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<p>Dedicated in memory of all those who landed in Normandy June 6, 1944.</p> <p>In loving memory and with eternal gratitude. Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Uncle Ralph. At ease, fellas. Bravo Zulu.</p>

So my friend 1st Lt. Brett is coming back from Iraq after a tour with the {OPSEC] Division. What do we do and where do we take him in So. Cal. to let him know how happy we are that he's back in the world and safe. And that we appreciate his time in the sandbox. It's got to be legal and fun.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2008 – U.S. troops found a diary belonging to an al Qaeda in Iraq leader that has Coalition forces believing the terrorist organization is “on its heels,” a senior military official in Baghdad said this morning. Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team on Nov. 3, 2007, captured a diary belonging to Abu Tariq, an al Qaeda emir in control of five battalions within two sectors, U.S. Air Force Col. Donald J. Bacon, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, told online journalists and “bloggers” during a conference call. The soldiers found the diary during...

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., Feb. 1, 2008 – Cold drizzle and hot metal rained upon the ground here yesterday as a group of 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) soldiers honed their mortar- and howitzer-targeting skills in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan in April. Forward observer Army Spc. Daniel L. Howes watches 81 mm and 120 mm mortar shells and 105 mm howitzer rounds explode down range during a training exercise at Fort Campbell, Ky., Jan. 31, 2008. Howes is among about 3,800 4th Brigade Combat Team soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) that will deploy to Afghanistan in...

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Before they leave for Iraq, thousands of troops with the 101st Airborne Division line up at laptop computers to take a test: basic math, matching numbers and symbols, and identifying patterns. They press a button quickly to measure response time. It's all part of a fledgling Army program that records how soldiers' brains work when healthy, giving doctors baseline data to help diagnose and treat the soldiers if they suffer a traumatic brain injury — the signature injury of the Iraq war. "This allows the Army to be much more proactive," said Lt. Col. Mark McGrail,...

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - A commander of three U.S. Soldiers killed in Iraq in an ambush-kidnapping disputes military investigators' findings that the troops had been told to guard a bridge for up to 36 hours straight. In his first public comments on the gruesome attack last June, Lt. Col. Thomas Kunk told The Associated Press that Soldiers were asked to come back to base often for rest. But he also said checkpoints were undermanned, and that his commanders rejected his requests for more troops in the particularly dangerous part of Iraq where the Soldiers were attacked. "I don't believe that...

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (AP) -- A U.S. soldier was sentenced to 100 years in prison Thursday for the gang rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and the killing of her family last year. Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, 24, also was given a dishonorable discharge. He will be eligible for parole in 10 years under the terms of his plea agreement. Cortez, of Barstow, California, pleaded guilty this week to four counts of felony murder, rape and conspiracy to rape in a case considered among the worst atrocities by U.S. military personnel in Iraq.

Tonight the History Channel Shootout does D-day stories. The first segment is on Bracourt Manner and Winters attack. It is well done. Other segments are the church and other D-day battles.

I just read about this petition to get Major Winters a Medal of Honor, for his action on 6 June 1944 at Brecourt Manor, to disable a battery of German 105mm guns, that were shelling Utah beach. The award was passed by Congress in 2002(HR2790) To award the MOH. It has been stalled by an under secretary of Defence, and has not been sent to Rumsfeld's desk. Major Winters is 87 years old and in ill health with Parkinson's Disease, and a weak heart.

Statement by Maj. Dick Winters Former Commander of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division(title edited for length) WASHINGTON, DC - Maj. Dick Winters (U.S. Army Ret.) issued the following statement regarding the President's support of men and women serving in the armed forces: "The President's actions on behalf of our servicemen and women show his deep respect for all who wear the uniforms of our armed forces. President Bush has overseen a 21 percent increase in military pay since taking office and has ensured that our troops in the field have what they need to win the...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Richard Winters received the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism on D-Day, along with accolades in the book, "Band of Brothers." Now, 61 years later, Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., is pushing for the retired Army major from Hershey, Pa., to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest medal for valor in combat. Weldon announced Monday during a D-Day observation service in Folsom, Pa., he plans to file legislation that would upgrade Winters' Distinguished Service Cross — the second highest honor — to the Medal of Honor. This is the second attempt to obtain the medal for...

Mike Fumento was a guest on the Mike Rosen show on 850am KOA here in Denver Wednesday (Nov. 23rd) to talk about his recent October 2006 trip to Ramadi, Iraq. Mike talks about the REAL story from the one of the most dangerous places in the country. Rosen Replay 11/22/06 10-11AM (about 45 minutes, MP3) Guest: Mike Fumento, journalist for "The Weekly Standard" talks about his latest article, "Return to Ramadi."Click here for part one of the interview Rosen Replay 11/22/06 11-11:45AM (about 30 minutes, MP3) Mike Fumento continued. Click here for part two of the interview --- Mike Fumento's...

Photos by Plea Deal and [Mrs] Trooprally WASHINGTON, DC, 9/08/06-- Two officers in full camo uniforms waved enthusiastically as their vehicle exited Walter Reed Army Medical Center to be greeted by our troop-support rally spread over the four corners of the gates. We had arrived and had set up our displays while they were inside the hospital visiting wounded members of their unit. Seeing the DC Chapter's huge banners and dozens of U.S. flags, they wheeled their vehicle back around and stopped at the northwest corner to talk with the young people who were gathered there to hold signs, wave...

Milblogger BlackFive has just released a new book that contains dispatches from our outstanding men and women of the US military who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. If it weren't for the milbloggers much of the good news from Iraq and Afghanistan would never become widely known by the American people. --- It is the work of over 50 Americans who tell their stories about the experiences around the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In it you will meet: * The Warriors. Snipers, tankers, grunts. Readers who have never heard a shot fired in anger will come closer to...

On Aug. 6, Sgt. Paul Cortez will face the first steps in the military trial process. Cortez will undergo an Article 32 hearing in Iraq for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the killing of her family while serving in Mahmudiya.

(watch closely and you'll see a soccer ball dropped to an Iraqi child from an American helicopter) --- From Steffan Tubbs at 850 KOA --- This is just amazing... sent to me from a soldier in Iraq on Monday. Take a look... this is why it was worth doing our soccer ball drive! Please, tell a friend... and just when you think you're having a tough day, imagine being the little boy in this video. Look at his "yard" and his environment. Man, we're lucky. Video -http://www.850koa.com/pages/blog/Soccer_Ball_Drop.wmv(windows media player, 31 seconds) Comments: Steffan - I'm glad the file worked and...

Ramadi, Iraq Terrorist-infested Ramadi in the wild west of Iraq is for U.S. troops the meanest place in the country, "the graveyard of the Americans" as graffiti around town boast. There is no better place to observe American troops and the fledgling Iraqi army in combat. That's why I came. When military public affairs asked where I wanted to be embedded, I told them, "the redder, the better" (red means hostile). So they packed me off to Camp Corregidor in eastern Ramadi with the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). The 506th's official motto is "Currahee,"...

KIRKUK, Iraq – Bastogne Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division saved the life of an insurgent near Kirkuk, Iraq , May 23 after the grenade the insurgent threw exploded on him, causing severe injuries to his lower extremities. Iraqi soldiers were manning their post in Hawijah, a city just west of Kirkuk , when a man approached and tossed a grenade at their position. The grenade bounced off the roof of the structure the soldiers were in, falling back to the ground and exploding, severely cutting and burning the man. Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 101st...

Father of 2 believed his sacrifice was making a difference ELK GROVE, SACRAMENTO COUNTY Like so many young soldiers, Army Spc. Ty John Johnson joined the military for the benefits -- money for college, a steady paycheck for his family. But he stayed to make a difference. In fact, Johnson, 28, felt so strongly about the work he was doing in Iraq that a few weeks ago he re-enlisted for six years -- right around the time he left for his second tour in the war zone, said his twin brother, Blake Johnson. Ty Johnson died Tuesday when an improvised...

Soldiers Build Trust with Local People Bastogne soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne have a mission with the dualityof destroying the insurgency and rebuilding the nation by garnering trust from the local populace. By U.S. Army Spc. Michael Pfaff 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment Kirkuk, Iraq, March 23, 2006 — Bastogne soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne have a mission with the duality of destroying the insurgency and rebuilding the nation by garnering trust from the local populace. Many times, these missions go hand-in-hand, but can be reflective of each other. Destroying the...