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Walter Reed - Weeks 220 and 221, July 17 and 24, 2009; New Buses For Wounded Warriors New Buses, Wounded Warriors, and BirthdaysAnother great night to be at the Front Gate of Walter Reed.. Good camaraderie and good weather. And, as is the norm, many passengers in cars waved and drivers honked showing their support of the troops and their families. Slipping beneath our radar on the 17th was the fact that the Big Bus, returning wounded warriors and their families from the Friday Night dinner hosted by one of several restaurants in the DC area, had been replaced by...

Please join us in the campaign to show Gratitude to our US Military. Go the following link to the Gratitude Campaign and email the link to everyone you know: THE GRATITUDE FOR OUR MILITARY CAMPAIGNLet's show our military how grateful we are for their service all over this country. It's a neat video you can download to distribute in emails, thumbdrives, and any other way you can too. Thank you.

Hollywood megastar and UN goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie on Thursday visited a refugee camp in Baghdad for Iraqis displaced by the war, the UN refugee agency said. Jolie toured the Chikouk camp in northern Baghdad's Kadhimiyah neighbourhood as part of a one-day visit to Iraq, UNHCR spokeswoman Abeer Etefa told AFP. Jolie called for more aid for Iraq's internally-displaced people and said she hoped that the Iraqi government and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will provide the refugees with new accommodation. "This is a moment where things seem to be improving on the ground, but Iraqis need a...

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2009 – Military children and their families were honored here yesterday by a troop-support group and others when the Washington Nationals took on the New York Mets. Left to right, Riley Anderson, his sister, Olivia, and his brother, Adrian, participate in Tribute to Our Troops, July 21, 2009. Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, Careerbuilder.com’s "Mission Get Hired" program and troop-support group Our Military Kids joined together for the event at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. As part of this event, 1,500 tickets were given to military families to enjoy an evening of baseball. Riley Anderson threw out...

While standing in front of an AH-64D Apache attack helicopter, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, right, discusses weapons systems with Col. Douglas Gabram, commander of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, during a visit to Camp Taji, July 18. Photo by Spc. Alun Thomas, 1st Cavalry Division. TAJI — Far away in the hot, arid climate of Iraq, it might be easy for Soldiers to become distant from the places they like to call home, as life goes on without them. However, for some members of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade on Camp Taji, a...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, July 16, 2009 – Celebrities stopped by here yesterday to entertain troops as part of the star-studded USO’s Summer Troop Visit. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the celebrities are travelling throughout the U.S. Central Command area of operations to thank troops for their service and sacrifice. The celebrities include actors Bradley Cooper and D.B. Sweeney, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn, National Football League Hall of Famer Don Shula, and sports commentator and model Leeann Tweeden. The group’s first stop was aboard the USS Ronald Reagan, an aircraft...

ESCONDIDO ---�“ Ryan Kahlor, an injured Iraq War veteran, said he knew some volunteers were coming to help paint his Escondido home Saturday morning, but he had envisioned a "couple of guys with spray guns." When nearly 50 people descended on the U.S. Army sergeant's house, he was overwhelmed.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher (right) and Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher share some laughs with U.S. servicemembers during a National Football League coaches USO tour of Iraq, at Al Faw Palace, Baghdad, July 2. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Edwin L. Wriston, Joint Combat Camera Center – Iraq. KIRKUK — It was a long line for Soldiers and Airmen, but awaiting them at the end were legendary NFL coaches ready to sign photos, shirts or anything else you could scribble a signature on. The coaches, who included New York Giants’ Coach Tom Coughlin, Baltimore Ravens’...

The soldiers expressed their gratitude over and over to the NFL coaches who made the trip to Iraq. "They kept thanking us," said the Tennessee Titans' Jeff Fisher. "We kept thanking them." Fisher, the New York Giants' Tom Coughlin, the Baltimore Ravens' John Harbaugh, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden are taking part in the first NFL-USO coaches tour over the Fourth of July weekend. A world they knew only through the distant glimpses of news reports turned very real for the coaches as they met with hundreds of soldiers in three...

INDEPENDENCE DAY should be the proper name for this most wonderful holiday. The name 4th of July is just another 3 day weekend for sales. This AAR covers two weeks as you can see. Better Late than never. Plus one on my few projects has a deadline that keep me busy the last two weeks. It is under control so I have some time to write the AAR. Week 180 roll call of our 9 Patriots included Sophia, Legionnaires Dave (Army WWII) and friend Janet, and Halsey, (USMC - Korea), Lurker Bill, and FReepers Cindy_True_Supporter, Eager, Fraxinus, NewEnglandPatriot, [Mrs] Trooprally,...

Navy Lt. Lawrence Sproul (center), Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Nolen and Lt. Cmdr. John Brooks (right), all of the Multi-National Force - West Health Services Section, look through a care package sent by Sproul's son's kindergarten class, June 16. Photo by Cpl. Meg Murray, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd). AL ASAD AIR BASE — Things have changed throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom, but one thing has not – the support U.S. citizens show their forward-deployed servicemembers. Troops with Multi National Force - West, stationed in Anbar province, continue to daily receive thank-you notes, care packages and well-wishes from places like...

Click here for live video stream of the Troopathon.Click here for Syncro's Blogger Shootout Competition thread.Jim Robinson and Syncro should be on site at the Reagan Library for the Troopathon. Howdy hi guys!Move America Forward's Troopathon is being hosted by FRiends of Free Republic Melanie Morgan and Andrew Breitbart.Here's a recent press release mentioning some of the guests for the Troopathon. Sacramento , CA – Hollywood movie stars Kelsey Grammer and Gary Sinise have generously agreed to participate and appear on Move America Forward’s campaign to send the largest ever shipment of care packages to our troops serving overseas. “Both...

We are here at the Troopathon! Jim Robinson, Shelia and Chris And me Syncro Rush Limbaugh is on now, click on the link!

Week 216 (June 5) Week 217 (June 12) ToleranceSucksRocks, Fraxinus [Mr] Trooprally Lurker Bill, Cindy_true_supporter Small bus RonGKirby Bus Week 216 (June 5) Week 217 (June 12) RonG's shirt Titusville crew, Frax, and TSR VFW Post 5958 June 5th - Drizzly rain. I wasn't there. Then the bus. The End. June 12th - Drizzly rain. I wasn't there. Then the ... NO, WAIT! The weather was great and I WAS there! We got a visit from the Titusville VFW. Bob, Beth, and Carrie drove all the way from the other side of Pennsyvania to spend the evening with us...

With just two days left, Hot Air continues to surge! Our latest count brings their total to $13,005.70 in care package! We're absolutely stunned with the great success of this blogger competition-further noted by EVERY team's standing on our score board. The Anti-Jihadists continue their strong rally and remain in second with $5,099.21. And in a remarkable comeback, Ron Winter's Greyhawks team is now in third with $1,574.64 for care packages. Our new teams, FreeRepublic.com and Family Security Matters, are in fourth and fifth with $274.95 and $224.98, respectively. And, Team COINS rounds up the list in sixth with $124.98...

The YMCA is offering up a free week of summer camp for the first 150 kids whose parents are unemployed or serving in the military. The children would be treated to a free week at Camp Nissokone in Oscoda. It's a $500 value, per child, being offered at no cost to qualified families on a first come, first-served basis. Parents and guardians are encouraged to follow the guidelines and register on the YMCA Web site at www.ymcadetroit.org Children must be 9 to 16-years-old. Camping sessions begin the week of June 28 and go through August 15. You can also get...

From the Front Page of Free Republic: MAF's 2nd Annual Troopathon! Announcing MAF's Second Annual "HONOR THEIR SERVICE" Care Package Program and TROOPATHON!! Webcast LIVE from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, June 25, 2009, hosted by Andrew Breitbart and Melanie Morgan, featuring Ann Coulter, Mark Levin, Sean Hanity, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham and many other FReeper favorites! Free Republic will be there!! Syncro is the FreeRepublic.com Team Captain for the Troopathon BLOGGER SHOOTOUT competition and we will also be joining the MAF Team at the Reagan Library! Hope to see you there! Click the Troopathon.org banner to sponsor a care...

I’m almost glad that I missed the previous week’s AAR. There were a lot of interesting things that happened during these two Support the Troop Rallies and they kinda ran together. Other than the list of patriots, I’m not going to separate the two weeks. But if you look at the sky, Week 177 was sunny, and Week 178 was over cast. Week 177 roll call of our 9 Patriots included Sophia, Legionnaires Dave (Army WWII) and friend Janet, and Ed, (Army - WWII), Lurker Bill, and FReepers Cindy_True_Supporter, Fraxinus, {Mrs} Trooprally, aka [Mrs] T, and myself, [Mr] T. MOONBATs:...

Where: Corner of Shaw and Blackstone When: Tonight! Time: 5:30pm - 7:30pm * Bring your signs, flags and banners. Come and show your support for our troops! Hope to see everyone there! * note special starting time

In conjuntion with www.freerepublic.com, The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Patriot Guard (AR), and Alerts Secure Arkansas is planning a huge rally to support our military. It will be held on Thursday, June 4th, at 4 p.m., in front of the Army-Navy Recruiting Station at Ashley Square, corner of Reservoir Road and Rodney Parham in Little Rock (. This is an emergency rally to show respect for our troops and let them know we mourn the loss of soldier William Long and the wounding of soldier Quinton Ezeagwula. Please bring your Flags, yellow ribbons, and signs. For more...