Free Republic

Nearly seven out of 10 US service members are considered either overweight or obese — which may compromise the nation’s military readiness and undermine national security, according to a new wide-ranging study. The American Security Project, a Washington-based nonprofit, found that 68% of US troops qualified as either “overweight” or “obese” under the Body Mass Index, which takes into account a person’s age, height and weight. It also determined that the number of troops in the “obese” category have more than doubled over the course of the past decade — from 10.4% in 2012, to 21.6% last year. The trend...

Russian forces desperate to capture the strategically important city of Bakhmut in the contested Donbas region are trying to advance over the corpses of their own fallen soldiers, Ukraine’s top general said. Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday that there was intense fighting along the border of Svatove-Kreminna in the Luhansk region, as well as in the direction of Lysychansk. “The most challenging situation remains in the Soledar-Bakhmut-Mayorsk area,” the four-star general wrote. “There, the enemy is virtually attempting to advance over their corpses, but the Defenсe Forces units constrain the...

President Joe Biden was flanked by two Marines and bathed in red light against a brick wall as he delivered a prime time address in which he told Americans that those he called “MAGA Republicans” were a threat to the United States and to American democracy. Biden delivered the speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the birthplace of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But the style of his address — carried on every news network — oddly recalled that of leaders in military juntas.

Hundreds of Ukrainians attended a neo-Nazi march celebrating Nazi SS soldiers in Kiev on Wednesday, sparking condemnation from around the world. The Embroidery March, which was conducted legally, marked the 78th anniversary of the creation of the SS Galicia, a force set up under German occupation of predominantly Ukrainian and German volunteers who wished to take up arms for Nazi Germany.

During Tuesday’s CNN-New York Times Democratic debate, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate South Bend, IN Mayor Pete Buttigieg said President Donald Trump withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria has made them “ashamed,” and was taking away their honor. Buttigieg said, “The slaughter going on in Syria is not a consequence of American presence, it a consequence of a withdrawal and a betrayal by this president of American allies and American values. Look, I didn’t think we should have gone to Iraq in the first place. I think we need to get out of Afghanistan. But it’s also the case that a small...

Holiday Cards to Wounded and Recovering Soldiers Walter Reed Army Medical Center officials want to remind those individuals who want to show their appreciation through mail to include packages, letters, and holiday cards addressed to 'Any Wounded Soldier' or 'A Recovering American Soldier' that Walter Reed cannot accept these packages in support of the decision by then Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Transportation Policy in 2001. This decision was made to ensure the safety and well being of patients and staff at medical centers throughout the Department of Defense. In addition, the U.S. Postal Service is no longer accepting "Any...

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jason Simmons and Spc. Daniel Meyer scan the banks of the Euphrates River looking for terrorist activity, Feb. 16, 2006. Simmons and Meyer are assigned as scouts with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Michael Molinaro U.S. Soliders Take to Water to Combat Terrorists U.S. troops employ innovative tactics to thwart counterinsurgency operations. By U.S. Army Cpl. Michael Molinaro 2nd Brigade Combat Team ISKANDARIYAH, Iraq, Feb. 22, 2006 — Some of them are tankers, some of them are infantryman. But...

(AP) President Bush speaks about the War on Terror to troops at Fort Hood, Texas, Tuesday, April 12,...Full Image FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) - President Bush visited soldiers at the largest U.S. military base Tuesday, marking the two-year anniversary of the end of Saddam Hussein's regime by saying it will be remembered along with the fall of the Berlin Wall as one of history's greatest moments.Bush thanked the soldiers at Fort Hood who have recently returned from Iraq or are heading there this fall, but said it isn't time to start bringing U.S. forces home."Iraqis want to be led...

Just saw this on the CNN scroll and haven't found a source on the web yet, but it's an inspiring story. If anyone has any more info, details, or a link, please post it. On an American Airlines flight to Chicago, several soldiers were aboard coming home for R&R. Some of the passengers in the first class cabin noticed this and offered their seats to the soldiers. What a noble and thoughtful gesture. Three cheers to some good American patriots.

COLUMBUS - Three Fort Benning soldiers have been arrested in the death of a man whose skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area. Douglas Woodcoff, 24; Mario Navarrette, 24; and Jacob Burgoyne, 24 were arrested late Friday and charged in the death. The man, whose identity, which is being withheld until authorities can reach family members, is believed to be a soldier in his 20s.

*10* As I write this from Baghdad International Airport my thoughts drift to an upcoming 4th of July, a time when American Muslims feel that sense of duality a little more strongly than usual (Mansoor Ijaz, Supporting Our Armed Forces: An American Muslim's Perspective): An appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy coupled with a longing for the lands of our heritage; proud of our advancements on these shores and bemoaning the inability of our homelands to re-visit the more glorious days of our past. It's easy in our skepticism to look at cursory reports from the media and dismiss the...

Fox News reporting another RPG attack on Americans. One killed and two injured. Being broadcast now.