Soldiers' Angels is recruiting all members and friends to go to America's Favorite Mom contest and vote for Patti Patton Bader. Registered members may vote once a day in the Most Inspiring Mom online contest. This contest ends March 31, 2008.




Why is it so important for Patti Patton Bader to win? The obvious reason is, she deserves it. The secondary reason is the funds go to the favorite charity of the winner, ah you guessed it, Soldiers' Angels! Also, it provides another level of public awareness for Soldiers' Angels in drawing the attention of more angels and donors.

Don’t delay, sign up and VOTE FOR PATTI! Soldiers' Angels is now 200,000 angels strong globally and celebrates its' 5th anniversary in the month of March. What a great gift this would be.

Soldiers' Angels (http://www.soldiersangels.org/) was started by a self-described "ordinary mother" of an ordinary young man turned hero, Sgt. Brandon Varn. Brandon was deployed in Iraq and has since honorably completed his mission and has returned back to his proud and loving family.

In the summer of 2003, he wrote home expressing his concern that some soldiers did not receive any mail or support from home. Being a caring and loving mother, she decided not to allow a situation like that to continue. She contacted a few friends and extended family to ask if they would write to a soldier or two. Within a few short months, Soldiers' Angels went from a mother writing a few extra letters to an Internet Community with thousands of angels worldwide.

With more and more merchants donating services, money and items for packages, the Angels reorganized as a 501 ( c) (3) non-profit so all donations would be tax deductible. Soldiers' Angels currently supports tens of thousands of American Service Members stationed wherever we raise our nation's flag, and that number continues to grow daily. Soldiers' Angels are dedicated in supporting our military during and after their deployment.

Now this ordinary mother's youngest son, Bretton Varn, is serving his country in Iraq as he continues his family's legacy of bravery, honor and commitment. As with all of our brave men and women in the United States Armed Forces, our thoughts and prayers are with Brett and his family as he begins his tour in service to his nation.

Patti Patton-Bader is an amazing woman who dedicates so much to our Hereos.

Please take a moment to vote for her.

Labels: Patti Patton-Bader, Soldiers' Angels

Awww....Hamas TV shows are so cute....

Like the one where they have the little kid puppet talking to G.W.B.

"I have come to take revenge with this sword — revenge for my mother and my sisters," the child puppet says. "You are a criminal, Bush."

"I will kill you, Bush, because that is your fate," the child says before stabbing Bush repeatedly.

And then our little scamp turns the White House into a mosque. Now there's something the whole jihadist family can enjoy.

I just can't understand why anyone would think Hamas doesn't want peace...
Click here for video

Labels: Hamas, Religion of Peace?, terrorists

Balad trauma doctors gather to hone skills
Lt. Col. (Dr.) John Mansfield and Maj. (Dr.) Greg Hughes work together on a procedure to remove kidney stones from an Iraqi man March 26 at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The doctors met during the Joint Theater Trauma System conference where they learned how each other's medical facilities function. Colonel Mansfield is a 332nd Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron urologist deployed from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England and Major Hughes is a 332nd EMDOS surgeon and an Iraqi surgeon from Balad General Hospital deployed from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Mareshah Haynes)

Labels: Balad Air Base, Iraq, medical assistance, photos, USAF

Desert Battles are unfolding in hidden and faraway places. Bullets snapp through air, then splap through flesh and men fall. Bodies crumple onto the desert, a fly lands on the lip of an open mouth, fingers twitch as the flesh dies and the winds kick up and dust settles on unblinking eyes. The dry earth drinks their sticky blood and they are forgotten. Their families do not know they are dead. They came to kill Americans and innocent Iraqis. Instead, they were killed themselves. In a desert landscape, sometimes the color of a war can bleed out into black and white.

Read the Rest

Labels: Blogwatch, Iraq, Michael Yon

Pentagon, Washington, D.C. (March 14, 2008) – Inscription on the reverse side of actual Medal of Honor prepared for presentation posthumously to Master-At-Arms 2nd Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor who sacrificed himself to save his teammates during combat operations in Iraq, Sept. 29, 2006. Medal is pictured with the Navy Special Warfare (SEAL) Trident. The parents of Master-At-Arms 2nd Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor will accept the nation's highest military honor on behalf of their son during a White House ceremony April 8, 2008. Monsoor is the first Navy SEAL to earn the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq and the second Navy SEAL to receive the award since Sept. 11, 2001. Monsoor is the fifth armed forces service member to receive the Medal of Honor since the beginning of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Mr. Oscar Sosa

Labels: Fallen Heroes, Medal of Honor, Michael A. Mansoor, SEALs

From Multi-National Force - Iraq:





Noor Taha Najee gives 1st Lt. Michael Kendrick, platoon leader, 2nd Platoon, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, a goodbye kiss near the end of a March 26 visit to her house in al Buaytha, Iraq. Noor, whose corneas are underdeveloped, has been blind since birth. The Soldiers of 1-30th Inf. Regt. are working with a nongovernmental organization in Los Angeles, the Eye Defects Research Foundation, to get Noor surgery that may provide her with sight. Photo by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky.


Monday, 31 March 2008

By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky
2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Her hands run across his hand, her fingers explore his features. She asks her father: Is he fat or skinny? Tall or short? She is trying to learn about the man she cannot see, the one who strives to end the mystery surrounding him and the world around her.

First Lt. Michael Kendrick, platoon leader of 2nd Platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, said it is his goal to replace the mental picture young Noor Taha Najee has of her father with the actual image.

Noor, a 5-year-old girl who lives in al Buaytha, has been blind since birth, a condition caused by poorly-developed corneas, said her father Taha.

It is a problem which runs in the family. Taha's brother, Mustafa, also suffers from the birth defect, one that prevents the eyes from registering anything other than light sensitivity.

Although the condition is genetic, it is one that can be fixed through surgery. Kendrick, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., and his unit have been working closely with doctors to try to get something done for the family.

"To have her see her family, her brothers, to put a face to the voice, it would be a blessing," Taha said of the opportunity to help give sight to his daughter and brother.

The Eye Defects Research Foundation, a nongovernmental organization based in Los Angeles, is already trying to schedule a surgery for the girl.

On March 14, the Soldiers took Noor and her uncle to the 86th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad to get an evaluation done on the two, which showed a higher potential for success with Noor.

"We're on standby now, waiting for a doctor in L.A.," Kendrick said.

He said they are now trying to find a local Iraqi doctor who would be willing to travel with Noor and her family to California. An Iraqi doctor is needed who could be shown the necessary follow-up care.

Such a gift would seem appropriate for a girl who is described as very generous and giving by her father.

"She's different from many other kids," Taha said. "She's always sharing. She'll give you anything."

It is a personality trait which has endeared her to the 2nd Platoon Soldiers.

"We've taken a real vested interest in the people here," Kendrick said, adding his Soldiers spend a lot of time on the ground, interacting with residents. "We empathize with the people. It pays dividends winning the hearts and minds. It keeps things quiet."

Noor has developed quite an attachment to Kendrick, Taha said.

"She likes to sit by him, and is always asking me about him and loves it when I tell her stories about him," he said. "She's only like that with Kendrick."

As a father of two young girls himself – Presley, 3, and Parker, 1, – Kendrick said he knows the importance of family and providing for them.

While she may not be able to see what the Soldiers are doing for her, Taha said Noor can definitely sense the good will of Kendrick's platoon.

"Love begins in the mind, not the eyes," Taha said.


In other news from Iraq:
Iraqi Policeman killed preventing car bomb attempt on SOI leader (Tikrit)
Iraqi Army, MND-B Soldiers kill 7, detain 4 criminals

Labels: 1-30 Infantry Regiment, 3ID, children, FOB Kalsu, Good News, Iraq, photos, US Army

EVACUATION FLIGHT - U.S. Air Force Col. William Venanzi plays with a 3-year-old Iraqi burn victim on board a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft during a medical evacuation flight to the U.S. from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, March 21, 2008. Venanzi is a part of a critical care air transport team assigned to 88th Medical Group. The child and his mother flew from Balad Air Base, Iraq, to the U.S. to obtain treatment and physical therapy for second- and third-degree burns covering 45 percent of the boy's body. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Allen

Labels: 88th Medical Group, C-17, children, Globemaster, Humanitarian Aid, photos, USAF

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Mortars or Rockets Fired at Baghdad's Green Zone, Day After al-Sadr Calls Off Militia
Basra returning to normal after Sadr truce
Iraqi Forces Show Strength Through Unilateral Exercise
Iraqi Security Forces, Ministries Show Progress
Ordnance Marines Help Put Bombs on Target
In Iraq, U.S. caught in middle of Shiite rivalry (L.A. Times)
New Iraq receiving baptism of fire in Basra (Telegraph)

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Sri Lanka Offers $100G to Terrorists Who Change Ways
Rice says Mideast talks on track, despite settlements

Fallen Heroes
Remains of GI Captured in 2004 Found in Iraq

Religion of Peace??
Global Backlash for Anti-Islam Film
Vatican: Islam Surpasses Roman Catholicism as World's Largest Religion
French extremists dream of jihad in Iraq

Worldwide Wackos
Cuba Lifts Ban on Its Citizens Staying in Tourist Hotels

Politics / Government
Embattled HUD Chief Quits
Bush Calls on Congress to Pass Trade, Housing, Spy Laws
FOX Business: New Plan Would Give Fed Broader Powers
Iowa Governor's Mansion Blamed for Sickening 36
Rice: Mideast Peace Talks 'Moving in Right Direction'
Lawmakers willing rescuers in crisis
Clinton's financial plan - Factbox
Clinton: Would be active in Mideast peace
Women push back in support of Clinton
McCain takes a walk down memory lane
Blog: Texas Dems - one more step to go
Full Coverage: Results, polls, blogs
Obama's Penn State rally draws 20,000
Bill Clinton woos Calif. superdelegates
Bush's legacy
McCain takes a walk down memory lane
United States reopens ransacked Belgrade embassy
Putin seeks to mend fences with West
More News: "Kyoto II" climate talks open
Serbia says will hold May elections in Kosovo
Musharraf swears in Pakistan cabinet full of foes

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Cops Investigate Two SoCal Freeway Shootings, 1 of Them Fatal
Apparent Fetus Discovered in Bathroom of NYC Flight
Cops: Dad Kills 3 Kids at Hotel, Reports It to Front Desk
Hearing put off in highway shootings
Ill. univ. top cop: 'I lost 5 people'

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Yahoo introduces Shine, a site for women

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
Study: Cell Phones Could Be More Dangerous Than Cigarettes
‘Super Suit’ Could Be Banned From Swimming Competitions
Schering, Merck hit by cholesterol drug fallout
Beijing aims to cut down smoking for Olympics
Indonesian child tests positive for bird flu
Researchers find six more diabetes genes: study
Man-made molecules reverse liver cirrhosis in rats
Apple has biggest impact on world consumers: survey
Sony films headed to mobile phones

Mother Nature
Woman Calls Cheetah Attack 'Not a Big Deal' - VIDEO

News from My Neck of the Woods
Conn. Woman's Body Found After Home Invasion

Oddities
Child Genius at Oxford Becomes Prostitute
Chicagoan Looks to Sell Gacy 'Murder-a-Bilia' - PHOTOS

Other News of Note
Olympic Torch Re-Lit at Beijing Ceremony, Security Tight
China Steps Up Attacks on 'Hypocritical' Dalai Lama
Tibetan speaker says crackdown continues
`Killing Fields' survivor Dith Pran dies
Judge says no evidence royals plotted to kill Diana

Fox News
Mahalo: Aloha Airlines to Halt All Flights, Operations
Report: Ledger May Have Secret Love Child
Bankrupt Aloha Airlines to End All Flights and Operations
Pop Tarts: Audrina Patridge Flashes More Flesh, Set to Earn Millions?
Tom Cruise's Impossible 'Mission'

Reuters
Analysis: Paulson plan faces opposition
Mugabe's party, opponents level as results emerge - Video
Actors unions butt heads over negotiations
Live Nation agrees to 12-year pact with U2
Pernod wins Absolut vodka in $8.9 billion deal
Corrected: Citigroup creates regional, global units
Friends rejects $7 billion JC Flowers takeover offer
AT&T says bidding for more global corporate deals
Lehman sues Marubeni to get back $352 million from scam
Airlines to lose more than $1 billion in 2008: Calyon
Market flat on data, drop in drug shares - Video
Oil to reach record average above $90 in 2008
Philip Morris Intl shares rise in market debut
Oil moves higher after weaker start
Massive cut in U.S. corn area to boost prices: panel
Euro-zone inflation keeps euro firm vs dollar
Wall Street sees steeper decline in Q1 results: report
Nikkei down 2.3 percent, marks worst quarter since 2001
Braced for crisis

AP World News
Heather Mills to judge Miss USA Pageant
Much is changed for new baseball season
Soap drama fuels Hollywood labor woes
Lehman Brothers sues Marubeni in Japan
Davidson's magic run ends against Kansas
French architect Nouvel wins Pritzker
Wall Street awaits government plan
Memphis rolls past Texas into Final Four

News Blaze
PHOTOS: Iraqi Army Checkpoints are Up to Standard
Iraqi Army, MND-B Soldiers kill 7, detain 4 criminals
Soldiers' Angels and Patriot Guard
Iraq News
Operations in Iraq
FOB Warhorse Memorial Photos
Videos

CENTCOM
USCENTCOM Bids Farewell to Commander
Anbar Leaders unite at Camp Fallujah
Iraq strategy process well under way, Pentagon spokesman says
Marines, Sailors assist Iraqi refinery employees
Programs assist Iraqi engineers

USJFCOM
Industry symposium to raise awareness of 21st century capabilities
Workshop looks at strengthening capabilities in the urban environment - podcast
Command releases report
More about JCOA
JKO provides training for those deployment-bound - podcast
More about Joint Knowledge Online

Multi-National Force - Iraq
Iraqi Army, MND-B Soldiers kill 7, detain 4 criminals
Iraqi Policeman killed preventing car bomb attempt on SOI leader (Tikrit)
Iraq Army, CF Engineers team up in Mosul for COP Inman rebuild
Cavalry unit responds to insurgent activity (Jisr Diyala)
ISF, advised by U.S. Special Operations Forces, detain 10 suspected AQI in separate operations
ISF, CF kill 8 criminals, detain 2 others in pursuit to secure streets of Baghdad

DefenseLink
Africa Command Makes Progress With African Allies
Command Aims to Partner With African Nations
Policy Dialogue Allows U.S., African Officials to Address Security Issues

MILITARY NEWS
Unprecedented Unified Maritime Strategy Aims to Prevent War

AFGHANISTAN NEWS
Clinic, School Open in Province
Afghan School Gets New Library

FACE OF DEFENSE
Soldier Writes New Chapter in Family History

IRAQ NEWS
Iraqi Officials Open Middle School, Health Clinic
Forces Kill, Capture Terrorists, Seize Weapons
Soldiers, Airmen Save Iraqi Teen Injured by Bomb

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Sports Clinic Opens for Disabled Veterans

Weather
Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Germany
Ansbach Aschaffenburg Berlin Berlin-Tempelhof Berlin/Schonefeld Bremerhaven
Darmstadt Frankfurt Frankfurt/Main Freiburg/Breisgau Garmisch
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Geilenkirchen Gelnhausen Giessen Kitzingen
Hanau Am Main Heidelberg Mainz Mannheim Nurnberg Stuttgart Trier
Wiesbaden Wurzburg

Gitmo

Guam
Agana Agana Heights Agat Andersen AFB Asan Barrigada

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

Japan
Kadena Air Base Okinawa Tokyo Yokohama

Today in History
1282 - The great massacre of the French in Sicily ends.
1492 - In Spain, a royal edict is issued by Catholic rulers, declaring that all Jews who refuse to convert to Christianity will be expelled.
1547 - In France, King Francis dies, and is succeeded by his son Henry II.
1653 - In the Battle of Leghorn, the Dutch destroy the British squadron. Their commander, Van Gelen, is mortally wounded.
1776 - Abigail Adams writes to her husband, John, that women are "determined to foment a rebellion" if they are not guaranteed their rights by the Declaration of Independence.
1779 - Russia and Turkey sign a treaty, promising to take no military action in the Crimea.
1790 - In Paris, Robespierre is elected president of the Jacobin Club.
1849 - In the Battle of Brescia, Austrians put down an Italian revolt.
1854 - In Tokyo, Commodore Perry, representing the U.S., signs the Treaty of Kanagawa with the Japanese, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate, and permitting the establishment of a U.S. consulate.
1862 - Skirmishing between Rebels and the Union forces takes place at Island 10 on the Mississippi River.
1866 - The Spanish fleet bombards the undefended city of Valparaiso, destroying it.
1889 - The Eiffel Tower officially opens as part of the Exhibition of 1889.
1916 - General John Pershing and his forces rout Pancho Villa's army in Mexico.
1917 - The United States purchases the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million.
1918 - For the first time, Daylight Savings Time goes into effect in the U.S.
1921 - Great Britain declares a state of emergency because of a strike by coal miners.
1933 - In an attempt to counter severe unemployment, Congress authorizes the Civilian Conservation Corps .
1939 - Britain and France agree to support Poland if Germany threatens to invade.
1940 - The German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis sets off on its mission to sink Allied merchant ships.
1941 - Germany begins a counter-offensive in North Africa.
1945 - The United States and Britain bar a Soviet-supported Polish provisional delegation from entering the U.N. meeting.
1948 - The Soviet Union begins controlling Western trains headed toward Berlin.
1949 - Winston Churchill declares that the atomic bomb was the only thing that prevented a Soviet takeover of Europe.
1954 - The siege of Dien Bien Phu, the last French outpost in Vietnam, begins.
1959 - The Dalai Lama, fleeing Chinese retribution after a Tibetan uprising, crosses the border into India, and is granted political asylum.
1960 - The South African government declares a state of emergency after demonstrations lead to more than 50 deaths.
1966 - Anti-war demonstrators, estimated at more than 200,000, march in New York City.
1967 - President Johnson signs the Consular Treaty, the first bi-lateral pact with the Soviet Union since the Bolshevik Revolution.
1970 - In Vietnam, U.S. forces down a MIG-21, the first since September 1968.
1991 - Albania has its first multi-party election in 50 years; The Warsaw Pact military alliance between the Soviet Union and its eastern European satellites ends after 36 years. This was taken in the west as a sign that the Soviet Union was losing control, and the Cold War was headed for an end.
1994 - The U.S. withdraws its troops from Somalia.

Birthdays
1499 - Pius IV [Gianangelo de' Medici], Italian lawyer/pope (1559-65)
1519 - Henry II, King of Germany (1547-59)
1570 - Louise Juliana, Countess of Nassau
1675 - Benedict XIV [Prospero L. Lambertini], Pope (1740-58)
1723 - Frederik V, King of Denmark/Norway (1746-66)
1837 - Stephen Dodson Ramseur, Confederate Major General
1839 - Nikolay Przhevalsky, naturalist, explorer of east central Asia
1840 - John Herbert Kelly, Confederate Brigadier General
1854 - Sir Dugald Clerk, inventor (2-stroke motorcycle engine)
1872 - Arthur Griffith, Irish journalist, founder of Sinn Féin
1892 - Stanislav Wladyslaw Maczek, Polish/British General-Major/commandant
1900 - Henry W.F.A. English, Duke of Gloucester/earl of Ulters
1909 - Robert Brasillach French, author/Nazi collaborator
1912 - Wilhelmus Berkelmans, civil servant/resistance fighter
1934 - Grigori Grigoyevich Nelyubov, cosmonaut (Vostok 1 backup)
1940 - Barney Frank (Representative-MA)
1947 - César Gaviria Trujillo, President (Colombia, 1990-94)
1948 - Albert Gore, Jr., (Senator-TN, 1985-92)/45th US Vice President
1957 - Patrick G. Forrester, Lieutenant Colonel Army/astronaut

Passings
1201 - Absalon Asserssön, Danish archbishop of Lund/statesman
1340 - Ivan I Kalita, Grand-Duke of Vladimir
1389 - Everhard Tserclaes, sheriff of Brussels, murdered
1567 - Philip the Generous, count of Hessen, dies at 62
1578 - Juan de Escobedo, Secretary of Spanish land guardian Don Juan, murdered
1621 - Felipe III, King of Spain (1598-1621), dies at 42
1928 - Gustave Ador, President of Austria (1919), dies at 82
1944 - Mineichi Koga, Admiral of Japanese fleet
1945 - Hans, Fischer German physicist (Nobel 1930), dies at 63; Maurice Rose, 1st US General in Nazi Germany, killed in action at 45
1970 - Semjon Timoshenko, Russian Marshal/Inspector-General (WWII), dies at 75
1980 - Jesse Owens of 1936 Berlin Olympics fame, dies in Arizona at 66
1993 - Brandon Lee US actor (Crow)/son of Bruce Lee, accidentally shot at 28; Jose Maria Lemus President of El Salvador (1956-60)

Reported Missing in Action
1965
McKinley, Gerald W., USNR (CT); A1H shot down, KIA, body not recovered

1969
Carpenter, Ramey Leo, USN (OK); FA5C shot down (w/White) - remains ID'd June, 1998

White, Danforth E., USN (PA); FA5C shot down (w/Carpenter) - remains IDd June, 1998

1971
Salley, James, Jr., US Army (SC); captured when firebase was overrun (w/Terrill), DIC July, 1971

Terrill, Philip B., US Army (NY); DIC April, 1971

Labels: Headlines, History