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Monday, October 25, 2004
JONES SUPPORTS MEMORIAL TO HONOR V-22 OSPREY CRASH VICTIMS
JONES SUPPORTS MEMORIAL TO HONOR V-22 OSPREY CRASH VICTIMS
ÂThese Marines hold a special place in my heart, and I feel we cannot honor them enough for their pioneering spirit, bravery and patriotism.Â
ÂThese pilots and their aircrews accepted a mission that had uncertain costs, Jones said in the letter. ÂBecause of their heroic actions, a new generation of Marine Corps aviation is one step closer to a reality, and because of this memorial, their acts will never be forgotten. I hope that you will support this noble effort and keep the memory of these warriors alive.ÂÂ
The Osprey Memorial Foundation has requested the Marine Corps approve the proposed memorial, which would be built near the Marine Corps Heritage Center in
The first V-22 Osprey crash occurred in
For additional information or to schedule an interview with Congressman Walter B. Jones please contact Kristen Quigley at (202) 225-3415.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
What makes our country so great...
Letter to the Editor
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And who's coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag."
I wish that more people would comment. After all, that is the American way. Bring issues out into the open, and let them be viewed in the clear light of day.
Many thanks to Anonymous - Gunner
Let me start by saying this: I respect your son's dutiful service to our nation in this dangerous operation...make no mistake about that. There is no sacrifice one can make to the common good larger than what our military and first responders (police and firemen here at home) do for our country.
However, your comments about the "ordinance" being destroyed is a little misguided. Understand that the Iraqi government once had a standing military, as most countries in the world do, even (as evidenced by recent contributions) the tiny nation of Guam. These militaries don't stock their shelves with sticks and slingshots...so, undoubtedly, there were plenty of your standard weaponry in Iraq. If we invaded Saudi Arabia or Mexico tomorrow, I guarantee you that destroying their ordinance would be no short order. Add to that the fact that much of this ordinance being destroyed was also confiscated, found after raids, or abandoned by the more than twenty radical factions in the area... who were by no means under Saddam's control. We're talking about a part of the world where every man carries a gun, not necessarily because he's some crazed militant out to cause chaos...but out of necessity to prevent chaos from invading his home and harming his family. I'm not mentioning all this to discount or discredit the good that your son did in Iraq...only to show that the issue is a bit more gray than the stark picture you paint with your letter.
And as for the media that you claim has liberalist leanings and refuses to mention the good things we've brought to the Iraqi people...
The "luxury" of hospitals and doctors was available to Iraqis long before we showed up...the electricity and clean water were there as well....and in fact, didn't become much of an issue until we bombed the hell out of their power grids and busted their water and sewer lines...after our "Shock and Awe" campaign, most Iraqis were upset at having only 12 hours of electricity a day (which should, by comparison, show you what they were accustomed to beforehand)....the majority of these goodwill deeds and reconstruction efforts have not made much headway thus far, as security is a prime issue. Your head might spin if I clued you into the fact that a good number of young Iraqis are "bloggers" as well... that they have and have had personal computers and internet access...and many of them (not the liberal media) are also echoing the discontent with the continued American occupation (although, to be fair, they do thank the Americans for deposing Saddam).
And as for the BBC being good coverage of the situation in Iraq....I've been to England and Scotland lately, and watched coverage that is no more or less cynical of the war in Iraq. The majority of British citizens, who listen to BBC consistently do not support Bush's decisions in Iraq. Where's the spin factor? Who's handing them misguided newsreports?
Let me finish all this jousting by reminding you of one simple, straight-forward assertion:
QUESTIONING THE WAR IN IRAQ AND BUSH'S DECISIONS DOES NOT, and I emphasize, NOT EQUATE TO BEING AGAINST OUR TROOPS...neither does is equate to being anti-American, or unpatriotic. It doesn't any in way, shape, or form equate liberals with being "anti-freedom" or misguided enemies of the state....PLEASE, for the love of God or simply for the love of humanity, PLEASE GET THIS STRAIGHT!
The greatest patriots are those, who in times of national crisis, chance to question authority and to read between the lines, to MAKE SURE that freedom and our great people and the people of the world get what is due to them.
Thank you.
: 2:02 AM Have you talked to any returning Sodiers, Airman, Seaman, or Marines? Bad news sells, that doesn't mean good even great things aren't happening in Iraq. Where do you get your information. Please ensure your data is accurate. Did the Iraqi's have power, running water, etc.? Some did, most didn't! Far more citizens of Iraq have utilities now than before the war.
Bottom Line: Constant belittling of our President and the War in Iraq is perceived as anti-military. Why is that? Because our military is doing what needs to be done. Whenever you belittle the way things are done in Iraq, you are belittling the military.
Like it or not,
EOD Mike
: 11:25 PM << Home
Dateline Iraq
Only those soldiers who have shed blood for this fight have the right to end it
Monday, October 18, 2004
Email From Afghanistan
All:
Sorry it has taken so long for me to update you on the situation in Afghanistan. As you can imagine, it has been busy over here! It hasn't slowed down a lot, but we are certainly proud of the accomplishments of the past week or so over here--it has been exciting, to say the least.
The successful elections are certainly the big news. Well, at least the big news for a day or two. Don't worry too much about the alleged "fraud;" while the ink mistake was unfortunate, it was not widespread and probably won't affect the election results at all, from what I hear in the press over here. It's good that the ink and several other charges are being investigated, but even the U.N. says that the election was well done, and I can tell you they'd be one of the first to speak up if there were problems!.
The real story is the desire of the Afghan people to vote. The weather here for election was the worst I've seen since I got here in May--snow in the mountains, rain, a sandstorm in the south, and low clouds. It hardly stopped these people. We worry about rain affecting voter turnout in the States, even though we drive cars to vote--these people didn't let the weather bother them, and most walked to the polling centers!
I heard stories of lines over a mile long, with people waiting patiently to vote. I also heard of people standing in those lines on crutches, with legs amputated because of landmines, and families who pulled their grandparents to vote in oxcarts, because they were too old to walk. I also heard of people standing in lines at 3:00 in the morning, in the snow, so that they could vote. (The polls opened at 7:00AM). There are also a few stories of people angry because the polls closed early, or mad that they couldn't vote a proxy vote for members of their village that couldn't walk to the polling place, but those were actually rare.
The Afghan Army and Police did a great job. We've trained them well, and these patriots took their lives into their hands to guard polling centers, villages, and cities to ensure little or no violence. Sure, we helped them prepare, but they found explosives, suspicious vehicles, rockets, and people who wanted to disrupt things all on their own. No running from a fight for these folks!
Finally, I leave you with a personal experience. We have a group of Afghan men who clean the building where I work. They're here every day and I see them in the hallway seven days a week. They like to practice their English, or at least the English phrases they're learning in books or class: "Good morning, How are you? I am fine, thank you..." You get the idea. They didn't work on election day, because they were voting, and the roads were pretty congested. I asked them the first morning they were back to work if they had voted. They all got smiles a mile wide, had to show me their thumbs with ink on them, and each of them wanted to shake my hand and I got to congratulate each of them on their new country! Now, if that doesn't bring a tear to your eye, then you have ice water in your veins!
As good as this is, we're not done yet. There are still some out there that would like to cut off thumbs, rather than stain them with ink. But that group is up against a dedicated, capable Coalition that will not accept failure. They may have come over here "just doing their job;" but that changes with most as soon as they meet these great people--most in the Coalition are fighting not only for their own countries, but also they fighting for the great people of Afghanistan.
We will continue the fight here. As I've written before, you can be very proud of this young generation--whether soldiers, sailors, Airmen, Marines, or civilians, they are impressive! Someday they'll take over the leadership of America, and from what I see over here, we'll be in great shape!!
Everybody take care--be proud of what's happening here! I just wish you could have seen the pride in the eyes of those Afghans in the hallway; then you'd understand what we've done here!
Cheers
B******
Friday, October 15, 2004
JONES WANTS ANSWERS FOR WOUNDED TROOPS RETURNING FROM IRAQ
JONES WANTS ANSWERS FOR WOUNDED TROOPS RETURNING FROM
Jones asks House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter to investigate financial hardship for injured troops.
In a letter to Hunter, Jones thanked the Chairman for his continued efforts to improve the lives of troops and their families, but asked that he give attention to this matter in light of ABC's revelations.
'Something is terribly wrong when
Jones urged Hunter to join him in demanding that the Department of Defense determine the source of the problem and correct the injustice immediately.
'Whether these occurrences are isolated or consistent, let it be known that one act is one too many,' Jones said.
For additional information or to schedule an interview with Congressman Walter B. Jones please contact Kristen Quigley at (202) 225-3415.
Operation Hero Miles Update
President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law in a matter of days.
For those who have closely followed this effort, we have pasted below the language of the new law. It was modified from the original draft to permit the use of the tickets by clergy members and others close to soldiers and their families. Earlier language that might have conflicted with internal rules and regulations of carriers was removed and replaced with language which makes it clear that users of free travel donated to "Hero Miles" must abide by the rules of the carriers supplying the travel. The law also allows DoD to enter into agreements with non-profit organizations such as Fisher House to assist in the administration of the program.
Thank you to all who have made this possible. Congressman Ruppersberger looks forward to an easy transition to Department of Defense management of this program, and our office will continue to assist folks with any questions. Early next year, the DoD should publish draft regulations implementing this program.
We hope the support of this effort grows and contributes to the morale and welfare or our men and women in uniform and their families.
SEC. 585. AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT DONATION OF FREQUENT TRAVELER MILES, CREDITS, AND TICKETS TO FACILITATE REST AND RECUPERATION TRAVEL OF DEPLOYED MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND THEIR FAMILIES.
(a) OPERATION HERO MILES.-(1) Chapter 155 of 8 title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
''§ 2613. Acceptance of frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets; use to facilitate rest and recuperation travel of deployed members and their families
(a) AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT DONATION OF TRAVEL BENEFITS.-Subject to subsection (c), the Secretary of Defense may accept from any person or government agency the donation of travel benefits for the purposes of use under subsection (d).
(b) TRAVEL BENEFIT DEFINED.-In the section, the term 'travel benefit' means frequent traveler miles, credits for tickets, or tickets for air or surface transportation issued by an air carrier or a surface carrier, respectively, that serves the public.
(c) CONDITION ON AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT DONATION.-The Secretary may accept a donation of a travel benefit under this section only if the air or surface carrier that is the source of the benefit consents to such donation. Any such donation shall be under such terms and conditions as the surface carrier may specify, and the travel benefit so donated may be used only in accordance with the rules established by the carrier.
(d) USE OF DONATED TRAVEL BENEFITS.-A travel benefit accepted under this section may be used only for the purpose of-
''(1) facilitating the travel of a member of the armed forces who-
(A) is deployed on active duty outside the United States away from the permanent duty station of the member in support of a contingency operation; and
(B) is granted, during such deployment, rest and recuperative leave, emergency leave, convalescent leave, or another form of leave authorized for the member; or
(2) in the case of a member of the armed forces recuperating from an injury or illness incurred or aggravated in the line of duty during such a deployment, facilitating the travel of family members of the member in order to be reunited with the member.
(e) ADMINISTRATION.-
(1) The Secretary shall designate a single office in the Department of Defense to carry out this section. That office shall develop rules and procedures to facilitate the acceptance and distribution of travel benefits under this section.
(2) For the use of travel benefits under subsection (d)(2) by family members of a member of the armed forces, the Secretary may, as the Secretary determines appropriate, limit-
(A) eligibility to family members who, by reason of affinity, degree of consanguinity, or otherwise, are sufficiently close in relationship to the member of the armed forces to justify the travel assistance;
(B) the number of family members who may travel; and
(C) the number of trips that family members may take.
(3) The Secretary of Defense may, in an exceptional case, authorize a person not described in subsection (d)(2) to use a travel benefit accepted under this subsection to visit a member of the armed forces described in subsection (d)(1) if that person has a notably close relationship with the member. The travel benefit may be used by such person only in accordance with such conditions and restrictions as the Secretary determines appropriate and the rules established by the air carrier or surface carrier that is the source of the travel benefit.
(f) SERVICES OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.-The Secretary of Defense may enter into an agreement with a nonprofit organization to use the services of the organization-
(1) to promote the donation of travel benefits under this section, except that amounts appropriated to the Department of Defense may not be expended for this purpose; and
(2) to assist in administering the collection, distribution, and use of travel benefits under this section.
(g) FAMILY MEMBER DEFINED.-In this section, the term 'family member' has the meaning given that term in section 411h(b)(1) of title 37.''.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following 21 new item: 22
''2613. Acceptance of frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets; use to facilitate rest and recuperation travel of deployed members and their families.''.
(b) TAX TREATMENT OF TRAVEL BENEFITS DONATED FOR OPERATION HERO MILES.
(1) EXCLUSION FROM GROSS INCOME.-Sub- 1 section (b) of section 134 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (defining qualified military benefit) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(5) TRAVEL BENEFITS UNDER OPERATION
HERO MILES.-The term 'qualified military benefit' includes a travel benefit provided under section 2613 of title 10, United States Code (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this paragraph).''
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.-
(A) Section 134(b)(3)(A) of such Code is 12amended by striking ''paragraph (4)'' and inserting ''paragraphs (4) and (5)''.
(B) Section 3121(a)(18) of such Code is amended by striking ''or 134(b)(4)'' and inserting ''134(b)(4), or 134(b)(5)''.
(C) Section 3306(b)(13) of such Code is 18 amended by striking ''or 134(b)(4)'' and inserting ''134(b)(4), or 134(b)(5)''.
(D) Section 3401(a)(18) of such Code is amended by striking ''or 134(b)(4)'' and inserting ''134(b)(4), or 134(b)(5)''
(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.-The amendments made by this subsection shall apply to travel benefits provided after the date of the enactment of this Act.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Army Reservist England Charged in Prison Scandal Gives Birth (washingtonpost.com)
Monday, October 11, 2004
May one bury a U.S. Flag in a burial coffin?
Hi Stan:
I tried to research the subject on the web, to no avail. I don't recall anyone ever wanting to be buried with a flag. So, my OPINION is as follows:
- NO, ABSOLUTE NO - to burial with the flag draped over the coffin, because of the prohibition against allowing the US Ensign to touch the soil. Remember that the flag draped over coffins of veterans is folded and given to the next of kin - not buried with the deceased.
- YES - to burial with the flag folded properly, and placed in the coffin beside her. Who would know? And, I am sure that it would make her feel better about her impending demise. I haven't heard of the "Flag Police" digging up graves to retrieve flags.
Since I wrote the above, I have spent some time thinking about it, and I think that I would tell her to go for it - within the coffin. The comfort that she would receive from knowing that there would be a flag in her coffin, far outweigh any concerns for desecrating the flag. The flag is being honored in this case, and not being dishonored as in "Flag Burning" by protestors. US Supreme Court has declared that protestors have a constitutional right to burn the flag in protest, as a freedom of speech issue. So, I think that she has a right to have the flag in her coffin on the same grounds.
Very thought provoking question. Please give the young lady in question my warmest regards and respect.
The Young Ladies Response:
Stan, thank you so very much for researchng my question. You have NO idea how much this means to me from the bottom of my heart. I cried when I read it. I am honered to be buried with my daddy's flag for we were very close. Since I followed his footsteps as to helping my country as best I could I would feel as if I was rewarded. As long as my name on the website, it is fine with me if he wants to get a survey on my request, for he made me very happy with his answer.
Thanks,
A Proud American
: 5:04 PM << Home
Sunday, October 10, 2004
TIME.com: How the Draft Rumor Got Started -- Oct. 18, 2004
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Pensions Lost To Cash Advance Scheme
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