Ready!

A private plane pulls a banner as sailors man the rails of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz as it departs from San Diego, March 3, 2003.

Sailor Jason Buerger holds his wife Maggie before departing from San Diego on the the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz for the Middle East, March 3, 2003.

A U.S. flag flutters in the wind as sailors man the rails of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz as it departs from Naval Air Station North Island San Diego for the Middle East, March 3, 2003.

Dave Clendenon holds up a sign that says 'give em hell' as his sister departs aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz from Naval Air Station North Island San Diego, March 3, 2003.

Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division board a commercial airliner being used to charter them from Fort Campbell, Kentucky February 28, 2003.

Marines with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force pray during a Catholic Mass at Life Support Area 7 in the Kuwaiti desert south of Iraq on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2003.

An unidentified air crewman walks past the nose of an F-14 Tomcat emblazen with a logo on the fiight deck of the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2003

Thanks for posting this. I'm an ancient mega-patriot and I'll have to sign off for awhile to "clean out my pipes" after reading this.

The courage of the American warriors never fails to cause me goosebumps and tears simultaneously.

I hope you don't mind if I add two images to your collection. I refuse to even participate in the debate about whether Iraq had anything to do with 9-11 or not. To me, it's immaterial. An enemy is an enemy and zealots wearing ANY STRIPE usually feed from the same anti-American trough.

Enough is enough. Might might not make right, but it's damn sure better than the alternative. Our youngsters are loaded for bear and I pity the poor soul who stands in their way.

Anyway . . . the first image is appropriate because the world has never seen a tornado as vicious as American soldiers righting wrongs done to their country and/or countrymen.

These youngsters who fight in my stead, for their country and countrymen, are the best that there is of America. They've made us all proud and, as God is my witness, I would join them if I could. Succeeding generations are in good hands . . . good hands indeed.

Capt. Bill Scheetz, left, gets a kiss from his daughter Casey, 6, as his son Jamie, 4, reaches out from his mother Bernadette as Scheetz prepares to leave Camp Lejeune, N.C., Wednesday March 5, 2003.

Sailor Jason Buerger says goodbye to his wife, Maggie, as the two are separated by a fence, while the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz prepares to sail to the Arabian Gulf from Coronado, Calif., Monday, March 3, 2003

Amy Gale gets a hug from her friend Ann Hernandez (L) as her Gale's husband departs on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz from Naval Air Station North Island San Diego, March 3, 2003.

Sailor Lee Thompson says gets a hug from his eight-year-old daughter Mikie as he says good-bye to his wife Terri, four-year-old son Nathan and two-year-old daughter Eleanor as the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Nimitz departs from Naval Air Station North Island San Diego for the Middle East March 3, 2003

Upon assuming command of the Third Army, Lieutenant General George S. Patton spoke to his headquarters staff on March 24, 1944 (simply replace the terms "German/Nazi" with the term "Islamo-Fascist"):

"I am here because of the confidence of two men: The President of the United States and the theater commander. They have confidence in me because they don't believe a lot of goddamned lies that have been printed about me and also because they know I mean business when I fight. I don't fight for fun and I won't tolerate anyone on my staff who does."

"You are here to fight. This is an active theater of war. Ahead of you lies battle. That means just one thing. You can't afford to be a goddamned fool, because, in battle, fools mean dead men. It is inevitable for men to be killed and wounded in battle. But there is no reason why such losses should be increased because of the incompetence and carelessness of some stupid son-of-a-bitch. I don't tolerate such men on my staff."

"There are three reasons why we are fighting this war. The first is because we are determined to preserve our traditional liberties. Some crazy German bastards decided they were supermen and that it was their holy mission to rule the world. They've been pushing people around all over the world, looting, killing, and abusing millions of innocent men, women, and children. They were getting set to do the same thing to us. We had to fight to prevent being subjugated."

"The second reason we are fighting is to defeat and wipe out the Nazis who started all this goddamned son-of-bitchery. They didn't think we could or would fight, and they weren't the only ones who thought that, either. There are certain people back home who had the same idea. Both were wrong."

"The third reason we are fighting is because men like to fight. They always have and they always will. Some sophists and other crackpots deny that. They don't know what they're talking about. They are either goddamned fools or cowards, or both. Men like to fight, and if they don't they're not real men."

"If you don't like to fight, I don't want you around. You'd better get out before I kick you out. But there is one thing to remember. In war, it takes more than the desire to fight to win. You've got to have more than guts to lick the enemy. You must also have brains. It takes brains and guts to win wars. A man with guts but no brains is only half a soldier. We licked the Germans in Africa and Sicily because we had brains as well as guts. We're going to lick them in Europe for the same reason."

"That's all and good luck."

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