Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ Guest Military Chaplain Service and Sunday Liberty ~ August 10 2003
Guest Military Chaplin and FRiends of the Canteen

Posted on 08/10/2003 4:46:51 AM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

       
       
 
  Welcome to
The USO Canteen FReeper Style
   
Today's Spiritual Journey takes us to:

U.S Army Air Defense Artillery Center
Fort Bliss, Texas

Visit Fort Bliss
Click the banner to visit Fort Bliss

It's a great day to be a soldier!

The U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Center and Fort Bliss, Texas, is the Army’s center for the education and training of Air Defense Artillery soldiers and units, It also hosts the Army’s Sergeants Major Academy. The post comprises 1.1 million acres of land stretching across the far western tip of Texas north into New Mexico. The headquarters and cantonment are located in El Paso,Texas. The Main Post Historic District encompasses buildings and landscape areas in the cantonment that date from 1891 to the 1950s.

Establishment of Fort Bliss
The City of El Paso, Texas, originally known as El Paso del Norte (the Pass of the North), takes its name from the pass through the Franklin Mountains on the American side of the Rio Grande and the Sierra Madre on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. The pass, located near a convenient ford, has been of tremendous geographical and strategic importance since the 1500s. Onate and his conquistadors crossed the Rio Grande at what was later to become El Paso del Norte in 1560 on their way to conquer the Pueblo Indian villages on the upper Rio Grande in what is today New Mexico. For centuries, El Paso del Norte, which grew up on the south bank of the Rio Grande, served as an important stopover for supply caravans traveling from the interior of New Spain to Sante Fe.

In November 1848 the War Department ordered the establishment of a post at El Paso del Norte. The first U.S. troops to arrive consisted of six rifle companies of the 3rd Infantry Regiment. These troops established a military post known simply as "The Post Opposite El Paso." After closing and relocating the post, the Army officially renamed the post Fort Bliss on March 8, 1854, in honor of Lieutenant Colonel William Wallace Smith Bliss, an Army assistant adjutant general during the Mexican War (1846-1848).

The Army rebuilt and moved Fort Bliss several more times in the 1860s and 1870s. In the 1880s the arrival of the railroad contributed to the development of El Paso and the importance of Fort Bliss. By 1890 five American and two Mexican railroads converged at El Paso, making the city a vitally important commercial distribution center. In 1889, as part of a consolidation effort, the Army decided to make Fort Bliss the major fort in the region. With the help of an El Paso citizen’s association that purchased and donated land, the Army relocated Fort Bliss to 1,266 acres on Lanoria (La Noria) Mesa, its present-day site.

pancho.pcx (46547 bytes)
Mexico revolutionaries Alvaro Obregon and Pancho Villa, left to right,
met with Major General John J. Pershing at Fort Bliss in 1914.

United States-Mexico Hostilities
When revolution broke out in Mexico in 1911, the United States government at first assumed a stance of neutrality. The War Department began reinforcing Fort Bliss with cavalry, infantry and artillery troops. These troops patrolled the border and guarded the international bridges leading into Mexico in an attempt to prevent illegal arms smuggling and to discourage any hostile acts against the United States. That same year the War Department decided to covert Fort Bliss to a cavalry post.

The revolutionary forces of Francisco Madero seized Juarez, just across the Rio Grande from El Paso, and forced long-time Mexico dictator Profirio Diaz from power. But the Madero government was soon toppled by a military coup led by General Victoriano Huerta, and Madero was assassinated.

During the second stage of the Mexican Revolution, the forces of revolutionary chieftains Venustiano Carranza, Pancho Villa and Alvaro Obregon, who had fought under the Maderista banner, united to drive Huerta from the presidency, but their victory only set the stage for the third and bloodiest stage of the revolution---the so-called "War of the Winners." The United States initially backed Villa, but gradually shifted its support to Carranza, whose forces combined with Obregon’s to defeat Villa’s Division del Norte in a series of major battles.

When the United States shifted its backing to the Carranzista government, Villa responded, in March 1916, by raiding Columbus, New Mexico, about 50 miles from Fort Bliss. The United States worked out a treaty with Mexico that permitted forces of either nation to cross the border in "hot pursuit" of bandits. It then sent Brigadier General John J. Pershing, whose headquarters were at Fort Bliss, and the Punitive Expedition deep into Mexico’s desolate Sierra Madre in pursuit of Villa.

Carranza, at first, welcomed the Punitive Expedition, but as Mexican resentment against the American intervention grew, he declared that the treaty was not meant to be retroactive. He began to marshal federal forces on the flanks of the Punitive Expedition, and several sharp, if small-scale, clashes between U.S. cavalry troopers and Mexican federal forces ensued. For a time, the United States and Mexico teetered on the brink of war.

By the summer of 1916, with President Woodrow Wilson’s mobilization of the entire National Guard, more than 100,000 soldiers converged at three camps near Fort Bliss. El Paso became the site of the single largest gathering of troops in the United States since the Civil War. The crisis ended, however, when the United States, declaring its mission accomplished, ordered Pershing to withdraw the Punitive Expedition from Mexico.

Pershing did not capture the elusive Villa, but his squadrons forced him to disperse his force and drove him into hiding. Drilling and training exercises continued even after the Punitive Expedition ended and gave the Army an opportunity to conduct much-needed large-scale military maneuvers and warfare training just prior to the country’s 1917 entry into the First World War.

World War I and Border Patrol
Although ineffective on World War I’s Western Front, horse cavalry continued to be the best means of patrolling and defending the U.S.-Mexican border. While Fort Bliss experienced a reduction in troop strength during World War I, the installation continued its transformation from an infantry post to a cavalry post as cavalry units left behind continued to patrol the border.

Eight months after the fighting in Europe ended, the U.S. Army’s attention again focused on the Mexican border when Pancho Villa, having regrouped after the Punitive Expedition, massed his forces and, on June 15, 1919, attacked Ciudad Juarez. On the following day, Fort Bliss received 18 airplanes for the establishment of the Army Border Air Patrol. Pilots flew surveillance missions out of Fort Bliss along the border between Nogales, Arizona, and Sanderson, Texas. A cavalry drill field just east of the Fort Bliss Main Post served as the landing field,

Fort Bliss Between the Wars
In the two decades between the World Wars, horse cavalry nationwide experienced a marked decline as the Army increasingly emphasized mechanization of its forces. The horse cavalry at Fort Bliss, however, was an exception to this national trend. Mounted troops continued to be the most efficient way to patrol the rugged border terrain. At Fort Bliss, separate cantonments were built for the Seventh and Eight Cavalry Regiments in 1919 and 1920.

wpeB.jpg (48702 bytes)
Horse cavalry proved the most effective way
to patrol the rugged borderland.

In 1921, as cavalry regiments at other installations were being deactivated, the War Department created the First Cavalry Division by incorporating the Seventh and Eight Cavalry Regiments at Fort Bliss and gave it the task of patrolling and defending the international border. Although the First Cavalry Division never fully achieved its assigned divisional strength, its formation redefined Fort Bliss as the nation’s principal cavalry installation.

Construction continued at Fort Bliss in the 1920s and 1930s, despite the austere defense spending policies of the U.S. government and the economic realities of the Great Depression. William Beaumont General Hospital and a set of quartermaster storage warehouses date to the early 1920s. In 1928 Fort Bliss received funds under the Army’s housing program to build 70 noncommissioned officers’ quarters. Construction started in early 1929.

On October 29, 1929, the New York Stock Exchange collapsed, signaling the beginning of the Great Depression. Fort Bliss benefited greatly from the Depression-era New Deal recovery programs. Between 1933 and 1939, Army housing funds, supplemented by Public Works Administration (PWA) funds, allowed the Army to construct additional buildings. These included NCOs' and officers' quarters, barracks, stables, and other miscellaneous buildings. The new officers’ quarters formed a line extending southwest along the curve of Lanoria Mesa, remaining consistent with the original plan laid out by Captain George Ruhlen.

When the United States entered World War II in late 1941, Fort Bliss was home to the largest horse cavalry force in the nation. The First Cavalry continued to patrol the border during the early years of the war. However, the need for maintaining an outdated horse cavalry along the border all but vanished in 1942 when Mexico declared war on the Axis powers.

In 1943 the War Department dismounted the First Cavalry Division at Fort Bliss. The Army subsequently converted the First Cavalry Division into a mechanized infantry unit and sent it to the Pacific Theater where its men served with distinction. Fort Bliss had begun its transformation into the nation's largest antiaircraft artillery training center.


Fort Bliss is home to:

2-43 ADA Homepage
click the banner to visit the 2-43 ADA

2-43 ADA is a PATRIOT missile battalion located at Fort Bliss, Texas. The battalion has been deployed to various locations throughout the world, most recently to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 2-43 ADA soldiers have supported numerous training missions providing air defense coverage and assisting ground and air commanders to understand and develop a cohesive force protection plan.


The 2-43 ADA Chaplain

Click the pic to visit the 2-43 ADA Chaplain's Corner


"But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." -- Joshua 24:15b

Joshua stood before the people declaring who he would worship and serve. The Israelites were renewing their covenant with the LORD at Shechem and Joshua wanted to be sure the people understood the covenant they were renewing. Joshua's insistence that he and his household would serve drew attention to the Israelites that serving God is an individual's responsibility. They could not expect God to watch over them and bless them simply because their forefathers worshipped God. In fact, Joshua draws attention to the fact that their ancestors worshipped multiple Gods while claiming to be God's children. He calls them to stop these practices. This brings us to 2 items for discussion...

1. Many of us were raised in the faith and claim that faith when filling out our religious preferences on data sheets. However, we do not actively practice that faith and we are banking on our parents' faith to work on and in us. Truth is, faith has no beneficiary clause. Every individual must choose for themselves whom to worship. If you're checking the block on a religious preference statement and not practicing that faith then it is not truly your faith. I once heard it said that "God has no grandchildren, only children." Sure, there is an incredible blessing to be enjoyed in generations of families practicing the faith, however, that chain can be broken or strengthened with each link.

2. Every generation carries the responsibility of passing that faith along to the next generation. While we cannot make the decisions for our children, we can teach them the faith we practice as we model it with our lives. We must adhere to our faith and teach our children why we practice our faith. In doing so, we prepare them to accept and then practice the faith when they become old enough to understand and make their own decisions regarding faith.

May God under gird us with strength and perseverance like Joshua to embrace and stand firm in the faith.

2-43 ADA BN Chaplain

For God and Country!

   
       
         
       

 


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Announcements; Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Free Republic; Front Page News; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Political Humor/Cartoons; Politics/Elections; Unclassified; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: michaeldobbs
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 401-420421-440441-460461-474 last
To: radu
Say hello for me, please. I think I'm caught up. Just a quick check to make sure I got all the cool music from today.
461 posted on 08/11/2003 1:13:56 AM PDT by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Troops Who Protect Her)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 460 | View Replies]

To: Kathy in Alaska
I'll be happy to pass the word on to him.

Good night, Kathy. Sweet dreams. See ya next time.
462 posted on 08/11/2003 1:16:59 AM PDT by radu (May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 461 | View Replies]

To: darkwing104; Old Sarge; Long Cut; bkwells; txradioguy; Gamecock; OneLoyalAmerican; SK1 Thurman; ...
 

 

 

Time for bed. God Bless all our troops, their families, our veterans and our Israeli, British, Australian, and Polish allies. We pray for your safe and soon return. Thank you for doing the jobs you do to keep this UNITED STATES OF AMERICA safe. We love you all.

 

 

Thank you to all who enter the Canteen. Salute!

 


A PRAYER OF PROTECTION

The light of God surround you
The love of God enfold you
The power of God protect you
The presence of God watch over you
Wherever you are, God is,
And all is well.
Amen.

 

 

Wherever you are, God is, and all is well! Amen.

 


463 posted on 08/11/2003 1:28:00 AM PDT by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Troops Who Protect Her)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 462 | View Replies]

To: M0sby

Hi MSgt Dan! Hi M0sby! Thank you for serving this great nation of ours. Prayers for your success and safety.

Hi Matthew!! Hi Andrew!!


464 posted on 08/11/2003 1:54:25 AM PDT by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Troops Who Protect Her)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 463 | View Replies]

To: Kathy in Alaska
Hey Kathy!
465 posted on 08/11/2003 2:00:22 AM PDT by Aeronaut (In my humble opinion, the new expression for backing down from a fight should be called 'frenching')
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 464 | View Replies]

Comment #466 Removed by Moderator

To: Kathy in Alaska
BTTT!!!!!!
467 posted on 08/11/2003 5:38:50 AM PDT by E.G.C.
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 231 | View Replies]

To: radu
Yes, I've been to the post office.
I try to send at least 2 letters a week.
I'd like to send more, but I don't really have the time.
468 posted on 08/11/2003 6:19:50 AM PDT by minor49er
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 455 | View Replies]

To: Kathy in Alaska
Thanks for ALL of the cute things tonight Kathy!

My prayers are going out today too!
The weather is 120 with 90 % humidity over there... Dan is usually a lizard and heat does not bother him at all... but this is not heat... this is gross...
He actually said "Whew"..pretty strong for him!
469 posted on 08/11/2003 6:37:15 AM PDT by M0sby (Proud Marine Corp's Wife!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 464 | View Replies]

To: M0sby
God bless them all! Please keep them safe from the bad guys and from the heat too.
470 posted on 08/11/2003 7:23:54 AM PDT by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Troops Who Protect Her)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 469 | View Replies]

To: Kathy in Alaska
Yep, from me to God too!
471 posted on 08/11/2003 7:26:24 AM PDT by M0sby (Proud Marine Corp's Wife!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 470 | View Replies]

To: Aeronaut
Hey, Aeronaut, hope the back is behaving better this day. (Catching the last few Sunday heys.)
472 posted on 08/11/2003 7:38:52 AM PDT by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Troops Who Protect Her)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 465 | View Replies]

To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub
I posted this earlier on another thread but this is where it belongs. Media bias is getting out of hand. Those of you who have family and friends on the 'front lines' encourage them to write what they can about what 'really' happening, then sans names post it here or somewhere on FR so people can learn the truth. We may need some site on FR just for "Letters and truth from Iraq" Jim Rob...you listening? God Bless our men and women in uniform!

He tells it like it is.

Subject: FWD: Iraq Report 18 July 2003

From one of the Grunts on the scene.

Iraq Report Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2003

TO ALL : This is a response to a message that said rules of engagement (ROE ) were causing Army deaths and did not apply to the Marines. No, it's not true. The ROE are dictated by CJTF-7, not individual commanders, and the rules are the same for Army and Marines. We are each required to be armed at all times.

The two magazine rule is that you must have at least two magazines on your person at all times, this helps when you're engaging the enemy. Most people carry at least three pistol mags and seven rifle mags respectively.

Both Army and Marine units openly display their weapons. They both shoot when threatened also. Several attacks have been thwarted by Army and Marine personnel shooting first. We're also much better shots than the enemy. They tend to spray and pray, while we tend to just shoot them.

The Army has more attacks because their AOR encompasses Baghdad and the surrounding areas where the bulk of the attacks have taken place. I've noticed the press does a poor job in reporting military response to these ambushes.

The usual 'real' military report reads: " Five IZ (Iraqis) fired AK-47s and RPGs at patrol (or convoy), soldiers (or marines) returned fire resulting in 3 KIA, and 1 WIA, 1 escaped. Enemy RPGs missed, AK fire ineffective, no US casualties."

We do take some casualties, but we are very effective at counter-firing at the ambushes. Our aggressiveness has proven very effective.

The enemy is primarily made up of insurgents from Iran and Syria who hire Iraqis to attack coalition soldiers, not disgruntled Iraqis who are mad that their electricity is not on all day yet. They provide them with AKs and RPGs and send them on their way with a promise of cash after the attack.

They have even give motorcycles to kids which they are allowed to keep if they ride by a coalition check point and drop a grenade. After one such attack, we found out how easy it was to shoot people off motorcycles. You can hear them from a long way off and shoot them long before they get within grenade dropping distance.

We have good leaders, and they're responding aggressively and well to the attacks, they emphasize that everyone must engage the enemy whenever they show themselves. The kids here are excited to do their job, and they do it well, with the proper weapons and lots of ammo. We go out with M2 50 cals and MK-19 automatic grenade launchers mounted on our vehicles. We carry SAWs, M-203s, M-16s, and M9s. We also carry several different types of grenades and use everything as needed.

We read press articles on the net that have no resemblance to reality every day. The press lies, they make things up, and they misrepresent things to forward their own interests. It would be funny, except that so many people [around the World] believe them.

Take care, XX Babylon, Iraq

473 posted on 08/12/2003 8:44:33 AM PDT by yoe (Our best reporters are on the front lines in Iraq. Get their stories. use FR for truth in reporting.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: yoe; Ragtime Cowgirl
Please see post 473
474 posted on 08/12/2003 12:04:57 PM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (THANK YOU TROOPS! PAST AND PRESENT)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 473 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 401-420421-440441-460461-474 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson