Free Republic

VAIL — A Vail man faces first-degree murder charges after he allegedly shot and killed a man outside a Vail bar over the weekend, Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert said today in a court hearing. Richard "Rossi" Moreau, 63, is being held without bond in the Eagle County Jail. He is expected to be formally charged in a Dec. 1 hearing, Hurlbert said. His attorney, Reed Owens, said Moreau has met with jail doctors. Owens said he wants to make sure Moreau can get the medication he takes for post-traumatic stress disorder while he is jailed. "We may have...

One landed on Omaha Beach just past dawn on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The other survived a German POW camp. Neither claims to be a hero — which is precisely why we honor these two Tucsonans as Veterans Day approaches. "Yes, I was scared. You had to be. But I credit our training for getting me through," says Bob Kirby, 88. A corporal with the 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion, Kirby waded in chest-deep water onto Omaha Beach 50 minutes past the first landings. "Bodies were floating all around, and bullets were pinging in the water. I don't know why we...

http://www.popaditchforcongress.com/

Launching An American Knight in Washington Written by John Horvat    Thursday, October 29, 2009 On October 27, the TFP Washington Bureau was filled with friends and supporters to hear a presentation on the book, An American Knight The Life of Colonel John W. Ripley, USMC just authored by TFP member Norman Fulkerson. The author presented the book to a full and lively auditorium of some 50 people and later personally signed copies. As a special guest, Duke Paul of Oldenburg from the German TFP, gave the opening remarks commenting on the meaning of chivalry today. Also attending was...

WATERLOO --- Northeast Iowa soldiers attached to "Ironman Battalion" are facing another lengthy deployment. The Waterloo-headquarterd Iowa Army National guard 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry regiment spent nearly two years on active duty --- mostly in Iraq --- starting in 2005. It appears the Iowa National Guard unit will spend another year away from family and friends, this time in Afghanistan. The U.S. Department of Defense announced Tuesday the guard's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th "Red Bull" Infantry Division, of which the 1/133rd is a part of, is on alert. The division will begin deploying in the fall of 2010 to...

The "Axis of Idiots"  From the Podium:J. D. Pendry, Retired Sergeant Major, USMC FROM THE PODIUMThis retired USMC Sgt. Major has his Stuff together. Jimmy Carter, you are the father of the Islamic Nazi movement. You threw the Shah under the bus, welcomed the Ayatollah home, and then lacked the spine to confront the terrorists when they took our embassy and our people hostage. You're the "runner-in-chief." Bill Clinton, you played ring around the Lewinsky while the terrorists were at war with us. You got us into a fight with them in Somalia and then you ran from it. Your...

Hope this is the right spot for this. My husband and I would like to assist the families of fallen soldiers with our charity monies. However, there are several different charities, all claiming to provide money to widows/ers and children of fallen troops. I want to be sure that we send money to a viable charity who really does get as much of the money as possible where it needs to go. Do any of you have experience with any charity of this kind? I've been looking at Fallen Soldiers Fund (http://www.fallensoldiersfund.com), Children of Fallen Soldiers Fund (http://www.cfsrf.org) and Fallen...

Maurice Sendak’s poetic, luxuriantly illustrated Where the Wild Things Are is revered as a childhood classic, but I think it speaks more powerfully to grown-ups than to children, or at least children of the age for picture books. I’ve met grown-ups who don’t like it, but I suspect they wouldn’t have liked it as kids either. If a child doesn't like it, there is always the chance he will grow into it a few years down the road. If kids do like it, it may be that they grasp that there is something there they don’t quite understand, something waiting...

This is a video Flash Movie of scenes from all 50 states set to the song, America The Beautiful.

Burial of an American Lady Written by Norman Fulkerson    Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Colonel Ripley often referred to Moline as his "queen." On September 25, 2009, a small group of family and friends said their final farewell to Moline Blaylock Ripley. She died at her home in Annapolis, Md., on Saturday, September 12, 2009 at the age of 68. Moline was born in Bluefield, W.Va., on Pearl Harbor day, December 7, 1941, to Arnold Vincent and Edna Pais Blaylock. Her family eventually moved to Radford, Va. where she attended Radford High School and later went on to graduate...

shocking I tell ya!

There's an email whipping around the internet, supposedly written by a Navy SEAL who complains that President Obama delayed decisions to deploy the Navy SEALs because he wanted to resolve the hostage standoff with Captain Richard Phillips "peacefully." There's enough background detail in the email to suggest it was in fact written by a SEAL, but several senior military officials who were involved in the direct planning and execution of the mission -- including in consultations with the White House and President Obama -- tell NBC News the claims are bogus.

The Sack Lunches I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan After...

Family lore alleges that one of my great-aunts was the first woman commissioned an officer in the U.S. Navy during the mid-1920s, but as I have no way of proving that, I let it pass. Before 1928, she was in fact a captain, and so while one cannot allege she was the first, it appears probably she had been one of the first. And her older sister (by two years), before 1928, was a major in the U.S. Army. The two were the 12th and 14th children of my great-grandfather, a farmer and coal-miner in northeastern Pennsylvania circa 1880-1938. It...

Marvin Kostrowski died in Vietnam and his death is listed as Hostile Ground casualty yet he was killed by Friendly Fire.

Gov Palin skipped the Values Voter Summit since her son Track is back from Iraq this weekend....

If this is indeed an organization that helps vets, please let me know and let me know what I can do to contribute. I am retired AF and am 70% disabled. I would like to help anyone who needs assistance in my area: Seminole FL Zip code 33772 - Tampa Bay area

Wow! 0bama sure went 180 on his decision to send more troops into the war in Afghanistan. Do you think the fringe liberal left gave him the facts on how things work? You want my vote on healthcare, shut down the war like they did in Vietnam and let the Taliban start chopping off the heads of anyone that helped the Americans. Nawww the lib's would never do it again.

One wounded Marine meets a wounded Soldier. One runs for Congress, the other lives on the streets. After 3 year LeGer will get some VA support. Daniel Gilyeat, a Marine, lost his left leg to an IED in Iraq. Joseph LeGer, a Soldier, lost his left leg to an IED in Afghanistan. Beyond their service and injuries, the two American Heroes are a contrast in experiences. LeGer stood with an uncovered wound. Gilyeat stood with a mechanical leg. Gilyeat said he asked questions, scratched....

My husband, Rick Rescorla, was one of the 3,000 Americans murdered by terrorists on 9/11/01. Rick was Vice President of Security for Morgan-Stanley/Dean-Witter, the largest tenant in the World Trade Center. His heroic actions on the day of the attack, along with his extraordinary foresight and preparation, saved the lives of 2,700 people. His story has been told on television and radio - in newspapers and magazines - and in the book Heart Of A Soldier, by Pulitzer Prize winner James B. Stewart. Rick is also on the cover of another book, We Were Soldiers Once... And Young, written by...

The decision of the Associated Press to release a photograph of the last moments in the life of Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard, especially after his family objected, is contemptible.

This came from a Marine unit over in Iraq. SLEEP LAST NIGHT? Bed a little lumpy... Toss and turn any... Wish the heat was higher... Maybe the a/c wasn't on... Had to go to the john... Need a drink of water... Scroll down Yes... It is like that! Count your blessings, pray for them, Talk to your Creator And The next time when... The other car cuts you off and you must hit the brakes, Or you have to park a little further from Walmart than you want to be, Or you're served slightly warm food at the restaurant, Or...

Link to the image since the port office pulled it from their website. Remember, the president had to approve this.

1. In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress. -- John Adams 2. If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed. -- Mark Twain 3. Suppose you were an idiot.. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself. -- Mark Twain 4. I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and...

If you fail to submit... you will meet the tax man.

I just got done reading a book about England during the Dark Ages. By the way, there exists startling similarities between Ethelred the Unready ("unready" in this sense meaning "uncounseled") and Pa Kettle in the White House; in fact, one can predict Pa Kettle's foreign policy strategy by reading of Ethelred's. Anyway. There is much mention of military communications during this period (say, circa 500-1066 A.D.), which was facilitated by lighting beacons. Apparently it took a rider on a fast horse four days to get from the North of England to London, but with the use of beacons, messages could...

Jesus is the greatest example of a friend. (John 15:13), "There is no greater gift that anyone can give that a man would lay down his life for another".

Larry was like a father to me. We spoke on the phone several times in May just before his death. Larry told me he was in the tent when Patton slapped that soldier and that he came over to Larry and Patton spoke to him. Larry said he wasn't sure if Patton was going to yell at him too and he was a bit afraid. I don't know the html to post a picture here so I'll just post links to 3 photos of Larry. God Bless Larry and all the other WWII Vets to die before him. http://www.rhyner.com/photos/lhb/larrybloedelbronzestar.jpg http://www.rhyner.com/photos/lhb/va_hospital.jpg...

A photo gallery in remembrance

OFFICIAL U.S.M.C. COMBAT PHOTOS OF CHINA, GUAM, OKINAWA & IWO JIMA Those that served in the Pacific will remember these 100 photos from the USMC's fight there. http://www.rhyner.com/photos/china.html My father passed away some time ago. He brought these home. He was in all 4 places. He was in the 1st. Division 1st. Regiment 3d Marine Amphibious Brigade pansgold Viet Nam Era vet

The New Bakersfield, California National Cemetery is now open and accepting veterans for burial. The first vet buried was killed in Iraq less than a month ago. The VA will bury your spouse with you if you wish. They include a vinyl vault and headstone with your spouse's name on the back of your stone. It also offers perpetual care and opening and closing of the grave. Check it out. Many of the vets from the Vietnam Era are in their 60's and beginning to make plans for the end. Remember... you earned this! pansgold

Veterans and active-duty servicemembers not in uniform can now render the hand salute during the playing of our national anthem, thanks to changes in federal law that took effect this month. The legislative change was sponsored by Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., an Army veteran, and included in the Defense Authorization Act of 2009. The new provision improves upon a little-known change in federal law last year that authorized veterans to render the hand salute during the raising, lowering or passing of the flag. But it did not address salutes during the national anthem. Last year's provision also applied to members...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The remains of Navy pilot Michael Scott Speicher returned to his Florida home on Thursday, 18 years after his FA-18 Hornet was shot down on the first night of the 1991 Gulf War. Speicher's remains arrived at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station around 3 p.m. About ten minutes later his coffin was rolled off the plane draped with the U.S. flag. It was to remain at the All Saints Chapel on the base overnight.

Are there any sources of benefits available to needy Veterans?

Lt. Col. D. Scott Brenton is 25th Pilot in the World to Spend 4,000 HoursFlying the F-16 HANCOCK FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, NY (08/10/2009)(readMedia)-- A New York Air National Guard pilot in the 174th Fight Wing has become the 25th pilot in the world to accrue 4,000 hours of flight time in the F-16. On Saturday, August 8, Lt. Col. D. Scott Brenton, a Manlius resident, hit the 4,000 hours mark when he took off in F-16 86-0249 on a routine training mission and then touched down at 11:15 a.m. "I have often joked that I have never considered...

My Youngest and last Grand Nephew Marine Boot Graduation.

Lance Corporal Brandon Lara comes back home to Texas.

Receiving an E Award from the U.S. Military for excellence in the production of the M-4 bayonet.

I was called today by an organization called the Foundation of American Veterans soliciting contributions for Louisiana soldiers. I inquired what they did. I was told that they provide supplies to the local VA. I asked for a physical address for my Louisiana Vets, (123 Main St. Hobnob, LA 71007) and was put off. I then proceeded to tell this snot nosed, ass-hat that if couldn't tell me, give me your supervisor. The sup came on the line, and told me how great this "foundation" was. He proceeded to try and pump sunshine up my ass, until I "politely" requested...

FORT HUACHUCA — One island-hopped during World War II fighting the Japanese. Another slugged it out with the Viet Cong in Vietnam. Both were wounded. On Saturday, former Pfc. James Gann, 85, and former Spc. 4th Class Frederick Golladay, 59, finally received their Purple Heart Medals, with Gann also being presented a Bronze Star Medal and Golladay an Air Medal. It was past time for the two men to be honored, Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said in Fitch Auditorium, where a number of younger soldiers watched the ceremony at Fort Huachuca. “I am honored to be on the post...

Hello Folks: A little help please. For those of you that visit V.A. doctors, could you please tell us if you have had good experiences, or bad ones. Also there is a place on the page to nominate your doctor for the best V.A. PRIMARY CARE doctor. Thank you my friends http://www.silverstarfamilies.org/POLL.html#bn-forum-1-1-3423506117/410

After researching the situation involving the Veteran’s Memorial Cross located in the Mojave Desert and reviewing the Writ of Certiorari, numbered 08-472, the Board of Directors of the Silver Star Families of America met in regular session on July 6th, 2009.

Arthur Pryor, born in 1870 in St. Joseph, Missouri, became a virtuoso trombonist, a trombone soloist in Sousa's Band, Sousa's assistant conductor, and beginning in 1903, the conductor of Pryor's Band. In 1917, when America entered World War I, Pryor composed a "patriotic march song" titled "We'll Be There, Uncle Sammy". Here are the lyrics by William Devereux with a MIDI sequence of the music by Arthur Pryor.We'll Be There, Uncle Sammy

I have received two different scam letters, supposedly from our troops in Iraq, one regarding so-called hidden buried loot from Sadam, and one regarding large sums of cash. I believe that I was targeted because I am a relative of an aviator killed during Operation Desert Strike. Has anyone else received similar letters? Is there a way to apprehend the perpetrators? The letter writers pretended to be U.S. troops, but the idiomatic expressions and general tenor of the letters were clearly written by those not steeped in American speech. I fear older recipients might be gullible enough to "help" the...

I want to start a defense contracting company. I have expertise in education and training, in addition, I am a former US Marine and a former magazine editor. I want to help the armed forces produce high quality curriculums for both officers and enlisted. I have a few questions about going about this. A) Do I need security clearance just to place a bid to do contract work with the military? B) Some companies check out your finances to get a picture of your competence as a potential business manager. I know that they check your finances for the security...

The National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning has officially opened, with retired Gen. Colin Powell speaking at the grand opening. The four-star general and former secretary of state joined other dignitaries Friday at the $107 million, 190,000-square-foot museum honoring the 234-year history of the U.S. Army Infantry. The building contains a 13,000-square-foot hall with six galleries covering battles from the Revolutionary War to Iraq. Outside, Gen. George Patton's original office and sleeping quarters are found on World War II Street, which also displays 1940s barracks, mess hall and other buildings moved from their original locations on Fort Benning.

For the past month, Emma Ramirez has been sleeping with her late husband. Each night, she tucks the urn full of his ashes into the bed they shared and talks to him in her dreams. Saying goodbye is harder than she imagined. But when her grief wanes, the Tucson woman plans to have her mate buried at sea as a tribute to his years of Navy service. "I know he would be honored," Ramirez, 58, said of her husband, Francisco M. Ramirez, a retired chief petty officer who died on May 15 at age 99. The Ramirezes are among a...

Okay, the professional civilian here, again. While reading more about D-Day and its aftermath, I'm finding that it was policy to constantly infuse already-existing Army units with new people, the units having been worn down by "attrition." I had always assumed that it was policy, once a unit was all torn up, battered up, decimated, that it was pulled back, and an entirely new unit was sent in. And while being pulled out of action, two purposes were served; that of giving the survivors a chance to catch their breath, and giving commanders time to build them back up to...

This is not disputed at snoopes...... Subject: Fw: Fwd: From my brother Dave This e-mail is from the father of a young man that left a very lucrative position to join the USMC . He was a Lieutenant who sustained life threatening , and permanently disabling injuries from IED in Iraq . It will fill you with emotion . -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Joan and Red, Since Dave Jr. has been injured he has met and been overwhelmed by many, many political and military "celebs". The list includes Bob Gates, Sec. of Defense, who came into his room and told him 3...

I just heard from my daughter, Rebecca (his wife). They are trying to remove fragments from the spinal cord. He still has no feelings in the lower legs or feet. He will be coming into Walter Reid next week. Thank you for all your prayers. Dusty was among the 10th Mountain Division soldiers wounded or killed last week in the IED attack.