A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....12-29-03....Military Monday

Billie, The Mayor | December 29, 2003 | Billie, The Mayor

[The Mayor]

A Few of FR's Finest
....Every Day

FR is a Treasure Trove of talented, compassionate, patriotic, wonderful people who gather every day to discuss the latest news and issues; salute and support our military and our leaders;  tell a few jokes;  learn a new word;  write poetry;  pray for those in need;  and congratulate those who are deserving. Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us the vehicle in which we can express ourselves.

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest November 11, 2001

So many people have written me since my original Veteran's Day Tribute, asking how they, or a loved one, could be included in that tribute. Since I could no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I had been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that didn't seem to be enough. I think there's never been a better nor more appropriate time to keep the faces of our own Veterans and Active Military in front of FReepers--every day! That's why I wanted to do yet another Daily Thread .....ABOUT FReepers .....and FOR FReepers. But not only about our Military FReepers; for all FReepers! Wouldn't it be nice to get to know a few of the other FReepers as well? That's why we've created a place for just that. This is a friendly room in JimRob's house where FReeper FRiends can gather every day and just say hello if that's all they want to do.

There's more of course. We sometimes feature different FReepers, with a little background information on who they are and what makes them who they are, along with a few photos you might not have seen on other threads; sometimes others write an essay for us to post as the feature for the day; sometimes our presentation is a human interest story found elsewhere that you might not have read; sometimes special holiday threads; but whatever the topic of the day, it is always with FR's Finest in mind and that is YOU!

If you would like to be featured, or would like to see someone else featured, please send me a private FR mail.

Every Monday we will post the photos of FR's Military Personnel that I have collected and put into groups; these will be available to view through a link the remainder of the week - every day just a click away. :)   If you would like to add a photo of yourself or a loved one in the military, past or present, please let me know; I will hold it until I have enough for a new group.

Thank you, and please have fun with us...every day! ~ Billie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank You For Serving Our Country!

TOP: Logos, SwedeGirl's hubby, Neil E Wright, FallGuy, 1John, Sneakypete
MIDDLE:  T'wit, COB1, LadyX, Dick Bachert, 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub
BOTTOM:  YankeeinSC, Delta21, JoeSixPack1

TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet
MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga
BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette
MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid
BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP
MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian
BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, TheMayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

TOP:  g'nad, AgThorn's son Justin, SLB, AgThorn's son Brett.
MIDDLE:  fish70, razorback-bert, CheneyChick,Leroy S Mort, Mark17.
BOTTOM:  Terry's Take, Taxman, DinkyDau.

TOP:  ValerieUSA's son Grant, SK1Thurman, kd5cts, RangerVetNam,
dansangel and .45man's son-in-law Tony
BOTTOM:  rangerX, Old China Hand, Trish, Howlin's dad, Mustang

TOP: ohioWfan's son, MamaBear's father-in-law, MamaBear's dad, ladtx
MIDDLE:  The Mayor's niece, M.Kehoe, Beach_Babe's son-in-law
BOTTOM:  deadhead's dad, HiJinx, Severa's hubby, viligantcitizen's granddad.

TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68.
MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797
BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack

TOP:  Q6-God, Scan59, Mama Bear and JKPhoto's son, ofMagog.
MIDDLE:  Big'ol_freeper, JustAmy's great uncle, Prodigal Son.
BOTTOM:  JustAmy's husband, JustAmy's brother-in-law, JustAmy's brother.

TOP:  dakine's wife, MeeknMing's dad, Auntbee's nephew, MilitiaMan7, AlasBabylon.
BOTTOM:  Joe Brower, Temple Owl, Temple Owl's wife, dutchess' dad, Aomagrat.

TOP:  ladtx #2 son; DiverDave's twin Don; petuniasevan and husband
poorman; Mustard; ladtx #1 son;
BOTTOM:  AlamoGirl's brother Floyd; AG's dad; AG's brother Jim (inset);
WVNan's husband; ladtx' Aunt Eva.

TOP: Mo1's dad; BuffyT's Uncle (right, w/ her dad & grandmother); Armymarinemom's 3 sons.
MIDDLE: ru4Liberty's dad; SheLion's husband, MaineRebel; wirestripper.
BOTTOM: fivetoes; bigghurtt; hurricane; ladtx' dad; Pippin's brother.




                     

THE WEEKEND THREAD 12-13,14-03 Week in Review

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

Click on the photo to view the album. To
submit your photo, please contact dansangel or .45Man
at
danbh59@yahoo.com
and include Freeper Photo Album in subject line.

[Dubya]

"Osprey is doing well in testing program"




Article published Dec 29, 2003
Osprey is doing well in testing program

JACKSONVILLE - Three years after two crashes killed 23 Marines, the MV-22 Osprey testing program is moving ahead smoothly, a local commander said.

Developmental test pilots recently surpassed the 1,000-flight-hour mark since the Osprey’s return to the air and sea trials on amphibious assault ship decks. Up next will be formation flying and air-to-air refueling before evaluators formally look at their progress again, said Col. Glenn Walters, commander of the Marine Tilt Rotor Test and Evaluation Squadron 22 at New River Marine Corps Air Station, adjacent to Camp Lejeune.

The V-22 is a hybrid design with fixed wings and propellers that can tilt upward, so the craft can take off and land like a helicopter, then rotate forward, so it can fly like an airplane. The Marines want the Osprey to replace the aging CH-46 Sea Knight transport helicopters.

The $40 billion program has been plagued by design flaws and other problems.

Nineteen Marines were killed in an April 2000 crash in Arizona. That December, an Osprey crashed in a forest near Jacksonville, killing the four Marines aboard.

The aircraft was grounded after that crash, just days before the Navy was scheduled to decide whether to move the V-22 into full production. In addition, the commander of the Osprey unit in North Carolina ordered his unit to falsify maintenance records to make the V-22 look more reliable.

The Arizona crash was triggered by an aerodynamic situation called vortex ring state, which can occur when a rotorcraft descends too quickly while moving forward, losing lift due to its own rotor turbulence.

The North Carolina crash was caused by a leak in the hydraulic lines, compounded by faulty flight control software.

Officials said improvements have been made, and the aircraft returned to the air last year.

The tiltrotor aircraft hailed as the future of Marine Corps flight operations returned to a North Carolina base in August to resume formal evaluation and testing.

Col. Walters said there will probably be a "quick-look" operational assessment of the aircraft around April or May. Operational evaluation could begin by the end of 2004, Col. Walters said.

Col. Walters said he likes the Osprey’s new, two-panel pilot position, making constantly scanning every 3-inch gauge in the cockpit a thing of the past.

But some of the biggest improvements are intangible, such as morale.

"They’re very excited," Col. Walters said. "Normally, you have to go look for someone from avionics to swap something out (on an aircraft). When I took my first flight, I probably had 60 maintenance personnel watching me come in."

[JustAmy]

Thank you both for today's thread. Amy's Place and I brought a little poetry over for Military Monday!



God Save the Flag

Washed in the blood of the brave and the blooming,
Snatched from the altars of insolent foes,
Burning with star-fires, but never consuming,
Flash its broad ribbons of lily and rose.

Vainly the prophets of Baal would rend it,
Vainly his worshippers pray for its fall;
Thousands have died for it, millions defend it,
Emblem of justice and mercy to all;

Justice that reddens the sky with her terrors,
Mercy that comes with her white-handed train,
Soothing all passions, redeeming all errors,
Sheathing the sabre and breaking the chain.

Borne on the deluge of all usurpations,
Drifted our Ark o'er the desolate seas,
Bearing the rainbow of hope to the nations,
Torn from the storm-cloud and flung to the breeze!

God bless the Flag and its loyal defenders,
While its broad folds o'er the battle-field wave,
Till the dim star-wreath rekindle its splendors,
Washed from its stains in the blood of the brave!

...Oliver Wendell Holmes

[Dubya]

"N.C. areas aim to keep bases open"




Article published Dec 29, 2003
N.C. areas aim to keep bases open
Cities, counties fear economic impact

RALEIGH - State and local governments are offering plenty of incentives in what may be one of the biggest economic-
development pursuits in U.S. history.
But the aim is not to lure a drug maker or cigarette manufacturer. The incentives are designed to keep existing military bases open in the face of Pentagon plans to close several installations to cut costs.
With its six major bases, North Carolina has plenty to lose. The bases provide more than 100,000 uniformed personnel and 20,000 civilians. They have a combined economic impact of about $10 billion a year.
The legislature has already committed $2 million to the fight, and local communities are pulling together hundreds of thousands more to hire consultants and draft regulations to shield bases from encroaching development.
"Our response has to be much more specific and sophisticated than what we've done in the past," said Leigh McNairy of Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue's office, who was hired recently to help Lt. Gov. Perdue oversee the state's base-protection efforts.
"Our job is to connect the dots and go after this as we would anything else that would enhance the state in such a tremendous way."
The Pentagon plans to slash up to a quarter of its base capacity, with closings scheduled to be announced in 2005. The process began last week with the publication of the proposed criteria for deciding which bases to cut, but North Carolina and other military-dependent states have been working to protect their installations for months or even years.
A commission on military affairs here is drafting recommendations for state leaders that include establishing a special fund to help acquire property or easements for critical land around bases. The money could come from state gasoline taxes generated on military bases.
The plan also would urge the state to improve roads, sewers, water supplies and other infrastructure in eastern North Carolina, where all of the major bases are located.
Congress has ordered the Pentagon to make military usefulness a top consideration, while other factors will include economic impact on the surrounding community, potential savings to the government and the ability of the community to support the base.
Many in the military think North Carolina's two largest installations – the Army's Fort Bragg in Fayetteville and the Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville – have little to fear and could gain when bases elsewhere are closed.
Still, local governments have worked for months with the military to protect the bases from encroaching development, which can curtail some military exercises.
Local leaders around Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point at Havelock are doing likewise. A four-county consortium of local governments and utilities, for example, is planning to spend $430,000 to protect Cherry Point.
The base is home to an aircraft repair depot that employs 4,000 civilians at an average annual salary of nearly $50,000. It is the biggest civilian employer east of Interstate 95.
Some of the money is coming from local governments in the area, including $50,000 committed by Craven County and $20,000 from Havelock. The group also is raising money from private industries that benefit from the base.
"When the base-closing process starts, nine people hold your future in their hands," said Havelock Mayor Pro Tem Jimmy Sanders, chairman of the consortium. "If the depot was simply to go away and those 4,000 jobs vanished, it would be absolutely devastating, not just to Havelock but to all of Eastern North Carolina."
David Sorenson, a professor at the U.S. Air Force's Air War College in Alabama, wrote "Shutting Down the Cold War: The Politics of Military Base Closure." He said this round of closings will likely feature less of the political influence that may have tainted earlier rounds of closings, Mr. Sorenson said.
"I think that we'll probably have a refinement of the previous system because this will likely be held up to much greater scrutiny," he said.

[JustAmy]

A belated Merry Christmas to you, Ladtx and a Very Happy New Year.

For the ones who lost their lives protecting our FReedoms, we say a special prayer for their families. May God Bless and Comfort them.

[JustAmy]

Good Evening, Jwfiv.

I agree, we must remember our military in our daily lives. Without them and the ones who preceded them, there would be no America as we know it.

[JustAmy]

I agree, Meg.

Nice to see you.

[MeekOneGOP]

ok

[Victoria Delsoul]

Nice thread, Mayor. Thanks. :-)

[The Mayor]

Thank you Ladies and Gents for all your kind words but,
beleive me the work I did was nothing but cut and paste.
Maybe type in a few words here and there.
The work for today was done by Billie, and the rest of you
everyday of the week, cept weekends where we all kind of
drift in and out.

I enjoy posting coffee and the Good Word everyday, I honestly look fwd to it.
So Good Night and we will see you all for coffee..

[Victoria Delsoul]

Nighty night, Mayor. Sweet dreams.

[Billie]

Thank you again for posting our Military tribute, Rus. Goodnight, All - will see you in the morning with our 6th Hall of Fame (a year and a half for the Finest!) :)

[Kudsman]

Great job Mayor. I'm glad I got to read your first Finest thread. I look forward to many more.

Goodnight. I'm finding this is an enjoyable way to either almost begin or almost end a day. Reading communications and well wishes to and from some truly special people is a welcome relief from some of the daily trials. What spirit you share. :-)

[The Mayor]

What spirit you share.

Thankyou..

Best place to hang your hat on the internet!

[Billie]

Hall of Fame #6

[MeekOneGOP]

hehe ! :O)

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..what a long time it's been since I've seen you! Thanks, Byron!...

You're very welcome, my dear. I'd like to thank you for these threads. It's so important to remind people that the freedoms we enjoy only exist due to the sacrifice of others. Keep up the great work! All the best, Byron

[Byron_the_Aussie]

...haven't seen you in a month of Sundays! How is everything "down under"?...

Delightful! Great weather day after day, enabling the traditional Aussie Christmas break of sun, fun and a little over-imbibing. :) Great to hear from you, and all the best for 2004, B

[dixie sass]

Hay! I didn't know that, but I sho' do now!