Free Republic

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ SATELLITE LAUNCH The Air Force launches the ninth Boeing-built Wideband Global SATCOM satellite at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, March 18, 2017. Such satellites play an integral part in the strategic and tactical coordination of military operations. Courtesy photo by United Launch Alliance 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. MORTAR SHOCK Soldiers brace themselves while firing mortar rounds during a fire mission supporting the Iraqi army's 9th Division...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ ROPE WEB Army Sgt. Amanda Spear descends a rope ladder on the obstacle course for the Indiana National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Camp Atterbury, IN, March 4, 2017. Spear is assigned to the 638th Aviation Support Battalion. During the event, soldiers needed to demonstrate proficiency in warrior tasks and skills, including marksmanship, emergency first aid and land navigation. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Evan Myers Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ SPACECRAFT TRAINING New York Air National Guard pararescuemen and combat rescue officers jump from a Hawaii Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster III into the ocean near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, March 7, 2017, as they train to test new techniques and equipment that will be used to recover the crew module of NASA's Orion spacecraft. The airmen are assigned to the 103rd Rescue Squadron. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Muncy Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies'...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ DETECTOR DUTY Air Force Staff Sgt. Todd Hughes checks the anti-ice detector during an intake inspection on an F-16C at Daytona Beach, FL, Feb. 24, 2017. The Thunderbirds, the Air Force's demonstration squadron, performed the flyover during the opening ceremonies of the Daytona 500 race. Hughes is a dedicated crew chief assigned to the team. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Boitz 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!! ~ STALLION OVERHEAD Marines prepare to attach a concrete barrier to a CH-53E Super Stallion during helicopter external load training at Arta Beach, Djibouti, Feb. 16, 2017. The Marines are assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 11, and the Stallion and crew are assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163 (Reinforced), 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brandon Maldonado 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. RECAPTURE TRAINING...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ SUNSET WORK Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joseph Benoit tests the weapons rack releasing system on an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft at sunset in Southwest Asia, Feb. 6, 2017. Benoit is a weapons specialist assigned to the Vermont Air National Guard’s 407th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Benjamin Wilson 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. PALADIN SUPPORT Soldiers fire an M109A6 Paladin from a tactical assembly...

NASEEB, Syria — Syrian soldiers fanned out across towns and villages in southern Syria Saturday, celebrating the recapture of the main border crossing with Jordan by raising portraits of President Bashar Assad and tearing down rebel flags. Troops captured the Naseeb border crossing a day earlier following a crushing two-week military offensive, after rebels announced they had reached an agreement with Russian mediators to end the violence in the southern province of Daraa and surrender the crossing.Some flashed victory signs and pumped fists in the air as they chanted pro-Assad slogans. A soldier could be seen hoisting the Syrian flag...

...deployments to places around the world under his dive belt, he also served as the chief instructor at CDQC prior to assuming his role as the team’s senior non-commissioned officer (NCO). A sergeant’s sergeant, he’s of the opinion that if you go SF, you need to “earn all three lightning bolts” — which represent air, land, and sea on their unit patches. “Damn near every other special operations unit requires their guys to both jump and dive, why shouldn’t we?” Other members of the team include Jeremy, the team’s senior medic, who knows firsthand what it’s like to receive one...

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!! ~ WHISKEYTOWN LAKE LINE Army National Guard soldiers secure a ramp on a temporary floating bridge at Whiskeytown Lake near Redding, CA, Feb. 11, 2017. The unit was practicing emplacing the improved ribbon bridge as part of its monthly training. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Amy E. Carle 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. SUBAQUATIC SHUTTERBUG Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Austin Simmons conducts annual underwater photography training off...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ SECURING CARGO Airmen secure a load of cargo in a C-130H Hercules at Qayyarah Airfield West, Iraq, Feb. 3, 2017. The airmen, assigned to the 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, delivered 30,000 pounds of cargo to aid in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jordan Castelan 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. CONTINUING CARE An airman preps a C-130H Hercules...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ ICY CLIMB Army National Guard Soldiers climb an ice-covered cliff at Smugglers' Notch in Jeffersonville, VT, Jan. 28, 2017. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Sarah Mattison 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. WELDING WORK Air Force Tech. Sgt. Gregory Kirchner welds a metal plate in the metals fabrication shop at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jan. 27, 2017. Kirchner is assigned to the 3rd Maintenance Squadron. The aircraft...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ AIR AND SPACE OPERATIONS CENTER COMMANDER SPENDS DAY WITH AIR NATIONAL GUARD RESCUE SQUADRONS Air Force Col. Harlie Bodine, commander of the 611th Air and Space Operations Center, participates in an immersion flight with the 176th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard’s rescue squadrons on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Nov. 24, 2015. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Edward Eagerton 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. CLAM SHELL...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ NIGHT BOARDING Paratroopers board and position their gear inside an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft before participating in a night jump at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, March 31, 2016. Air Force photo by Alejandro Pena 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. ROCKET EXERCISE A Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom fires rockets during an urban close air support exercise at Yodaville near Yuma, AZ, April 1, 2016. The Venom is...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ MARINE MUSCLE U.S. Navy sailors pull a combat rubber raiding craft carrying Marines into the well deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown during amphibious operations in the Philippine Sea, Sept. 11, 2014. 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. JAVELIN THROW U.S. soldiers fire an M98 Javelin weapon system during range operations on the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, Sept. 23, 2014. PARATROOPERS JUMP U.S....

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ FINAL FIXES Soldiers make final adjustments to their uniforms before the start of the 58th inauguration parade in Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2017. The soldiers are assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as "The Old Guard." The parade route stretched about 1.5 miles along Pennsylvania Avenue from the U.S. Capitol to the White House. Army Reserve photo by Master Sgt. Michel Sauret 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!! ~ SLINGLOAD TRAINING Soldiers conduct slingload training at the Baumholder Military Training Area in Baumholder, Germany, Jan. 26, 2017. The soldiers are assigned to assigned to the 8th Medical Company. Soldiers assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment provided helicopter support. Army photo by Erich Backes 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. PUSHUP POWER Army Reserve Sgt. Wenceslaus Wallace does pushups in the headquarters building of the 335th...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ SHOULDER RESCUE Army Sgt. Jason C. Carroll carries a young resident through flooded streets in Monroe, LA, March 10, 2016. Carroll is electronic warfare specialist noncommissioned officer assigned to the Louisiana National Guard's 528th Engineer Battalion, 225th Engineer Brigade. The unit used light tactical vehicles as it worked with the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office to navigate the high waters and assist residents. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Tarell J. Bilbo Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ BATTLE TANK TEST Soldiers fire a live round from an M1A2 battle tank during an accuracy test in Swietozow, Poland, Jan. 16, 2017. The soldiers are assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team. The unit's arrival marks the start of rotations of armored brigades in Europe. This rotation will enhance deterrence capabilities in the region, improve the U.S. ability to respond to potential crises, and defend allies and partners in the European community. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Micah...

President Trump said on Thursday that the U.S. would be out of Syria "very soon" in the fight against ISIS. "We're knocking the hell out of ISIS. We'll be coming out of Syria, like, very soon," President Trump said in an Ohio speech focused on infrastructure, referring to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria terror group. "Let the other people take care of it now. Very soon. Very soon, we're coming out. We're going to have a hundred percent of the caliphate, as they call it. Sometimes referred to as land, taking it all back. Quickly, quickly," he continued....