Free Republic

When Gunnery Sgt. Marcus Hyman was told he’d get to sit down with Barack Obama on Monday, the Marine knew what he wanted to find out: What’s the president’s plan for Afghanistan? Obama didn’t go into great detail answering Hyman, the young man said after their chat, but the future of the faltering war was clearly on the president’s mind during his afternoon visit to Jacksonville Naval Air Station. (snip) Not everyone in the audience was as excited — some sailors said they were upset about being ordered to come — but for many, the speech was a unique opportunity.

One is described as a patriot. Another is said to be a bookworm and budding poet. One loves the Red Sox; another loves animals. Ongoing Coverage: Hamdania One helped feed the homeless at a soup kitchen last Thanksgiving, and another had plans to leave the service and become an architect. Until this spring, their common bond was service as members of Kilo Company from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment based at Camp Pendleton. Now, each has a much different kind of bond: They are imprisoned in the base brig for allegedly conspiring to kidnap, bind and kill Hashim Ibrahim...

Summary of the eRumor The originator of the email says he was on a trip to Washington DC. At the Iwo Jima memorial, he ran into the son of one of the men who is in the famous picture of six men raising the American flag on Iwo Jima, a Japanese controlled island in the Pacific that was the scene of bloody fighting during World War II. The Truth James Brady is a real person and, as described in the story, is the author of a book titled "Flags of Our Fathers." Although this is circulated as the story of...