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McChrystal Relieved; Petraeus to Replace

June 23, 2010 By Jeff Leave a Comment

President Barack Obama has accepted the resignation of General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of the International Security and Assistance Force in Afghanistan, he will be replaced by General David Petraeus:

President Barack Obama accepted the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander and strategist of the Afghan war, following comments by the general and his aides disparaging the president and other senior officials.

Mr. Obama nominated Gen. David Petraeus, the head of the military’s Central Command and the architect of the surge of forces into Iraq in 2007, to take over as the commanding general in Afghanistan.

The nomination of Gen. Petraeus, who still requires Senate confirmation, sends a signal that the president stands behind the counterinsurgency tactics pushed hard by Gen. McChrystal and championed by Gen. Petraeus.

Mr. Obama said his acceptance of Gen. McChrystal’s recommendation didn’t reflect a disagreement about strategy or any sense of personal insult. “We are in full agreement about our strategy,” he said Wednesday, expressing “great admiration” for the general.

“But war is bigger than any one man,” Mr. Obama said. “As difficult as it is to lose Gen. McChrystal, I believe it is the right decision for our national security.”

He said the change was necessary to maintain a “unity of effort” in Afghanistan. “I welcome debate among my team, but I won’t tolerate division.”

I’m sad to see Gen. McChrystal’s career end this way, but given what’s happened I don’t see how he could have stayed on. The remarks made Gen. McChrystal and members of his staff in Rolling Stone were openly contemptuous of the civilian leadership… Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice couldn’t be more on that point:

Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

Simply put there no was no other way this controversy could end, General McChrystal had to go.

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Mojave Cross Replaced… Then Removed

May 21, 2010 By Jeff Leave a Comment

Sometime late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning someone erected a replacement for the “Mojave Cross” which was torn down and stolen by vandals a week ago. The replacement cross was promptly removed by the park service:

The Mojave Cross saga took yet another unexpected turn Thursday, when the contested symbol that vanished last week reappeared briefly before being taken down by federal officials.

National Park Service officials learned Thursday morning that a cross again was on top of Sunrise Rock, about 10 miles south of Interstate 15 near Cima Road, a sparsely traveled route into the Mojave National Preserve. It’s about 30 miles east of Baker.

Some version of the cross has stood there for 75 years as a tribute to fallen World War I soldiers. Vandals made off with the cross May 9, 10 days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it could remain pending the outcome of a decade-long court battle over whether it should be permitted on public land.

Once federal officials discovered Thursday that it was a replica of the stolen cross, the Justice Department said it had to be taken down.

This is beyond silly, it shouldn’t matter whether it’s the old cross or a new cross to replace the one that was stolen.

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Mojave Cross Torn Down and Stolen by Vandals

May 11, 2010 By Jeff Leave a Comment

The Mojave Cross, a memorial to World War I veterans, which has stood in various forms for more than 75 years was torn down and stolen by vandals sometime late Sunday or early Monday morning:

The 7-foot-tall metal cross in a 75-year-old war memorial that withstood the heat of the Mojave Desert and a blazing battle in the Supreme Court over its legality was ripped down and stolen Sunday night, according to federal officials.

“This is an outrage, akin to desecrating people’s graves,” said Kelly Shackelford, president of the Liberty Institute, which represents the caretakers of the Mojave Desert War Memorial. “It’s a disgraceful attack on the selfless sacrifice of our veterans. We will not rest until this memorial is re-installed.”

The National Park Service says someone cut the metal bolts holding the metal-pipe cross to the top of the memorial’s Sunrise Rock and made off with it Sunday night or before dawn on Monday.

Authorities had no immediate motive for the theft but National Park Service officials are considering a range of ideas from scrap metal scavengers to people “with an interest in the case,” said Park Service spokeswoman Linda Slater.

I’m really at a loss for words here, whoever did this, whatever their motivations, is a despicable rat bastard.

That said I can’t help but think this cowardly act was perpetrated by some politically motivated ideologue… you would have to have been freeze dried for the last decade not to know the significance of the Mojave Cross, I can’t imagine even the sleaziest  of scrap metal scavengers would be foolish enough to steal it.

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Happy Birthday, Marines!

November 10, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in a toast to the greatest fighting force the world has ever known… The United States Marine Corps.

234th years of unwavering fidelity to Country and  Corps, Happy Birthday, Marines! Semper Fi!

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Sgt. Kimberly Munley: Hero

November 6, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

The word hero gets tossed around a lot these day but Sgt. Kimberly Munley, the civilian police officer who ended the Fort Hood gunman’s violent rampage has certainly earned the title:

The hero cop who ended the bloody rampage at Fort Hood by pumping four bullets into the crazed gunman even though she was wounded is known for her toughness, friends say.

Before relocating to Texas, civilian police Sgt. Kimberly Munley spent about five years as a cop in North Carolina where she forged a reputation as a no-nonsense officer.

“I’d like to say I’m surprised, but I’m really not,” said close friend Drew Peterson, 27.

“She was born and bred to be a police officer. If you were ever to be in a fight, she’d be the first person to stand up next to you and back you up. She’s a tough cookie.”

Munley’s toughness and grace under pressure were on display Thursday when she and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire, said Army Lt. Gen. Bob Cone.

Munley, who had been trained in active-response tactics, rushed into the building and confronted the shooter as he was turning a corner, Cone said.

“It was an amazing and an aggressive performance by this police officer,” Cone said.

Munley was only a few feet from Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan when she opened fire.

Sgt. Munley was wounded in the exchange of gunfire and is reported to be stable condition. If it wasn’t for her bold and decisive actions there’s no telling how many more soldiers that murderous lunatic would have killed.

Bravo Zulu Sergeant, you and your family are in our thoughts and prays. As is everyone affected by yesterday’s events. May God Bless you all.

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Breaking: Fort Hood Gunman Alive, in Custody

November 5, 2009 By Jeff 1 Comment

From Fox News:

A military doctor who reportedly feared an impending war deployment is in custody as the sole suspect in a shooting rampage at the Army’s Fort Hood that left 12 dead and 31 wounded, an Army official said Thursday night.

The news that the suspect, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, was alive and in stable condition, came as a sudden reversal of early reports that the gunman was among the dead.

Two other soldiers who were taken into custody as possible suspects were released Lt. Gen. Bob Cone told reporters Thursday evening.

A female first responder who shot at Hasan who was previously thought to be dead, was also alive.

The Fox News report goes on to say that Hasan first came to the attention of Federal Officials were apparently still trying to determine if he was the author of those posts and an official investigation had not been opened.

According the Washington Post Hasan was a devout Muslim who attended service regularly:

Hasan attended the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring and was “very devout,” according to Faizul Khan, a former imam at the center. Khan said Hasan attended prayers at least once a day, seven days a week, often in his Army fatigues.

Khan also said Hasan applied to an annual matrimonial seminar that matches Muslims looking for spouses. “I don’t think he ever had a match, because he had too many conditions,” Khan said.

“We never got into details of worldly affairs or politics,” the former imam said of his conversations with Hasan. “Mostly religious questions. But there was nothing extremist in his questions. He never showed any frustration. . . . He never showed any . . . wish for vengeance on anybody.”

I’m not going to speculate on Hasan’s possible motives for a variety of reasons… Suffices to say I’m not buying the media’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder spin. At first blush the circumstantial evidence appears to in very disturbing direction, and it raises a number of questions that need to be answered, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to start jumping to conclusions about Hasan’s motives based on incomplete or inaccurate information. Lets give investigators time do their jobs, I’m sure they’re have answers to all our questions in do course.

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Breaking: 12 Dead, 31 Wounded in Shooting at Fort Hood

November 5, 2009 By Jeff 1 Comment

From Reuters:

Twelve people were killed and at least 31 were wounded when a soldier went on a shooting rampage at the Fort Hood U.S. Army base at Fort Hood Texas on Thursday, base commander Lieutenant-General Bob Cone said.

Cone told reporters at the base that the gunman was killed in the attack at the facility, the biggest military base in the world and a prime point of deployment for U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Two other soldiers were apprehended as suspects.

Cone said the shooting took place at a “Soldier Readiness Facility” where soldiers preparing for overseas deployment were getting last-minute medical checkups. The shooting took place at about 1:30 p.m. CST.

“The shooter was killed. He was a soldier. We since then have apprehended two additional soldiers that are suspects. There were eyewitness accounts that there may have been more than one shooter,” Cone said .

ABC News is reporting the shooter has been identified as Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a convert to Islam:

The suspected gunman was identified by ABC News as Major Nidal Malik Hasan.

The shooter was killed and two other suspects, who are also soldiers, have been apprehended, Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone said.

The gunman reportedly used two handguns.

Update (6:15 p.m.): CBS News is reporting that Maj. Hasan, 39, was a a licensed psychiatrist from Silver Spring, Md. He was apparently scheduled to deploy to Iraq and was upset about it.

Update (6:50 p.m.): The Austin American-Statesman is reporting that the two suspects arrested shortly after the shooting have apparently been  released. The Statesman also points to an AP report questioning what Hasan’s religion was or whether he was a convert.

Update ( 7:30 p.m.): The guys over at This ain’t Hell have some how gotten their hands on a copy of Hasan’s ORB… Contrary to media reports he’s never been deployed overseas. I guess that blows the PTSD theory out of the water…

Additional updates here…

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Breaking: Military Recruiter Murdered in Arkansas

June 1, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

A gunman opened fire on two soldiers outside an Army Recruiting center in Little Rock Arkansas earlier today. Both of the victims were taken to a nearby hospital, where one of them died a short time later:

A gunman opened fire Monday at an army recruitment center in Little Rock, Ark., killing one army recruiter and seriously wounding another, FOX16.com reported.

A man in a black SUV drove to the recruitment office and began shooting at around 10:19 a.m., a spokesman with the Little Rock police department told FOX News.

Police reportedly have a suspect in custody.

Jonn Lilyea has more at This Ain’t Hell.

Update (Tuesday, June 2, 2009):

The shooter has been identified as 23 year old Carlos Bledsoe (A.K.A. Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad) a Muslim convert with a grudge against the U.S. military. Bledsoe plead not guilt to capital murder at his arraignment today:

A Muslim convert who said he was against the U.S. military pleaded not guilty Tuesday to capital murder in connection with the shooting of two soldiers outside an Arkansas recruiting center.

One soldier died in the attack Monday, police said.

Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad, 23, was ordered held without bail at a hearing Tuesday in Little Rock. He is charged in the death of Pvt. William Long, 23, of Conway, outside the Army Navy Career Center in Little Rock.

“This individual appears to have been upset with the military, the Army in particular, and that’s why he did what he did,” Little Rock Police Lt. Terry Hastings said.

“He has converted to (Islam) here in the past few years,” Hastings said. “We’re not completely clear on what he was upset about. He had never been in the military.

“He saw them standing there and drove up and shot them. That’s what he said.”

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Obama Administration Considering Plan to Charge Veterans Private Health Insurance for the Treatment of Service Related Injuries

March 17, 2009 By Jeff 1 Comment

My Father, a World War II veteran, passed away in January… I hate to say this but I’m glad he’s not here to see this:

The Obama administration is considering a plan to charge the private health insurance of veterans for treatment of service-related ailments that currently are paid for by the Department of Veterans Affairs — a potential change that has veterans’ groups outraged.

“Such a consideration is wholly unacceptable and a total abrogation of our government’s moral obligation and legal responsibility to the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedom,” said a letter to President Barack Obama signed by the leaders of 11 prominent veteran organizations.

Several leaders of veteran groups met with Obama administration officials Monday at the White House about the overall budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Last week, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed to the House and Senate committees on veterans’ affairs that the idea to bill veterans’ private individual insurance was being considered by the administration but was not yet a formal proposal.

My Father  was not a man prone to the use of profanity but I can assure you the words he would have used to describe this proposal and the people making it, would not have been fit for polite company.

Lets cut through the bullshit here: private insurance companies did not send our wounded veterans into harms way… Our Government did, our veterans have already paid their premiums in blood and our government has an absolute moral obligation to pay for the treatment of their service related injuries. Anything less is a violation of trust.

As far as I’m concerned anyone who would make a proposal like this is a Rat Bastard, Son of Bitch not fit for public office!

Realted:

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Taking Chance

January 9, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

Mark your calendars folks HBO will broadcast “Taking Chance” on Saturday, February 21, 2009 @ 8:00 p.m.

When I first read Marine LtCol Michael R. Strobl’s account of escorting the remains of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps home I did it through clenched teeth and with tears in my eyes… That was over four years and it still feels like was just yesterday.

LtCol. Strobl’s story is incredibly powerful and deeply moving. You read his story here.

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