Military

…because he once thought (albeit briefly, I’m certain) about joining the military (h/t: Beltway Snark). Speaking on ABC’s “This Week”, Obama said,

“You know, I had to sign up for Selective Service when I graduated from high school. And I was growing up in Hawaii, and I have friends whose parents were in the military. There are a lot of Army, military bases there. And I actually always thought of the military as an enobling and, you know, honorable option. But keep in mind — I graduated in 1979. The Vietnam War had come to an end. We weren’t engaged in an active military conflict at that point. And so, it’s not an option that I ever decided to pursue.”

So, the Obamallauma didn’t join the military because the U.S. wasn’t “getting its war on”???

(gimmieabreak!)

The military had quite the little drug problem at that time in history, so you would’ve fit right in Senator!

UPDATE: As it turns out, the selective service requirement didn’t exist in 1979 when Obama graduated from HS. President Ford terminated the registration requirement in March 1975 and it wasn’t reinstated until President Carter did so in July 1980. Obama didn’t register for the selective service until Sep 4, 1980.

Negotiators for the U.S. and Iraq have finally come to an agreement on the disposition of American forces in Iraq. The new security deal will require U.S. forces to leave Iraq cities and towns by next summer as a prelude to a complete withdrawal by 2011. In the meantime, the U.S. troops will reside in bases outside the populated areas it vacated. President Bush is expected to accept the agreement, but it still needs to pass through several layers of Iraqi bureaucracy , so who knows?

Although, I don’t think Bush is really too happy with the concessions he’s had to make, I’m looking forward to a U.S. drawdown. However, I would have liked to see a SOFA agreement and the permanent stationing of U.S. forces in Iraq, a goal I think the President was shooting for, too. Still, Iraq is a a sovereign state and can (and should) manage its own affairs. If they want us to leave, we should. I’m interested to see what happens in the areas we vacate. As we exit and larger areas are left to Iraqi control, will we see the terrorists move back in? Will we see Iran attempt to achieve control by fueling a new insurgency?

If things get tough for Iraq after America leaves, who are they gonna call for help?

Not surprisingly, Russia continues to defy the international community by reneging on the ceasefire agreement and refusing to pull-out of Georgia. In fact, Russia is digging in, building ramparts around tanks and posing sentries on a hill in central Georgia about 30 miles from the capital of Tbilisi. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice observed,

“From my point of view … the Russians are perhaps already not honoring their word.”

Perhaps? Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, made it pretty clear what they intended to do when he reported that although Presiddent Mr. Medvedev had signed the cease-fire agreement and ordered its implementation, Russian troops wouldn’t withdraw until Moscow is satisfied its forces have taken the necessary effective security measures to protect the interests of the breakaway provinces.

So what are the Russians up to? It’s plain top see that Russia is simply diverting attention while it solidifies its hold on the breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Earlier today, Russian army units and separatist fighters in Abkhazia took control of 13 villages and the Inguri hydropower plant. So far, Abkhaz officials couldn’t be reached for comment. Furthermore, Lavrov said Russia would also strengthen its peacekeeping contingent in South Ossetia. (translation: Russia will absorb South Ossetia).

Still, from his ranch in Texas, President Bush said,

“A major issue is Russia’s contention that the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia may not be a part of Georgia’s future. These regions are a part of Georgia and the international community has repeatedly made clear that they will remain so.”

I think the Russians have a different idea, Mr. President. They’ve made it very clear by their words and actions that Georgia can forget about South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

And with each day that passes, Russia tightens its grip. Are you watching America? E.U.? Georgia’s next!

MORE: Hot Air; Flopping Aces; Little Green Footballs; Neoconservative? Moi?; Political Pistachio; Right Wing Nut House

An South Ossetia gunman robbed two U.N. officials at gunpoint, taking their SUVs, while Russian soldiers watched. This is what the situation has deteriorated to, as the Russians refuse to withdraw from the Georgian city of Gori. On top of that, Russia is obviously allowing Ossetia irregulars to operate freely within the Georgian borders despite stating they would execute anyone found marauding.

(I guess government sanctioned marauding is okay)

After clobbering Georgia for five days the Russians declared a provisional cease-fire. Agreeing to a deal brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the Russian’s confirm Georgia’s sovereignty, but not its territorial integrity. (Which means that Russia may decide at some future date to amend the sovereign country’s borders.) Georgia also agreed to the deal with a change regarding status talks for the territories.

The clear winner here are the Russians who gave the U.S. a black eye as we more-or-less just stood by and watched these events unfold. I remember a year ago as the Russians began getting chummy with Venezuela’s Chavez, pondering a new cold war; it looks like we have it.

And if all this wasn’t bad enough, we have this ridiculous statement by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (h/t: Hot Air):

It was a bad crisis for the world. It required tough words but also a smart approach to call on the international community to step in. And I’m very, very happy that the Senator’s [Obama's] request for a ceasefire has been complied with by President Medvedev. (emphasis mine)

This is one of those “Howard Dean scream” moments. Incidentally, at the time Kaine made this statement, the Russians were still firing on Georgia. So much for your VP chances, Mr. Governor.

Idiot!

Russia is now an invasion force, occupying the town of Gori, about 60 kilometers from Tbilisi, the capitol of Georgia. In the western part of the country, Russia crossed the border out of Abkhazia and into the Georgian town of Zugdidi. Russian troops have also taken Senaki, Georgia’s most modern military base. Although he Zugdidi and Gori occupations couldn’t be confirmed independently, it appears that Russia has effectively cut the country in half. President Bush pressed Moscow to accept an immediate cease-fire and pull back its troops and conceded that this appears to be an attempt to unseat Georgia’s president, Mikhail Saakashvili.

Appealing for help from the West, Saakasvilli said, “We are in the process of the invasion, occupation and annihilation of an independent, democratic country” and that Russia’s ultimate goal is regime change. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin confirmed a desire for regime change in a statement, earlier today:

“To quote Ronald Reagan: Somoza [Nicaragua's former U.S.-backed president, Anastasio Somoza] is a scoundrel, but he’s our scoundrel, and we’ll protect him” … “The world has changed since the Cold War” and the U.S. won’t be able to protect its new “scoundrel”, Saakasvilli.

Well, you can’t get any plainer than that! Is the West going to sit idle while Russia erases a democracy?

MORE: Hot Air; Right Wing Nuthouse; RedState; Flopping Aces

Despite pulling out of South Ossetia to avoid an all-out war with Russia, the Georgians are finding themselves facing a second Russian-backed assault in another separatist territory. Early Sunday morning, Abkhazia, located in Northern Georgia on the Black Sea, launched an attack on Georgian troops with the aid of Russian heavy bombers and 4,000 Russian troops. It also appears that Russian warships off the Georgian coast are attempting to enforce an economic embargo and have already turned two supply ships away.

It appears that Russia is acting as an opportunistic agent in this crisis and attempting to achieve a quick, decisive victory over Georgia’s democratic ambitions by absorbing South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Their maintenance of “peacekeepers” in the region for the past decade has provided a convenient excuse for this intervention. The timing of the attack to coincide with the Olympic Games in Beijing has given them sufficient cover from international scrutiny for the first couple of days. If they can bring this crisis to a quick end, they may just keep the initiative.

Incidentally, in the early 1990s, Abkhazia backed by Russian volunteers fought a brutal war for independence after an equally brutal Georgian crackdown which drove out 250,000 ethnic Georgians (approximately half the population).

Quid pro quo?

MORE: Little Green Footballs; Power Line; Right Wing Nuthouse

UPDATE: Russia says it’s ready to end hostilities as Georgia states its readiness to withdrawal troops from South Ossetia. While the U.N. Security Council met a fourth time (whooptidoo!), Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin stated that Moscow is “ready to put an end to the war”. However, Russia doesn’t appear to be willing to agree to an immediate refuses to observe a cease fire.

The Georgian parliament has declared war against Russia for the next 15 days as the civilian death toll in the breakaway republic of South Ossetia surpasses 2,000. For the third time in two days the U.N. Security Council has met to discuss the situation, but (typically) have not been able to agree on a solution; however, several nations including the U.S. and U.K. have called for a cease fire. President Bush spoke to Russian President Madvedev and warned that their bombing campaign marked “a dangerous escalation” of the crisis and called for an immediate halt to hostilities. Medvedev said only a complete withdrawal of Georgian troops from South Ossetia would ease tensions, and further stipulates that Georgia sign an agreement never to use force in its separatist territories again.

So, what’s the deal?

South Ossetia is a mountainous province located in northern Georgia that shares its northern border with the Russian republic of North Ossetia.

South Ossetia enjoyed broad autonomy within Soviet Georgia and first claimed independence in 1989. It has run its own affairs without international recognition since breaking away from the Tbilisi-based Georgian government during a bloody 1991-1992 conflict that killed more than 1,000 people and displaced tens of thousands.

Authorities held a referendum in 1992 proclaiming the province’s independence, but it went unnoticed by the international community, leaving the region in limbo. South Ossetians voted overwhelmingly for independence in a second referendum in November 2006.

Russia has peacekeepers in South Ossetia, but Tbilisi accuses them of siding with the separatists. Since coming to power in 2004, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has vowed to bring South Ossetia and another breakaway region, Abkhazia, back under Georgian control.

Russia formally recognizes South Ossetia and Abkhazia as parts of Georgia, but it sides with their separatist leaders in disputes with the Georgian government and has granted many of their residents Russian citizenship. (h/t: AP)

So, what’s at stake?

Georgia is a staunch U.S. ally and emerging democracy. They’ve sent troops to Iraq to fight the insurgents. They also aspire to join NATO and the EU. Of course, Moscow opposes both of these goals. Its pro-Western stance has angered Russia as Moscow considers the entire region within its own sphere of influence.

I believe it’s important to support Georgia. They’re an important ally and the steps we take right now will demonstrate our level of commitment. Still, we recently supported Kosovo’s independence despite Russian objections; are we really in a position to challenge South Ossetia’s claim to independence although they’re likely to follow Moscow?

MORE: Hot Air; Neoconservative? Moi?; Political Pistachio

An interesting group decision support system is currently evolving to help fight the global war on terror (GWOT). A National Virtual Translation Center connects linguists embedded with troops on the front line with networked translation assistance technologies. Currently this is accomplished with thousands of linguists pouring over the actual documents and audio clips brought from the front in an effort to extrapolate useful information. The new technology will digitize, parse and digest raw intelligence material, to facilitate the analyzing of material, instead of simply translating it.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Obama European Tour says it had originally planned to visit wounded American servicemen and women at the U.S. Army hospital at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, but scrubbed it for political reasons. The European leg of Senator Obama’s overseas trip, not considered a Congressional Delegation (as was his trip to the Middle East) is funded solely by his campaign and he felt that visiting American wounded would appear to be viewed as political opportunism.

Obama advisors explained,

“We learned from the Pentagon [Wednesday] night that the visit would be viewed … as a campaign event. Senator Obama did not want to have a trip to see our wounded warriors perceived as a campaign event…” [therefore,] “The senator decided out of respect for these servicemen and women that it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign”

The McCain camp staunchly disagreed and criticized Obama’s decision:

“Barack Obama is wrong,” … “It is never ‘inappropriate’ to visit our men and women in the military.”

For Barack Obama, it’s inappropriate to do something that he can’t get any political mileage out of. He was afraid of the appearance of politicizing the troop visit and didn’t want the headache. Of course, he could have paid a visit to Landstuhl without cameras and reporters in tow. He could have respected the servicemen and women with a private visit to thank them for their service and sacrifice. But, no, that would be inappropriate.

So, instead of visiting American wounded, Obama remained in Berlin.

(and slept in, no doubt).

MORE: The American Pundit; RedState; Wake up America; Hot Air: here and here

UPDATE: McCain blasts Obama on canceling troop visit!

The Russian government-propped Izvestia newspaper reported that crews from Russian strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons have surveyed sites in Cuba for possible refueling stopovers. If the Russians made such a move it would once again bring Soviet nuclear weapons within 90-miles of the U.S. Gen. Norton Schwartz, the presumptive Air Force chief of staff, warned that regardless of an actual payload, the presence of nuclear-capable planes in Cuba would be “something that crosses a threshold, crosses a red line for the United States of America.”

Of course, the Soviet government denies the Izvestia report, calling it “disinformation” and a “media hoax”. However, considering the newspaper’s government affiliation, what are the chances it could get away with printing such a volatile story? A more likely explanation is that Russia is sending a subtle warning to the U.S. against the missile defense shield we’re building in the Czech Republic and Poland.

With insurgent violence increasing in Afghanistan, the Bush administration’s top military official made a surprise visit to Pakistan. Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pressed Pakistani leaders to crack down on the Islamic militants moving freely about the country’s tribal areas. These militants are crossing unimpeded into Afghanistan to carry out terrorist attacks and destabilizing both countries. Mullen said,

“That border is more porous than it was a year ago.” [and] “It’s very important that action be taken to respond to that.”

Admiral Mullen and other senior U.S. military officials are placing the blame for these attacks squarely on the shoulders of the Pakistani government.

(and rightfully so!)

Of course Pakistani officials rebuffed these assertions. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi claims that,

“We are pursuing a policy of political engagement, but that does not mean that we will capitulate in front of terrorists.” [and that it was an] “exaggeration to just pass the buck to Pakistan.”

Mr. Foreign Minister, a “policy of political engagement” is just another way of saying you’re trying to solve this problem through diplomacy. Considering your efforts have resulted in increasing terrorist activity, the militants aren’t listening. Obviously, the terrorists aren’t concerned about the consequences of continued activity because your words don’t carry any bite. I’m afraid that your “policy of political engagement” has failed and is tantamount to capitulation in front of these terrorists.

(are you listening Obama?)

As Obama spins a new tale of troop support and safe withdrawal (or not) from Iraq, the senator’s own words are coming back to haunt him (h/t: Hot Air)

MORE: Redstate

Iraq’s National Security Advisor, Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, says that any security deal with the U.S. must contain a specific timetable for troop withdrawal.

Fine.

I don’t have a problem with leaving Iraq after the job is done. But to post a departure schedule is beyond ridiculous. The Iraqi’s position calls for all U.S. led forces to leave once Iraqi forces have resumed security responsibility for all 18 of the country’s provinces. So far, Iraq has assumed primary responsibility for security in 9 of the 18 provinces.

So, essentially Iraq is asking us to say,

“Hey, al-Qaida! We’ll be out of Iraq just as soon as we turn over this last province. Just lay low for a while and things will soon be back to normal. In fact, if you’re quiet, we’ll probably finish the job faster!”

You know, Japan has the second largest GDP, China is #4 and South Korea is #12. A large portion of the world’s economic exchange takes place within this relatively small portion of the world. And in the middle of it all is North Korea, a failed economy. North Korea, whose stated objective is the reunification of the Korean peninsula. Imagine what this would do to the region and the world’s economy. What’s preventing North Korea from moving on its southern neighbor? The U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force, who have maintained stability in the region for almost 60 years.

Perhaps that’s just what the Iraqi and other Middle Eastern governments are afraid of.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court voted to give detainees at Guantanamo Bay the right to challenge their detention in U.S. courts. According to the courts decision, the detainees could not be denied the constitutional right of habeas corpus. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion, stating,

“The costs of delay can no longer be borne by those who are held in custody. The detainees in these cases are entitled to a prompt habeas corpus hearing.”

The court’s dissenting opinion was provided by Justice Antonin Scalia who wrote that

“America is at war with radical Islamists” and that “the nation will live to regret what the court has done today”.

Although both John McCain and Barack Obama have vowed to close Gitmo, McCain indicated that he was not happy about the court’s decision. Agreeing with the dissenting judges, McCain considers the detainees to be unlawful combatants and not American citizens.

He’s right.

We’re engaged in a war that is unprecedented in the history of our nation. We’re not fighting a tangible enemy, but rather an idea: terrorism. I wrote about this on the day Saddam Hussein was hanged. This is the result of a prolonged war with limited objectives. Clausewitz said,

“Never engage the same enemy for too long, or he will adapt to your tactics.”

We see that here. We’ve given the enemy the opportunity to use our own legal system against us. They’ve seen that this is one area that we’re vulnerable and are slowly taking the high ground. Soon we will lose this war, unless we can orchestrate a decisive victory. Our problem lies in just exactly what is our definition of “victory”

MORE: Hot Air

Following up on a previous post, I have some insight into Secretary Wynne and General Moseley’s resignations. First, here are the press releases from Public Affairs:

PRESS RELEASE — Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Public Affairs

Release No. 010608
June 5,2008

Secretary of the Air Force Resigns

Washington, DC -
Since November 3, 2005, it has been my privilege to serve this country as the 21st Secretary of the Air Force. I have relished the opportunity President Bush gave me to lead the strongest Air Force in the world during a time of war, and I have marveled at the tremendous accomplishments of our Airmen and civilians in their valiant defense of this country and its interests. It has been an honor and pleasure to serve as their Secretary while working side-by-side with General Moseley and the magnificent patriots serving in the Department of Defense and the United States Government to win today’s fight, take care of our people, and prepare for tomorrow’s challenges.

Recent events convince me that it is now time for a new leader to take the stick and for me to move on. Therefore I plan to tender my resignation to Secretary Gates. Even as I do, my heart, my thoughts, and prayers remain with America’s Airmen who will continue to do magnificent things for this great country.

Michael W. Wynne
Secretary of the Air Force

——————————-

PRESS RELEASE — Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Public Affairs

Release No. 020608
June 5,2008

Chief of Staff United States Air Force Resigns

Washington, DC - Recent events have highlighted a loss of focus on certain critical matters within the Air Force. As the Air Force’s senior uniformed leader, I take full responsibility for events which have hurt the Air Force’s reputation or raised a question of every Airman’s commitment to our core values. For the past 36 years I have been privileged to serve my country as an Airman in the United States Air Force in peacetime and combat. I was honored and humbled to be appointed the Air Force’s 18th Chief of Staff and have been proud to serve our Airmen and their families. Upon taking office, I worked hard with Secretary Wynne to ensure the Air Force provided the right forces at the right time to help our Nation and allies win the Global War on Terror.

I think the honorable thing to do is to step aside. After consulting with my family, I intend to submit my request for retirement to Secretary Gates. The Air Force is bigger than one Airman, and I have full confidence that the Air Force will continue working with the Joint team to win today’s fight, take care of its Airmen, and meet tomorrow’s challenges. I love the Air Force and remain proud of America’s Airmen.

T. Michael Moseley
Chief of Staff
United States Air Force

Now, I’ve always believed that a leader will share success and own failure; it appears that Wynne and Moseley are doing just that. What troubles me is the message subordinate Air Force leaders are passing down to the commands. The message (from at least the level of the numbered Air Force) is that Secretary Wynne and General Moseley “took one for the team” and paid the price because a “few Airmen let us down.”

WOW!

I couldn’t believe my ears! The Air Force as an organization failed in one of its primary missions: nuclear surety! One failure resulted in armed nuclear weapons being flown across the United States and no one was the wiser. I’m not sure people really understand the magnitude of this incident. The United States lost positive control of several nuclear weapons for an extended period of time. This incident was termed a “Bent Spear” which is a mechanism used to notify the public of significant nuclear weapons incidents other than nuclear weapons accidents or war risk detonations, actual or possible. This wasn’t the first time, either!

Another incident involved the Air Force inadvertently sending secret ballistic missile components to Taiwan. Instead of sending the batteries for helicopters ordered by the Taiwanese, we sent four fuses designed to trigger the Minuteman III ICBM. Nice!

As if that weren’t enough, the $50 million Thunderbird contract that was awarded to Air Force insiders over other competitive bidders was actually just one of many corrupt contracts awarded. The reason?

“The … violations occurred because contracting officials perceived that senior Air Force military officers and associated contractors had used the powers of their positions to impose their preference on the contracting officers to award the contracts to specific companies”

These issues demonstrate a systemic problem within the Air Force. Perhaps the result of the pace and stresses associated with the Global War on Terror, or perhaps it’s just simple complacency. But the fact remains that these failures aren’t the result of a “few Airmen” letting us down. The indicators were there for the senior leaders to see and piece together, and just as the Secretary of Defense said, these leaders failed to act. This is why Wynne and Moseley were asked for their resignations. It’s called accountability and I’m afraid the Air Force’s subordinate commanders just don’t get it!

For the first time in history, both the civilian and military leadership of a military service have been fired. Yesterday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates requested the resignations of the Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Wynne, and the Air Force Chief of Staff, T. Michael Mosley, for failing to secure the country’s nuclear arsenal. Gates decided to can the leaders after a recent disclosure that the Air Force mistakenly sent nuclear warhead fuses to Taiwan. An investigation into the incident revealed a “pattern of poor performance” and “an overall decline in nuclear stewardship.” The investigation also showed a “gradual erosion” of nuclear standards, technical expertise and oversight over the past decade.

WaPo reports that

“The departures of Wynne and Moseley cap a disastrous period for the Air Force, one that has included a bomber wing inadvertently flying nuclear warheads over the continental United States, the mistaken and long-unnoticed transfer of secret nuclear-related materials to Taiwan, and a corrupt $50 million contract for a Thunderbirds air show that went to a company owned by a retired four-star general and a civilian friend of senior Air Force leaders.”

Additionally, Gates says that Wynn and Mosley “failed to recognize systemic problems” and that the heads of a “substantial number” of Air Force generals and colonels were also on the chopping block!

In an unsurprising move, President Bush decided to suspend troop withdrawals from Iraq this summer. Based on the assessment presented to Congress by Gen Petraeus that the current progress was “fragile and reversible.” Therefore, between now and the end of July, we’ll draw-down from 20 to 15 brigades before taking a 45-day pause to reassess the situation before making anymore changes. This will likely mean the next president will assume office with over 100,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Additionally, President Bush will announce a reduction in Army combat tours from 15 to 12 months, with 12 months between deployments. This new tour length will be applied to units deployed to the region in August. Hopefully, this will reduce the number of “in lieu of” taskings the other services perform in order to ease the deployment burden of their Army counterparts.

So, what about financing the war? Last year, the President asked Congress for $108 billion, to which Congress added $17 billion in domestic spending. Of course, this earned a veto from the President. This year, Congress is eyeing the war-funding bill as a catalyst to stimulate the economy, meaning more ear-marks.

{ sigh }

Supposedly, Congress is concerned with the cost of the war, but rather than trying to control those costs, they’re adding to it. Prudent? Evidently, they didn’t learn anything last year.

The U.S. has now spent over $500 billion on the war in Iraq, a total that could amount to trillions of dollars after factoring in the costs of veteran healthcare and the refurbishment of the military’s depleted equipment and materials.

What does this mean, really?

Current defense spending is roughly 4% of our GDP, compared to 9% in 1968, during the Viet Nam War. Though substantial, it’s hardly budget-busting.

Still, it’s time for the Iraqi government to pony-up! Iraq is pumping about 2.4 million barrels of crude oil a day, the highest output since the 2003 invasion. Ambassador Crocker said that “the era of U.S.-funded major infrastructure projects is over” and Iraq will be spending its own money to pay for rebuilding.

Well, that’s a start…I think the Iraqis also need to re-pay the U.S. for the tremendous cost of their liberation. After all, we’ve essentially financed this war with debt and those bills are coming due.

Finally, the United States will seek justice for the 9/11 attacks! The Pentagon has charged six Guantanamo detainees with murder and war crimes in connection with the 9/11 terror attacks. Among the six is Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the attacks.

The military is recommending the six be tried together before a military tribunal recommend that the six men be tried together before a military tribunal. This would afford the detainees with the same rights given U.S. service members tries under the military justice system. However, there’s concern that the case may be clouded due to recent revelations that Mr. Mohammed was waterboarded. Of course, this will be something the military judge will have to consider. It will be up to him to determine what evidence is allowed.

Previously, the Bush administration shied away from public trials of suspected terrorists; instead, interrogating them in secret in the hope of staving-off future attacks. However, only resulted in fear and distrust of the U.S., both domestically and abroad. And if that wasn’t enough, the trial procedures first issued by the Bush administration significantly deviated from current military law, such as excluding the defendant from his own trial, allowing the introduction of any “probative” evidence, including statements made under torture, and forbidding the defendant to appeal to an independent court. Naturally, this didn’t bode well for the President and the Supreme Court shut him down.

Now, the tribunal will unfold in a specially designed courtroom at Guantanamo, within a tent city called “Camp Justice”. The camp will house the prosecution, defense lawyers, journalists and others. Survivors and relatives of 9/11 victims will be invited to watch the trial through closed-circuit broadcasts in the U.S. However, according to officials, wider public access is unlikely.

This is no time for secrets! Censor the testimony if you must, but air the trial on CSPAN!

(h/t Spree at Wake up America) Army Major Andrew Olmsted was killed in Iraq on January 3rd and leaves to a friend the task of putting up his FINAL POST

I didn’t know Major Olmsted before I read Spree’s blog post this morning, and feel that I have missed a great opportunity. I wish I had found his blog sooner. In reading through it, Major Olmsted appeared to be a very practical, centered and honorable human being with a wonderful sense of humor. It appears he quit posting to his personal blog in February 2007 because

“…it turns out that I have been blogging in violation of a Department of Defense directive that restricts how much political activity soldiers may be involved with.”

Still, Olmsted kept blogging, publishing his experiences in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain News.

Major Olmsted’s final post is very emotional, extremely honest and funny!

What I don’t want this to be is a chance for me, or anyone else, to be maudlin. I’m dead. That sucks, at least for me and my family and friends. But all the tears in the world aren’t going to bring me back, so I would prefer that people remember the good things about me rather than mourning my loss. (If it turns out a specific number of tears will, in fact, bring me back to life, then by all means, break out the onions.)”

and being a military man myself, I respect and admire his singular sense of duty:

“As a soldier, I have a duty to obey the orders of the President of the United States as long as they are Constitutional. I can no more opt out of missions I disagree with than I can ignore laws I think are improper. I do not consider it a violation of my individual rights to have gone to Iraq on orders because I raised my right hand and volunteered to join the army. Whether or not this mission was a good one, my participation in it was an affirmation of something I consider quite necessary to society. So if nothing else, I gave my life for a pretty important principle; I can (if you’ll pardon the pun) live with that.”

To Major Olmsted’s wife, Amanda, and his family: You’re in my thoughts and prayers. God bless you.

A merger of projects between the Department of Defense and Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory gives the Military Health Service (MHS) the ability to track and isolate disease outbreaks and other biological events worldwide. According to Sean Gallagher, writing for Government Computer News, “If you go to sick call on a military post anywhere in the world,” you’re going to be a “datapoint in the Electronic Surveillance System for Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics” or “ESSENCE,” as it’s more commonly called. ESSENCE is a web-based biosurveillance application used to provide medical awareness to the military medical community.

The ESSENCE system links medical data with geographic information systems, providing a mechanism for the MHS to track the spread of symptoms worldwide to within a zip code or specific military unit. The advantage of this system is the early warning it provides of potential biological outbreaks or attacks. This allows the MHS, and other organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control, to mount timely defense actions to protect the population. Col Kenneth Cox, the Air Force Medical Service director of Force Health Readiness, explains,

“Systems like this identify cases that are consistent with flu-like illness early on, and then–once outbreaks have started at any point around the world, since this system encompass[es] all of our units around the globe–then we can move to protect those people and move vaccines and antiviral drugs around, since they’re in limited supply [and prepositioned] in regional depots.”

The only real issue with the system is security; ESSENCE isn’t impenetrable to cyber-attack.

Originally, the ESSENCE application was served on a web-based platform and provided purely statistical information. The information was anonymous and only aggregated data was available to users. The current version of ESSENCE has been integrated into the MHS architecture and has the ability to isolate events to a specific service member’s medical record. This added new requirements to the application’s deployment, including compliance with federal laws pertaining to patient privacy and the release of medical information. Although more useful, the added capabilities have made the system more attractive to hackers; an acceptable tradeoff considering the knowledge gleaned through this emerging technology.

There’s an emerging technology trend in the U.S. Air Force. On November 2, 2006, Secretary of the Air Force, Michael W. Wynne announced the establishment of a new command devoted to “preserving the freedom of access and commerce, in … cyberspace.” The creation of the Air Force Cyber Command is an indication of the evolving warfare landscape.

Secretary Wynn makes a point of saying that he considers cyberspace to be an actual “battle domain”, on par with land, sea, air and space. As such, cyberspace becomes a location, a battlefield. Previously, cyberspace was simply considered a component of the function of telecommunication. The significance of this revelation is the recognition of the importance of cyberspace to our national security, and our country’s commitment to its defense.

The importance of this event to emerging technologies is the tremendous opportunity for innovation. The area of military research has given the world the technologies of nuclear weapons, stealth, electronic countermeasures and recently, to the benefit of many outside the military, geosynchronous positioning. Our enemies already use information technology to their advantage, and are essentially unopposed in any organized fashion. The Secretary illustrates this point with several examples, such as,

“Right now a Finance Technician is moving U.S. dollars via a laptop to support terrorist ops, while sipping coffee in an Internet café. His use of cyberspace is practically uncontested.”

It’s evident the cyberspace domain provides an excellent operational platform for criminals, terrorists and all manner of evil determined to harm Americans and America. In the next few years, expect the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense to develop offensive and defensive cyber-weapon technology to combat these rogue forces and protect the homeland. However, we may not be reading about their breakthroughs for some time to come.

Campaigning in Iowa yesterday, Senator Barack Obama called for new restrictions on National Guard and Reserve deployments. By requiring “a period of rest and standard of readiness” before a troop redeploys, Mr. Obama says…

“I will not be a president who extends tours for our Guard units overseas while Americans are stranded on rooftops right here at home.”

(apples and oranges, Mr. Obama)

Obama also called for the head of the National Guard to be elevated to four-star rank and given a seat among the Joint Chiefs of Staff to reflect the heavy reliance on Guard soldiers and reservists during the Iraq war.

This kind of thinking demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding of the organization of our military.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) are advisors to the President, Secretary of Defense (who comprise the National Command Authority) and the National Security Council (the VP and Secretary of State). They also provide strategic direction to the Armed Forces. The Chiefs’ are responsible for developing joint doctrine, assigning logistic responsibilities to the different services, formulating joint training policy and coordinating military education.

The JCS are comprised of the Chairman, Vice Chairman and the Chief’s of Staff of the USA, USAF, USN and Commandant of the USMC. They are essentially the military heads of their respective services, but are advisors only, and not in the actual chain of command. Also, one should note that the National Guard is not a separate service and the Guardsman is already represented by the Chief of Staff (as is the Reservist).

Now, the National Guard and the Reserve Component of the U.S. Armed Forces are two different entities, why would you only elevate the Chief of the National Guard Bureau? After all, the Guard and Reserve have different missions. The Guard actually has two, a federal mission and a state mission. When mobilized, and under federal control, the Guardsman supports the active duty mission under the direction of the President; when not mobilized, the Guardsman reports to the governor of his or her respective state or territory, and is responsible for the protection of life and property, and preserves peace, order and public safety within their state. The Reserve, on the other hand, directly supports the mission of a specific service. The reservist falls within the chain of command of its service, ultimately responsible to the Chief of Staff.

The Chief of the National Guard Bureau is a 3-star and is stationed at the Pentagon. Like the JCS, he is appointed by the President, but serves as the principal adviser to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Army, and the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force on all National Guard issues. He also serves as Army’s and Air Force’s official channel of communication with the Governors and Adjutants General of the various states and territories.

This is the problem with politicians who haven’t served. Their ignorance of the military, its structure, and its mission, history and culture is evident in remarks such as those made by Obama. If you want to reduce the length of deployments for our troops, then fight to win this war in Iraq and stop playing political games with our lives.

The United States Air Force turns 60 today! President Harry S. Truman signed into law the National Security Act of 1947 on July 26, 1947; it established the Department of the Air Force. The Act took effect on September 18, 1947, when the Honorable W. Stuart Symington became the first Secretary of the Air Force.

Although today marks the Air Force’s 60th birthday, its roots actually go back a full 100 years. Our Air Force was actually born in 1907 as the Aeronautical Division of the US Army Signal Corps. The original Air Force consisted of eight balloons and a small dirigible. In 1908, the Army began testing a plane built by the Wright Brothers. Later that year, Thomas Selfridge, the Army’s first pilot, was killed in a plane crash, prompting a redesign of the “Wright Flyer”. In 1909, the Army accepted the redesigned plane, dubbed “Airplane No. 1″.

(h/t: memeorandum) In preparation for Gen Petraeus progress report (among others) next month, the Pentagon has established a 24/7 communications desk to disseminate information about U.S. efforts in Iraq.

Of course, some (Democrats and the MSM?) suggested the Pentagon was using the communications desk as a message machine or propaganda tool, but dismissed the accusations by explaining its purpose of timely and efficient gathering and distributing information from eight time-zones away. According to Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell,

“I would not characterize it as a war room,” … “It’s far less sinister than that. It’s more like a library…create[d] [as] a central clearinghouse of information so we can pull in all that is coming out of Baghdad and Iraq and have it come into one point, so we can better be able to share it with people who are interested.”

So, why not a “war-room”? Why shouldn’t the military have the opportunity to correct the record when biased news agencies put out inaccurate information about the U.S. in the Middle East? Who better than those making the story to tell the story?

I think an information war-room is an appropriate description and this info hub should be considered as such. The Pentagon’s info hub is a good idea and too long in coming if you ask me. Frankly, I’m looking forward to more positive information from the area–info that I don’t have to search for!

And while I’m at it–I don’t have a problem with the term “propaganda” either. According to the U.S. History Encyclopedia, propaganda is “the deliberate use of information, images, and ideas to affect public opinion.” Propaganda was disseminated during WWII to boost the morale of U.S. citizens and garner support for the cause (remember “Rosie the Riveter”?). Was there something wrong with this? Propaganda is not necessarily a bad thing, unless it propagates outright lies (hello, MSM).

Author and journalist, Elizabeth Drew, said,

“Propaganda has a bad name, but its root meaning is simply to disseminate through a medium, and all writing therefore is propaganda for something. It’s a seeding of the self in the consciousness of others.”

More: check out Wake Up America!–Spree always has a lot to say about the MSM and their information machine…

Russia returned to its former Col War posturing with the deployment of 14 bomber aircraft on patrols outside Russian airspace earlier today, marking the permanent return to a Soviet-era practice.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said,

“…strategic missile carriers, support planes, and tanker aircraft took off from seven Russian airfields in various parts of the country at 00:00, Moscow time, [2000 GMT Thursday] on August 17. Combat duty has begun.”

Putin indicated the resumption of flights was a response to security threats posed by other military powers, and this new (old) posturing is permanent. Explaining Russia’s resumption of strategic flights, Putin told reporters at joint military exercises with China and four Central Asian states in Russia’s Ural mountains:

“In 1992, Russia unilaterally ended flights by its strategic aircraft to distant military patrol areas. Unfortunately, our example was not followed by everyone.”

“Flights by other countries’ strategic aircraft continue and this creates certain problems for ensuring the security of the Russian Federation.”

Putin’s revival of this policy gave a new generation of U.S. fighter pilots an opportunity to experience a former Cold War ritual, when a Russian bomber flew over a U.S. military base on the Pacific island of Guam. The Russian pilots “exchanged smiles” with U.S. pilots who had scrambled to track it, said Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov, head of long-range aviation in the Russian air force. “Yesterday we revived this tradition, and two of our young crews paid a visit to the area of the [U.S. Pacific Naval Activities] base of Guam,” he said.

This is certainly an interesting turn of events, though not surprising. Watch closely.

The President’s Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors yesterday recommended major changes to the care and treatment of service members wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The commission is calling for “fundamental change” to the poor treatment and numbing bureaucracy our vets must endure on the road to recovery.

During the last few months the commissioners comprised of “health care, disability, and housing experts, injured service members, and family” members “have have visited 23 Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and private-sector treatment facilities.” They’ve also interviewed injured service members and their families, health care professionals and managers of military and veterans’ programs. Additionally, “[m]ore than 1,700 injured service members responded to a national survey” … and they “received more than 1,250 letters and emails from service members, veterans, family members, and health care personnel.”

The commission emphasized the “overall high quality of our military’s battlefield medicine and the care delivered in our nation’s military medical facilities.” However, in providing comprehensive health care for our vets said the U.S. must move beyond “patching the system” and apply “a sense of urgency and strong leadership” to create a system focused on the needs of individual patients: “The tendency to make systems too complex and rule-bound must be countered by a new perspective, grounded in an understanding of the importance of patient-centeredness.”

The commission recognized that

“Despite accomplishments in clinical care, problems do occur—particularly in handoffs between inpatient and outpatient care and between the two separate DoD and VA health care and disability systems.”

and to resolve these problems, the commission focused on better ways to

• Serve the multiple needs of injured service members and their families
• Support them in their recovery and return to military duty or to their communities and
• Simplify the delivery of medical care and disability programs.

To achieve these improvements, the commission’s report makes 35 recommendations that can be accomplished in 6 steps:

1. Immediately Create Comprehensive Recovery Plans to Provide the Right Care and Support at the Right Time in the Right Place. Specific goals: ensure an efficient, effective and smooth rehabilitation and transition back to military duty or civilian life; establish a single point of contact for patients and families; and eliminate delays and gaps in treatment and services.
2. Completely Restructure the Disability and Compensation Systems. Specific goals: Update and simplify the disability determination and compensation system; eliminate parallel activities; reduce inequities; and provide a solid base for the return of injured veterans to productive lives.
3. Aggressively Prevent and Treat Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. Specific goals: Improve care of two common conditions of the current conflicts and reduce the stigma of post traumatic stress disorder; mentally and physically fit service members will strengthen our military into the future.
4. Significantly Strengthen Support for Families. Specific goals: Strengthen family support systems and improve the quality of life for families.
5. Rapidly Transfer Patient Information Between DoD and VA. Specific goals: Support a patient-centered system of care and efficient practices.
6. Strongly Support Walter Reed By Recruiting and Retaining First-Rate Professionals Through 2011. Specific goals: Assure that this major military medical center has professional and administrative staff necessary for state-of-the art medical care and scientific research through 2011.

Implementating the commission’s recommendations will take the combined efforts of the President, Congress, the DoD, the VA and other organizations such as the Public Health Service. However, according to Donna Shalala, a former secretary of health and human services and a co-chairman of the commission, says the President can implement 29 of the 35 recommendations without any legislation whatsoever.

Coalition Forces killed one terrorist and detained six suspected terrorists before dawn today in and near Sadr City. They believe the suspected terrorists were affiliated with secret cells or “Special Groups,” as the MNF-I (Multi-National Force - Iraq) refers to them.

These “Special Groups” are militia extremists, funded, trained and armed by outsiders like the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Forces!

Coalition Forces conducted two raids to capture or kill terrorists suspected of providing logistical support to insurgents. During the first raid, Coalition Forces were fired upon; they returned fire, killing one terrorist. No Coalition Forces personnel were hurt. During the raid, Coalition Forces confiscated automatic weapons, communications equipment and personal body armor. During the second raid, Coalition Forces nabbed a suspected terrorist without even firing a shot!

Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesman, said, “Coalition troops will continue to target terrorists who have a penchant for killing Coalition Forces, Iraqi Security Forces and innocent Iraqis.” … “Coalition Forces will target secret cells wherever they are.”

Certainly this is good new for the U.S. For more good news in Iraq, and stuff you won’t find reported by the MSM, check this out from Wake up America!

The Iraqi soldiers working alongside U.S. servicemen in Operation Arrowhead Ripper are demonstrating more professionalism than their predecessors. Dressed in full body armor, most carried assault rifles and some were armed with rocket-propelled grenades. Capt Matthew Ryan James, commander of the Army’s Alpha Co., 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment observed how the Iraqi soldiers “…weren’t a ragtag bunch.”

Capt James was impressed with their ability to pick up on details and lead his men to weapons caches. Also of note was that instead of relying on the Americans, the Iraqi soldiers took responsibility for supplying their own troops with food and water. Still, the Iraqi soldiers are hesitant to act on their own, especially when asked to enter a building. They like to have the American’s with them, observed Sgt Corey Oliver of Alpha Company’s 3rd Platoon.

This suggests the U.S. training is paying off; however, many of the residents of the formerly al-Qa’eda-held areas are leery of the Iraqi security forces. They’re concerned that with al-Qa’eda gone, the militiamen might overrun the villages. Shiite Muslim militiamen had filled the ranks of the police and army in Diyala, as they have in Baghdad, and used the forces as cover to kill Sunnis. No doubt the fear of Shiite militiamen was exacerbated by al-Qa’eda as it dug into the neighborhoods. Regardless of the reason, the Iraqi soldiers must earn the trust of the locals. Otherwise the U.S. plan to asset government control over the lawless city of Baqubah (and Diyala province) will be in vain.

Why is this so important? Al-Qa’eda had previously overrun the city and declared it the capital of their shadow government, the Islamic State of Iraq. For many of the residents of this province, al-Qa’eda was preferred over the Iraqi security forces.

How’s that for messed-up?

The U.S. launched a large offensive against al-Qa’eda yesterday in an area north-east of Baghdad. The assault consisted of of 10,000 American soldiers air dropped into fighting zones by helicopter (a tactic rarely used since the Viet Nam War).

The soldiers attacked hideouts across Diyala province and inside its capital, Baquba. This offensive, dubbed Operation Arrowhead Ripper, is expected to continue for weeks. It consists of infantry sweeps designed to clear and hold areas where al-Qa’eda has infiltrated the resident population.

So far, 22 al-Qa’eda have been killed. (22 and counting!)

::: UPDATE :::

6/20/07-8:53am: As Operation Arrowhead Ripper entered its second day, insurgents blew up two Sunni mosques south of Baghdad. The explosions caused some pretty heavy damage, but no casualties. (obviously someone isn’t happy about America’s initiative.)

So far, at least 30 al-Qaida were killed (that’s 30 and counting!) and several bombs and weapons caches were destroyed as the soldiers fought their way through the streets of Baqouba.

6/20/07-4:09pm: The Houston Chronicle reports, “…U.S.-led forces had killed 41 insurgents, discovered five weapons caches and destroyed 25 bombs and five booby-trapped houses.” (41 and counting!)

::: MORE :::

6/20/07-7:57pm: Wake Up America has a collection of news stories relating to this event. A lot of good stuff you won’t see in the MSM.

Iraqi surge “fall-guy,”General David Patraeus, said yesterday that it could take 10 years to defeat the insurgents. Patraeus is scheduled to report on our progress in Iraq to Congress in September. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel indicated that most of our elected officials in Congress think this will be the “critical point to evaluate where we are” and anticipates a “new strategy in the fall.”

New strategy? Win! How’s that for a new strategy?!?

Sun Tzu said, “When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength.”

We’ve been fighting in Irag for almost 17 years now. We’ve won many battles, but we’re gradually, painstakingly losing the war. We’ve toppled two governments in Afghanistan and Irag, but have allowed a greater lawlessness to grow. Sun Tzu warns, “if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain,” and he’s right! This prolonged “war” is costing the American taxpayer billions of dollars, dividing our country and sapping our will.

We can’t release the dogs of war and leave them chained to a tree. The object of war is to win! To win, the enemy must be compelled to submit to our will. If we do not assert our power to the fullest extent, we allow the insurgents to maintain a foothold.

Consider this: An Iraqi child born in 1991 (when the U.S. invaded Iraq during DESERT STORM) is now 16 years old. This child knows nothing of a world without a U.S. presence. How has this child grown to know this presence? It could very well appear to be oppression and now, occupation. Our prolonged war could very well have bred a new generation of insurgents

…and terrorists!

::: UPDATE :::

6/18/07 - 1:15 pm: Hot Air has a video of General Patraeus on FOX News discussing the surge and the anticipation of a new strategy…

The Civil War Preservation Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving American Civil War battlefields…

Today, our Civil War battlefields are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Hallowed ground, where more than 600,000 Americans gave their lives, is being paved over for shopping malls and housing tracts. The same land upon which our nation was formed–where our ancestors fought and died–is being consumed by fast food restaurants, amusement parks, and other forms of urban sprawl.

Nearly 20 percent of America’s Civil War battlefields have already been destroyed–denied forever to future generations. Of those that remain, only 15 percent are protected by the Federal government. There is only one national organization working to save all of these battlefields: The Civil War Preservation Trust.

According to their 2007 report, “History Under Siege: A Guide to America’s Most Endangered Civil War Battlefields”, the situation is bleak…

Among the Trust’s findings are…

• While a recent proposal to build a 5,000-slot casino within a mile of Gettsburg National Military Park was defeated, residential development pressures have skyrocked.
• Long sections of trenches and fortifications dating to the 1864 Atlanta Campaign in Marietta, GA, remain unprotected, while other breastworks have been intentionally bulldozed.
• A utility project in Northern Virginia threatens the integrity of at least seven protected Civil War battlefields.
(synopsis: Military History Magazine, August 2007)

The report identifies 25 endangered and at-risk sites in 9 states. For more info, visit the CWPT.

Happy birthday to the U.S. Army! On June 15, 1775, the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Army and named George Washington commander in chief.

Smoke from the battles of Lexington and Concord had scarcely cleared when the Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775 in Philadelphia. Armed conflict strengthened the radical element, but only gradually did the delegates swing toward independence. A Continental army was created to oppose the British and, through the agency of John Adams, Congressman George Washington of Virginia was appointed commander in chief by unanimous vote.

June 6, 1944: The Allies storm the beaches of Normandy in the largest amphibious landing in history. “Operation Overlord” was the codename for the Allied invasion of Northwest Europe–it marked the beginning of the Allied victory over the Axis powers; Germany surrendered less than one-year later.

Omaha Beach (pictured) was the bloodiest landing beach on D-Day. Elements of the 1st Infantry Division and 29th Infantry Division faced the German 352nd Infantry Division, one of the best trained on the beaches. Omaha was also the most heavily fortified beach, and the pre-landing aerial and naval bombardment of the bunkers were ineffective. On the Eastern sector, 27 of the 32 Sherman DD tanks deployed never reached the beach. On the Western sector the Sherman DDs were landed directly on the beach, but suffered heavy losses due to German artillery defending the beach. The official record stated that “within 10 minutes of the ramps being lowered, [the leading] company had become inert, leaderless and almost incapable of action. Every officer and sergeant had been killed or wounded. It had become a struggle for survival and rescue”. There were about 2,400 casualties on Omaha on D-day, most in the first few hours. Commanders considered abandoning the beachhead, but small units, often forming ad hoc groups, eventually took the beach and pressed inland.

All told, over 200,000 Allies were killed, wounded or listed as missing during this epic battle; the Germans suffered over 90,000 killed or wounded and over 196,000 were captured or listed as missing.

Reference:

“D-day.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2007. Answers.com 06 Jun. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/d-day

Memorial Day, or Decoration Day, began in 1868 when General John A. Logan requested that members of his command, the Grand Army of the Republic, decorate the graves of their fallen comrades. Since then it has become the day on which the United States honors the dead of all its wars and is observed as a legal holiday in most states. Most states conform to the federal practice of observing it on the last Monday in May, but some retain the traditional day of celebration, May 30. Today, President Bush will preside over national services and place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. In local cemeteries all across America, people will hold services and place flags, flowers and insignia on gravestones of our fallen service members.

In 2000 President Clinton asked the nation to endorse a humanitarian organization’s addition of a moment of silence to the holiday, designating 3 P.M. local time for a minute of quiet reflection on the meaning of America’s war dead.

This afternoon, remember to pause and reflect on those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country…and are making it still. Think about those in Bethesda Naval Hospital and others who are recuperating from wounds and rebuilding lives due to the loss of a limb. Think about those service men and women who are separated from their families in faraway places. Think about those patrolling the streets of Baghdad and similar cities who are literally shaking in their boots as they turn each corner.

Think about those men and women as you watch “Sergeant York” on Turner Classic Movies or catch a baseball game. Think about them as you drink your beer or sip your lemonade, while enjoying a cookout with family and friends. Think about them and say a silent prayer. Be grateful for their service…and their sacrifice.

Our freedom is their sacrifice.

I’ve been a fan of stock car racing practically all my life. Although I’ve liked some drivers more than others, I’ve never really had a favorite. I’ve always been a big fan of the Wood Brothers of Stuart, Virginia. They’re the oldest independent racing team and I’m always pulling for whomever drives for them. For the past six years the USAF has been a sponsor of Wood Brothers Racing and it appears their partnership will continue for a seventh. According to Wood Brother’s Racing…

HARRISBURG, NC (December 21, 2006) The United States Air Force has announced that they will be returning as both a primary and associate sponsor of the No. 21 Wood Brothers/JTG NASCAR NEXTEL Cup team. 2007 will mark the seventh consecutive year in which they have backed the famous No. 21 car.

Driver Ken Schrader will kick-off the 2007 Season by driving the No. 21 Air Force Ford Fusion in the Bud Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 10th. Air Force will further their relationship with the Wood Brothers/JTG Organization by activating their primary sponsorship in seven additional events during the remainder of the season. These dates include Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Lowe’s Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600, the July Daytona event, Pocono Raceway, the Bristol Night race in August, Richmond International Raceway in the final race before the Chase for the Championship and Dover International Speedway on September 23rd.

Third-generation driver Jon Wood will be behind the wheel for all but one of the primary sponsorship races in the No. 21 Air Force Ford Fusion.

“Having a chance to represent the United States Air Force next year is an honor for me,” stated the 24-year old Stuart, Virginia native. “To me, it stands for the men and women who put their lives on the line around the world every day so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have,” he added.

The fact that the USAF sponsors my favorite race team is quite simply, the icing on the cake. I’m looking forward to being home for the 2007 season and can’t wait to see Jon Wood’s first year in Nextel Cup racing!

The NCAA’s new ruling to disallow the use of Native American images by colleges with Native American mascots is the perfect example of political correctness gone amok. I find it terribly ironic that no sooner did the NCAA make this announcement the Seminole’s of Florida and Oklahoma categorically endorsed Florida State University and the use of the Seminole name and image. And this isn’t the only example.

Recently the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Gerald Murray, denounced the use of the Native American “chief” and any other Native American symbols by active duty chief master sergeants (their term of address is “chief”). The image of the native american chief in headdress has long been held in high esteem by Air Force enlisted men and women for the virtues he espouses. The Native American chief represents the leader many Air Force chiefs aspire to be. Interestingly enough, Chief Murray, sees no problem in the Air Force’s use of the name “Thunderbird” (aircraft performance team), “Tomahawk” (missile) and numerous Native American mascots on unit patches. It seems the one group of people who actually revere the Native American “chief,” are the only people who are disrespecting the Native American culture! How does one argue with this ridiculously faulty logic?

These are just a couple of examples of the way relatively small activis