Recently I had this photo essay up, showcasing our Furry Heroes.

Over at ROFA Six, there's a photo that takes "War Dogs" to a whole new level.

You can check it out here.

Stop by and visit a new milblogger, Outlaw 13, over at Guidons, Guidons, Guidons!

From his first post:

First I am a AH-64D Longbow Pilot in the US Army. I have recently returned from Iraq and have been serving in the military for over 15 years. Anything I have to say here does NOT represent official Government or Army policy.

I have been encouraged by friends to give an aviator's perspective on the GWOT and other things and I will endeavor to do this as well as comment on things that entertain me and hopefully others as well.

From the posts up now, you can learn the story behind the blog title, read about those who help to give a Final Farewell to Heroes, and read crucial advice for any actress posing for Maxim or FHM (too funny).

Hat tip to JackArmy

You'll find Commander Tschudy's name in today's MIA list.

WILLIAM M. TSCHUDY, retired as a Commander, USN
Shot down July 18, 1967; Released February 12,1973

The following taken from the POW Bio Page of SCOPE Systems

SOURCE: WE CAME HOME copyright 1977 Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret), Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor P.O.W. Publications, 10250 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 91602 Text is reproduced as found in the original publication (including date and spelling errors).

I was shot down 18 July 1965 while flying with VA-75 as a bombadier/navigator in an A6A off USS Independence. But I am now back with my wife, Janie, and our son, Mike. I'm back in America - back home! The dream and promise of seven and a half years. The day I knew would come! Years of seemingly endless boredom and waiting, interspersed with terror, horror and frustration, now have been transmuted into shimmering moments of happiness. Our part in Vietnam has come to an end, but the struggle continues in Southeast Asia and in other parts of the world .... and shall continue as long as men have the strength to defend and seek freedom.

Participation in Vietnam, to say the least, has been controversial to some, yet thousands of Americans did not find it controversial and devoted themselves to a cause in which they believed. The long years of imprisonment have only reenforced my conviction that it is our obligation, perhaps more so-our privilege to give succour to those who strive for democracy. Experience with those "push-button" individuals, their abuses, cruelties, and their attempts to humiliate one - did not evoke a lasting bitterness or hatred, but rather, a contempt for the demented ideology of which they are a product. It is obvious enough, even from within prison walls, that the North Vietnamese society is not and never will be, the utopia their propaganda proclaims. Apparent freedoms are not enough. They must be real! They are not real in the communist society. The rising feeling of patriotism I have found here at home shows me that Americans have become acutely aware of what we have. It shows Americans are willing to preserve and improve our freedoms and blessings. Perhaps, for all the grief and turmoil, we have a clear picture of our adversaries abroad as well as at home. Continued vigilance and concern for our country can only increase our understanding of our neighbors and make our home an even greater America.

What is America to me? Today it's a lot more than I could have ever imagined seven and a half years ago. Yet it is the same big beautiful country, the same wonderful people, the same dynamo of energy and ideas - and more important, the same rights and freedoms. How much more I appreciate what I had taken so much for granted. It isn't necessary to spend seven and a half years in a communist prison to gain a full appreciation of what we have. One has only to look around to see the millions of people who are denied what we know they should have. One can see other millions struggling to hold what they prize so highly. How can we stand back and watch without wanting to help - without feeling obligated to help. There is a variety of ways this can be done and not necessarily by combat. But sometimes the aggressiveness of the adversary demands such action, and the cost is high. However, at the expense of today, millions will live tomorrow.

We've watched the "crimson cancer" time and time again consume body and mind. It is time to put democracy on the offensive, starting right here at home. Those long, difficult years have taught us much. Seven and a half years under communism only strengthened my convictions. I have dealt with the product, communism, and I find this product pathetic and untenable. Perhaps we, as a nation, are more aware of what we have, more conscious of our adversaries from without, as well as from within. Perhaps we are more determined to preserve our freedoms. I think we are.

U.S. Navy sailors assigned aviation mechanic duties repair an EA-6B Prowler on the flight line at Al Asad, Iraq, July 8, 2005. The Prowler, from Navy squadron VAQ-138 attached to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, is currently at Al Asad supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alicia M. Garcia

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Richard S. Duchnowski, assigned as an aviation electronics technician, performs a preflight inspection on an EA-6B Prowler aircraft from Navy squadron VAQ-138 prior to take off from Al Asad, Iraq, for a mission over Iraq, July 8, 2005. VAQ-138 is attached to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and is currently at Al Asad supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alicia M. Garcia

U.S. Navy Airman Broquel Schaefer operates equipment required for starting up the EA-6B Prowler aircraft at Al Asad, Iraq, July 8, 2005. Schaefer, a plane captain, is assigned to Navy squadron VAQ-138, which is attached to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. The Prowler aircraft is currently at Al Asad supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alicia M. Garcia


U.S. Navy Seaman Jose L. Sanchez, assigned as an aviation mechanics mate with Navy squadron VAQ-138, wipes down a new part that has just been installed in an EA-6B Prowler aircraft, at Al Asad, Iraq, July 8, 2005. The Prowler, attached to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, is currently at Al Asad supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alicia M. Garcia

By Maj. Russell Goemaere, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, July 17, 2005 – In what military officials are calling "a new level of barbarity," terrorists tortured and killed two innocent Iraqi civilians and laid their bodies in the road as bait for curious Iraqi civilians and investigating Iraqi security forces before detonating a car bomb at 8 a.m. this morning.

The attack, in the New Baghdad district of the capital, killed one Iraqi police officer, along with the terrorist who drove the vehicle. Five civilians and three other Iraqi police officers were wounded.

The bodies were discovered lying in the middle of the road. When Iraqi security forces and a crowd of civilians gathered near the scene, a terrorist drove his car bomb into the group and detonated it.

"The (Iraqi security forces) will not be intimidated by this type of action. We will continue to take the fight to the Godless terrorists," one Iraqi police officer said.

Iraqi forces secured the scene, and all casualties were quickly evacuated to a local hospital. The incident is under investigation, officials said.

The previous day, Iraqi security forces stopped a suicide bomber before he could detonate his suicide vest at the funeral for young victims of the July 13 car bombing, which claimed the lives of two dozen Iraqi children. The terrorist is now in custody at an undisclosed location.

"The terrorists are offering nothing for the future of Iraq. They offer only death to innocent Iraqi people. The people are with us, they support the (police) and the Iraqi army," the police officer said.

(Army Maj. Russell Goemaere is assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team.)

Related Site:Multinational Force Iraq

article published at Defend America

JET ENGINE MAINTENANCE — U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jalvin Yuchongtian, an aviation machinist mate, inspects the cover for a J-52 jet engine aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Persian Gulf, July 14, 2005. The cover prevents foreign object damage to the engines during maintenance. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, currently on a regularly scheduled deployment, is participating in maritime security operations. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Shannon E. Renfroe