Clipmarks | National guard troops Clips

Ready To Be Commander in Chief?

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:57:33 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: The comments are from these soldiers who were a part of this war. One troll put his two cents in. And they gave him some change back.

Clip Source: www.vetvoice.com

by: Colonel "Joe" USAR

Fri Aug 29, 2008

Ready to be Commander in Chief?

Because;

In its formal announcement, the campaign pointed to her powers as head of the Alaska National Guard and the mother of a soldier herself as evidence that she "understands what it takes to lead our nation..."

Twenty two months in command of;

The Alaska Army National Guard is composed of approximately 1850 soldiers and maintains 77 armories and other facilities, including Fort Greely (as of 2006)

That formal announcement was an insult to every Career Officer and Non-Commissioned Officer of the Armed Forces of the United States. All the McCain Campaign had to do was just admit she has no military experience, but sadly they chose not to do this.

If twenty two months makes "as head of" the Alaska National Guard, with a son barely out of OSUT makes one instantly ready to be Commander in Chief, I must be qualified to be "Master of the Universe."

Tags: from, the, troops

New Orleans Orders Mandatory Evacuation

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:43:08 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: As part of the evacuation plan New Orleans developed after Katrina, residents who had no other way to get out of the city waited on a line that snaked for more than a mile through the parking lot of the city's main transit terminal. From there, they were boarding motor coaches bound for shelters in north Louisiana. The city expects to move out about 30,000 such residents by Sunday.

Unlike Katrina, when thousands took refuge inside the Superdome, there will be no "last resort" shelter. "You will be on your own," Nagin said.

About 1,500 National Guard troops were in the region, and soldiers were expected to help augment about 1,400 New Orleans police officers in helping patrol and secure the city.

Standing outside his restaurant in the city's Faubourg Marigny district, Dale DeBruyne prepared for Gustav the way he did for Katrina - stubbornly.

"I'm not leaving," he said.

DeBruyne, 52, said his house was stocked with storm supplies, including generators.

Clip Source: apnews.myway.com

The evacuation of New Orleans becomes mandatory at 8 a.m. Sunday along the vulnerable west bank of the Mississippi River, and at noon on the east bank.

"This is the real deal, this is not a test," Nagin said as he issued the order, warning residents that staying would be "one of the biggest mistakes you could make in your life." He emphasized that the city will not offer emergency services to anyone who chooses to stay behind.

It went from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in about 24 hours, and was likely to become a Category 5 - with sustained winds of 156 mph or more - by Sunday.

Even before the evacuation order, hotels closed, and the airport prepared to follow suit.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff planned to travel to Louisiana on Sunday to observe preparations. Also, likely GOP presidential nominee John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are traveling to Mississippi on Sunday to check on people getting prepared.

Tags: new orleans, mandatory evacuation, mayor nagin, gustav category 4 hurricane, michael chertoff homeland security, john mccain & sarah palin

Officials may evacuate New Orleans as Gustav nears

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:54:03 GMT

clipped by: dl211
clipper's remarks: Katrina, Part II?
Hopefully Nagin will make use of all those buses if Gustav heads their way.

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

Officials may evacuate New Orleans as Gustav nears

With forecasters warning that a strengthening Gustav could slam into the Gulf Coast as a major hurricane, a New Orleans still recovering from Hurricane Katrina's devastating hit drew up evacuation plans.

NEW ORLEANS - National Guard troops stand ready, batteries and water bottles are selling briskly, and one small-town mayor has spent a sleepless night worrying. The New Orleans area is skittishly watching as a storm marches across the Caribbean on the eve of Hurricane Katrina's third anniversary.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin left the Democratic National Convention in Denver to return home for the preparations. Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency to lay the groundwork for federal assistance, and put 3,000 National Guard troops on standby.

Tags: hurricane, gustav

Officials May Evacuate New Orleans as Gustav Nears

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:22:07 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: If a Category 3 or stronger hurricane comes within 60 hours of the city, New Orleans plans to institute a mandatory evacuation order. Unlike Katrina, there will be no massive shelter at the Superdome, a plan designed to encourage residents to leave. Instead, the state has arranged for buses and trains to take people to safety.

Since the storm (Katrina), the Army Corps of Engineers has spent billions of dollars to improve the levee system, but because of two quiet hurricane seasons, the flood walls have never been tested.

Floodgates have been installed on drainage canals to stop any storm surge from entering the city, and levees have been raised and in many places strengthened with concrete.

Scientists cautioned that the storm's track and intensity were difficult to predict several days in advance.

The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals planned to move animals to shelters elsewhere in the state and in Texas.

Clip Source: townhall.com

National Guard troops stand ready, batteries and water bottles are selling briskly, and one small-town mayor has spent a sleepless night worrying. The New Orleans area is watching as a storm marches across the Caribbean on the eve of Hurricane Katrina's third anniversary.

With forecasters warning that Gustav could strengthen and slam into the Gulf Coast as a major hurricane, a New Orleans still recovering from Hurricane Katrina's devastating hit drew up evacuation plans.

Taking no chances, city officials began preliminary planning to evacuate and lock down the city in hopes of avoiding the catastrophe that followed the 2005 storm. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin left the Democratic National Convention in Denver to return home for the preparations. Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency to lay the groundwork for federal assistance, and put 3,000 National Guard troops on standby.

Forecasters said Wednesday that Gustav could strengthen to a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 111 mph

Tags: new orleans, gustav, national guard on standby, gov.bobby jindal, state of emergency, (spca) shelters for pets

Study: Risk of Alcoholism High in Returning Combat Vets

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:46:33 GMT

clipped by: Wisco
clipper's remarks: The article includes this statement:

Alcohol abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression make up an "unholy trinity" that haunts some combat soldiers, said psychologist William Schlenger of the consulting firm Abt Associates Inc. in Durham, N.C. He was a principal investigator of the influential National Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Study, but was not involved in the new research.

"They have intrusive recollections: 'I keep remembering it, I have nightmares about it, I can't escape it,'" Schlenger said. Vets try to escape the memories through alcohol or drugs, he said.

This is a lasting damage to the country that we'll pay for for decades.

Clip Source: ap.google.com

National Guard and Reserve combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to develop drinking problems than active-duty soldiers, a new military study suggests. The authors speculate that inadequate preparation for the stress of combat and reduced access to support services at home may be to blame.

The study, appearing in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first to compare Iraq and Afghanistan veterans' alcohol problems before and after deployment.

The research is one of the first major studies to emerge from the Pentagon's landmark "Millennium" study, launched in 2001 because of concerns about possible health effects from the first Gulf War. It includes tens of thousands of military personnel and is designed to evaluate the long-term health effects of military service.

The Millennium study will continue to track veterans' health and may determine whether drinking problems among returning combat troops are long-lasting, Boyko said.

Tags: news

John McCain is in New Jersey Today. Half of NJ's National Guard Isn't

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:51:02 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: When John McCain is in New Jersey today, we urge him to address the thousands of families that have been affected by this deployment and describe the relief he would provide them as President.

In addition, VFA had been repeatedly contacted by NJ Guard members and other servicemembers from New Jersey who want to know Senator McCain's position on compensating members of our armed forces who have been stop-lossed. Recently, Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey introduced a bill calling for compensation to provided to those who affected by this regrettable policy.

VFA calls on Senator McCain to clearly state if he supports Senator Lautenberg's "Stop Loss Compensation Act." Our servicemembers deserve answers, especially after considerable questions were raised regarding Senator McCain's support for our troops' well being when he opposed the successful effort to expand the GI Bill, as called for in a bill that Senator Lautenberg also co-sponsored.

Clip Source: www.vetvoice.com

by: Jason Forrester - Veterans For America

Tue Aug 12

John McCain will visit New Jersey today, first attending a private fundraiser in Bergen County, and then a campaign swing through Teaneck. Veterans for America (VFA) calls on Senator McCain to address issues we've seen during our recent work in New Jersey. About half of New Jersey's National Guard is in Ft. Bliss, Texas, preparing to deploy to Iraq, and thousands of Guard families and employers and dozens of communities are feeling their absence.

Most Americans are suffering from the current economic crunch, but families of National Guard members -- with many forgoing their salaries as firefighters, policemen, and small business owners during their deployment -- are finding their family budgets stretched as thin by these deployments as our armed forces are by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nowhere is this more apparent in New Jersey, which hasn't had so much of its Guard deployed since WWII.

The Ironic Destruction Of Our National Guard Under President "Do Not Volunteer For Overseas

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:37:17 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: Of all the statistics and stories I have read on this issue, many from the work I do with Veterans For America, one sticks out.

This fall, half of New Jersey's National Guard will be in Iraq, half.

What happens if there is another attack this fall at the end of the election cycle and half of New Jersey's National Guard is gone?

What happens if a hurricane strikes the Jersey Shore?

What happens if the National Guard is needed and they simply aren't there?

Other issues with Iraq get more attention, but the silent destruction of our National Guard and the impact of this administration's policies on the future of the guard are often over-looked. As this administration breaks with long-standing Guard policy, like the fact that the Guard used to give five times as much time at home as deployed, morale and enrollment in the Guard will surely decline.

Clip Source: www.vetvoice.com

by: jamesboyce

Wed Jul 30, 2008

Much has been made in the past of President Bush's past 'service' in the National Guard and specifically the fact that when he joined the National Guard, he pointedly checked the box:

Do Not Volunteer For Overseas.

As his term in office is coming to end, it is becoming increasingly clear that another tragic legacy of his time in office will be the demoralization and destruction of our National Guard. Never before in our country's history or in its own 370 year history has the National Guard been a front line force in a foreign war.

Consider these facts:

- Over 267,000 men and women of the National Guard have been deployed since September 11, 2001.

- 35 states have deployed more troops to Iraq and Afghanistan than to any war since World War II

- From now to the end of Bush's term in office, almost half of the troops deploying will be from the National Guard and of those, nearly half will be from units on their second tour.

Tags: draft, dodger

Hurricane Dolly Bears Down on Texas

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:18:07 GMT

clipped by: Wisco
clipper's remarks: Dolly is described as a "slow-moving" storm, meaning that there may be more damage than would normally be expected from a Category 2, mostly in the form of flooding.

LiveScience.com:

Flooding, which can result from both torrential rains and the ocean surf a storm can push ashore, is what officials in Texas were most concerned about after Dolly made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane at 9 am EDT on Wednesday. Residents of the Rio Grande Valley have been warned of potential severe flooding and possible levee breaks.

The National Hurricane Center predicted that Dolly could drop a total of 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) of rainfall in the next few days, with some isolated spots potentially getting soaked by up to 15 inches.

Clip Source: www.chron.com

As Hurricane Dolly churned off South Padre Island — and wind and rain from its outer bands pelted the shore — the storm appeared to be veering north into Texas this morning rather than south into Mexico.

"The island community is urged to remain indoors until Hurricane Dolly passes," Mayor Robert Pinkerton Jr. said in a message posted this morning on the city's Web site. "Be safe, be smart and leave the roads to our emergency responders."

It remains unclear just when and where Dolly will hit shore. The greatest amount of rain could fall overnight, forecasters said.

Precautions have been taken, from residents boarding their windows to hoarding supplies and Texas National Guard troops were mobilized, but it remained to be seen how much punch Dolly would pack.

"We are lucky it is not as big a storm as it could be," said Johnny Cavazos, emergency management coordinator for Cameron County. "We've got people boarding up their homes and taking necessary precautions."

Tags: news

Sexually assaulted female troops struggle to recover

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:20:37 GMT

clipped by: A53GG4

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Sexually assaulted female troops struggle to recover

YORK, Pennsylvania (AP) -- It took Diane Pickel Plappert six months to tell a counselor that she had been raped while on duty in Iraq. While time passed, the former Navy nurse disconnected from her children, and her life slowly unraveled.

Carolyn Schapper says she was harassed by a fellow Army National Guard soldier in Iraq to the extent that she began changing clothes in the shower for fear he'd barge into her room unannounced, as he had on several occasions.

Even as women distinguish themselves in battle alongside men, they're fighting off sexual assault and harassment. It's not a new consequence of war.

But the sheer number of women serving today -- more than 190,000 in Iraq and Afghanistan -- is forcing the military and Department of Veterans Affairs to more aggressively address it.

Of the female veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who have walked into a VA facility, 15 percent have screened positive for military sexual trauma

Tags: news

Obama's Civilian National Security Force

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:03:15 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: How is it possible their candidate is seeking to create some kind of massive but secret national police force that will be even bigger than the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force put together?
Now, maybe he was misquoted by the Congressional Quarterly and the Chicago Tribune. I guess it's possible. If so, you would think he would want to set the record straight. Maybe he misspoke. That has certainly happened before. Again, why wouldn't the rest of my colleagues show some curiosity about such a major and, frankly, bone-chilling proposition?
Are we talking about creating a police state here?
The U.S. Army alone has nearly 500,000 troops. That doesn't count reserves or National Guard. In 2007, the U.S. Defense budget was $439 billion.
Is Obama serious about creating some kind of domestic security force bigger and more expensive than that?
If not, why did he say it? What did he mean?

Clip Source: www.worldnetdaily.com

For several days now, WND has been hounding Barack Obama's campaign about a statement he made July 2 in Colorado Springs – a statement that blew my mind, one that has had me scratching my head ever since

In talking about his plans to double the size of the Peace Corps and nearly quadruple the size of AmeriCorps and the size of the nation's military services, he made this rather shocking (and chilling) pledge: "We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."

Now, since I've never heard anyone inside or out of government use the phrase "civilian national security force" before, I was more than a little curious about what he has in mind

If we're going to create some kind of national police force as big, powerful and well-funded as our combined U.S. military forces, isn't this rather a big deal?

Tags: obama, ss, security, elections

This Day in History - July 17th

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:03:27 GMT

clipped by: righthand

Clip Source: www.peacebuttons.info

July

1927

U.S. Marine squadron of seven airplanes dive-bombed rebels and peasants surrounding Marines and Nicaraguan military (then under direct U.S. control) in Ocotal

killing more than 100

1976

The opening ceremony of the 21st Olympic Games in Montreal was marked by the withdrawal of more than twenty African countries, Iraq and Guyana, and their 300 athletes

The Soweto Massacre, in which 150 children were killed by South African troops, had occurred just one month earlier. The apartheid government had been using international sport as a means to build respectability

Gleneagles Agreement

1979

Fighters of the Sandinista National Liberation Front overthrew the U.S.-supported dictatorial regime of Anastasio Somoza in the Central American republic of Nicaragua and forced him to flee the country

The notorious and feared U.S.-trained National Guard crumbled and its surviving commanders negotiated a surrender, despite their superiority in armaments

Legal voting age
in Nicaragua is 16 years

Somoza

Tags: history

Overseas crews coming to battle Calif. wildfires

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:18:35 GMT

clipped by: Kelika
clipper's remarks: The world is helping!

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

PARADISE, Calif. - As hundreds of blazes continue to char California, additional National Guard troops and overseas crews are being called in to assist exhausted firefighters, and President Bush has scheduled a visit to the state.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday ordered 2,000 more National Guard troops to join the 400 already on firefighting duty. Australia, Canada, Greece, Mexico and New Zealand are also sending firefighters and equipment, federal officials said.

"We are stretched thin, and our firefighters are exhausted," Schwarzenegger said. "The fire season as we've known it is pretty much over. ... Now we have fire season all year round."

Federal officials said they would send more equipment and personnel to California. The federal government has committed $100 million and 80 percent of its firefighting resources to California, said Glen Cannon, an assistant administrator with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

McCain vs. Obama On National Security

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:31:41 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: that espouses the destruction of the State of Israel as its fondest wish and pledges undying enmity to the United States to possess the weapons to advance their malevolent ambitions." He also rejects "unconditional dialogues" with Iran.

Obama has delivered messages on Iran that were more mixed. But that only makes diplomacy more important. If we must use military force, we are more likely to succeed, and will have far greater support at home and abroad, if we have exhausted our diplomatic efforts." In the same speech, however, Obama promised: "aggressive, principled diplomacy without self-defeating preconditions....Obama missed a vote on a controversial amendment offered by Sen. Jon Kyl and Lieberman that proposed labeling Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. Obama called the amendment a repeat of the mistakes that led to war in Iraq; however, he had cosponsored an earlier bill declaring the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization

Clip Source: newsblaze.com

IRAQ WAR

John McCain cosponsored the 2002 vote to authorize the use of force against Iraq, arguing at the time that Saddam Hussein was "a threat of the first order." Although he was a vehement critic of the administration's "mismanagement and failure" during the early war years, he advocated the surge of additional troops to Iraq and the need to stay as long as necessary to win the war.

In 2002, when he was an Illinois state senator, Barack Obama opposed the war. However, after he was elected to the U.S. Senate, he voted against early proposals by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and others to set a timetable for withdrawal; now Obama votes consistently in favor of establishing a timetable. Obama's plan for exiting Iraq would send home one or two combat brigades a month, with most combat troops out by the end of 2009.

IRAN POLICY

McCain has been clear about his position on Iran. In February 2008, he told an audience: "I intend to make unmistakably clear to Iran we will not permit a government

Tags: mccain, obama, iraq, iran, missile defense, nuclear weapons, north korea, guantanamo bay

US Army Suicides

Fri, 30 May 2008 02:51:58 GMT

clipped by: BKLYN11211

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

U.S. Army suicides highest in 2007

The U.S. Army on Thursday said suicides among active duty troops in 2007 had reached the highest level on record, due partly to the stress caused by deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan

The Army announced that 115 soldiers, including 22 National Guard and Army Reserve troops, killed themselves last year. That marked a 12.7 percent rise from the 102 suicides recorded in 2006. There were 85 Army suicides in 2005

Preliminary figures released in January had suggested the number of suicides in 2007 could reach 121

Forty-three percent of suicides occurred after soldiers had returned to their home station.

Tags: iraq, bush, suicides, army, soliders

Headline May 4, 1970

Sun, 04 May 2008 22:08:34 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks:

This reporter, who was with the group of students, did not see any indication of sniper fire, nor was the sound of any gunfire audible before the Guard volley. Students, conceding that rocks had been thrown, heatedly denied that there was any sniper.

Gov. James A. Rhodes called on J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to aid in looking into the campus violence. A Justice Department spokesman said no decision had been made to investigate. At 2:10 this afternoon, after the shootings, the university president, Robert I. White, ordered the university closed for an indefinite time, and officials were making plans to evacuate the dormitories and bus out-of-state students to nearby cities.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Kent, Ohio, May 4 -- Four students at Kent State University, two of them women, were shot to death this afternoon by a volley of National Guard gunfire. At least 8 other students were wounded.
The burst of gunfire came about 20 minutes after the guardsmen broke up a noon rally on the Commons, a grassy campus gathering spot, by lobbing tear gas at a crowd of about 1,000 young people
In Washington, President Nixon deplored the deaths of the four students in the following statement:

"This should remind us all once again that when dissent turns to violence it invites tragedy. It is my hope that this tragic and unfortunate incident will strengthen the determination of all the nation's campuses, administrators, faculty and students alike to stand firmly for the right which exists in this country of peaceful dissent and just as strong against the resort to violence as a means of such expression."
the Assistant Adjutant General, said the troops had opened fire after they were shot at by a sniper.

Tags: 4 dead, protest, kent state