Free Republic

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ The Message: Don’t Mess With Me! U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Camron Wilson, a native of Silsbee, Texas, and motor vehicle operator with Ground Distribution Company, 1st Distribution Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, carries an ammunition belt on his shoulders before participating in a static mounted machine gun range at Camp Pendleton, California, March 22, 2024. The range consisted of vehicle maneuvers and machine gun training, increasing the Marines’ proficiency when operating truck mounted heavy and medium machine guns. (U.S Marine Corps photo by...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ We Are The Champions! U.S. Marines with 1st Marine Logistics Group are presented the Holcomb Trophy for achieving the highest aggregate pistol scores during the Marine Corps Marksmanship Competition West on Camp Pendleton, California, Feb. 25, 2024. The award was created in honor of General Thomas Holcomb, the seventeenth Commandant of the Marine Corps, who was a member of the first Marine Corps competitive rifle team. MCMC West is one of four marksmanship competitions in the Marine Corps and provides advanced marksmanship training and competition to regional units...

On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) stated that the military operation to build a pier to help deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza is a mission where “we knew” that the American troops in charge of the mission, “might be in harm’s way from Hamas. But after the events of this week, anybody doing humanitarian aid is going to wonder if they’re in harm’s way from the IDF. And so, we’ve got to see a dramatic uptake in Israel allowing humanitarian aid to suffering people.”

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Nope! No Land Sighting. Keep Floating! PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 6, 2022) Seaman Anthony Dyer, from Baltimore, stands watch on the bridge wing of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62). Fitzgerald is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with alliances and partnerships while serving as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Catie Coyle) Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ We Sing Too! Members of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Band and Chorus perform to an audience of patients and medical professionals at the Aleris Rehab Station in Stockholm, Sweden, March 11, 2024. The Stronger Together Outreach Tour is an annual initiative preceding the DEFENDER-Europe 24 exercise, demonstrating U.S. Army Europe & Africa’s commitment to the NATO Alliance and our global Partners. As part of this effort, the USAREUR-AF Band serves as a bridge to increase cultural ties and enrich the alliance between the U.S. and Sweden...

MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. Eliminating French military personnel that may appear in Ukraine would be a critical but not particularly difficult mission for the Russian Armed Forces, but for Paris such a humiliating defeat of its legions would be tantamount to being guillotined, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said. "Actually, for the success of our cause, it would be nice if the restless French dispatched a couple of regiments to ‘Banderaland.’ It would be very problematic to hide such a number of servicemen, so systematically eliminating them would not be the most difficult task, but surely the most...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Future Military Leaders! Bravo! U.S. Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets from Okkodo High School, Guam, carry military equipment during the 3rd annual JROTC Fitness Challenge hosted at JFKHS, Feb. 24, 2024. Most of the fitness challenge were actual tests that are conducted during DoD physical fitness assessments, i.e. push-ups and sit-ups. The addition of the equipment trail run challenge was to educate the cadets on what working in/carrying military equipment would feel like in the field. This event is also the only pure team event...

Taiwan has officially confirmed the presence of US troops stationed on its islands in the Taiwan Strait permanently, a development that could further escalate mounting tensions with China.The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed in 2023 facilitated the deployment of these troops to conduct training programs for Taiwanese frontline forces.The move comes as China continues to assert its disputed claim over Taiwan, viewing it as a renegade province despite never having ruled it. The heightened military activities by China in and around the Taiwan Strait have prompted Taiwan to bolster its defense capabilities.

Taiwan has confirmed there are U.S. troops stationed on its islands in the Taiwan Strait on a permanent basis, including an island just over a mile off China's southeast coast. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in 2023 paved the way for their arrival to conduct training programs for troops on Taiwan's front line. China has vowed to someday annex democratic Taiwan, which it regards as a rogue province, despite the fact that the Chinese Communist Party government in Beijing has never ruled there. China has sharply increased military sorties and drills in and around the 90-mile-wide Taiwan Strait, prompting...

French President Emmanuel Macron warned Western powers against showing any signs of weakness to Russia as he reiterated his position Thursday that sending Western troops into Ukraine shouldn’t be ruled out, though he said today’s situation doesn’t require it. ... “We’re not in that situation today,” he said, but added that “all these options are possible.” Macron, who is the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces, declined to describe in which situation France would be ready to send troops. He said the responsibility for prompting such a move would lie with Moscow — “It wouldn’t be us” — and said...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ What An Expensive Toy! OKINAWA, Japan (Feb. 15, 2024) - West Coast-based Naval special warfare operators train members of a Japanese Special Boat Unit on AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma operations at Naval Base White Beach in Okinawa, Japan. Naval Special Warfare is the nation's elite maritime special operations force, uniquely positioned to extend the Fleet's reach and gain and maintain access for the Joint Force in competition and conflict. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chelsea D. Meiller) Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale...

Children of the West will not be sent to die against Russia — as long as Ukraine’s army is kept from being defeated — President Zelensky said in his interjection into the ongoing debate over France’s Macron’s comments on deploying NATO against Moscow. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with French broadcaster BFMTV and engaged with controversial remarks by President Emmanuel Macron, that nothing was off the table when it comes to defeating Putin’s Russia and further NATO involvement shouldn’t be ruled out. The comments have caused concern across the NATO alliance in recent weeks with other national and military leaders...

WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Poland’s foreign minister says the presence of NATO forces “is not unthinkable” and that he appreciates the French president for not ruling out that idea. Radek Sikorski made the observation during a discussion marking the 25th anniversary of Poland’s NATO membership in the Polish parliament on Friday, and the Foreign Ministry tweeted the comments later in English. Last month French President Emmanuel Macron said the possibility of Western troops being sent to Ukraine could not be ruled out, a comment that prompted an outcry from other leaders.

Lawless NYC Takes First Step Toward Police State With Over 1000 National Guard in Subways

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Daddy’s Home! Welcome Home! Soldiers from the 75th Field Artillery Brigade, 2nd Battalion, 18th Field Artillery Regiment redeployed at Fort Sill Feb. 5 and 7 after they spent about a month at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California for an Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise. Photo by Edward MunizCanteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Welcome Home, Daddy!! Soldiers from the 75th Field Artillery Brigade, 2nd Battalion, 18th Field Artillery...

German Chancellor Scholz stands accused of handing Russia a propaganda coup in order to smooth over his own political difficulties as he claims the presence of British and French soldiers aiding Ukrainian forces.Scholz has been accused of abusing intelligence and being a bad ally by angry NATO politicians after his remarks about the level of involvement he claims there is of the British and French in the deployment of the Storm Shadow / SCALP cruise missiles they have given to Ukraine, and which have been deployed with devastating effect.(snip)Answering questions on the subject again this week, Chancellor Scholz developed his...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ America’s Compassion Fleet! Sailors aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) pose for a group photo as the ship pulls into Naval Air Station North Island, California, following Pacific Partnership 2024-1, Feb. 12, 2024. Pacific Partnership, now in its 19th iteration, is the largest multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific and works to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class...

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told The Associated Press that the military alliance has no plans to send combat troops into Ukraine amid reports that some Western countries may be considering putting boots on the ground in the war-ravaged country. Stoltenberg said that “NATO allies are providing unprecedented support to Ukraine. We have done that since 2014 and stepped up after the full-scale invasion. But there are no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine.” Ahead of a trip to Paris on Monday, where top officials from over 20 countries discussed options to increase help for Ukraine, Slovakia's...

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that sending Western troops on the ground in Ukraine is not “ruled out” in the future after the issue was debated at a gathering of European leaders in Paris, as Russia’s full-scale invasion grinds into a third year. The French leader said that “we will do everything needed so Russia cannot win the war” after the meeting of over 20 European heads of state and government and other Western officials. “There’s no consensus today to send in an official, endorsed manner troops on the ground. But in terms of dynamics, nothing...

A conflict between Russia and NATO would be inevitable if Western troops go to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said today. The Kremlin's comments come after French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out putting boots on the ground in Ukraine as Kyiv struggles to fend off Russia's full-scale invasion. While Macron noted that there was no consensus about troops at this stage, Ukraine has not asked allies for soldiers to fight its cause and other Western governments even scrambled Tuesday to insist troops were not set to be deployed, the mere suggestion sparked a furious response from Moscow....