Navy Flier Returns His Wings - Truthout

Go read!

Semper Fi

Lap Dogs of the Press - Helen Thomas - Truthout

Go read!

Semper Fi

Now? After Almost 3 Years In Iraq!

The Preznit is just getting briefed on IDE's. WTF, over!

Bush: Homemade Bombs Biggest Threat to GIs - AP

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Saturday the greatest threat to U.S. troops — and to the future of a peaceful Iraq — are remote-controlled, homemade bombs that terrorists hide in cars or set along roads.

Just because the insurgent don't come out and fight a conventional war doesn't mean the war is over Bushco.

In his weekly radio address, Bush said terrorists in Iraq know they cannot defeat the U.S. military so they have resorted to using lethal improvised explosive devices, which are the leading killer of American troops in Iraq.

I think we lost a war when an enemy used unconventional warfare. The insurgents are dictating how this war is being fought Bushco, not the U.S. Military.

The president was to receive a briefing Saturday about the devices from Montgomery Meigs, a retired general who heads a Pentagon organization with a multibillion-dollar budget to find ways to counter the threat.

I guess better late than never, Bushco. Only, our troops are paying for this with their lives!

Semper Fi

2nd Lt. Brian M. Stann

Platoon leader gets Silver Star

The News & Observer

[...]

It was just 2 1/2 miles, but dozens of insurgents were dug in, and men died in U.S. units that had tried to move through earlier. What the 42 Marines in Stann's platoon didn't know was that they'd have to run that gantlet six times over six days, braving rocket-propelled grenades, roadside bombs, mortars, machine guns, assault rifles and four suicide car bombs.

Semper Fi

Pence: 'Crisis in confidence' in GOP leadership

The Star Press - ANDERSON -- Republican Congressman Mike Pence joined a crowd at a town hall meeting Friday that was disillusioned about where the country was headed and President Bush's quality of leadership.

"You speak to what I refer to as a crisis in confidence with Republican governance," Pence said.

Bob Johnson, a retired auto engineer, summed up the feelings of some of the 40 people at the town hall session at Crown Pointe Senior Living Community along Ind. 32.

"I am losing confidence in our party to manage our business," Johnson said, citing hurricane disaster relief, the derailed Dubai Ports World deal and other issues facing the federal government.

Good to see some of the Indiana repugs taking ownership of this failed administration.

Semper Fi

Sensenbrenner is a Numb Nuts!

Massive March In Chicago To Protest H.R. 4437 - DKos

Update: Looks like AP is covering the story now.

100,000 March in Favor of Immigrant Rights

Hopefully, all of these people can vote in the next election.

Semper Fi

Pfc. Ricky Salas, Jr.

03/10/2006 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Ricky Salas, Jr. 22, of Roswell, N.M., died in Mosul, Iraq, on March 7, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle while conducting mounted operations. Salas was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, Friedberg, Germany.

Semper Fi

MARINE, IRAQI SOLDIER, THREE IRAQIS KILLED IN IED BLAST - CENTCOM

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – A homicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near the city of Fallujah March 10.
Three members of an Iraqi family, one soldier from the Iraqi Army, and one U.S. Marine were killed by the blast.
“Today, Iraqi Security Forces were working alongside U.S. Marines to ensure the safety of the citizens of Fallujah. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the individuals who lost their lives,” said Marine Lt. Col. Bryan F. Salas, Multi National Force-West spokesman.
The name of the deceased U.S. Marine will be released by the Department of Defense after next-of-kin notification.

Semper Fi

U.S. Marines Wall in Iraqi City With Sand - AP

RUTBAH, Iraq - U.S. Marines used to patrol the streets of this city near the volatile Syrian border. Now they've penned it in with a wall of sand, leaving only three ways in or out.

While causing discomfort to the townspeople, the military says it is an effective barrier to insurgents and frees up troops for use in other parts of restive Anbar province in western Iraq.

"Discomfort to the townspeople"? Just another way of losing their hearts and minds.

Semper Fi

War News

Blast Sets U.S. Tank on Fire in Baghdad - AP

Suicide bomber in Falluja kills 11 - Reuters

US military expects violent Afghan spring: admiral - Reuters

Fighting in Afghanistan Leaves Two Dead - AP

Unrest in Pakistan Setback for Terror War - AP

Semper Fi

Abu Ghraib Closing?

Iraq won't use Abu Ghraib after US quits jail

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said on Friday it would turn Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison into a warehouse after the U.S. military abandons the building in the next few months.

In a surprise announcement, the U.S. military said on Thursday it planned to end its operations at the prison that was a torture center under Saddam Hussein and became a symbol of shame for America's occupation of Iraq. U.S. officials had suggested Iraqi authorities might continue to use it as a jail.

Good thats one torture palace closed. But not so fast, I got this e-mail from the DoD yesterday.

U.S. Has No Immediate Plans to Close Abu Ghraib Prison

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2006 - The United States always has planned to transfer authority for all detention facilities in Iraq to the Iraqis, but announcements regarding the imminent closure at the Abu Ghraib prison are premature, defense officials said today.

News reports that the U.S. military intends to close Abu Ghraib within the next few months and to transfer its prisoners to other jails are inaccurate, officials said.

Is Abu Ghraib closing or not? But I also, got this e-mail from the DoD, which I have to tie in.

Democracy Promotes Human Rights, Rice Says

By Steven Donald Smith
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2006 - The spread of democracy is the best way to advance human rights, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said here yesterday.

"The growing demand for democratic governance reflects a recognition that the best guarantor of human rights is a thriving democracy with transparent, accountable institutions of government, equal rights under the rule of law, a robust civil society, political pluralism and independent media," Rice said.

The secretary was speaking to the press on the day the State Department delivered its "2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" to Congress.

Just makes me wonder what planet Rice and Bushco is on! If you what human rights to improve in the world close the U.S. torture palaces!

If you want a copy of the above emails just ask, and I'll forward you a copy.

Semper Fi

Cpl. Adam O. Zanutto

3/9/06 - DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Cpl. Adam O. Zanutto, 26, of Caliente, Calif., died March 6 at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., from wounds received as a result of an improvised explosive device in Al Anbar province, Iraq on Feb. 25. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Semper Fi

Gunnery Sgt. Justin R. Martone Gunnery Sgt. John D. Fry

3/9/06 - DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Gunnery Sgt. Justin R. Martone, 31, of Bedford, Va.

Gunnery Sgt. John D. Fry, 28, of Lorena, Texas

Martone died March 7 and Fry died March 8 from improvised explosive devices in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Martone was assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. Fry was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Semper Fi

Aviation Cadet Leo Mustonen

DoD - Airman Lost In 1942 Crash Is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. Army Air Forces airman, missing since 1942, have been identified and will soon be returned to his family for burial.

He is Aviation Cadet Leo Mustonen, 22, of Brainerd, Minn. The family has not set a date for his burial.

Mustonen was one of four men aboard a routine navigation training flight that departed Mather Field, Calif., on Nov. 18, 1942. Their AT-7 Navigator aircraft carried about five hours of fuel, and when the plane did not return to base, a search was initiated. It was suspended about a month later with no results.

In 1947, several hikers on Darwin Glacier in the Sierra Nevada mountain range discovered the aircraft wreckage. Human remains of three of the crew found at the site were buried in the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, Calif.

Several other hikers on Mendel Glacier, which is adjacent to Darwin Glacier, discovered frozen human remains, circumstantial evidence and personal effects in October 2005. Park rangers from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and a forensic anthropologist from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) recovered the remains, which were later shipped to the JPAC laboratory in Hawaii.

Scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA as one of the forensic tools in the process. U.S. Army casualty and mortuary officials located and briefed representatives of the families of all four crewmen.

Semper Fi

Two Marines Killed in Iraq

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2006 - Two Marines assigned to 1st Marine Logistics Group were killed in Anbar province, Iraq, March 7 and 8, military officials in Iraq reported.

No further details were available. Names of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Semper Fi

Bad Marine Recruiters

SAN FRANCISCO - 2 teens sue, say Marine recruiters raped them

Two Mendocino County high school students who say they were raped by Marine Corps recruiters sued the Marines in San Francisco on Wednesday, alleging that the Corps "fosters and condones'' sexual assaults by recruiters.

You have good Marines and bad Marines. The young ladies could have made good Marines, but thanks to some bad Marines, we'll never know.

Semper Fi

Some News From Iraq

Bodies found garroted in Iraq; 50 held hostage - Reuters

US records serious rights abuses in Iraq - Reuters



Semper Fi

Staff Sgt. Dwayne P. R. Lewis

3/8/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Dwayne P. R. Lewis, 26, of New York City, died in Baghdad, Iraq on Feb. 27, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire during a dismounted patrol. Lewis was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Semper Fi

Decades later, Marines hunt Vietnam-era deserters

[...} Thirty years after the war ended, hundreds of Vietnam-era deserters are still on the loose. Conti's attorneys, Louis Font and Tod Ensign, say the Pentagon, and the Marine Corps in particular, are cracking down on long-term cases in an effort to warn current-day troops in Iraq against deserting.

"My view is that the Marines are trying to send a message to people in the ranks today that they, too, will be required to participate in a war, whether they think it's illegal or immoral," Font says.

Winning the hearts and minds of an all volunteer forces.

Semper Fi

11 Killed in Violence Across Iraq - AP

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Bombings, gunfire and mortars across Iraq left at least 11 people dead and more than a dozen wounded, police said Tuesday.

Semper Fi

8,000 desert during Iraq war

At least 8,000 members of the all-volunteer U.S. military have deserted since the Iraq war began, Pentagon records show, although the overall desertion rate has plunged since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

Since fall 2003, 4,387 Army soldiers, 3,454 Navy sailors and 82 Air Force personnel have deserted. The Marine Corps does not track the number of desertions each year but listed 1,455 Marines in desertion status last September, the end of fiscal 2005, says Capt. Jay Delarosa, a Marine Corps spokesman.

I wonder why? Maybe because bushco lied to the troops about WMD. Or the continued lie that everything is going very very well in Iraq, while their fellow soldiers die from IDEs and snipers.

Semper Fi

Think Progress - Defining ‘Unnecessary’: Bush Cuts Funding For Disabled Children

Go, read!

Semper Fi

Staff Sgt. Kevin P. Jessen

03/07/2006 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Kevin P. Jessen, 28, of Paragould, Ark., died in Rawah, Iraq, on March 5, when an improvised explosive device detonated during combat operations. Jessen was assigned to the Army's 22nd Chemical Battalion (Technical Escort), Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

Semper Fi

Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder

03/06/2006 - DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, of Finksburg, Md., died March 3 from a non combat-related vehicle accident in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Combat Service Support Group-1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Washington Post

The Desert Son

Semper Fi

Top Iraqi general killed by sniper

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - One of the highest-ranking generals in Iraq's new, U.S.-trained army was shot dead in Baghdad on Monday, the U.S. military and Iraqi police said.

Semper Fi

Peace activist Sheehan arrested in NY protest

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war activist whose son was killed in the Iraq war, was arrested with three other protesters in New York on Monday after a rally with women from Iraq.

Semper Fi

Mich. Soldier Met Daughter Before He Died

FLUSHING TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Before he died last week, Sgt. Joshua V. Youmans got to see his 5-month-old daughter for the first time, his wife said.

Youmans, 26, of Genesee County's Flushing Township, died Wednesday at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. He was being treated for burns from an explosion during combat last year in Iraq.

Semper Fi

Protesters Absent From Soldier's Funeral

TheIndyChannel.com

KOKOMO, Ind. -- Protesters did not show up at Monday's funeral of a 21-year-old Army sergeant from Kokomo, but hundreds of mourners did pay their respects to the fallen soldier.

Sgt. Rickey Jones was killed Feb. 22 in Iraq.

This was the first funeral of a serviceman from Indiana since Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a bill into law last week that makes disorderly conduct within 500 feet of a funeral a felony offense.

Semper Fi

Spc. Christopher S. Merchant

3/4/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Christopher S. Merchant, 32, of Hardwick, Vt., died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on March 1, when his HMMWV came under attack by enemy forces using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device and rocket-propelled grenade. Merchant was assigned to the Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment, Jericho, Vt.

Semper Fi