Free Republic

FULL HEADLINE: America's FAILED raid to rescue James Foley: White House reveals how US special forces stormed ISIS camp just a month ago - only to find hostages weren't there...as Obama goes back to his golf Several dozen special-operations forces attempted to rescue Americans held hostage by ISIS in Syria earlier this summer but failed, it was revealed Wednesday following the graphic release of a video showing the gruesome beheading of photojournalist James Foley. The mission was carried out earlier this summer but failed because the hostages had been moved by the time U.S. forces arrived for the rescue, according...

It looks like the US won't have to launch a mass evacuation of Iraqis trapped on a mountain after all. A small team of American military personnel who spent 24 hours on Mount Sinjar said US airstrikes seem to have done the trick—most of the trapped Yazidis who wanted to flee to safety have done so, reports the New York Times. As a result, defense chief Chuck Hagel said a rescue mission is "far less likely now," reports AP.

He was flying low and his men were taking greater risks, dropping the aid from a much lower height. Though I have to say that I was very concerned that some of the bottles of water and some of the boxes would split open or smash on impact when they hit the rocks below. The helicopter was in such a hurry, it had so many rounds to make, so many deliveries, it didn’t stop to see to check to see if the people got the aid they needed. Toward the end of our journey, we landed on a rare space...

MALIKIYA, Syria (AP) — In a dusty camp here, Iraqi refugees have new heroes: Syrian Kurdish fighters who battled militants to carve out an escape route for tens of thousands trapped on a mountaintop. While the U.S. and Iraqi militaries struggle to aid the starving members of Iraq's Yazidi minority with supply drops from the air, the Syrian Kurds took it on themselves to rescue them. ... For the past few days, fighters have been rescuing Yazidis from the mountain, transporting them into Syrian territory to give them first aid, food and water, and returning some to Iraq via a...

A few days ago, tens of thousands of civilians were stranded on a mountain dying of thirst and starvation. Today, supported by their carrier air wing, American naval aviators from the U.S.S. George H. W. Bush are putting ordnance on target. This action should have been taken months ago. Far too many have already perished at the hands of ISIS. Yet now, via American food, water, and bombs, civilians in Iraq’s north have found new hope. Finally, we are confronting the threat that ISIS poses to the world. Unfortunately, the task is falling squarely on America. Our closest ally, Britain,...

SAN DIEGO - The family that drew national attention when they were rescued at sea off their sailboat, Rebel Heart, in April is finally setting the record straight. Charlotte and Eric Kaufman and their two daughters were about 1,000 miles west of Cabo San Lucas in the Sea of Cortez when 1-year old Lyra became sick. That was when their adventure of a lifetime turned into a nightmare. It began with a fever, then a rash and then Lyra became lethargic. That was when the couple used their satellite cell phone to call a doctor. He advised them to begin...

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center adopts a five-year-old porcupine that someone had been keeping as a pet. Because of his gentle nature and love for human contact, everyone treats the porcupine like a prickly puppy dog.

A Fort Lauderdale Maltipoo may not be a cat with nine lives, but certainly is quite lucky after falling 16 stories and surviving. The dog, named Susie, fell through a hole on one of the upper floors of the Southpoint condo building at 3400 Galt Ocean Drive. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue discovered the dog had fallen through a pipe chase down approximately 16 stories and landed on a piece of concrete in the pipe chase on the second floor. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue cut holes above and below the second floor to try to get to the dog and after...

United Flight 1637 was returning off-duty Air Force Captain Mike Gongol, his family and 157 other souls from their Christmas vacation when disaster struck. The Boeing 737's pilot suffered a devastating heart attack at 30,000 feet on the way from Des Moines to Denver, forcing Gongol to rush to the cockpit and help guide the plane to an emergency landing. His heroic actions have gone unheralded until now, as Gongol recalls the dramatic moment he answered the chilling announcement on the December 30 flight, 'Does anyone know how to fly a plane?'

Prelude 09/10/2012 USA / Breitbart report by Wynton Hall: Obama Misses Over Half His Intelligence Briefings During a White House press briefing ... White House Press Secretary Jay Carney blasted the Government Accountability Institute's ["GAI"] findings as being "hilarious" and said: The President of the United States gets the presidential daily briefing every day. He always reads it, every day, because he's a voracious consumer of all of his briefing material... This president is very much steeped in the details of national security issues. 09/10/2012 USA / Washington Post Opinion [article] by Marc A. Thiessen: Why is Obama skipping more...

Eileen Depesa caught Tyler Flowers' rogue bat before it hit the infant behind her during a Memorial Day White Sox game.Eileen Depesa's impressive reflexes saved a baby from a baseball bat at the Chicago White Sox's game against the Cleveland Indians. When Chicago catcher Tyler Flowers lost his grip on his bat, it went flying into the stands above left field. Depesa, of Naperville, Ill., reached out with one hand and caught the bat before it hit the infant seated behind her. The man seated to her right merely ducked. "I was more concerned with protecting the baby seated behind...

"I need money". Greedy illegal alien Roy Ortiz is suing those who saved his life.- by Brian Hayes | Top Right NewsLast month we profiled an illegal alien felon who made nearly $200,000 by mass-filing frivolous lawsuits against L.A. restaurants. But that was just a creep trying to game the system, and the system (shamefully) letting him. This is truly disgusting. An illegal alien in Colorado is suing several first responders who took part in rescuing him last September, when he became trapped in his car during a flash flood. You heard that right. They saved Roy Ortiz' life --...

UPDATE [12:37]: Tuoi Tre, a leading daily in Vietnam, reports that the Vietnamese Navy has confirmed the plane crashed into the ocean. According to Navy Admiral Ngo Van Phat, Commander of the Region 5, military radar recorded that the plane crashed into the sea at a location 153 miles South of Phu Quoc island. When contacted, Malaysia Airlines declined to confirm or deny the reports, saying that the Malaysian authorities are working together with the Vietnamese government on the matter. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports that China has dispatched two maritime rescue ships to help locate the missing plane.

Youtube vid of firefighters using the jaws of life to help out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNe1--idns0

[video] DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Three children -- ages 5, 7 and 10 -- were rescued from a minivan that was driven into the Atlantic Ocean off Daytona Beach. Onlookers pulled the children from the vehicle, which was being buffeted by waves as it drifted deeper into the surf Tuesday. A woman driving the van escaped unharmed. Beach Safety Capt. Tammy Marris said the woman was already driving on the beach, where cars are allowed, when the vehicle entered the water. The South Carolina family of four was taken to Halifax Hospital. Once the children are released, they will be...

A heroic Los Angeles-area taco stand employee saved a four-year-old boy from a deranged kidnapper. Jesus Delgado, a grill cook at T2 Tacos, in Westchester, jumped out from behind the counter Wednesday and rescued Grady O’Brien from a North Hollywood man who took him after punching his nanny in the face. Witnesses told KTLA the man was ranting about being in the CIA before sucker punching the nanny and making off with the child yelling he was the father – Grady’s six-year-old brother Brendan screamed for help until Delgado sprang into action. The children were walking home from school with the nanny...

A car fanatic gave his pet dog away after he was left distraught when she chewed a hole through the wheel arch of his prized £80,000 Aston Martin. Builder Royston Grimstead, 42, was devastated when he came home to find his border collie spaniel cross Luce had chewed through the fibreglass panel of his luxury car - causing £3,000 of damage. Mr Grimstead, from Chedzoy, Somerset, said he had already been considering re-homing the dog, which he said did not get along with his other dog, but the damage to the car was the final straw. A dog behaviour expert...

Passersby likely assumed it was just a homeless person, so they ignored the young girl lying on the snowy sidewalk. That’s what seasoned Street Help/Unit 7 volunteer Brandt Huber believes after saving the life of a missing 13-year-old girl. He found her Thursday morning lying barely conscious in plain sight on a busy street. “It’s shocking to know that some people are so caught up in what they’re doing that they can’t stop and help somebody in need,” said Huber.

A Russian research ship and a Chinese icebreaker that were stranded in Antarctica have broken free from heavy ice and no longer need to be rescued by the United States, Australian officials said Wednesday. More than 50 scientists, researchers and tourists had to be airlifted from the Russian-owned vessel Akademik Shokalskiy after it became trapped on Dec. 24, 100 nautical miles east of French Antarctic station Dumont d'Urville and about 1,500 nautical miles (2,250 miles) south of Tasmania, Australia. The protracted international rescue effort was itself delayed by the conditions, with blinding snow, strong winds and thick sea ice preventing...

[Carbon Off-Set:] A total of 800 kauri trees will be planted which during the first 50 years of their life will offset more than the total carbon used to fuel the AAE. Kauri of course lives much longer than this and is even known to reach ages of more than 2,000 years. The amount of carbon assimilated by the trees was calculated using the kauri growth calculator based on many field studies and research.