Hero: Staff Sergeant Carlo A. Alcazar

Sgt. 1st Class Drew C. Kimmey, Capt. Stephen P. Ward and Staff Sgt. Carlo A. Alcazar, members of Civil Affairs Team 745, were recently recognized for their performance during an Afghanistan mission last November. The three soldiers were recognized for their efforts in rescuing a Special Forces team leader, who was also the ground forces commander that day.

CA Team 745 was stationed at Firebase Cobra in Oruzgan, Afghanistan, with special operations detachments from the 3rd Special Forces Group, members of the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police. On Nov. 2, 2007, the teams and their Afghan counterparts left the firebase to visit the village of Sarsina to conduct medical capabilities mission as well as a humanitarian aid drop. Once they arrived at the village, they discovered it had been evacuated and that Taliban fighters were entrenched into several fighting positions in an attempt to ambush forces in the area.

Alcazar reported only three families came in for medical treatment. The families told the soldiers the Taliban made the other people leave the village, but that having nowhere to go. they stayed. “What was alarming,” Ward said later, “was the buildings had locks and barricaded doors, which was a clear indication that the village wasn’t abandoned, but had been turned into a defendable position.”

All three quickly figured it was only a matter of time before the firefight would begin.

The teams were quickly engaged by 300 Taliban fighters. According to Army documents, after an hour of fighting, two vehicles were pulled to the rear of the fight after being disabled. This left the ground forces commander to the front of the coalition lines and in jeopardy of being overrun. At this point, Ward, the team leader for 745, radioed to the ground forces commander, who was pinned down in a vulnerable building, that his was on its way. Ward later said he and Alcazar went because they were the closest truck and the others were busy providing cover. Unfortunately, the team’s vehicle crashed into an enemy fighting position and became immobile, knocking Ward and Alcazar momentarily unconscious.

After they regained consciousness, Alcazar took to reloading ammunition belts, enabling Kimmey, the gunner, to continue to engage enemy forces. Ward exited the vehicle and directed his team to dismount and move to cover. Kimmey remained in the turret, providing cover for the team and allowing them to reach the ground forces commander. He stayed even though he knew the enemy was setting up mortar positions to destroy the truck he was firing from.

Kimmey was able to keep the Taliban from overrunning the soldiers with the .50-caliber gun. In the process, he was drawing a majority of the enemy fire. Ward reported the enemy was about 50 to 100 meters away at this point.

Team 745 moved to the ground commander’s position and helped in the recovery of the commander and the casualties. All of this was done, while under “continual, accurate and effective” enemy fire.
Since the team’s 745’s vehicle was immobile, it was stripped of all sensitive equipment, and its gun was dismantled to prevent the enemy from gaining off of the team’s loss. Once team 745 sterilized their truck, they had no choice but to run beside the Special Forces vehicle, using it as cover, until they reached safety, because there was no room for them on the truck. All three of them ran alongside the truck until they reached a checkpoint and mounted up into another vehicle for the ride back to firebase Cobra.

During the civil affairs award ceremony honoring all three for their heroic acts, Maj. Gen. John F. Mulholland, said, “The words can’t do justice, nor can the medal on your chest convey what they went up against.”

The Obama Enigma- Victor Davis Hanson

Lame-duck Republican President Bush's dismal poll ratings have descended to those of Harry Truman's when he left office. The Democratic majority in Congress will probably widen after the election. Republican nominee John McCain has not run a dynamic campaign. Gen. Colin Powell, George Bush's former secretary of state, has now enthusiastically endorsed Barack Obama.

The country is in two unpopular wars -- amid the worst financial panic of the last 80 years. Not since prophet of change and newcomer Jimmy Carter ran against Gerald Ford (post Watergate and the lost Vietnam war) have voters been so eager for a shake-up.

Why then is the charismatic Barack Obama not quite yet a shoo-in?

Easy. Voters apparently still don't know who Obama is, or what he wants to do -- and so are still not altogether sure that Obama is the proper antidote to George Bush. After more than a year of campaigning, he still remains an enigma.

Obama promised to be the post-racial candidate who would bring us together. But when asked in March 2004 whether he attended regularly Rev. Jeremiah Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ, Obama boasted, "Yep. Every week. 11 o'clock service."

The healer Obama further characterized the racist Wright as "certainly someone who I have an enormous amount of respect for." And Obama described the even more venomous father Michael Pfleger as "a dear friend, and somebody I interact with closely."

Obama can dismiss his past associations with Bill Ayers as perfunctory and now irrelevant. But why then did an Obama campaign spokesman say Obama hadn't e-mailed with or spoken by phone to Ayers since January 2005 , suggesting more than three years of communications -- in a post-9/11 climate -- after Ayers said publicly he had not done enough bombing?

Obama's campaign shrugged when legal doubts were raised about the sloppy voter registration practices of ACORN -- an organization that Obama himself has both helped and praised.

Yet Obama once was a stickler for proper voter documents. In 1996, he had all of his Democratic rivals removed from the ballot in an Illinois state primary election on the basis of sloppy voter petitions.

Many of Obama's surrogates, from congressional leaders like Rep. John Lewis to his running mate, Joe Biden, have suggested that the McCain and Palin candidacies have heightened racial tensions. Do such preemptory warnings mean that one cannot worry about Obama's 20-year relationship with Rev. Wright or long association with Father Pfleger?

It's also unclear exactly what Obama's message of "hope" and "change" means. The hope part turned a little weird when Obama, in prophetic fashion, proclaimed, "We are the ones we've been waiting for," and later put up Greek-temple backdrops for his speech at the Democratic convention.

If we didn't get that supernatural message, Obama also promised of his election that it would be the "moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal."

And change? Obama himself has changed positions on FISA, NAFTA, campaign public financing, town-hall meetings with McCain, offshore drilling, nuclear and coal power, capital punishment and gun control, his characterization of Iran, the surge in Iraq, and the future of Jerusalem. So change from what to what?

Under Sen. Obama's tax plan, nearly half of all income earners wouldn't pay federal income taxes. He also offers billions in cash payments to millions of those people. And he promises to pay for that loss in revenue by upping taxes on those in the highest income brackets, who already pay the majority of existing income taxes -- and who could also be subject to proposed higher payroll, estate and capital gains taxes.

Is that a tax-cut policy or more a redistribution of wealth in search of forced equality -- what Obama himself apparently calls to "spread the wealth around" or what Biden once suggested was "patriotic"?

A Martian who reviewed Obama's past elections in Illinois, the various associations he once cultivated, his brief voting record in the Senate, and the positions he originally outlined when he announced his presidential campaign might objectively conclude that America could elect either the most far left or the most unknown presidential candidate in its history.

I just hope that it is still not racist or McCarthy-like -- or blasphemous -- simply to suggest that.

Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and author, most recently, of "A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War." You can reach him by e-mailing author@victorhanson.com.

Hero: Staff Sergeant Michael Gainey

Without Staff Sergeant Michael Gainey of the United States Army in the gunner’s turret, October 22, 2007 could have ended in tragedy.

As the three vehicle patrol Gainey was in went down Route Gator in Baghdad, enemy fire transformed a normal mission into a life or death struggle for him, the fellow troops in his patrol, and several dismounted soldiers caught right in the jaws of the attack. From Gainey’s vantage point behind the imposing M240B machine gun, he was able to coordinate the counterattack with precisely aimed shots and suppressive fire.

The enemies’ attention locked onto his turret, firing a salvo at him, fragmenting and wounding him in the neck and hand. Undeterred, he refused medical treatment, preferring to heal his wounds by repulsing the ambush with automatic weapons fire from his position.

The vehicle commander knowing the American troops in the distance were doomed without his assistance, ordered the driver to advance to their position, requiring Gainey to call out upcoming obstacles from his elevated perch and maintain a hail of machine gun fire at the insurgent positions. From his exposed mount he refused to yield and fired more than 150 rounds – killing or repelling the last of the failed ambushers.

Because of Gainey’s steadfastness under enemy fire, his precisely aimed fire, and effective coordination with the vehicle’s crew, American lives were saved that day. His heroism earned him the Bronze Star with Valor.

Home Front Hero: The American Soldier Foundation

The American Soldier Foundation was created to assist soldiers on extended active duty and their dependents, and the dependents of those lost in the line of duty. Military life often places a difficult burden on families, both financially and emotionally. We believe that the lives of the men and women keeping our country safe should not be any harder than they have to be. It is in that spirit that we offer our support. They fight for us - let's fight for them.

The Foundation can provide grants or interest-free loans for:


Food, rent or utilities

Funeral expenses

Family/marriage counseling

Medical expenses

Financial planning

Personal needs when pay is delayed or stolen

Education planning and scholarships

Fines or legal expenses

Business planning

Liquidate or consolidate debt

Home purchase or improvements

Purchase, rent or lease vehicle

Debt or credit card bills

Etc.

Hatin' Palin -Daniel Henninger

"Who said it could not be done? And tell me what great victories does he have to his credit which qualifies him to judge what can and can't be accomplished." --Napoleon Hill


"It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Michelle's Photo Of The Day

Boasting Weakness - Investors Business Daily

The latest in the endless series of gaffes from Obama running mate Joseph Biden is his warning that our enemies would test a President Obama early on. We need a president they would fear to test.

Taliban kill 15 troops in Swat ambush

The Taliban conducted a deadly ambush on a paramilitary convoy in the district of Swat in Pakistan's violent Northwest Frontier Province. Fifteen troops were killed and six are still missing after a roadside bomb attack and battle in the Kabal region, police told Reuters.

"After the exchange of fire that lasted for several hours, more than 20 troops went missing but today we found 15 dead bodies at the site," a police officer in Kabal told Reuters. Five Taliban and three civilians were also reported killed in the firefight.

The Increasingly Erratic, Super-Gaffetastic Joe Biden

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

By Michelle Malkin

If the prospect of Joe Biden sitting a heartbeat away from the presidency doesn’t give you palpitations, you are not paying attention.

Was Biden Talking About a Draft? -Kathryn Jean Lopez

The Populism Divide - Dick Morris

Home Front Hero: The Aleethia Mission

The Aleethia Mission
The Aleethia Foundation supports recently injured troops in their rehabilitation upon returning home.

Dear Friends and Supporters of The Aleethia Foundation:

We are a small non profit dedicated to helping the newly injured troops. We are just a few people, all volunteers, trying to aid in the initial phase of recovery. We do this by providing dinners and short term recreation outings and small grants.

We have been doing dinners every Friday night since October of 2003. We occasionally take pictures and post them on this site. Most of the dinners are paid for by contributions from individuals and a few from corporations. Some corporations will sponsor a dinner thereby picking up the cost of an entire dinner. The dinners cost from $3,000 to $5,000 per week.

The Capitol Hill Club gives us a substantial cost reduction. Additionally on the nights we are at the Capitol Hill Club, the Harris Ranch donates the steaks. They are outstanding steaks.

Please visit the events portion of this web site to see pictures of the wonderful troops that have been so seriously injured. While most of the troops are combat wounded, some have been injured in other ways. We support all troops that have put on the uniform for this country. How the injury was received in not of concern to us. We appreciate all service. Some of the injuries are from accidents in a combat zone, just not inflicted during a combat operation.

Thank you for visiting The Aleethia Foundation. Your support for the troops is greatly appreciated.

Please pass this on to everyone you know, friends, relatives; everyone can use this mall to support our programs.
While injured troops receive medical care to heal their physical wounds, The Aleethia Foundation honors them with opportunities to enjoy some time away from the hospital environment. Troops say these occasions make them feel truly 'at home'.

Hero: Lance Corporal Justin McLeese

Throughout 2004, U.S. forces in Iraq battled an increasingly lethal enemy. The Marine Corps maintained a large presence and engaged itself in hotspots throughout central Iraq. Numerous acts of heroism emerged from the conflict, such as the actions of Lance Corporal Justin McLeese. During the fall of that year, McLeese distinguished himself on duty and in battle, and earned the Bronze Star for his gallantry.

On September 16, McLeese rode in a convoy traveling to an Iraqi compound, when his vehicle flipped off the road after passing over rough, gravel terrain. Thrown 20 feet from the humvee, McLeese ignored his own pain and tended to those still trapped in the vehicle. After pulling his platoon sergeant from wreckage, McLeese rescued another Marine trapped beneath a large amount of gear. McLeese, with help from his platoon, then lifted the humvee off the ground to save a third Marine stuck under the vehicle and pinned underneath a Kevlar ballistic plate.

High-intensity urban combat engulfed Fallujah in November. McLeese and his fellow Marines cleared numerous buildings in the middle of the city. On November 11, his team entered one of the compounds and killed four enemy combatants. An insurgent, after faking his death, tried to engage the Marines from a nearby room. McLeese recognized the impending attack and eliminated the threat with a shotgun blast. Two days later, McLeese entered another building in Fallujah, where enemy fire struck him. Despite multiple gunshot wounds, McLeese fought until the end, before an IED explosion fatally wounded him.

For his dedication to his comrades and courage under fire, McLeese posthumously received the Bronze Star Medal.

Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights?

By Orson Scott Card

Editor's note: Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism.

An open letter to the local daily paper — almost every local daily paper in America:

I remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know.

This housing crisis didn't come out of nowhere. It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration.

It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor people. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were authorized to approve risky loans.



Read The Whole Thing

Iowahawk Feeling The Biden Thang

The comprehensive argument against Barack Obama

CLOSING THE DEAL
A Roadmap for Campaign 2008’s Homestretch
By Guy Benson (www.guybensonshow.com) and Mary Katharine Ham (www.weeklystandard.com)
Editor and Contributor, Ed Morrissey

Taliban: Christian Woman Killed for Preaching

The Religion of Peace & Tolerance

Russia, Iran, Qatar discuss OPEC-style gas cartel

A Comedy of Errors

Democrats are exactly two weeks away from taking back the White House and expanding their majorities in both houses of Congress. So what in the heck are they doing? It's like a comedy of errors out there. Joe Biden hands McCain a tailor made argument on foreign policy. Barney Frank goes on the most watched business channel in American and says he's eager to raise taxes. Jack Murtha continues to insult members of his own district in Western Pennsylvania. John Kerry cracks wise about McCain's incontinence.

The Libertarian: The Obama I (Don't) Know

Just depends on what day it is....

Credit Markets Continue to Thaw Out

The lending rates between banks in the U.S. and Europe have dropped to the lowest levels in over a month as credit markets continue to improve.

The rate on three-month loans in dollars has slumped 0.23 percentage points to 3.83%. The so-called European Interbank Offered Rate for three-month euro-denominated loans has fallen 0.03 percentage points to 4.968%.

That is the first time the euro rate has dipped below 5.00% since Sept. 18, when it shot higher after U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed.

Interbank rates are important because they affect the cost of loans to businesses and individuals. They skyrocketed in recent months as banks worried that other lenders might collapse.

After massive intervention from governments and central banks, that worry is slowly fading.

Albright Agrees with Biden: Terrorists Will Test Obama

hehehe

JOE D'OH PUTS O IN 'CRISIS' MODE

Joe Biden warned that America's enemies would test Barack Obama with an international crisis within six months if he's elected president - a shocking comment John McCain eagerly pounced on yesterday to claim Obama isn't ready to be commander-in-chief.

U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Richard Hall: Enemy Engagements Decrease for Marines in Afghanistan

Enemy Engagements Decrease for Marines in Afghanistan
By Navy Seaman William Selby
Special to American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2008 – As the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment continues to enhance security in Afghanistan, Marines there are experiencing decreased enemy engagements, the battalion’s commander said yesterday.
“We’ve killed or captured a lot of the [Taliban’s] leadership,” U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Richard Hall, commander of Task Force 2D Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, told bloggers during a teleconference.

Other possible reasons Hall cited for fewer engagements include the recent Muslim holiday of Ramadan, the beginning of winter in Afghanistan and the enhanced efforts of the Afghan National Police.

“We’ve now trained over 800 Afghan National Police and have placed them in various districts,” he said.

Most people think that training and mentoring are not critical parts of counterinsurgency operations, when in fact, they are a subset, Hall said.

“The first thing is the force comes in here and establishes themselves and initiates the security piece, then what we had to do is we had to concurrently do the training and mentoring” of the police, he said.

In addition to training, the Marines have initiated several other long- and short-term projects under strategies they call “focused district development” and “in-district reform.”

The Marines have enhanced the Afghan economy, opened mosques, built schools, and are hoping to build a road, although that may not happen soon, Hall said.

“We’re hoping to build a road here, probably not on our watch, but certainly on our replacements’ watch,” Hall said. The 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines will be replaced by the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment in the near future.

Hall said that while he is constantly seeing improvement in his districts, there are still several challenges, specifically in recruiting for the Afghan police.

“We really need to recruit from districts in which we are going to replace those [police],” Hall added. “They get a good education, they come back, and there’s an immediate change in the district when they go out there. All our guys that mentor them when they’re back out in their districts have noted the significant improvements that are made.”

As the Marine units prepare to rotate, a top priority is ensuring that the Afghan recruitment is done right.

“I think we got it right now,” said Hall. “The next evolutions [in reform and development of districts] are going to be much more successful, and so it will be the way of the future in emplacing these [police] in the districts, which becomes a foundation for governance at the district level.”

To set the stage for the incoming Marine unit, Hall said his Marines would prepare training on lessons learned.

“We want to give them the proper introduction to the history, teach them the techniques and procedures that will keep them alive,” Hall said. “And we owe that to our brothers.”

In order to be successful, the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines have to continue to do what the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines have done - focus on the Afghan people, Hall said.

“We have focused on the enduring effort, those things that will last, those operations which create a foundation for the future, like building schools, educating people, building roads, providing jobs, and aiding commerce,” he said.

(Navy Seaman William Selby works for the New Media branch of the Defense Media Activity)

Hero: Sergeant Jack Bodani

On a mission in Afghanistan, then-Specialist Jack Bodani was in an up-armored humvee column when a massive explosion ripped through his vehicle, engulfing it in a fireball. Simultaneously, automatic weapons fire and well-aimed mortar rounds began hitting dangerously close to the convoy. Bodani, burned on the face and neck from the conflagration, got out of the vehicle and immediately helped another trapped soldier escape.

Safely evacuating the first soldier away from the vehicle, Bodani realized there was another unaccounted for, so he disregarded his own wounds and again ran back to the burning vehicle. At the humvee, the heat of the fire reached a critical temperature and ordinance and rifle ammunition began exploding in every direction. From the east, insurgent attacker became increasingly accurate with their weapons fire. Ignoring all of this, Bodani, and with the aid of another, extracted the dazed soldier.

Still in the height of the ambush and far from safety, Bodani reached for a rifle at the casualty collection point and provided vital security from the brazen enemy fighters. Because of Bodani’s brave acts, the wounded soldiers survived to receive a medevac and receive the urgent care they needed.

Then-Specialist Jack Bodani was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor for his courageous actions.


The Bronze Star
Background: President Roosevelt authorized the Bronze Star Medal by Executive Order 9419 dated Feb. 4, 1944, retroactive to Dec. 7, 1941. This authorization was announced in War Department Bulletin No. 3, dated Feb. 10, 1944. The executive order was amended by President Kennedy, per Executive Order 11046 dated Aug. 24, 1962, to expand the authorization to include those serving with friendly forces.

Criteria: The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the military of the United States after Dec. 6, 1941, distinguished himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving participation in aerial flight, while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.

Hero Support: Air Compassion For Veterans

The mission and purpose of Air Compassion For Veterans is to ensure that no financially stressed veteran / active duty military person or their family member(s) is denied access to distant specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, or rehabilitation for lack of a means of long-distance medical air transportation. ACV is committed to the ongoing healing process of our wounded warriors and will provide transport for activities that aid in the process.


There are various ways to give to Air Compassion For Veterans. Make your gift to help our wounded warriors online. Use your credit card through our secure server by clicking on HERE.

Send a Check by Mail:
Air Compassion For Veterans
4620 Haygood Road, Suite 1
Virginia Beach, VA 23455

Download a Donation Form by clicking on the following link: Donation Form

Give through the Combined Federal Campaign
Give to the ACV Program in the CFC by designating Mercy Medical Airlift which is CFC #11844

US Airways Miles of Hope Program
Help us help veteran patients in need of distant transportation by donating to the US Airways Miles of Hope Program. Click on the US Airways link below and donate to the Air Charity Network.



For more information on giving to Air Compassion For Veterans please contact us at 757-318-9174 ext. 205.

Marcus Aelius Aurelius

"Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature's delight."

-- Marcus Aelius Aurelius

Nietzsche

"Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!"

-- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

AMERICA THE WEAK

The Real Plumbers of Ohio by Paul Krugman

Krugman says the avg. plumber in Ohio only made about $48k in 2007. On a 40 hour week that's just $23 an hour. Can someone please give me that plumbers phone #?
Geez I can't even get my lawn mowed for $23. A plumber here is $80 an hour plus a trip charge of $75 with a minimum of $150.00...but then everything is bigger in Texas, either that or there is just that much more s*** here in Texas!!!!

An Army Of Joe's

Read the whole thing and ya gotta love the pics!!!!

Stimulus Talk Boosts Stocks

Biden: Obama’s inexperience will prompt nations to test us

Michael Yon Has A New Post

Please remember Michael is able to do this work by your donations. His work is critical, in my opinion, to our ability to capture a better idea of what is happening on the ground.

Bill Kristol: Here the People Rule

Obama's "Quensing" Of History

AP: Leading indicators rise in September

Something New Here - Stanley Kurtz

Hmmm, a curious odor

New Party: radicals, redistribution, and ACORN

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson worried that the Courts would overstep their authority and instead of interpreting the law would begin making law an oligarchy the rule of few over many.

Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry, that patriot and Founding Father of our country said:'It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ'.

Every session of Congress begins with a prayer by a paid preacher, whose salary has been paid by the taxpayer since 1777.

James Madison

James Madison, the fourth president, known as 'The Father of Our Constitution' made the following statement:' We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.'

The Supreme Court Says

As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the Two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments Engraved on each lower portion of each door.

As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see the wall, right above where the Supreme Court judges sit, a display of the Ten Commandments!

The Law Of The Land

As you walk up the steps to the building which houses the U.S Supreme Court you can see near the top of the building a row of the world's law givers and each one is facing one in the middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view .. it is Moses and he is holding the Ten Commandments!

Hero: Command Sergeant Major Michael Clemens

Command Sergeant Major Michael Clemens

With darkness descending over operations for then-First Sergeant Michael Clemens, sporadic fighting turned into chaos, which Clemens led his men through.
November 15, 2006, was day four of Operation Turki Bowl, a mission where Clemens and his fellow soldiers were tasked with clearing a volatile part of Iraq of insurgents and weapons. From his overwatch position, Clemens observed several insurgents in a village ahead and did not hesitate to launch a patrol of the area.
Under sporadic enemy fire, Clemens led three other American soldiers and four Iraqi Army soldiers towards the insurgent position. Peering around a corner, Clemens spotted a large truck – suspected of being packed with weapons – and heard the chatter of several insurgents. Clemens held his position and “lasered” the truck, bringing down pinpoint air support, ripping the truck apart and ending the insurgents’ threat.
Over his radio, Clemens received word that his Captain, the ranking officer in the unit, was hit when his vehicle struck an IED and there were numerous other casualties. Quickly pulling back with his patrol, Clemens moved to secure the area of the attack and evaluate the situation.
Clemens boldly assumed leadership of the troops on the ground and coordinated with superiors, air support, and the medevac helicopters to continue the fight and help the wounded. Through his leadership, his company repelled two counter-attacks and killed 12 insurgents, with all but one of the wounded Americans surviving.
For his brilliant command under fire and tremendous operational success, Clemens was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor.

Sir Francis Bacon

It is true, that a little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion.
Sir FrancisBacon

Lehman's Collapse, Stock Sale Probed by Three U.S. Prosecutors

Iowahawk: I AM JOE

Real Clear Politics Avg. Poll For General Election: McCain vs. Obama

Bill Roggio: Government inks peace agreements with Taliban in North & South Waziristan

Mark Steyn

Cocoon: The Return [Mark Steyn]
On this business of "elite cocoons" and "conservative cocoons":
One of the things I love about America (speaking as a foreigner) is how decentralized it is. Pace "New York, New York", you don't have to make it there, you can make it anywhere. Yet, in contrast to other industries, our chattering classes are uniquely concentrated in Ross Douthat's DC/NY corridor. Isn't this a little odd? And doesn't it pose particular problems for Republicans? Conservative elites live in liberal jurisdictions - and, way out back in the "conservative cocoon", it gives them the whiff of absentee landlords, who enrich themselves on the strength of various holdings in ramshackle colonies but have no desire to spend much time there. Whatever one feels about what Ross Douthat calls the "conservative cocoon", it elects conservative mayors, conservative school boards, conservative road agents, conservative state reps, and conservative governors: it's the only place to go to experience conservatism as applied in practice. On the other hand, Mr Douthat's aforementioned corridor will once in a while elect a Michael Bloomberg or a Christie Whitman, and that's it: conservatism remains strictly a theoretical proposition.
That's why the metropolitan sneers about the size of Wasilla were extremely ill-advised, and not just because of the implication that the mayors of, say, New Orleans, San Francisco or Detroit are therefore more qualified to be in the White House. If it weren't for small towns, suburbs and rural districts, there would be no conservative government at all. With a few exceptions (such as Vermont), "blue states" mostly turn out to be red states with a couple of big blue cities (Pennsylvania, for example, or even California). Almost by definition, an effective conservative executive - the kind you might want in the White House - can only come from flyover country.
So, when a conservative pundit mocks Wasilla, he's mocking conservatism as it's actually lived, as opposed to conservatism as a theoretical fantasy playground for the purposes of cocktail-party banter. David Warren, a great comrade of me and David Frum in our battles up north, wrote a column on this theme after the last Canadian election, beginning:
It’s when you no longer know where your milk comes from, let alone where you got your opinions, that you have become over-urbanized.
And over-liberalized. A township that digs its own wells and plows its own roads is less susceptible to the beguiling notion that everything necessary in life is a mysterious "government service" to be provided by faceless bureaucrats far away.
As for Sarah Palin, I think she could use a fewer sharper moose gags, but I'm not sure David Brooks is the go-to guy for that. And, to return to his Charlie Rose "Barack is the mountain" shtick, any PBS-watching inbred stump-toothed knuckle-dragging plaid-clad mountain man not yet face down in the moonshine or enjoying a bunk-up with his sister might think that Mr Brooks' bizarre metaphor gives the game away: the "conservative cocoon" is somewhere you drive through en route to the hiking trip.

Why He Served

Why he served
By Michelle Malkin • October 17, 2008 04:16 PM
Everyone: Please read this.
And spread it far and wide.
It’s your spirit-lifter and perspective-keeper of the day of the year.

God bless you, Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato. R.I.P. We are eternally grateful.
Via the Boston Globe:

The following is a blog entry written on Aug. 30, 2008, by Army Specialist Stephen Fortunato, who was killed Tuesday in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was riding in was blown up by an improvised explosive device. This entry was forwarded to the Globe by his mother, Elizabeth “Betty” Crawford.

If I may …I’d like to say something….Just to get it out there so it is clear.To all the pampered and protected Americans who feel it is their duty to inform me that I am not fighting for their freedom, and that i am a pawn in Bush’s agenda of greed and oil acquisition: Noted, and [expletive deleted] You.
I am not a robot. i am not blind or ignorant to the state of the world or the implications of the “war on terrorism.” i know that our leaders have made mistakes in the handling of a very sensitive situation, but do not for one second think that you can make me lose faith in what we, meaning America’s sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers in uniform are doing.I am doing my part in fighting a very real enemy of the United States, i.e. Taliban, Al Qaida, and various other radical sects of Islam that have declared war on our way of life. Unless you believe the events of 9/11 were the result of a government conspiracy, which by the way would make you a MORON, there is no reasonable argument you can make against there being a true and dangerous threat that needs to be dealt with. i don’t care if there are corporations leaching off the war effort to make money, and i don’t care if you don’t think our freedom within America’s borders is actually at stake. i just want to kill those who would harm my family and friends. it is that simple. Even if this is just a war for profit or to assert America’s power, so what? Someone has to be on top and I want it to be us. There’s nothing wrong with wishing prosperity for your side.
I am a proud American. i believe that my country allows me to live my life more or less however i want to, and believe me, i have seen what the alternative of that looks like. i also believe that our big scary government does way more than it has to to help complete [expletive deleted]-ups get back on their feet, a stark comparison to places where leaders just line their own pockets with gold while allowing the people who gave them their power and privilage to starve. I have chosen my corner. I back my country, and am proud to defend it against aggressors. Also, if you dare accuse us of being inhumane, or overly aggressive because we have rolled into someone else’s country and blown some [expletive deleted] up and shot some people, let me remind you of just how inhumane we COULD be in defending ourselves. Let me remind you that we have a warhead that drops multiple bomblets from the stratosphere which upon impact, would turn all the sand in Iraq to glass, and reduce every living thing there to dust. Do we use it? No. Instead we use the most humane weapon ever devised: the American soldier. We send our bravest (and perhaps admitably craziest) men and women into enemy territory, into harms way, to root out those whom we are after and do our best to leave innocent lives unscathed.
…One last thing…a proposal. i know it has been stated time and time again but i just think it is worthy of reiteration. If you find yourself completely disgusted with the way America is being ran, and how we handle things on the global stage, you can leave. Isn’t that amazing? No one will stop you! If you are an anarchist, there are places you can go where there is no government to tell you anything. That’s right…you are left solely to your own devices and you can handle the men who show up at your door with AKs in any way that you see fit. Just don’t try good old American debate tactics on them because you will most likely end up bound and blind-folded, to have your head chopped off on the internet so your parents can see it. However if you insist on staying here and taking advantage of privilages such as free speach and WIC, keep the counter-productive [expletive deleted] to a minimum while the grown ups figure out how to handle this god-awful mess in the middle east.

America Supports You

UP THE AVENUE - A color guard from Navy Operation Support Center Bronx leads the 64th Annual Columbus Day Parade up New York City's 5th Avenue, Oct. 13, 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kenneth R. Hendrix

America Supports You
America Supports You is a Department of Defense program that provides opportunities for citizens to show their support for the US Armed Forces. The program was launched in 2004 in an effort to highlight citizen support for our military men and women and communicate that support to the members of our Armed Forces at home and abroad.
America Supports You connects individuals, organizations and companies to hundreds of homefront groups offering a variety of support to the military community.
The program also connects military service members and their families to homefront groups that provide assistance.
The America Supports You website, www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil, provides a one-stop location for citizens and service members to connect with hundreds organizations eager to help.
America Supports You homefront groups show support in many ways including writing letters and e-mails, sending care packages, offering scholar­ships and helping the wounded when they return home. Dozens of corporations, recognized on the website, are also America Supports You supporters.
More information on the program/how to register is available at AmericaSupportsYou.mil.

Those Who Support Our Heros: Angels Of Mercy

American Legion Post 270
American Legion Auxiliary Unit 270

1355 Balls Hill Road, McLean, Virginia 22101

Supporting Our Wounded Military and their Families

Angels Of Mercy Program
Serving Our Wounded Military and Their FamiliesAt Walter Reed Army Medical Center & National Naval Medical CenterProviding Assistance to Combat Support Hospitals in Zone andClothing and School Supplies for Afghan and Iraqi Children
"Newman's Own" National Winner "Best Volunteer Program in the Country Supporting Our Active Duty Military and their Families"Judged By Newman's Own, Fisher House Foundation, Military Times Group
Also Honored by The American Legion, The American Legion AuxiliaryAmerican Red Cross, Sons of the American RevolutionWalter Reed Army Medical Center and Walter Reed Fisher Houses,Fairfax County, VA and Greater McLean, VA Chamber of Commerce
Please See Blue Box Below For Donation Information

Click to See Emotional Support Our Troops Video "Remember Me"


Click to Read "A Day of Volunteering"Click to Read "Stories from God's Little Miracle Garden"Click to Read Angels of Mercy Press ArticlesClick To Read Angels of Mercy History
Program Co-Founder Marian Chirichella Invited to the Oval Office March 10, 2006Thanked by President and Mrs. Bush [Marian is The Lady In Red] Founders Invited to White House for Welcoming of Queen Elizabeth
Please Mail Cash Donations to
American Legion Auxiliary Unit 270 PO Box 3310 or 5447 McLean, VA 22102
From the Internal Revenue Service Code: "Donations to war veterans' organizations are deductible as charitable contributions on the donor's federal income tax return."
In Kind Donations Needed [Please Send Only Items Listed]For Wounded Men and WomenDisposable Cameras, DVD's, CD's, Handheld GamesPersonal DVD Players [7"] , Personal CD PlayersPhone Cards [at least 60 min], Exercise Shorts, Boxer Shorts, Colored T-Shirts Long-sleeve T's, Sweat Suits, Hoodies, [Clothing: M, L and XL], Toiletry ItemsSchool Supplies Needed For Iraqi/Afghan ChildrenClean Used Clothing Needed For Iraqi/Afghan Children
ALL ITEMS EXCEPT CLOTHING FOR IRAQI/AFGHAN CHILDREN ,DVD's and CD's MUST BE NEW
Call or email for additional details
Email OIFOEFAngels@aol.com Phone: 703.938.8930
Additional Projects of the Angels of Mercy Program:
“No Soldier Left In Need” Serving the Long-term Needs of Our Wounded Military and Their FamiliesWorking With The Office of the Secretary of Defense Military Severely Injured Center and Other ProgramsTo Identify Long Term Needs of Discharged Wounded Military
“Angels In Iraq/Afghanistan” Serving Our Wounded Military In Hospitals in Iraq and AfghanistanSupporting Needs of Deployed MilitaryProviding Clothing and School Supplies for Iraqi and Afghan Children
Mail Cash Donations To:

American Legion Auxiliary Unit 270Post Office Box 3310 or 5447, McLean, Virginia 22102

For Additional Information Contact Jay Edwards OIFOEFAngels@aol.com

Marian Chirichella Auxiliary270 VAR@aol.com

Phone: 703-938-8930
Proud to be listed on AmericaSupportsYou.mil

American Legion National Web Site
American Legion Auxiliary National Web Site
American Legion Department of Virginia Web Site
McLean Post 270 Web site
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Hero: Staff Sergeant Sean Kane

Sean Kane
On an August evening in 2007, Staff Sergeant Sean Kane was conducting a meeting with a local Iraqi leader with other members of the 3rd Heavy Combat Brigade Team. These sorts of face to face interactions are absolutely vital to winning the support of the populace and defeating the insurgency. During the courtyard meeting, the outer layer of local security forces allowed a seemingly harmless passer-by to proceed towards the gathered Americans and Iraqis. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the unidentified man came closer and closer to the crowd and began to chant prayers when Kane realized what was approaching.
Iraqi security saw the suicide vest on him, panicked, and ran away. As the Iraqi security guards ran from the would-be suicide bomber, Kane charged towards him. Kane put himself between the unarmed civilians, which included a family of 13, and the sadistic terrorist, Kane raised his weapon and at that moment the bomber detonated. Saving Kane and his fellow soldiers one of the Iraqi leader’s sons tackled the bomber and took the majority of the blast.
Only ten feet from the blast, Kane was hit by the severed torso of the would-be killer and knocked to the ground. In the gore, smoke, and chaos ensuing after the explosion, Kane, dazed but focused, dragged himself to the entrance of the courtyard to guard against further attacks.
By intercepting the bomber while all others fled, Kane’s split second decision saved the lives of three other soldiers, an interpreter, and many civilians. For his courage in staring down a terrorist and saving the lives of all those at the meeting, Staff Sergeant Sean Kane was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor.

You can see a lot by just looking. ~Yogi Berra

From Reader Les N.

The current going hourly rate for a plumber here in the USA is about $80 an hour. Plus a service call charge of roughly $75. The normal work year for most people without overtime is 2000 hours. Say roughly, $640,000 a year in revenue. That doesn't count the overtime because the night and weekend rates parallel time and a half. Usually plumbing problems don't watch the clock and happen between 8 A.M. and 5 P.M.

So if a guy has a little operation doing let's say $700K a year and pays his guys say $40 an hour he nets about $460K. Got a few expenses but not much. Couple of old trucks. The guys provide their own tools. He has a lot of room between $460K and Barry's $250K for those expenses and he will still get screwed. Happens all of the time. There are tons of guys in the trades that operate that way. Plumbers, electricians, carpenters, geez anybody self employed with a few employees!

Then if the guys wife works and makes even $30K or $40K a year they are really rich and Barry sucks em dry so he can "Reditribute the Wealth".
People don't understand this stuff because they don't understand what people can and will do to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Searching for Obama's 95 Percent By Philip Klein

HEMPSTEAD. N.Y. -- "We are going to cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans," Barack Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, said in the spin room here at Hofstra University following the final debate of the 2008 presidential election. Plouffe was repeating one of the boldest claims made by the Obama campaign. It's a claim that the Wall Street Journal editorial board dubbed "Obama's 95% Illusion," noting that more than a third of Americans don't pay any income taxes, and that what Obama's plan does do is offer a raft of subsidies and government payments to individuals and families that he redefines as "tax cuts." His proposal looks more like a redistribution scheme than an honest effort to reduce taxes -- as he revealed on Monday when he told a now famous Ohio plumber that his plan aimed to "spread the wealth around." So when Plouffe reiterated the 95 percent claim, I asked him a simple question aimed at clarifying whether Obama's tax plan was about cutting rates, or merely handing out government checks. "What rates would actually go down"? I asked. "Middle class people are going to see, systemically, their taxes reduced, and small businesses," Plouffe responded. "But what rate would go down for lower-income Americans?" I persisted, seeking more information. "We'll have to get you the exact details on that," Obama's campaign manager told me. I followed up, recapping the claim he had just made moments ago: "Well, you said that there's going to be a tax cut on 95 percent, so what rate would go down?" He replied, "I'll have to get you the exact rate differential." Given that he wasn't clear on the actual rate changes involved, I asked, "but which type of tax would go down?" He insisted that under Obama's plan, income taxes would be lower, as well as capital gains taxes on start up businesses and small entrepreneurs (though the capital gains tax would otherwise increase).

SHORTLY AFTER my exchange with Plouffe, I was listening to David Axelrod, Obama's senior strategist, and I decided to put the question to him slightly differently: "Let's say you're making $50,000 a year," I posited. "What taxes would you see go lower under the Obama plan?" Axelrod replied, "You would get a $500 cut in your taxes. If you're a couple, $1,000." I queried as to whether that money would come in the form of a check, or a lower rate. "You would see a reduction in your taxes, in the taxes that you pay," he insisted. After further questioning, he added, "The mechanism for it has to do with deferring part of the withholding taxes, but you should talk to our budget folks on that." Later in the evening, Brian Deese, an Obama economics adviser, emailed me the following information, at Plouffe's request:

OVERALL IMPACT OF OBAMA TAX PLAN:
- The Obama plan would reduce income tax rates for a typical family of four the lowest level in more than 50 years (4.32%). [Tax Policy Center]- Obama's plan will cut taxes as a share of the economy to 18.2% -- below the level that prevailed under Ronald Reagan. [Tax Policy Center 9/12/08]
I could not find a reference to the first statistic after viewing the study cited by Deese. In its analysis, the Tax Policy Center (a venture of the left-leaning Brookings Institution and Urban Institute), sides with the Obama campaign by categorizing as "tax cuts" government payments such as the $1,000 to couples, $4,000 for college tuition, and 10% payment to offset mortgage interest expenses. But the study does not repeat the Obama campaign's 95 percent claim. (In a late night email, I raised these points with Deese, and also asked him to explain the criteria under which the campaign arrived at the 95 percent number, but did not hear back as of this writing.) In fairness, politicians long ago began to use the tax code as a tool for crafting social policy rather than merely as a way to raise revenue. Republicans and Democrats alike have abused terms such as "tax credit" and "tax rebate" to make their policy goals more palatable. But Obama is getting away with defining tax cuts so broadly, that future candidates will simply claim any form of increased government spending as a tax cut. Under Obama's logic, higher food stamp allowances and expanded state funding of the arts could be dubbed "food tax credit" and "arts tax credit" respectively, and also qualify.If Barack Obama can effectively claim that his plan cuts taxes on 95 percent of Americans, then the term "tax cut" has no meaning.

'Joe the plumbers' pipe up on debate

Middle Tennessee 'Joe the plumbers' pipe up on debate
They sympathize with his tax problem
By Chris Echegaray

• THE TENNESSEAN •

October 17, 2008
Some of Middle Tennessee's "Joe the plumbers" missed Wednesday night's debate, but they know their name and profession made a splash.
Joe Wurzelbacher of Ohio was a central figure in the candidates' arguments about taxing small-business owners — they mentioned "Joe" or "Joe the plumber" more than 20 times. A widely circulated video of him questioning Barack Obama's tax plan made the plumber a representative of the nation's ambitious blue-collar workers.

"I didn't watch it, but I've been hearing a lot about this plumber," said a chuckling Joe Brown of Joe B. Sullivan & Sons in Nashville. Brown said he stopped paying attention to the politics because his mind is made up — although he wouldn't say who he'll vote for.
Joe Schwark, owner of JMS Plumbing in Spring Hill, said he has a general distrust of politicians, but appreciated the recognition of his craft.
"Personally, I don't think either of them is what the country needs," he said. "But it is what it is."
Schwark said he agrees with the original Joe the plumber's problem with raising taxes for people who earn more than $250,000 a year. Taxes are the plight of the small-business owner, he said.
"I work for every penny," he said. "Taxes are what kills me, and if either of them raise taxes, it hurts people like me. You know, we jump though hoops as business owners. There is liability and vehicle insurance, and there are gas prices. For every dollar that comes in, it's going out."
After reducing his staff by 10 in recent months, Donald "Joe" Ward of W.W. Plumbing in Murfreesboro said he was glad to see a blue-collar worker at the center of presidential candidates' conversations.
"Sounded good to me," Ward said. "I thought it was great. But I had 63 workers and now I have 53. The whole thing is out of whack. I don't think we should tax the working people if they don't make as much money."

Hero: Captain Ross Pixler

On patrol in al Bawi, Iraq, First Lieutenant Ross Pixler was in the lead inside his armored Bradley Fighting Vehicle on an October day when the fiery blast of an IED shattered the daily monotony. The deeply buried IED exploded as the Bradley passed over, ripping the vehicle apart and killing three fellow soldiers.
Still dazed by the carnage, Pixler exemplified the strength of an army soldier by ignoring his injuries, finding his rifle, and getting to work. Already the three other vehicles in the convoy were approaching the attack site, but Pixler wasted no time in checking on the unconscious driver and gunner, and taking up a defensive position. He later reflected, “Everything goes really fast and I wasn’t really stopping to think about what I was doing. I was doing what I was trained to do.”
Just as Pixler and the rest of his unit began recovering from the attack, scattered mortar and small arms fire bombarded the site. Pixler, rattled by his concussion, did not hesitate to raise his rifle and take a key role in the defense of the position while assistance came to recover the bodies of the Americans.
As the hours wore on, Pixler and the other surviving members of his team were loaded onto another Bradley and pulled out of the waning firefight. The safety of the rescue vehicle was broken when another IED crippled it, forcing the men to exit the vehicle and repulse another attack.
It would be many hours from the initial attack to the time Pixler and his men were within the walls of an American base, but during that time his focus on the mission and his men never wavered.
For his bravery under such austere conditions and his tenacity in the face of adversity, he earned the prestigious Silver Star medal. Pixler considers it not an award for himself but, “an award for every single one of the soldiers that were out there, and the ones that can’t come home.”

Hero: Alex Presman

THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT

Alex Presman

Alex Presman
Alex’s time in the military was up on December 30, 2002. He didn’t have to go to Kuwait to participate in the invasion of Iraq, but this was something he wanted to do for the United States, his adopted country and a land he had come to love. So, he extended his time in the Marine Corps, arriving in Kuwait on February 14, 2003.
He spent his first three months transporting medical supplies and munitions to units in the field; and in May 2003, when his unit asked for volunteers to move forward into Iraq, Alex went. From that point on, it was constant combat and scorching sand until July 15, 2003, when Alex was wounded.
That day, he was manning an M-240 machine gun in a Humvee as part of a convoy from Diwanya to Baghdad to pick up medical supplies. They made a rest stop along the way, and Alex stepped on a land mine – what would later come to be known as an improvised explosive device (IED) – that Baathist forces had planted in the sand.
The blast caused severe injuries. Most of his left foot was blown off; later the whole foot had to be amputated. A large chunk of flesh was torn from the calf of his right leg. He suffered shrapnel wounds in both arms and both legs.
Alex was evacuated to a field hospital, eventually making his way to the Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and on to Bethesda Naval Medical Center in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. There, the final amputation of his left foot was done. Alex had four surgeries in all.
Recuperation: He went on to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for prosthetic care and rehabilitation, and said he was happy with the rehabilitation program there. However, he explained that it was a lot of work: “I can’t say I loved it, but that’s what had to be done. Right now, I’m walking. So I’m grateful.”
Involvement with Wounded Warrior Project: Like most injured troops, Alex’s first contact with the Wounded Warrior Project came when someone showed up in his hospital room to give him a WWP backpack filled with clothing, toiletries, and comfort items. Over time, the organization helped Alex with his benefits from the armed forces and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“They helped me out,” he said. “They really took care of me. The Wounded Warrior Project is like a big family. I’m glad the organization exists. They really do help.”
At the time of this interview, Alex was studying business at Pace University in New York City, planning to see where life took him after he attained his degree.

Hero: Frederick Rowell

Frederick Rowell
Sergeant First Class Frederick Rowell of the United States Army was deployed to Iraq for two tours, both of which took place during some of the most pivotal moments of that ongoing campaign, and both times he distinguished himself with valor and heroism.
In the “blitzkrieg” invasion of Iraq, then-Sergeant Rowell was involved in the critical fight for the Baghdad International Airport. April 4, 2003 was the first great test of this young non-commissioned officer’s dedication to his fellow soldiers. After dismounting its Bradley fighting vehicle, Rowell’s unit came under heavy automatic and rocket-propelled grenade fire. After assessing the severity of the fire, Rowell covered his comrades as they fell back to their Bradley when he noticed another squad was pinned down far from cover and taking heavy fire. Once his own squad was in the relative safety of its armored vehicle, Rowell did not hesitate to act.
Charging across open terrain under the aim of Iraqi forces, Rowell arrived at the scene of the isolated squad to find it without leadership and one soldier severely injured. Rowell sprang into action, laying down cover fire and applying first aid to the injured private. As the enemy attack became more focused and more intense, Rowell threw himself on top of the soldier, using his own body as a shield while a rescue vehicle closed in on their beleaguered position. Rowell took a direct hit from an AK-47 round in his back, luckily stopped by his body armor – a round that would have almost certainly killed the private under Rowell. With the evacuation vehicle blocked from coming any closer, Rowell hoisted the wounded private onto his back and ran some 100 meters to save the injured soldier.
With the “Surge” operations intensifying in Iraq in September of 2007, Rowell, now a Staff Sergeant, was in charge of a squad on a scouting mission to observe insurgent activity in a volatile part of Baghdad. His squad – split into two observation posts in two buildings – came under fire from multiple directions.
As enemy fire poured in on them, Rowell planned to move his team to the other observation post, but as the first soldier was severely injured by an IED as he stepped out of the door. Rowell was knocked unconscious by the blast, but regained his focus – despite being later diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury – and rose to his feet, running to the aid of his comrade. Under heavy fire, Rowell pulled the man back into the building and defended him from the numerous attackers. With a group of Stryker combat vehicles arriving on the scene, Rowell helped evacuate the wounded soldier, directed the reinforcements to the enemy positions. On the way out of the kill-zone, Rowell manned the roof gun on the Stryker as they evacuated the injured to a combat hospital.
In these two events, Rowell’s heroism was undeniable. By ignoring his own safety and using his body as a shield to protect a wounded soldier in 2003, he earned the Silver Star. For coming to the aid of another wounded soldier and displaying steadfast courage under harrowing fire in 2007, he earned the Bronze Star Medal with Valor.

Hero: James D. Hamill

James D. Hamill
Then-Petty Officer James Hamill, United States Navy, was trained as a command photographer, but in a flash, his mettle was tested, with 100 lives in the balance.
Working as a mass communications specialist, Hamill was serving with a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Khost, Afghanistan. On February 20, 2007, Hamill was assigned to document a momentous occasion, the opening of the Khost Provincial Hospital Emergency Room – a sign of progress in this dangerous province. Rumors and spotty intelligence came before the ceremony that warned of a possible suicide attack, but those involved with the project refused to back down and cancel the event. In the dense urban sprawl of Khost anything could happen, and Hamill’s PRT considered goodwill events like this the key to an effective counterinsurgency.
Unbeknownst to the attendees at the event, including provincial officials, cabinet members, and national government figures, a suicide bomber had slipped through the Afghan police’s outer security perimeter – dressed as a doctor – and was approaching the gathering. One vigilant American soldier became suspicious of the supposed doctor who was approaching the ceremony and stopped him. The soldier’s instincts were right as he keenly spotted the explosive vest, and tackled the marauding bomber.
As the two wrestled on the ground, the alarm was sounded, and Hamill immediately dropped his camera, raised his rifle, and moved to act as the last defense for the assembly of citizens and VIPs. The bomber freed himself and charged forward, hoping to unleash his horrible weapon, but Hamill stood his ground. With his weapon raised, he opened fire less than ten feet away from the imposter. The bomber was repeatedly hit, fell to the ground, and triggered his lethal package.
The ferocious blast – stopped only by the keen eye of one sergeant and Hamill’s unwavering determination – injured him and six other Americans, while sparing the hundred at the gathering of any casualties. Ignoring the shrapnel wounds to his abdomen, Hamill aided in performing life-saving first aid on the injured American soldiers who were worse off than him and ensured the area was secure in case of a follow-up attack.
The Major General of the 82nd Airborne at the time exclaimed that Hamill "prevented the bomber from inflicting catastrophic casualties," and praised his "extraordinary heroism" and "total dedication to duty." For his acts that day, he was awarded the Purple Heart for his wounds and the Bronze Star Medal with Valor for standing his ground against the suicide bomber.

Hero: Javier Alvarez

Javier Alvarez

Javier Alvarez
Javier did three combat tours in Iraq during his military service. He saw extensive fighting.
On January 3, 2003, Javier was deployed to Iraq, among the first Americans sent there as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After making contact with the enemy at the port town of Umm Kasar, Javier’s unit proceeded to Al Basra and then to the city of An Nasiriayah. For the rest of this tour, the unit did security patrols, and assisted the civilian populations in whatever ways were possible.
Javier returned to the States after just a few months, but was back in Iraq on February 28, 2004, in time to participate in the First Battle for Fallujah. “We were there to relieve an airborne unit. We saw plenty of firefights and took a lot of IED hits.” (An IED is an improvised explosive device, a crude bomb or landmine, usually homemade, that is used by the insurgents and terrorists fighting American forces in Iraq. They have caused a large number of deaths and very severe disabilities among our troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan.)
“We did anti-mortar patrols and we ran a sweep of the city [of Fallujah]. We took casualties whenever we went into the city – rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. But we kept pushing into the city over a period of several weeks in a controlled advance on the enemy.”
After the First Battle for Fallujah, Javier’s unit pulled out of the city and did highway patrols outside the city. During this deployment, 20 Marines from Javier’s unit were killed in action. “I don’t know how many were wounded in action,” said Javier; “but it was many. Many.” Javier returned to the States on Oct. 14, 2004.
Javier was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal with Valor Device for his service during this deployment. His unit was doing a street patrol when they were ambushed. When Javier saw what was happening, he ran back to help, with enemy rounds impacting against a wall just inches from his head.
Javier’s third tour in Iraq ran from July 17, 2005 until he was wounded on Nov. 16, 2005. His unit was first tasked with providing highway security along a main supply route around the area of Al Asad Airfield.
After that, they participated in Operation Steel Current, clearing enemy fighters out of three cities in the northern part of Iraq, near the Syrian border. They encountered few problems and took no casualties in the first two cities, but they made contact with the enemy in the third city and one member of Javier’s platoon was killed in action. Another platoon suffered far more killed and wounded that day, Javier reported.
Next, Javier’s unit was assigned to tank security, and they continued their clearing activities into farm areas. On Nov. 16, 2005, the unit saw enemy forces. A tank took off after them, and there was AK-47 fire in return. Javier’s platoon took cover as the tank shot out some houses. As the platoon approached a house, they saw there were enemy out back.
Javier shot. As he reloaded, He was shot by a guy who was already down. He got behind a wall, and shot into a window. The enemy threw a grenade out the window. Javier picked it up and tried to throw it away from himself and the men he was with, but it blew his hand off.
“Five of our guys were killed that day. Eleven were wounded. Heroic things happened, I can tell you. Altogether, 18 insurgents were killed. And we uncovered a huge weapons cache.”
But everything went black for Javier. And when his consciousness returned, his hand was gone and he had four bullet wounds in his legs. His buddies put a tourniquet on his arm, and he waited for a helicopter to take him to medical care.
After he was stabilized in Iraq, he was whisked off to the Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for three days. From there he went to Bethesda Naval Medical Center for three months, Walter Reed Army Medical Center for five months, and Brooke Army Medical Center for ten months. It’s a long process of hospitalization and rehabilitation, but it takes a long time to recover from the extensive wounds Javier suffered … and then to learn the use of a myoelectric hand. But Javier likes this high-tech prosthetic device and uses it 95% of the time.
Involvement with Wounded Warrior Project: Quote from Javier: “I feel very positive about the Wounded Warrior Project. They present you with opportunities you don’t even think about when you’re in the hospital. You try new things, new activities. It helps very much because, when you’re injured, you don’t know what you’re going to be able to do. And through WWP, you get a sense of pride, a sense of belonging, a sense that you can still do things in the world.”
Quote from Javier’s wife, Rebekah: We met Rebekah at a WWP event attended not only by wounded veterans, but their spouses. This opportunity to network with other spouses meant a great deal to Rebekah, and she remarked on how this helped spouses come to terms with their new roles as the partners of war-disabled veterans: “Because we can meet each other as wives, it’s not something we’re going to have to figure out on our own. We’re doing this together. We have something in common. We can communicate freely with one another.”
Employment Narrative: Javier wants to be an architectural engineer, and he was in a hurry to get started. Even when he was still in rehab at Brooke Army Medical Center, he started taking college classes at a local community college, so he could get his education underway. This is a tremendous young man with a level head on his shoulders and an excellent sense of direction in his life. Feelings about Military Service: “I loved being in the Marines. It’s something I take much pride in.”

Oil dips below $75 as OPEC cuts demand forecast

NEW YORK (AP) - Oil prices dipped below $75 a barrel Wednesday, a new 13-month low, as OPEC reduced its 2009 petroleum demand forecast amid signs that the global economy is headed for a severe downturn.
Light, sweet crude for November delivery fell $2.95 to $75.68 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after earlier sliding to $74.57, the lowest trading level since Sept. 5, 2007.
Oil prices have now plummeted 48 percent since peaking at $147.27 on July 11.

Peace And Joy

Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)
Romans 5

Peace and Joy 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Remember?

Hero: Eric Browy

Eric Browy
Eric’s first tour of duty in Iraq lasted from March 2003 to March 2004. Eric’s unit was part of an operation that took the town of Taj and held it during this period. The unit did many missions and patrols, provided security for rocket systems, and set up and manned operations posts (OPs). Engaging in any number of firefights with insurgents and foreign fighters, Eric’s unit sustained nine killed in action, as well as four wounded. Three Bradleys assigned to his unit hit improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
During his second tour of duty in Iraq, which began in December 2005, Eric served as a scout in the southern part of Baghdad, doing patrols, OPs, and other scouting tasks. In March 2006, Eric was setting up observation posts. He was walking atop a wall 25 feet above the ground, carrying 80 pounds of gear while, at the same time, keeping track of a suspicious guy on the ground through his night vision goggles. He missed a step, falling from the wall and severely damaging both feet.
A helicopter took him to an Army hospital in Baghdad. From there he was flown to the Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where he stabilized for a week. He then went to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where his right leg was amputated below the knee. Because his left foot was so severely damaged, amputation of great toe and ball of that foot was also required.
Eric had ten surgeries in all.
Eric received medical retirement from the Army on December 28, 2006.

Hero: Sergeant Ezequiel Mora

One of the Baghdad neighborhoods covered by Sergeant Ezequiel Mora’s patrol in May of 2007 was Hurriyah, a hotbed of militia activity. While passing through Hurriyah, Mora’s four Humvee convoy was attacked. An explosively formed penetrator, the most lethal type of roadside bomb, went off just as insurgents fired on the convoy with small arms.
The EFP had caused catastrophic damage to the vehicle in the rear of the column, which had the platoon medic and convoy commander in it. He directed his vehicle to be turned around to the disabled and burning Humvee. Ignoring the heavy volume of hostile fire, he leapt out to assist the trapped soldiers. He bravely attempted to rescue the gunner of the Humvee, though temporarily overcome by smoke inhalation he recovered and joined another soldier in continuing the rescue. While doing so, he noticed the platoon’s medic on the ground, badly wounded and Mora immediately began administering first aid. Once another soldier relieved him, Mora moved to the other side of the Humvee to cover his fellow soldiers.
It was then that he noticed that the gunner from the Humvee was finally free, but was bleeding heavily from his left leg. Mora swiftly applied a tourniquet to the leg to stop the bleeding. Realizing that they were in an exposed position, Mora and another sergeant took turns carrying the wounded gunner to safety, all while under fire from the insurgents. When reinforcements arrived, Mora helped to successfully evacuate the gunner to the Green Zone for medical care.
Because of his courageous actions and steadfast determination, Sergeant Ezequiel Mora helped save the lives of several of his fellow soldiers and as a result, was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor.