But spend some money, anyway.

It's the middle of the year. No big holidays in sight, no special seasons that inspire our generosity. And yet this is the time of year when donations are so very needed to help support our military men and women. The wonderful donations given to Soldiers' Angels at Christmas have long since been used, and yet the need is still great. I'm sure even the troops have noticed the trend - during Christmas and other big holidays they are swamped with carepackages and letters of support, which is great - really it is! Yet it has to make them wonder where that support is the rest of the year. Do we give because we are 'supposed to' during the 'season of giving'?

It is always the right time to thank these men and women, and show our appreciation for their service.

I'm keeping this post at the top of the page till July 4th. Help us hit our 100K!

Labels: Military, Soldiers Angels

She has had the rare honour of serving her country at the same time as serving those who serve.

And Julie Brown, amongst many other brave civilians who have done a tour in Afghanistan, is a special kind of war veteran.

"It was life changing," said Brown, who has been back from Kandahar just one week after six months of working in the famous Tim Hortons franchise at the Kandahar Airfield. "I was so proud to be able to do my part to help these fine men and women who sacrifice so much."

The 34-year-old Cookstown mother of two sacrificed as well.

For six months she put herself in harm's way to take the job at the Tim's in a war zone.

I would love to do something like this. This heavy, broken body of mine would be virtually useless in the army, but I'd gladly serve up double-doubles for the men and women doing the hard work. I would consider it an honor.

Labels: Afghanistan, Military, Tim Hortons

Please see here for details. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Labels: Landstuhl, Military, Soldiers Angels

As part of my PACOM series (other posts here and here), I'd like to introduce you to Major Paul Young, of the Canadian Air Force. That's right folks, there's a Canuck on Oahu, and he isn't just there to golf.

He stands apart from his American counterparts, with his darker green digitized uniform (apparently the basis for much teasing from his paler-green desk mates), soft-featured, friendly face and spectacles. Originally from the Maritimes, Major Young had been based in Winnipeg for the longest time before becoming part of the exchange program, moving his family to Oahu (there are worse postings to have to convince your wife of, I'm sure). There are currently 12 Canadians in various parts of the US Military machine (Canada offers just one spot for an American - currently vacant).

The exchange gives our Canadian soldiers an opportunity to work with bigger machines, better toys, and - in the case of Major Young, who works in Logistics - larger amounts of money and personnel. When I asked him, not totally understanding his role there, what he worked on, he said "American things. I work for the US Military. I don't sit at that desk working on anything Canadian." It's actually a very strange working relationship, since he will sit in his little cubicle, next to the Americans; together they will discuss various problems and solutions throughout the day, yet he is restricted from accessing certain areas of the very computer programs and databases he's meant to be working on. He is, after all, a foreign national.

Unfortunately I was only able to spend a few minutes with Major Young, but I could see he was happy with his role at PACOM. When I spoke with LTC Upson, who works with Major Young, he had only good things to say. Major Young is a well liked and respected colleague - one of their own.

Labels: Canadiana, Hawaii, Military, PACOM

The two pansies trying to seek refugee status in Canada from the eeeevil United States have been turned down for the final time.

Two U.S Army deserters have exhausted their appeals for Canadian refugee status and now face deportation.

In a ruling released yesterday, a three-judge panel of the Federal Court of Appeal upheld decisions by the Federal Court and the Immigration and Refugee Board that Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey are not entitled to refugee status.

My heart is NOT bleeding! The US Military is all-volunteer. They signed up knowing that it could mean more than just a free education. They signed up knowing that someday they may be called upon to pay the piper.

They argued they were conscientious objectors and had well-founded fears they would face persecution if returned to the U.S.

The board, Federal Court and its appellate division rejected those arguments.

The latest ruling noted neither made full use of steps open to them in the U.S. to win conscientious objector status, before fleeing here.

Labels: Cowardice, Military

Shockingly - shockingly, I tell ya - they were all Muslim. Wow.

Six foreign-born Muslims were arrested and accused Tuesday of plotting to attack the army's Fort Dix and massacre scores of U.S. soldiers, a plot investigators say was foiled when the men took a video of themselves firing assault weapons to a store to have the footage put onto a DVD.

Three of them were illegal aliens (Oops, sorry. I meant "undocumented workers").

"It doesn't matter to me whether I get locked up, arrested or get taken away," Serdar Tatar was quoted as saying. "Or I die, it doesn't matter. I'm doing it in the name of Allah."

This is what we're fighting: an enemy who wants to die for their devil-god. A false religion, a cult of sex and death, from a false desert prophet. A Religion of Pieces.

Will we ever learn?

Labels: Islam, Islamic Terror, Military, War on Terror

Every year, thousands flock to Oahu to bask on Waikiki Beach, surf at Sunset Beach, or golf at Turtle Bay. When the tourists think of the military there, they think of Pearl Harbor as something in the past - a headline, a movie, a call to arms - not as a fully functioning military installation that still operates today (for example, when the USS Ronald Reagan was docked there just a few weeks ago).

Oahu is covered with military. It seemed to me that I was never more than 50 yards from the nearest serviceman. There is the obvious female reaction to all that camo, but there is something more: a sense of security. I knew that I could walk to my accommodation at any hour and not have to look over my shoulder. I knew that no matter how lost I got (yes, I can get lost on an island - I'm talented that way), there would be someone with patience and knowledge to get me out of the bind. This was evidenced one morning when I took a wrong turn and found myself heading for Hickam Air Force Base. I knew I wouldn't be able to enter - you have to have military ID for that. But the sentries posted at the entrance are incredibly helpful and friendly. It must happen often enough, since they have a built in u-turn spot to make the exit easier!

One evening I was meeting a friend at his installation, and I arrived a few minutes early. Again, I knew I wouldn't be able to gain entry to the parking lot. So I just idled the car on the side of the road and stepped out to stretch my legs. A moment later a colonel in a sporty little red car pulled up to see if I was having car trouble. I can't remember the last time a civilian (not counting a truck driver) stopped to see if I needed assistance.

And while we're on the subject of car trouble, I was lucky enough to meet my new favorite person in Hawaii: Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Upson. When the LTC was in Iraq (he was a Major then), I was assigned as a Soldiers' Angel to the 82nd Airborne, which was his unit. I was to send all correspondence for the troops to him, and he would distribute at random. I would usually receive an email from him every month or so, and if I didn't hear from him, I'd drop him a line to check in. He was the only one in the unit I had contact with - the rest was done anonymously. He's been in Hawaii for a few months now, so of course I contacted him when I found out I was going over. And when I arrived at the gate of Camp Smith to check in with the PAO for PACOM, it was the LTC who greeted me. It was a great honor to meet him - one I will cherish always, though he said the honor was his. Having him meet me at the door was only the first surprise he had in store. After my various chats with the Public Affairs Coordinator (Maj. David Griesmer, USMC - more on that meeting later) and other staff, LTC Upson escorted me out and told me to go "suit up" for a formal occasion. Hmmmm... intriguing... How does this all lead to car trouble? I'm getting to that - bear with me! (Although I was also able to interview LTC Upson, I will post that at a later date. I'm trying to stay on topic here!)

He picked me up a couple of hours later to escort me to the kickoff of Military Appreciation Month - a rather swanky "do" on Ford Island at the new Pacific Aviation Museum. The event was hosted by a series of local and corporate sponsors, and attended by Admiral Keating, the man who runs the show at PACOM. This was the LTC's way of saying thanks for all I had done, even though I felt I could never do enough.






Anyway, to the car trouble.... after wining and dining on the catering of some of the finest restaurants on Oahu, and listening to the USMC Jazz Trio (they were awesome!), it was time to call it a night. We walked back to the car, only to find a dead battery. LTC Upson was terribly embarrassed, all dressed in his A's, with a dead car. A fine pair we made soliciting through the crowd to see if anyone had jumper cables! Sure enough, we found a table of young kids - Army - so young I wondered if they should have had those beers in their hands. One of them suggested popping the clutch on a rolling start. What a spectacle! Four or five of them, plus the LTC, pushing the car while another sat in the driver's seat getting ready to start her (a success!). Me on the sidelines, holding somebody's beer and laughing at the sight, especially when an equally young bunch of Marines walked by and stopped to stare. To me it was one of the high points of the evening, though LTC Upson will probably send me a tersely worded email just for writing about it!

Perhaps it's because I'm Canadian and we tend not to be very outgoing and helpful. Maybe it's an "American thing". Or maybe it truly is that having that many overgrown Boy Scouts in one place means you are never alone, and never without help when you need it. For that reason alone - not the beaches or the palm trees or even the pink-hued sunsets - did I feel at home on Oahu. And it is for that reason I would someday return there.

Labels: Hawaii, Military, PACOM, Soldiers Angels, Travel

[Padre] Varga told the mourners. "A war took Patrick; evil in the world took Patrick. God caught him when he fell and now God carries him safely into eternal life."

Pentland died when the light-armoured vehicle he was driving hit a roadside bomb near Kandahar.

What a lovely way to eulogize someone.

Labels: Afghanistan, Canadiana, Military, War on Terror

This is a wonderful statement on supporting the troops. It's more than a sticker on your car (or a lapel pin like mine). It's more than talking the talk.

It means never backing down, never giving up, never quitting. It means taking the time to make a difference in someone's life-after all, did a soldier not make a difference in yours?

It means teaching your children that places like Normandy, Iwo Jima, and Bastogne are sacred, almost holy phrases that encompass all that we are and all that we must remain. It means getting off your chair and doing your part-whether that be reading to a double amputee fresh from the dusty hell of Iraq, packing granola bars into a box to be sent to the front, or just not ignoring those who are ignorant any longer. How many times have we all just sighed and rolled our eyes when we hear "I support the troops but not the war?"

I know that by linking to this post, I will get the freaks commenting how I should take my fat aging body down to the recruiting office and join the war, because of course it's the only way I can truly show support. But those idiots only know straw-men. They don't know about the late-night emails winging back and forth across the globe. The VOIP calls at all hours from Officers who have lost men, and how. The Officers don't tell their wives these horrors. They don't tell their mothers. The idiots can't know about the frantic mothers who contact me to see if I can get word about their sons or their sons' platoons from one of my friends. The idiots will never know what it's like to hear about the losses from those who were there, and to not even be able to tell my husband or my closest friends about it.

So, idiots, may I ask what YOU are doing to support the troops?

H/t Michelle

Labels: Military, War on Terror

Ok, I know I'm going to get into trouble on all sides with this, but thankfully I'm used to that. I'll try to be delicate, given my own grave feelings on the subject.

Canada should not be televising the Repatriation Ceremonies of our brave dead. It's gruesome, and it's bad for the group morale of the country. Perhaps more Canadians would back our troops if they didn't have to see the parade of flag-draped coffins go by on our official Death TV station, WDED. Oops, I mean CTV.

Every Canadian has the right (almost the obligation) to mourn for those who gave their lives. But there is something truly unsettling about watching the caskets come off the planes. The Americans don't do this. Do the British? I'm not sure, but I don't think so (someone step up if I'm wrong). There is a certain anti-war "I told you so" feeling to these ceremonies, and I think it's inappropriate.

Please, if there are any families of lost soldiers out there who agree or disagree, I would love to hear from you. Maybe it's just me. Or maybe you feel it too. Let me know.

Labels: Afghanistan, Military, War on Terror

What an awesome idea, with hat tip to Halls of Macadamia.

The Royal Canadian Legion has initiated a support program called The RCL Troop Morale Fund.

They hope to raise funds to treat our troops regularly to a coffee and doughnut from the Tim Hortons in Afghanistan. A donation container is set up in the lounge here at Branch 99; loonies, toonies and the folding paper stuff would be most welcome.

...

To get things started, Dominion Command has donated $6,000 to buy the first round of coffee and doughnut certificates and, with the help of legion branches across Canada, they are hoping to be able to do this on a weekly basis.

It is not so much the coffee and doughnut, but the message behind it to the troops, to show them we care. Please help make this program a success by coming in and making your donation at Branch 99. You don't have to be a legion member to donate everyone's money is appreciated.

Branch 99 details are here.

Labels: Afghanistan, Canadiana, Military

I can't wait. Ten days from now I'll be settled into my hotel and sipping a Mai Tai, staring out to sea. Ten days is going to feel like a lifetime.

Labels: Military, PACOM, Travel

Canada lost six today.

Six Canadian soldiers died Easter Sunday in southern Afghanistan in the worst attack on Canadian soldiers since Canada joined the conflict there.

The soldiers died and four others were wounded when the vehicle they were riding in came into contact with an explosive device.

Names have not yet been released, but that doesn't stop us from keeping them and their families in our thoughts and prayers.

Labels: Afghanistan, Military, War on Terror

Via LGF:

The corporation has cancelled the commission for a 90-minute drama about Britain's youngest surviving Victoria Cross hero because it feared it would alienate members of the audience opposed to the war in Iraq.

Would those be the same members of the audience who would have rioted has Britain used it's dusty spine to free its sailors instead of humbly accepting them as a "gift"? Would those be the same members of the audience who protest holding signs that say "Behead those who insult Islam"? Because I assure you, it would not be the members of the audience whose fathers and grandfathers fought for Her Majesty themselves. It would not be the average middle-classman who understands that the freedoms they enjoy did not just spring up from a wild mushroom or something.

"The BBC has behaved in a cowardly fashion by pulling the plug on the project altogether," said a source close to the project. "It began to have second thoughts last year as the war in Iraq deteriorated. It felt it couldn't show anything with a degree of positivity about the conflict.

"It needed to tell stories about Iraq which reflected the fact that some members of the audience didn't approve of what was going on. Obviously a story about Johnson Beharry could never do that. You couldn't have a scene where he suddenly turned around and denounced the war because he just wouldn't do that.

"The film is now on hold and it will only make it to the screen if another broadcaster picks it up."

Here's hoping a more patriotic station backs it. The so-called "British" Broadcasting Corporation has no room for the good news out of Iraq. Only the bad.

Labels: Europe, Iraq, Main Stream Media, Military, War on Terror

Anyone planning on attending the Gathering of Eagles in DC next weekend, be aware that the moonbats will be armed with paint (obviously not caring about the damage that could do to our gentle and tortured environment).

They want to spray paint the Vietnam Memorial. Veterans may want to bring their rifles for spraying the sprayers. Or not. You know - just putting it out there....

Labels: Military

I expected the Democrats in the United States to vote in favor of having our asses kicked by Jihadis in Iraq, but the fact that 17 so-called Republicans also voted for our defeat adds brutal insult to fatal injury.

"Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush, announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq," the resolution said.

Just when Moqtada al Sadr is on the run, hiding out with his heathen homeboys in Iran, congress pulls the rug out from under the surge. Cowardliness has long been a hallmark of the Democratic party (think Jimmy Carter), but the idea that the party who was willing to lose lives by the tens of thousands to fight for equality for all men in 1860 has become as yellow as the donkeys in 2007 is depressing and disgusting. If I were a US voter, living in a district represented by one of the 17 people who had lost their nerve, their patriotism and their balls, I would be organizing a lynch mob. Lucky for them, I'm not. So in lieu of lynching (which just creates bad press anyway), people who live in these districts need to stand up and make their outrage heard. Write, call, scream outside their office if need be (expect to get carted to a mental ward if you try this, unless you are in a large group - then it's a protest).

So who is on the black list (or should that be yellow list)? Who ought to be ostracized for not backing those men currently serving thousands of miles away, facing death and destruction on all sides, including now - sadly - the home front?

Mike Castle - Delaware
Howard Coble - North Carolina 6th
Tom Davis - Virginia's 11th
John J. Duncan Jr. - Tennessee's 2nd
Phil English - Pennsylvania's 3rd
Wayne Gilchrist - Maryland's 1st
Bob Inglis - South Carolina's 4th
Tim Johnson - Illinois' 15th (I wonder what Abraham Lincoln would say)
Walter B. Jones - North Carolina's 3rd
Ric Keller - Florida's 8th
Mark Kirk - Illinois' 10th (I wonder what Abraham Lincoln would say)
Stephen LaTourette - Ohio's 14th
Ron Paul - Texas' 14th
Tom Petri - Wisconsin's 6th
Jim Ramstad - Minnesota's 3rd
Fred Upton - Michigan's 6th
Jim Walsh - New York's 25th

All men (if they can still be called that). Maybe they need to spend a little quality time with some Blue Star mothers from their districts. They can explain to those fine ladies why they feel that those women's sons are not worth supporting.

Further to this, there is a new website out called Victory Caucus. I have chosen to participate in this site as a contributer - as a non-American, it is the only way I can be involved. Not for me the phonecalls to congressmen, or the letter-writing campaigns. But please, those of you who are American voters, please visit Victory Caucus and learn how to get involved in the process of victory in Iraq, victory over terror, and victory in 2008.

Labels: Iraq, Military, War on Terror

I dare you to watch this clip about Bert Brady, and not feel a lump in your throat. I dare you to watch and and not ask yourself what you could be doing.

Labels: Love, Military, War on Terror

I normally wouldn't post this sort of thing, but it's been verified by Snopes.

One of our soldiers emailed a retailer in West Allis, Wisconsin, inquiring whether they could ship floor mats to an APO address. The NCO wanted to buy better gear for his troops to sleep on. You won't believe the company's response*. (Their email address is included below, if you'd like to let the company know what you think of their business.):

From: SGT Jason Hess
Sent: Tue Jan 16 3:25

Do you ship to APO address? I'm in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq and we are trying to order some mats but we are looking for who ships to APO first.

**********************************

From: contact@discount-mats.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 9:44 PM
Subject: Re: Feedback: from discount-mats.com

SGT Hess,
We do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.

Bargain Suppliers
Discount-Mats.com

The website is registered to Mr. Faisal Khetani. Contact for Mr. Khetani can be found here:

Faisal Khetani
PO Box 270693
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53227

Email: contact@discount-mats.com

Tel: 414-736-8394

Here is their mailing address:

Bargain Suppliers
3259 S.106th Street
West Allis, WI 53227

The company's website is currently down, probably from too many pissed off people accessing it.

Labels: Military, War on Terror