VA Urges Veterans to Wear Medals on Veterans Day

The Honorable R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and leaders of major veterans organizations called on America's veterans to help kindle a new spark of patriotism on Veterans Day by wearing the medals they earned during military service.

"We are announcing a Veterans Pride Initiative to remind Americans of the pride and honor in the hearts of those who have served," Nicholson said. "We expect Americans will see our decorated heroes unite in spirit at ceremonies, in parades and elsewhere as a compelling symbol of courage and sacrifice on Veterans Day, the day we set aside to thank those who served and safeguarded our national security."

For information about the campaign and how to display and/or replace medals, please visit the VA Web page,

Nicholson, in speaking about a visit to Australia for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps Day said,

One of the things that stood out during the day-long ceremonies was how all of the veterans and surviving family members wore their medals and campaign ribbons. It focused public pride and attention on those veterans as individuals with personal histories of service and sacrifice for the common good.

That is why I am calling on America's veterans to wear their military medals this Veterans Day, November 11, 2006. Wearing their medals will demonstrate the deep pride our veterans have in their military service and bring Veterans Day home to all American citizens.

Veterans, wear your pride on your left side this Veterans Day! Let America know who you are and what you did for freedom.

PASS THE WORD!

Re: Valour-IT Challenge

Enrevanche is also matching as well.

Valour-IT Challenge

Gunn Nutt is raising the bar. Check her out.....

Investigation into Pat Tillman's Death About to Wrap Up

The fog of war?

In a remote and dangerous corner of Afghanistan, under the protective roar of Apache attack helicopters and B-52 bombers, special agents and investigators did their work. They walked the landscape with surviving witnesses. They found a rock stained with the blood of the victim. They re-enacted the killings - here the U.S. Army Rangers swept through the canyon in their Humvee, blasting away; here the doomed man waved his arms, pleading for recognition as a friend, not an enemy.

"Cease fire, friendlies, I am Pat (expletive) Tillman, damn it!" he shouted, again and again.

The latest inquiry into Tillman's death by friendly fire should end next month; authorities have said they intend to release to the public only a synopsis of their report. But The Associated Press has combed through the results of 2 1/4 years of investigations - reviewed thousands of pages of internal Army documents, interviewed dozens of people familiar with the case - and uncovered some startling findings.

Full article here.

Let's Go!

Veterans Day is almost here. And the Project Valour-IT push to raise $180,000 for specially equipped laptops is drawing to an end - it's time to make that final push to take the project across the finish line- just click on "Make a Donation" the Project Valour-IT box below and offer up $10 or $20 or $100 or whatever to move us across the goal. Some wounded Veterans will be able to use the voice activated laptops even if they can't use a standard computer right now. All the money goes to the cause.

Veterans of Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines are engaged in a friendly competition to raise money for their fellow soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen. My link is to the Navy Team. If you can't bring yourself to help the Navy, here are some other links for the other services:

Army: Castle Argghhh!
Air Force: Op For
Marines: Villainous Company
Navy: CDR Salamander or at EagleSpeak

Or, if you want something Navy-related, you can go to the Navy auction page and bid on some stuff.

But please do something!

Stop By Blackfive and Raise a Glass...

to Niles and the men of the 173rd Airborne... 8 Nov. 65

Details HERE...

Thanks, Matt.

and be sure to check out the story behind the song HERE (hat tip to Karl B over at Matty's)

Senator Murray Speaks

via The Seattle Times

"We got our country back tonight," U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said at a Democratic election party in Bellevue.

Dictators own countries. I'm glad Senator Murray has cleared up my confusion.

I'm Not Trying to Steal Grim's Thunder

Not that I could, even I wanted to. It's just that lying bastard Johnson...

I don't know what's gotten into me with the essays recently.

PS- on Gates, he briefed the missile combat crews at Whiteman. True to life SAC warrior.

Man, does anyone else miss the Cold War?

"Fighting Vets" Fall Short

Defense Tech:

When the election season started, there was a lot of noise about so-called "Fighting Dems" -- dozens of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, almost all running for Congress on the Democratic ticket, and almost all fed up with how those wars were being run. "The party leadership is calculating that candidates who wore the uniform [could] offer a credible counterpoint on national security to Republicans who have dominated the debate from the campaign trail to Capitol Hill," the Washington Post reported back in February. And with forceful, articulate candidates like double-amputee Tammy Duckworth attracting national attention, it seemed like the calculus was paying off.

But something strange happened last night, amid the Democratic sweep. Almost all of the Fighting Dems lost.

One race involving a "Fighting Dem" that did go blue last night was the Ohio Senate seat. But the Dems threw vocal "anti-war" activist Paul Hackett under the bus early on this one, in favor of ultimate winner Sherrod Brown.

Gates was USAF

..by the way. SAC guy.

Author! Author!

...books by Robert Gates.

Here's a publication of interest to those desiring insight to our next SecDef (pending Senate approval). From 2004, Iran: Time for a New approach:

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have positioned American troops along Iran’s borders, making the United States and Iran wary competitors and neighbors who nonetheless possess overlapping interests. Meanwhile, questions continue to be raised about Iran’s nuclear program and its involvement with terrorism. Clearly, contending with Iran will constitute one of the most complex and pressing challenges facing future U.S. administrations. This informative report, which sparked sharp debate in Washington and extensive coverage by U.S. and international media, offers a timely new approach.

Rejecting the conventional wisdom that Iran is on the verge of another revolution, the report calls for the United States to reassess its long-standing policy of non-engagement with the current Iranian government. The product of an independent Task Force chaired by Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter’s national security adviser, and Robert M. Gates, director of central intelligence during the George H.W. Bush administration, the report highlights several areas in which U.S. interests would be better served by selective engagement with Tehran, and breaks with current U.S. policy by encouraging a new strategy.

This report focuses on developments inside Iran, tapping into the Task Force members’ extensive expertise on Iranian politics and society. It includes a comprehensive chronology of important dates in U.S.-Iranian history, economic and demographic facts about Iran, and reference materials on Iranian state institutions and governance.

This looks like an interesting read too: From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War by Robert Gates.

More here.