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The day after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the gulf coast, my husband sent me pictures of the devastation during and after the storm from Keesler AFB in Biloxi Mississippi. My heart ached as I thought of all those military families stationed at Keesler who were already under the strain of separation from the war. I felt an instant anxiety as if my own family members had suffered. Then I realized that is what many of us feel. The people in New Orleans, Biloxi, and all those places affected by this storm are our fellow Americans. They are our brothers and...

œ Upset by a rising tide of war protests, military supporters in Tucson are holding a support-the-troops rally today. The event at Reid Park will feature speeches by local military families, including some who have had loved ones killed in action in Iraq, organizer Pat Sexton said. Sexton said the rally is in response to intensive media coverage of Cindy Sheehan, the California mother who drew international publicity as she protested outside President Bush's Texas ranch demanding answers for why her soldier son died in the war. Sexton, 54, whose son is a former Marine reservist who served in Iraq,...

USS HARRY S. TRUMAN, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) departed its homeport of Norfolk, Va., Sept. 1 in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state disaster relief operations following the massive devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The ongoing hurricane relief operations are an intensive humanitarian effort that involves many federal agencies, Department of Defense assets and all military branches. Truman expects to be on station off the U.S. Gulf Coast by Sept. 4. Truman will serve as a command and control platform for hurricane relief operations, as well as...

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21, Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (Light) (HSL) 43, HSL-47 and HSL-49 departed Naval Air Station North Island Sept. 1 to assist with Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts. The units will support search and rescue and logistic missions in the devastated Gulf Coast region. “We are honored to help and support our fellow Americans in need in the Gulf Coast region,” said Cmdr. Monte Ulmer, executive officer of HSC-21. “ We all feel devastated by what we’ve seen, and we are ready to help in any way possible.” “This is important for our squadron...

BALTIMORE (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), based here, was activated Aug. 31 in support of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) efforts to provide medical support in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Comfort, one of the largest trauma facilities in the United States, is being readied quickly for her mission and is expected to get underway for the Gulf Coast by September 3. Comfort is normally kept at Baltimore's Canton Pier in reduced operating status with a cadre crew of 18 civil service mariners who maintain the vessel, as well as a...

PORT HUENEME, Calif. (NNS) -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command’s (NAVFAC) Mobile Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE) technicians deployed Aug. 31 to Gulfport, Miss., where they will assess damage and urgent utility needs for Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport. “We are proud to be able to do what we can to help,” said Chief Construction Electrician John “Matt” Smith, leader of the four-member team. NAVFAC MUSE division is tasked to provide emergency utility support to the base in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Two 800-kilowatt (kW) generators and one 2500-kilovolt-amp (kVA) substation are on their way to Gulfport...

PORT HUENEME, Calif. (NNS) -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 40 began deploying a detachment of 125 personnel to Gulfport, Miss., Sept. 1 to provide humanitarian assistance and conduct debris removal in the aftermath of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The detachment will lend support to the 22nd Seabee Readiness Group in disaster recovery operations. Twenty-seven NMCB 40 Seabees comprised the first group to deploy to the Gulf Coast, with the remaining Seabees scheduled to deploy sometime during the same week. NMCB 40 is currently at its homeport for a 10-month training period.

Military support for the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast intensified today as more troops and assets arrived in the region, where responders are focusing on saving lives and relieving suffering among thousands of the hurricane’s victims, the commander of Joint Task Force Katrina told Pentagon reporters.

Moammar Khaddafy seeks U.S. support as tensions rise in Tripoli Libya has been pressing the United States to quickly forge diplomatic relations. The reason: Libyan ruler Moammar Khaddafy wants to invite President Bush to a celebration. The celebration would be the 36th anniversary of Khaddafy's coup against the Libyan monarchy in 1969. The celebration, scheduled for September, will include leaders from Arab, Europe and Third World nations. Bush has been advised not to attend the celebrations, and the administration prefers to wait until later for any announcement regarding diplomatic relations. On the other hand, the U.S. energy lobby, hungry for...

2 Years ago, I had the honor of being involved with a noble cause, that of supporting our troops through a sporting goods drive that Freepers assisted in. Below is the original story, edited some here, to tell of what and why the Sporting goods drive occured. Because of the efforts of a 12 year old boy mentioned below, the town of Plymouth Mass is going to hoor a fallen Marine from Plymouth, along with veterans of all wars and their families, including the war we are in right now to preserve our freedoms from Islamic terrorism.. Here is the...

The Air Force is part of the national support network that is providing aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina in disaster stricken regions of Mississippi and Louisiana. The 1st Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., is the lead for planning, orchestrating and overseeing Air Force support to Joint Task Force Katrina. Units from Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command and Air Force Special Operations Command are aiding 1st Air Force and supporting disaster relief efforts. Assets from AMC include aeromedical evacuation teams that flew between Keesler AFB, Miss., and Lackland AFB, Texas. The command, responsible for orchestrating airlift...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2005 – More than 11,000 Army and Air National Guard members and 7,200 active-duty troops, mostly Navy, are supporting hurricane relief operations along the Gulf Coast, and 10,000 more National Guard troops are expected to join the effort within the next 48 hours, Defense Department officials said today. Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told Pentagon reporters today the additional troops, who hail from 13 states outside the region, will be evenly divided between the hardest-hit states, Mississippi and Louisiana. There, he said, they will augment forces already on the ground...

By Maj. John Paradis, USAF Special to American Forces Press Service PEORIA, Ariz., Aug. 31, 2005 – Peoria became the first city in Arizona to begin airing the Pentagon Channel live on a municipal local access channel in an Aug. 30 ceremony here. Mayor John Keegan kicked off the broadcasting on his city's Peoria Channel 11 at city hall before a crowd of military personnel and area community leaders. Programming on the Pentagon Channel includes Defense Department news briefings, military news, interviews with top defense officials and information and features about the work of the armed forces. Keegan said his...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2005 – Debate about policy decisions and his approval rating as president are not reflections on the value of the service military members are providing every day, President Bush said in San Diego, Calif., Aug. 30. After speaking at a ceremony commemorating the Allied victory over Japan 60 years ago, the president and first lady Laura Bush sat down to an interview with the Pentagon Channel and discussed the importance of support for the troops, regardless of what people may think of his politics. "There's a difference between whether or not people support the decisions I have...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 31, 2005 – The Anchorage Police Department has put into writing its verbal commitment to the Guardsmen and Reservists who protect and serve the community when they're not protecting and serving the country. Anchorage Police Chief Walter Monegan signed a "statement of support" under the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve's "5-Star Employer Program." "All it (involved) was basically memorializing an existing (verbal) agreement," Monegan said about the statement of commitment he signed in April. "Members of the Guard and Reserve do double duty, and I respect that." The document declares, in writing,...

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Three amphibious ships and a rescue and salvage ship based in Hampton Roads are getting underway Aug. 31 and heading for the Gulf of Mexico to support relief operations along the U.S. Gulf Coast following widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. The multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) and the amphibious transport dock USS Shreveport (LPD 12), both based at Naval Station Norfolk; the dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) and the rescue and salvage ship USS Grapple (ARS 53), both based at Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Little Creek, Va., will join...

Hello all! Thanks for reading in advance. I am a long time non voter, with a history of a few Libertarian ideals. I tend to stray a bit to the left on most issues, but recent events in the country have led me to question weather or not supporting the Administration in the upcoming Local elections as well as the presidancy in 08 is a good idea. I heard that this was a good forum to find GOPers and hear their ideas. I was hoping to throw around some ideas and hear what you had to say about why you...

Air Support Operations Center airmen respond to immediate requests and preplanned missions of close-air support to defeat terrorism. This time, things went down differently than planned. As arranged, the men prepped and fired a mortar at coalition forces. They shuttled into their vehicle, certain of a smooth exit. "He squealed on his teammates, and coalition forces rounded them up." Capt. Sev Olinger What the terrorists did not count on was what happened afterward: An American fighter aircraft zoomed overhead, investigating the mortar point of origin. The pilot tracked the terrorist team in their getaway truck, simultaneously communicating with an Army...

Those of you who visit this site on a regular basis know that I feel the Left is constantly spinning the Iraq war in new ways to try to chip away at the Bush administration. They have done so at the expense of our service men and women and at the expense of the facts. It is time to turn away from the bickering over the old worn out themes that they keep trying to keep fresh in our minds and focus on the task at hand. We have courageous men and women fighting for what they believe in and...

On a Mark Levin thread today, some one raised the idea of wearing red on Fridays to show support for our troops and to (yes, I'll say it) discriminate us from the DU slime. Fly your flag!