WhatAreWeFightingFor.com

We're looking for a few good men and women to build a strong association for all who have served or are serving in the Air Force Security career field; Air Police, Security Police, Security Forces, Active, Guard and Reserves.

We're a world-wide 2500 member AFSPA organization, founded in 1986 to preserve our heritage, support our active duty men and women, assist members for employment, and pledged to help our members in personal crises.

Membership is also open to all who have served honorably in the Army MP's, Navy Master of Arms, Marine MP's, and others with law enforcement background.

For more information about our growing fraternity, let's meet on our website

www.afspaonline.org, or call the AFSPA San Marcos, Texas headquarters at (512) 396-5444, or toll free 1-888-250-9876 for more information.

Honor the past, recognize the present and prepare for the future: These are our commitments.

Join us if you can. You'll be glad you did. Please help us pass the word about AFSPA!

CLICK HERE

to view photos on the What Are We Fighting For?™ website.

Here you will see photos that you will NOT see in the main stream media. Now see the other of the story.

Thank You USA

Association Members are invited to send pictures to be posted on the What Are We Fighting For?™ website. Mail to: What Are We Fighting For?, Inc., P.O. Box 2428, Brenham, Texas 77834-2428 (Please, include self addressed stamped envelope if you want photos returned) Or email digital pictures to:

SusanD@WhatAreWeFightingFor.com.

Click here

to hear Bob on the OCPA 'Right Ideas' radio program

ABOUT BOB

BOB ANDERSON, PhD, CMSgt USAFR (Ret)

Bob Anderson is a decorated military veteran with over 32 years of service. His last military assignment was with the Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, Balad Air Base, Iraq. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq. He retired as a Chief Master Sergeant with the US Air Force Reserves.

Bob is the president and founder of What Are We Fighting For?, Inc., an organization providing leadership and guidance across the nation in support of our troops and the re-Americanization of America. Additionally, he is president and founder of Back to Basics International, sits on the Board of Directors for the World Safety Organization, the WSO Accreditation Committee and chairs the Ethics Committee. He's a member of various veteran organizations, holds two PhD's and is a published author.

Dear Member

SITREP

(Situation Report)

During the last two weeks of May, Col. Bond and I had the opportunity to be guests on several talk shows across the country. We were privileged to be on with Sue Wylie, WVLK out of Kentucky and Chuck Harder's For the People Show out of Florida. Mike Cope and JR Williamson, KXYL, Brownwood, Texas and Scooter McGee from the Denver, CO area carried the What Are We Fighting For message. Norm Jones with WTCM, Michigan and Steve Mitton's show from Idaho gave us the chance to get the word out. We even had the opportunity to be on the Air America show which leans to the left! Honestly, I was apprehensive of this one, but Lionel, host of The Lionel Show was a great host and a great American.

I want to share some things we have learned, I think you'll find this important. There are still some talk show hosts out there telling the truth. There are still some hosts whose righteous indignation has not been replaced by ratings. There are still some who have not substituted profession for the passion that brought them to the microphone. That is the good news.

The bad news is:

1. We have a lot of people that are dissatisfied across this country. Many are angry, many are fearful and almost everyone is frustrated. Callers from every region of this country - including those from predominately left wing shows - are sharing the same fears, frustrations and anger - this was a surprise to me! I believe it indicates that the conventional tags of liberal/conservative and democrat/republican may no longer be appropriate indicators.

2. The questions have been virtually identical regardless of the type of show we were on or the audience it served.

3. We still have a lot of folks in this country that do not understand what happened to cause us to go into Iraq.

4. We have a majority of the population that does not understand what will happen if we pull out of Iraq before a legitimate victory is won.

5. We have a majority of the population that does not understand what a legitimate victory would look like.

6. We have too much political correctness and this has created the following situation:

· It has been so long since this fight started people are tired of it.

· It has been so long since a clear victory has been won by this country that people have forgotten what getting into a fight is all about.

· It has been so long that we have forgotten how to fight.

· It has been so long since a clear victory that we have forgotten we can win.

· It has been so long since we have won that some folks are actually afraid of winning because it will make them politically incorrect - when someone wins, someone has to loose.

· It is easier to accept not fighting that it is to anticipate a victory.

· There is a component of our citizen population that absolutely hates America.

· There is a component of our citizen population that will sell out this country and is actively involved in that process.

· There is a component of our citizen population ready to take up arms.

· There is a component of our citizen population that is fearful that our government will establish martial law and take their guns.

· Everyone is asking for a "quick fix" when there is not one.

· Some folks equate a good economy with "there is no problem."

By and large the communications I have gotten following the shows has been professional and polite, even when the writer and I disagreed - but not always been the case. When the disagreements were intense and writer unprofessional, the attacks are personal and hate filled.

Were I to respond with the same vitriolic vigor I would be called unprofessional (which I have been called); I would be called a bigot (which I have been called); a fanatic (which I have been called); unethical (which I have been called); unpatriotic (which I have been called); un-American (which I have been called); a fascist (which I have been called); a homophobe (which I have been called) and a variety of other descriptors I won't burden you with. My Momma taught me better than that.

You know something? I don't have all of the answers; but I have some interesting questions and observations. My job is not to tell you what to think, but to encourage you to think.

I did not create these problems and I do not have the power to fix them - but we do! People ask me "what can we do?" Here are the first five things to do to save this country:

Educate yourself as to what is really going on Border Security, Global War On Terrorism and domestic terror issues. Improve and modify your understandings of the real issues with illegal immigration, etc. Ask yourself if Homeland Security is effective.
Educate yourself as to what is going to happen when we pull out of Iraq. Ask yourself who will be controlling the world's oil three weeks after we're gone.
You need to get involved, contact friends and neighbors. Ask yourself if your elected officials are representing you and if they are not - tell them what you see - tell them what you want and VOTE.
Take a look at personal security. How would your family cope with an emergency without the government help, remember Katrina? Think about how to protect yourself, will there be food and water and shelter?
Understand the vocal duplicity of the opponents of the so-called War on Terrorism. Saying you "support the troops but not the war" - encourages our opponents and hurts the troops. Read our article on Viet Nam in this issue. This is a defeatism liberal scheme. Realize the impact of withdrawal from Iraq will be felt on all levels of the American economy and individual freedoms.

People, it is time to wake up and acknowledge that this is America. It will only be America as long as there are Americans to defend it. We do not need Socialism, sorry Hillary - it does not take a village to raise a child. Republicans - Tell us the truth and stop throwing our money away and secure our borders, NOW!

Politicians had begun to recognize that special interest does not mean, "in the best interest of this country or its citizens." Politicians (on both sides of the aisle) should reassess their view of the voters - their boss. We may have been fooled by you once or twice, but we are seeing what you are right now!! It ain't what we want, change or be replaced!

This issue's SITREP remains SNAFU - Situation Normal All Fouled Up (Sorry guys, my Momma and grandkids reads this - you know what I mean.) Just remember we're still out there trying to carry the word, acknowledge the right thinkers, educate the wrong thinkers and holding to the best concepts of America.

Bob

Bob Anderson, PhD, CMSgt USAFR (Ret)
936.520.9696

Founding Members

What Are We Fighting For?™

ABOUT DAVE

COLONEL DAVID A. BOND, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET)

Dave Bond is the Vice President for West Coast Operations for What Are We Fighting For?, Inc. During his 28 year military career he commanded eight Security and Anti-terrorism units and was Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Security Police, Headquarters Air Force in Europe overseeing the European Air Forces Anti-terrorism Program.

Heavily involved in the raid on Libya by the United States, he was responsible for the deployment of personnel securing B-52 Bombers conducting raids on the Iraq Republican Guard Forces and the coalition forces bases which launched aircraft during Desert Shield and Storm.

Dave Bond has been featured on radio talk shows and TV specials talking about Chemical and Biological Terrorism threats and how the U.S. and individuals can prepare and deal with these threats.

Visit the FORUM

LIVE on the www.WhatAreWeFightingFor.com website.

LET'S BE SPECIFIC

By Jimmy L. Cash, Brig. Gen., USAF, Ret.

          Due to the thunderous applause that I received from the far-left over the "I Am Tired" letter written by one of our troops in Iraq, I thought it prudent to follow up with one last attempt to be very specific about what I have observed and actually personally encountered during my 36 years of service to this Great Country. This will be a one time attempt to reach some of those who are confused by the far-left and their ilk's unethical rantings and give some insight through my personal experience as a professional military officer over the years. These examples are but a few. In real life there were many more which space and time will not allow.

          As a young fighter pilot, flying F-4s in Vietnam, I was stopped in my tracks by the decisions made by Lyndon Johnson and Robert McNamara. I was young and naive, but even then I knew their daily interference was wrong and would not allow us to win this thing and go home. Decisions like not allowing us to strike enemy aircraft while still on the ground, keeping real targets off the target list, and allowing us to strike only rusted-out trucks made us basically a toothpick factory. However, the big one for me came the day I saw the President Lyndon Johnson on television, forcefully lying to the American people. I'll never forget the language, "I want to assure the American people that the United States of America has never, and will never, bomb or use force inside the borders of Cambodia". On and on he disavowed the reports that this was happening. I was amazed. Guess where I had put several F-4 loads of 750 pound general purpose bombs every day for the past five days. You guessed it, Cambodia!!! So much for Mr. Johnson. The only question in my mind was simply, "Was it just Johnson or was it the methodology of a particular political party?" I decided to delay answering that question until more experience was gained.

          Years passed, and I ignored politics as much as possible, as a good military man should. Then came Jimmy Carter. Our young people don't remember 18% interest rates and 18% inflation, but I'll bet someone in your family does. That is one really bad thing Carter did for our country, but it is not the worst. During this period, I was an F-15 Squadron Commander, located at Langley AFB, VA. Jimmy Carter and his democratic party stopped spare parts procurement for almost every weapon system in our military, and diverted the funds to social programs. The F-15 was brand new at the time with leading edge technology designed to provide air superiority anywhere in the world on a moments notice. That was my job. I loved it, but guess what? In a two year period from 1979 to 1981, there was not one day when more that one-third of my assigned aircraft were flyable. It is amazing the lengths we went to in those days, cannibalizing parts, expending twice the time and energy to fix every little item, and still two-thirds of the birds were always broken because of no spare parts. Had this country faced a really serious military threat during that time frame, only Montana Hunters could have saved us. The military had some equipment, but it was all broken.   Do you want to know the really bad part for me and the young fighter pilots working for me? Our flying sortie rate was so low that pilot proficiency dropped to dangerous levels. The accident rate tripled. That obviously was totally unacceptable, as we were losing expensive airplanes and highly trained young pilots at a rate comparable to losses seen in actual combat. All of a sudden, even a Texas Aggie like me began to see a trend.

          Forward a few years to 1986. I am an F-16 Wing Commander at MacDill AFB, Florida, and Ronald Regan is president. His change in attitude and policy toward the military had time to fix the spare parts problem. We were flying 26,000 flying sorties per year out of MacDill AFB, my aircraft fully mission capable rate (FMC) was above 90%, the aircraft accident rate was below 1.75 per hundred thousand flying hours, fighter pilots were flying and proficiency levels were at an all time high. The United States Air Force was ready to defend this Wonderful Country. Proof of the pudding is simple. Look what the USAF, and the military in general, accomplished in Iraq during Desert Storm. And, they did it in less than 100 hours. Yeah, at this point I was starting to realize there was a difference in mentality between Democrats and Republicans, or should I say, the Left and the Right.

          Then, came everyone's favorite---Bill Clinton. If there ever was an individual 180 degrees out of sync with the ideals and the values of the US military, it was Clinton. He was a known draft dodger, military hating, self absorbed, unspeakingly shameless and immoral individual, who the Left managed to elect President of the United States of America. Clinton's antics in the White House would have brought court martial, conviction, and Dishonorable Discharge had he been a military member. We still suffer oral sex on school buses, because the President told the world it wasn't real sex, and some of our children believed him. It took a lot of years, but now I became certain. There is a big difference in the right and the left on all fronts, and for the first time I started feeling angry and shamed that the majority of the American people were actually willing to vote for such an individual.

          Sometimes, an abstract such as the following tells the story in very simple terms: Jane Fonda, Tom Hayden, Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, George Soros, Ted Kennedy, Howard Dean, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Michael Moore, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Nancy Pelosi, Barbra Boxer, John Kerry, Benedict Arnold, and the list goes on. America, wake up. In my opinion, giving in to the likes of these people could allow Abraham Lincoln's prediction of destruction from within to come true. There is not a country in the world that can be considered a conventional military threat to the United States today. However, this country faces a new kind of threat---one that will not go away. It is a threat even more serious that WWII, because money, industry and technology will not defeat it. It is a threat of defeat from within. It is a threat of a faltering economy because of a lack of resources, or the even the simple threat of such a loss brought on by terrorism. It is a threat created by the American people trusting the inept. It is a threat created by the people wanting change, and perilously believing that the left can successfully deliver that change. Have you seen anything from the left that remotely resembles an answer to the Iraq situation?   Have you seen anything more than continued Bush-Bashing? Is that an answer? If there was ever a need for a strong, well trained military, it is now. THE LEFT HAS HISTORICALLY DISMANTLED OUR MILITARY IN THE NAME OF REDISTRUBITION OF WEALTH FAVORING SOCIAL PROGRAMS. We just cannot afford to let that happen now. If we do, the entire country may be bowing to the east several times a day within the next 50 years, maybe sooner.

          Now a final thought meant to upset as many as possible on the far-left. As you might guess, I don't believe in political correctness. So, let's look at the facts, not far-left rhetoric attempting to empower the democratic party. Initially, I was not a George Bush fan. I am not even a Republican. I normally vote Republican, because of my total despise of Communism, Socialism and the far-left in this country. I am a Conservative. However, during his watch, I feel President Bush just happened to stumble upon the leading edge of the greatest threat this country has ever faced. Mistakes have been made, because of the newness of the threat. Overall, the President has done a superb job dealing the threat, and at the same time held off the constant ranting, raving, deceitful and malicious escapades of the far-left attempting to regain political power. IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME THE COUNTRY NEEDS TO COME TOGETHER AND BACK OUR PRESIDENT, IT IS RIGHT NOW. WITHOUT CONCENSUS WE ARE EMPOWERING THE TERRORIST!!!! I feel the far-left is totally absorbed with a power struggle and regaining control of congress. They could care less about defeating the threat. It literally disgusts me to hear the constant disagreement with everything the President tries to do, all in the name of trying to make him look bad to the voters. Unfortunately, by the time the American people really appreciate how bad the far-left really is, it may too late.

          What are the real facts? On the home front this country's economy is the strongest that it has been in my lifetime. Interest rates are as low as they were when I was in high school forty years ago. Inflation does not exist for all practical purposes. For you youngster's, please remember the Jimmy Carter comments? The Dow is approaching 13,000. Unemployment is nonexistent. Wages are at an all time high. Home ownership is at an all time high. Taxes have been lowered to an almost acceptable level. Because of the surging economy the deficient is under control and projected to go away far ahead of schedule. The far-left is rich beyond its wildest dreams, so Mr. President when are you going to "fix" all these domestic problems? Give me a break!!!!

          On the war front this country has not been touched since 2001. I remember being part of a seminar at the USAF War College in 1983 discussing the terrorist threat. There were some good minds at that table and a lot of disagreement. However, one common thought was that the US would be hit within the next five years. Answers to the terrorist threat were just as hard to come by then as they are now. Well, it took a little longer than the projection, but the attack occurred. For an old military guy like me, the main point here is that it has not happened again. We have suckered the bad guys into entering the fight somewhere other than in our country. To hell with political correctness. The President can't say this, but I sure can. I smile every morning when I get up and realize that one of our great cities has not been blown away. And, there is zero doubt in my mind that if we pull out of Iraq prematurely, that will happen within a short period of time after our departure. I don't care what you might think of President Bush personally. He has done the best he can with what he has, and this country is not smoking because of it. So, the anti-American, Bush hating far-left should back off.   They honestly don't have a clue about what they are talking about, and they are doing irreparable damage to our country.

          I realize there are different points of view on war, and I do not believe the meek will inherit the earth, at least not in the next few hundred years. To those of the far-left, who will undoubtedly respond to this letter, let me say, "This is a strong country!!!" It has survived the uneducated thinking of the far-left before, and I'll just bet it will again. Regardless of who is President, the people will not tolerate mass explosions on a daily basis, as our good friends in Israel have been forced to do. To protect that position of power, even Hillary will be forced to become a true hawk. To guarantee a few more votes Ted Kennedy may be forced to begin supporting a strong military. One more attack on America might even wipe the giddy, 'I-am-finally-somebody' grin from Nancy Pelosi's face, and make her realize that is not about votes and personal power. IT IS ABOUT PROTECTING THIS GREAT COUNTRY FROM ALL ENEMIES, BOTH FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC.

Jimmy L. Cash, Brig. Gen., USAF, Ret.

349 Jib Lane

Lakeside, Montana   59922

Announcement

New Scam Targeting Military Spouses

Washington, DC, May 29, 2007 -- The American Red Cross has learned about a new scam targeting military families. This scam takes the form of false information being told to military families as described below:

The caller (young-sounding, American accent) calls a military spouse and identifies herself as a representative from the Red Cross. The caller states that the spouse's husband (not identified by name) was hurt while on duty in Iraq and was med-evacuated to a hospital in Germany. The caller states they couldn't start treatment until paperwork was accomplished, and that in order to start the paperwork they needed the spouse to verify her husband's social security number and date of birth. In this case, the spouse was quick to catch on and she did not provide any information to the caller.

American Red Cross representatives typically do not contact military members/dependents directly and almost always go through a commander or first sergeant channels. Military family members are urged not to give out any personal information over the phone if contacted by unknown/unverified individuals, to include confirmation that your spouse is deployed.

It is a federal crime, punishable by up to 5 years in prison, for a person to falsely or fraudulently pretend to be a member of, or an agent for, the American National Red Cross for the purpose of soliciting, collecting, or receiving money or material.

In addition, American Red Cross representatives will contact military members/dependents directly only in response to an emergency message initiated by your family. The Red Cross does not report any type of casualty information to family members. The Department of Defense will contact families directly if their military member has been injured. Should any military family member receive such a call, they are urged to report it to their local Family Readiness Group or Military Personnel Flight.

The American Red Cross ensures that the American people are in touch with their family members serving in the United States military by operating a communications network that is open 24-hours, 7 days-a-week, 365 days-a-year. Through a network of employees and volunteers at Red Cross national that link families during emergencies, access to emergency financial assistance, confidential counseling, community support headquarters, local chapters, on military installations, and deployed with troops, the Red Cross offers a broad range of services. Among these services, the Red Cross provides communications for families left behind, assistance to veterans, and preparedness courses for military personnel and their families

The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest U.S. supplier of blood and blood products.

The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.

Iraq - Vietnam - - Same?
by Paul R. Hollrah l March 3, 2007

The August 3, 1995 edition of the Wall Street Journal carried an interview with former North Vietnamese Colonel Bui Tin, a member of the North Vietnamese general staff and the man who received the surrender of South Vietnam's President Duong Van Minh on April 30, 1975. The interview was conducted by Stephen Young, a Minnesota human rights activist.

Colonel Tin described the military and political events of the war from his vantage point in Hanoi. What he described was the step-by-step defeat of US forces, not on the battlefield, but in the White House, in the Halls of Congress, in the streets of America, and on our college and university campuses. Sound familiar?

As I read Col. Tin's recitation of how events played out in Vietnam - step-by-step-by-step - I couldn't help but think of the motto embroidered across the shoulder patch that I wore during the last eighteen months of my military service. The shoulder patch was the insignia of the US 7th Army and the motto embroidered across the bottom read, "Seven Steps to Hell."

Col. Tin was asked, "How did Hanoi intend to defeat the Americans?" He responded, "By fighting a long war which would break their will. Ho Chi Minh said, 'We don't need to win military victories, we only need to hit them until they give up and get out'."
(Note: I heard of a North Vietnamese officer saying, "We can go on losing longer than you (America) can go on winning." Norm) Liberals, cut-and-run Democrats and the anti-war left now signal to al Qaeda and Islamic Jihad that we're preparing to do the same in Iraq.

Step One. Col. Tin was asked, "Was the American anti-war movement important to Hanoi's victory?" He responded, "It was essential to our strategy. Every day our leadership would listen to world news over the radio at 9:00 AM to follow the growth of the American anti-war movement. Visits to Hanoi by people like Jane Fonda and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark gave us confidence that we should hold on in the face of battlefield reverses." Jane Fonda and Ramsey Clark are back, and they've been joined by Cindy Sheehan, a host of anti-war leftists, and nearly the entire Democrat Party, all bashing the Commander in Chief and clamoring for an early surrender in Iraq.

Step Two. Col. Tin was asked, "How could the Americans have won the war?" He responded, "Cut the Ho Chi Minh trail inside Laos. If Johnson had granted (General) Westmoreland's requests to enter Laos and block the Ho Chi Minh trail, Hanoi could not have won the war." While George W. Bush has given battlefield commanders all of the troops and equipment they've requested, Democrats complain that it's either too little or too much.

Step Three. Col. Tin was asked, "What of American bombing of North Vietnam?" He responded, "If all the bombing had been concentrated at one time, it would have hurt our efforts. But the bombing was expanded in slow stages under Johnson and it didn't worry us." in the Iraq War, Rules of Engagement are written by lawyers in the Pentagon.

(Note: I have said before that lawyers shouldn't be allowed inside Barrett range of a military decision. The job of a lawyer is generally either to look for reasons something CAN'T be done or to confuse the issues- Norm)

Step Four. Col. Tin was asked, "What about Westmoreland's strategy and tactics caused you concern?" He responded, "Our senior commander in the South, Gen. Nguyen Chi Thanh, knew that we were losing base areas, control of the rural population, and that his main forces were being pushed out to the borders of South Vietnam. Johnson had rejected Westmoreland's request for 200,000 more troops (and) we realized that America had made its maximum military commitment to the war. "Democrats and anti-war radicals maintain constant pressure to turn public opinion against the administrations new "troop surge" strategy, even threatening to cut off funding for our troops.

Step Five. Col. Tin continued, "Tet was designed to influence American public opinion. We would attack poorly defended parts of South Vietnam cities during a holiday when few South Vietnamese troops would be on duty. Our losses were staggering. (General) Giap later told me that Tet had been a military defeat, though we had gained the planned political advantages when Johnson agreed to negotiate and did not run for reelection." In America, in 2006, Democrats and anti-war radicals hounded a highly competent Defense Secretary out of office and used bloated anti-war rhetoric to gain victories in the mid-term elections.

Step Six. Col. Tin was asked, "What of Nixon?" He responded, "Well, when Nixon stepped down because of Watergate we knew we would win. (Prime Minister) Pham Van Dong said of Gerald Ford. 'He's the weakest president in US history; the people didn't elect him. Even if you gave him candy he doesn't dare intervene in Vietnam again.' "So who will Islamic Jihad see across the battle lines in the next administration, Hillary Clinton? Barack Hussein Obama? A trial lawyer from North Carolina?

Step Seven. "Seven Steps To Hell" and one day Democrats will be called to answer for each and every one of them.

Paul R. Hollrah is a senior fellow at the Lincoln Heritage Institute

BLUE SKIES & HAVE A GREAT DAY!

"If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you with only a precarious chance of survival. There may be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is not hope of victory at all, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves." - Sir Winston Churchill -

Legacies and Memorials

by Deborah Tainsh| May 24, 2007

From college scholarships to statues in parks, to book shipments to the troops, to books for children to help inspire early childhood literacy. Memorial interchanges and buildings, and legislation fought for and won by those like John and Stacey Holley, parents of Specialist Matthew Holley of San Diego, to have our fallen heroes returned home from the battlefield by military or private transport, met with full honor guards and family members... all of these created by and for families who love beyond comprehension their fallen heroes and who remain determined to ensure they are not forgotten and did not die in vain.

Another such legacy that will affect many for years to come now exists in the village of Camden, New York. Here at the request of parents Donna and Renny Parker I recently spoke to honor and remember their son and attend the dedication of the Sgt Elisha Parker Community Youth Center at the Abundant Life Community Church in Camden.

In a center created for the community youth to enjoy basketball, social events, and gain spiritual guidance, evidence of Sgt. Parker's love for his Marine Corps and his favorite action hero, Spider-Man, covers several walls. And most importantly, the standard that Sgt. Parker believed in, the motto of his favorite hero will continually be told: "with great power comes great responsibility," a motto that Eli lived up to and died believing.

During his third tour to Iraq, assigned to the 1^st Combat Engineer Bn, 1^st Marine Division, 1^st MEF, Elisha, on May 4, 2006, was killed by an IED in Al Anbar Province. During days that followed, his hometown of Camden, New York lined the streets with flags and tears to show honor and to provide support for his family. One year later, in the breeze of a sun filled day, Marine Corps flags once again lined the quaint village streets as a community joined together with the Parker family to honor the life and service of their fallen son.

Inside the Abundant Life Community Church where from a teenager Eli had served in the youth ministry, the sanctuary packed several hundred who had known and loved him for many of his twenty-one years. On the front row my husband and I were privileged to sit with Eli's parents, Renny and Donna, his brothers, Isaiah and Andrew and sister Briana for the memorial service. After shared words, songs, and a memorable slide show of photos reflecting on Eli's life and service, everyone in the sanctuary moved to the adjoining building where Eli's parents cut the ribbon to dedicate the new youth center that will forever memorialize this son, brother, and Marine. This legacy is only one for over three thousand of the real life heroes who have given all in the fight against terrorism and whose lives, not their deaths, will be remembered as servants of a higher calling. Lives and legacies that will go on for decades to make a difference for others across the oceans and here at home, for young and old.

In a conversation with another Gold Star mom, we came to the conclusion that because our children are heroes, we have to be heroes, too. And we feel the only way to do this is by continuing to strive diligently to ensure and prove that our loved ones did not die in vain. Therefore many of America's Gold Star families, a term given to those of us who have a loved one die while in service to their nation, seek ways to honor and memorialize them through continuing in the spirit of their beliefs, dedication to their individual military mottos, service, freedom, and faith in order to benefit others of our nation and communities. Are those of us who take this path really heroes? Of course not. But because our loved ones are, we refuse to let them be forgotten or for anyone to say they died in vain.

As Memorial Day, 2007 has arrived again to provide a three day weekend for Federal employees and many others across the nation, as everyone lights the grill and enjoys their day as they see fit, I simply ask that everyone remember why this day was created in 186___ and ushered in at Arlington National Cemetery. Please remember those who have provided, through sacrifice for over two hundred years, the freedom for such a day. Help families like the Parkers to have faith in their fellow Americans to remember to give a moment of thanks and gratitude for warriors like Eli. Help our Gold Star families continue to build legacies and memorials that will benefit our nation for years to come.

I say often these days that the grief of a fallen heroe's family is no less or greater than that of the everyday American who suffers the death of a loved one from disease or accident. However, our military families' suffer additional stress because our loved one died for the security of our nation, and additional pain ensues because it seems that the majority of our nation doesn't want to remember or acknowledge that their precious, privileged and free lives come only because of the "less than one percent" of the nation's population willing to wear a military uniform and who have and will continue to sacrifice on our nation's behalf.

In my message to those filling the sanctuary at Sgt Elisha Parker's memorial service I spoke of how our fallen heroes have answered to our Creator having accomplished two greatest of scriptures:

"No greater love has one than they who will lay down their life for another."

And from Paul: "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak. As Jesus said: It is far better to give than to receive. Give therefore to the weak that they may be strengthened."

Yes, our heroes serving, our wounded, and fallen have met the mark of these words and raise the bar for all others of this nation. The Sgt. Eli Parkers and families of our country will never be forgotten by those of us striving together to create legacies and memorials that will bless lives for generations to come, legacies and memorials that will prove our sacrifices are not in vain.

And may we remember another Spider-Man tag line, "there is a thin line between being an ordinary man and an extraordinary hero," for all our men and women in uniform, serving and protecting this nation, they are the ordinary, but extraordinary heroes that we owe so very much to.

About the Author

Deborah Tainsh, wife of USMC Sgt Maj (ret) David Tainsh, Gold Star Mom to USA Sgt Patrick Tainsh, KIA Baghdad, 2/11/04, and author of Heart of a Hawk: One family's sacrifice and journey toward healing, is an avid supporter of the United States Armed Forces and an engaging speaker regarding current issues involving our military, their families, and the importance of winning the war in Iraq and the fight against terrorism. Deborah has been interviewed and shared her family story and convictions on New York Public Radio, numerous national TV and radio broadcasts, the associated press, and most recently with German Public Television. She also writes for military.com and USA Patriotism. Deborah and her husband live in Midland, Georgia. Learn more about Deborah at www.heartofahawk.com or contact her at heartofahawk@msn.com or through her publisher, Elva Resa.

SOMEBODY'S RAISING THEIR KID RIGHT!

One Nation, "Under God".

One day a 6 year old girl was sitting in a classroom. The teacher was going to explain evolution to the children. The teacher asked a little boy: Tommy do you see the tree outside?

TOMMY: Yes.

TEACHER: Tommy, do you see the grass outside?

TOMMY: Yes.

TEACHER: Go outside and look up and see if you can see the sky.

TOMMY: Okay. (He returned a few minutes later) Yes, I saw the sky.

TEACHER: Did you see God up there?

TOMMY: No.

TEACHER: That's my point. We can't see God because he isn't there. Possibly he just doesn't exist.

A little girl spoke up and wanted to ask the boy some questions.

The teacher agreed and the little girl asked the boy: Tommy, do you see the tree

outside?

TOMMY: Yes.

LITTLE GIRL: Tommy do you see the grass outside?

TOMMY: Yessssss!

LITTLE GIRL: Did you see the sky?

TOMMY: Yessssss!

LITTLE GIRL: Tommy, do you see the teacher?

TOMMY: Yes

LITTLE GIRL: Do you see her brain?

TOMMY: No

LITTLE GIRL: Then according to what we were taught today in school, she possibly may not even have one!

(You Go Girl!)

FOR WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT"

II CORINTHIANS 5:7

I Am a Hokie

by David Koren, Head of Sales, Aetna Individual Markets. Article was written as a leadership message to the sales organization.

I graduated VA TECH in 1981. VA TECH is set in the quiet beauty of the VA mountains in a small town called Blacksburg. It has always had a large student body that is surprising close. Maybe because we call ourselves Hokies and our team mascot is a Turkey, we bond more closely than some. VA TECH was my home for over 5 years and where I began my insurance career. I took freshman calculus in Norris Hall and remember the impact that building and time had on my life.

Seeing the horror that unfolded on the 16th of April and how it impacted the world has been very personal. At times I was stricken with tears and anger. At other times I was overwhelmed with pride as I watched the faculty; students and alumni handle the tragedy with unity and dignity. Former classmates e-mailed me with similar emotions and I know we all have all worn our Hokie colors a lot more than usual of late.

Maybe the hardest thing has been trying to explain to my 11 year old son what happened and why. He went with me just last month to watch a basketball game at Tech and we drove by Norris Hall. It is a college he thinks he might want to attend. How do you explain madness to an 11 year old? How do I explain it to myself? Because we are Christians I also had to deal with the question of: "Why God would allow this to happen?"

The last question is the hard one. It was not easy but, I shared my personal philosophy with him. I let my son know that God has given us free will. Free will allows us to create the world in which we live. The power of our thoughts gives rise to the reality that we experience, because God not only gives us free will, He loves us and wants to grant us our prayers, our hearts desires, and our prayers are our thoughts. That is why setting goals works, why focus works and unfortunately that is why a person who focuses on evil will create it in their life.

But, my son asked, what about all those innocent people, why did God let them die? Again, I told him that God works in many ways. The individuals who died on that fateful day may have had a strong desire to serve others, to help everyone in some way. They may have prayed to God to be allowed to do so. Their deaths may help many others in ways that only God knows. They are heroes and God would show them why.

My son was OK with my answer, but it seemed a bit too simple to me.

In my mind the young man who committed these acts and then took his own life is accountable for what happened. There is no one else to point the finger at. Perhaps he had medical problems that led him to the depressed state he found himself in. Perhaps there were signs that were ignored that could have led to an intervention that would have saved his life and those of so many gifted individuals on that day. Maybe if the gun loophole had been closed or the campus had shut down sooner lives would have been spared. I do hope that this event will lead us to take actions that will minimize the chance of this happening again. I am sure that God has His purpose.

So how can this be a leadership message? Well, I think it is important for all of us to recognize some things and keep work in perspective; the recent events have certainly done so for me.

Some parting thoughts:

Our current life is a product of our past thoughts and actions
The future will be a result of your thoughts/actions right now
The current moment is the only one you control
Our thoughts have tremendous power
Pay attention to what you think and what you allow into your mind (input is important)
Set goals and stay focused
The people we work with and for are more important than the work
There is a greater plan that we play a part in, trust it and be a good partner.

About Bob

by Bob Anderson, Chief Master Sergeant, USAFR (Ret)

America As We Know It ─ Disappearing Before Our Eyes

Ladies and Gentlemen, the flood of data that has started coming into us from virtually every corner of this great land is amazing; and it is distressing.

Following our exposure on various talk radio shows across this country there are some amazing things we have learned, I have chronicled those in my SITREP article. I suggest you read that.

This Chief's Corner is going to concentrate on the inputs and concerns that we have had from members and from callers during our radio shows. Foremost is the safety and security of this country! Illegal immigration, coupled with political correctness have created a fertile ground for what appears (at least to this writer), to be a well thought out plan to form a North American Union similar to what exists in Europe.

In order to accomplish this, several things appear to be in place and in the early stages of functionality:

1. The plan appears to be to replace the dollar in this country, the peso in Mexico and Canadian currency with something called the "Amero". Reference the Euro.

2. The virtual elimination of our Southern and Northern borders facilitated by the North American Free Trade Corridor.

3. Increased and illegal attention directed toward lawful and legitimate gun ownership in the country.

4. What I consider to be a shadow influence from the Committee on Foreign Relations that was created (ostensibly) provide guidance and evaluation on the Iraq War.

In order to accomplish this free trade community one thing is obvious to me. America as we know it will cease to exist! This seemingly simple trade process (and as a capitalist society, we are for free trade) is only a disguise for its real purpose. In my opinion that is to facilitate the creation of the end of this country as we know it.

In my presentations and appearances I have said for months that I considered Europe has already fallen and is no longer able to effectively administer their own national governments. Two things are responsible for this condition: 1. the creation of the European Union, and 2. the impact of the increasing Islamic population. Today, I have come to realize we are walking down a similar path. However, we are moving at a much faster pace than Europe ever did.

In spite of loud and ongoing criticism of the Corridor, governors and Congressional Leaders and special interests groups are pushing forward with this plan as fast as they can. Imminent domain has and will continue to result in the loss of private property and business ─ not for the common good ─ but to create something that WILL mean the end of America as a free and independent country.

This Committee for Foreign Relations contains well known politicians with a history of leadership in this country's affairs. I request you do your own research to find out who the members are. My own research indicates that our last three presidents (including the current one) are involved.

Through conversations across the fruited plain I am learning of new restrictions and requirements on firearms that exceed current Federal and State guidelines for registration, etc. I knew that with the Democratic controlled Congress, a new gun ban was on the horizon. I fear now that it has already started due to the fact that ATF in California is issuing $1,000 fines for failure to identify the makers of gun locks required when a fire arm is purchased.

According to my sources, one shop has been hit with $30,000 of fines ─ not for failing to provide the locks for gun transactions, but for failing to identify which lock was used. Another source tells me that some shops in Houston are requiring copies of driver's license if someone comes in to buy a part for a gun. Our political correctness and the anti-gun movement are active and encroaching and exceeding state and federal guidelines and nothing is being reported on this - surprise, surprise. Many of the gun stores are unable to pay these exorbitant fines, and therefore having to close their doors. Could this be the intent of these ridiculous fines to start with? Hmmm.

Now I come to the "shadow" concept. I have never been much of a conspiracy theorist; however, I was a pretty good cop and I learned to trust the evidence. Last evening while watching Fox, I saw three ads for the Texas Employers for Immigration Reform. Expensive, well done and dollar driven this is an attempt to show that we Americans are incapable of sustaining our country, working for a living, finding employees, etc., etc. Don't know about you but I am insulted and angry.

I will no longer ask, "Are our politicians not listening or just not hearing?" Never again will I waste time trying to figure out why we are in such a mess. You can't get this screwed up accidentally, ya gotta work at it! And they are working at it with a passion!

Here's the bottom line, fellow citizens ─ we are being played like a violin! Watch and observe ─ an issue will receive a couple of weeks of intense play. We as citizens will write our congressional representatives, start up new email, phone and letter campaigns and our blood pressure will go through the collective roof. Then a "resolution" to the problem will be discussed and lauded as solving the problem.

In a few weeks, the issue is brought back up; most of us will scratch our heads and said something like, "Hell, I thought we had settled that!" Then we go through the turmoil and activities again believing we will accomplish something. Not! By the third or forth iteration of this scheme, we are so frustrated and desensitized that we no longer want to fight it, we just want it to go away. That is how this country is being defeated from within by the very people we elected to serve us.

Be aware, be vigilant and become educated. This is a game that is not simply occurring ─ It is being orchestrated! It is the only example of bipartisanship that truly exists.

Everything else, all of the hyperboles and metaphors serve one purpose and one purpose only ─ to distract, to dissuade and to defeat us. Once free Americans have been disenfranchised and controlled, next on the agenda will be a fulfillment of the North American Free Trade Union and then a single world government (shades of the United Nations) and then a single world religion ─ and it won't be Baptist, Catholic or Buddhist ─ that's right, it'll be Islam.

DO YOU REMEMBER?????

SOME OF YOU ARE TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER THESE! Sit back, relax, read, remember & smile. Kind of reminds you to stop & smell the roses of life, and to give Thanks to God for Life and Memories!!!!

DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN...? All the girls had ugly gym uniforms?

It took five minutes for the TV warm up?

Nearly everyone's Mom was at home when the kids got home from school?

Nobody owned a purebred dog?

When a quarter was a decent allowance?

You'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny?

Your Mom wore nylons that came in two pieces?

All your male teachers wore neckties and female teachers had their hair done every day and wore high heels?

You got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without asking, all for free, every time? And you didn't pay for air? And, you got trading stamps to boot?

Laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden inside the box?

It was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents?

They threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed... and they did?

When a 55 Chevy was everyone's dream car... to cruise, peel out, lay rubber or watch submarine races, and people went steady?

No one ever asked where the car keys were because they were always in the car, in the ignition, and the doors were never locked?

Lying on your back in the grass with your friends and saying things like, "That cloud looks like a...", and playing baseball with no adults to help kids with the rules of the game?

Stuff from the store came without safety caps and hermetic seals because no one had yet tried to poison a perfect stranger?

And with all our progress, don't you just wish, just once, you could slip back in time and savor the slower pace, and share it with the children of today?

When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited the student at home? Basically we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! But we survived because their love was greater than the threat.

Send this on to someone who can still remember Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Laurel and Hardy, Howdy Dowdy and the Peanut Gallery, the Lone Ranger, The Shadow Knows, Nellie Bell, Roy and Dale, Trigger and Buttermilk.

As well as summers filled with bike rides, baseball games, Hula Hoops, bowling and visits to the pool, and eating Kool-Aid powder with sugar. Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say, "Yeah, I remember that"?

I am sharing this with you today because it ended with a double dog dare to pass it on. To remember what a double dog dare is, read on. And remember that the perfect age is somewhere between old enough to know better and too young to care.

How many of these do you remember? Candy cigarettes, Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water inside, Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles

Coffee shops with tableside jukeboxes, Blackjack, Clove and Teaberry chewing gum, Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers, Newsreels before the movie, P.F. Fliers, Telephone numbers with a word prefix... (Raymond 4-601). Party lines, Peashooters, Howdy Dowdy, 45 RPM records, Green Stamps, Hi-Fi's.

Metal ice cubes trays with levers. Mimeograph paper, Beanie and Cecil Roller-skate keys, Cork pop guns, Drive ins, Studebakers, Washtub wringers, The Fuller Brush Man, Reel-To-Reel tape recorders, Tinkertoys, Erector Sets, The Fort Apache Play Set.

Lincoln Logs, 15 cent McDonald hamburgers, 5 cent packs of baseball cards - with that awful pink slab of bubble gum, Penny candy, 35 cent a gallon gasoline, Jiffy Pop popcorn. Do you remember a time when...

Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-moe"? Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "Do Over!"? "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest? Catching the fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening? It wasn't odd to have two or three "Best Friends"? The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was "cooties"? Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot? A foot of snow was a dream come true?

Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute commercials for action figures?

"Oly-oly-oxen-free" made perfect sense? Spinning around, getting dizzy, and falling down was cause for giggles?

The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team? War was a card game? Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle?

Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin? Water balloons were the ultimate weapon? If you can remember most or all of these, then you have lived!!!!!!!

Share with anyone who may need a break from their "grown-up" life. I double-dog-dare-ya!

When I got back to the states after my first deployment to Iraq I rarely watched any coverage of the war - for good reason. What you see and read is not quite what I see and I'm here 24hrs a day, 7 days a week and this year - 50 weeks! Here's a part of a story you didn't see from a story that made the front page of CNN.com.

Blessings,
Chaplain Pat McLaughlin

I wish my fellow Americans were able to see the full picture of what is happening in Iraq. It is a sad commentary, and perhaps even unprofessional, that too many news outlets confuse the news and editorial pages.

In one of my most difficult weeks in the nine months I've spent in Iraq, yet I heard from family and friends back in the states that most of the news this week was about Anna Nichole Smith and Brittany Spears. That is my silver lining to the past week... I missed all the court battles and shaved head stories.

American service members this week were living history here. For a brief moment this past Saturday (24 Feb 07) the lead story on CNN.com was about a truck bomber in the Al Anbar Province town of Habinayah which is literally across a four lane highway from us here at Camp Al Taqaddum (TQ). The resulting blast caused over three dozen deaths and I can personally attest to the treatment of nearly sixty wounded. These Iraqis were leaving worship - one of our most cherished rights in America. Families leaving worship were blown up - heart breaking when you see it in person - that would change a lot of minds of folks at home.

Those sixty wounded received the best medical care available from every available surgeon, doctor, nurse and corpsman available on TQ. Hospitals in the States wouldn't take that many form a crash or blast at once. The news was not there to cover the hundreds of Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen that lined up for hours to give blood in the "walking blood bank" knowing that they were giving blood to save Iraqi's. The media did not see a Marine Staff Sergeant, with absolutely no medical training, providing comfort to a young eleven year old boy. He stayed with him through this entire harrowing ordeal - a warrior holding the hand of a boy fighting for his life.

The news missed the sorrow and consternation of the families who were coming out of worship at a Mosque and targeted because their Imam spoke out against the violence in his community. The local people, speaking out against the insurgency does not sell copy or further fuel a press that seems increasingly agenda driven. Can you imagine the coverage of people coming out of a church at home if they were bombed in such a savage manner because they were exercising their rights to worship and speak openly in the states?

I certainly wish the press would champion that cause here in Iraq. That is increasingly the cause of the people in Iraq that seems to be ignored by the press - to live free. Isn't it even New Hampshire's motto, "Live Free or Die?"

The reporters missed the thanks, waves and hugs of these victims as they left the surgical unit to be escorted home... their torn and bloodied clothing replaced in many instances by sweat suits and flip flops donated by regular, caring Americans back home. You see, a reporter staying in a hotel in Baghdad for a few days or weeks misses the whole picture. And, in turn, all of you back home miss the reason behind many of these senseless and cruel bombings and the incredible response of both the Iraqi's and Americans.

This is my second "big" mass casualty experience. On January 6, 2006 a suicide bomber detonated himself in line at a police recruitment in front of the glass factory in Ramadi. Our medical units throughout the region responded that day. The bomber was sent there because of the overwhelming success of this recruitment effort. The news didn't report that within hours of the scene being secured and the wounded treated that more recruits lined up again! Ramadi was once a city that, in initial elections, voted at less than 1 percent of those eligible. I was in Iraq in December of 2005 for the general elections where 70 percent of those eligible in Ramadi voted. We don't turn out in those numbers at home - EVER!

I will not deny that Iraq is still a very dangerous place and there is a long journey ahead, but we are seeing more and more incredibly brave Iraqis. More and more people are voting, joining the Army and police forces and speaking out. The Anti-Iraqi Forces increasingly have resorted to inhumane bombings against their own people because of the progress being made. The bombings make the news but not always the real reason behind them.

I witnessed lives of Iraqis saved by talented medical people who refused to be overwhelmed by such a mass casualty. I will never forget the look in the eyes of a Marine Staff Sergeant as he held the hand of a little Iraqi boy so seriously injured and separated from his family. The Staff Sergeant knew this boy would likely not survive. These two did not speak the same language. One was Christian, the other a Muslim. None of that mattered. They were two of God's children brought together by a senseless tragedy. It was a moment that will forever affect the life of that Marine. They did not separate hands until the litter bearers swept the boy away to a waiting helicopter.

I am incredibly proud of this Marine and honored to wear the same uniform. You won't see that compassionate story in the news... I just thought you ought to know.

Support our Military! Freedom ain't FREE.

Join Our Membership

Member Oath

I am a member of What Are We Fighting For?™ I promise to do my duty to God and country and to be as well informed as I possibly can be in order to make sound and reasoned decisions for the benefit of my family, my friends and my country. I shall always strive to enhance my life by enhancing my citizenship, service and sacrifice to this great country. I believe in personal accountability and responsibility. I believe it is my duty, not the responsibility of the government to take care of myself and my loved ones. I believe that Freedom ain't free.

Privacy and Legal. How to Contact us 1 936-520-9696

936.520.9696

CALL US!