Free Republic

Married couple Bill and Cathy Hood serve with the Army Corps of Engineers. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers courtesy photo Married Couple Dedicated to Serving in Iraq Bill and Cathy Hood do their part by assisting in the reconstruction of Iraq. By Polli Barnes Keller Gulf Region North TIKRIT, Iraq, Jan. 19, 2007 -- What makes a married couple decide to pack their personal belongings and close up the homestead to work in Iraq? Bill and Cathy Hood can answer that question. Married for 14 years and coming from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, the...

12/19/2006 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFPN) -- After more than six years in the Air Force, Staff Sgt. Joey Crowell has gotten accustomed to working during the holidays. That's why Christmas this year in the Crowell household probably won't be happening on the 25th. "Being away five Christmases of those six it's really easy if you're flexible," he said inside the headquarters of U.S. Air Forces in Europe where he is a shift supervisor with security forces. So that means he and his wife, Tulsi, move the date of Christmas depending on his work schedule. "You just make the...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2006 -- Pentagon employees gathered here today to remember those lost Sept. 11, 2001, as well as those serving in uniform today in the global war on terror, with prayer, reflection and a musical tribute by Selah, a contemporary Christian group. The Pentagon’s chaplains hosted the nondenominational Pentagon employee memorial service, encouraging those in attendance to remember those killed at the hands of terrorists five years ago today and to seek healing in their faith. “Your presence here pays tribute to those who lost their lives on September the 11th of 2001,” said Army Chaplain (Col.)...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, July 5, 2006 – Twenty-seven U.S. soldiers serving on the front lines of the war on terror in Afghanistan became the newest American citizens here yesterday during a special Independence Day overseas military naturalization ceremony here. Army Pvt. 1st Class Joyce Nanquil (front row, second from right), recites the oath of allegiance during a special July 4 naturalization ceremony at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. Nanquil, assigned to Company E, 310th Aviation Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, and a native of the Philippines, was one of 27 U.S. soldiers serving on the front lines of the war...

WASHINGTON, July 4, 2006 – Allegations of wrongdoing by some U.S. servicemembers serving in Iraq reinforce the values of those who serve with honor, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today. In Independence Day appearances on morning news programs, Marine Gen. Peter Pace was asked for his reaction to a former soldier being arrested in North Carolina yesterday and charged with rape and murder, as well as other recent allegations being investigated. "It is unfortunate when some folks are accused of doing those kinds of things, but it just reinforces to the 99.9 percent of the American...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, June 6, 2006) – The Army is opening doors for severely wounded Soldiers, allowing them to continue serving. Representatives from 23 U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command agencies offered more than 400 military and defense department jobs to men and women missing limbs and suffering from other injuries at a Wounded Warrior Job Fair at Walter Reed Army Medical Center June. 2. “We want them to know that they are wanted for continuous service in uniform or as a civilian,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp, commanding general of the U.S. Army Accessions Command and deputy...

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany, May 3, 2006 – Family tradition may be what inspired Air Force Tech. Sgt. Tom Landenberg to join the military, but 20 years later, he said it's pride that keeps him serving. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Tom Landenberg said pride inspired him to join the Air Force and keeps him serving as he helps prepare young airmen for combat duty. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Larry Chambers, USCG  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The Pine Mount, Ga., native followed in the footsteps of his father, a 22-year veteran of the Army and Coast...

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2006 – President Bush today thanked U.S. troops serving on the "frontier of freedom" at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. "I'm proud of our United States military," he said during a surprise visit to Afghanistan, his first trip to the country. "Many of you volunteered for service after Sept. 11, 2001. You saw that our nation was attacked, and when the country called upon you, you said, 'Let me serve.'" Bush told the troops they are accomplishing two important missions in Afghanistan. "One is finding an enemy and bringing them to justice so they don't hurt our fellow...

AR RAMADI, Iraq, Feb. 15, 2006 — The streets here are a far cry from the corner of 8th and I streets in Washington, D.C., and yet for an infantryman who joined the Marine Corps to travel the world and do his part in the war on terrorism, it is the only place he wants to be. Cpl. Jared St. Clair, an infantryman with 4th Platoon, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, has finally made it to Iraq and is making the most of his opportunity. He’s serving in the city that many experts and officials are calling the...

1/18/2006 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Air Force families find ways to stay connected when separated -- phone calls, emails, and internet chats stretching over 10 time zones are commonplace. But nothing beats seeing a spouse face-to-face. Deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, Staff Sgt. Millie Nordman knows how it feels to be separated from her husband. She and her husband have endured deployment separation twice. But today, rather than speaking into a phone receiver to talk to her husband, Sergeant Nordman just meets him for a game of putt-putt golf. Husband Staff Sgt. Craig Nordman is also...

Once again, convicted Palestinian terrorist Marwan Barghouti is trying to "lead" his people from inside an Israeli prison. If his win in primaries in the West Bank on Friday provides any insight into the Palestinian popular mood, it is that they are still addicted to terrorist "leaders" like Barghouti. According to the BBC: He [Barghouti] is serving five life terms in an Israeli jail for the killing of four Israelis and a Greek monk. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said there was no chance of Barghouti getting an early release. Barghouti, 46, won 34,000 out of 40,000 votes - affirming...

11/21/2005 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- When serving half a world away from home, many servicemembers treasure the little tokens they brought with them to remind them of home. Senior Master Sgt. Michael Brimmer, the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron first sergeant, has more than that -- his niece, Army Spc. Angela Fekken. Specialist Fekken, a 1436th Engineer Company truck driver, has been deployed to Logistics Support Area Anaconda almost a year. That affected her uncle's decision to come here. "I volunteered to deploy and was given a list of places I could go to," Sergeant Brimmer said....

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Oct. 25, 2005) -- ‘Man’s best friend’ is a term of endearment that has been used by dog lovers for years, and in Iraq that brotherhood continues saving the lives of hundreds of service members. The noses and training of the military working dogs here assist in finding some of the largest weapons caches in Al Anbar province. Leading this pack of dedicated canines is a select group of Marines and an Airman. For Cpl. Justin T. Hanna, his dog Chang, 6, Lance Cpl. Andrew D. Johnson, his dog Charlie, 4, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Brook...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Aug. 21, 2005) -- Some people are destined to serve, even if it is in the new country they have adopted. In 1995, as a young teenager growing up in Haiti, Cpl. Berony Nelson remembers seeing U.S. Marines conducting security operations and humanitarian missions there. “I remember seeing Marines trying to help out,” said the 24-year-old Marine currently serving in Iraq. “I wanted to join them and be like one of them. I always wanted to be in the military.” Today, the Haitian immigrant-turned U.S. Marine and American citizen has spent more time serving in the military...

WATERTOWN, N.Y. (AP) - Authorities are investigating how a convicted rapist was allowed to serve as a foster parent to as many as 50 children before his past was discovered. State laws prohibit all convicted felons, particularly those convicted of sex crimes or crimes of violence, from being foster parents or adopting children, except in rare instances. But Nicholas Chaney told WWNY-TV in Watertown Tuesday that he may have cared for as many as 50 foster children since late 2001 and even adopted a child while living in upstate New York. Chaney said he listed his felony sex crime conviction...

Click here for each day's prayers, reflections and proposed action steps.

June 20, 2004Bill’s Big But Book“It’s the timing, stupid!” Bill Clinton’s memoir debut is already mirroring his presidency, with a virtual roller coaster of bumpy ups and downs this week ... ·        CBS’s Dan Rather gushes he read the book and rates it “five stars out of five stars.” ·        The New York Times trashes it, calling it, “sloppy, self-indulgent and often eye-crossingly dull — the sound of one man prattling away, not for the reader, but for himself and some distant recording angel of history.”·        Bill Clinton declares, "The whole [impeachment] battle was a badge of honor. I...