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Tuesday, November 29, 2005

A Message for Our Heroes

To all who serve and have served,

you are always in our hearts and prayers....

May God's angels guard your going out and coming in; may His angels guard you as you sleep.

Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

We will never forget you.

May God bless and keep you and your families,
ron* and barbara**

*from a ret. Sgt. (WWII vet) who had brothers who also served


**from the daughter of a WWII vet; my nephews are the fourth generation of family members who have served in the military, including times of war starting with WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, and the first Gulf War. My nephews are serving today; one in the army who has returned from Iraq but may return; one in the navy who has served in the Persian Gulf

Of Heroes...Then and Now

Recently, I was able to connect some 359th Transportation Company Vietnam Heroes with Soldiers' Angels. They've got an ability to support our current generation of Heroes with the perspective of someone who knows. Michael and the others in his group wanted to help another Transportation Company - those who do what they did. So Soldiers' Angels hooked them up with a group of Heroes serving in Iraq.

And Michael has sent along some wonderful pictures I wanted to pass along for you to see. The similarity between Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam? Our heroes have served bravely in all three locations.


Michael in the back of a 3/4 ton gun truck, just passing inside the Ahn Khe gate.


Convoy reaching the summit of Mang Yang Pass.



View from the back of the 3/4 ton gun truck during a Monsoon.



"Anyone got a fire extinquisher?"



Seems to just be a given - our Heroes love the kids, and the kids love our Heroes.
These are some Montagnard children Michael's convoy befriended.


The kids and their "gun truck beautification" project.


Showing off the new clothes Michael and his comrades bought them.


Michael and the kids.

And when these heroes meet today's heroes....


From Michael's adoptee, Sgt. Denise B:
WOW WOW WOW!!!!! No words can even begin to describe the excitement that I have right now!!!! I read the note first, HILARIOUS!!! ... Man, I'm still shaking with excitement! That was just so totally awesome! I didn't think I'd ever get anything like that!...Hope you enjoy the pictures and thank you for the ones that you sent. By the way…good lookin' bunch of guys when you were younger, got even better with time! Thank you again so much from the bottom of my heart!


Michael's adoptee - SGT. Denise B.

Denise and some comrades-in-arms.
Note: The pictures Michael submits are copyrighted, and are posted with permission. Please do not repost or redistribute.

Their Courage



Their courage deems utmost respect
Their mission clear, our way protect


It’s sure to each what they must do
No give or take, keep freedom true


With the grand old flag, they'll unite
Whenever they must, march to fight


A life we know counts hard on them
Without their ranks, hellish problem


If our Armed Forces ceased to be
How long could we survive as free


Let’s well realize the truthful score
We need our troops just like before


Boils down to this, words to engrave
Land of The Free, Due to The Brave

God Bless each one for being there
Their loved ones too, unending care


Hope born from love touches the will
Do back them strong, means to fulfill

Americans – Who Serve To Give
One Nation – Under God We Live



© 2005 Roger J. Robicheau
OPERATION TRIFECTA -- U.S. Marines assigned to Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, talk to local Iraqi shop owners in the Zaidon Market, during Operation Trifecta in Zaidon, Iraq, Nov. 17, 2005. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Samuel D. Corum

In Today's News - Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Quote of the Day
"The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism.... It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself, and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn."
--George Washington

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
German Archaeologist Kidnapped in Iraq
Iraqi official sees up to 30,000 US troops leaving
Clark Urges More Security at Saddam Trial
Saddam returns to courtroom; trial's slow pace frustrates many
U.S. troops turn more control over to battalions
Peoria native killed just shy of retirement
Iraqis' role in fight against insurgents said to grow
British Muslims, Sunni politicians slain in attacks

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Terror Chief Zarqawi Disowned (In case you didn't hear it the first time, Abu...)
Bangladesh Bombs Kill Eight
Govt lacks ways to gauge wins against terrorism
Europe, Israel, Arab nations agree on guide to combat terrorism

Troops on Trial
Marines Deny Filipino Rapes

Supreme Court
Alito backed tougher civil rights penalty

Hurricane Season
Tropical Storm Epsilon Forms in Central Atlantic
New Orleans school reopens — to anyone

Other News of Note
Canadian Government Falls
Defeated Canadian PM sets election date
Canada's Liberals could hit campaign trail with lead
U.S. pilot meets farmer who saved his life in '44

Fox News
Oct. Durable Goods Orders Higher Than Expected
Gay Clergy Papers Released
Cunningham Quits House
Video: Tearful Resignation
NYC Cop Shot Dead
Stocks to Watch, Nov. 29
Boyfriend's Kiss Kills Girl (Yikes!)
More Bird Flu in China
Winter Weather Wallops Great Plains - Snow, ice, wind claim six lives
Okla. Families Homeless After Fires
Video: Winter Havoc
Photo Essay: Nasty Weather

Reuters: Top News
Suspects in court over 'Jazeera bombing' leak
Bush tries balancing act on illegal immigration
US to hold 1,000th execution
Calif. Rep. resigns over bribes
Global warming talks eye U.S.
China offers help as toxic spill heads for Russia
Stress may raise cholesterol in some
Job exposure to pesticide may raise cancer risk
Black Sea pipelines look to bypass straits

AP World News
French Tighten Immigration Controls
Peres Would Leave Labor Party Under Deal
South Koreans Rally Stem-Cell Pioneer
Rescuers Search for Missing China Miners
Police Arrest N. Ireland Bank Employee
Two British Men in Court Over Leak
Weather Clears in Kashmir Quake-Zone
Tap Water in Chinese City Declared Safe
Honduras Candidate Won't Concede Election
Mexico to Let Police Pursue Drug Smugglers
Catholic Church Ordains Priests in Vietnam
U.S. Defends Decision Not to Join Kyoto
South Asia Earthquake
Search On for Missing in Chile Boat Accident

The Seattle Times
EU airs concerns on secret-jail issue
New CPR guideline: Push fast, push hard
Science stumped on food allergy trend in children
Fatah's first primary disrupted by violence
Arrest made in bogus news report of Chinese invasion
Big snowstorm closes highways

Chicago Sun-Times
Bank seeks foreclosure on Rush's house
Venezuela denies entry to Hyde, others
Powerball's new winner announced: U.S. Treasury
Assault rifle-wielding gunmen steal lion cub

Boston Globe: World
Venezuela, Spain set military accord
Prodemocracy leader's house arrest extended
Call for more Hindus spreads rage in India

Military.com
Patrol Uncovers Weapons, Bomb Materials
Rice Defends Prisoner Tactics
More Iraqi Forces Play Lead Roles
Recruits Tell why They Joined
Saddam Lashes out at US
101st Airborne Soldiers Find Huge Mortar Cache
U.S. Alters Nuclear Weapons Policy
Falcons Down Middies, 64-55
Couple Awarded Millions for Son's Brain Damage
Guard Soldiers Offered Recruiting Bonuses
Afghans Decry Accused Soldiers' 'Lenient' Treatment
Case Against Alleged Chinese Agents Resumes

CENTCOM: News Release
MUTIPLE CACHES UNCOVERED BY IRAQI AND U.S. FORCES
IRAQI SECURITY FORCES ALONG WITH MULTI-NATIONAL FORCES CONTINUE PARTNERSHIP TO F
SOLDIERS SEIZE WEAPONS CACHE, DETAIN 4 TERRORISTS
EXPEDITIONARY STRIKE GROUP 8 TRANSITS THE SUEZ CANAL
MASSIVE WEAPONS CACHE DISCOVERED NEAR KIRKUK

Department of Defense
Elections Will 'Stake Out' Future for Iraq -- Story
Army Secretary: Morale Key to Success -- Story
Iraqi Judge Grants Delay in Saddam Trial -- Story

ON THE GROUND
84th Engineers Prepare for Iraq Deployment -- Story
Nassau Strike Group Transits Suez Canal -- Story
Operation Atal Wali Lives Up to Its Name -- Story
Ghazni Farmers Make Profits From Potatoes -- Story

FACE OF DEFENSE
Molding Metal Motivates Deployed Soldier -- Story

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Marines, Families Get Holiday Meal -- Story
Talk Show Hosts Marines
Troops Send Holiday Greetings

TOP NEWS
SPECIAL REPORTS
Iraq Transition of Power

IRAQ
Patrol Finds Weapons, Bomb Parts
Soldiers Nab 20 Terrorists
Baquba Rebuilds Its Future
Zarqawi Confidant Death Confirmed
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq (pdf)
Multinational Force Iraq
Eye on Iraq Update (pdf)
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (pdf)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Daily Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
N.J., Ind. Guard Teams Certified
Conference: Joint Ops, Preparation
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
National Guard, Reserve Update

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Army Casualty -- Story

Weather
Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo

National Hurricane Center

Today in History
1812 Napoleon's Grand Army crosses Berezina River in retreat from Russia
1847 Indians kill Marcus & Narcissa Whitman, 11 settle in Walla Walla Ore
1864 Colorado militia kills 150 peaceful Cheyenne Indians
1877 - Thomas Edison demonstrates the hand-cranked phonograph.
1887 - The U.S. receives the rights to Pearl Harbor (Oahu, Hawaii).
1890 - In the first Army-Navy football game, Navy wins 24-0 at West Point.
1916 - The U.S. declares martial law in the Dominican Republic.
1929 - Lt. Colmmander Richard E. Byrd sends the message: "My calculations indicate that we have reached the vicinity of the South Pole" (He hadn't)
1944 - Albania is liberated from Nazi control; John Hopkins hospital performs the first open heart surgery.
1945 - The monarchy is abolished as Yugoslavia proclaims itself a republic.
1947 - The U.N. General Assembly partitions Palestine between Arabs and Jews.
1951 - The first underground atomic explosion occurs at Frenchman Flat, Nevada.
1952 - President-elect Eisenhower visits Korea to assess the war.
1961 - Freedom Riders are attacked by a white mob at a bus station in Mississippi; Mercury-Atlas 5 carries a chimp (Enos) to orbit.
1963 - LBJ sets up the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of JFK.
1965 - Dale Cummings does 14,118 consecutive sit-ups.
1967 - British troops withdraw from Aden; U.S. Secretary of Defense McNamara becomes President of the World Bank.
1975 - Kilauea erupts in Hawaii.
1978 - The U.N. observes an "international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people," boycotted by the U.S. and 20 or so other countries.
1987 - Korean Air Boeing 707 disappears off Burma, on route to Seoul. All 115 lost
1990 - UN Security Council sets Jan 15th military deadline against Iraq
1994 - Russian aircraft bomb Chechen capital of Grozney

Birthdays
1781
- Andres Bello, Venezuelan poet/diplomat/scholar (Silvas Americanas)
1803 - Christian Doppler, discoverer of the Doppler Effect (color shift)
1811 - Wendell Phillips, women's suffrage/antislavery/prison reformer
1818 - George Brown, Canadian publisher (Toronto Globe), PM (1858)
1832 - Louisa May Alcott, author (Little Women)
1849 - Sir Ambrose Fleming, inventor (diode)
1874 - Antonio Egas Moniz, lobotomist (Nobel 1949)
1895 - William V.S. Tubman, 17th Liberian President (1943-70)
1898 - C.S. Lewis, English writer/scholar
1923 - Frank Reynolds, news anchor (ABC Evening News)
1928 - Paul Simon (Sen-IL), presidential candidate
1949 - Kenneth D. Cameron, Lt. Colonel USMC / astronaut (Sked:STS-37)

Passings
1530 - Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, adviser to England's King Henry VIII
1780 - Maria Theresa, leader of Austria
1924 - Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer
1981 - Natalie Wood, actress, drowns off Santa Catalina, CA
1986 - Cary Grant, actor
1987 - Howard Pyle (Gov-AZ, 1951-55)

Reported Missing in Action
1952

Downey, John T., Civilian - CIA; released by China March, 1973 - alive as of 1999

Fecteau, Richard, Civilian - CIA; released December, 1971

1967
Jones, Louis F., USAF (TX); F4C shot down

Millner, Michael, US Army SF (CA); disappeared when his unit was ambushed

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