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This commercial that was done by a soldier just home from the war. You need to see it. EVERY American should see this,,,pass it on,,,,,,,,,, "This commercial was done by a local kid. You have to watch the whole thing. When he finishes talking and walks away, you get a sense of how this could be the commercial of the campaign season. Bob Cook and I were on the Lake County Republican Central Committee together. His son Joe returned from Iraq last year and I was at the celebration to welcome him home." *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ Hi, My son Joe just did...

SYLMAR, CA Philip Long’s words were urgent, “Terry, I think they are going to hand down a ruling against homeschooling and it will set a bad precedent for the State of California!” I asked him how can I help. “Talk to my lawyer, Christopher Blake,” Philip said. I called Christopher and identified myself as Terry Neven, the principal of Sunland Christian School, the homeschool program where the Long family was enrolled. Sunland had served the Long family for almost 10 years, knew about their challenges, and embraced helping them. I asked Christopher what could be done. He told me it...

Subject: Urgent Prayer Request Dear Family and Friends, I am writing to you today with a sense of urgency. I am asking that you pray for myself, my unit, and all coalition forces. Some of you may have heard through the news that the Taliban recently had a prison break in Kandahar City. Those reports are accurate. Between 500 to 1000 insurgents have escaped and are currently regrouping. I ask for prayers for protection for all of us and for all of the local nationals in Kandahar. We have received reports that the Taliban is going to try to attempt...

17 March 2007 Patrol Base Courage Bravo Co. 2/5 CAV, 1CD Sgt. Rick Bell Patrol Base Courage, Iraq- For weeks now quiet and peace in Ibraham Bin Ali has been the norm. That serenity was shattered the other day when a random enemy mortar found a victim. The casualty was tragically close to the explosive radius of the mortar. The injury was severe. The victim suffered massive trauma to both legs. The life of this casualty was hanging by a thread. Bravo Company 3rd Platoon didn’t hesitate. 1Lt John Thomas raced to the scene with his youthful medic 20 year...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – While conducting cordon and search operations, Soldiers from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment discovered a large weapons cache and the dead body of a local Iraqi national near the town of Al Wadud, Iraq, Dec. 30 in a suspected improvised explosive device factory. Explosive ordnance disposal personnel and a weapons exploitation team assessed there was more than 2,000 pounds of explosives at the site. In another incident nearly 12 hours later, Company B discovered two more cache sites. All three sites yielded numerous finds to include a large amount of wires, multiple pressure plates,...

Gracia busy as book release date approaches SANFORD, Florida (April 30, 2003): With the official release of Gracia Burnham's book set for next week, many interviews, reviews and features are scheduled. In the Presence of My Enemies, which she co-wrote with Dean Merrill, is to be officially released May 4, and is already available in some bookstores. Several broadcast interviews are scheduled: * NBC's Today Show on May 2 is to feature excerpts from Katie Couric's Dateline NBC interview with Gracia. * Dateline NBC on May 4 is to air a one-hour special on Gracia's story. * MSNBC and CNBC...

Gracia Burnham's book is available from New Tribes Mission at a discount from what it will retail for. Here's the website. http://www.ntm.org/connect/burnham/update.shtml For those of you who may not know, Gracia and her husband Martin were held by Abu Sayyaf terrorists for over a year. Martin was killed in the ambush as well as a Filipina nurse, Deborah Yap. Gracia had a bullet through her thigh. This story is about their year in captivity.

Please pray for my sister and family and other missionaries in Illigan, Mindanao in the Philippines. Here is the e-mail I received from her this morning. "Dear Family, Thank you for all the responses I got when I opened up my email this morning. We had an ambush this morning at 6:00 am 20 kilometers out of town. They killed the bus driver and another passenger on the bus and many were injured.The MI Muslims, 3 thousand of them, are holding the whole town hostage and it is hard for the soldiers to get in. I guess they have blown...

Settling in SANFORD, Florida (Aug. 1, 2002): After a memorable time in Washington, DC, the Burnham family is settling into life in Rose Hill, Kansas. While Gracia and her children, and Paul and Oreta Burnham, were on their trip to the nation's Capitol, family and friends in Rose Hill decided to prepare a surprise -- turning the house that has been temporarily provided for Gracia into a "home." They found and arranged furniture and kitchen items, then added other welcoming touches. And Rose Hill Bible Church organized a food drive. The surprise worked. Teresa Burnham, Gracia's sister-in-law, wrote, "It was...

FINAL SCORE We all know Martin and Gracia, even if we have never met. They were on our radios, church prayer requests, on our TV sets. I remember that famous video, in my mind it's still planted. All Gracia wanted was privacy, things I take for granted. We all could probably confess, we never seem content, That little short video changed my life, you cannot know what it meant. All this was no accident, this last year fits God's plan, While we were in our comfort zone, The Burnhams hid and ran. But Gracia let me tell you, through all...

Jody, as Field Chairman of NTM in the Philippines was among the first people to get to visit with Gracia at the hospital she was evacuated to. The following is from him: Following is a testimony that I shared this morning here in Manila at ourlocal church, Christ Commission Fellowship. Jody Crain > Philippians 1:10-14 "I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until Christ returns. "May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation -- those good things that are produced in your life by Jesus Christ --...

Click the link above for the Yahoo photos of Gracia coming home...I don't know how to post photos - but if someone would be so kind as to tell me how, I'd be very grateful! :-)

SANFORD, Florida (June 10, 2002): In an interview given just before she boarded a plane to return to the US, Gracia Burnham gave the following message for those who have been praying for Martin and her: "We want to thank each and every one of you for every time you remembered us in prayer. We needed every single prayer you said for us during our ordeal in the jungle." She also thanked the military men who risked their lives to rescue her and Martin. One of those who was with Gracia the day after her rescue said this about her....

MANILA (Reuters) - Rescued American hostage Gracia Burnham said on Monday before flying home to the United States that Muslim guerrillas in the Philippines who kept her hostage for more than a year should be brought to justice. "During our ordeal, we were repeatedly lied to by the Abu Sayyaf and they are not men of honor. They should be treated as common criminals. We support all efforts of the government in bringing these men to justice," Gracia Burnham said, with tears glistening in her eyes and her voice trembling. She was rescued in southern Zamboanga del Norte province on...

Click on the link to find an obituary on Martin as well as links to send condolences and other helpful information about the Burnhams.

The Armed Forces deployed ground, air and naval forces yesterday to block all escape routes from Zamboanga del Norte and President Macapagal-Arroyo asked Malaysia and Indonesia to apprehend fleeing Abu Sayyaf rebels. As frustrated troops scoured the rugged terrain of Sirawai and Sibuco towns for Abu Sabaya, Isnilon Hapilon and other Abu Sayyaf leaders, the Chief Executive issued “search and destroy” for the guerrillas. “What you did to Abubakar is what you do to the Abu Sayyaf,” the President addressed soldiers during a press conference at the Seafront residential compound of the US Embassy, where she visited lone hostage survivor...

ZAMBOANGA City — American troops dispatched to Basilan for training and to assist Filipino soldiers in combating the Abu Sayyaf are ready to be deployed "anytime" to areas closer to the bandits’ camps, a US military official said yesterday. The Filipino soldiers stationed in Basilan said they are ready to go, hand in hand with their Green Beret advisers. Army 103rd Brigade commander Col. Alexander Aleo said his men are ready to secure the 160 US Special Forces personnel against possible attacks by the Abu Sayyaf when they move down to the company level, the second phase of the Balikatan...

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Six Abu Sayyaf bandits were killed and several others wounded after government troops stormed over the weekend a terrorist hideout in Indanan town in Sulu, the military reported yesterday. But one still unidentified government trooper was killed while three others were wounded as they swooped down on Sunday on the lair of Abu Jamdain, alias Abu Pula, in Barangay Karawan in Indanan, according to Army Col. Romeo Tolentino. Abu Pula was among the Abu Sayyaf leaders who allegedly planned and carried out the kidnapping of dozens of European and Asian guests of two beach resorts on Sipadan...

The United States is asking the Philippine government to allow the deployment of one of its aircraft carriers — the Japan-based USS Kitty Hawk — in the Sulu Sea, a top US defense official said yesterday. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, who arrived yesterday for talks with President Arroyo, also said American troops are likely to remain in Basilan to continue helping the Phi-lippine military fight the Abu Sayyaf. Deploying the Kitty Hawk in the Sulu Sea would put Basilan within easy striking distance of the ship’s 70 combat aircraft. If the Kitty Hawk is deployed in the Sulu Sea...

THE United States yesterday offered a bounty of up to $5 million for any information that would lead to the arrest or conviction of the Abu Sayyaf terrorists responsible for the abduction of Americans Martin and Gracia Burnham. US Ambassador to the Philippines Francis Ricciardone announced the offer during a press conference, saying this is part of Washington’s initiative called the Rewards for Justice program aimed at boosting its international campaign against terrorism. Significantly, the offer coincided with a Pentagon announcement of a visit next week by US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz to the Philippines to discuss the war...