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AL ASAD, Iraq (Feb. 7, 2006) -- Visits from the Marine Corps’ commandant and sergeant major can be career highlights for any Marine, but Lance Cpl. Nicholas M. Gardner anticipated the Feb. 3 visit to Al Asad, Iraq, more than his comrades. He knew that when the Corps’ senior leaders came to visit Marines and sailors deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, his father, the Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources, would be joining them. “I consider it a privilege to be here,” said Lt. Gen. Emerson N. Gardner. “I’m thrilled to see not just my son, but also...

U.S., Iraqi Copter Crews Share Airspace, Mission The U.S. Army's 101st Combat Aviation Brigade and Iraqi Air Force's 3rd Squadron are tasked to protect a northern Iraqi oil pipeline, as well as ensure electrical power systems are not destroyed by insurgents. By U.S. Army Spc. Lee Elder 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment TIKRIT, Iraq, Jan. 5, 2006 — The 101st Combat Aviation Brigade hosted members of the fledgling Iraqi Air Force's 3rd Squadron on Dec. 21. The purpose of the meeting was to share information and view each unit's aircraft. "We can leverage both the capabilities of my brigade...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Dec. 18, 2005) -- While growing up in the countryside, three cousins from Colfax, La., were inseparable; eventually these boys would grow closer as Marines. Staff Sergeants Marcus L. Allen, 35, Derrick D. Eddie, 32, and Adrian C. Bowie, 35, all on their first deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, share a brotherhood deeper than the typical combat zone camaraderie. The three brothers-in-arms grew up only minutes from each other surrounded by their close-knit family. “We did everything together,” said Allen, security manager, II Marine Expeditionary Force , Headquarters Group, II MEF (FWD). “We played basketball,...

12/16/2005 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Thirty people from the military security forces of five countries gathered for a coalition weapons training exercise at a desert air base Dec. 15. The training was a cooperative training program to enhance international understanding within the security forces, said Master Sgt. Kevin Follis of the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. The sergeant works with the squadron’s combat arms training and maintenance section. “We wanted to build a better working relationship between all defense forces on base,” he said. Participants chose from nine types of firearms using 9 mm or 5.56 mm ammunition or...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Dec. 1, 2005) -- For the majority of U.S. service members in Iraq, Thanksgiving was another day, business as usual. For Sgt. 1st Class Eldon Casner, and his son, Army Pfc. Michael Casner, Thanksgiving was the first time they saw each other in six months, and they celebrated with a special dinner in a security guard tent at Al Asad, Iraq. What was important to them was not the surroundings, but each other. If not for the Thanksgiving dinner, the Lewistown, Penn., natives would not have seen each other for another six months. Eldon has been deployed...

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo (Army News Service, Nov. 25, 2005) – For Soldiers of the 40th Infantry Division deployed as part of the Kosovo Forces 6B peacekeeping rotation, Thanksgiving Day provided not only an opportunity for rest and reflection, but also a chance to share one of their traditions with the people of Kosovo. While the mission went on as normal within the Multinational Brigade (East) area of responsibility – from patrolling city streets and rural towns, to providing medical check-ups in remote villages and conducting border and boundary patrols – Soldiers continued also fulfilled their role as peacekeepers in a...

FAIRCHILD AFB, Wa., Nov. 16, 2005 — Explosive ordnance disposal personnel worked hand-in-hand with multiple federal agencies at the Grand Coulee Dam, Oct. 4 - 6, for an exercise titled "Watchful Sentinel." "The focus of the exercise was to evaluate Special Response Forces standard operation procedures, along with coordination between the Special Response Forces and supporting agencies, via a series of realistic events," said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jack Burleigh, explosive ordnance disposal craftsman, 92nd Civil Engineering Squadron. "Some of the calls we respond to involve ordnance left behind in a deceased veteran's war chest. Other times, we may...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 2005 – Former Tuskegee Airmen -- pioneers who broke through racial prejudice to become the first black U.S. military pilots during World War II -- have solid words of advice and encouragement for today's military members. "Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do," said retired Air Force Master Sgt. Ezra Hill Sr., of Hampton, Va. "We proved that you can do it." Hill said the lessons he learned as one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, who battled segregation and prejudice on the ground and enemy forces in the air, apply equally to today's servicemembers fighting...

11/9/2005 - PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- Airmen fighting the global war on terrorism from nearby Bagram Air Base took time to spread cheer and share smiles with the people of a village here. As part of an adopt-a-village visit Nov. 3, Airmen distributed more than 1,200 pounds of winter clothes, blankets, school supplies and toys, said Master Sgt. Edgar Langdon, Bagram’s adopt-a-village coordinator. “Our adopt-a-village program gives Airmen from the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing a chance to travel outside the gate and share some goodwill with the people of Afghanistan,” said Sergeant Langdon, deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force, Base,...

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tammy Kostoff Spc. Lauren Kostoff Mother, Son Share Experiences in Iraq By Master Sgt. Corine Lombardo 42nd Infantry Division FORWARD OPERATING BASE DANGER, Tikrit, Iraq, Oct. 25, 2005 — It is not uncommon for parents and children to serve together in the National Guard. It is however, unusual for a mother and son to be serving together in a combat theater. For Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tammy Kostoff and her 22-year-old son Lauren, it was just the natural progression in service to their country. Both are members and full-time employees of the Montana...

U.S. Army Col. Mike Fant, commander, 525th Military Intelligence Brigade, Fort Bragg, N.C., Col. James H. Huggins II, Multi-National Corps - Iraq inspector general, and Maj. Parris McCullah, MNC-I Reserve Component Division stay-behind equipment liaison officer, stand in front of the Al-Faw Palace at Camp Victory, Iraq. The soldiers are graduates of Northwest High School in Clarksville, Tenn. U.S. Army photo U.S. Army Col. Mike Fant, Col. James H. Huggins II, Maj. Parris McCullah High-School Classmates Share Meal in Iraq By U.S. Army Spc. Jeremy D. Crisp Multi-National Corps - Iraq CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Oct. 24, 2005 — There...

CAMP SLAYER, Iraq - As the world waited to see whether the Iraqis accept a new constitution or if the necessary step toward democracy in this embattled nation will have to start all again, three expatriates are hopeful the ayes for a new beginning in Iraq will win. For security reasons, their real names are not used in this article. "The Iraqi people have been locked up for 35 years under Saddam (Hussein)," said Ali. Concerns about the sensitivity of their work translating Iraqi documents for the U.S. government and that they still have family in Iraq led them to...

LIMA, Peru, Aug. 19, 2005 – Peru has become a leader in confronting terrorism and narcoterrorism, but it's critical that the region's countries all work together to deal with the common threats they face, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said here Aug. 18 during a joint press conference with Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo. "The problems that our respective countries face of terrorism, ... narcotrafficking, hostage-taking (and) crime are problems that no one country can deal with alone," the secretary said in the Peruvian presidential palace. "It requires regional cooperation." Toledo called these challenges a "shared responsibility" among the South American community...

The Birth of the "FReepCast"? (BitTorrent Broadcasting) Attention FReepers: If you aren't aware of BitTorrent, it is a software program that allows MASSIVE files to be distributed over the internet at tens to hundreds of times faster than what would be normally seen. Currently it is being used to steal software and media, but the real promise is MEDIA DISTRIBUTION. A graduate student at Stanford used it to distribute the liberal flick "Outfoxed" to thousands of people over the internet with ease. The Graduate student distributed the equivelant of 750 GB of bandwidth for 5 GB. That's an astounding 15,000%...

The Terri Schindler Schiavo Daily Threads are created month to month as we watch local and national news regarding Terri and her family. Since Terri's supporters are in every time zone, you may see something FIRST. Please share news with us that you don't see here already. Now, why would you want to do that? Terri's Daily Thread for September/October of 2004 was viewed over 15,000 times. Terri's November Daily Thread was viewed over 6,000 times. December's thread is over 3,000 views. More and more good folks are finding out about Terri and that judicial tyranny would take her life,...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

***Snip***** Progressivity and the Tax Burden Our tax system, however, is highly progressive, meaning that as one’s income rises, a higher proportion of that income is taxed. Thus, those in the highest tax brackets contribute more to the overall tax burden even though there are far more people in lower tax brackets. For example:1 According to data from the IRS, the bottom 50 percent of income earners pay approximately 4 percent of income taxes. The top 25 percent of income earners pay nearly 83 percent of the income tax burden, and the top 10 percent pay 65 percent. The top...

Politicus: Kerry-friendly Europe still has its own ideas John Vinocur IHT Monday, September 27, 2004 No German and French troops for Kerry ...But last week, just after Kerry's major speech on the war last week in which he insisted that the United States "must make Iraq the world's responsibility" and that others "should share the burden," Schröder's sense of courtesy collided with reality and he drove a spike into the notion. He told reporters, "We won't send any German soldiers to Iraq, and that's where it's going to remain." As for the Democrat, Süddeutsche (German newspaper) said Kerry "is suggesting...

GOOG is official, the price is $85.00. It is expected to begin trading tomorrow 8/19/2004. Thing is auction participants won't know until 8/24/2004 how many shares they are required to buy. So if you choose to sell, how many shares do you sell? If you buy tomorrow and the stock rises, what happens on the 24th when everybody finds out how much they got in the auction?<p. Could be some volitility. I will remind of one event a few years ago. PALM was to come at 16, interest was so great that it was priced at 32. It opened at...

Iran refuses to share al-Qaeda data with US October 29 2003 at 12:33PM Tehran - Iran said on Wednesday it would not share intelligence with the United States about al-Qaeda members held in Iran despite repeated requests from the American government for it to do so. "We don't have any relations with American security services so there is no reason to do anything on this issue," government spokesperson Abdollah Ramazanzadeh told a weekly news conference. US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said on Tuesday that his government was prepared to resume limited contacts with the Iranian government but that...