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

FRiends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style and Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

.

.

The USO Canteen FReeper Style
Delivering a Touch of Home

.

.

A Touch of Home

.

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

.

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.

[radu]

LOL! You're not thinking of jumping out of the chopper, are you? whew! The thought gives me the 'willies'.

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

Whoops. Strike that.

Ya' know...am I the only person wanting to hit the Reply button that is *inside* the lines, when scrolling through the My Comments section?

i.e....

-------------------------------------------------------------------- Post Reply | Private Reply | To 182 | View Replies

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

Posted by Snow Bunny to *USO Canteen; archy; Alamo-Girl; Angelwood; AntiJen; abner; A Navy Vet; ...

On News/Activism Oct 9 7:20 AM #7 of 238

Thank you all for your support of the USO Canteen FReeper Style, the troops and their families. Thank you Veterans so much!!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies

Republican Party Poll Watchers needed in FLORIDA!

Posted by windchime to getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL

On News/Activism Oct 8 11:56 PM #26 of 26

Every other time it's happened to me, I've caught it, but this time as I went to preview, my husband yelled from the other room, "The Bachelor's on!!" I'm hooked already; that guy is dreamy!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Jen hasn't checked in yet. And Linda wants to go so bad she said she'd learn quickly. And HJ hasn't answered the question if he can drive. Hmmmmmm.........I'm sure we'll find somebody. You are all set with Dramamine and we get to keep the rear ramp open, so we're almost set to go.

[Snow Bunny]

Hiya, Bunny Lady! BTW, from whom should I request to build me my own tank too? You, Souris, SAMWolf, LindaSOG...? I'm kinda feeling left out of the parade. Pretty please.... anybody?

.

I didn't make it,the first tank was a gift to Sam from LindaSOG. Then they both have fixed some little by little for people. I am horrible at making graphics. I am so glad you like the tank.I will put them in my reply to you so they see your post.

[LaDivaLoca]

May I? Well....haven't flown one at all but I'm game! Just bring the manual and I'll figure it out.

Oh, and please don't forget my chardonnay.

[Snow Bunny]

Hi Souris, this is wonderful. Thank you for your input I love it. And thank you for liking the thread Souris, that means a lot to me.I love the Night Stalkers.giggle

[radu]

Howdy Starman!! Good to see ya! :-))

[Kathy in Alaska]

The history of the USS Hammann is sure interesting. The daily posts you make sure are good for learning the history of the US Navy. Thanks.

[Snow Bunny]

I am so glad you put the link for Ted Maher!!!!!! I am still writing and phoning about him this is such a horror what they did to him and are doing to him.

[SAMWolf]

I disqualified myself, Karen, I've seen it before.

[Kathy in Alaska]

If you're not the pilot, we are in big trouble! AFCATMRet told us that Linda could jump from it and she is wanting to in the worst way. So what do we do for a pilot? How about AFCATRet? Surely we have at least one pilot in our Canteen crew.

[HiJinx]

I'm qualified to drive the Hummer...
We don't even want to consider putting me at the controls of Chinook.
Then again, with a few lessons...shoot, if my son can learn to fly, then so can I!!!

[Snow Bunny]

LMHO..hahhahahaa

[Snow Bunny]

Hi good to see you, thank you so much.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hi Starman!!

[Snow Bunny]

"tanks" .............ROTFMHO....Love it and welcome home Kathy.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Hi AC.

I can't stay tonight. Gotta get up early tomorrow.

Nighty night. Sweet dreams.

[Snow Bunny]

Fantastic !!!!!!!

Thank you Jen and Rintense! Love it !!!!

Hello President Bush, we are all for what you are doing to get these horrible people and you have my permission to destroy them completely if you know what I mean, heh heh.