Free Republic

Dana White, chief spokeswoman for the Pentagon, said she was aware of news reports that Turkey has asked the U.S. military to leave Manbij, but was not aware of any direct conversations about it, AP quoted her as saying. At this point, the Pentagon is not aware of any changes in the location of U.S. troops there, the AP report said.snipLt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie downplayed the chances of U.S. troops being threatened, but still noted that they will defend themselves if necessary, AP said.

​ ~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ FEET FIRST Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Don Harper enters the water for scuba operations during Exercise Dugong 2016 in Sydney, Nov. 8, 2016. The training exercise between the U.S and Australian navies advances tactical-level integration, capacity and interoperability. The U.S. sailors are assigned to Mobile Diving Salvage Unit 1. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Arthurgwain L. Marquez Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. PROPER FIT Air...

Conservatives constantly complain about Hollywood … often for very good reasons. The industry’s voice is almost uniformly liberal. Major stars (like Amy Schumer and Michael Shannon) talk down to Red State denizens in the ugliest ways possible. Films often mock or denigrate the U.S. Military (think Redacted for a glaring Exhibit A). Liberal messages abound in many films and TV shows. Consider the “resistance” themes lurking within Supergirl and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Sites like NewsBusters cover this terrain aggressively. Tinsel Town gives the site’s writers plenty of fodder. Hollywood also hasn’t captured the heroism displayed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan....

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders shared a heart-wrenching tweet Saturday highlighting the sacrifices that the American military makes on a daily basis and continues to make in spite of what occurs in Washington. Elsewhere on Twitter, the Senate GOP shared a #SchumerShutdown Clock counting the hours since Democrats forced a government shutdown.Sanders tweeted a photo showing an American Forces Network TV screen saying “Due to the government shutdown, AFN services are not available.” AFN provides television and entertainment such as professional sports, movies, music, and many more simple pleasures to American military around the world. I received this from a young...

I received a text from my Son In Law who is deployed in Africa. He sent me a text photo of the TV in the O-Club. All it showed was the logo of AFN...and a statement that said due to the government shut down, AFN will remain off air until the issue is resolved. Now, I know TV is not "essential." But I sure as hell would not want a few thousand troops to miss the Conference Finals later. Talk about a morale suck.

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ HORSE SOLDIERS The Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard salute the colors during a change of command ceremony for the 4th Infantry Division at Founders Field on Fort Carson, Colo., March 14, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. William Smith Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. OBSERVATION TOWER U.S. Army Sgt. Amanda Olmeda provides security from an observation tower on Forward Operating Base Fenty in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, March 13,...

Troops will not receive a paycheck this Friday if Congress fails to pass a budget or another short-term spending measure by then, according to the Pentagon. Troops will have to continue reporting for duty and will accrue pay, but cannot be paid until the actual money is appropriated, said Pentagon spokesman Christopher Sherwood in a statement to Breitbart News on Tuesday. President Trump is not able to exempt troops from a government shutdown, he said.

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ MISSILE LOADERS Paratroopers load an anti-tank missile during weapons training at a range in Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, Oct. 22, 2016. U.S. and Polish forces joined to demonstrate deterrence capabilities through airborne assault and combined defensive operations. Army photo by Sgt. William A. Tanner Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. SPOTTING A SEAMAN Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Blake Harrington spots Seaman Xavier Williams as he loads a pallet of...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ RED SMOKE MANEUVER Airmen maneuver through concealing smoke during tactical combat casualty care training at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach, NY, Oct. 21, 2016. The airmen, assigned to the 106th Rescue Wing Security Forces Squadron, learned to react to enemy contact and attacks from improvised explosive devices while focusing on combat care. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ RECEIVING INSTRUCTIONS Army Capt. Brandon Shorter, right, receives instructions on the M249 machine gun during Expert Infantryman Badge training at the 7th Army Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany, Oct. 17, 2016. The purpose of the Expert Infantry Badge is to recognize infantrymen who have demonstrated a mastery of critical tasks that build the core foundation of individual proficiency that enables them to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy through fire and maneuver and repel an enemy assault in close combat. Army photo by Gertrud Zach...

At a 9:00 a.m. (EST) this morning President Trump held a video conference with soldiers deployed overseas to wish them a Merry Christmas. The President complimented each representative assembly of the military on how well were doing in the fight against terrorism, and thanked them for their service.

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ VIGILANT VIEW An Air Force F-22 Raptor receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker while both units participate in Vigilant Shield 2017, a field training exercise, in the high Arctic, Oct. 18, 2016. The North American Aerospace Defense Command sponsored the annual exercise to improve operational capability in a binational environment. The Raptor is assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Pilots from the 92nd Aerial Refueling Squadron, assigned to Fairchild Air Force Base, WA, flew the Stratotanker. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Gregory Brook Canteen Mission Statement Showing...

Please join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for President Trump, Vice-President Pence, and for America: Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (I John 5:14) Religion forum threads labeled “Prayer” are closed to debate of any kind.

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ JUMP PREP Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Curtis Kuchera prepares to jump from an MH-60S Seahawk during search and rescue training in the Philippine Sea, Oct. 7, 2016. This training enables sailors to experience real-world proficiency in open-ocean rescue procedure and equipment. The sailors are assigned to the USS Ronald Reagan, which is supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Burke Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of...

The U. S. military has more than 44,000 troops across the globe that the Pentagon claims it cannot track, according to a recent report. “We are not at a point where we can give numbers other than those officially stated,” said Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman.

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ WASH AWAY Air Force Senior Airman Jacob Nevills washes the concrete from his face after helping fill a footer at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, May 3, 2016. Nevills is assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, whose members dug eight trenches to house eight footers for placing four relocatable buildings. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Justyn M. Freeman Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. TIMEOUT TAP Marine Corps...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ A ROUND OF SMILES Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Chad Sweetser hugs his children after returning home to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, WA, Sept. 23, 2016. Sweetser is an aviation electronics technician assigned to Patrol Squadron 40, which conducted reconnaissance operations in the 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Caleb Cooper Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. WARRIOR RUN Crown...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ FIREFIGHTING TRAINING Sailors aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard fight a simulated fire during a training scenario in the South China Sea, Sept. 28, 2016. The amphibious assault ship is supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia Pacific region. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class David Holmes Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. ICELANDIC SWEEP Air Force Staff Sgt. Cole Carroll sweeps an area with a mine detector during...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ FAST-ROPE DEMO An Air Force pararescueman fast-ropes from an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter during a personnel recovery demonstration at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, NY, Sept. 10, 2016. The airman is assigned to the 103rd Rescue Squadron and the helicopter crew is assigned to the 101st Rescue Squadron. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sergeant Christopher S. Muncy Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before....

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ SEA SPARROW MISSILE The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard fires a Sea Sparrow missile during Valiant Shield 2016 in the Philippine Sea, Sept. 18, 2016. The biennial exercise focuses on integrating joint training among U.S. forces. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Raymond D. Diaz III Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. RAINBOW VIEW Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Nicholas Jones prepares an electric blasting cap during...