USO Canteen FReeper Style....Night Stalkers Don't Quit.. ..October 9,2002

FRiends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style and Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

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The USO Canteen FReeper Style
Delivering a Touch of Home

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A Touch of Home

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This is how I think of the USO Canteen 
Freeper Style. It is like a cottage down a road,
a place where a weary veteran can spend the night. 

Since it opened, it is magical how so many
Freepers who post here, feel it too. 
It has been so dear how the Freepers
kept making it a cottage - a home-type of 
place that had a huge living room
for them to visit in and a dance floor, 
a library, etc. 

Many Veterans have written to me, 
saying that the Canteen is like home
to them for the first time since they 
served. 

This is your Canteen -
a respite from our busy 
and sometimes troubling world. 
Make yourself at home.

Snow Bunny

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If you know a Veteran, someone in your family, 
friend of the family, neighbor, who served their  
country, take a brief moment of your day to thank 
them. 

Thank them for the sacrifice they made
for the better good of their country.

We at Free Republic, and the USO Canteen FReeper 
Style, are thankful for every service member 
in our military, who has served our great nation.

So, to the men and women who answered the call,
in both times of war and peace, thank you.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields. 

John McCrae 

Night Stalkers

160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)
"Night Stalkers Don't Quit"
Regiment motto

Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
 whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
 Then said I, here am I; send me.
 Isaiah 6:8

The 160th SOAR (Airborne) provides helicopter
support to Special Operations Forces worldwide.
The members are experts at night missions.

Operation Enduring Freedom
"They and all who are participating in
Operation Enduring Freedom are heroes.
They put their lives on the line on behalf
of freedom and on behalf of America,
and they do it each and every day. I’m
so very proud of them and their
comrades in arms."
General Richard B. Myers

Night Stalkers:The Army's 160th Special
Operations Aviation Regiment ,whose motto
is "Death waits in the dark" gets its nickname
from its focus on operations requiring nighttime,
low-level flying. The Night Stalkers fly aircraft such
as a version of the Army's Blackhawk helicopter,
customized with infrared imaging gear and high-tech
weaponry.

The Army owes its modern night fighting
aviation capabilities to the
160th Special Operations Aviation
Regiment (Airborne) who pioneered
night flight techniques, shared in
the development of equipment,
and proved that…….
"Night Stalkers Don't Quit"
a motto the Regiment lives by.

The unit originally was formed from
attachments from the 101st Aviation
Battalion, 158th Aviation Battalion,
229th Aviation Battalion and the
159th Aviation Battalion, immediately
entered into a period of intensive night
flying and quickly became the Army's
premier night fighting aviation force
and the Army's only Special Operations
Aviation force.

Task Force 160 was officially recognized
as a Unit on 16 October 1981 when it
was designated as the 160th Aviation
Battalion. Since that time, the 160th
has become known as the
"Night Stalkers," because of their
capability to strike undetected
during darkness, and their
distinguished performance around the world.

It is often difficult to describe the many varied
reasons why certain individuals elect to join in
military service to their country. Life in the United
States Army can be arduous and demanding.

It is a lifestyle in which much, often beyond
comprehension, is asked. Rewards, for the most part,
can be no more than a feeling of have done a good days
job, all the while finding yourself sleeping alone in a cold,
dark, dreary foreign land with no more to eat than a 5 year
old dried out MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat), and the fleeting
memory of your wife and kids. Why a handful of select
individuals would desire this life time pursuit is inexplicable.

However, the following photograph may shed some light.

Ceremony marks return of wings

A pair of well-traveled wings found its
final destination Tuesday after serving
a role in America's war on terrorism. The
wings represented the spirit of American
Airlines flight attendant Sara Low, who lost
her life on Sept. 11 when Flight 11 crashed
into the World Trade Center.

The flight attendant wings were given to
Sara's father, Mike Low, by Karyn Ramsey,
Sara's friend and co-worker, as a remembrance
of his daughter. The same wingspan medallion
took flight on more than 20 combat missions with
a 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment
flight crew in Afghanistan. A Tuesday ceremony,
attended by about 500 people, embodied a father's
fight to keep his daughter's memory alive in the hearts
of family, friends and American aviators.

The event to return the symbolic memento was the
first time a large number of media and television
cameras were allowed onto the heavily guarded
special ops compound at Fort Campbell.

"As Americans we are so thankful
for what you have done for us,"
Mike Low told the flight crew. "
After 9/11 my family and I struggled
to focus on positive things. You are heroes
in the purest definition of the word. You
have given us a great gift of brightness in
very dark times."

The 160th SOAR (Airborne) provides helicopter
support to Special Operations Forces worldwide. <>br> The members are experts at night missions. Flight
engineer Staff Sgt. Mark Baker, 27, volunteered to
wear the gold-colored wings above his heart during
every mission when he heard about the father's request.

He and the MH-47E Chinook helicopter flight crew
returned from their mission about mid-March.

"If my daughter died that way,
I would want someone to step up
and do the same thing," said Baker
who's been with the "Night Stalkers"
for six years.

The look of gratitude was sincere in Low's eyes
as he transferred a necklace with Sara's photo
and an Army coin to Baker. The ceremony also>br> solemnly reflected on the nine 160th soldiers
who lost their lives fighting terrorists since
Sept. 11.

"This is a great healing process for everyone,"
said 160th commander Col. Richard L. Polczynski.
"We had this ceremony because we want to show
that U.S. soldiers are doing something good. I've
got 1,600 people that are Night Stalkers and every
one is proud to have done this
~ to have payback for the nation."

Thursday, 7 March 2002, soldiers hurry to load
ammunition onto a waiting CH-47D Chinook
helicopter at Bagram Air Base.

The tarmac at Bagram Air Base, 65 km (40 miles) north
of Kabul, Friday, 8 March 2002, near CH-47D Chinook
helicopters belonging to A Company, 7th Battalion, 101st
Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, that are
ready to take off for Gardez to participate in the campaign to
flush out Taliban and al-Qaeda holdouts in the mountains
of eastern Afghanistan

At least 9 people, 7 of which were
U.S. troops, were killed 4 March 2002
when an American Army special forces
MH-47E helicopter was shot down in
Afghanistan as Afghan and Western
forces pressed their biggest attack of the
war against regrouping al-Qaeda and
Taliban fighters. The map shows a
perspective view of the area of eastern
Afghanistan where the offensive was concentrated.

The nine people were killed in ferocious
exchanges with al-Qaeda and Taliban
fighters in the mountains of eastern
Afghanistan

10th Mountain Division load into a Chinook helicopter
as they prepare to return to Bagram Air Base on Sunday,
10 March 2002, from fighting near the villages of Sherkhankheyl,
Marzak and Bobelkiel, Afghanistan. The towns were an al-Qaeda
and Taliban stronghold which came under intense bombing and
firefights as the coalition forces battled to root them out. As there
we not enough seats available, soldiers climbed aboard and sat
down anywhere they could.

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battalion
prepare to get on a Chinook helicopter Sunday, 17 March 2002,
in the Shahikot valley region of eastern Afghanistan. The helicopter
is one of the many operated by B Company - "Hercules", 159th
Aviation Regiment, from Hunter Army Airfield, near Savannah, Georgia.

A lone U.S. Army MH-47E Chinook, assigned to the
160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment
(SOAR) – "Nightstalkers", Fort Campbell,
Kentucky, patiently
awaits the next assignment in the back
country of Afghanistan
while ground crews check the security
of the camp perimeter.

A CH-47 Chinook prepares to land for the extraction
of Canadian ground security forces from 1st Platoon, A
Company3rd Battalion Princess Patrichas Canadian Light
Infantry, as well as U.S. personnel on 11 April 11 2002.

[Kathy in Alaska]

LOL! Does it go high enough for you to jump out of? Or is just a ride OK? I have to get Dramamine for radu first.

[HiJinx]

Why jump?
Use the Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System (LAPES) to ride your Hummer down to the ground!
Just make sure you have your seat belt buckled and helmet securely fastened...and insurance premiums paid!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Without answering stupid questions, has your son finished his training and is he doing what he trained to do now? Please thank him for his service to our country.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks for today's airplane history of the Dragonfly, Mr_Magoo.It looks so low to the ground.

[Kathy in Alaska]

"That's how I see it!" by Todd Webb

We will not forget! The media has done everything they could do since the election to minimize the coverage of President Bush; he has been talking to people all across the United States ever since he took office, but the media ignores him. Now he makes a speech about possible war with Iraq, and the media can't be bothered. We will not forget!

[AFCATMRet]

Definitely can and does serve as a jump platform.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hi Buppy!

[tomkow6]

OOOOOOOOooooooooooo! My "voices" wanna do this:

I DON'T!

[tomkow6]

1. What president was Florida's Cape Canaveral
renamed for?

2. What is the only state with a one-syllable name?

3. The oldest city int the U.S. is in what state?

4. What San Francisco-based company is the world's
largest apparel manufacturer? (Hint: denim)

5. What patriotic songwriter, known as the Yankee
Doodle Dandy, wrote more than five hundred songs?


ANSWERS:

1. John F. Kennedy; Cape Kennedy is the site of the Kennedy Space Center.
2. Maine
3. Florida; it is St. Augustine, founded by the Spanish in 1565.
4. Levi Strauss, maker of Levi's, Dockers, etc.
5. George M Cohan, the subject of the movie "Yankee Doodle Dandy"

[tomkow6]

Diary Of A Blonde Newlywed

Dear Diary,

Monday: Now home from honeymoon and settled in our new home, it's
fun to cook for Bob. Today I made an angel food cake and the
recipe said, "Beat 12 eggs separately." Well, I didn't have
enough bowls to do that, so I had to borrow enough bowls to beat
the eggs in. The cake turned out fine.

Tuesday: We wanted a fruit salad for supper. The recipe said,
serve without dressing." So I didn't dress. But, Bob happened to
bring a friend home for supper that night. Did they ever look
startled when I served the salad.

Wednesday: I decided to serve rice and found a recipe which said,
"Wash thoroughly before steaming the rice." So I heated some
water and took a bath before steaming the rice. Sounded kinda
silly in the middle of the week. I can't say it improved the
rice any.

Thursday: Today Bob asked for salad again. I tried a new recipe.
It said, "Prepare ingredients, then toss on a bed of lettuce one
hour before serving." I hunted all over the garden by my mom's.
So I tossed my salad into the bed of lettuce and stood over there
one hour so the dog would not take it. Bob came over and asked
if I felt all right. I wonder why?

Friday: Today I found an easy recipe for cookies. It said, "Put
all ingredients in a bowl and beat it." Beat it I did, right
over to my mom's house. There must have been something wrong
with the recipe, because when I came back home again it looked
the same as when I left it.

Saturday: Bob went shopping today and brought home a chicken. He
asked me to dress it for Sunday. I'm sure I don't know how hens
dress for Sunday. I never noticed back on the farm, but I found a
doll dress and some little shoes. I thought the hen looked real
cute. When Bob saw it, I wondered why he counted to 10.

Sunday: Today Bob's folks came to dinner. I wanted to serve
roast, but all we had in the icebox, was hamburger. So I put it
in the oven and set the controls for roast. Must be the oven,
because it still came out hamburger.

Good night, Dear Diary. This has been an exciting week. I am
eager for tomorrow to come, so I can try a new recipe on Bob.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hey, Linda, look what the Air Force says.........

Definitely can and does serve as a jump platform.

[Radix]

I just got in from a long Day Sam and I am catching up on the thread.

In case anyone cares, I have been boycotting certain Entertainment stars and other things for a long time.

I know that it may seem hokey, but I do it anyhow. I first started with Woody Allen. I think that he is a pig. The Burt Reynolds thing irked me too (the row with Lonnie Anderson).

In the case of so called Actors especially expressing opinions I always wondered just exactly that it is that gives them relevence! These people make a living by pretending to be someone that they are not! Considering that they are professional fakes, why on Earth would anyone listen to anything that they had to say?

I have a number of Hollywood Stars who`s income I will not ever willingly or knowingly contribute to.

Since the Impeachment thing, and the dumb stuff that I have seen and heard, I have a lot of things to which I deprive myself. I can now look at it as more time for Freeping!

C'est la vie.

[Radix]

Merci Bien Cote

Tu es une amie verite!

[Victoria Delsoul]

Hi Bunny! Oh no, I missed you by a few minutes this morning. :-(

Hope to see you tonight.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Miss you too, Flagman!