May God bless Paul Smith and may he watch over David. What a great kid!

Thanks Paul.

Semper Fidelis

Iraqi man’s warning saves lives of Coalition Forces

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/media-information/april/050402b.htm

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Warnings from an Iraqi pedestrian on a major Iraqi roadway prevented Soldiers from entering the kill zone of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device Thursday, March 31.

“His actions minimized equipment loss but still allowed us to move and accomplish our mission,” said 1st Lt. Alberto Reynoso, a platoon leader assigned to A Battery, 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery and a native of Fillmore, Calif. “He saved my gunner’s life by what he did.”

Reynoso added that without the man’s warnings, his Soldier would have been injured and the convoy would have sustained extensive damage.
The convoy was traveling toward the Baghdad International Airport when Reynoso saw a man standing on the side of the road raising his hands and pointing to a parked vehicle on the side of the road with the hood up.

Reynoso heeded the warnings of the man and stopped the convoy about 30 meters from the parked vehicle. The vehicle exploded shortly after the convoy stopped. No Soldiers were injured in the blast and two Humvees were only slightly damaged.

The VBIED was carrying three daisy-chained 130 millimeter artillery rounds.

The man who warned the convoy was standing approximately 10 meters from the VBIED. After the explosion, he emerged from the smoke and ran away from the area holding his back from possible shrapnel injuries. Soldiers from the convoy searched the area but were unable to find the man.

The drivers of two civilian vehicles traveling in the opposite direction of the US convoy suffered minor injuries from the blast.

“We want to thank him for what he did and make sure he got taken care of,” said Reynoso. “If he did sustain injuries, we want to provide care for him.”

"Pope's reign full of contradictions, critics say"

What do you expect to get from CNN. Please do us faithful Catholics a favor and not propigate this kind of stuff. As one that usually looks forward to reading your site each day, this is really a turn off. The people that push these ideas are not true Catholics. These are things that CANNOT and will not ever be changed, no matter who is elected the next pope.

The death of Pope John Paul 11 is a sad occasion and honoring his good deeds is in order, However, Continuous 24 hour media coverage by the MSM and cable networks is getting a bit much. hardly a mention about our brave still fighting and dying in Iraq. According to most all interviewed in the media, the Pope is credited with ending the cold war. What about the hard working US taxpayer who supported our Government with their tax dollars that out spent the Russians driving them into bankruptcy. And what about the hundreds of our servicemen who died over the years while fighting the cold war. No, the Pope was a good man but he was no friend to America, In fact he was typical European. He did not care for America. What did he do to rid the catholic church of the priests who abused the children in America. What did he do about Saddam Hussain and his reign of terror and murder to the Iraqi people while condeming America for fighting both the Gulf wars. And what did he do to help rid Africa of AIDS. Yes, while he was a good man, He was not the Great man he is being credited to being. And, why did he not excommunicate the Catholics here in America who supported birth control and the judges who dictated its legality.
God, rest his soul, but let's not make him the saint that he is not.