Locked & Loaded

Michael Yon says Arm MEDEVAC's

2011-11-23T12:07:00.000-06:00

I'll give Michael Yon credit only in that he graduated the US Army Special Forces Qualification, or Q, course. Beyond that he has never seen a day as a soldier where he actually had to do anything that most Green Beret's do. He got into a bar fight shortly after graduating the Q course and he killed his antagonist. He left the Army shortly after this incident and has since fled to Thailand where he hides out and espouses his "knowledge" of all things US Army. Michael Yon you know jack shit about the Military, it's Regulations or it's policies and procedures. You have never had someone shooting at you because you are wearing the uniform of the US Military. You are a "journalist" and a pretty pathetic one at that.

Ok now on to the main point of this blog......

Michael Yon, hereafter referred to as Yon, states that we should remove the Red Cross markings on the US Army MEDEVAC choppers as this requires them to enter a hostile area unarmed and thus a ripe target for the enemy to fire upon. Yon further states that the USAF sends their CSAR "Pedro" Helo's into the area armed and without any markings denoting them as a MEDEVAC helicopter. Yon plays this point but fails to note the difference in the jobs of the 2 crews and their helicopters. I shall point out this below:

1) US Army MEDEVAC helicopters are designed for CASualty EVACuation or CASEVAC. They are designed to provide intermediate care between the scene of the incident and the hospital/MASH facility where the soldier is being taken. They are escorted to the scene of the incident by AH-64 Apache gunship helicopters which provide more serious firepower than anything we could put on a UH-60 Blackhawk MEDEVAC.

2) USAF "Pedro"'s are designed for Combat Search and Rescue or CSAR. They are meant to go into a combat zone in search of downed pilots and air crews. They are NOT designed for CASEVAC as a US Army UH-60 Blackhawk MEDEVAC is. The "Pedro" CAN perform this job but it is not the job they are specifically designed for. Because of the CSAR mission they are required to not be marked with a Red Cross like a MEDEVAC and they can enter the area armed with weapons that you will not find on the UH-60 Blackhawk MEDEVAC.

Those of you who are following Yon blindly and not really sitting back and thinking about this need to understand that Yon is playing a game and that he has ZERO credible information on our policies in regards to CASEVAC and CSAR helo's. Yon's issue arises from an incident in which he believes sending in an armed MEDEVAC would have saved time and thus saved the life of a soldier Yon watched die. This is not true and has been refuted by the people who would know best. Yon continues on this charade because he has an axe to grind and because he has made some not so veiled threats at people who have more serious pull than anything I could ever have. I digress....

The United States is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions and this little factoid requires us to mark our MEDEVAC, not CSAR, helicopter, HUMVEES, and any other medical transport vehicles with a large Red Cross and they are to go unarmed. Just because the opposing side, in this case the Taliban, al Qaeda, and other various Afghan tribal factions, are not co-signers of the GC treaty does not excuse the United States from holding to the documents we signed. We are legally bound to them and as a world leader it would send a seriously wrong message if we were to begin abandoning such treaties as the Geneva Convention. What would our enemies, and we have many, say once we started picking and choosing what we would and would not follow in regards to international treaties? Yeah think on that for a bit while you hopefully rethink Yon's rant.

Yon's entire premise for this illogical line of thought is based on his belief that SPC Chazray Clark could have been saved had the MEDEVAC's been permitted to be armed and thus depart without the need for an armed escort. While SPC Clark was dying what was Yon doing with the knowledge he learned as an SF Qualified soldier? Yon was shooting pictures and writing an in depth and detailed "article" about how SPC Clark died. Yon was doing this without regard for SPC Clark's family, his friends or his fellow soldiers. Would you seriously want to Google SPC Clark and read Yon's account of his death in graphic detail if you were one of his family members? I wouldn't. While Yon sat there writing his "article" the MEDEVAC's and the Apache escorts were spinning up and launching on the mission. Yon states in his online "dispatch" that the "Golden" hour, the hour that permits the greatest survivability for a wounded soldier, begins the moment the incident, whether an IED explosion or full on ambush, occurs. This is true but what he fails to mention is the human factor. The recovery and the return fire and the rush to extricate from the scene in order to begin the follow up needed and if necessary to start sending in the 9 Line MEDEVAC request. This "small" human factor (sarcasm intended) can also lead to delays in the arrival time of the MEDEVAC. Simple things become not so simple when you have just gone through an attack and your adrenaline is pumping and your heart is racing 100% faster than it was prior to the attack. These are facts that Yon fails to mention and also facts that he has no first hand experience with. No Yon does his best work when he is being proven wrong and his attacks to distract from that fail. Yon is a yellow journalist and he lives with that title proudly. Yon's petty problems with the US Military and it's command is what this all about and not the removal of the Red Cross on our MEDEVAC's

Yon has problems that are beyond the "Crusader" choppers as he has begun calling our MEDEVAC helo's. He uses this term because it is supposed to invoke images of the Templar Knights and the era of the Crusades. The only thing this does is make Yon look like more of an idiot. He now has retreated to Thailand after once again being removed from his embed with the US Army. Hopefully now the US Military will keep him out of any future embeds.

Tools of the Trade

2011-09-15T10:20:00.000-05:00

From TaH comes the story of two retired military Veterans working on what they believe is a case of Stolen Valor in regards to another retired military Veteran who has apparently embellished his military career a bit.

FloriDUH Antics

OK so would someone please explain to me how this could be construed as a violation of the Stolen Valor Act when in reality it is something that many of my military brothers and sisters has done at one time or another. How many times have you been at a bar and heard one of those "No shit there I was" stories? Stories that are embellished in order to get a free drink or two or maybe to impress that good looking single woman or man sitting nearby. What this Colonel McCalister apparently did was embellish his career by stating he did some things with the SPECOPS command at MacDill AB in Tampa FL. It is not being disputed that he served with and worked as a member of the SPECOPS staff. Whats being disputed is what exactly he did. Apparently some comments Colonel McCalister made are being construed as him making his career to be more than what it really is. Apparently the comments made were something to the effect of "I was involved in Black Ops" and that he had "seen scary things". This may be true due to his duty station but some folks within that community are disputing his comments and these two members of the "Stolen Valor Task Force" (the only two members by the way) are taking issue with these comments. Is this merely to get Colonel McCalister to drop out of the political race he is in or do these two have an ax to grind with Colonel McCalister?

It seems that these two knuckleheads are now also calling Colonel McCalister's enlistment with the Missouri National Guard in 1971 as a scam to get out of deploying to Vietnam. Ok so he would be one of many who joined the National Guard or Reserves with the intent to avoid the draft and go to Vietnam. Nothing new with that tactic and it was not a 100% guarantee that he would not go to Vietnam anyway as TaH points out in his post.

Only Colonel McCalister knows for sure what he did or did not see and what he was involved with while assigned to SPECOPS command. It may well be true that he was involved in the planning at some level of some SPECOPS missions and that he had seen some "scary" stuff in an AAR. The only thing Colonel McCalister is guilty of is not clarifying what it was he actually did while assigned to MacDill and allowing others to think he may have been one of the Johnny Badasses who comprise the actual shooters of SPECOPS command. These two brain dead tools who are pursuing Colonel McCalister for SVA violations should wake up and put their talents to better use.

Stolen Valor Act

Another Poser Wannabe

2011-07-05T18:34:00.001-05:00

http://www.kinston.com/articles/kinston-74888-recalls-army.html

With a large nod of thanks to This Ain't Hell comes this very disturbing story of another disturbed individual who claims to be a highly decorated US Army Ranger Veteran. If the medal count didn't give it away the Rangers and other military folks from TaH surely would have called his B/S and some actually do. Read the comments at the end of the story. Photo of the jackass aka Jeff "Rock" Harris is below.

A Soldier

2011-05-28T17:56:00.000-05:00

There is discipline in A Soldier you can see it when he walks,

There is honor in A Soldier you can hear it when he talks.

There is courage in A Soldier you can see it in his eyes,

There is loyalty in A Soldier that he will not compromise.

There is something in A Soldier that makes him stand apart,

There is strength in A Soldier that beats from his heart.

A Soldier isn't a title any man can be hired to do,

A Soldier is the soul of that man buried deep inside you.

A Soldier's job isn't finished after an 8 hour day or a 40 hour week,

A Soldier is always a Soldier even while he sleeps.

A Soldier serves his country first and his life is left behind,

A Soldier has to sacrifice what comes first in a civilian's mind.

If you are a civilian - I am saying this to you...

Next time you see A Soldier remember what they do.

A Soldier is the reason our land is 'Home of the Free',

A Soldier is the one that is brave protecting you and me.

If you are A Soldier - I am saying this to you -

Thank God for EVERY Soldier - Thank God for what you do!

~ Angela Goodwin

For all the Free People that choose to Protest

2011-05-21T17:22:00.000-05:00

We protect you and you are protected by the best.Your voice is strong and loud, but who will fight for you? No one standing in your crowd. We are your fathers, brothers, and sons, wearing the boots and carrying guns. We are the ones that leave all we own,to make sure your future is carved in stone.We are the ones who fight and die, We might not be able to save the world, Well, at least we try. We walked the paths to where we are at and we want no choice other than that. so when you rally your group to complain,take a look in the back of your brain. In order for that flag you love to fly
wars must be fought and young men must die.We came here to fight for the ones we hold dear.If that`s not respected, we would rather stay here. So please stop yelling, put down your signs, and pray for those behind enemy lines. When the conflict is over and all is well,be thankful that we chose to go through hell.

(H/T To whoever wrote this)

The Best Kind of Terrorist is a DEAD Terrorist

2011-05-01T22:56:00.000-05:00

So tonight we are informed by the Federal Government in D.C. that they have, for the past week, been in possession of a body that they can now confirm through DNA tests is the leader of al-Qaeda, namely Osama bin-Laden. This is indeed good news for this country because we have finally exacted the revenge that was long overdue from the attacks of 9/11/2001. Unfortunately this also means a heightened security state for our troops currently deployed to Afghanistan and other locations throughout the middle east while we await the repercussions from this announcement. Lack of sleep is nothing new for our military as I well know but lack of sleep coupled with the suspicion that some of your local population, or those with whom you work on a daily basis, may become openly hostile and violent makes it even harder. I can only hope that we do not see a repeat of the recent Kabul airport incident where 9 people were killed by a lone Taliban masquerading as an Afghani Air Force pilot.

To those who wish to do the kind of hell that al-Qaeda wreaked upon us on 9/11/2001 I can only say this....beware the United States and her military might. Should you bring harm upon us or anger us we will eventually find you and bring you down and we will spare no expense to bring you to that final day of vengeance that is rightfully ours. It took 10 years to get Osama bin-Laden so if nothing else let that be an abject lesson of our very long memory and our even longer desire for vengeance. To those remaining members of the AQ hierarchy I will say only this....sleep with one eye open for that bump you hear in the middle of the night may be the body of another member of your leadership council dying from excessive ventilation of the cranial region caused by a bullet to the head.

Screwed by a Government We are Sworn to Defend

2011-04-08T15:49:00.002-05:00

So the very same Government that we are sworn to defend and when necessary give our lives to protect is bending it's own military over the desk and screwing them over with complete disregard for the lives of those in harms way and their families. With our economy fast taking a nosedive from which it has yet to recover significantly, our wages stagnant and not keeping pace with the rising gas and grocery prices, and soldiers already being paid less than a comparable civilian job, these defenders of our freedom are now being denied pay that is rightfully theirs due to the complete and utter ignorance of our politicians.

Our 2 party political system is broken and in dire need of fixing. The members of BOTH of our 2 political parties are nothing more than hacks for the corporate lobbyists and for whatever is best for their own careers whether or not it is the right thing to do. We are in dire need of a political revolution at our ballot boxes and from each and every state. It is time we begin to recall our elected representatives for their failure to do the right thing and uphold the principles of their constituents. This is supposed to be a government OF THE PEOPLE...BY THE PEOPLE...and FOR THE PEOPLE. What this means to me is that they are elected to do the work OF THE PEOPLE and elected BY THE PEOPLE and work FOR THE PEOPLE to get the right things done for us. Instead it is a government run by the almighty dollar that the big corporate lobbyists wave under their collective noses. It's time that WE THE PEOPLE recall them and remind those who would be elected to fill those empty seats of what CAN and WILL happen if they fail to do the right thing. It's time to shrink our bloated and overweight federal government and put it back to what it originally was intended to be and not what the political hacks in D.C. think it should be.

The political hacks in D.C. have f#cked over the wrong people both civilian and military. The US Military has a long and vengeful memory when you mess with our money, our families or our food. I hope that they will not fall for the same brand of bullshit when election time rolls around and they decide to remove the current crop of hacks for someone who hopefully will remember how to do what's right and not just what's right for them.

Bring on the Ballot Box revolution and remove the posers in D.C. who would fail to do their jobs and in the end have failed once again to do what's right.

From the Foxhole
The Grunt

A Cheery F'U to the Liberal Tree Hugging Pricks

2011-03-01T14:26:00.001-06:00

Who the F Thinks up this Sheeit

(H/T TaH)

Ok so as many of you know I am a Veteran and 100% supporter of any and all things Military as long as it is legal or even questionable but the info contained in the linked article is just sheer madness. The tree hugging left wing Liberal crowd thinks that by screwing over the Veterans and Military Retiree's all will be right in the world and it wold possibly help balance our seriously floundering budget woes. Ok well if you wish to f*ck us over with our health care, which was a guaranteed benefit from the start, how about you fools make up for it with better pay and other benefits. The US Military pay scale is significantly lower than a comparable job in the civilian world. The food tends to suck, the hours are crap and the time away from home and family is atrociously outrageous. If you left wing tree hugging Liberal hippies want to redo our healthcare benefits in order to help balance the budget then I want to renegotiate our entire contract with the United States of America.

1) No more 0 Dark Thirty wake up calls. If you are going to wake me up BEFORE the sun rises it better be because of Daylight Savings Time otherwise I'm sleeping in until 0700

2) No more crap for meals. If prisoners in our jails and prison system can get 3 hots and a cot then I damn sure can have the military version of Perkins Tremendous 12 for breakfast. As for MRE's well feed them to the starving masses in Africa or Asia we'll have the Buffet from Golden Corral for lunch and Supper.

3) No more wars or patrols after 1800. After 1800 it is a declared cease fire until 0900 the following day. This way I can get my beauty sleep. If we must shoot at each other after 1800 I get to take that time off in compensation at a later date of my choosing.

I could go on and on but the idea here is that NOBODY better f*ck with what was guaranteed to us veterans or else they may pay a heavy price for their idiocy. It's a volunteer force for a reason and one of those reasons is the benefits cause it sure as hell is not for the food,pay or hours we work.

Military Service...What it means to me

2011-01-19T12:27:00.000-06:00

In discussion with a friend on Facebook we began "talking" about the bonds that are formed with fellow members of the US Military. It matters not if those members belong to the same branch as you, or to another branch entirely, the bonds formed can last a lifetime. I've had my little rivalries with others who served in other branches but we understood that should the need arise we'd stand side by side and beat down whatever threat arose no matter that 30 seconds earlier we'd been going at it with sarcastic comments and such that to a typical civilian it may have appeared that we were going to come to blows. It's a shared bond forged on the anvil of military service and a mutual respect that no civilian could ever understand.

I served for a brief time in the US Coast Guard Reserve and while attending school at Yorktown Training Center in Virginia I got into a bit of a jab fest with a LCDR Navy Chaplain. He and I were tossing our little sarcastic comments back and forth and the majority of my class (I was the Class Leader btw) was looking aghast at me like I'd lost my mind. Here was a PO3 basically mouthing off to an officer. Outside of one other classmate who had served in the Navy none of them had a clue what was going on. It was the mutual respect between us that allowed us to do what we were doing and not take any offense to what was being said. After the class the Chaplain and I sat down to coffee and discussed many things with no hard feelings between us. My classmates on the other hand all gave me an earful at the end of the day and I had to make them understand what happened was in no way disrespectful to the LCDR or myself but rather a meeting of 2 Lions on the open plain and each one respecting the other enough to say you are my equal. My Chief also gave me an earful but perhaps not nearly as severe an ass chewing as I would have gotten had he not understood this bond as much as the LCDR and I did. I honestly believe that had I been just another Coastie in the class, or had it been one of my Non Prior Service Classmates, the ass chewing would have lasted a lot longer and been a lot more severe.

Civilians, and as my friend would say some spouses as well, do not fully grasp this concept of the bond between the US Military branches. It is a bond that eclipses the typical family/friendship bonds. It is a bond that regular people would find way more intense then those most people would know. We'll fight, cuss, kick, and pound the holy hell out of each other when we are at peace but when the call to battle is heard we will stand shoulder to shoulder and beat the living crap out of whatever threat arises and god help anyone who would attack my military brothers or sisters for they will feel the holy wrath of the US Military. It is a bond forged on the anvil of time and service and one passed down from the generations before us. It is a bond that a regular civilian will probably never understand.

The Great Memorial Scam of Broadway Virginia

2010-12-20T10:55:00.000-06:00

Now comes the great memorial scam of Broadway VA. It seems certain members of the Broadway community, namely Lowell Fulk, John Skelly and others have formed a group titled "Friends of the Bucky Anderson Memorial" and are soliciting donations for a NEW memorial. Ok now let me ask some questions in regards to this group.......

1) Is this group a legal and documented non-profit group like Clayton Murwins organization?

2) Will the people have full and unfettered access to the accounting of EVERY dollar brought in and spent by this organization?

3) Is Bucky the only military veteran worthy of this memorial or will other names be displayed as prominently as SPC Anderson's?

4) Are the citizens of Broadway willing to be duped by an organization with such shady characters as Lowell Fulk and John Skelly involved in it?

5) Can the citizens of Broadway truly afford to donate more money for ANOTHER memorial when one is already done?

The people of Broadway Virginia should take a real long hard look at this group that is soliciting donations and ask themselves the above questions. Hold this new group to the same standards that you have held Clayton Murwin too and do not let this group push you around just because of who may or may not belong to it. Broadway need not allow this to gain any foothold if it seems that the "Friends" group is running a quick scam. DEMAND a full accounting of EVERY dime taken in AND spent by this group. One would think that with a failed politician and a former teacher/B&E expert, in this "Friends" group that the money will not be spent with the intent stated in the name. The name alone is enough to raise red flags across the board.

Now the game is afoot and one has only to wait and see if the citizens of Broadway Virginia will fall for this scam or will it be brought to a screeching halt.

Fire in the Hole

2010-12-16T13:30:00.000-06:00

What is it with people who's only desire is to bring down the name and work of a man who's intentions are not what they perceive them to be? Margaret Anderson and John Skelly are you 2 so hell bent on destroying Clayton Murwin that you will go to any lengths to slander, defame, or just plainly spout half truths in order to get your fictional version of the facts out to the public? You have succeeded in getting the school board to reverse the decision made earlier this year in regards to the location of where the memorial will be. The school board of Broadway VA has shown themselves to be weak kneed jellyfish who will bow to whatever winds blow strongest in order to keep certain people happy. I would seriously recommend to Clayton Murwin that he seek legal counsel and begin proceedings on those who have done nothing but smear his name across the Broadway VA region. People like John Skelly who would break the law in order to make a point about a non issue such as the errors on the base of Clayton's memorial. Do any of you people in Broadway find it odd that John Skelly was never charged with a crime that many of us have seen proof that he commited? Broadway VA is more interested in feuding like the Hatfields and McCoys rather than sit down and work out the most troublesome issues of the memorial project.

Margaret Anderson you are a Gold Star mother and the mother of SPC Bucky Anderson the soldier in who's name this memorial by Clayton Murwin would have been dedicated. You have my deepest condolences for your loss ma'am.

Ok now that I have that out of the way.....Margaret Anderson you are a bitter old harpy who thinks you are somebody so important and that your status as a Gold Star mother entitles you to do whatever you wish where this memorial is concerned. You have succeeded in convincing people that your version of the truth is the real deal and anyone else who disagrees with you is wrong. You have attempted to silence your most vocal critics and when that failed you went above them to their supervisors. Fortunately that too has failed as their are many many more who know of this issue and we will begin to let the world know just what kind of bullshit game is being played in Broadway VA. You throw your weight around as if you are the queen of the town when in reality you are nothing more than a bitter old woman who is merely a shell of what many Gold Star mothers around this nation are. Do you think you are the only one in your part of Virginia who has lost a son? You are not the only one yet you act as if your loss is greater than any of the others who live in your part of Virginia. Have you given any thought to the hurt and pain you are causing to any other Gold Star mother who may have wanted this monument for what it truly is? It is a monument to all the local fallen soldiers from Broadway VA and the surrounding area not your own personal little project of sabotage against Clayton Murwin. Your a bitter old harpy who's only goal is to make someone else suffer and feel the pain of your loss. Little do you realize Margaret that the only person you will be hurting when all is said and done on this issue is yourself. I hope it feels good knowing that you are not only dragging your own family name through the Virginia mud but the memory of SPC Bucky Anderson will also be tarnished by the actions you and your pal John Skelly have perpetrated on the town of Broadway VA.

John Skelly my words to you would be that you watch what you say today for those words and your actions may come back to bite you on the ass in the not so distant future. You have proven that you are not above breaking the law to get what you want and then crow about your success when in reality you will be proven the fool. Someone with your suspected misdeeds from the past should be quiet and stay out of an issue that does not concern you. Unless you have information that is pertinent to the memorial and it's design sit the f#ck down and stay the hell out of what does not concern you junior.

If the entire issue of this memorial is the fact that Clayton placed 2 markers indicating who was responsible for this memorial get the f#ck over it!!!!! It happens all the time outside of Broadway VA. It is done so people know who was behind the drive to get such things done and placed in the location they are in. The Legion, VFW and other military organizations do it all the time. It's not that big of a deal to any normal person. I guess Margaret Anderson and John Skelly do not qualify as normal though. One is a bitter old woman and the other is a suspected B&E expert.

To the people of Broadway VA I ask you this......
Are you willing to shell out even more money all for the selfishness of one bitter old woman and a former teacher who was removed from his job due to a suspected inappropriate relationship with one of his students? Do either of these 2 people and those who support them really have the facts and full truth of the issue? I somehow doubt it. Think about the scar that will remain with your community if you permit the actions of a few to go forward. Think about all those who read the various blogs on which this issue has appeared and how they can impact the community in which you live. Is the community of Broadway VA really willing to risk the good name of their town just to cause unnecessary harm to a man who's intentions were nothing but the best?

Picking up on the Broadway VA Issue

2010-12-05T17:09:00.010-06:00

The characters involved in this particular drama are as follows.....
Clayton Murwin - Founder of the nonprofit Heroes Fallen. Clayton Murwins Blogsite

C.J. Grisham - Supporter of Clayton Murwin and his Heroes Fallen nonprofit and a very vocal activist for Clayton's Memorial in Broadway Virginia. C.J.'s website A Soldier's Perspective

John Skelly - Former teacher in Broadway VA who was dismissed from his job for a suspected inappropriate relationship with a student. Furthermore John Skelly is suspected of breaking into a business known as Trans Tech Towing and Repair where the base of the memorial that Clayton had commissioned was being stored in a secure location with a tarp over it. Skelly was caught on video camera scaling the security fence in order to gain access to the base. That folks is called law breaking.

Margaret Anderson - Gold Star Mother (aka Bucky's Mom ..... see C.J.'s blog on this issue for more info) and general gossip type and who now apparently adds blackmail to her repertoire.

Me - The knuckle dragging, club wielding caveman who is jumping into this fray with eyes wide open and doing so voluntarily in order to make people aware that many others are also aware of this shakedown on Clayton Murwin.

Various members of the Broadway VA Community who are either for or against this memorial for whatever reason. Most of those you shall meet here on this blog are going to be very vocal one way or the other in regards to this issue. Understand that this is MY House and I will choose who gets to become famous (or infamous) on this blog. Keep it respectful and all will be fine. Get crazy stupid and you may not get your chance at infamy. Now onto the show.........

For the full background on this issue please feel free to visit C.J.'s website
A Soldiers Perspective and read about it.

Ok to give you some background on me I am not affiliated with either Clayton Murwin or Broadway VA in anyway. I have no relatives involved with Heroes Fallen or any living in or around Broadway. In short I have no personal relationships involved in this story. My interest comes from people who are sticking their damn noses where they don't belong and they need to have said noses slapped back into place on their collective faces. I am a US Military veteran (11B Infantry US Army) who is proud to support the efforts of those who support Clayton Murwin and his desire to build a memorial to those local soldiers from Broadway VA and the surrounding communities who have died in service to this country. I welcome any comments in regards to the posts made on this blog but as stated above this is MY house and I have the final say so remember that.

The following came to me via sources who shall remain unnamed and what is said in the e-mail is quite disturbing.

"..... why did yo go by the name as ..... while in mediation, since you are the


spokesman for this orgainization lets talk.  In mediation there is a situation 

that is called a win-win situation.  I f you feel the need to show this to CJ 

Grisham so be it.  The town office nofified me and they will not let this 

memorial go up anywhere in Broadway and you know if you think long and hard 

neither will the school it has to be a community concensus with my permission 

and as of yet that is not going to happen.  I realized all the money has been 

spent or fisher would not be advertising for 1300 dollars to repair this 

memorial and rinker and frye who is doing bucky's headstone would not touch it 

for that price.  If you like Broadway as much as you say you do then lets get 

down to what is wrong.  the community has a committee formed with money already 

to be spent for another memorial but I do not want the people in broadway to 

lose their money on the other one and once this gets out that he needs money to 

repair it that won't happen and you know it.  I am not a vindictive person just 

a grieving mom who wants to protect her son and family.  If the organization 

would turn the memorial over to the committee in Broadway I will acknowledge the 

organization in the media and thank them for what they did.  The only part that 

would be changed is the 2 logos would go in the back.  I hope the organization 

would honor this.  If you could get back to me today I would appreciate this."

The above email came from a woman named Margaret Anderson and it would seem that if      you cannot get your way via other methods, like slandering the good name of Clayton Murwin or even breaking into a secured location for a pic, go with blackmail next. (The only change I made to the above email is the removal of the name to which the email was addressed.)

What Margaret Anderson fails to understand is that first, we have the money for the repairs to the base of the memorial. The full amount was reached in under 12 hours, and it will be  fixed. Just so you folks know this money was raised without ANY assistance from Margaret or the    Broadway community. To quote a friend of mine "Broadway seems to be more intent on          tearing down this man then on honoring the fallen with this memorial."

Second issue with you Margaret Anderson is that your community has bitched from day one about why is this memorial not being done locally but then you go and mention Rinker & Frye which happens to be a business located OUTSIDE of Broadway and it's immediate vicinity.       That's an oxymoron isn't it Margaret? You folks bitch about it needing to be done locally and  then you name a company that is not local. I guess if you remove the Oxy portion of that word you have the correct word, at least one that I would use, for people like you Margaret. By the way Rinker & Frye would have done the repairs for $0 down and $0 due on delivery or pickup. So they would have done it for FREE but we already have the full amount needed for the          repairs. You may want to get that pot of water boiling Margaret because the crow you are        about to eat will go better if boiled first.

A Non-Profit, like many large Corporations, has a Board of Directors and, like those large       Corporations, you cannot just blindly dictate to a Non-Profit and expect them to jump at what you want done. It's high time the people in Broadway like John Skelly and Margaret Anderson stop trying to cause trouble over nothing. John Skelly, should be charged with Trespassing, at the very least, for his fence climbing activities and Margaret Anderson should stick to the        best of the backyard gossip.

From The Foxhole

The Grunt

(I'm gonna add an addendum due to information I recently received regarding 
Margaret Anderson....... 
I respect the hell out of those parents who lost children in this war but you have 
gone past being deserving of any sort of respect with your attitude on this issue. 
I will honor Bucky for being a kindred soul who died in defense of your right
 to be obstinate on this issue. 
Beyond that I will remove the gloves and not hesitate to call it as I see it. 
I will play the game but I will play it by my rules so play along if you wish
but be ready for me to not play fairly.)

Beware the Infantry for I am a knuckledragging caveman who shall beat you with my club if you anger me.

Ready To Help Make a Difference?

2010-12-02T07:32:00.003-06:00

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE.......

An anonymous person has donated the funds necessary to correct the issues on the Veterans monument located in Broadway VA.

Here is the Cliff Notes version to an issue going on in the town of Broadway VA. Please take the time and donate if you can.

Clayton Murwin, aka "Hero Maker", is a struggling comic book artist who wanted to honor the fallen heroes from his community after SPC Bryan "Bucky" Anderson was killed this summer. He immediately went to work raising money and making preparations for the memorial. Unfortunately, people completely unrelated to either the Anderson's or Clayton got involved and derailed the idea. They hijacked the process and made baseless accusations that polarized the community and destroyed Clayton's reputation. However, Clayton never lost faith. He had numerous opportunities to just give up and call it quits, but he was resilient and refused to give in to the hatred and rhetoric swirling around his town.

Unfortunately, the memorial has been plagued with problems that were beyond Clayton's control. There were delays in production and delivery and last minute changes demanded by some in the community. When the base of the monument finally arrived last week, there were spelling errors on it - the last thing that Clayton needed. And his critics seized the opportunity for another "I told you so."

This is where you can make a difference. Clayton was approached by a friend upon hearing about the problems with the base to help fix it. Clayton's friend asked him to look into various options for fixing the errors and come back to him with a cost. Some in the community think that this is all an attempt by Clayton for self promotion. Clayton's friend can tell you that is simply not the case and would stake his reputation on it.

Clayton cannot raise more money in the community. This project has become too much of a lightning rod so Clayton's friend offered to help. He is absolutely positive that his friends and family here along with the blogging community can come together and help fix the mistakes on this memorial to honor our fallen heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice to secure our wonderful American way of life.

Here's the deal, we need to raise exactly $1,317.35 which is the total cost to repair it. These repairs involve completely shaving the front and back and re-sandblasting the corrections. It will have to be there by Monday of next week and they said they can get it ready before Christmas! However, they will have to pay for the corrections when they pick it up. So, we have about three weeks to raise the money. Whether you can give $1317 or just $.35, every bit can help. And here's how you can do it.

If you can send money, make the donation checks payable to Heroes Fallen Studios Inc. and at the bottom of the check (memo area) make sure they write "Administrative Account". Send the check to :

The Law Office of D. Hayden Fisher, Esquire P.L.C.

2401 West Main Street Richmond, Virginia 23220

www.haydenfisherlaw.com

If you'd like to confirm that your donation has arrived, that it's going where it's supposed to go, or need any other information, here is his contact information:

804-525-6837

hayden@haydenfisherlaw.com

For obvious reasons, my friend can't publicly use his blog to help with this. He doesn't want to taint it because he's had some issues with some citizens in Broadway who have been very offensive in attacking Clayton. It's not about anyone or any soldier in particular, it's about honoring our fallen.

I'm asking you to publish this plea on your profiles, on your blogs, to your email lists, your Twitter, whatever! Tag your friends in this post (if that's possible). I'm asking to help by sending $.01, $.10, $1, $10, $100, whatever! Wouldn't it be great if we could raise that money BEFORE Monday when they take the memorial? I'm just asking that we raise it before he has to pick it up. Can you help? Let's show Clayton's critics that there are a LOT of people who support him.

Note: Heroes Fallen is a non-profit, but not a tax deductible non-profit. That status is waiting for approval by the government.

(All corrections and subtractions are mine and I am solely responsible for any grammatical errors on this blog)

From the Foxhole

The Grunt

In Remembrance of Heroes

2010-10-03T18:55:00.000-05:00

http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=20697

Please follow the link above and read about another true American Hero.

(H/T TaH)

Stolen Valor Act Ruling

2010-07-17T00:17:00.003-05:00

H/T: Blackfive and Eaglespeak for this one.

A U.S. District Court Judge in Colorado has found the Stolen Valor Act to be facially unconstitutional. In the case of Rick Strandlof aka Rick Duncan his case was thrown out due to this ruling. The basic statement here is that it is ok to lie when you are not going to gain anything from it. I and many others will, and have, called BULLSHIT on this one. As stated on another blog you do not begin to wear the ribbons and medals that you did not earn without some attempt to gain from it. Whether or not that gain is to pick up a date in a bar or to gain donations for your organization as this idiot Strandlof did you are attempting to gain from it. Strandlof paraded himself as wounded U.S.Marine Captain Rick Duncan who had been awarded the Silver Star and a Purple Heart from wounds received in combat that he never saw. He then went on to form an organization called Colorado Veterans Alliance and proceeded to solicit donations as Rick Duncan Captain USMC . Not only is this ruling a slap in the face to the many veterans who have rightfully been awarded such medals but it is a slap in the face of every member of the military currently serving. Had Strandlof lied to get into the military he would have been booted out if the lie was serious enough. Had Strandlof lied to get a date she (or he) most likely would have kicked his sorry ass to the curb for it. Had he lied in front of this very Judge he would have been found guilty of perjury but yet lying by wearing medals he did not earn is quite ok according to this Judge and it is a protected 1st Amendment right to be able to do so. Go freaking figure that a Judge would have his head shoved so far up his ass as to make this ruling.

WANTED:

THIS WOULD BE POSER FOR IMPERSONATING AN HONORABLE PURPLE HEART AWARDEE AND SILVER STAR RECIPIENT AND IMPERSONATING A U.S. MILITARY MEMBER.

Open Letter Part 2

2010-07-14T23:44:00.001-05:00

So in response to my letter of yesterday I get the modern version of impersonalized junk mail and form letter from the NAACP's President and CEO one Ben Jealous. That letter and my response to him is posted below please read and try not to gag to loudly over the crapola spewed by the NAACP.

First the NAACP letter....

J,

We are not backing down.

Yesterday, the NAACP passed a resolution condemning the racist acts of Tea Party protesters. The backlash from the Tea Party has been furious.

But we are not an organization that shies away from controversy. The NAACP was founded on hope, not hate -- and we will not stand idly by as racists work to divide our nation.

Add your name to our pledge to unify America and stop the racism:

http://action.naacp.org/PledgeToStopHate

The NAACP does not have a problem with the Tea Party, nor its existence. We have a problem with their acceptance and their welcoming of prejudice into their organization.

And in case there is any misunderstanding about what defines racism, let me be clear.

In March, racial slurs were hurled at members of the Congressional Black Caucus as they passed by a Tea Party health care protest in Washington, DC. Missouri Representative Emanuel Cleaver was spat on. People at the rally held signs covered in bigotry.

That is racism. That is racism filled with hate, ignorance and acts of violence. And we will not stand for it.

We are calling on all Americans to stand for the values that have made our country the land of the free and the home of the brave. Sign the pledge now:

http://action.naacp.org/PledgeToStopHate

The past year has been one of major triumphs and major setbacks in the fight for racial equality. But we will not let bigotry silence us.

We are one people. We are one nation. And we are all NAACP Americans.

Thank you for your support,

Ben Jealous
President and CEO
NAACP

and then my response to this inane and totally craptastic form letter...

Mr Jealous,

I invite you to provide myself and anyone else with evidence of such racial slurs being cast at those you claim. I and millions of others have never seen one shred of evidence to prove what you and the NAACP purport to be true. On the other hand your organization fails to say anything where the New Black Panther Party and the well documented case of Voter Intimidation that occurred during the 2008 Elections. Your organization by it's very name is a racist organization sir but of course it is easier to attack that which you believe has happened and not seek the truth and the facts of such incidents as those you claim are of the racist Tea Party members. Your very members are more racist then 90% of the Tea Party but as is the case with those who are of the Liberal Democratic bent you do not seek facts and truth but rather you choose to believe that which you claim is truth when in fact it is fiction. When your organization chooses to deal with not just the racism that occurs from outside your organization and race but also that which occurs from within then perhaps the NAACP will begin to once again become the credible and respected organization that it once was.

With Respect

p/s: Show me the proof of this statement if you can......In March, racial slurs were hurled at members of the Congressional Black Caucus as they passed by a Tea Party health care protest in Washington, DC. Missouri Representative Emanuel Cleaver was spat on.

From the Foxhole
The Grunt

Open Letter to the NAACP

2010-07-13T21:48:00.006-05:00

In regards to the article linked below

http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/naacp-delegates-vote-to-repudiate-racist-elements-within-the-tea-pary/

I can only offer this......

Dear Sir/Ma'am,
So now that you have condemned those elements within the Tea Party organization that you accuse of racism when are you going to do the same with the New Black Panther Party? They are more violent and racist than any member of the Tea Party movement. Those within the Tea Parties that are true and faithful to the Tea Party cause are not the ones who hold those signs you have pictured nor those who uttered any racial slurs. By the way where is your proof that any racial slurs were cast upon John Lewis or anti gay slurs used towards Barney Frank? You and your liberal friends in the media have no proof that any of this was said because it was not said at all. The NAACP has no more purpose in today's world and yet you attempt the tired old line of racism to keep your organization prominent in the news. Why not be fair and impartial and admit that some of the worst racists in this country are those amongst your organization and those who purport to trumpet the cause of the poor and downtrodden African American community. People like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson who claim to be helping and yet they help very little until it is time to call out the white community for racism. It is then that you will hear the voices of Jesse and Al loudest and once the issue dies down they go back into their own world until called upon again. Your own organization is racist and one only need look at the name to know this to be true. The NAACP is a hypocritical racist organization that should now close the doors and allow an organization that truly will do what the NAACP purports to do.

Apparently the two men from the New Black Panther Party mentioned in the Washington Times article are not racists at all but merely the representation of the poor and downtrodden African American community.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/13/kill-the-crackers/

Yep they are not racists at all they just want to kill some Saltine Crackas. (Sarcasm Intended)

From the Foxhole
The Grunt

Michael Yon Stepped in the Doggy Doo Doo it seems

2010-06-29T17:52:00.003-05:00

H/T: http://tcoverride.blogspot.com/ and http://www.soldiersperspective.us/

"Per Mike Yon on Facebook: If we are going to make a success out of this war, must start squeezing out and choking off the irresponsible "sources." People who care will start writing letters to editors/producers who link to websites such as Blackfive and Mudville Gazette. Must start telling mainstream sources that when they link to milkooks, we stop paying attention. Please leave comments at mainstream message boards encouraging people to ignore milkooks.
   There are some good milblogs who should get more attention (such as Small Wars Journal), but others need to be choked off. We have a tough, bloody war ahead, and should refuse to put up with this nonsense. The information battlefront is half the battlespace, and you are in it. Please fight hard from your position.
   It's time to get active. I will get back to the war and focus there. On the home front, please choke off Blackfive and Mudville Gazette. When you see links to them from MSM sites, please contact editors and producers, and also leave public comments that responsible people do not listen to milkooks.
   Get active and help win the war."

It would seem that Michael Yon is letting the fame of being a widely known and, at one time at least, respected war photographer/reporter go straight to his head. Hey Mikey those milblogs you so blithely degrade as being milkooks helped to establish your presence on the web. Had it not been for Blackfive, Mudville Gazette and other Milblogs your sorry ass would have been nothing more than a stringer selling photos and stories like Peter Parker does in the comic Spiderman. Biggest difference is is that you do not have an alter ego superhero to fall back on. You go right ahead and keep dropping your shit on those milkooks as you call them. They'll be here long after You have faded into the past and people cannot recall who Michael Yon was.

BTW Mikey that Chihuahua making all the noise in the back of the room is me. A SOLDIER who has the experience of having been to Afghanistan and seeing first hand the sights and sounds of war. Go out to Farah and take a look at the PRT/FOB that was set up by me and my fellow soldiers. We were the FIRST permanent US/Coalition military presence in the province and what we did went largely unnoticed by morons such as you and your fellow news people and photographers. I am glad it did cause that way I didn't have to put up with egotistical idiots such as yourself.

From the Foxhole
The Grunt

General McChrystal and the Rolling Stone Article

2010-06-22T17:52:00.000-05:00

Let me first say that I have the utmost respect for General Stanley McChrystal. Gen. McChrystal is the commander of the war in Afghanistan and in my opinion is doing a helluva job with it. That being said however I must ask.....WTF WERE YOU THINKING GENERAL?

No matter that the comments you made in this forth coming article in Rolling Stone magazine were done amongst you and those closest to you they were made in the presence of a reporter. Said reporter works for a very widely distributed magazine and said magazine is an unabashed supporter of the CINC whom you work for. Did you forget the UCMJ and the laws that govern the US Military also apply to you General? Good Lord General at least wait until you are officially retired to utter such comments. You may have just shot yourself in the foot with the comments General and I wish you luck in whatever you do in your retirement because most likely that is where you are headed.

I admire you for uttering your comments General and I still respect the hell out of you and what you have done. Hell I respect you more for making those comments but had it been anyone else you would have strung them up and hung them out to dry for insubordination so the least that you can do now is offer your resignation. We need to ensure that EVERY soldier knows that the UCMJ applies to the 4 star Generals as well as the buck Privates.

Friday Fun

2010-05-14T12:16:00.000-05:00

Ok so I stole the idea from a coupla other blogs that I read. My thanks to Sniper and Bring the Heat for the idea.

Todays lady to end the week is none other than perhaps one of the most gorgeous women in movies and on TV. Jennifer Love Hewitt ends our week.

I'll see you folks on the flip side

The Grunt

Say What???

2010-05-12T18:23:00.001-05:00

Seems to me that if almost anyone else were to be saying the kind of crap that this idiotic shit for brains is saying we'd be in jail immediately. What makes him so special and why is he still in this country? In my opinion I'd say deport his ass no matter if he IS a legal US Citizen. The kind of crap he is spewing is considered treason by many people and that doesn't even begin to tell about his "wonderful" (sarcasm intended) racist remarks. Talking about a revolution in the way of Castro and other Hispanic Revolutionaries equals a one way trip to a fine Federal Institution in my opinion.. (H/T The Sniper for this one.)

Lock and Load one 30 round magazine and place your selector switches to semi......

From the HQ
The Grunt

Courtesy of....

2010-05-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

Many thanks to Blackfive and Uncle Jimbo for the article linked below.

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2010/05/cold-war-victory-parade.html

Having also served during the final few years of the Cold War I must say that I wholeheartedly agree with Uncle Jimbo on this one. Reagen rocks and the former Communists can KMA.

The Weekly Rant

2010-05-10T09:31:00.001-05:00

As previously stated I am going to make changes to this blog and this is the start. Each Monday I will attempt to bring a weekly rant to the table and today is the first so here we go.

The topic for today's rant is Iran and it's nuclear ambitions.

Ok so Israel has nukes so why can't Iran level the playing field? Well one simple reason is that Israel is a bit more stable and sensible in it's governmental responsibilities than some of the people in charge of Iran. To be quite honest though I would trust the Mullah's more so than I would trust the dingbats that are in charge of Pakistan and India. At least we know where we stand with Iran but Pakistan is almost always in a state of flux in regards to our relationship with them and well India and Pakistan just plain hate each other and would not hesitate to drop a nuke on the other if they could do so without any type of retaliation.

Iran on the other hand we know hates our guts but it's people hate the current leadership so we can work around the hate. Iran also knows that it hasn't to worry only about Israel but many other nations that are also nuclear armed and I am not just talking about the US either. Britain, France and others also support Israel and are also nuclear armed. Iran may hate our guts and may want to wipe Israel off the map but I do not honestly believe they would be so stupid as to actually use a nuclear weapon on Israel or any other country.

From the HQ
The Grunt

Changes

2010-05-07T14:21:00.002-05:00

Beginning Monday there are going to be some changes to the old blog page. Come back and find out what they are then.

(P/S I already changed the name) :)

Honoring a Fallen Infantryman

2010-05-06T07:59:00.001-05:00

Via Blackfive and Heat is this article about a young man who gave his life in service to our country and how his friend (AW1 Tim's son) honored his friends memory by joining the Army to serve in remembrance of his friend. Just go to the link and read it.

http://aw1tim.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/an-american-soldier/

The Looney Left Gone Wild Again

2010-04-05T20:11:00.002-05:00

Jawareports Article

H/T Jawareports and Blackfive for posting this for us to read and providing the various links to other bloggers about this so called "issue".

Remember Me

2010-04-04T00:06:00.002-05:00

Easter Greetings

2010-04-03T23:44:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone has a great Easter and please remember those who will not be home for this holiday. So many will be at war and others will be spending there first Easter without a loved one at the table. Remember the troops and those who have fallen this Easter.

From the HQ
The Grunt

Lest We Forget

2010-03-26T22:39:00.002-05:00

My Condolences to a Fellow Blogger

2010-03-20T19:18:00.008-05:00

I do not know this young lady but as a brother service member I am saddened by the loss of her husband. He was a US Marine who died in service to this country while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan where the vehicle he was in rolled over. He leaves behind a young (23 year old) wife and new baby girl.

Please go to www.alittlepinkinaworldofcamo.blogspot.com for her blog.

Wake Up Obama and Company

2009-12-28T11:22:00.005-06:00

Who the frock is running the zoo in Washington D.C.? Do any of you idiots have the foggiest of ideas of how the terrorists of the world currently view this country right now? Apparently none of you have a clue about anything right now because once again on a DEMOCRATS watch the so called system failed and damn near fatally. Had it not been for some brave passengers on board the Northwest airlines flight at Detroit and the typically faulty detonator of the genius bomb builder the outcome could have been very horrific. The system of the vaunted Department of Homeland Security failed because the idiotic would be bomber was on a watch list and his own FATHER warned us about his sons radical Islamic nature!!! How in the blue hell does this guy slip through the cracks of our system and is allowed to board an aircraft that is entering US airspace when he is supposedly on a terror WATCH list? Hey Secretary Napolitano it's time to wake up and smell the cow pies in your own backyard and realize that your vaunted system is broken and in dire need of some repair. You need to realize this pretty damn quickly Madam Secretary before the next attempt is made and possibly the next fatal 9/11 attack.

From the HQ: The Grunt
(HT: Michelle Malkin)

Time to go off on a Rant

2009-12-05T10:57:00.004-06:00

I'm still in the US Military and what I say here, if read by anyone in a position of authority over me, could cause problems for me. I DON'T CARE. I am fed up with the bullshit going on in D.C. and around the rest of the United States.

Who the hell is leading this country and where are we headed? We kowtow to known terrorist supporting regimes and level empty threats at them if they do not stop with their nuclear program. Yes I am referring to Iran here. Does anyone really think that Iran will back down and say "Oh so sorry we will stop our nuclear program right now" and then do just that? If you believe that I got some ocean front property in Kansas to sell you. Iran is no more going to back down to empty threats than North Korea will. In short it ain't going to happen people so get a grip on reality and face the cold truth that something more serious may need to be done and done soon.

Next topic for the rant......

3 US Navy SEALS captured a high value target (HVT) in Iraq and somewhere along the line he came away with a fat lip. Not a black eye, not any broken ribs but a FAT LIP. Now these 3 heroes who caught the man behind the murders of 4 Blackwater civilian contractors in 2004 are facing a court martial because this murdering HVT got a fracking FAT LIP. It is not even known that the SEALS did this to him since he was in Iraqi custody for a short time and they could have just as easily done this to him. It is in the al-Qaeda handbook on how to use our fear and loathing of torture and prisoner abuse against us. Smash your head into a wall while in the custody of the US Military and claim they did this to you. Scream bloody murder about how your religious beliefs are being crushed by the US Military and watch the loony liberal left go all ape shit. Oh but let some civilian contractors be killed and have their bodies hung from a bridge and the bastards of the liberal left are notoriously silent. Who the frack is leading our troops and how does this bode for our military personnel. Now with the so called 9/11 mastermind about to receive a civilian trial in New York city and with all the world as his stage he will rant about what was done to him whether real or imagined and he and his 4 cohorts will be able to use the grandest stage of the world's media as his platform to urge his fellow jihadists to continue the work he helped to start. Now with 3 US Navy SEALS about to be Court Martialed for doing their jobs are we to begin to read those HVT's we capture their Miranda rights? If that becomes the case then I suspect we will see alot more DOA's of our high value targets and we will begin to see a decline in the enlistment of people into our military forces. Thanks to the loony liberal idiots our world is going to come crashing down in a big way and the change starts at the top. Yes now it is time for President Obama to put the brakes on this insane policy making and let the US do what it does best and screw what the rest of the world may think.

Showtime for President Obama

2009-11-30T14:24:00.002-06:00

Time has dragged on and now the time for a decision has finally arrived. President Obama I can only hope the decision you make is the one your military leaders say is needed. General McChrystal has asked for more troops and you have drug your feet on this matter long enough. The time is NOW for the decision and the military you lead is looking to you to make the right call. Troops are needed in Afghanistan and by your own words this is the fight you want to bring to a close with a decisive victory over those who were behind the attacks of September 11th 2001. The only way to achieve this victory is by listening to those who know of which they speak and leaving the desk jockeys to do what they do best which is nothing. There will be plenty of time for the Monday morning quarterbacks to debate the decision you make but know this....if you make the right choice as your military commanders have asked of you then when all is said and done you will achieve that victory and thus be remembered for what you did rather than what you failed to do.

From the Command Post
The Grunt

In Memoriam (Saluting all our Veterans)

2009-11-11T12:18:00.004-06:00

On the 11th day of the 11th month we salute those who served to defend this country and the freedoms so many of us take for granted. Today we remember those who survived and those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Today is Veterans Day in the United States of America.

I have served nearly 20 years in our military and it is something I take great pride in. I have many friends who are in the military and I am grateful for their friendship. Today let us remember all who served and pay tribute to those who have gone before us to keep this country free.

There are those who would say that the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have nothing to do with the freedoms we cherish so much here in America. To them I would say that if we let those who would cause harm in other parts of the world to gain a foothold anywhere then we risk losing that which we hold so dear. For if we allow the specter of terrorism or ruthless dictatorships to gain a foothold and we turn a blind eye to it then we will eventually lose our own freedoms here. Sooner or later that which we chose not to fight will gain a foothold on our shores and the beginning of the end of our freedoms will become a reality. It is for that reason that I and many others have chosen to wear the uniform of our military. To defend those who would not or could not do the same. To keep those who would violently take away our freedoms and cause those I love harm. To my brothers and sisters in the military I salute you and am honored to have been able to be counted amongst your worthy numbers.

2009-10-20T14:49:00.002-05:00

In a swift and decisive blow to the usual SEIU thuggery home health care workers in Illinois voted overwhelmingly against joining either AFSCME or the SEIU. (H/T Michelle Malkin) Thanks in large part to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, who by the way is backed by the SEIU, the unions as well as the state of Illinois attempted to silence opposition to this affront by those who's job is not one they want as much as one that is needed.

The home health care workers that they were attempting to unionize were people who, for the most part, took care of sons, daughters, mothers, fathers and other relatives in their own homes. These are people who through their selflessness brought or kept a member of their family under their roof and cared for them because these people were unable to do so themselves. Rather than drop them off at an institution better equipped to take care of the family member they opted to do it themselves. These are the people that Governor Quinn and his fellow thugs of the SEIU wanted to unionize. Thankfully a number of these people stood up, despite the attempts by the state and unions to silence them, and informed their fellow providers that despite what they might have been told they could vote no to unionizing. In the end that is exactly what they did and overwhelmingly the union plans were stomped into the ground.

SEIU – 293 votes
AFSCME – 220 votes
NO UNION – 1018 votes

To those people I salute you. You stood up to the thuggery and helped to defeat it. I can only hope that other states will see this as an example of what can happen to the thugs when the public is fully informed of what they can and cannot do. As for Governor Quinn, well one can only hope that he will go the way of his predecessor soon and perhaps take his thugs from the SEIU with him.

In Memory of Michael Tinley

2009-09-03T15:42:00.008-05:00

You may not know who Michael Tinley is. I do not personally know this man either but I am paying tribute to this gentleman for another reason entirely.

Who was Michael Tinley you are asking well read on and I will endeavour to answer your question.

Michael Tinley was 56 years old when his life was brought to a tragic end. He was a Vice President of Marsh & McLennan based out of Dallas Texas and was a traveler of this planet because of his job. A father, husband and friend to many who knew him. A valued colleague and trusted associate of his fellow employees. Michael was on a business trip and had spoken to his sister on the day that the good lord called him home to be with him. They would never have the chance to speak again.

Michael's life was filled with joy. He was an inveterate traveler for business but always saw the joy of the places he visited. He would walk the streets of New York City, one of his favorite cities, and take pictures with his digital camera. He was the consumate gentlemen who could get along with anyone. He was a loving father who cherished the time he had with his daughters. Meeting them during airport layovers was something he did and something his daughters will forever remember. Michael Tinley was a human being, one of many, who's life was cut short on one tragic day that his family will never forget.

Michael will never have the chance to watch his grandchildren grow up nor watch them become parents of his great grand kids. Michael Tinley was in the Marsh and McLennan conference room on the 100th floor of the World Trade Center building on September 11th 2001 when an aircraft that was hijacked by Islamic Terrorists crashed into it.

(My thanks to those websites for the information that I took to use for this tribute. Were it not for that small bit of information I would never have been able to attempt this tribute)

From the HQ

In memory of all those who perished on September 11th 2001

The Grunt

Random Thoughts

2009-08-25T14:34:00.004-05:00

As the days draw closer to the Anniversary of the day, that for my generation rivals 7 December 1941, my thoughts travel in ever widening circles in reflection and retrospect.

11 September 2001 is a day none of us will probably ever forget and a day none should ever forget. I had recently returned to the home territory after an absence that was 10 years to long. I had been working at a local meat packing facility in western Minnesota as a 3rd shift Maintenance team member. I had just laid down to go to sleep when a friend of my then girlfriend rushed into the house yelling for anyone who might be home. I shouted back that I was trying to go to sleep and thats when I heard the news that forever changed not just my life but the lives of everyone in this country I call home. I went downstairs thinking that whatever it was that had happened couldn't be that big of a deal. Imagine my horror when I turned the TV on and ESPN switched it's typical Sportscenter sportscast to ABC news and the video of those airliners hitting the WTC towers and the Pentagon.

I was still enlisted in the US Coast Guard Reserves at that time and I immediately picked up the phone and called the local recruiting office in the Twin Cities to inform them of who I was and that I was available immediately for anything they might have needed me for. In the end I wound up transferring from the Coast Guard Reserves into the Minnesota Army National Guard where I was finally able to feel as if I could contribute to the ongoing battle against Osama bin-Laden and his terror network. In 2004 I was deployed with my unit to Afghanistan where I worked to help secure our province for the first democratic elections in the history of the country. I was finally performing my duty in a manner that was worthwhile.

11 September 2001 was a day that changed all of us and for some the scars of that day will never fade fully. The scars of family and loved ones lost and gone forever. Ripped from the lives of those who's love for them has not died even though their loved one's died and were taken from them too early. This year on the anniversary of that tragic day I have been asked to write a blog memorializing one of the thousands of people who died on that most tragic of days. It is my hope and desire that when I finally work out the details of this tribute it will be one that can be respected by the family and one that truly honors that person. Only time will tell how well I do in this most honorable of assignments.

As I stated at the top these are just rambling thoughts and reflections of one person who will forever remember that tragic day that we call September 11th 2001.

From the HQ

The Grunt

The Honorable Thing to Do.

2009-08-18T23:16:00.003-05:00

For those of you who have never served in the US Military this video may have little or no impact on you. If such is the case then you deserve my pity. For those of you whom this video does significantly impact then you will understand why we who served or are still serving do what we do. You will understand the pride we have for our country and for those with whom we serve alongside in peacetime and war. This video come courtesy of Blackfive and their proud military personnel who blog at that webpage.

45+ Years later these Marines came home. The Islanders buried these 19 Marines with honor and the one old Islander who was a teenager then proudly honored them one last time before they departed his Island. Words will never be enough for the honor bestowed upon our fallen Marines by the people of Makin Atoll.

Favorite Military Quotes - An Idea to help the WLF]

2009-08-13T14:00:00.001-05:00

Favorite Military Quotes - An Idea to help the WLF]

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Outrage and the Loony Left

2009-08-13T11:22:00.002-05:00

So the loony left has been whining and is "outraged" over the photo of President Obama made up to look like the Joker as played by the late actor Heath Ledger.

While I don't approve of the above Photo neither do I approve of the photo below.

The loony left and MSM is feeling outraged and making an issue of such photos of President Obama and yet where was the outrage and media coverage of the Bushitler photos? The MSM is so far in the tank for President Obama it has become a mockery of it's former self.

Courtesy of Michelle Malkin we find that NBC is now selling President Obama tee shirts and fridge magnets. http://michellemalkin.com/2009/08/13/nbc-yes-we-did/

We might as well rename NBC to OBC (Obama Broadcasting Corp.) seeing as the network is so far in the tank for Obama that anything else no longer matters. The MSM already has a well acknowledged left leaning bias but more and more we are finding out just how far left the MSM has leaned. Whatever happened to objective journalism? Whatever happened to those days when the MSM remained impartial to political parties and stayed out of the obvious choosing of one party over the other? Personal feelings from employees of the MSM are hard to avoid but when major broadcasting and print media outlets show such a serious bias to one particular party and it's obvious agenda where does that leave us?

It used to be that we had little choice as to where we could get our news stories from. Newspapers and the big 3 were our only choice back in the day when I was a child growing up in rural America. Thankfully with the advent of techonology and the many benefits it offers us it is no longer the big 3 and newspapers but rather the millions of news outlets and blogs found on the Internet that we can find news stories that fit our personal needs. The obvious bias of the MSM is slowly becoming a thing of the past as technology forces the old way out and the new methods move in and take over. The current bias of the MSM will soon become a relic of yesterday but unfortunately the loony left will have new ways to broadcast their "outrage".

From the HQ

The Grunt

Left Wing Hypocrisy in Action

2009-08-05T13:38:00.006-05:00

It would seem that the left wing does not enjoy people actually putting actions to their thoughts.

Case in point.....The current Obamacare uprising that has many people protesting about the finanacial cost of this program amidst other concerns about Obamacare. From Michelle Malkin comes the following video clip...

This is ACORN and the left wings version of peaceful counter protests. They get in your face and throw out insults and variations of threats etc. The left wing just cannot seem to understand that despite their success with getting their "Messiah" elected to the office of President there are a rising number of people who are fed up with his fiscal irresponsibility and his desire to force such policy as his attempted takeover of health care upon us. The sad thing is that the left wing had no issue with demonizing President Bush while he was in office and yet when the tables are turned they are the first to scream foul and forget what they did. These Tea Party protests are, for the most part, peaceful demonstrations by people who are tired of the shenanigans of the political aristocracy in Washington D.C. Rather than engage in a peaceful counter demonstration or debate the left wing accuses these protesters of being well funded right wing shills who are using D.C. based lobbyists, and right wing funding to help further their agenda. Meanwhile the left wing uses the same tactics to fund their counter to the Tea Party protests. They use D.C. based lobbyists as well as the backing of organizations such as ACORN, AARP, SEIU and other well funded left leaning organizations. Please go pay a visit to Michelle Malkin's page for more information on the shenanigans of the liberal left wings attacks on the Tea Party protesters.

The following link is of a video that shows the true arrogance and ignorance of our elected D.C. politicians. (Hat Tip to Hot Air) Pay attention to the gentlemen in the front row with the hat on. He calls out the politician on how the D.C. political machine can push through health care reform faster than it took President Obama to find a dog for his girls.

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/08/05/video-hoyers-townhall-roiled-by-well-dressed-sophisticates/

On a side note please go to the following link and volunteer to honor one of the many victims who died on 9/11/2001. This date is fast approaching and we are in need of many volunteers to honor these people. http://project2996.wordpress.com/

From the HQ

The Grunt

Cash for Clunkers & Socialized Medicine

2009-08-03T17:22:00.004-05:00

Via Michelle Malkin comes this "wonderful" video of an apparent Town Hall meeting between Arlen Specter and his constituents in Pennsylvania. As Michelle points out listen to this woman in the video. Her words about how can the government manage Healthcare when they cannot even manage the Cash for Clunkers program is priceless and so very true.

From the HQ

The Grunt

"Gone" Barack Obama

2009-07-21T18:27:00.001-05:00

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Health Care Reform and The Cap and Trade Idiocy

2009-07-08T16:14:00.006-05:00

“It’s clearly a very difficult issue. … You go to the public to ask them what they think and they don’t like it,” said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., referring to recent polling. A compilation of four recent polls reviewed at the session showed at least 59 percent of the public opposed to taxing health care benefits to “pay for reform,” and as many as 70 percent." (HT Founding Bloggers)

Of course the general populace is going to have an issue with ANOTHER Trillion dollar bill that will permit the Federal Government to intrude into our daily lives. Senator Conrad you are an idiot of the first order. The general population does not want another trillion dollar debt thrown upon them for something that we are better suited to take care of ourselves. Get back to the business of running this country and the more pressing issues of a Nuclear armed, terrorist supporting country like Iran instead of trying to tell us that you know better than we do about how to run our lives. I stopped needing a baby sitter 30+ years ago.

Cap and Trade is another nightmare bill that the idiots, both Democrat and Republicans, allowed to pass. Not only did they allow it to pass but the majority of them never even READ the 300+ pages of bills and the amendments attached to it. Jimmie Bise over at American Issues Project (HT Michelle Malkin) has one of the many problems that this Cap and Trade debacle brings to the table. Ladies and gentlemen if you think that you have too much government in your lives already go read this nightmare of a bill and this section in particular.

http://www.americanissuesproject.org/blogs/aip/archive/2009/07/08/if-you-don-t-hate-the-cap-and-trade-bill-let-me-show-you-section-304.aspx

From the HQ
The Grunt

Michael Jackson

2009-07-07T19:46:00.008-05:00

Michael Jackson, a world renowned musical performer and member of the Motown Music family The Jackson 5, was finally laid to rest today with much pomp and ceremony. My issue with this celebrity's death does not reside so much in who he was while he lived but why someone deserves more time on the news and in the headlines than any person including the President of the United States.

MJ was a man who's talent in the world of music is not easily matched amongst his peers. Does the fact that he was a musical icon permit him to have more "face" time on the national news networks? Does his celebrity status permit him to be the lead story for more than a week after his untimely passing? I personally do not think it does. I, and many others, believe that MJ's death became more spectacle than respectful. In my opinion, and many others, MJ's death was not deserving of so much headline space. There are those who give there lives everyday to defend our rights and freedoms and yet they are barely a blip on their hometown nightly news and yet MJ is still making the lead story more than a week after his untimely death. A soldier died last week in Afghanistan from injuries sustained in combat. The problem with that is that he died on the same day as MJ and yet nary a peep or headline story from the MSM about this soldier who died doing his duty. How many other Soldiers have been killed in combat since MJ's death and how many have made the lead story of the MSM? I know several have and yet they garner not even a byline in the nation's news papers and a blip on the newscast.

Spare me the MJ hater BS as I am not hating on MJ. I am merely stating the facts as we all see them. If one man, who's talent garnered him a special place in the world of music and the hearts of his fans, is so deserving of so much publicity in life or death then what does that say of us as a nation? What have we become as a Country when a celebrity can override the honor and dignity of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to allow this one person to be able to do what he did so well?

From the HQ

The Grunt

4th of July

2009-07-04T12:56:00.005-05:00

What does the 4th of July mean to you? To me it is the day this country rebelled against the tyrannical rule of that era and officially announced itself to the world that a new country was founded. Unfortunately today's government has forgotten the meaning of this day and instead we are now under a new tyrannical government.

Over at Blackfive they have posted the Declaration of Independence. I would suggest that you go have a read of the original words of that precious document and then ask yourself if this is what today's government is all about.

To my fellow brothers and sisters in the US Military no matter where you are thank you for your service and know that for some of us your efforts are not forgotten.

The Grunt

Once More Unto the Breech

2009-06-30T14:59:00.003-05:00

Over at Michelle Malkin we are finding out more and more about 8 so called Republicans (aka RINO's) who voted for this Cap and Trade garbage. Digging further into this she, and other bloggers, have found that many of the 8 have received donations from many of those PaC's who were pushing hardest for this ugly bill. If you feel the need jump over to Michelle's page, the link is on the right, and read more about what is going on with this garbage bill and those who would rather support a bill for an unproven theory than side with those who know that this bill is pure garbage and will cause more trouble financially for the general American citizen.

On a local note I have found out, and once again Michelle has the jump on this too, that Al Franken will become Minnesota's newest Senator. Same old Circus act just a new clown in the clown car. Franken has no Political background other than being a hack for George Soros and furthermore he has not resided in Minnesota for years. He came back here just long enough to declare himself a citizen of the state in order to run against the other clown Norm Coleman. In the military we have a phrase for this type of game.....it's called SNAFU.