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Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Our Hero...

LCpl. Boggs is a very special Hero to Soldiers' Angels. In addition to having served in Iraq (he's home safe now), he also currently acts as the Soldiers' Angels E-Squad's Military liaison. Boggs is a Marine Hero, and any Angel who knows him will tell you - a darned fine person.

And he takes (and stars in) some great pictures (captions by Boggs):


LCpl Boggs Enjoying Chi in Grabee, Iraq (Spelled wrong)



Area Guarded by Sec. Plt. 1st Recon



How dark it was the night the HMMWV got stuck



HMMWV got stuck



HMMWV got stuck



Adam our Trep Leaving knowledge on the board of a kid school



Kid Bringing me Bread



Same Kid offering me the bread from a distance



LCpl Boggs up close enjoying Iraqi Chi the kids gave me



Some of 1st Recon Bn Guys Handing out candy



Older Kids bringing our Company Bread



The older Guys Giving me the Bread... They loved this picture



The Sunset


Boggs - thanks for letting me post these, for all you've done and are doing for Soldiers' Angels - and for all you've done for all of us.


** Pictures above have been posted with permission. Please do not repost or reprint without same **

Michael Yon - "Bordering on the Criminally Inane"

Michael Yon posts the latest in his ongoing battle with HFM:

For most of the worst business decisions in history, — think "new Coke," "waterproofing the circus tent with gasoline and paraffin," and "everything about the Edsel starting with the name" — the collective public reaction can often be best summed as, "What were they thinking?"

Two previous dispatches, Dishonor, and Actions Speak Louder, describe the ongoing dispute with Hachette Filapachhi Media (HFM) for their admitted copyright infringement. Those dispatches are replete with HFM actions that provoke consternation. Last week two more decisions were heaped on the pile. One involves the form letters of two HFM executives, the editor of Shock magazine, Mike Hammer, and the CEO of HFM USA, Jack Kliger. The other involves a decision made by Borders to allow their bookstores to act as fences for HFM’s illegal material in Shock magazine...

Read the Rest, and learn how you can help, here.

This Month in Terror - A Sad Anniversary...

Khobar Towers 10th Anniversary
Master Sgt. Robert Connolly plays "Taps" during the remembrance ceremony for the Khobar Towers bombing on Sunday, June 25, at Arlington National Cemetery, Va. Family members and friends of the 19 Airmen killed in the terrorist bombing at Dhahran Air Base, Saudi Arabia, on June 25, 1996, gathered for the ceremony. Sergeant Connolly is a member of the Air Force Band at Bolling Air Force Base, D.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Cohen A. Young)
Full Story

Natalia's Corner - Deployment, Part V


Once home with our baby boy, things were different than what Maxwell had expected, he was a little afraid of the baby ( was the first time he had a newborn in his arms ) thought Shawn was fragile and breakable, everytime he cried, Maxwell didn't know what to do. So, he took care of my older kids and the house while i took care of Shawn and myself.

We were blessed to spend Christmas together. On Dec 26, we were back at the airport, to me it was the hardest goodbye of all. Shawn was only 11-days-old, I was terrified of what was ahead of me, alone with 3 older kids was easy for me but, a newborn was frightinig for me. I also had to make a decision, "going back to the job i loved or stay at home to take care of Shawn and live on a tight budget". Maxwell and I had plans about working different shifts so we could take of our son (we had a pretty clear idea as far as not wanting our baby to attend child care at least during his first year of life). I decided to stay home.


Another huge worry I had was, that, as much as I sent pictures, video tapes and the use of a web cam, I even sent him pictures of Shawn before and after surgery showing parts of his body where the baby had stitches, was a way for him to see and feel part of his life, but I always felt like they didn't even know each other.

But I was totally wrong....

---------------------------------------------

Need to catch up on Natalia's Corner?
Deployment, Part I
Deployment, Part II
Deployment, Part III
Deployment, Part IV

----------------------------------------------

Additional NOTES from Pam:
* Certain details will be edited to protect security concerns or family privacy. My edits appear in brackets [ ]. Any personal details that appear in these posts have been approved by Natalia and/or Maxwell.

* Maxwell's status as the blog's "adopted" Hero, and Natalia's posts about her experiences, should NOT be construed as their endorsement of any opinion I post on this blog, or representative of any policy or position of the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, or any other government entity. This is merely a way to allow readers to learn more about what military families experience, and to offer an opportunity to support a deployed Hero and his family.

* To learn what you can do to help, click on Maxwell's picture over on the left, or go here.
To adopt "your own" Hero, visit Soldiers' Angels.
PAINT JOB – U.S. Navy sailors paint the guided-missile destroyer USS Russell during a six-month deployment in the Pacific Ocean, June 24, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jordon R. Beesley

WWE Supports our Troops

World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Booker T. performs before thousands of excited servicemembers at the 2004 "Tribute to the Troops" tour in Iraq. Photo courtesy of WWE


America Supports You: WWE Offers Free Tickets to GIs in Uniform
By Monique Reuben
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2006 – Servicemembers in uniform can now watch their favorite World Wrestling Entertainment superstars in action free of charge.

World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Booker T. performs before thousands of excited servicemembers at the 2004 "Tribute to the Troops" tour in Iraq. Photo courtesy of WWE (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

World Wrestling Entertainment is offering all U.S. military personnel from the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Reserves and National Guard a complimentary ticket to a live WWE event in their local area, provided they come dressed in uniform with a military ID.

Tickets are available the day of the event. Military personnel can log onto the World Wrestling Entertainment Web site to view a schedule of live events in their area.

"This is a program that is now in place that will continue indefinitely," Gary Davis, vice president of corporate communications for World Wrestling Entertainment, said.

Davis said he realizes many men and women in the military love World Wrestling Entertainment, so the company wanted to figure out a way to show its appreciation for them.

WWE frequently supports U.S. troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, Davis noted, and officials decided to do something for servicemembers stationed worldwide.

"We wanted to do something on a consistent basis for our troops back home or in different places around the world, where maybe they don't get a lot of attention because they're not in the line of fire," Davis said. "But they're still serving a very important purpose for our country."

Regardless of where they are, many servicemembers seek an entertaining outlet to boost their morale level. Giving free tickets to servicemembers is a unique way for World Wrestling Entertainment to meet this need, Davis said.

Offering free tickets isn't the only way World Wrestling Entertainment supports the troops. WWE superstars pay regular visits to military bases and hospitals.

Davis said the hospital visits inspired World Wrestling Entertainment to offer free tickets to servicemembers.

"It was great to go into the hospitals, but we thought, 'Wouldn't it be kind of fun for the people in the hospitals to actually come out to a show and actually see an event?'" Davis said.

World Wrestling Entertainment is working with Armed Forces Entertainment in an ongoing effort to support the U.S. military.

Founded in 1951, Armed Forces Entertainment is a nonprofit group that recruits, schedules, transports and hosts celebrity and up-and-coming entertainers at military installations overseas.

Art Myers, director of Air Force Services, manages Armed Forces Entertainment and has served in the Air Force in a military and civilian capacity for the past 20 years.

"When I was on active duty, I spent five tours in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War; I saw how important the entertainment was as far as enhancing the morale of the troops," Myers said.

A wide range of artists has performed for troops in the past through AFE, including, Kid Rock, Drew Carey, World Wrestling Entertainment wrestlers and the Harlem Globetrotters.

Armed Forces Entertainment also is a member of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which showcases Americans' efforts to support servicemembers and their families.

This is not the first time World Wrestling Entertainment and Armed Forces Entertainment have collaborated on a project. Since 2003, WWE has worked with Armed Forces Entertainment during the holiday season to bring some of its most popular wrestling superstars to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For four days, the wrestlers connect with servicemembers on the front lines. The wrestlers sign autographs, talk, sleep, eat and even lift weights with servicemembers. USA network and UPN network broadcast the tour, called "Tribute to The Troops," each December.

"It (the tour) really went well; they were overwhelmed, the troops really liked it," Myers said.

Last year, MSNBC reporter Rita Cosby traveled with World Wrestling Entertainment during its "Tribute to the Troops" tour in Afghanistan, as part of a prime-time news special.

World Wrestling Entertainment will host this year's "Tribute to the Troops" tour in early December.

"It's a very humbling experience to see these men and women in very difficult living conditions on the front lines, knowing at any moment they can come under attack, and to see the spirit that they have, and the positive attitude they have, despite those conditions," Davis explained.

The nationally televised tour combines interviews with the troops and wrestling matches. The goal is to inform the public about the daily lives of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and the contributions they're making, Davis said.

This July, World Wrestling Entertainment is scheduled to visit troops on a "handshake tour." The tour, called "The Legends and Divas Tour," will chronicle legendary wrestling veterans Jimmy Hart and Ron Simmons and World Wrestling Entertainment "Raw" and "Smackdown" wrestlers Maria and Ashley as they visit troops in the Middle East.

"We're all looking forward to being able to celebrate our Independence Day with our troops," Davis said.

Last year, World Wrestling Entertainment also became a corporate team member of the America Support's You program.

World Wrestling Entertainment hopes to continue offering free tickets and other support to the men and women in uniform, both home and abroad.

"We're happy that we could identify something that we believe now will be a consistent way to show our thanks to the troops around the world, whether they're in the war zone or not," Davis said.

Related Sites:
World Wrestling Entertainment
Armed Forces Entertainment
America Supports You
WATER DELIVERY — An Iraqi man fills up a tank with water delivered by Iraqi army soldiers during a water delivery mission in Muwaylihah, Iraq, June 20, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Katrina Beeler

In Today's News - Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Quote of the Day
"We did not reveal all that we have. On the subject of missiles, they can bring up three issues with us now, in one year or in two years' time. They are undeclared - one of them being the location. Secondly, they don't know about our work in the domain of missiles."
-- Lieutenant General Hussein Kamel to Saddam Hussein
in tapes April-May 1005, ABC News, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2006

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Military: GIs Booby-Trapped Bodies Found Tied Together
U.S.: Baghdad Security Crackdown Moving Slowly
Iraq Forces Not Ready
No amnesty for killers of US troops: Iraqi PM
Saddam death would worsen Iraq violence: lawyer

Operation Enduring Freedom
Taliban Kills Two British Troops in Afghanistan

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Hamas struggles with hostage crisis
US urged to play role of honest broker
Israel faces militants' expanded arsenal
Israeli forces attack Gaza power station
Guantanamo inmates hid pills, nooses
Man shot at Las Vegas airport after grabbing child

Welcome Home!!
Israeli troops move into southern Gaza
Video: Israeli Airstrike, Troop Movement

Troops on Trial
Coast Guard Cadet Acquitted of Rape Charge (but convicted on other related charges)
Coast Guard Cadet to ask for leniency

Other Military News
Gay Spanish Soldiers to Wed

Worldwide Wackos
Iran Rejects Talks With U.S
EU-Iran nuclear meeting postponed until after G8

Politics / Government
Close Call (Flag burning amendment goes down by 1 vote)
Rice in Kabul
Senator Wants Pimps to Face Tax Collectors
Calif. lawmakers reject assisted-suicide bill

Hurricane Season / Wild Weather
D.C. Mayor Declares Emergency Over Flooding
Rescuers search for teens during flooding

Oddities
Woman Gets Severed Finger in Mail From Ex-Boyfriend
How is dingo urine gathered? Carefully, study says
'Superhero' tells fans not to imitate stunts
Milk law said goes against Amish beliefs
Tropical Stonehenge may have been found

Fox News
Texas Executes 'Railroad Killer' Angel Resendiz
Stocks to Watch: J. Crew
Record July 4 Travel Expected Despite Gas Prices
Trucker Convicted of Murdering Four Calif. Women
Yates Cries in Court After Seeing Video of Dead Kids
Baseball Writer Peter Gammons Suffers Aneurysm
Shuttle Crew Arrives in Florida for Weekend Launch
France, Brazil to Meet in World Cup Quarterfinals
Photos: World Cup Action
FULL CUP COVERAGE
Federer Advances
FULL WIMBLEDON COVERAGE

Reuters: Top News
Big bats show puzzling fondness for small places
Vonage to unveil computer phone this week: report
Nokia sues two Chinese rivals for product copying
New report attacks all passive smoking
UK recommends new drugs for high blood pressure
Michael Jackson moving to Europe to resume career
Star Jones Reynolds leaving "The View" in July
EMI, Warner Music locked in takeover feud
Big Three cars emit 230 mln tons of greenhouse gas
Wall Street investors seen on hold, awaiting Fed
Judge faults U.S. for pressuring KPMG over fees
Adidas says soccer sales to top 1.2 bln eur in 2006
European stocks flat but rate worries remain
Nikkei falls 1.9 pct as Bridgestone, Takeda slide
Stocks fall on uncertainty about interest rates
Cheesecake Factory shares fall
Nike shares fall after earnings
Big players favored in downturn: Beazer
More from the Real Estate Summit
Hungry for metal
Super contributions, by Paul DeMartino

AP World News
Allegedly abducted S. Korean, mom reunited
Foxx, Blige, Brown, T.I. among BET winners
Nike income slips on ad spending
Bosox continue to roll in interleague play
France extends Spain's World Cup agony
GM predicts lower sales, plans incentives
Ellison pulls plug on Harvard donation
Reynolds' announcement upsets Walters
'Junior' Gotti: Dad silent until death
Obituaries in the news
Transgender community finds acceptance
Judge who was shot makes public appearance
Colo. clinics to give away contraceptives
Accused Mo. grandmother commits suicide
Students rushing to refinance loans
Port security study urges economic focus

Military.com
Navy Super Hornets Get Revolutionary Radar
TV News Military's 'Best Intel Network'

CENTCOM: News Releases
GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ, MNF-I RELEASE 430 DETAINEES

AFGHAN, COLAITION FORCES CONDUCT RAID IN URUZGAN

ANP, COALITIOIN FORCES RECOVER IED

COALITION FORCES DEFEND PANJWAYI AGAINST EXTREMISTS

Department of Defense
Afghan Police Get New Equipment - Story

ON THE GROUND
Iraq Progress Evident, General Casey Says - Commentary
Rescue Unit at Balad Serves as '911' for Iraq - Story
Soldiers Train to Exit Overturned Humvee - Story

IN IRAQ
84th Engineers Improve Camp Bucca Security
Soldiers Rescue Abandoned Baby
Firefighters Get $10,000 in Donated Equipment
Medics Always On Call, Ready to Provide Aid
Marines Nab Insurgents, Train Iraqi Troops

IN AFGHANISTAN
Air Force Turns to Old Standby for Army Re-supply
Medical Assistance Team Visits Afghan Villages
Afghan Soldiers Train as Medics
Agriculture Day in Afghan Province Brings Hope

BACKGROUND
IRAQ

Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq (PDF)
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (PDF)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Army Casualties - 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

Today in History
1770 - Quakers open a school for blacks in Philadelphia.
1776 - Charleston, SC repels a British sea attack.
1778 - Battle of Monmouth, NJ; Mary Ludwig Hayes earns the name "Molly Pitcher" by bringing water to wounded American troops there.
1862 - Day 4 of the 7 Days-Battle of Savage's Station
1894 - Labor Day is established as a federal employees' holiday.
1905 - Russian sailors aboard the battleship "Potemkin" mutiny.
1914 - In Sarajevo, a Serbian Nationalist assassinates Assassination of the heir to the throne of Austria, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and his wife, Sophia. This event will trigger WWI.
1919 - Five years later, the Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending WW I.
1945 - Soviets establish the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity.
1946 - Enrico de Nicola becomes the first president of Italy.
1950 - North Korean forces capture Seoul, South Korea.
1965 - President Johnson authorizes the first U.S. ground combat forces in Vietnam.
1971 - The U.S. Supreme Court overturns Muhammad Ali's draft dodging conviction.
1977 - The U.S. Supreme Court allows Federal control of Watergate evidence.

Birthdays
1491 - King Henry VIII of England
1906 - Maria Goeppert Mayer, American atomic physicist, Nobel Prize winner
1946 - John "Mike" Lounge, astronaut (STS 51-I, STS 26, STS 35)

Passings
1776 - Thomas Hickey, American sgt., hanged for treason 1836 - James Madison, 4th U.S. President
1914 - Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sofia, assassinated
1954 - Red deer dies in Milwaukee Zoo at 26; oldest known deer

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Cavalli, Anthony Frank, USAF (NY); A26A shot down, KIA, body not recovered

Dudley, Charles Glendon, USAF (MT); A26A shot down, KIA, body not recovered

Wolfe, Thomas Hubert, USAF (MO); A26A shot down, KIA, body not recovered

1967
Bailey, James W., USN (MS); F4B shot down, released by DRV Februrary, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

Lawrence, William P., USN (TN); F4B shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

1968
Johns, Paul Frederck, USAF (IN); A1H shot down

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