Free Republic

Mr. Romney, I am a Sailor of the US Navy, and I am part of the 47% that will never vote for you.

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN (NNS) -- Life has been full of surprises for Petty Officer Matthew P. Julian of Greece, Rochester, NY. As a culinary specialist assigned to the submarine USS San Francisco, Julian didn’t expect the tour to include a rotation in the mountains of Afghanistan as an Individual Augmentee, pulled from his normal job to directly support Operation Enduring Freedom. But despite being an IA deployed more than eight thousand feet above sea level and half a world away from his boat’s homeport of Bremerton Wash., Julian found that out of sight doesn’t mean out of mind. Julian was...

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif., Sept. 13, 2005 — For each step a Marine takes during wartime or peacetime operations, there is a shadow that follows them, taking the very same steps Marines take. Marines patrol threatening streets, engage in firefights, convoy from place to place-risking their lives. That shadow walks the walk with them. During these strenuous times, Marines are likely to get hurt, seriously injured or some might even die. The shadow then becomes a guardian, and the life of the Marine is in their hands. The men and women that shadow, guard, protect and serve with the Marines are...