Free Republic

That time a Marine general led a fictional Iran against the US military – and won In 2002, the U.S. military tapped Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper to lead the red opposing forces of the most expensive, expansive military exercise in history. He was put in command of an inferior Middle Eastern-inspired military force. His mission was to go against the full might of the American armed forces. In the first two days, he sank an entire carrier battle group.

At the Kettle Diner in Jacksonville, N.C., it's faith, family and the Corps. Jacksonville is home to Camp Lejuene, the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast...Even some lifelong conservatives aren't hearing the president's message anymore. "I've turned him off," said retired Marine Col. Jim Van Riper. "I've tuned him out." Van Riper is a Christian, card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association who voted for President Bush twice. But as more Marines have died, his confidence in the Bush administration has died as well.

LONDON (Reuters) - The United States Navy said Friday it was searching for two Iraqi naval vessels that could be trying to lay mines "anywhere" in the Gulf. In a notice to merchant shipping seen by Reuters, the U.S. Fifth Fleet's Maritime Liaison Office based in Bahrain said coalition forces were hunting two vessels, the "Al Shorook" and the "Al Fateh al Mobeen." The enormous U.S.-British naval presence in the Gulf has so far deterred any attacks on either military or merchant shipping in the region, with most mine-sweeping operations confined to the northern Gulf and Iraq (news - web...