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!
Well articulated but wrong answer.....
These men are combat veterans and understand the danger....
Our men in FBO’s already know the possible additional risk this may bring and most, if not all, are willing to accept the challenge.
Thanks for the ping.
Outrage is an severe understatement!
Typical government operation...
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 the shark infested ocean where you'll wait hoping we can find you before the lead lined cone you're sitting in sinks.
No problem.
But hanging out with a bunch of heavily armed, highly trained soldiers is too dangerous.
Referring to them as ‘tourists’ is rather insulting given their pasts. Maybe you are too young to remember, but none of these gentleman are tourists to war zones much less danger.
Ran out of letters in headline!
:)
PING
They weren’t doing it for themselves.
They were doing it for the troops.
Imagine being a soldier with sand in every orifice of your body, hot all the time, bad chow, friends getting killed, a President you don’t trust, and all of a sudden you get to shake hands with Neil Armstrong.
Feel a little better?
BTW even 0 himself can’t seem to make it over to A-stan or Iraq, yet Bush went there multiple times.
This is another disgrace form the 0 administration, demonstrating their lack of leadership.
blackfive.net....simply one of the best military blogs...I learn much each day from this blog...pics are excellent, too. Info on soldiers by soldiers and those who appreciate and respect them...HOORAH!
SWA is that South west Afghanistan ???
Look at #49. You will understand if you let yourself.
Ever do a combat tour?
Trust me, seeing Bob Hope in Vietnam was better than a week of hummers at the Steam and Cream.
Southwest Asia, as SEA was RVN, PDRVN, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Burma, etc.
Just kidding!!!
Can they at least get into Kuwait, to see the troops that are coming in or leaving?
Oh.. OK
If it was SEA I would have thought South East Asia for Vietnam...
I’m showing my age...
Wonder why they cant go ???
Actually people from the Middle East are called “Asians” in Britian...
Sounds like a temporary situation to me. In the mean time I'm sure that the troops at Camp As Sayliyah near Doha will appreciate meeting the astronauts.
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