Armed Services:USA's topics - tribe.net

Ending the Tribe

2008-07-27T17:51:06Z

Hey folks,

I have found that most people on Tribe just want to complain or throw their weight around. I have started several Tribes with strict rules that there would be no trolling and no hate speech, and a few people joined them. Then, they never spoke again. I have found that people prefer to engage in Tribes that have active trolling, active hate speech, and active condescension. For this reason I am disbanding most of my Tribes. This Tribe has not seen activity in two years, therefore, I will disband this one as well. I thank you for joining, and hope you have found what you were looking for elsewhere. If you would prefer that this Tribe remain active, please let me know within the week.

Thank you,

Wendy

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

I encourage you to share your views with Steve Pavlina about the U.S. military - please read

2006-10-26T17:08:06Z

I'm not sure if I can in good conscience support Steve Pavlina's views on his blog as much as I did before. I have enjoyed checking out www.stevepavlina.com for a long time, and this is a free country, so he has the right to freedom of speech. I am a military member, and I'm all about good humor, but his blog entry of the day both threw me and saddened me. The majority of the articles I've read on his site are usually very informative and positive and seem to offer value to people's lives. He usually writes and teaches very effectively and encourages personal growth learned from his own experiences. So why, all of a sudden, this pointless jab at the military (www.stevepavlina.com/blog/20...ervice), especially when it relates to the deaths of servicemembers whose families are out there somewhere right now feeling the loss of someone very dear to them, knowing there is nothing they can do to bring them back?

Steve has most likely never served in the military, and until he can know what it feels like to sacrifice, to be out in that desert heat (and, yes, I have been there) wondering when you are going to return home to your family, I doubt he can truly glean what it means to serve his country.

I am not surprised he denied his readers the ability to post comments to this entry. He would have gotten a lot of flak, enough to overwhelm the storage on his server I believe, from veterans and active servicemembers like myself. Most of us have a lot of pride in what we do, and, in NO circumstances, is the death of another Soldier, Sailor, Coast Guard member, Airman or Marine something to joke about. So Steve can dish it out, but I gather that he didn't want to take a chance at having to interact in this discussion to further explain his viewpoint, especially if it were challenged by military family members or their men and women who have fought and continue to fight with courage for our country.

I am a frequent viewer of George Carlin's brand of sarcastic comedy, so I would agree that some very serious issues can be made light of by injecting a good dose of humor, and that sometimes this country needs a good laugh, but not when it is hurled at its bravely fighting souls who have a very serious job to do during a very serious time in our history (and in the future, at this rate). The issue at hand is not if you support the President or our laws or whatever when it comes to politics in the here and now. Debate it all you want. The issue is that thousands of troops are putting their lives on the line everyday in Iraq, a volatile, unpredictable place, so that Americans at home can safely get out of bed every day and go to work without living in the shadow of the fear of another 9-11. I am getting off track, but I have so many strong feelings and so much to say on this subject.

PEOPLE, THE SOLDIERS FIGHTING IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND YOUR PERSONAL POLITICAL STANCE ON SUPPORTING THE WAR SHOULD BE TWO SEPARATE CONCEPTS!!!

We need everyone's support if we are to win a war. Sure, you are allowed to have your own opinion, but don't forget that the people trying to win this war and end it, the people helping to redevelop the country of Iraq, are your next-door neighbors, or maybe your kid's football coach or his or her math teacher. We in the military are not strangers in a different uniform than yours, far removed from having human lives. We just made a choice that seemed right for us, which was to protect the values we want to see live on here in this place we call America, for a very, very long time.

We are not blind idiots, being led about by the government, as the media can sometimes paint us. Far from that. Yes, when we make the choice (notice I said CHOICE, because I have seen a few books written by ex-soldiers who act as if they were whipped, tied, tarred and feathered and forced at gunpoint to sign up for an enlistment in the Armed Services) to join the service, we must follow the laws that govern us, whether we agree with each one of them or not. We are people who I believe feel as much, if not MORE, than the average American individual who has never served. How can you really know what you stand to lose until you come close to doing so, until you have to put your own life on the line to help win a war? I tell you, when you have to be away for long periods of time from all that you call home, and you don’t know when you will go home, the importance of every little moment is magnified one hundred times over.

Who is the soldier? He or she can be many things. I am a soldier and prouder than ever to be one. Soldiers come from many backgrounds, religions and races. One stereotype cannot define a soldier or what he feels inside that pushes him to do what he does to save lives and provide humanitarian aid.

General Norman Schwarzkopf said, "Few who have never served their country will understand a soldier's heart." And I find that to be a very wise statement.

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

CPT (Ret) Dawn Halfaker

2006-09-04T15:20:24Z

When you have a moment please read an article I wrote about a dear friend of ours at:
http://www.ayshah.com/html/humble.html

posted in Armed Services:USA - 1 reply

New here

2006-09-02T00:18:13Z

Hello everyone :o)
I'm a former Army wife... My husband Nathan is a medically retired MP Captain - he is currently a medical student and I'm a grad student working on my MFA in writing. I'm happy to be part of this tribe :o)
When you have a moment please visit a tribe I have started at:
http://tribes.tribe.net/honorourveterans

Sincerely,
Ayshah
www.ayshah.com

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

Shirley, You Jest!

2006-04-13T11:08:24Z

Shirley, You Jest!

Claim: Actress Cindy Williams penned an editorial denouncing a proposed pay raise for the military.

Status: False.

Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2001]

Variations: In early 2002, one small change was made to the e-mail: "But, tomorrow from Kabul, I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Origins: The editorial critical of military pay raises alluded to above and the irate response to it penned by an airman at Hill Air Force Base are genuine, but the author of the original editorial has been mistaken for her her much more famous namesake.

Cindy Williams, who starred in the hit 1973 film American Graffiti and portrayed sweet, lovable Shirley Feeney on the popular 1970s sitcom Laverne & Shirley hasn't been writing newspaper articles denouncing our "overpaid" servicemen. Back in January 2000, a different Cindy Williams — one working as a senior research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Office: E38-603
Phone: 617-253-1825
cindywil@mit.edu
and was once assistant director for national security in the Congressional Budget Office — contributed an op-ed piece to The Washington Post (not the Washington Times) in which she criticized a proposed 25% pay increase for military personnel (on top of a 4.85% raise that had just been enacted). In her article, Ms Williams maintained that claims that servicemen in the military suffered a 13 percent "pay gap" relative to the private sector were inaccurate, and that military personnel were already well paid compared to the average American.

The full text of Cindy Williams' article can be found here. The response quoted was indeed drafted by the airman named, although it was not published in The Washington Post.

The misidentification of the original article's author has caused considerable grief for Cindy Williams the actress:
"I've done everything to try to squelch it, but nothing seems to work," says Miss Williams of "Laverne and Shirley" fame. "I have people writing and calling me, even my friends, asking: 'Are you against a pay raise for the military?' And I reply, 'You know me, I'd fight [in the military] if I could, because I am such a patriot.'"

Ironically enough, much of the angry correspondence (even "hate mail") the actress has received has come from the military ranks.

"It's been really worrisome," says the actress. "It's terrible to malign people like that. I don't know where to go to say I didn't do this."
We hope this site is one of the places through which Ms. Williams the actress can get out the word that she really didn't do it.

Last updated: 21 February 2005

The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/gipay.asp

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

Please help

2006-04-08T02:10:57Z

please go to this website to send a fax to the related US
congress and senate members to Request a Congressional Hearing on the
Sujiatun case. it's a very easy to Fill out form, With just a click, the fax will be sent.
thank you,
joshua

here is the link:
http://publicpetition.unvcc.com/UN/index.php

there is more information about Sujiatun on the website:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/211,111,,1.html

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

What IIR????

2006-04-05T11:52:49Z

Army to transform IRR
April 4, 2006

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, April 4, 2006) – Individual Warriors will be the new label for Soldiers serving in the Individual Ready Reserve.

Simultaneously, the new name will lead to a cultural shift away from the unstructured group of inactive individuals into a cohesive group of Soldiers who are trained, aware and ready to augment Army missions when called upon.

Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey endorsed the move to reset and reinvigorate the IRR through several programmed initiatives to transform the Army’s leading prior-service talent bank.

“Senior Army leadership is committed to providing the necessary funding required to shape the IW initiative,” Harvey said. He added that Soldiers in the IRR will be a “viable pool” of individual warriors “trained and employable to meet the needs of the Army.”

Presently there are more than 100,000 Soldiers (enlisted and officer) in the IRR that represent more than 200 Military Occupational Skills ranging from combat arms and support to combat-service support specialties, but that could potentially be reduced to 60,000 ready and available Soldiers.

“While the mission of the IRR is to provide a pool of previously trained Soldiers who are ‘individually ready’ for call-up, our culture and past management of the IRR has made it difficult for many to accept that call-ups will become common practice,” said Maj. Nadine Kokolis, a mobilization officer in the Army’s G-1.

“In order to establish realistic readiness reporting, the Army is conducting a systematic screening of the IRR database to reconcile existing records and identify non-mobilization assets, and separate those Soldiers who no longer have further potential for useful military service,” added Kokolis.

The Army will institute an annual screening and training program for all assigned IWs who align with the Army Force Generation model – Reset/Train; Ready; Available. This program will be developed and carried out in order to maintain positive contact, administer refresher training as individual skills degrade and ensure the deployable readiness.

“Annual readiness screening is the heart of this initiative to ensure IRR members are deployable,” said Kokolis. “The Army will execute a pilot screening for approximately 5,000 Soldiers in fiscal year 2007; the goal is to institutionalize the entire screening and training program by fiscal year 2013.”

Recruiters and career counselors will brief all Soldiers entering the service and transitioning between components so they understand service obligations and training requirements in the Army Reserve.

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

Anyone going or been to Air Power over Hampton Roads?

2006-03-20T00:38:32Z

It's the airshow at Langley Air Force Base at Virginia Beach. I've never been to it and I was wondering what it's like. Is there alot of traffic? Is it hard to get a hotel room? I'm in Charlotte, NC.

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

New Witness Confirms Existence of Chinese Concentration Camp, Says Organs Removed from Live Prisoners

2006-03-18T04:15:42Z

Please help to end this horrible persectuion. knowledge is our greatest weapon, please share this information. together in peace we can make a difference. Falun Dafa is a peaceful meditation practice that teaches putting others before yourself, kindness, always telling the truth and being tolerant of others. We are literally being killed for being good people. The national media has done very little to help us because of trade issues with China. It is up to us to let the world know. Please help us.

By Ji Da
The Epoch Times Mar 17, 2006
www.theepochtimes.com

The witness, a former employee at the Liaoning Thrombosis Treatment Center of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, and says the bodies of Falun Gong practitioners are cremated immediately after the organs are removed. (The Epoch Times)
[High-resolution image ] A former employee of Liaoning Provincial Thrombosis Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine told The Epoch Times during a recent interview that the Sujiatun Concentration Camp in China was actually a part of a hospital. The concentration camp has engaged in taking organs from Falun Gong practitioners when they were still alive and selling the organs. Since 2001, the concentration camp has secretly detained approximately 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners, none of whom have been able to leave the camp alive. The hospital removed many kidneys, livers, and corneas from the practitioners. After the organ removal, the practitioners were thrown into an incinerator, which was converted from a boiler. Their ashes were dumped together with burned charcoal.

Organs from Three Quarters of the 6,000 People Were Removed
Those whose organs were removed were in various states of health. Because many of the victims were illegally detained, there was neither an arrest warrant nor identification as to who these people actually were. Often after their organs were removed, nobody claimed the bodies. Sometimes their bodies were picked up by crooks who pretended to be their family members.

About three-quarters of the 6,000 people died after their hearts, kidneys, corneas, or skin was removed; their bodies were then burned. This witness, whose family member participated in the removal of Falun Gong practitioners' organs, said that approximately 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners remain in the hospital. She was afraid that the authorities would kill all of them to destroy evidence.

The Liaoning Provincial Thrombosis Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine is located at 49 Xuesong Road, Sujiatun, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China. It was the first hospital in China to specialize in the heart, the brain, and surrounding blood vessels. The hospital is composed of several organizations, including the Liaoning Traditional Chinese Medicine College Teaching Hospital and the Shenyang Thrombosis Treatment Center.

Concentration Camp Details
The hospital site is 21,087 square meters, with 17,564 square meters of building area. It employs 460 people in 24 departments and 20 specialized offices. Information from the Chinese government shows that the hospital was established in December 1988, and was formerly named the Shenyang Research Institute of Thrombosis and Liaoning Province Thrombosis Treatment Center of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine. In June 1998, it was renamed China Traditional Medicine Thrombosis Treatment Center.

The Chinese Business Morning View said in a story on July 4, 2004, that a farm worker died of abnormal causes in Sujiatun, Shenyang and was later cremated. The death certificate was provided by the Chinese Medicine Thrombosis Treatment Center in Sujiatun. The news caused a stir in China.

Epoch Times: Did the hospital's medical staff inside the concentration camp know about this?

Answer: This hospital has a small number of officials and some doctors involved secretively in the operation of organ harvesting. Some other staff in the hospital knew about this, but this is absolutely a taboo [to talk about]. They all are afraid of being killed or courting trouble, so they all avoid the issue. Only those highly trusted doctors could be chosen to be the surgeons for organ harvesting operations.

ET: Were Falun Gong practitioners alive when their organs were harvested? Did their families know about this?

Answer: Falun Gong practitioners who were imprisoned there came mostly from Dabei Prison, Masanjia Labor Camp, and other prisons in Shenyang, or they were Falun Gong practitioners arrested in parks or residential homes. Because they refused to denounce Falun Gong, they were arrested without formal warrants, and their families did not know their situation. Many did not even have their names [recorded]. In addition, since the Chinese authority exercises a policy of "not being responsible" for killing Falun Gong practitioners, the death of Falun Gong practitioners is not a very big issue for prisons. The Chinese Communist Party persecutes Falun Gong, [but] these medical personnel were told Falun Gong practitioners were facing death because they killed people, or they were sentenced to death because of crimes, or they had become insane from practicing Falun Gong.

Those Falun Gong practitioners whose organs were harvested came from several types.

Organs harvested from live bodies are worth far more than organs taken from dead bodies. Many Falun Gong practitioners were still alive when their organs were taken. After their organs were cut out, some of these people were thrown directly into the crematorium to be burnt, thus leaving no evidence. For some others, after their organs were stolen, the doctor sewed up the wound and asked the family or family representative to give a signature for cremation. Family members did not know at all that the dead had their organs taken out.

Furthermore, there were some healthy Falun Gong practitioners in prisons in other areas who were injected—without their knowledge—with psychoactive drugs that made their minds confused. They then were transferred to Sujiantun concentration camp to suffer further torture, till in the end their organs were harvested and their bodies were cremated in secret.

Among the Falun Gong practitioners whose organs were harvested, some were weak and some were healthy. Since most of them were illegally arrested, there were no arrest warrants or identification cards. After their organs were taken out while they were still alive, no one came to claim their bodies; or [sometimes] people using fake identities claimed their bodies.

None of these people have come out [of the concentration camp] alive; three-quarters of these 6,000 people have died, having their hearts, kidneys, retinas, and skins harvested and their bodies disposed of. I think now about 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners are still in this hospital, and I am afraid now that the authority will destroy all evidence and kill them.

Question: How did you know these things? Were you yourself a doctor involved in organ harvesting?

Answer: I worked at the Liaoning Provincial Thrombosis Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Shenyang. This is exactly where this concentration camp is located. One of my family members was involved in the operation to harvest Falun Gong practitioners' organs. This has brought great pain to our family.

Question: Please tell us what you knew about.

Answer: From 2001, our hospital started to detain Falun Gong practitioners. At the beginning, these people were detained in the single-storey houses in the back yard of the hospital. Later, the hospital authorities demolished the single-storey houses, and it was unknown where in the hospital the Falun Gong practitioners were transferred. Many staff of the hospital discussed in private that these Falun Gong practitioners had been secretly transferred to the underground chambers of the hospital. According to some people working inside the hospital, the hospital has a huge system of secret underground chambers.

At the time when we went to work there, the person in charge of logistics and purchasing in the hospital said that the quantity of disposable sterile gloves used for operations and daily supplies that the hospital authorities asked to be purchased had increased dramatically. The logistics people estimated based on the scale of purchases at that time that there were at least 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners detained in this hospital.

These Falun Gong practitioners were not detained in the 4-story building under the in-patient department and administration at the front of the hospital, in order to keep the hospital staff from seeing them at all. We only occasionally saw Falun Gong practitioners being sent on a mobile intensive care bed to the first floor for physical examinations. These people were very weak. For the majority of the Falun Gong practitioners, nobody knew where they were being secretly kept. While they still did not know where these people were kept, some staff inquired to the hospital authorities about why so much food and so many sterile gloves and daily supplies were purchased. The hospital authorities said, "You only need to do your job well. There is no need for you to ask any other questions."

Starting in 2001, a family member of mine participated in organ-harvesting operations. My family member tried to keep me from knowing about this at the beginning. The hospital authorities selected doctors they trust in different aspects to perform the secretive operations. After a period of time, I found that my family member was in a lot pain, often had nightmares, and appeared panic-stricken. After repeated inquiries, this family member told me the truth. The leader of the hospital had asked my family member to participate in the organ harvesting operations on Falun Gong practitioners as early as 2001. It was 2003 when my family member confessed. A few years after, my family member felt so much pain from participating in this incident that it was impossible to continue with the evildoing. My family member decided to go abroad to get away from this matter.

My family member also told me: "you don't understand my suffering; those Falun Gong practitioners were alive. It might be easier for me if they were dead, but they were alive."

Question: Were there any other doctors from the hospital taking part in the operations of cutting out Falun Gong practitioners' organs?

Answer: I know there were some. All these things have been carried out secretly. Many doctors at our hospital involved were practicum doctors transferred from other hospitals. Because the government does not want to be responsible for Falun Gong practitioners' bodies and lives, their lives are treated as garbage by the regime, and their bodies were used in experiments by new doctors doing their practitcums.

Many doctors came and left the hospital because they suffered a lot after having been involved in these kinds of things. They either requested to be transferred to other places, or changed their names. Some might have been killed to eliminate the evidence, their identity files were taken out from the hospital's filing system, or their names were changed. Nobody knows where the doctors have gone.

The hospital staff all know that the rear part of the hospital is forbidden. It is always watched. The staff avoids talking about the place.

Question: It is said the hospital is equipped with an incinerator. The person whose organs were removed will be burned when he or she is still alive. Is that true?

Answer: The employees in our hospital call this place "the incinerator." Actually, it is a boiler room. Some poor farmers from nearby places were hired to work in the boiler room. They were penniless when they first came here. But they could scrape up some watches, finger rings, necklaces, and so on. The amount is not small. It is said by the employees in the hospital these jewelry and watches were collected from the Falun Gong practitioners whose organs had been removed when they were about to be thrown in the boiler to be burned. It is also said by the employees in the hospital, some were still alive when being thrown into the boiler.

Question: Do they get injection of anesthetic when in surgery?

Answer: Yes. There is a cap to the anesthetic quantity used in mainland China's hospitals. Generally, the supply of anesthetic was determined according to the accommodation of the hospital. To the public, the number of patients in our care appears to be very small, and publicly reported number of surgical procedures performed is quite low. But the equipment and articles used in surgery are abundant. Because the amount of anesthetic is limited, these secret surgeries could not use the normal anesthetic doses. In order to save anesthetic, they economized on the anesthetic used in surgeries on these Falun Gong practitioners. The amount of anesthetic used was very small. However, many whose organs were removed were still alive. You can imagine the pain suffered by the Falun Gong practitioners whose organs were removed.

Question: Are there any survivors among the 6,000 people detained since 2001?

Answer: Nobody has come out alive. The number of them gets smaller and smaller. The Falun Gong practitioners detained at Sujiatun are fewer now than before. But I believe that the sin of removing the organs of the Falun Gong practitioners is still continuing.

Question: Where are these organs usually sold to? Do the higher authorities in the government know about this?

Answer: They are mainly sold to Thailand, but I believe they are also sold to other regions of the world. Nowadays, there are many patients in China who need human skin, corneas, and kidneys for organ transplant surgeries. Many patients have to wait in line to purchase organs. Currently, a kidney can be sold up to the price of 30,000 to 100,000 U.S. dollars. The profit from selling organs is simply too great. The people who benefit from this are not only the top leaders of hospital and the officials of the Chinese Communist Party's Heath Department. This is a crime present across the entire nation. People ranging from government officials to doctors to organ sellers are all involved in this and are profiting greatly.

Question: Why did they target Falun Gong practitioners as the source of organs?

Answer: Because relatives of many Falun Gong practitioners don't even know that their family members were arrested. So if the Falun Gong practitioners are killed, there will be no one to come and claim their dead bodies.

Question: Why did you want to expose this? This may bring great danger to you.

Answer: I know that there are many Falun Gong practitioners who are currently detained at the hospital. I would like to expose this to the international community, so those who are not yet killed can be saved. Also, I would like to expose this as an atonement for my family.

I am not a Falun Gong practitioner. But as a former staff member of the hospital, I have the responsibility to expose the truth, and let the world to save those Falun Gong practitioners who are still alive. Organs of some Falun Gong practitioners are still living on patients' bodies. I would like to call on all society to pay attention to this issue and stop this shocking crime.

you can find out how you can help at www.fofg.org

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

Lets get to know each other.

2005-10-06T12:02:12Z

So hello all, I just reenlisted after a 11 year brake. I all ready had 10 years in so I thought I might finish up and make it 20 to 26 years. So here is who I am pluse read my profile:

USMC 1986-1997 RANK SGT
S.D. MCRD
MOS 0311(GRUNT) 0451(RIGGER)
1ST BN 7TH MARINES Lima CO San Matao Camp Pendlton
1ST BN 9TH MARINES DELTA CO HORNO Camp Pendlton
1ST FSSG 1ST LSB Air Delivery
3RD FSSG 3RD LSB Air Delivery
3RD Anglico
OPERATION DESERT SHIELD
OPERATION DESERT STORM
BEST TIME- Overseas and the cultures I've seen
REGRETS-NONE
PRESENT- RESERVE US ARMY Rank SGT, Computer Consultant, Father, t reenlisted after a 11 year brake. I all ready had 10 years in so I thought I might finish up and make it 20 to 26 years. So here is who I am pluse read my profile:

posted in Armed Services:USA - 3 replies

boot camp jitters??

2005-03-14T01:25:27Z

as my ship date approaches i have caught myself looking around in every aspect of my life saying "this is one of the last times i get to do this for a while, This is the last time im gonna do this, man its gonna be a long time until im free to do this again

I know this must be normal, because i cannot be the first man in history to be a little anxious about what tomorrow will hold, because it is so hard for anyone to really tell me what is going to happen, and those that ive met served so long ago the rules are all different now

helpful hints, some have said that if the base commanders don't know my name by the end, I did a good job, never in my life has it been that doing a good job is to be totally average as to draw no attention to yourself

i hope, even though everyone else ive met, that i find others like me there. everyone in my DEP is going in for job training, somthing to do, or because their fami9ly is military. My family is all against my decision, but they support it, and i am ONLY doing this out of patriotism. I look at others, as i have all my life, who have served with great respect, and inside i have always felt like less of a man for not doing what i have always been called to do

Who else has heard this caLL??

posted in Armed Services:USA - 1 reply

Minutemen at Arizona Border

2005-02-21T20:37:35Z

Its about damn time someone stood up!!!
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=2&u=/ap/20050221/ap_on_re_us/border_minutemen

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

Veteans wanted

2005-02-12T06:15:55Z

... to help write content on foreign policy for www.battlecry-ca.com in our border issues section.
Contact: managingeditor@battlecry-ca.com

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

Doing the numbers

2005-01-27T07:42:42Z

Love him or loathe him, he nailed this one right on the head.............

By Rush Limbaugh:

I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country. If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.

If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable.

Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.

Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough. Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Soldiers put themselves in harm's way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers.

We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11 families are getting. In addition to that! , some o f the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well.

You see where this is going, don't you? Folks, this is part and parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low-rent housing. Make sense?

However, our own US Congress voted themselves a raise. Many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month. And most are now equal to being millionaires plus. They do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system.

If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, they may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed them in harm's way receive a pension of $15,000 per month.

I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting.

When do we finally do something about this? If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to forward this to as many people as you can.

How many people can YOU send this to ?

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

video; flying rocks

2005-01-11T05:54:53Z

http://images.military.com/Shock/0,,SA_050106_FlyingRocks,00.html

posted in Armed Services:USA - 2 replies

Bands for freedom

2004-12-31T06:56:58Z

http://www.bandsforfreedom.com/en/

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

The Bill of No Rights

2004-12-18T17:04:45Z

http://sanfords.net/Bill_of_No_Rights.htm

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

??????

2004-12-14T20:33:03Z

http://bestoftulsa.com/html/news_4.shtml

Its time we stand up for our troops.

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

This is BS.

2004-11-27T06:20:09Z

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/172004e.asp

and I dont mean its fake , i mean its Bull Shit what happened to the school.

posted in Armed Services:USA - 2 replies

new member saying hi

2004-10-26T08:37:48Z

Hello to all,

Just joined and I'm prior military, US Army. Was a combat engineer, military wisdom(is there such a thing, honestly?) volunteered me to do some medic training & long story short, ended up with a secondary as a medic. Was an idiot: got out and re-upped as a medic due to oversaturation on my primary mos almost two weeks later. Why?... cuz I was dumb and in love with an mp.

Great way to kill 10 yrs., huh? (chuckle)

Glad to be here and I hope I can be of help & sevice to others here. I do the e-mail stuff and I mean it when I say that I'd like to here from anybody that just needs to have someone to listen... hell, vent if you wanna. Or laugh, whatever.

Not here looking to build up my friend counter thing in the upper corner. Honest.

Take care, all.

posted in Armed Services:USA - 2 replies

Deployment

2004-10-26T08:36:27Z

A special friend of mine is being deployed to Iraq. I am nervous. He holds a special place in my heart, and I may not be able to see him before he leaves. I just wanted to tell you that I will be very nervous and upset for the next year, until he comes home.

posted in Armed Services:USA - 2 replies

October Surprise

2004-10-26T01:50:07Z

A column from a fledgling web site dedicated to California news, politics, culture, and lifestyle. (www.battlecry-ca.com)

Best wishes,
Mike Forbes

The phrase "October Surprise" was invented on Oct. 2, 1980 by George H. Bush at a campaign appearance in Eugene, Ore. Mr. Bush warned that President Carter might engineer an event that would change the way the electorate viewed the national race because, "When you are a president, you have an ability to shape things to some degree.” 

Whether there will be an October Surprise in 2004 remains to be seen. We may even see a November 1st Surprise. Or a 2nd of November Surprise. Or we may see an October Surprise not engineered by the President. 

If an October Surprise were to occur, what manifestation is it likely to take? Might it be the announcement that Osama bin Laden has been captured? 

Earlier in the year, both left and right-wing ideologues claimed that the U.S. military already had Osama bin Laden on ice, ready to be produced. 

Putting that nonsense aside, what are the chances Osama will be taken between now and the election? 

The C.I.A. believes bin Laden is in a mountainous area north of the Pakistani city of Quetta. The region is populated with bin Laden supporters and the terrorist leader is estimated to have 50 bodyguards with him at all times. bin Laden and his men sleep in caves. The area is subject to snow storms sweeping 10,000ft-high mountains and buffeted by high winds. There are no roads and donkeys are the preferred mode of transport. 

This makes conventional assault- surrounding the area and methodically searching for the terrorist- impossible. The plan to capture bin Laden would depend on a swift, surgical operation. Special Forces troops in Afghanistan await intelligence about bin Laden’s location and the order to snatch him. 

Capturing bin Laden would seal the election for Bush. The only problem is no one in the U.S. military knows where to find The World’s Most Wanted Man. 

The U.S. hasn’t been able to locate bin Laden since 9/11. Let some simple, extremely unscientific numbers set the odds for bin Laden’s capture between now and the election- 160 weeks since the W.T.C. Bombings without useable intelligence : 1 week remaining before the election. 

The far more likely October Surprise is that Al Qaeda will employ the Madrid Strategy, so named for the March 11, 2004 commuter train bombings in Spain that killed 191 people, to turn voters against President Bush. 

The Madrid Strategy seeks to pick away at the coalition until it is reduced until only the U.S. remains. The bombings in Spain were clearly intended to coincide with that country’s election season. Al Qaeda’s hopes of turning middle-of-the-road voters against supporting U.S. efforts to stabilize Iraq were realized. The terrorists, heartened by success in Spain, will try their best to strike where Americans will feel it most. 

Battle Cry doesn’t shy from making predictions and so far we’re 2-0, but we can’t employ that kind of a hot streak in an arena that deals with domestic terrorism. Instead, Battle Cry will set the odds. 

Odds on a domestic terrorist attack before Election Day… 1 : 1. 

And if terrorists succeed in killing Americans at home? 

Bush would be victorious. 

There is little doubt that the Bush Administration, though hamstrung by the lumbering nature of all bureaucracies, has done its best to protect Americans at home and no patriotic American could ever believe that an American leader of either party would allow an attack to occur for political gain. 

Americans aren’t appeasers. Blood on American soil would put even “safe” states like California back into contention. 

(www.battlecry-ca.com)

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

new tribe: http://deployed-for-freedom.tribe.net/

2004-10-08T08:01:52Z

This tribe is dedicate and for those deployed right now, please join if you are deployed and want to connect to the others out there that are. Please don't join if you are not deployed and since I am not please speak up if you wish to take over.

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

Active vs. Reserves

2004-09-14T15:28:26Z

My wife is considering joining the Army, to become a Chaplain's Assistant. We talked to the Active Duty recruiter last night, and I have to admit we both thought it sounded like kind of a good deal. We'd have to uproot a lot of things (pets, sell house, etc) but the opportunities for education and the benefits didn't sound so bad.

We're going to talk to a reserve recruiter next week, but I'd love to hear some input. How good are the educational opportunities for active service members vs. Reserve members. My wife's eventual goal is to become a chaplain, but you need a Master's degree for that.

-Scott

posted in Armed Services:USA - 4 replies

Burners from Iraq

2004-08-18T05:48:27Z

Are there any Iraq vets out there that are also burners? Anyone forces to miss this or a past events?

posted in Armed Services:USA - 1 reply

????

2004-08-10T23:40:16Z

Have any of you guys heard anything about the Army being short manned? They are supposedly taking AF guys and "giving" them to the Army...? May be just a rumor...God I hope so.

posted in Armed Services:USA - 8 replies

GTMO

2004-07-09T17:19:13Z

OFF TO GTMO,18 MONTH TOUR

posted in Armed Services:USA - 9 replies

Bumper sticker of the year:

2004-07-09T16:13:57Z

"If you can read this, thank a teacher....and since it's in English, thank a soldier."

I've never seen this one, but I like it. :)

posted in Armed Services:USA - 2 replies

PCS

2004-06-22T09:31:45Z

In 8 mos or so I PCS. Looks like bahrain or Ft Mead. Anyone there at either locale can give a Crypto guy a heads up?

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies

A true American hero dies in Afghanistan...

2004-04-24T02:54:46Z

I don’t know who this guy is, or anything personal about him. However I do know his name is Pat Tillman and he turned down a 3.6 million dollar contract to fight for all of us. I don’t know why but news of his death hits me hard. I feel the most intense sense of pride and sadness. I think that while he is no more important or special than the next soldier dying for his country, it is worth noting the fact he could have taken a much easier and lucrative path than he did.

posted in Armed Services:USA - 4 replies

sexual harrasment in the USAF

2004-04-09T04:13:54Z

So, I go out this weekend with a bunch of friends and to say the least things got a little flirty and playful.

One of the girls there happens to be married and I was being quite flirty with her. I was trashed, she was trashed and we were mutually "playful". I guess as the night went on I got real drunk and she had to push me away a couple times. Well someone informed my supervisors about it, and now they are saying I sexually harassed her. Im pretty scared now. I have no idea what’s going to happen to me.

posted in Armed Services:USA - 8 replies

Best and worst

2004-04-07T16:51:14Z

Where is the best place you ever deployed to (or TDY)and where is the worst?

For me..

Best = Eglin AFB in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.

Worst = Doha City, Qatar

posted in Armed Services:USA - 7 replies

Housing On and Off Post/Base

2004-03-15T15:43:52Z

I would like to hear from you about a quality of life issue. What has been the state of your housing in your career that was paid for by the military. In the army, we paid for our housing, even though we only saw that we paid at the end of the year when we recieved this packet explaining our leave and earnings at the end of the year. However, even though we had to pay for our housing in a roundabout way, we had no say over it. We had electrical cords sticking out all over the place. Light bulbs would literally melt out of the sockets. I lived for 7 years with only candles and the sun for light, because I couldn't afford to buy new lightbulbs every week. What are you experiences?

posted in Armed Services:USA - 9 replies

photo album

2004-03-12T21:51:39Z

Oh come ON!
I know you people out there have some nifty military pictures to share. I have many that I can't show, and a few that I can show. If no one posts photos, then I will be forced to upload my Bosnia and Kosovo photos from when the ex was deployed, and my pictures from Germany. (the ones where I DIDN'T have a beer in my hand!)

posted in Armed Services:USA - 11 replies

YAY!

2004-02-26T00:11:21Z

My husband will be home in 5 hours! Im counting the seconds too...

I just saw that commercial where the Navy wives are saying good bye to their husbands... brings tears to my eyes every time. (I know Im cheesy)

posted in Armed Services:USA - 6 replies

Foreign Service

2004-02-06T22:40:28Z

Have you or a family member been stationed overseas? Where? Was it fun or horrid? Tell us about the best places you were stationed outside of the U.S., and why you thought they were so awesome. Then tell us the worst places and be specific why. I am interested in hearing aobut QOL issues and of course, local national interests. Enjoy this one folks!

posted in Armed Services:USA - 7 replies

Hello people....

2004-02-02T13:52:02Z

Where is everyone stationed? Im in Misawa, Japan... My husband is in the USAF....he's in CE...

drawing a blank here....dont really know what to say... lol.

posted in Armed Services:USA - 8 replies

Married to the Military?!

2004-01-16T13:15:25Z

Many people who have had no contact with the military prior to marrying a soldier or having their spouse suddenly join up have no clue what military life is like. It is unlike any other way of life they have ever experienced. Some posts can be the best places in the world, while others can be hell. With more and more women joining up, we are seeing a surge in househusbands. Not all husbands stay home with kids, but those who do deserve the same amount of support and respect that housewives get. It isn't easy being an only househusband on a post either. It took our Family Support Group months to convince our solitary househusband to come join us for fellowship. We even had to finally update our group, as it had degenerated into a gossip circle. Having the man's opinions brought out in group meetings helped many women see from another point of view as well. I highly recommend all spouses go to www.military.com and join up. From there you can get all kinds of news to help you deal with military life a little better. I recommend that all "old hat" military spouses adopt a newbie at their post and show them the ropes. I would take my husband's young troopers under my wing and have BBQ's where they could stop by our home and commune outside of work. I provided free rides to other posts for the young spouses who hadn't learned to drive or who couldn't afford a car. I helped them understand exactly what an LES was, and how to create a better budget. I also explained the dangers of relying on that DPP account and instead, thinking about layaway. Now is that so hard to do? If your local FSG sucks, then create a new one. Just call it, a friend circle. Below is a link to an article on military.com that refers to the importance of spouses in the military. Just copy and paste it into your web browser.

http://65.54.246.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=2de9b4d965ea562066ce644adf634bbe&lat=1074258151&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2ftracking%2emilitary%2ecom%2fcgi%2dbin%2foutlog%2ecgi%3furl%3dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww%252Emilitary%252Ecom%252FNewContent%252F0%252C13190%252CLeyva%255F120903%252C00%252Ehtml%253FESRC%253Dfamily%252Enl%26code%3d040112WFYH01

posted in Armed Services:USA - 0 replies