Free Republic

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 24, 2009 – How do you plan Thanksgiving dinner for 180,000 people more than 6,000 miles away? If you’re a food buyer at the Defense Logistics Agency, you start by making a shopping list in April for meals to be served to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Providing superb meals to our U.S. troops is a critical mission of the Defense Logistics Agency, and one we put a great deal of effort into,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Scott Chambers commander of the DLA Philadelphia field activity, which provides all the food for U.S. military personnel worldwide,...

US President Barack Obama is widely expected to announce next week that he favours sending more than 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan, in a momentous decision for his presidency. At an appearance on Tuesday with Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister, Mr Obama said that after eight years in which the US did not have “either the resources or the strategy to get the job done, it is my intention to finish the job”. He added: ”the whole world... has a core security interest in making sure that the kind of extremism and violence that you’ve seen emanating from this region...

President Barack Obama has settled on a new course for the eight-year war in Afghanistan that he said Tuesday will “finish the job” and that he will announce to Americans after Thanksgiving. “After eight years, some of those years in which we did not have, I think, either the resources or the strategy to get the job done, it is my intention to finish the job,” Obama said at a news conference following his meeting with the prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh. “And I feel very confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're...

"Be thankful unto him, and bless his name." - Psalm 100:4 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,...

John 10:27-29 My Sheep hear My Voice, and I Know them, and they Follow Me: And I Give unto them Eternal Life; and they shall Never Perish, Neither shall Any Man Pluck them out of My Hand. My Father, Which Gave them Me, is Greater than All; And No Man is Able to Pluck them out of My Father's Hand.

The 2008 national election clearly shows our next generation of leaders must possess something that many recent and current elected officials lack: intellectual courage. President Nixon believed all leaders, regardless of their time, needed “brains, guts and heart.” Others have defined those character traits as “the right stuff.” “Given what is likely needed to right our ship of state, I don't think that it will come as a great surprise to many that our current men and women in the military are likely going to be the ‘right’ individuals for the job when they come home,” said Lara Brown, a...

A number of US troops have been injured when an Afghan soldier opened fire at their convoy in Khost province, the third such accident in less than two months. Local officials in eastern Afghanistan announced on Sunday that an Afghan soldier opened fire on a US convoy injuring several US troops late Saturday, IRNA reported. The officials who wanted to remain unnamed added that the Afghan soldier was also injured during the incident. However, it was not clear whether he was shot by the US soldiers or himself. This is the third time such an accident has happened in the...

Fox News: The president may be undecided on whether to put more forces in Afghanistan, but he was happy to share face time with some troops at his last stop in South Korea before returning to the United States. "You guys make a pretty good photo op," the president reportedly joked with the 1,500 troops at Osan Air Base. Video at link.

Holiday Message to our Troops! Sign the Card With Your Message (Fox News Radio) A GroupCard for Our Troops! Started By: FOX News Radio Delivery Date: Monday, Dec 7 - 3pm Eastern This GroupCard can be signed and viewed by many people. Pass this card around: Message from FOX News Radio: FOX News Radio would like to send our troops a big THANK YOU from all our loyal listeners and friends. Please take a moment to send your note of thanks. Include a photo, or a sticker if you would like. More Message from FOX News Radio: Sign This Card...

If you want to send a holiday card to one of our troops, please send it to Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capital Heights, MD 20791-5456, but it must be postmarked no later than Dec. 7th.

” Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

In the old days, when I was a kid, we used to put on our patent leather shoes, chiffon and tulle dresses and walk to the neighbor kid's birthday party carrying a wrapped Mr. Potato Head, or Barbie Doll. We were willing to suffer the indignation of dressing up on a Saturday for a slice of thick, homemade cake and a collection of prizes like a Pez dispenser or a ring-whistle or a wooden paddle ball awarded to the winner of each game. Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Musical Chairs and, my favorite, the treasure hunt. Our hostess would...

As our powerless secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, dutifully covers her head to attend the inauguration of an Afghan president so unpopular his ceremony has to be held behind closed doors, our AfPak (Afghanistan/Pakistan) policy isn't merely adrift. It's sinking. President Obama inherited a mess, and promptly made it worse. But let's be fair: There's plenty of blame to go around in the ongoing Afghan nondecision debacle, as well as regarding our follies in Pakistan. If the devalued buck stops at the president's desk, it's also true that the generals involved with AfPak have failed to fulfill their duties to...

A soldier's letter to the editor follows: "The tragic results of victim disarmament were made real with the shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. If this were a moral and proper world, as soon as the suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, drew his weapon, every person in the building would have had their sights leveled on him. U.S. military installations’ immoral and unjust anti-self-defense policy disarmed only the victims of this crime. How many more events like this is it going to take before Defense Department officials realize that victim disarmament costs lives and Congress amends the Uniform Code of Military...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger talks with Spc. Ferrell Mapp, a resident of Richmond, Calif., and a member of the California National Guard, 49th Military Police Brigade, during a breakfast event held on Camp Victory, Baghdad, Nov. 17. At right is Brig. Gen. Donald Currier, commander of the 49th, and close aide to the governor in his civilian job. Photo by Sgt. Kenneth Bince, 49the Military Police Brigade. BAGHDAD — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger shared breakfast and conversation with his State’s Soldiers during a visit here to Camp Victory, Nov. 17. Schwarzenegger said he visited the Fairfield, Calif.-based 49th Military Police...

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over...

The pillars of heaven tremble, And are astonished at His rebuke. He stirs up the sea with His power, And by His understanding He breaks up the storm. By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, And how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26:11-14)

One night in August, the Taliban stormed a local police station in this once-peaceful province and shot dead the governor's younger brother. Since then, the governor has singled out a culprit: The German military, which he says refused to send a helicopter to rescue his brother as he bled to death. "I called them and they said that wasn't a mission they could do," said Gov. Mohammad Omar. "They don't like to go out at night." German officials said there was no way they could have saved his brother. They offered their condolences, and said the death is just one...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2009 – NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen today predicted the alliance’s future mission in Afghanistan will entail a counterinsurgency approach with “substantially more troops.” The NATO chief, speaking to the alliance’s Parliamentary Assembly, said he expects NATO will reach a troop-level decision in a few weeks for the International Security Assistance Force it leads in Afghanistan. “I’m confident it will be a counterinsurgency approach, with substantially more troops, and will place the Afghan population at the core of ISAF’s collective effort by focusing on their safety, and by supporting reconstruction and development,” he said. Rasmussen’s remarks...

Psalm 54:4-6 God is my Helper; He is a Friend of mine. He will cause the Evil Deeds of my Enemies to Boomerang upon them. Do as You Promised and Put an End to these Wicked Men, O God. Gladly I Bring my Sacrifices to You; I will Praise Your Name, O Lord, for it is Good.

WASHINGTON – Morale has fallen among soldiers in Afghanistan, where troops are seeing record violence in the 8-year-old war, while those in Iraq show much improved mental health amid much lower violence, the Army said Friday. Soldier suicides in Iraq did not increase for the first time since 2004, according to a new study. Though findings of two new battlefield surveys are similar in several ways to the last ones taken in 2007, they come at a time of intense scrutiny on Afghanistan as President Barack Obama struggles to come up with a new war strategy and planned troop buildup....

“Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 ” Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.” Psalm 116:15

PLYMOUTH, Mass. -- As family and friends mourn a fallen U.S. paratrooper on Veteran's Day, his mother made an emotional plea to President Barack Obama that it's time to either bring home the troops or end the war in Afghanistan. The body of Benjamin Sherman, 21, was recovered in Afghanistan Tuesday. "It's time we do something. This has gone on too long. They either need to come home or we need to end it," a tearful Denise Sherman said.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Most Americans oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan, as President Barack Obama nears a decision on whether to ramp up US engagement in the eight-year war, a poll suggested on Wednesday. The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey said 56 percent of respondents were against deploying more boots on the ground, while 42 percent support sending a larger US troop contingent. Overall, 40 percent of those surveyed expressed support for the conflict, with 58 percent opposed. The poll was released hours before Obama was meeting with his national security team and top military brass to sift through four strategic...

Obama will not make a decision until after November 20th, so General McChrystal will just have to wait...Report from Foxnews, confirmed by CBS's Mark Knoller...(Video)

CBS News: Tonight, after months of conferences with top advisors, President Obama has settled on a new strategy for Afghanistan. CBS News correspondent David Martin reports that the president will send a lot more troops and plans to keep a large force there, long term

General George Casey, Army chief of staff, on Sunday became the latest U.S. military official to advocate sending more troops to Afghanistan as President Barack Obama nears a decision on a new strategy. General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has recommended a 40,000-troop increase, but Casey would not comment on how many additional troops were needed. "I believe that we need to put additional forces into Afghanistan to give General McChrystal the ability to both dampen the successes of the Taliban while we train the Afghan civilian forces," Casey said on NBC's "Meet the...

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.