Posted on 03/08/2010 10:01:36 AM PST by MindBender26
FR Exclusive American Heroes; Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan, Jim Lovell, Steve Ritchie Forbidden To See Troops In SWA
I am just off phone with a member of the American Heroes tour group stuck in Qatar. The four, Armstrong, Cernan. Lovell and Ritchie have been planning this tour to see the real front-line troops for months, so they could give some visual support and morale boost to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. But now they are stuck in a rear area in Qatar, because some Washington Weenie claims it would be too dangerous for them to move any farther forward, as was the locked in plan.
Remember who these men are. Neil Armstrong was the commander of Apollo 11 and the first man to walk on the moon. Gene Cernan went to the moon twice and was the last man to walk on the moon’s surface. Jim Lovell also went twice, first on Apollo 8 which orbited the moon on Christmas day and then again when he saved Apollo 13 from almost certain disaster when a fuel talk exploded enroute to the moon. Air Force Brigadier General Steve Ritchie is a legend in the aviation community. He was the only Air Force ace in Vietnam, meaning he had five air combat victories over MiG-21s. At age 67, he still flies the double-supersonic F-104 Starfighter in thrilling air shows. These are true American heroes, the kind of heroes our soldiers and Marines want to see, not some drugged up rock and rap band. This is not an easy trip for these men.
In many ways, it may be their swan song. Armstrong is 78, Lovell 81, and Cernan 75. They saw this as their one last chance to give back to the this generation of the military men and women protecting America from terrorists. Stop and think about it. These four men could be anywhere, living well, but they chose to be in the desert, with the young men and women currently defending America. But someone weenie is Washington is now prohibiting it.
This trip was not some last minute program. It has been planned to the minutest detail for 4 months. But now, is someone in the Obama administration afraid some good news out of the combat theater would make Obama look bad? Are they afraid of what the troops might say when the cameras are on?
Make no mistake about it. These four men know the dangers involved. They have seen 100 times this much danger in their lives and have now made the intelligent and informed decision that if it helps the troops in any way, they are willing to answer the bugle call one more time. In fact, they are now furious that they are being held in the rear areas, not allowed to be with the troops in actual daily danger, as they were promised.
I am now conveying a personal request from one of them, (and he speaks for all four) Get on the phone, call the White House at 202-456-1414 and tell them to let these last American heroes make the sacrifice they want to make. They have flown half way around the world on MATS flights to do this. Some of these men are intensely private individuals, and at their age, deserve to sit home if they want to. But no, at age 80+, they are there in Southwest Asia, trying to win one more for America, to do something for the troops, this one last time.
Call the WH now, tell Obama to take his political shackles of these true American heroes, and today’s troops they want to honor.
(ATTN: Members of accredited media. FReepmail me with your contact phone and paper or other outlet name and I will give you direct e-mail/international cellphone to one of the four. Sorry, I cannot do this for everyone.)
Call the WH now. Tell Obama to be as “brave” as these real American heroes are!
Ping
bttt
One way to make this “go viral” in the military/troop-supporting internet is to get the info to www.blackfive.net. I have a feeling they might be disinclined to believe an email from me, an ordinary reader, but you could provide any necessary supporting details. The main 2 emails: blackfive @ gmail.com and jimbo @ unclejimbo.com. (remove the spaces before & after the “@” signs; I put them in to avoid bots from picking up the addresses.
Press release from U.S. European Command:
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey — Armed Forces Entertainment, in association with Morale Entertainment and American Airlines, is pleased to announce the "Legends of Aerospace" Tour is scheduled to stop at Incirlik Air Base March 6 and 7 to bolster troop morale. Organized by the Morale Entertainment Foundation, Inc., this tour will bring Americans, including famous aviators and astronauts, to visit our military stationed in Europe and Southwest Asia.
Confirmed participants include Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan, the first and last men on the moon; Captain Jim Lovell, Commander of Apollo 13; Bob Gilliland, test pilot and the first man ever to fly the SR-71 Blackbird, known to be the fastest and highest-flying production aircraft in the world; and General Steve Ritchie (Ret.), the last Air Force Pilot Ace.
Also traveling on the "Legends of Aerospace" Tour will be two outstanding media legends: David Hartman, first host of Good Morning America, who will be the moderator for the panel discussions; and Jeffrey Kluger, senior writer with TIME Magazine. Kluger and Lovell co-wrote Lost Moon, the book on which Ron Howard's movie Apollo 13 is based.
Captain Jim Lovell, commander of Apollo 13, said of the upcoming tour: "I have been waiting my whole life for this opportunity to meet with our service men and women on the front lines. They are the real heroes. I'm truly looking forward to thanking them for their service in person and share some of my experiences with adversity during Apollo 13. I'm sure it's going to be an extraordinary experience."
"The United States servicemen and women put their lives on the line every day to ensure our freedom here at home," said Captain Steve Blankenship, Managing Director -- Veterans Initiatives at American Airlines. "In association with some of the nation's most revered aerospace legends, all of us at American Airlines are honored to partner with the 'Legends of Aerospace' Tour to help bring these great Americans overseas to connect with our troops as they protect our nation's freedom."
During the tour, 30-40 minute panel discussions will be conducted in auditorium settings on military bases and naval vessels, with David Hartman as the host of the program. Panel discussions will be followed by an opportunity for meet and greets, photographs, etc. The Legends also will have an opportunity to visit with wounded troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
"The troops serving downrange and their families are always happy to get a little taste of home while serving overseas," said Marine Capt. Jamie Fleischhacker, Circuit Manager with Armed Forces Entertainment, who will be coordinating the tour. "And nothing says 'America' more than bringing together for our men and women in uniform these amazing legends who have each served their country so honorably."
The tour will log more than 15,000 flight miles, with tour sponsor American Airlines providing round-trip, trans-Atlantic transportation for tour participants. The Legends expect to meet with more than 10,000 troops, give away thousands of items, give motivational speeches and have numerous meet and greets with troops.
Armed Forces Entertainment is the official Department of Defense agency providing entertainment for American troops stationed around the world. Armed Forces Entertainment has coordinated numerous military assets to fly the tour participants to bases downrange in Southwest Asia. Documentation for the tour will be provided by Morale Entertainment Foundation staff, augmented by broadcast crews from FOX News.
American Airlines has a long history of supporting the armed forces and veterans. The company places a strong emphasis on its military and veterans initiatives and supports active members of the military, veterans and their families when they travel by offering special military airfares.
Morale Entertainment has been in the planning stages of the Legends of Aerospace tour for more than nine months. They are pleased to see it come to fruition in such an inspiring fashion. "We certainly enjoy the opportunity to bring great Americans together like these Legends and to provide a boost to our brave men and women downrange," said Morale Entertainment Tour Director, Thomas M. Lee.
The Intrepid Air & Space Museum will be the site of a "Welcome Home" event in New York City on Saturday, March 13 following the return of the "Legends of Aerospace Tour" to the United States.
It’s about the image the Obama Administration wants to portray.
Certainly it would be wrong (to his base) to draw attention that we still have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And it would be wrong to draw attention to the last years of our original man in space pioneers as Obama is shutting down such missions.
And it would be wrong to let anyone, let alone an American, steal any limelight from Obama-Biden.
Agreed . I would guess this decision was made by someone who knows what he is are doing , not Rahm or Axe .
Boiler up, fellow alum!!
You don’t have to convince me about it being the truth. Nothing surprises me with O & Co and democrats in general.
We'll strap you to the top of a hydrogen bomb, ignite it, allow you to ride the force of the explosion 238,857 miles into space and onto the surface of the moon where the slightest design flaw would cause your blood to boil in less than a second, let you run around for a while where the smallest of mistakes would, at best, leave you stranded to die, and then allow you to meet up with another craft in orbit traveling at 1,000's mph still 238,857 miles from home where you will then fire off another hydrogen bomb to propel you back to Earth faster than a bullet out of a gun where we hope that you hit a spot the size of a quarter so you don't go ricocheting into the sun so that you can free fall through the atmosphere depending on parachutes, that have been frozen for a week, to cushion your fall into shark the infested ocean where you'll wait hoping we can find you before the lead lined cone you're sitting sinks.
No problem.
But hanging out with a bunch of heavily armed, highly trained soldiers is too dangerous.
American Hero Ping
This is an Outrage!
Thanks for the ping!
You're kidding right? First off, there is no such thing as a SAFE ZONE anywhere in any zone of conflict. Next, most all of those units have civilian reporters embedded with them. If it was me, I'd sooner dive on a live grenade for Gene Cernan or Armstrong than any one of the slime reporters I'd be forced to lug around. These guys are all military officers and many have Vietnam combat records. It was only with the space shuttle program that they allowed civilian "techs" and teachers to ride along on PR. The Challenger showed how good and safe an idea THAT was. Ollie North rides into battle with the troops. I'll bet if he offers some judicious advice under fire, they listen and listen hard.
why not just say Iraq and Afghanistan?
"Obama cuts US space program, orders NASA to work with Muslim countries"
Posted on February 17, 2010 by creeping
Who says terrorism doesn’t work?
Obama’s Budget Cuts NASA’s Moon Project
In his budget proposal, President Barack Obama is doing away with the $100 billion plan to return astronauts to the moon.
On its Web site, the White House Budget Office says the program to send astronauts to the moon is behind schedule, over budget and overall less important than other space investments.
A more important space investment is of course, pandering to Muslim countries.
NASA plans more outreach to Muslim countries
NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said Tuesday that President Barack Obama has asked him to “find ways to reach out to dominantly Muslim countries” as the White House pushes the space agency to become a tool of international diplomacy.
“In addition to the nations that most of you usually hear about when you think about the International Space Station, we now have expanded our efforts to reach out to non-traditional partners,” said Bolden, speaking to a lecture hall of young engineering students.
Specifically, he talked about connecting with countries that do not have an established space program and helping them conduct science missions."
http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2010/02/17/obama-cuts-us-space-program-orders-nasa-to-work-with-muslim-countries/
God how I detest this administration- thanks for the head’s-up on this MB26!
The ACLU is quiet over that bit of Mosque and State violation....
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