The stories coming out are beyond offensive.

Head butting. Spitting. Punching. Eye gouging.

It seems that the stories of abuses at Gitmo ARE true. There is definitely, no-doubt-about-it, abuse going on at Gitmo, just as you've been told.

Only one slight modification to the story that's been plastered all over the press:

The ones being abused are our troops, and the stories are just...disgusting:

...the Defense Department has documented hundreds of attacks by Guantanamo detainees on Military Police guards since 2002, ranging from head butting and spitting to routine dousing with cups filled with feces, urine, vomit and sperm.

The guards also have been repeatedly grabbed, punched or assaulted by prisoners who reach through small "bean holes" used to deliver food and blankets through cell doors, the reports say...

So where, exactly, is the outcry? Well, there isn't any. See, the we-support-the-troops-but-don't-support-the-war crowd isn't interested in helping these victims of abuse. After all, it would take far too much time away from feeling sorry for the poor detainees. And let's face it - these are troops. How much risk could it really be, guarding poor, wrongly-detained innocents?

A detainee "reached under the face mask of an IRF (Initial Reaction Force) team member's helmet and scratched his face, attempting to gouge his eyes," states a May 27, 2005, report on an effort to remove a recalcitrant prisoner from his cell.

Feel bad for the animals in Gitmo? I think I'll save my sympathy and my efforts for our troops, thanks.

This is Jennifer, Rebecca, and Andrew's Hero, Rodney, currently serving with the US Army in Afghanistan (and a Soldiers' Angels adoptee):

Jennifer, thanks for sending the picture, and thanks for all your family does for all of us.

Rodney - thank you for all you do to serve your country, and stand for Freedom. Keep your helmet on - take care, and stay safe.

From DefenseLink:




Air Force Day was established on August 1, 1947, by President Truman "in recognition of the personnel of the victorious Army Air Forces and all those who have developed and maintained our nation's air strength." August 1 was chosen to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment, in 1907, of the Aeronautical Division in the Office of the Chief Signal Officer of the Army.

Air Force Day came into being immediately after the signing of the National Security Act of 1947, although the status of the air element of the military was uncertain. Thus, although it was called Air Force Day, its first celebration was staged by the Army Air Forces and not by the U.S. Air Force.

Underlying the Air Force Day celebration was a need to increase "both official and public awareness of the priority of importance of air forces in any system of national security," according to Mr. Truman. "The great strategic fact of our generation is that the United States now possesses live frontiers -- the frontiers of the air -- and that the oceans are no longer sure ramparts against attack."

In his message to the nation on the first Air Force Day, Mr. Truman said, "I remind all of our citizens that the air power of the nation is essential to the preservation of our liberty, and that the continued development of the science of air transportation is vital to the trade and commerce of a peaceful world."

Air Force Day was last observed on August 1, 1949.





Related Links:
United States Air Force Official Website
USAF History and Heritage
United States Air Force Reserve
United States Air National Guard

MARINE LOYALTY — U.S. Army Capt. Jason P. Schauble, 4th platoon commander, 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company, attached to 1st Marine Division, was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star with a combat “V” for valor and a Meritorious Service Medal during a ceremony marking the end of his career at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., July 28, 2006. Schauble was medically retired after serving nine years in the Marine Corps. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ryan M. Blaich

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Israel at War
Israel thrusts across border - Video
Ground Campaign Pushes Forward
Rice: Mideast cease-fire resolution expected this week
Israeli Offensive to Widen
Bush: 'Sustainable' Cease-Fire
Video: Bint Jbail: A Ghost Town
Photo Essay: Israel, Hezbollah Trade Attacks
Israeli air strike kills Palestinian teenager: medics
Bush pressured to call for Mideast truce
Fighting escalates - Video
War shapes Olmert's fate
Israel ready for prisoner swap: paper
Wife of kidnapped Israeli pleads for sign
Full coverage: news, videos, blog posts (Reuters)
Limits of Israel's High-Tech Power
Americans Stand Fast With Israeli Ally

Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraq Blasts Kill 56
Soldiers targeted as 50 die in Iraq - Video
Baghdad street recovers from bomb as another hits - Video
Iraq Violence Spirals
COALITION FORCES DETAIN TWO SENIOR AL-QAIDA IN IRAQ LEADERS
COALITION FORCES TURN OVER AL-QAIDA IN IRAQ LEADER
IRAQI NATIONAL POLICE CAPTURE GANG MEMBERS SUSPECTED OF KIDNAPPINGS

Operation Enduring Freedom
Three British troops killed in ambush in Afghan south
Where the Bin Laden Trail Goes Cold
EXTREMISTS ATTACK GIRL'S SCHOOL, VILLAGERS RETURN FIRE
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TALIBAN EXTREMISTS, ATTACK GOVERNOR; KILL EIGHT CIVILIANS IN NANGAHAR

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Britain says faces "severe" terrorist threat - Video
Court posts 9/11 trial evidence online
Islamic charity fundraiser released

Other Military News
60 years ago, vets took up arms in Tenn.
Airborne Chaplains Corp oldest in military
Marine Plays Taps for 400th Time
Japan to Bolster Military for Peacekeeping, Self-Defense
F-22 Proposal Starts Fight in Senate
Senate Panel Kills Trident Missile Plan

Worldwide Wackos
Fidel Castro Steps Aside
Celebrations erupt in Miami
Castro's Illness Worse Than Past Ones
Timeline: Cuba Under Castro
U.N. Gives Iran 31 Days- Video: Unified Ultimatum
Japan Urges Iran to Accept Security Council Proposal
Two Korean Soldiers Exchange Fire Along Border
Cuban exiles dance in Miami over Castro news
Cuban communism looks beyond Castro
Castro's condition unknown after surgery
Cubans in Miami await news on Castro

Homegrown Moonbats
Key Democrats Unite for Troop Pullout

Politics / Government
Surgeon General Resigns
FDA nominee faces senators after Plan B move

Mother Nature
Heat Wave Grips Midwest
Cities conserve power ahead of heat wave
Tropical Storm forms near Leeward Islands
Clean penguins return to sea after spill

Oddities
We don't want to be disrespectful to dead fish...
Gucci, Gucci, gone
Monks plead not guilty to sex charges
Waitress gets own ID when carding patron

Other News of Note
Mexico leftists take city center in vote protest - Video
Sri Lanka jets hit rebels - Video
Congo party denounces "significant" poll fraud
Will Gibson's tirade against Jews hurt his career?
ABC pulls Mel Gibson Holocaust miniseries: report
Deputy hopes Gibson thinks about DUI

Fox News
Chinese County Kills 50,000 Dogs After Rabies Deaths
Stocks to Watch: MetLife

Reuters: Top News
IBM to use AMD processors in new servers
Microsoft submits documents in bid to avoid fine
Drive-in movies make a comeback
Britain's kids sweat it out in new mini-gyms
New insights into mouth cancers
Scientists take step toward obesity vaccine
Trading fears cast shadow over Deutsche Bank - Video
Stock futures slip ahead of data - Video
Whole Foods profit up but sales miss estimates
Uncertainty of generic Plavix hits Bristol shares
Phelps stock up as deal chatter takes another turn
Get ready for Medicare crunch
On the radar: TelMex
Paulson heads for Wall Street
Verizon revenue up on wireless growth
Emerson raises profit forecast
For Big 3 sales, July takes back seat
Brooks Automation says ex-CEO signed false document
FDA nominee faces senators after Plan B move
BEFORE THE BELL
Money matters
Protectionist policies may add to dollar woes

AP World News
Kodak posts wider 2Q loss of $282M
Nonprofit may run Boston Wi-Fi network
Greg Maddux dealt to the Dodgers
Northwest, flight attendants at impasse
Next Landis test result is due Saturday
Futures point to down open on Wall St.
Obituaries in the news
Powwows evolve while preserving tradition

Military.com
Pentagon to Scrap Site Connected to Scandal
General Who Ran Guantanamo Bay Retires

CENTCOM: News Releases
COALITION FORCES DETAIN TERRORIST, TWO OTHERS NEAR TIKRIT

COALITION FORCES CAPTURE FIVE TERRORISTS

COALITION FORCES KILL ONE TERRORIST, CAPTURE SIX OTHERS

COALITION FORCES CAPTURE WANTED TERRORIST LEADER

COALITION FORCES SUCCESSFULLY TARGET TERRORIST IN BAGHDAD

IAD, MND-B SOLDIERS FIND IED MATERIALS, DETAIN TWO AFTER DRIVE BY SHOOTING

CCCI CONVICTS 24 INSURGENTS, ONE SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT
1ST BN., 22ND INF. REGT. SOLDIERS SEIZE WEAPONS

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
NATO Assumes Command - Story
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Iraqi Cadre to Begin Training Enlisted - Story
Conference Highlights Upcoming Deployment - Story
Air Force Specialists Keep Planes in Flight - Story
Airmen Work to Ensure Planes Meet Mission

IN IRAQ
Comedians Entertain Troops at Camp Speicher
Iraqis Receive Excavation Equipment
Battalion Helps Iraqis Take the Lead

IN AFGHANISTAN
Chairman Thanks Troops in Afghanistan
Afghans Making Much Progress, Pace Says

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

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

Gitmo

Today in History
1291 - The Everlasting League forms; it is the basis of Swiss Confederation (National Day).
1619 - The first Black Americans (twenty of them) arrive in Jamestown, VA.
1789 - U.S. Customs begins enforcing the Tariff Act.
1790 - The first U.S. census lists the population at 3,939,214.
1794 - The Whiskey Rebellion begins.
1798 - Battle of the Nile.
1831 - London Bridge opens.
1834 - Slavery is abolished in the British empire.
1838 - British slaves in the Bahamas are emancipated.
1861 - Brazil recognizes the Confederacy.
1863 - Cavalry units engage near Brandy Station at the end of the Gettysburg campaign.
1867 - Blacks vote for the first time in a state election in the South (Tennessee).
1873 - The first San Francisco cable car begins service.
1876 - Colorado becomes the 38th U.S. state.
1881 - A U.S. Quarantine Station authorized for Angel Island, San Francisco Bay.
1901 - Burial within the San Francisco city limits is prohibited.
1914 - Germany declares war on Russia.
1936 - Adolph Hitler opens the Olympic Games in Berlin.
1950 - Curt Simmons is the first Major League baseball player to fight in Korea; The Territory of Guam is created.
1953 - Northern Rhodesia becomes part of the Federation of Rhodesia/Nyasaland
1955 - Microgravity research begins.
1957 - In Albuquerque, NM, the first commercial solar-heated building opens; Glen Gorbous throws a baseball a record 445 feet, 10 inches.
1958 - First Class postage is raised to $0.04 (it had been $0.03 for the last 26 years).
1960 - Benin (Dahomey) gains independence from France.
1961 - The new San Francisco Hall of Justice opens.
1972 - The first article exposing Watergate hits the press (Bernstein-Woodward).
1975 - The Helsinki Pact is signed by 35 nations.
1990 - Iraq pulls out of talks with Kuwait

Birthdays
10 BC - Claudius 4th Roman emperor (41-54 AD)
126 - Publius Helvius Pertinax Roman emperor (193 AD)
1744 - Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, believed in inheritance of acquired traits
1770 - William Clark, 2nd Lt. of Lewis and Clark Expedition
1779 - Francis Scott Key, composer (Star-Spangled Banner)
1819 - Herman Melville, author (Moby Dick, Billy Budd)
1889 - Dr. John F. Mahoney, developed pencillin treatment of syphillis
1933 - Dom DeLuise, comedian, actor (Cannonball Run)
1936 - Yves Saint-Laurent, fashion designer (Opium, Obsession)
1937 - Alfonse D'Amato, (Sen-NY)
1944 - Yuri V. Romanenko, cosmonaut (Soyuz 26, Soyuz 38, Soyuz TM-2)
1946 - Richard O. Covey, USAF/astronaut (STS 51I, 26, 38)

Passings
1882 - Henry Kendall Australian poet, dies of tuberculosis at 43
1988 - John Cardinal Dearden US cardinal, dies at 80

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Finney, Arthur Thomas, USAF (FL); F104 shot down, remains returned August, 1985

Kwortnik, John Charles, USAF (PA); F104 shot down (pilot), remains returned August, 1985

North, Kenneth W., USAF (NY); F105D shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Brigadier General as of 1996, alive as of 1998

1967
Prewitt, William Roland, USMC (LA); KIA, body not recovered

Winston, Charles C. III, USAF (NY); RF101 shot down, remains returned by SRV September, 1977

1968
Kernan, William (WA); not on official DIA list - remains returned?

Broms, Edward J., USN (PA); A4C shot down, likely KIA

Fowler, Donald R., US Army (GA); UH1C shot down (gunner)

Fernan, William, US Army (WA); UH1C shot down (WO, aircraft commander); casualty file states body recovered, remains returned August, 1971

Hastings, Steven M., US Army (CA); UH1C shot down (crewchief)
Ross, Joseph S., USAF (KY); F4D shot down

Russel, Peter J., US Army (NY); UH1C shot down (pilot); Vietnamese doctor states died on or before Thanksgiving, 1968

Thompson, William J., USAF (TX); F4D shot down

1969
Burd, Douglas G., USAF (VA); F4E shot down (backseater); KIA, body not recovered

Callies, Tommy L, USAF (SD); F4E shot down (pilot); KIA, body not recovered