on the tree-lined, manicured blocks and gazed at the playgrounds around the neighborhood, ready to welcome the children of the officers who live there. American flags hung from virtually every front door. The occasional "My...

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2009 – A retired Army captain who survived third-degree burns over 30 percent of his body while stationed in Iraq believes that through family, faith and a lot of hard work, anything can be overcome. Retired Army Capt. Alvin Eugene Shell Jr. survived third-degree burns over 30 percent of his body while stationed in Iraq. He credits his family, faith and hard work for his recovery. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Capt. Alvin Eugene Shell Jr., who served with the 16th Military Police Brigade, credits his wife, Danielle, his three sons, his mother...