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April 2006, Vol. 89, No. 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The radar site was deep in enemy territory. The assumption was that it was impossible for attackers to climb the sheer face of the mountain. The Fall of Lima Site 85 By John T. Correll Lima Site 85 and the secret Air Force radar facility sat atop one of the highest mountains in Laos, 15 miles away from the border with North Vietnam. The site was defended by a force of 1,000 Hmong irregulars in the valley below, but a key element in its security was the mountain itself. The drop on three...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: John in San Diego, you're next. Welcome to the program. Nice to have you with us. CALLER: Thank you for taking my call. RUSH: Yeah. CALLER: I believe that Cindy Sheehan is bringing up one important point, though. RUSH: What's that? CALLER: If this is a valiant and noble cause, why don't we have [sic] any senators sons or House of Representatives sons volunteering to go over there? Why isn't the president's daughters doing something for the war effort, if this is such a valiant effort? And that's the primary purpose that she has made this...

Today I propose we the American people (Freepers) start voting with our remotes. Allow me to explain. We are at war with an enemy that seeks our total destruction. In order to defeat this enemy, we the American people must reach a common bond with a common purpose and that being total Victory. While this war may last decades, we cannot loose unless we do not stay united. However, if we are divided from internal struggles, there is a chance our civilization will be destroyed and replaced with a Muslim culture. The most dangerous internal struggle I see today is...

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico (AP) -- The United States is closing its consulate in this violence-wracked border city for a week following a shootout in which assailants used machine guns, grenades and even a rocket launcher to attack a home, the U.S. Ambassador said Friday evening. In a statement from Mexico City, Tony Garza said "in light of this alarming incident and continued violence along the border, I have decided to suspend all operations except for emergency services for American citizens," for one week beginning Aug. 1. He said temporarily closing the consulate would allow officials to "access the security situation...

You would never guess it from the news, but we're living in a peculiarly tranquil world. The new edition of "Peace and Conflict," a biennial global survey being published next week by the University of Maryland, shows that the number and intensity of wars and armed conflicts have fallen once again, continuing a steady 15-year decline that has halved the amount of organized violence around the world. Those statistics are no solace for mourners in Iraq and Darfur. But so many other people are now living in peace that you don't have be a dreamer like John Lennon to take...

The number of wars has been declining sharply since the end of the Cold War. There were about fifty wars going on in 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Ten years later, there were half as many. Even after the 911 attacks, and the invasion of Iraq, the number of wars continued to decline. Today, it is about twenty. We track sixteen as active (Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Sudan, Colombia, Kashmir, Pakistan, Ivory Coast, Congo, Somalia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Chechnya, Burundi and Thailand.), plus about a dozen that are really low level, just ended (and still liable to restart) or...

January 6, 2005 "Rumsfeld should have hit the panic button on Army force structure when the insurgency picked up steam." The Force Structure Problem By George Friedman A memo written by Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, head of the U.S. Army Reserve, was leaked to The Baltimore Sun. Addressed to the chief of staff of the Army, the memo stated that the Army Reserve was in danger of becoming a "broken force," due to personnel policies adopted by the Army and the Department of Defense. Helmly wrote, "The purpose of this memorandum is to inform you of the Army Reserve's...

The Problem with Fourth-Generation War Strategic Studies Institute For theorists of Fourth Generation War (4GW), there’s both good news and bad news. The good news is that there is only one problem with the notion of 4GW. The bad news is that the theory itself is the problem. Like the fabled emperor who had no clothes, 4GW is bereft of any intellectual garments: the concept itself is fundamentally and hopelessly flawed. It is based on poor history and only obscures what other theorists and analysts have already clarified. Although the idea of 4GW emerged in the late 1980s, it has...

Federal Appeals Court Judge Michael Chertoff’s ties to the financiers of the Sept. 11 attacks may prevent his confirmation as Homeland Security Chief. According to a June 20, 2000 article in the The Record of Bergen County, New Jersey, Chertoff defended accused terrorist financier Dr. Magdy Elamir. Elamir’s HMO was sued by the State of New Jersey to recoup $16.7 million in losses. At least $5.7 million went “to unknown parties... by means of wire transfers to bank accounts where the beneficial owner of the account is unknown,” according to the article. Foreign intelligence reports given to then chairman of...

ROME — Al Qaeda has introduced an online women's magazine with articles including dietary advice for suicide bombers and tips on how to "dominate the passions" before blowing yourself up,[snip]"Among the Web pages of this newly born female review in Arabic, you won't find the usual fashion features that fill the pages of ladies' magazines the world over, except for a section dedicated to fitness with advice on diet and training to follow so as to acquire not a catwalk waistline, but martyrdom in the holy war."     With its bizarre format including articles on "breathing gymnastics to conquer the...

(From a mom): He told me how wonderful the care packages were and wanted me to tell everyone thank you. He said that one guy we’ll call “Marine X” did get a girl care package and everyone was giving him a hard time. My son said, "Marine X got some really nice smelling lotion and everyone really likes it, so everytime he goes to sleep they steal it from him." I told my son I was really sorry about the mistake, and if he wanted I would send Marine X another package. He told me not to worry about Marine...

Six Navy SEALs filed a lawsuit against the Associated Press and one of its reporters yesterday, saying the news organization revealed their identities, compromised their security and invaded their privacy by publishing personal photographs in a Dec. 4 story.     The complaint says AP reporter Seth Hettena used about 40 images from the personal photo-storage Web site of a Navy SEAL wife. [snip] The images were picked up by the Arab press, including Al Jazeera, and have made their way onto a billboard outside U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where detainees from the war on terror are being kept. The...

The hard left is hiding behind and playing upon NIMBY (not in my backyard) issues to block the inclusion of a naval academe at Senn High School in the 48th ward of Chicago. The effort is not being sponsored by students or parents, but rather the "Coaltion Against the Militarization of Our Schools". If the name doesn't tell you everything, the case as they state it at: SAVESENN.ORG should provide some background: "In fact, military programs teach militarism. Students in the Navy's military schools take a curriculum that includes "Sea Power," "Military History" and "mini-boot camps." They do not include...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — A U.S. soldier was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to killing a severely wounded Iraqi teenager, the military said Saturday. Staff Sgt. Johnny M. Horne Jr., 30, of Winston-Salem, N.C., also received a reduction in rank to private, forfeiture of wages and a dishonorable discharge.[snip]The charges relate to the Aug. 18 killing of a 16-year-old Iraqi male found in a burning truck with severe abdominal wounds sustained during clashes in Baghdad's Sadr City, an impoverished neighborhood that was the scene of fierce fighting between U.S. forces and Shiite rebels loyal to anti-U.S....

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Marine being investigated for allegedly killing an unarmed, wounded Iraqi was acting under extreme combat stress, comrades said yesterday. It was also disclosed that the Marine had just returned to duty after being shot in the face the previous day. [snip] Marines interviewed yesterday said the shooting wasn't a scandal, but evidence of how soldiers react under extreme circumstances. "I can see why he would do it," said Lance Cpl. Christopher Hanson. "He was probably running around being shot at for days on end in Fallujah. There should be an investigation, but they should look...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The U.S. Army Reserve soldiers who refused orders to drive a dangerous route were members of one of a few supply units whose trucks are still unarmored, their commanding general said Sunday. The soldiers, now under investigation, had previously focused on local missions in safer parts of southern Iraq and had never driven a convoy north along the attack-prone roads passing through Baghdad. "Not all of their trucks are completely armored. In their case, they haven't had the chance to get armored," said Brig. Gen. James E. Chambers, commanding general of 13th Corps Support Command, which...

I have created a public register of "bump lists" here on Free Republic. I define a bump list as a name listed in the "To" field used to index articles. Free Republic Bump List Register

  ZAMBEZI VALLEY MANHUNTTracker Combat Unit (TCU) Trails TerrsBy David Scott-Donelan     Rhodesia was hardly a nurturing environment for an experimental military unit. Most soldiers were concerned with simple survival, particularly in the earlier days of the country’s no-holds-barred bush war against communist guerrillas. In those times, the government’s troop strength was low and resources to patrol a 1,000-mile border and 150,000 square miles of hinterland were severely limited.     But history demonstrates some of the toughest life forms spring from harsh environments. In Rhodesia, when you talked tough, you talked about the Army’s Tracker Combat Unit.     From TCU’s small nucleus...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE RIPLEY, Afghanistan, June 29, 2004 — To many of his fellow Marines in Charlie Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, Sgt. Anthony Viggiani is the ideal Marine. In the eyes of subordinates and seniors alike, the native of Strongsville, Ohio embodies those qualities that make Marines special; dedicated, professional, strong, committed, moral, and brave. Now they have an additional quality to add to that list -- tough-as-nails. During a recent firefight with anti-coalition militia in south-central Afghanistan, Viggiani's actions further elevated himself in the eyes of the rest of the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special...

AL GORE AND THE DEMOCRATS--A JYB WEBAD The JYB has entered the political ad fray. Below is our first effort. It's an avi file and about 2.3 megs. Here are a few screenshots: Set your connection on its highest setting, and commence downloading: Al Gore and the Democrats Posted by B. Preston at 11:56 PM