USO Canteen FReeper Style ....Guantanamo Bay.... October 29,2002

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 

Anti-Terrorism Detainee Operations Mission

U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay
is the oldest U.S. base overseas

and the only one in a Communist
country. Located on the southeast
corner of Cuba, in the Oriente Province,
the base is about 400 air miles
from Miami, Florida.

In December 1903, the United States
leased the 45 square miles of land and
water for use as a coaling station. A treaty
reaffirmed the lease in 1934 granting Cuba
and her trading partners free access through

the bay, payment of $2,000 in gold per year,
equating to $4,085 today, and a requirement
that both the U.S. and Cuba must mutually
consent to terminate the lease.

Diplomatic relations with Cuba were cut
in 1961 by President Dwight Eisenhower.
At this time, many Cubans sought refuge
on the base. U.S. Marines and Cuban
militiamen began patrolling opposite sides
of the base's 17.4 mile fenceline. Today,
U.S. Marines and Cuba's "Frontier Brigade"
still man fenceline posts 24 hours a day.

In October 1962, family members of service
people stationed here and many base
employees were evacuated to the United
States as President John F. Kennedy
announced the presence of Soviet missiles
in Cuba. This was the start of the Cuban
Missile Crisis which resulted in a naval
quarantine of the island until the Soviet Union
removed the missiles. The evacuees were
allowed to return to the base by Christmas 1962.

Another crisis arose just 14 months later
on Feb. 6, 1964, when Castro cut off water
and supplies to the base in retaliation for
several incidents in which Cuban fishermen
were fined by the U.S. government for fishing
in Florida waters. Since then, Guantanamo
Bay has been self-sufficient and the Naval Base
desalination plant produces 3.4 million gallons
of water and more than 800,000 kilowatt hours
of electricity daily.

The base is divided into two distinct areas by
the 2 1/2 mile-wide Guantanamo Bay. The
airfield is located on the Leeward side and the
main base is on the Windward side. Ferry
service provides transportation across the bay.
The primary mission of Guantanamo Bay is to
serve as a strategic logistics base for the
Navy’s Atlantic Fleet and to support counter
drug operations in the Caribbean.

In 1991, the naval base's mission expanded
as some 34,000 Haitian refugees passed through
Guantanamo Bay. The refugees fled Haiti after a
violent coup brought on by political and social
upheaval in their country. The naval base
received the Navy Unit Commendation and
Joint Meritorious Unit Award for its effort.

In May 1994, Operation Sea Signal began
and the naval base was tasked to support
Joint Task Force 160, here providing
humanitarian assistance to thousands of
Haitian and Cuban migrants. In late August
and early September 1994, 2,200 family
members and civilian employees were
evacuated from the base as the migrant
population climbed to more than 45,000
and the Pentagon began preparing to house
up to 60,000 migrants on the base.

The last Haitian migrants departed here
Nov. 1, 1995. The last of the Cuban migrants
left the base Jan. 31, 1996. In October 1995,
family members were authorized to return,
marking an end to family separations. An
immediate effort began to restore base facilities
for family use, including a child development
center, a youth center, two schools and Sunday
A school. Additionally, the revitalization of Boy
and Girl Scout Camps and the Guantanamo
Bay Youth Activities (a free sports program
for children) was enacted.

Since Sea Signal, Guantanamo Bay has
retained a migrant operations mission
with an ongoing steady state migrant
population of approximately 40. The
base has also conducted two contingency
migrant operations: Operation Marathon
in October 1996 and Present Haven in February
1997. Both of these short-fused events
involved the interception of Chinese migrants
being smuggled into the United States.

After 52 years of service, Guantanamo's Fleet
Training Group relocated to Mayport, Florida, in
July 1995. One month later, the naval base lost
another major tenant command when the
base's Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity
disestablished after 92 years of service here.

The Naval Base includes, as separate
commands, a Naval Hospital and Branch
Dental Clinic, detachments of the Personnel
Support Activity, Naval Atlantic Meteorologic and
Oceanographic Command, Naval Media Center,
Naval Communications Station, Department of
Defense Dependent Schools and a Navy Brig.
Directly supporting the base as departments of
Naval Station are Naval Criminal Investigative
Service, Resident Officer in Charge of Construction,
Human Resources Office, Family Support and
Service Center, Red Cross, Security and Navy
Exchange/Commissary.

Al Qaeda Prisoners At Camp X-Ray

To identify the camps, a name was
designated to each to correspond with
the phonetic alphabet used for official
military "radio" communication (Camp
Alpha, Camp Bravo up to Camp Golf).
When additional sites were established
on the north side of the base, camp names
were designated using the opposite end of
the alphabet, to include Camp X-Ray.

As of February 19, 2002, Camp X-Ray
was the only camp site on the northern side
of the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay
and was being used as a temporary
detention facility.

Following the events of September 11, 2001,
the military operations in Afghanistan and the
ensuing captures of numerous Al Qaida and
Taliban individuals, a decision was made to
transfer a number of detainees to the facility.
The base was to serve as a temporary holding
facility for Al Qaeda, Taliban and other
detainees that come under U.S. control
during the war on terrorism.

The U.S. Southern Command was in charge
of the operation and activated Joint Task
Force-160 (JTF-160) to head the detainee
operations. The task force included active
duty service members from Fort Hood, TX;
Fort Campbell, KY.; Roosevelt Roads, P.R.;
Camp Lejeune; Norfolk, VA; Dover AFB, DE,
and Charleston AFB, SC. Reserve component
personnel were to also deploy on this mission.
Military Police personnel were to make up
the bulk of JTF-160.

The first detainees arrived at Camp X-Ray January 11, 2000

Among the items detainees receive
are soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste,
shampoo, a foam sleeping mat, two
blankets, a prayer cap and a Koran.

U.S. Army Pfc. Jodi Smith watches from
the outer perimeter as detainees in orange
jumpsuits sit in a holding area in Camp X-Ray
at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during
in-processing to the temporary detention facility
on Jan. 14,2002

The detainees will be given a
basic physical exam by a doctor,
to include a chest x-ray and blood
samples drawn to assess
their health.

DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st
class Shane T. McCoy, U.S. Navy.

U.S. Army Military Police escort a detainee
to his cell in Camp X-Ray at Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during in-processing
to the temporary detention facility on
Jan. 11, 2002. The detainees are being given
a basic physical exam by a doctor, to include
a chest x-ray and taken and blood samples
drawn to assess their health. DoD photo by
Petty Officer 1st class Shane T. McCoy, U.S. Navy.

Detainees in orange jumpsuits sit in a
holding area under the watchful eyes
of Military Police at Camp X-Ray at
Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
during in-processing to the temporary
detention facility on Jan. 11, 2002. The
detainees will be given a basic physical
exam by a doctor, to include a chest x-ray and blood samples drawn to assess their health.
DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st class
Shane T. McCoy, U.S. Navy.

Security teams stand guard at their positions during a
rehearsal on Thursday, January 10, 2002 for handling
incoming detainees. (U.S. Navy handout)

A sign reading "direction," written in Arabic,
on the northeastern-most guard tower at Camp X-Ray.
The sign is intended to show detainees the direction
of Mecca. (U.S. Navy handout)

When taken to interrogation, a detainee's head is
forced down by a guard "so he can't make a plan."

[Mr_Magoo]

I looked for my ping list and could not find it. Then I remembered that my ping list merged with my pong list and was lost in a game of ping-pong.

Then I looked for my bump list . . . But that one was bumped around in the shuffle and no longer goes bump in the night.

So, I had to resort to adding you to my Dufus list. Which is comprised of those dufuses who can't understand that this thread exists solely and only to support the Troops. Anything which does not support the Troops has no purpose here. I keep my dufus list filed alongside my whale dung collection. (you can't get much lower than that)

Have a nice day.

:-)

[tomkow6]

whale dung collection. (you can't get much lower than that)

Primordial Muck come to mind....

[HiJinx]

Well...since you're an adult, no, you don't have to wear a helmet.

OTOH, if you aren't careful how you steer, how fast you're going, or what kind of incline you're driving on, 'helmet hair' could be the least of your worries!

Tell ya what, because we love you...wear a helmet, ok?

HJ

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Heroes.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Okay. I'll wear a helmet. For you, "Teach". : )

[tomkow6]

021026-N-8213G-002 At sea aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) Oct. 26, 2002 -- Flight deck personnel attach a cargo line to an SA-330 "Puma" helicopter during an underway vertical replenishment operation. George Washington is homeported in Norfolk, Va., and is nearing the end of a scheduled six month deployment after completing combat missions in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Southern Watch. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Konstandinos Goumenidis.

021026-N-9047Q-002 At sea aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Oct. 26, 2002 -- USS Kitty Hawk receives fuel from the Military Sealift Command (MSC) ship USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) during an underway replenishment. Replenishment of fuel and supplies while at sea allow Navy ships to remain on station indefinitely. Kitty Hawk is the Navy’s only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier and operates out of Yokosuka, Japan. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Raul Quinones.

021024-N-5555F-001 Naval Station Bremerton, Wash. (Oct. 24, 2002) -- Early morning fog sets across the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) before her scheduled underway period later in the morning. The crew of the Carl Vinson is conducting training in preparation for their next scheduled deployment. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Martin S. Fuentes.

[SAMWolf]

B-57 Canberra Bump!



Canberra B-57B - 13th Bomb Sqd, USAF, Phan Rang



Martin EB-57



Canberra B-57B - 71st Bomb Sqd, USAF



Canberra B-57 - 405 Bomb Sqd, USAF, Laon, France 1955-1958

The B-57 was the first aircraft of foreign design to be chosen for US production since 1918. Martin Aviation's design was based on the English Electric Aviation Canberra. The twin engine light tactical bomber served with the Tactical Air Command from 1955 to 1969 in bombers, reconnaissance and electronics warfare aircraft roles. Several Air Force Reserve B-57's were called to active duty during Vietnam where their large iron bomb loads came in handy for counter insurgency operations. The bombay doors rotated around the belly to keep the plane sleek during bomb runs.

[Soaring Feather]

Hi Duchess!
Gee you're looking real sporty! I just want to be a little hep today.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Knowing your penchant for speed, Yes, you have to wear the helmet. I would rather see helmet hair, than splattered brains. Ugly thought I know, but "Safety First" for the speed demons. And that would be you!

[SAMWolf]

The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) seen as the sun rises in the North Arabian Gulf on October 28, 2002. Ships from the Lincoln Battle Group have moved to the Arabian Gulf to support Operation Southern Watch over Iraq after supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Picture taken October 28. REUTERS/Chip East

Sailors at their security post stand with a 50 caliber machine gun on the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) as it gets under way in the North Arabian Gulf on October 28, 2002. Ships from the Lincoln Battle Group have moved to the Arabian Gulf to support Operation Southern Watch over Iraq after supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Picture taken October 28. REUTERS/Chip East

Sailors wash the 300 lb. links of the anchor chain as the anchor is raised on the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the North Arabian Gulf on October 28, 2002. Ships from the Lincoln Battle Group have moved to the Arabian Gulf to support Operation Southern Watch over Iraq after supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Picture taken October 28. REUTERS/Chip East

As a reminder of the attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, air crews painted 'Nose-Art' on aircraft aboard the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the North Arabian Gulf, seen on October 28, 2002. Ships from the Lincoln Battle Group have moved to the Arabian Gulf to support Operation Southern Watch over Iraq after supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Picture taken October 28. REUTERS/Chip East

Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class Jeff Jarvis paints 'Nose Art' on an F/A-18E Super Hornet aboard the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) on the first day of air operations in the North Arabian Gulf on October 29, 2002. Ships from the Lincoln Battle Group have moved to the Arabian Gulf to support Operation Southern Watch over Iraq after supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. REUTERS/Chip East

As a reminder of the attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, air crews painted 'Nose-Art' on aircrafts aboard the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the North Arabian Gulf, seen on October 28, 2002. Ships from the Lincoln Battle Group have moved to the Arabian Gulf to support Operation Southern Watch over Iraq after supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Picture taken October 28, 2002. REUTERS/Chip East

The 'Shooter' signals the pilot of an F/A-18C Hornet that he is about to be launched from the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) on the first day of air operations in the North Arabian Gulf on October 29, 2002. Ships from the Lincoln Battle Group have moved to the Arabian Gulf to support Operation Southern Watch over Iraq after supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. REUTERS/Chip East

Lt. Col. Kathy Debolt, left, looks over the shoulder of Sergeant First Class Joseph Sherwood as he demonstrates a biometrics program for her in the Army Battle Lab at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. on Monday, Oct. 21, 2002. The army uses a biometric tool kit to create dossiers of prisoners in Afghanistan and at the U.S. base in Guantanamo, Cuba. Biometrics is the measuring of unique human physical characteristics. (AP Photo/John Miller)

[TheLion]

Wow, does this bring back memories! We are all connected up in more ways than one. My dad was Chief Of Staff (Navy) 1965-66 and we lived out on a point there. The tough Commandant, Admiral Buckley used to wear a 375 pistol on his hip as he careened around the base in an open jeep. His biggest claim to fame was taking MacArthur out of the Phillipines on a PT boat in WW11. I am sure they would have been up to the task at hand. All those who have served before make the present possible. The brave soldiers there now are getting a first hand lesson on why they are so vital to our defense. Our prayers are indeed with them.

[SAMWolf]

United Nations Command military personnel carry a U.N. flag-covered casket containing the remains of one of 11 soldiers flown from Pyongyang, North Korea, to U.S. Forces at Yokota air base in Tokyo October 29, 2002. The remains of 11 soldiers missing since the 1950-1953 Korean war will be flown to Hawaii for DNA testing. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

United Nations Command military personnel carry a U.N. flag-covered casket containing the remains of one of 11 soldiers flown in from Pyongyang, North Korea, to U.S. Forces at Yokota air base in Tokyo October 29, 2002. The remains of 11 soldiers missing since the 1950-1953 Korean war will be flown to Hawaii for DNA testing. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

OK. This pisses me off. IMHO the thought of U.S. Servicemen not having an AMERICAN FLAG draping their remains is an insult to their service, their families, their Country and to me.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

I like hep! (You speak my language, bentfeather!) You look great in that!

[Soaring Feather]

It is so nice of HiJinx to provide transportation today, those wheels are awesome. I'm afraid to ride. Well can't I drive my tank around today? Betty Lou wanted to ride in my tank with me today! Her boyfriend may come along, too.
Then there is Beaker, honestly he is a pain and has wanted to ride in the tank for weeks now.
Then along came and what's a woman to do?
I am a today and not in the mood for these neighbors.
radu will be happy to see The
and have been fighting all weekend, they want to come too.
This guy will have to settle the whole thing.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

That is an OUTRAGE, Sam. What can we do about it? A U.N. flag??????

[SAMWolf]

It's not the first time this has happened. I've written the DOD, VFW and AmVets for all the good it did.

[Soaring Feather]

To the Families~~

[SAMWolf]

Hello Mullah, a letter from Guantanamo

Dear Mom,

What can I say? War is hell, but Guantanamo is fab. Temps are hovering in the low 70s, finally got rid of that rat's nest the T'bans called a beard, and am eating better than we ever did at Osama's. I've already put on 10 pounds. When I get out of here, I'll bring you a box of Froot Loops.

When do I get out of here -- now there's the question of the millennium. But, hey, who's in a hurry? Like I said, they feed us, let us shower, pray, write home. They even gave us a mattress, prayer mats and a copy of the Quran. What a bunch of twits.

Speaking of which, have you been following the news about our maltreatment here? It's a hoot. Amnesty International and a bunch of other bleeding-heart organizations have been giving the Americans hell for being hard on us. They said that shaving our heads and beards was a human-rights violation because it humiliated us. I'm telling you, who needs Comedy Central? Me? I'm just happy to be rid of the lice, but don't tell anybody. Ha, ha.

Our self-anointed protectors also say that making us live in these open-air pens is cruel. Obviously, they've never lived in a cave. We've got a roof -- remember those? -- and plenty of shade. The soldiers watching over us are sweating like pigs in their tents while their guys still in Afghanistan would probably trade their baby sisters for a weekend in my "cell."

Anyway, all us guys are loving the attention, as well as the distraction. We're just waiting for the right moment when we can get back to business. All that training wasn't for nothing. Hannibal Lecter, eat your own heart out. One chance, that's all I need, and a Marine's aortic valve will be my breakfast. I hope it's a woman. Nah, just kidding, Ma.

Speaking of women, how's it going over there? I hear lots of mud huts have blue burqa curtains these days. Tch, how Gone with the Wind. As you might have gathered, the Americans have weird ideas about women. Let me put it this way -- Christiane Amanpour! The sexes are totally equal and women act and talk just like men. If they were our women living under our laws, we'd have to shoot every last one of them.

But typical of these Western psychos, n'est-ce pas? Americans don't realize that they're their own worst enemies. They're so consumed with doing the right thing, with being sensitive (even soldiers have gender-sensitivity training, for Allah's sake), and not hurting anybody's feelings that they're practically rocking us to sleep at night. Hey, tell Amnesty International I need cable! And while they're at it, I could use some Dasani. This local stuff is a tad cloudy.

As far as I can tell, the only American with any spine or sense is that dude Rumsfeld. Of course, he was a soldier before John Gray started carrying on about Mars and Venus. Are Americans stupid or what? They believe that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Yeah, right. Anyway, Rumsfeld understands that we would disembowel any American without hesitation or regret. He seems to get it -- that our whole purpose in life is to destroy America.

We don't hate freedom, Mr. Prezzie, we just hate you and all your stinking ilk. That goes for all you hyphenated-Americans, too. Think hard. We shoot our own mothers for stepping outside their houses without our permission, and you think we'd hesitate to rip out a soldier's jugular when he bends down to make sure our handcuffs aren't bruising our little wristy-poos? You gotta love 'em, Mom. We've used their naiveté against them before; we'll do it again and die happy.

Well, I better go now. They just called us to prayer (die laughing here) and I'm hoping for a quick nap before dinner. Ciao for now.

Love, Muhammad Mohammed Mohamed.

P.S. That time I beat you for laughing too loud? Sorry, I didn't mean it. By the way, have you gone back to your anesthesiologist job yet?

By Kathleen Parker

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good grief, you have a lot of friends today. Tonkin provided our 4-wheeler, BUT, Jinxie so graciously offered to be our "lessons-in-driving-giver" because he has experience. I've never driven one, but do want to learn the right way, so I'm signing up for lessons. (Besides, I want to put a little snow plow on the front and maybe Jinxie could teach me to use that too.) You will probably be more comfortable in your tank, especially with so many "friends". LOL! Any trouble with them wanting to drive? Just be sure to be on the lookout for Duchess because she is a speed demon! LOL!

[Soaring Feather]

Kathleen Parker got it right!