Always check your child's homework!!!!!

H/T: Theo Spark

Just because...

Because men and women stand on that wall every night to keep evil from visiting us.

Many have given the last full measure of devotion...



Are you worthy of their sacrifice?

.

1,000,000 sorties since 9/11!

Air Mobility Command passed a major milestone Nov. 19, when an AMC aircraft flew the command's one millionth sortie since September 11, 2001.

The landmark flight was a C-17 mission flown to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan. The crew was from the 62nd Airlift Wing's 10th Airlift Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash.

"AMC is firmly in the fight," said Gen. Arthur Lichte, AMC commander. "Whether it's flying airlift, tanker or aeromedical missions in and out of combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, humanitarian relief missions to hurricane and earthquake ravaged areas, or supporting UN peacekeeping missions as it did recently in Darfur, AMC is there."

"This milestone is a tribute to the men and women who fly, maintain, support and control these aircraft. The excellence they demonstrate every day will no doubt continue for the next million missions, wherever they may be," said Lichte.

A sortie is defined as a single takeoff and landing. The milestone includes all operational missions, training missions and commercial contract missions flown by the command.

Other mobility facts:

- About every 90 seconds a mobility aircraft lifts off somewhere in the world.

- Since Sept. 11, 2001, AMC tankers have passed nearly 1.2 billion gallons of fuel to U.S. and allied aircraft.

- AMC airlift is keeping about 12,000 people and almost 5,000 trucks off Iraqi roads each month, helping to defeat the enemy's IED strategy.

- AMC aircraft are responsible for transporting the nation's senior leaders, including the president.

- AMC is rushing about 12 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to Iraq and Afghanistan every day. The command has delivered more than 1,000 MRAPs.

- AMC aeromedical crews provide timely airlift and medical care to their fellow warriors, rapidly moving injured service members from the battlefield to the U.S.

Amazing!

And I (along with my squadron-mates) flew a bunch of those...

.

Hooyah! Murph

The President's Thanksgiving Address

The following is a transcript of President Bush's radio address:

PRESIDENT BUSH: Good morning. This week our Nation celebrated Thanksgiving. American families and friends gathered together to express gratitude for all that we have been given. We give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy. We give thanks for the loved ones who enrich our lives. And we give thanks for the many gifts that come from this prosperous land. Thanksgiving is a time when we acknowledge that all of these things, and life itself, come not from the hand of man, but from Almighty God.

Earlier this week, I visited Berkeley Plantation in Virginia. The story of this historic setting goes back nearly four centuries to another day of thanks. In 1619, a band of 38 settlers departed Bristol, England for Berkeley. At the end of their long voyage, the men reviewed their orders from home. The orders said, quote, "The day of our ship's arrival ... shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God." In response, the men fell to their knees in prayer. And with this humble act of faith, the settlers celebrated their first Thanksgiving in the New World.

Berkeley's settlers remind us that giving thanks has been an American tradition from the beginning. At this time of year, we also remember the Pilgrims at Plymouth, who gave thanks after their first harvest in New England. We remember George Washington, who led his men in thanksgiving during the American Revolution. We remember Abraham Lincoln, who revived the Thanksgiving tradition in the midst of a terrible civil war.

Throughout our history, Americans have always taken time to give thanks for all those whose sacrifices protect and strengthen our Nation. We continue that tradition today — and we give thanks for a new generation of patriots who are defending our liberty around the world. We are grateful to all our men and women in uniform who are spending this holiday weekend far from their families. We keep them in our thoughts and prayers. And we especially remember those who have given their lives in our Nation's defense.

One of these brave Americans was Lieutenant Michael Murphy. In June 2005, this officer gave his life in defense of his fellow Navy SEALs. Michael was conducting surveillance on a mountain ridge in Afghanistan, when his four-man SEAL team was surrounded by a much larger enemy force. Their only escape was down the side of the mountain. The SEALs launched a valiant counterattack while cascading from cliff to cliff. But as the enemy closed in, Michael recognized that the survival of his men depended on calling back to base for reinforcements.

With complete disregard for his own life, Michael Murphy moved into a clearing where he could get a signal. As he made the call, Michael fell under heavy fire. Though severely wounded, he said "thank you" before signing off, and returned to the fight. His heroism cost him his life — and earned him our Nation's highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor. This weekend, we give thanks for the blessings of young Americans like Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who risk their own lives to keep us safe.

We're also blessed by the many other Americans who serve a cause larger than themselves. Each day our Nation's police and firefighters and emergency responders and faith-based and community volunteers dedicate their time to serving others. While we were enjoying our Thanksgiving turkeys, tens of thousands of these men and women were on the job — keeping their fellow citizens safe and bringing hope and compassion to our brothers and sisters in need. And their sacrifice reminds us that the true strength of our Nation is the goodness and decency of our people.

Since America's first Thanksgiving, we have changed in many ways. Our population has grown. Our people have prospered. And we have become a great beacon of hope and freedom for millions around the world. Despite these changes, the source of all our blessings remains the same. We are grateful to the Author of Life who blessed our Nation's first days, who strengthened America in times of trial and war, and who watches over us today.

Thank you for listening.

High Larry Ass!

Nice...

RIP...

California Highway Patrol Officer John Miller (ID# 18414) was killed on 11-16-07 in a traffic collision, while attempting to locate a DUI driver.

Officer Miller was driving south on North Livermore Avenue about a mile north of Interstate 580 when he lost control of his patrol car around a sharp curve and struck a tree.

Officers from the Livermore Police Department located the drunken driving suspect, on eastbound I-580 near Greenville Road, and he was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on suspicion of DUI, evading police, and driving without a license.

Officer Miller had served with the California Highway Patrol for one year and was assigned to the Dublin Stations. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Freedom isn't free...

Enough Said.

Welcome Home!

Story Here

He sure is a spaz...

But I like his work!

Take the chance...

Veteran's Day 2007

To all fellow Americans that are serving or have ever served:

Thank You.

Happy Birthday! Devil-Dogs!

Today is the 232nd birthday of the United States Marine Corps.

Semper Fidelis to all of my brothers.



Birthday Presentation

"The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle."
— U.S. Army Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing

"Angels of Death"
— nickname given U.S. Marines by Iraqi soldiers in Gulf War I

"Panic sweeps my men when they are facing the American Marines."
— captured North Korean major during the Korean War

"The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines. Lord, how they could fight!"
— U.S. Army Major Frank Lowe

"The American Marine division has the highest combat effectiveness in the American armed forces. It seems not enough for our four divisions to surround and annihilate its two regiments. You should have one or two more divisions as a reserve force."
— Mao Tse-Tung's orders to the commander of the Chinese 9th Army Group

"U.S. Marines have the swagger, confidence, and hardness that must have been in Stonewall Jackson's Army of the Shenandoah."
— A British military observer's report, August 1950

"Marines have it [pride] and benefit from it. They are tough, cocky, sure of themselves and their buddies. They can fight, and they know it."
— U.S. Army General Mark Clark

"Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweilers or Dobermans, because Marines come in two varieties, big and mean, or skinny and mean. They're aggressive on the attack and tenacious on defense. They've got really short hair and they always go for the throat."
— Rear Admiral J.R. Stark, U.S. Navy, 1995

"The U.S. Marine Corps has, once again, proven itself to be the best fighting force in the history of mankind. The warrior ethic of the Marines is paralleled only by Special Operations forces, and they manage to embed that spirit into 175,000 troops."
— Commander Mark Divine, U.S. Navy SEALs, 2005

"... Oversexed, underpaid, teenaged killers [some sources say 'babyfaced killers']."
— First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt

"The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!"
— First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt

"Thank God for the United States Marines. At least they still turn out men. Crazy ones and wild to be sure. Mad as March hares each and every one of them, but true men for all of that, and dashing men to boot."
— Honolulu Advertiser, 1971.

Very Cool...

A prediction.

Military action will be taken against Iran, by the end of next year.

SWEET!

Just because...

Out-Freaking-Standing!

The 1st Cav putting some Hell fire down on Haji.

Hooah!!!

This is horrible.

Please help the Johnson's if you can. I can't imagine how terrible it'd be to lose all three of your children.

Car crash claims third child of wounded Iraq veteran

Associated Press

DALLAS — A wounded Iraq veteran and his wife have lost a third child from injuries the boy suffered in a car accident on the way to visit his father in the hospital.

Three weeks after his siblings died in an Oct. 13 accident on the gusty West Texas plains, 9-year-old Tyler Johnson died Saturday at Children's Medical Center Dallas.

Army Spc. John Austin Johnson was waiting for his wife, Lisa, and their three kids to visit him at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio when the deadly crash occurred on Interstate 10 about 12 miles east of Ozona.

Lisa Johnson overcorrected the steering in her sport utility vehicle after encountering a blast of wind on the drive from El Paso, causing the car to roll at least four times, officials have said.

The couple's youngest children, 2-year-old Logan and 5-year-old Ashley, died at the scene. Tyler Johnson suffered massive head injuries.

Lisa Johnson was driving at the speed limit, traffic investigators have said, but they blamed the accident on a combination of high speed, drowsiness and powerful winds.

The three children were in the back seat. Logan was in a child seat, but the other two children were not wearing seatbelts.

Sgt. 1st Class Eugene Schmidt, a family spokesman, said Tyler survived longer than expected.

The Johnsons were too upset to talk publicly, but Schmidt said they're coping the best they can.

"I think the good thing is they knew it (Tyler's death) was coming," Schmidt said. "They had time to prepare for it this time."

Johnson, who is stationed at Fort Bliss, has survived five brushes with improvised explosive device blasts during two years in Iraq, Schmidt said last month. The latest left him with a traumatic brain injury, and he speaks with a severe stutter.

Visitation for Tyler is set for Wednesday and a funeral for Thursday at Roller-Ballard Funeral Home in Benton, Ark., the family's hometown.

Numerous donations have helped the family deal with immediate expenses.

The Professional Golfers' Association raised $95,000 to pay for a new car and other expenses.

American Airlines donated plane tickets for family members to travel to the children's funerals last month and the pending funeral this week.

Schmidt said the Johnsons plan to take a month off to rest and decide what to do next.

"Right now, they've kind of had a mission, so to speak going to hospital every day, checking on their son, burying two others," he said. "When this calms down, they're going to realize it's just them two."

You can donate to the family through any Bank of America branch. The account is the “Ashley and Logan Johnson Memorial Fund.” Tell the bank associate that the account is domiciled in Texas.
.