Bill's Bites: US Army

Saturday, 26 May 2007

Three for a long weekend

Read 'em in order. One today, one tomorrow and one Monday maybe.

No Tears in Heaven

At the Station

At the Canteen

Contributed by Bill Faith on May 26, 2007 at 06:30 AM in Caring about our troops, Memorial Day, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Thursday, 24 May 2007

Body of missing Soldier found in Iraq

Military Confirms Identity of Murdered
Soldier, Denies Reports of Second Body

BAGHDAD — The U.S. military on Thursday announced that a body pulled out a river south of Baghdad belonged to Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr., one of three soldiers missing since an ambush on their unit nearly two weeks ago.

"We can confirm that we have recovered the remains of Pfc. Anzack," said Lt. Col. Josslyn Aberle, a military spokeswoman.

Aberle denied reports that a second set of remains had been found and was being examined to determine if they belonged to another of the missing soldiers.

"The reports of a second set of remains being found is a false report," she said.

Anzack, 20, was one of three soldiers who vanished after their combat team was ambushed May 12 about 20 miles outside of Baghdad. Five others, including an Iraqi, were killed in the ambush, subsequently claimed by Al Qaeda. ...

AP, CNN, and the NYT all picked up basically the same story at about the same time FOX did.

***

Michelle Malkin: "Keep his family and the families of the other still-missing soldiers in your thoughts and prayers." What she said.

Contributed by Bill Faith on May 24, 2007 at 02:16 AM in Islamism Delenda Est, US Army | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Wednesday, 23 May 2007

Bodies of 3 missing Soldiers found?

Below the fold, newest items at the top:

Body dressed in U.S. military pants and boots found floating in Euphrates;
Update: Bodies of two other soldiers found?
Body Believed to Be Missing U.S. Soldier Found in Iraq
Breaking: Body Dressed in US Military Uniform Found South of Baghdad

*** *** *** Fold (but please don't spindle or mutilate) *** *** ***

Body dressed in U.S. military pants and boots found floating in Euphrates; Update: Bodies of two other soldiers found?
Allahpundit

He was shot so many times in the head and torso that they can’t identify him yet, but naturally they suspect it’s one of the three missing soldiers. Iraqi passersby say the dead man looked “western” and had a tattoo on his left arm.

The Tribune is reporting that the body wasn’t decomposed, which, given the fact that he was in the water, means he must have been killed very recently. Ironically, finding him actually creates some hope that the other two are still alive.

Let’s hope there’s some resolution soon, one way or another, because the search is proving lethal.

Update: It sounds like they might have found the other two.

Michelle Malkin's tracking the situation here.

Body Believed to Be Missing U.S. Soldier Found in Iraq

BAGHDAD — Iraqi police discovered a body floating in the Euphrates River south of Baghdad Wednesday that is believed to that that of a missing U.S. soldier.

Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, chief U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, told reporters that U.S. authorities took custody of the body but have not determined if it was that of one of three soldiers missing since May 12.

"Iraqi police did find the body of a man whom they believe may be one of our missing soldiers," Caldwell said. "We have received the body and we will work diligently to determine if he is in fact one of our missing soldiers."

A U.S. military source told FOX News: "We do believe there is a strong possibility it is one of our soldiers." ...

The man had been shot in the head and chest, Babil police Capt. Muthana Khalid said.

Iraqi police using civilian boats searched for other bodies on the river in Musayyib, about 40 miles south of Baghdad, and U.S. troops intensified their presence on a nearby bridge as helicopters flew overhead, witnesses said.

Hassan al Jibouri, 32, said he saw the body clothed in a U.S. military uniform with head wounds and whip marks on its back floating on the river Wednesday morning. He and others then alerted police.

Later Wednesday, police in Babil province reported they had discovered two more bodies in the river and suspected they belonged to the other two soldiers. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on May 23, 2007 at 12:42 PM in Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, US Army | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Friday, 18 May 2007

Officers faulted in deaths of Babineau, Menchaca, Tucker
-- (Updated and bumped)

Probe Into Murders of 3 GIs in Iraq Faults Commanding Officers

WASHINGTON — Three U.S. soldiers slaughtered in a grisly kidnapping-murder plot south of Baghdad last June were not properly protected during a mission that was not well planned or executed, a military investigation has concluded.

Two military officers have been relieved of their commands as a result of the litany of mistakes, but neither faced criminal charges, a military official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

A report on the investigation said the platoon leader and company commander — whose names were not released — failed to provide proper supervision to the unit or enforce military standards.

A seven-page summary of the investigation provided to the AP also said it appeared insurgents may have rehearsed the attack two days earlier, and that Iraqi security forces near the soldiers' outpost probably saw and heard the attack and "chose to not become an active participant in the attack on either side."

"This was an event caused by numerous acts of complacency, and a lack of standards at the platoon level," said the investigating officer, Lt. Col. Timothy Daugherty, in the summary. ...

*** Update and bump; Original timestamp 2007.05.17.12:36

Army Punished 2 Officers in ’06 After Failures in Iraq Ambush

An Army general relieved a company commander and a platoon leader of their commands last year after enlisted men were ambushed and killed by insurgents at an isolated observation post south of Baghdad in June 2006, Army officials said yesterday.

An Army investigation into the circumstances of the attack, which killed one soldier immediately and resulted in two others being kidnapped and later killed, concluded that they had been left for up to 36 hours without supervision or enough firepower or support to repel even a small group of enemy fighters.

The investigative report, by Lt. Col. Timothy Daugherty, a deputy brigade commander with the Fourth Infantry Division, which the soldiers were attached to at the time, recommended that the platoon leader and company commander be given written reprimands.

But Lt. Gen. James D. Thurman, the commander of American forces in Baghdad last year, went a step further, Army officials said, and relieved the company commander, Capt. John Goodwin, and the platoon leader, First Lt. Timothy Norton, of their duties.

“This was an event caused by numerous acts of complacency and a lack of standards at the platoon level,” Colonel Daugherty wrote in a nine-page summary of his report. “The shortcomings of standards at the platoon level was compounded by company leadership that was not engaged in enforcing standards.”

Contributed by Bill Faith on May 18, 2007 at 03:36 AM in Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, US Army | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Wednesday, 02 May 2007

The END of Military Blogging?
Update: Russ Vaughn sample letter to your congresscritters

Army crack down on bloggers
Michelle Malkin

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Via Noah Shachtman:
The U.S. Army has ordered soldiers to stop posting to blogs or sending personal e-mail messages, without first clearing the content with a superior officer, Wired News has learned. The directive, issued April 19, is the sharpest restriction on troops' online activities since the start of the Iraq war. And it could mean the end of military blogs, observers say.

Military officials have been wrestling for years with how to handle troops who publish blogs. Officers have weighed the need for wartime discretion against the opportunities for the public to personally connect with some of the most effective advocates for the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq -- the troops themselves. The secret-keepers have generally won the argument, and the once-permissive atmosphere has slowly grown more tightly regulated. Soldier-bloggers have dropped offline as a result.

The new rules (.pdf) obtained by Wired News require a commander be consulted before every blog update.
Bottom line from Matt at Blackfive: ...

As the saying goes, there's a right way, a wrong way, and ~~the Army~~ a wrong way. I can't improve on Blackfive's post so I won't try. Read it.

***

Ed Morrissey comments here.

***

I just received this sample letter from Russ Vaughn, which he and I both hope you'll modify as appropriate and send to your Congressional representatives:

Dear Senator/Congressman,

I have just become aware of the military’s new restrictive policy on soldier weblogs (milblogs) with the reason for this policy being given that it is in the interest of operational security. While I am all for the highest degree of vigilance in matters of OPSEC, I feel that the new policy is heavy-handed and counterproductive for the following reasons:

1) Every website created by any service person is readily available for routine scrutiny by military monitoring agencies. At the first sign of misuse, the military has the capability to block the offending site and deal appropriately with its owner.

2) Milblogs are the 21st Century’s letters home from the war, a means of communicating from the combat zone with family and friends that far exceeds the capabilities, in both time and content, of previous wars. They are a definite morale-builder, both with serving troops and the folks back home keeping tabs on their loved ones.

3) Milblogs are tools for training and orientation from those who are there now to those who will be. Such exchanges can be highly beneficial for those deploying to combat for the first time. Such “pearls’ from the trigger-pullers to those yet untested can make the transition much easier and perhaps safer for the new warriors.

4) Under such prohibition, only the dutiful soldiers will be affected. The disgruntled and disobedient will evade this restriction and find ways to use such internet podiums to spew their harsh criticisms. Only one view, that most favorable to the military, will be stifled.

5) Last but not least, those affected by this restriction on freedom of speech are precisely those who are placing their lives on the line to preserve that very freedom. To deny them that right unnecessarily as is now being done with this new policy sends a very wrong message to the world about our true commitment to our Bill of Rights.

If a soldier wants to have a weblog, fine, let him or her do so after first signing a DoD agreement, making him keenly aware of the consequences of OPSEC violations and the and the penalties that attach to them. By signing that agreement he automatically registers with a central registry, maintained by a DoD agency with the responsibility to routinely monitor content of all milblogs owned by active duty personnel.

I’m not asking for official action here, simply a heads-up call from your office to your connections in the Pentagon to suggest they not throw out the baby with the bath water.

Sincerely,

Russ Vaughn
101^st Airborne Division, Vietnam 65-66
Registered Voter in Your State/District

***

Michelle has a great link-rich follow-up to her earlier post here. (Thanks for the link, Michelle.)

Contributed by Bill Faith on May 2, 2007 at 02:12 PM in US Army | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Wednesday, 18 April 2007

Video: Doolittle’s Raid
Bryan Preston

On April 18, 1942, James Doolittle led a daring raid over Tokyo. Wikipedia describes it thus:

The Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942, was the first air raid by the United States to strike the Japanese home islands during World War II. The mission was notable in that it was the only operation in which United States Army Air Forces bombers were launched from a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. It was the longest combat mission ever flown by the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber. The Doolittle Raid demonstrated that the Japanese home islands were vulnerable to Allied air attack and it provided an expedient outlet for U.S. retaliation for Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The raid was planned and led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, already a famous civilian aviator and aeronautical engineer before the war. The raid, however, had its roots in the mind of Navy Captain Francis Low, who early in the war predicted that, under the right conditions, twin-engined Army bombers could be successfully launched from an aircraft carrier. Subsequent calculations by Doolittle indicated that the B-25 Mitchell could be launched from a carrier with a reasonable bomb load, hit military targets in Japan, and fly on to land in China.
Michelle and I interviewed some of the surviving raiders and sailors who helped get the mission airborne on Veterans Day last year. ...

Watch the video here.

Contributed by Bill Faith on April 18, 2007 at 02:12 PM in The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, WW II | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, 15 April 2007

Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Gathering of Eagles

The following article was written by Henry J. Cook III, Senior Vice Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. It was intended for use in their organizational publication. In light of certain parties claiming that they had convinced MOPH to drop their support, Mr. Cook asked that it be posted on the GOE blog as a reaffirmation of MOPH’s support for the Gathering of Eagles. Thank you William "1stCav" Page for bringing it to my attention.

The Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Gathering of Eagles
Henry J. Cook, III

More than one year ago the international A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition began planning two major anti-war rallies in Washington, D.C. The first was held in January of 2007. From their rally point the various anti-war, anti-American groups marched on our nation’s Capitol. Upon arrival at the Capitol they proceeded to spray paint their slogans and anti-American sentiments on the Capitol steps. Apparently the Capitol police felt it was better to allow them to do their mischief and clean it up later than confront them physically to stop their actions. Some of the groups went to the U. S. Navy memorial and desecrated the Lonely Sailor memorial.

Who were these people ? A.N.S.W.E.R. , purely an arm of the communist party of the United States , joined by Code Pink, the National Council of Arab Americans, the Muslim American Society, the 9-11 Truth Movement (They claim 9-11 was a hoax.) a number of Palestinian and Lebanese support groups, pro-Castro and Che Gueverra groups, the Viet Nam Veterans against the war, at least one Anarchist group and a number of hippie-throwbacks, all receiving encouragement by Hanoi Jane Fonda, Ramsey Clark, Sean Penn, Ed Asner with Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and the newest anti-war poster child, Cindy Sheehan.

After their performance in January, A.N.S.W.E R. let it be know that their next rally and parade was to begin with a rally at the Viet Nam Wall on March 17, 2007 and would end at the Pentagon. ...

Read the whole thing.

Contributed by Bill Faith on April 15, 2007 at 08:30 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Moonbat Madness, The American Warrior, The Lunatic Left, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Friday, 30 March 2007

The fabric that holds the flag together

“Message to the Democratic Party Leadership”
Bryan Preston

From Cpl Chris Mason, a soldier who was killed in Iraq in November, 2006. His father posted this video today.

Chris Mason, 32, was a member of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. He once told his brother over the telephone that “he loved being (in Iraq) and waking up there because it was another day helping those people,” Garland Mason said.

“He talked about it a lot. He loved the people, he loved the children that would come out and hold his hand and walk with him. He loved training the Iraqi army. He had a great relationship with the Iraqis.”
Where do we find such men?

Here’s one clue:
Baker High School graduate Chris Mason wasn’t afraid of dying in Iraq because of his faith in Jesus Christ and his belief in the importance of helping others…

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 30, 2007 at 10:12 PM in Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, The American Warrior, US Army | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tuesday, 27 March 2007

A Young Man To Watch

72nd TCS reports:

Col. Harry Riley, co-director of Gathering of Eagles.org, alerted his mailing list to a report on the Gathering of March 17 in Washington, DC, written by a truly extraordinary youngster. His name is Justin Till, and he is an 18-year-old high school senior from Texas. I believe his work deserves to be disseminated widely, and intend to quote extensively from it in the sequel. He writes beautifully, displaying a keenness of observation that puts to shame the reports by “professionals” that we read in major newspapers such as The New York Times and the Washington Post. Early promise does not always pan out, but this youth is truly outstanding. Here he is, and please remember: You Read It Here First.

An Unrecognized Majority: ...

[Read the whole thing.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 27, 2007 at 05:07 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Poem: A Gathering of Eagles
Contributed by Bill Faith

Marsha Burks Megehee left this as a comment on Awesome Gathering of Eagles video but it deserves better than to languish there unread:
Dear Old War Dogs,
I wanted to share my special poem with you -
"A Gathering of Eagles."

It's my way of saying "WELL DONE!" Thank you all for protecting our national treasures, and speaking up for the millions of us who could not be with you.

God Bless You All!
& God Bless the USA!

Continue reading "Poem: A Gathering of Eagles"

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 27, 2007 at 04:20 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Marsha Burks Megehee, Poetry, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, 26 March 2007

No Criminal Negligence in Death of Pat Tillman,
But Brass Made Errors in Reporting

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The military has found no criminal wrongdoing in the friendly fire death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan, but says there were critical errors in reporting the former NFL star's death and failing to provide details to his family.

Army and Defense Department investigators said Monday that officers looking into the incident passed along misleading and inaccurate information and delayed reporting their belief that Tillman was killed by his fellow soldiers. The investigators recommended the Army take action against the officers. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 26, 2007 at 04:28 PM in Afghanistan, The American Warrior, US Army | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, 25 March 2007

Awesome Gathering of Eagles video

Boomer emails:

** The Land of the free **

http://www.nautinurse.com/GOE_17-March-2007.html

Sound on, F-11 for full screen!

Read the whole Old War Dogs Gathering of Eagles collection in one place here, and don't forget about the Gathering of Eagles blog here.

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 25, 2007 at 12:28 AM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Friday, 23 March 2007

Despite my distrust of the media....
Contributed by antimedia

....there are a few that get it right.
......it turns out that the best reason to hit the pavement on Saturday was over in Washington, D.C. ...

As a frequent protest crasher, I'm sorry I missed this sea change in the tired old script of Iraq demonstrations. It was even more uplifting to read messages left afterward on the Eagles' blog by participants.

"Forty years lost in the wilderness," wrote one. "Forty years in exile. Behind us now. Yesterday we took our country back. It's in the air. I can feel it. ... We have to care enough to save it. I have hope again."
The quote is from my good friend, Bill Faith. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 23, 2007 at 12:41 AM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Patriot Guard Riders, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Thursday, 22 March 2007

Reflections on the Gathering of Eagles (Epilogue)
March 21st, 2007 by CJ

I wanted to first bring something out I'm not sure many people caught. First, listen again to THIS audio of Brian Becker, member of International A.N.S.W.E.R.'s steering committee and a front group for the Communist Workers World Party (WWP). Pay attention to what he says in the middle of the clip.
"Let Bush and the Pentagon and their puppets (I'm a puppet) know that the people of this country are sick and tired of this [expletive deleted] war. LET'S BRING THE WAR HOME!!"
This is something I want everyone to understand. He doesn't say "let's bring the troops home." They don't support the troops. If they did, we wouldn't be seeing this in Portland:

[image]

He said this while he was trying to get everyone to move up to make their numbers look more bloated. They aren't interested in any victory. They want the terrorists here in this country. If he had his way, he'd pay for a state visit for Bin Laden. Those five little words say more than any speech ever could. Yet, even though every news outlet known to man was licking their shoes, this wasn't mentioned anywhere. ...

***

See also: Smash - The Infiltrator

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 22, 2007 at 01:00 AM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Moonbat Madness, The American Warrior, The Lunatic Left, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tuesday, 20 March 2007

01.01.04 AE

1st year, 1st month, 4th day, Age of the Eagle. The tide has turned. I'm proud to be an American again.
(This post will remain at the top of the site all day. Original timestamp 2007.03.20.00:14)

A Gathering of Eagles
Contributed by Russ Vaughn

The commies came, the commies saw,
The commies skulked away, ...
(Read the whole thing here.)

Click the image to see the entire Old War Dogs Gathering of Eagles series on one page.

Continue reading "01.01.04 AE"

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 20, 2007 at 11:59 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A Gathering of Eagles
Contributed by Russ Vaughn

The commies came, the commies saw,
The commies skulked away,
A Gathering of Eagles
Just spoiled their Big Red Day.
The ANSWER Coalition,
Led by Head Red Brian Becker,
Declined to find out if these birds,
Might have a bigger pecker. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 20, 2007 at 09:30 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Moonbat Madness, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Accidental Protest
The Gray Dog

“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.”
“To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns

Yes, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. The bumbling Becker Brothers, bodacious bemoaning and bellowing of bellicose bromides of betrayal, beseeching bedlam and bilious behavior by bountiful billions of boneheaded, boorish, bothersome and boastful Black Bloc braggarts was bested by barricades bonded by brazen bands of brothers borne of boldness and backbone, belying the bogus belief that America the beautiful, bountiful bastion of bravery was dead.

EAGLES 1
ANSWER 0

The Communist front organization, International ANSWER, has spent many months, countless dollars and wasted political capital promoting what became a most momentous flop called “March on the Pentagon.” And for this day, and this day alone, the Gray Dog gloats. Today, it is ANSWER that proved to be “pathetic.” ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 20, 2007 at 09:22 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, 19 March 2007

The Day We Took Our Country Back -- Part 2

This Is The Dawning Of The Age Of The Eagle. Aquarius can kiss my ass.

(This post will remain at the top of the site all day. Original timestamp 2007.03.19.00:27)

Click the image to see the entire Old War Dogs Gathering of Eagles series on one page.

"Let us make it clear, we've all come here
To defend our long-dead brothers;
And understand you ain't layin' a hand
On our Wall you leftie mothers."
(Click here to listen to the .mp3)

The Age Of The Eagle
By Kit Jarrell of Euphoric Reality

In every life there are moments that define us. They tell us in no uncertain terms who we are, what we believe in our souls, and what we are willing to die for.

For those of us who have worn the uniform of our great nation, these moments have stirred in our hearts before–often misunderstood by those who could never understand what it means to pledge your very life to protect another.

But even more rare is the moment that lets us define ourselves, that lets us show the world who we are, what we believe in our souls…and what we are still willing to die for.

March 17, 2007 will be remembered as one of those moments. ...

Do read the whole thing, won't you?

Continue reading "The Day We Took Our Country Back -- Part 2"

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 19, 2007 at 11:59 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Four Years In. 300? It's Just a Movie.

Jules Crittenden emails:

Meet John Eade

You may know him from Mudville, where his story has appeared before. If you don't know him yet, you'll want to meet John Eade, survivor of the Ia Drang, and hear what he has to say about Thermopylae and standing your ground.

***

Update: "Continue reading" first then don't miss Greyhawk's post here.

***

Four Years In. 300? It's Just a Movie.
Jules Crittenden

John Eade hasn’t seen a war movie in more than 40 years, but he’s thinking about seeing “300.” I kind of get that. There is something about the Spartans’ simple illogical willingness to die at Thermopylae that I suspect speaks across the centuries to a lot of combat veterans. It is possible to understand how glad they felt about the opportunity that presented itself. But it’s the kind of thing that, if you try to discuss it with people who haven’t experienced it, places you at risk of being considered seriously disturbed.

I still watch war movies, looking for the ones that do it well as a technical matter, though real war ruined war movies for me. Even in the best, a written, acted script is vaguely offensive, that people who have never done this should attempt to dramatize it. There are maybe a handful that come close to capturing the strange normality of extraordinary events, when death and valor are common, unsurprising occurrences.

Images and dialogue will never convey things like the feeling of lying awake before dawn, when fear shoves its way up and down your esophagus like a fat, filthy rat; or the subdued euphoric feeling as the assault gets underway and you are ready to die; or the laughter in the midst of combat; or the inexplicable sadness over the death of someone who would have killed you. The emotions and shock movies try to portray are so often the stock ones, and the wrong ones.

Some movies come close, but struggle to deliver even a small piece of what someone like Eade can convey in a few spoken words. It isn’t the words, it is that thing his words carry, something almost imperceptible that comes across between the words, if you are able to recognize it. Within its embrace, it becomes completely logical that one should desire, in the company of 299 comrades, to face 250,000 Persians and die.

Eade is in a class with those Spartans. ...

Eade, now in his 60s, with broken body, is still a soldier. As Eade and I talked about Thermopylae the other night, we talked about the fact that for combat veterans, it is not ancient history. Eade knows what the Spartans knew. ...

Read the whole thing.

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 19, 2007 at 02:44 AM in The American Warrior, US Army, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, 18 March 2007

The Day We Took Our Country Back

This post will remain at the top of the site for the remainder of the day. Please scroll down for possible newer content. Actual timestamp 2007.03.18.01:49. Please consider this post an extension of my Eagles Up! post. Click the image to see the entire Old War Dogs Gathering of Eagles series.

"Let us make it clear, we've all come here
To defend our long-dead brothers;
And understand you ain't layin' a hand
On our Wall you leftie mothers."
(Click here to listen to the .mp3)

Forty years lost in the wilderness. Forty years in exile. Behind us now. Yesterday we took our country back. It's in the air. I can feel it. Can you?

Continue reading "The Day We Took Our Country Back"

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 18, 2007 at 11:59 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Saturday, 17 March 2007

EAGLES UP!

This post will remain at the top of the site for the remainder of the day. Please scroll down for possible newer content. Actual timestamp 2007.03.17.00:02.

"Let us make it clear, we've all come here
To defend our long-dead brothers;
And understand you ain't layin' a hand
On our Wall you leftie mothers."
(Listen to the mp3 here.)

I may not do a lot of posting on this site today. I'll be doing my best to keep up with the Gathering Of Eagles on Old War Dogs and won't be taking time to try to keep two parallel posts up to date. I know of at least three people who'll be at The Wall with my phone number programmed into their cell phones and they know I'll be anxious to know how things are going, so here's hoping.

EAGLES UP!

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 17, 2007 at 11:59 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Moonbat Madness, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Friday, 16 March 2007

Time to raise some Hell!

I'm swiping a whole post off Michelle's site for a good cause. Maybe no one will get too upset.

Re: Gathering of Eagles
By Smash

An alert reader has informed me that C-SPAN plans to cover tomorrow's defeatist ANSWER rally, but not the pro-victory Gathering of Eagles event.
How does C-SPAN determine its schedule? The C-SPAN networks are committed to televising the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate when they are in session. In addition, C-SPAN covers congressional hearings, White House press briefings, speeches, and other important public affairs events.
If you disagree with this decision, let them know.