Free Republic

FORT HUACHUCA — The shadows of snow clouds steadily built and enveloped the Huachucas, but never quite managed to engulf hangar No. 3 at Libby Army Airfield late Monday afternoon. There was already enough precipitation flowing as the families, friends, a few pets, and comrades-in-arms gathered for two all-too-brief hours to say a goodbye with a kiss, hug or gentle touch that must last 15 months. “I gave him a present on his birthday,” said Chief Warrant Officer Ramona Hill, indicating little Wilson Hill, born on Oct. 25, held by his daddy with whom he will always share a birthday,...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2007 – Many deployed servicemembers have received a morale boost thanks to computers donated by a Michigan-based organization. “We are a group of volunteers (who) rebuild laptop computers and supply them to deployed units for (morale, welfare and recreation), education and entertainment,” said James R. Payne, a Vietnam veteran who’s president of JDS Computer Donations. The group accepts laptops, which it refurbishes and donates to nonprofit groups, public schools, and most recently, to deployed servicemembers. Nearly 500 of the refurbished machines already have been sent overseas to help servicemembers keep in touch with their loved ones...

12/7/2007 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- More than 200 U.S. forces at this air base in Southwest Asia attended a memorial retreat in honor of the 2,340 killed and 1,143 wounded in the Dec. 7, 1941 attacks on U.S. military installations on Oahu, Territory of Hawaii. "We have come here today to pay honor and homage to our nations' heroes, the fallen and survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor," said Brig. Gen Charles Lyon, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing commander. "Let us never forget there is a price to pay for freedom. It doesn't come free" "Dec. 7th, a day...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2007 – About 300 children and spouses of deployed servicemembers enjoyed free activities and programs Sept. 22 during “Deployed Family Fun Day” at a Coast Guard installation near Fort Belvoir, Va. A daughter of a deployed servicemember does the limbo during "Deployed Family Fun Day" held Sept. 22, 2007, at a Coast Guard installation near Fort Belvoir, Va. The day was full of fun activities for the children and informational programs for the parents. Courtesy photo by Cassie Camp  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “Our primary focus was toward the children who have a parent...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2007 – Turbocam International’s support of its deployed employees with technology to use in the field and a special supply fund has earned the company a place of honor alongside 14 other organizations being recognized today with Secretary of Defense Employer Freedom Awards. Since Sept. 11, 2001, three Turbocam employees have been called to serve overseas: Brian Barber, a New Hampshire Air National Guard crew chief on KC-135 Stratotankers; Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Tom McGee, who served in 172nd Field Artillery in Iraq; and Army National Guard Cpl. Chris Wentworth, who served in 744th Transportation...

Army News video: The Van Doos are on their way to theatreVALCARTIER, Quebec - The commanders send off their troops with a few words of encouragement.

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Belgian troops are preparing to battle an invasion of hairy caterpillars which can provoke allergic reactions in humans, authorities announced Friday. From Monday, a contingent of 24 soldiers will take part in the fight against the well-organised creepy-crawlies, called procession caterpillars because of their habit of marching in lines. They will join forces with firefighters, civil protection officers and private firms already doing battle against their tiny foes. For the last two weeks several communes in Limburg have been invaded, with pedestrians, cyclists, outside workers and school children among the victims. Authorities said that some 20 communes...

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2007 – American military members serving in Iraq have an additional opportunity to share their experiences with the U.S. public, thanks to a new public outreach initiative, a senior U.S. military officer said today in Baghdad. “The ‘Share the Story’ initiative is a new program that’s designed to connect U.S. military personnel with organizations and groups like yours,” Navy Rear Adm. Mark I. Fox, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, told stateside-based representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Reserve Officers’ Association and others during a telephone conference call. Military members of all ranks and service...

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2007 – Running a nonprofit organization can be strain on an individual’s time, space and resources. One home-front group’s leader says she relies on a specific form of aid through the tough times: divine intervention. Frankie Mayo, founder of Operation AC, said the fund-raising strategy for her troop-support group is prayer. “When God puts something on your heart to do, you just have to do it,” she said. “I pray at night before I go to bed about the issues that have come up, and the next morning God shows me what I’m supposed to do.”...

Maj. Danny Salter stands by while Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast chats with his sons, James, 5, left, and Will, 7. Salter and 27 others were honored during a welcome home ceremony Friday at Fitch Auditorium in Alvarado Hall. (Mark Levy-Herald/Review) Herald/Review FORT HUACHUCA — Although there is a tendency to denigrate Iraqi soldiers, Maj. Danny B. Salter advises against doing that. After spending more than a year in Iraq as the operations officer for a Military Transition Team, Salter said the 17-, 18- and 19-year-olds willing to enlist in the Iraqi Army are stepping up to defend their nation. And...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2006 -- Soldiers and families can now communicate by video e-mail through the Army Knowledge Online intranet portal. On the first day, more than 3,500 video e-mails were transmitted. "Thank you, that's all I can say," Pvt. Brenden Teetsell of the 44th Signal Battalion e-mailed on Dec. 6. "Thank you for allowing me to see my family. Your technology helps boost not only my morale, but thousands of soldiers a day." AKO video messaging allows all deployed active-duty, National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers to create video messages on a computer with a Web cam. The...

'Tis the season to share, and one local group that gives year-around, really goes all out this time of year. It calls itself TAMMS, Tucson Area Marine Moms. Cathy, who, like the other moms, prefers to use just her first name, picks up items off of a table. She explains, "I am packing up boxes to send out to the troops," to Tucson Marines deployed in Iraq. Cathy says, "Basically, I just go down the line and throw a little of this, a little of that. I've got to get some soap in there and some shampoo. I put some...

Renee' Willis-Williams Reflections: Why I Deployed to Afghanistan By Renee' Willis-Williams U.S. Army Corp of Engineers KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 20, 2006 — My story is like most people who come to Afghanistan; in some small way, I wanted to make a difference by aiding in the recovery of the Afghan National lives, with an emphasis on women’s health issues and the improvement of the infant mortality rate, which is one of the highest in the world - 147 deaths for every 1,000 live births. As a woman and a mother of twin 3-year old boys, John Thomas and Rodgers...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2006 -- Last week, a Brewster, Mass., teen marked a milestone in his support of U.S. troops deployed overseas. Dylan DeSilva, 13, of Brewster, Mass., has sent more than 1,000 care packages to deployed U.S. troops through his organization, Cape Cod Cares for Our Troops. Photo by Sgt. Sara Wood, USA   '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Dylan DeSilva, 13, mailed off the 1,000th care package from his organization, “Cape Cod Cares for Our Troops.” The package went to a Marine first sergeant in Iraq who will distribute the various toiletries and snacks inside to...

FORT HOOD — With a rousing refrain of Garryowen and an old-fashioned cavalry charge on horseback, the 1st Cavalry Division sent its aviation brigade into the war zone of Iraq on Thursday. The 3,000 soldiers of the 1st Cavalry’s air brigade cased their unit flags and streamers during the hourlong ceremony on a Fort Hood parade ground, the last time the unit will muster until it arrives in Iraq in a few weeks. Portions of the 1st Cavalry Division are already in Iraq, and the rest of the 19,000-strong division will join them in Baghdad in the coming months, replacing...

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron (NCWRON) 34 from Naval Coastal Warfare Group (NCWG) 1 deployed to Kuwait Aug. 22 and 24 to provide harbor and port security. They are tasked to protect ships carrying supplies for allied forces in Iraq. “This is my second time going over there, and it feels really good to help our troops get what they need to accomplish their mission,” said Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Martin Garcia of NCWRON 34. NCW squadrons use sensor platforms to provide a technical picture of the ports and harbors as they patrol the harbors for...

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (Reuters) - The wives of soldiers whose duty in Iraq was extended to add troop strength to Baghdad peppered U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld with tough questions, some that he could not answer, at a closed-door meeting in Alaska on Saturday. Rumsfeld, who received a mixed reception from a crowd that offered more applause for the questions asked than the answers provided, praised the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He would not commit to a date for bringing those soldiers home, but told a 12-year-old girl in the audience, "I'd bet your daddy gets home before Christmas." He...

SIERRA VISTA — Seized with sorrow as she said goodbye to her four small children, Army Sgt. Alberta Cole resorted to a time-honored trick employed by parents everywhere. "The kids said, 'Mommy, you're crying.' And I said 'No, my eyes are just watering,' " said Cole, a 30-year-old single mom who left for Iraq on Tuesday, her youngest child's first birthday. Hundreds of loved ones waved and wept as members of Fort Huachuca's 86th Signal Battalion boarded a plane bound for Baghdad. Cole is one of 340 Southern Arizona soldiers scheduled to spend a year overseas. A neighbor is watching...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Aug. 21, 2006) -- Colds and broken bones take up many hours of each day while deployed for Navy Lt. Stacey R. Black, flight surgeon, Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. For someone who has been driven her entire life, deploying to Iraq has been another stepping stone for her future plans. "I think it's important to think about what's ahead of me while I am in Iraq, because even though I am out here, life still goes on back in the states," said Black. "When we deploy, it...

FORT HUACHUCA — Dominic Inchausti was oblivious to the noise around him. The sobbing, the talking and other noises echoing in Hangar 3 at Libby Army Airfield did not bother him. Dominic was sound asleep, safe in the arms of his father, Sgt. Michael Inchausti. Dad caressed and kissed the precious bundle. It was his and his wife Sierra’s first born. Both mom and dad are from Phoenix. Throughout the hangar similar scenes could be seen as GIs — men and women — hugged their children, their spouses and other family members. As families gathered in groups, single soldiers talked...