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Articles Posted by Retain Mike

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  • China Coast Guard Impounds Philippine Navy Boats, Seizes Firearms in Latest Second Thomas Shoal Incident

    06/30/2024 12:56:57 PM PDT · by Retain Mike · 14 replies
    U.S. Naval Institute ^ | JUNE 19, 2024 | HEATHER MONGILIO
    A video of the incident shows seven small boats surrounding RHIBs next to Sierra Madre. According to the Philippine military, the China Coast Guard used blaring sirens and strobe lights to disorient the personnel. Tear gas and rocks were also thrown at and onto the Philippine vessels. A Chinese military aircraft was also claimed to be flying overhead in what was described as “a further display of excessive force and intimidation.”A Philippine Navy RHIB transporting supplies, including seven disassembled and packaged CAR-15 rifles, was towed away from Sierra Madre, surrounded on by Chinese vessels and boarded. An image released by...
  • Philippine Sailor Severely Injured, Vessels Damaged as Chinese Block South China Sea Mission

    06/30/2024 12:53:51 PM PDT · by Retain Mike
    U.S. Naval Institute ^ | JUNE 17, 2024 | AARON-MATTHEW LARIOSA
    A Philippine sailor suffered severe injuries when Chinese forces blocked an Armed Forces of the Philippines resupply mission in the South China Sea, Pentagon officials confirmed to USNI News. The AFP mission to resupply the BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) outpost at Second Thomas Shoal also resulted in damage to an unknown number of Philippine vessels.The Philippine sailor was injured as a result of the “PRC vessels’ dangerous and deliberate use of water cannons, ramming, and blocking maneuvers,” reads a Monday statement from Office of the Secretary of Defense spokesperson U.S. Army Maj Pete Nguyen to USNI News.This is the third...
  • Alarming Study Finds 33% Of Americans Are Dumber Than A Bag Of Hammers

    06/29/2024 5:46:26 PM PDT · by Retain Mike · 23 replies
    BabylonBee ^ | Jun 28, 2024 | BabylonBee
    U.S. — As summer ramped up heading into the important home stretch to the November presidential election, an alarming new study found that 33% of Americans are dumber than a bag of hammers.News channel CNN conducted a poll asking viewers who won last night's debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, with a shocking 33% of people responding that they suffer from advanced cognitive impairment, officially placing them at or beyond the stupidity of a box of rocks."We can confirm over one-third of the country is drooling morons," said Dr. Bradford Doran, head of the research team conducting the poll....
  • Houthi Attacks Causing More Damage in the Red Sea, Merchant Traffic Through Suez Canal Down More than 50%

    06/28/2024 3:23:08 PM PDT · by Retain Mike · 14 replies
    U.S. Naval Institute ^ | JUNE 20, 2024 | HEATHER MONGILIO
    “And I would say that really, it’s the Houthis that have failed to deter the United States and the international community from continuing to operate in the Red Sea. You know, they’ve conducted over 190 attacks, the vast majority of which have been knocked down, thanks to U. S. and international efforts to help safeguard shipping and the lives of mariners through operations like Operation Prosperity Guardian,” Ryder said.“The United States has continued to destroy Houthi offensive capabilities in Yemen, but the terror group continues to have sufficient means to threaten shipping. This offers insights regarding the size of the...
  • DIA Report on Houthi Attacks and Pressure on International Trade

    06/28/2024 3:17:30 PM PDT · by Retain Mike · 3 replies
    U.S. Naval Institute ^ | JUNE 13, 2024 | U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE STAFF
    Since November 2023, the Houthis have conducted dozens of attacks on commercial ships transiting the Red Sea, endangering civilian crews and threatening freedom of navigation through a critical global transportation route. The Houthis are non-state actors in Yemen who have used Iran’s support to gradually expand their military capabilities since at least 2015.In early December 2023, the Houthis threatened to attack any ships that they believed were heading to Israeli ports, though many of their attacks both before and since have been against civilian ships with either tenuous or no known Israeli affiliations or port calls. Since mid-December 2023, the...
  • Houthis Threaten to Expand Range of Targets in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden

    06/28/2024 3:06:39 PM PDT · by Retain Mike · 5 replies
    U.S. Naval Institute ^ | MAY 6, 2024 | HEATHER MONGILIO
    If the Houthis make good on their threats, it would be an escalation of their attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. To date, they claim attacks have been limited to ships going to Israel or those with connections to Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom. The Pentagon disputes that claim and has said that the Houthis have targeted multinational ships. In at least one instance, the Houthis have targeted at least one Chinese ship, according to USNI News’ timeline of activity in the Red Sea. It is possible that the Houthis were...
  • D-Day: Eisenhower and His Paratroopers

    06/05/2024 10:04:33 AM PDT · by Retain Mike · 9 replies
    self | June 5, 2024 | Self
    General Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived in London January 2, 1944 to command Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) and to direct the last five months of planning for D-Day. Eisenhower’s study of leadership skills required he never express the apprehension and doubt, which inevitably arise as strain and tension wear away endurance. He was determined always to present confidence and optimism to those around him. He brought with him a confident, battle tested team that had led successful landings in North Africa, Sicily, and Salerno, despite experiencing German counterattacks nearly driving the Allies into the sea on the last two...
  • U.S. Warships in Eastern Mediterranean Down Iranian Ballistic Missiles

    04/15/2024 8:16:31 AM PDT · by Retain Mike · 9 replies
    U.S. Naval Institute ^ | APRIL 14, 2024 | HEATHER MONGILIO
    USS Carney (DDG-64) and USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) shot down between four and six Iranian-launched ballistic missiles, a senior military official told reporters Sunday.Both ships were in the Mediterranean. Carney most recently made a port visit to Palermo, Sicily, Italy, on April 10. Arleigh Burke is forward deployed to Rota, Spain.A senior military official said that land- and sea-based aircraft were also involved in the U.S. response. USNI News understands that the aircraft did not come from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69). The aircraft carrier is in the Red Sea as part of the country’s Operation Prosperity Guardian, which aims...
  • More crime, less punishment

    04/05/2024 11:56:20 AM PDT · by Retain Mike · 3 replies
    World Magazine ^ | April 6, 2024 | Kim Henderson
    PROSECUTORS HOLD a lot of power. They determine criminal charges, recommend bail and sentences, accept or reject plea deals. Their actions, or inaction, affect millions of Americans each year.But until fairly recently, elections for the more than 2,300 DA offices across the country were low-profile, down-ballot affairs. Candidates worked the radio circuit and hammered signs on street corners. They ran ads and shook hands. But campaigns started to change in 2015 when outside money poured into the Red River bottom lands of Caddo Parish, La., the spot George Soros selected for a test run of his new philanthropic plan. Soros’...
  • Vietnam Veterans Day 2024

    03/29/2024 9:20:14 AM PDT · by Retain Mike · 4 replies
    Bing ^ | March 29, 2024 | Bing
    A few notes from the many articles.Commemorative events like wreath-laying ceremonies, speeches, and luncheons are held to mark the occasion at venues that include the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, war veteran medical facilities, and military cemeteries.ALLEGHANY COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - National Vietnam War Veterans’ Day is March 29. It’s been celebrated every year since 2017, when the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act was signed into law. WDBJ7 unpacks the importance of honoring those vets and how our hometowns are supporting them.Wesley Womelsdorf is a Vietnam veteran who said the war was a significant time in his life.Womelsdorf said...
  • Dick Higgins, Bend’s much-beloved and honored Pearl Harbor survivor, passes at 102; public memorial service set

    03/23/2024 3:02:31 PM PDT · by Retain Mike · 22 replies
    KTVZ ^ | March 19, 2024 | Barney Lerten
    Dick Higgins, the Bend resident and Pearl Harbor survivor whose public appearances and first-person recollections of that infamous day – Dec. 7, 1941 – became ever more special with every day, week and year, passed away early Tuesday at the age of 102, his grieving yet grateful family announced."Gramps went home to be with Jesus this morning. He was a humble, generous, funny and loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend. This community has celebrated and honored him and we are forever grateful for the impact he has made on all of us. At 102 years old, we have...
  • George Washington: The Indispensable Man

    02/19/2024 12:49:12 PM PST · by Retain Mike · 13 replies
    George Washington: The Indispensable Man | 1969 | James Thomas Flexner
    “The commander in chief expressed ‘disapprobation of such disorderly proceedings’ (ad hoc mass meeting of officers) as the illegally called meeting. He summoned a meeting of his own for the following Saturday, March 15, 1783. This was probably the most important single gathering ever held in the United States. Supposing, as seemed only too possible, Washington should fail to prevent military intervention in civil government?
  • DIA Report on Iranian Arms Used by Houthi Forces

    02/08/2024 12:14:56 PM PST · by Retain Mike · 4 replies
    U.S. Naval Institute ^ | FEBRUARY 7, 2024 | U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE STAFF
    This product provides a visual comparison of Iranian missiles and weaponized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and those displayed and employed by Houthi forces in Yemen to attack civilian infrastructure across the region. Photographs of weapons displayed and fired by Iran and the Houthis, as well as those illegally smuggled aboard boats from Iran, strongly suggest their Iranian origin. Iranian aid has enabled the Houthis to initiate a campaign of missile and UAV attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea since November 2023. As of mid-December 2023, several of the largest global shipping firms had suspended transit through the Red...
  • Navy Personnel Chief Sees Low Risk in Recruiting Sailors Without High School Diplomas

    02/08/2024 11:50:55 AM PST · by Retain Mike · 44 replies
    U.S. Naval Institute ^ | FEBRUARY 7, 2024 | HEATHER MONGILIO
    Faced with a shortfall of more than 7,000 sailors, the head of Navy personnel is tapping into a new population of potential recruits: those who haven’t finished high school.Since 2000, the Navy has not permitted anyone who did not have a high school or GED diploma to enlist in the sea service. But on Jan. 26, the service opened bootcamp to these Americans with some caveats, the Navy announced.Vice Adm. Richard Cheeseman is aiming to enlist at least 500 people who did not finish high school or earn a GED diploma, he told USNI News this week. As of 2021,...
  • Lessons From the Great Covid Cover-Up

    01/29/2024 11:11:36 AM PST · by Retain Mike · 7 replies
    Imprimis ^ | December 2023 | Rand Paul
    The Covid cover-up began in China. But in a way we make too big a deal of that. No one should be surprised that a totalitarian government run by the Chinese Communist Party would seek to cover up its responsibility for a worldwide pandemic. What was mind-jarring—and what we should focus our attention on—is the cover-up in our own country spearheaded by Dr. Anthony Fauci and his fellow public health bureaucrats. And they might have gotten away with their deception if a federal judge hadn’t ordered their emails released.In January 2020, Fauci was told that the Covid virus appeared “inconsistent...
  • 7 New Features Coming To United Airlines Courtesy Of Drag Queen CEO

    01/22/2024 10:50:37 AM PST · by Retain Mike · 13 replies
    BabylonBee ^ | Jan 20, 2024 | BabylonBee
    This week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby revealed his love for throwing on a dress and twerking in public - but Kirby still has a few secrets hidden under that wig! Here are seven exciting new features coming to your next United Airlines flight, courtesy of its drag queen leader:1.Oxygen masks will be replaced by feather boas and glitter: Remember, put on your own feather boa before assisting those next to you.2.The pre-flight safety demonstration will be replaced by the crew dancing to "It's Raining Men": Hallelujah!3.The exit row will now be outfitted with stripper poles: Extra leg room comes...
  • Christians Offended By Democrat Statue In Iowa Capitol

    12/16/2023 8:54:36 AM PST · by Retain Mike · 7 replies
    BabylonBee ^ | ·Dec 12, 2023 | BabylonBee
    DES MOINES, IA — Christians in Iowa and across the nation are outraged after a Democrat statue was unveiled at the state's Capitol Building."I believe in freedom of speech and religion, but this just goes too far," said Gov. Kim Reynolds to reporters. "Sick, disturbing, Democrat displays have no place in the house where state laws are passed. I'm horrified."Sources say a local Democrat non-profit is responsible for the frightening statue, which they say is a true representation of everything Democrats proudly stand for. "We have a right to express our Democratic views," said a spokesperson for the group. "We...
  • Lack of Awareness Largest Barrier to Military Recruiting, Officials Tell House Panel

    12/15/2023 9:09:40 AM PST · by Retain Mike · 43 replies
    U.S. Naval Institute ^ | December 14, 2023 | John Grady
    The No. 1 challenge facing U.S. military recruiting is the American public’s lack of familiarity with its armed services, the Pentagon’s and services’ civilian personnel leaders testified Wednesday . At the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee hearing, Franklin Parker, assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs, said “under 13 percent [of eligible recruits] have a parent that served” in one of the armed services.Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), panel chairman, added four out of five recruits have a family member who served. The number of veterans in the population is declining.Agnes Schaefer, Army assistant secretary for manpower and...
  • Veteran’s Day and Pearl Harbor

    12/07/2023 8:55:34 AM PST · by Retain Mike · 13 replies
    self | Dec 7, 20231 | Self
    This year I went to the Veteran’s Day celebration at my grandkids school, which does an outstanding job. I sat next to a 103 year old survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack. He was a PBY crewman, and somehow made it through the entire war. These reconnaissance aircraft were so vulnerable, that the squadron in the Guadalcanal area said their call sign of NNOK stood for “notify next of kin”. Neither of us could hear that well even with hearing aids, but we two Navy men had a grand time.Winston Churchill’s assessment of the attack is found on page 606...
  • Social Engineering Defeats Combat Capabilities

    12/04/2023 2:19:02 PM PST · by Retain Mike · 8 replies
    many | Dec 04 2023 | Self
    Obama’s defense department announcement on December 3 of 2015 allowing women in combat followed repeal of DADT. Defense secretary Ash Carter contended the decision followed a long period of study and vigorous debate. However, he managed through premeditated ignorance to find only those mutually supportive creatures that serve social agendas bringing future needless devastation to those who serve. The narrative results from the links which I hope are comprehensive, well chosen, and more important than the narrative.Most of the points highlighted about women in combat arose first when the decision was made to do away with DADT. Subsequently, the LGBTQ,...