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The high school I work for is starting a collection contest next week of items needed for our men and women serving overseas. Here is what I have heard about this event so far. Each grade level will be collecting various items, which are assigned different point values, from a list. I have not seen this list as of yet but I did hear that the highest point values would be given to letters written to the troops. At the end of the contest, collected items are to be sent to our soldiers and the class with the highest number...

Hooray! I just caught part of a radio station promo from station 'HANK FM' while driving south of San Jose, California.The radio station is inviting it's listeners to call in and say just what they appreciate about our soldiers. The disc jockey asked that listeners call in with specific stories about soldiers they admire, qualities that make a good soldier, and the ways that soldiers support our quality of life etc. There was some tie in with a Denny's promotion - possibly Denny's donating meals to troops or but I am not sure. It was so good to hear -...

> Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD." ~Lamentations 3:21-25

A handful of Minnesota veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will join other vets in Washington, D.C., Thursday to call for more support for troops in Afghanistan. Some veterans from Minneapolis and St. Paul plan to meet with elected officials and White House officials to urge support for Gen. Stanley McChrystal's troop recommendations for the war in Afghanistan. McChrystal recommends up to 80,000 more troops in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama is considering several options, including McChrystal's preference of about 40,000 additional U.S. forces next year.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2009 – For three days in October 1944, a Japanese-American military unit fought in dense woods, heavy fog and freezing temperatures in the mountains of France, answering the prayers of an American battalion pinned down by German forces. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with Medal of Honor recipient George "Joe" Sakato at the 65th anniversary of the rescue of the "Lost Battalion" in Houston, Nov. 1, 2009. The event honored the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated unit composed mostly of Japanese-Americans. The unit rescued 230 men, lost more than...

"I will praise thee, O Lord." - Psalm 9:1 DEAR LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY, THIS HOUR AND THIS SECOND. LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME YOUR SAINTS CAN GATHER BEFORE YOUR THRONE OF GRACE WITH PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION. LORD, WE PRAY FOR ALL OF YOUR SAINTS NO MATTER WHERE THEY MAY BE OR WHATEVER THEIR NEED. LORD, WE PRAY ESPECIALLY FOR OUR TROOPS AND PATRIOTS WHO FAITHFULLY PLACE THERE PRAYERS FOR OUR HEROES AT THE FOOT OF THE THRONE,AND TO ALL MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT WHO HOLD YOUR TRUTHS CLOSE TO THEIR HEARTS. LORD, WE PRAY...

CARACAS, Venezuela – Two soldiers in Venezuela's National Guard have been shot to death near the border with Colombia. State television says unidentified assailants gunned down the soldiers at a roadside checkpoint in the western state of Tachira. It says Monday's slayings were confirmed by the National Guard and police.

Let me see if I have the facts straight. Last May, President Obama removed Gen. David D. McKiernan as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan and replaced him with Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who in September issued a dire report warning that, without as many as 40,000 more troops for the fight in Afghanistan, the mission "will likely result in failure." President Obama rebuffed that he would make no quick decision but take as long as needed to do a broad study first on the issue. Is this about genuine concern, or could this delay simply be a politically driven...

Psalm 48:1,2 How Great is the Lord! How Much we should Praise Him. He Lives upon Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. What a Glorious Sight! See Mt. Zion Rising North of the City, High Above the Plains for All to See; Mt. Zion, Joy of All the Earth, the Residence of the Great King.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal will soon hear word on 40,000 reinforcements for Afghanistan...how have his predecessors fared? When they've asked for more troops, have they gotten them?...has fulfilling their requests made a difference? A look back: Revolutionary War Washington called on the Continental Congress to beef up his army. But it had to rely on the states, which raised far fewer than the 88 battalions promised. War of 1812 Generals were hesitant to attack the British in Canada without an influx of troops. More were OK'd, but logistics prevented ambitious operations, leading to a draw. Mexican-American War Gen. Zachary Taylor had...

Originally, the New York Times reported on President Barack Obama’s visit to Dover AFB and the arrival of fallen serviceman by explaining that the White House wanted Obama to be seen as concerned and aware of the sacrifices made in America’s war policies: A small contingent of reporters and photographers accompanied Mr. Obama to Dover, where he arrived at 12:34 a.m. aboard Marine One. He returned to the South Lawn of the White House at 4:45 a.m. <…> The images and the sentiment of the president’s five-hour trip to Delaware were intended by the White House to convey to the...

The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. (Deuteronomy 28: 7)

She isn’t the President’s daughter, they just have the same name. She isn’t Obama’s daughter, they are just the same age. She doesn’t go to Sidwell Friends School, she sits at a little desk in a hut in Kabul. But next year, the Americans will be gone, the Taliban will be back, so she won’t go to school anymore. The mullah will come to look at her. They will give her to one of the old men with a beard, and she will go home with him, home to cook for him, home to wash his clothes and fetch his...

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children. I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. All flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. (Is. 49:25-26)

A former Marine Corps captain with combat experience in Iraq, Hoh had also served in uniform at the Pentagon, and as a civilian in Iraq and at the State Department. By July, he was the senior U.S. civilian in Zabul province, a Taliban hotbed. But last month, in a move that has sent ripples all the way to the White House, Hoh, 36, became the first U.S. official known to resign in protest over the Afghan war, which he had come to believe simply fueled the insurgency. "I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the...

Just can't be rushed to make a decision on Afghanistan. Hell, take six months to pick a dog. Hell, even try to ram a massive unread unfinished healthcare bill through in a couple weeks before August recess and get pissed it didn't happen, but hey, that's not a tough decision there, right Barack? While you're taking long vacations and then a vacation from your vacation because Teddy's funeral wore you out, after spending literally every week on tv in one form or another, playing hoops or golf, or popping out for ice cream or the organic market or hell burgers,...

Obama...indecisive? Perish the thought! He's just wants everyone to know that he's the type of Prez that will think things through before acting! And now that he's sent tens of thousands of soldiers into combat, there is no question who Obama is trying to destroy! NOTE: The author of this Comic requests that you please visit his web site and refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thank you

Jeremiah 29:11 I Know the Plans I have for You, Says the Lord. They are Plans for Good and not for Evil, To Give you a Hope and a Future.

” My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning, I will direct it to You, And I will look up.” ~Psalm 5:3~

<p>WASHINGTON — Only nine months ago, the Pentagon pronounced itself reassured by the early steps of a new commander in chief. President Obama was moving slowly on an American withdrawal from Iraq, had retained former President George W. Bush’s defense secretary and, in a gesture much noticed, had executed his first military salute with crisp precision.</p>

Afghanistan: The president's decision to withhold more troops over the country's less-than-pristine election is nothing but stalling. For our soldiers, desperate for reinforcements, it's a slap in the face. No doubt, a legitimate government, complete with free and fair elections, would be good for Afghanistan. Its Aug. 20 vote was loaded with trouble because the Taliban sliced off purple-inked fingers to discourage voting and because a United Nations electoral watchdog found widespread voter fraud. Yes, correct the problems. But holding U.S. troop reinforcements hostage isn't the way to do it. Elections aren't why we have troops in that country. They're...

"With thee is the fountain of life." - - Psalm 36:9 DEAR LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY, THIS HOUR AND THIS SECOND. LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME YOUR SAINTS CAN GATHER BEFORE YOUR THRONE OF GRACE WITH PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION. LORD, WE PRAY FOR ALL OF YOUR SAINTS NO MATTER WHERE THEY MAY BE OR WHATEVER THEIR NEED. LORD, WE PRAY ESPECIALLY FOR OUR TROOPS AND PATRIOTS WHO FAITHFULLY PLACE THERE PRAYERS FOR OUR HEROES AT THE FOOT OF THE THRONE,AND TO ALL MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT WHO HOLD YOUR TRUTHS CLOSE TO THEIR HEARTS. LORD,...

Psalm 70:4 Let those who Love Your Salvation Exclaim, "What a Wonderful God He is!"

For more than two decades the most admired, most respected and most trusted organization in America has been our military establishment. During the same period, the least admired, least respected and least trusted organization in the country has been the United States Congress. Only 15 points above Congress is the office of the President, which for the same period of time has only had a trust factor of 25%. Paradoxically, Congress, the organization that is ranked as having the trust of only 10% of the entire population is the same body of elected officials we rely upon to keep our...

IN Afghanistan they would call it a shura, the traditional tribal way of listening to elders’ views before reaching a consensus. In Washington, where President Barack Obama has now held five war councils, they are starting to call it dithering. With another council on the Afghan war scheduled for this week, US officials admit it could be November before a decision is finally taken on whether to agree to General Stanley McChrystal’s request for more troops. One participant revealed that the protagonists have not yet discussed troop numbers. Latest polls show a majority of Americans now disapprove of Obama’s handling...

KABUL (Reuters) – NATO's top defense officials will examine proposals Saturday for a big troop surge to contain Afghanistan's escalating insurgency but any such move hinges on a decision by the U.S. president, NATO military officials said. The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has recommended sending at least 40,000 additional troops and trainers as part of a beefed-up counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, something being considered by the administration of President Barack Obama. Military representatives on NATO's Military Committee, who provide assessments for their political masters, met McChrystal on a three-day visit to Afghanistan that ended...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. veterans criticized President Barack Obama's lengthy review of Afghan war strategy, saying on Thursday the drawn-out debate in Washington was a direct threat to troops and the nation's defense. The head of Veterans of Foreign Wars, a group representing 1.5 million former soldiers, issued a tersely worded statement urging Obama to follow the advice of his military commanders, who want more troops for the eight-year war. "The extremists are sensing weakness and indecision within the U.S. government, which plays into their hands," said Thomas J. Tradewell Sr., a Vietnam veteran and head of VFW. This was...

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamites have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me He shall send from Heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. ~Psalm 57:1-3

LONDON–Hours after Washington thanked Britain for sending more soldiers to Afghanistan, the White House was denying a report that President Barack Obama will announce U.S. plans next week to send up to 45,000 additional troops to the war-torn country. The BBC's Newsnight reported Wednesday that the Obama administration has already told the British government it will soon announce a substantial increase to its military forces in Afghanistan. The announcement could come next week, the report said, in time for a NATO defence ministers meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia. However, the report was immediately dismissed by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs,...

INTERVIEW-Kerry wary of sending more US troops to AfghanistanSource: Reuters By Simon Denyer and Thomas Ferraro 13 Oct 2009 22:24:08 GMT WASHINGTON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, who will travel to Afghanistan and Pakistan this week, said on Tuesday he was "very wary" of sending more American troops to the region. Minutes after getting off the phone to President Barack Obama about the issue, Kerry said neither of the two extremes -- a nationwide counterinsurgency and nation-building effort in Afghanistan nor "walking away from the place" -- were do-able. "The key in Afghanistan is...

Psalm 13:5,6 I have Trusted in Thy Mercy; My Heart Shall Rejoice in Thy Salvation. I will Sing unto the Lord, Because He hath Dealt Bountifully with me.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan has recommended an increase of 40,000 troops as the minimum necessary to prevail, two sources familiar with his recommendations said on Thursday. General Stanley McChrystal also gave President Barack Obama an option of sending more than 40,000 troops, the sources said, which could be politically risky given deep doubts among Obama's fellow Democrats about the eight-year-old war. One of the sources, both of whom spoke on condition that they not be identified because of the sensitivity of talking about recommendations to the president, said McChrystal also gave a third...

And Shep is being a complete retard after he made his offer. He is asking him about the sexual abuse case against him when he was on the Price is Right. What a complete arse!

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. ~Psalm 63:1-2

The 10th Mountain Division has been to Afghanistan four times since 2001 and twice to Iraq. It is common to meet senior NCOs and captains with three combat tours behind them, an experience unmatched by any generation of US soldiers since Vietnam. But that experience comes at a cost. British soldiers do six-month tours with 18 months off. America’s overstretched soldiers have been doing 12-month tours — and, in the case of 10th Mountain, a 15-month extended tour in 2006-07 — followed by nine months off. When soldiers talk about soaring rates of family breakdown, suicide and PTSD, there is...

I seem to recall FReepers posting about gatherings to greet the troops. Well, my son, Ben, just texted me that they had stopped there and had a ceremony as they were refueling and changing crew. Wondering if any Freepers might have been there and maybe took pictures.

Nine U.S. soldiers have lost their lives in the just the past three days in Afghanistan. A new report shows the Taliban is now in control of about 80 percent of the country, up from just over half two years ago. The top commander in Afghanistan says we need to up to 40,000 additional troops if we want to win the war. This week marks the eighth anniversary of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and the mission there is currently under great debate. Ghafar Lakwanwal, a Minnesota businessman who was born in Afghanistan, talked with WCCO's Don Shelby about what the...

~ EXCERPT ~ KABUL — Two more NATO soldiers, including one American, are reported dead in the latest fighting in Afghanistan. A NATO statement says the U.S. soldier died of wounds suffered in an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan on Sunday. The statement says a second service member died of wounds in a roadside bombing Monday in southern Afghanistan. NATO is not releasing the service member's nationality.

Acts 4:12 There is None Other Name Under Heaven Given Among Men, Whereby we Must be Saved.

Eight American soldiers and two Afghans have been killed in an attack on two outposts in remote eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said on Sunday. A tribal militia launched the attack from a mosque and a nearby village in Nuristan, one of the most dangerous regions of Afghanistan, the U.S. military said in a statement. The Americans and Afghans repelled the attack and "inflicted heavy enemy casualties," the statement said. In the U.S. statement, Col. Randy George described it as "a complex attack in a difficult area." The Taliban claimed responsibility.

KANDAHAR MILITARY BASE, Afghanistan (AFP) – Extra troops called for by the head of foreign forces in Afghanistan would be sent mainly to the north and west of the country, the US military said on Saturday. "It is where we have the fewest troops," a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity. US General Stanley McChrystal, who commands 100,000 US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, has reportedly asked for up to 40,000 extra troops and warned that without reinforcements in the next 12 months, the mission could end in failure. North and west Afghanistan were calm until the start...

< For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. (Psalm 61: 3, 4)

As we are living our lives back home, the war goes on. As we lay our heads down on a soft and comfortable pillow every night, there are soldiers fighting a war. As we run about our busy lives from errand to errand, our soldiers are fighting for our freedom. As we enjoy our delicious home cooked meals, our soldiers are eating less than desirable meals. While we are concerned with the next television show that comes on, our soldiers are concerned with the next I.E.D that is headed their way. While we get so busy that we forget to...

In February of 2009 President Barry Soetoro ordered 17,000 troops into Afghanistan my 20-year-old received orders and is now serving there along with other sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters. (see source) My question is why did the president order this nation’s young men and women into harms way if he didn’t properly assess the consequences of sending them there in the first place? Did his advisors tell him that 17,000 additional troops were enough to successfully complete our objectives and our mission in Afghanistan? Or was sending my child and other’s children to Afghanistan an empty political gesture...

THE call to send 40,000 more US troops to Afghanistan ignores a crucial military principle: Don't reinforce failure. In civilian terms, that's "Don't throw good money after bad." Anyway, we don't have the troops to send -- unless we want to ruin our exhausted ground forces. This is a surge too far. The Army faces the prospect of sending soldiers directly from Iraq to Afghanistan. The senior officers responsible for our soldiers' morale and readiness are appalled. Afghanistan is such a mess that you have to clear off tons of political garbage to reach the reality. And the reality is...