Admiral Fallon

Office of the Press Secretary

(Nashville, Tennessee)

_______________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release March 11, 2008

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Admiral William Fallon has served our Nation with great distinction for forty years. He is an outstanding sailor -- and he made history as the first Naval officer to serve as Commander of Central Command.

From the Horn of Africa, to the streets of Baghdad, to the mountains of Afghanistan, the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen of Central Command are vital to the global war on terror. During his tenure at Centcom, Admiral Fallon’s job has been to help ensure that America’s military forces are ready to meet the threats of an often troubled region of the world, and he deserves considerable credit for progress that has been made there, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With service in Vietnam and as Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Commander of Pacific Command, and many other positions, Admiral Fallon has served this country with honor, determination, and commitment. I thank his wife, Mary, who knows that military service involves the whole family, and I wish them all the best as they begin the next chapter in their lives.

Esquire article here.

Tom Ricks quotes Admiral Fallon's own review of the article in question at the Washington Post:

Asked about the article yesterday, Fallon called it "poison pen stuff" that is "really disrespectful and ugly." He did not cite specific objections.

FOB Stokely - Project Yusufiyah / school supplies for children of Yusufiyah / Muhlafayed

Mike Stokely Foundation Inc.'s Project Yusufiyah is now in full swing with shipment of nearly 1,000 pounds of supplies sent parcel post to Capt. Starz of 101st AB DV on Thursday 6 March, and I anticipate arrival in 14 - 20 days.

Here is what was sent - 35 boxes, weighing from 20 lbs to 58 lbs:

Boxes 1 - 15 of 35 - contains 13 2.5 gallon zip lock bags for school children each bag containing a three tab folder with unlined paper, with additional loose paper for future insert, 1 dozen pencils, two Bic ink pens, colored pencils (or markers), hand held twist type pencil sharpener, small bag of hard candy.
Box 16 of 35 - contains 11 more bags as listed above.
Boxes 17 - 26 - these ten boxes are for teachers and contain chalk, dozen pens, four or more dozen pencils, a full ream of three hole punch paper and a full ream of white paper, two hand held pencil shapeners, some colored markers, quart size bag of hard candy, toilet/facial tissue, several three tab folders, and topped off by a stack of loose three hole punch plain paper and a stack of plain white paper.
Box 27 of 35 - This is a box for the Tribal / Civilian leaders - it has a dozen pens some pencils and several reams of paper.
Boxes 28 - 35 - these 8 boxes, divided as four boxes three hole punch plain paper and four boxes of plain white paper to re-supply the teachers and students.

Summary:
74,000 sheets of paper,
225 three tab folders,
244 dozen pencils,
100 dozen pens,
225 pencil sharpeners,
251 dozen colored pencils (or markers),
100 boxes of chalk, and facial tissue.

$822.00 to ship the supplies, but that is pretty good considering the weight and distance.

Hopefully, these basic supplies will help the children and teachers of Yusufiyah where Mike served, and nearby Muhlafayed where he died from a roadside bomb. We are planning a follow-up shipment once we get a clearer assessment of remaining needs.

Robert Stokely
proud dad SGT Mike Stokely
KIA 16 Aug 05 near Yusufiyah Iraq
E 108 CAV 48th BCT GAARNG

I'd like to add that Robert Stokley is a precious gem. To my joy, I met up with him again recently at the Soldier's Angel's Conference, a soft spoken man (with a georgian twang) who honors his son and all of our fallen sons. And what better way to honor them, than to insure that the freedom they fought and died for, can be invisioned by the iraqis thru education.

If you'd like to help Robert with this project you can contact him thru here.

Thank you Robert for your sacrifice.

DUTY HONOR COUNTRY

Does anyone care?

You have an officer who has a distinguished, but otherwise standard issue career path through Flag Rank. He gets promoted to Vice Admiral, 3-stars - but soon after his promotion is fired in disgrace due to the "command climate" he created with those he works with and those who work for him.

Due to the short time as a VADM, he has to retire as a Rear Admiral, 2-stars. After his military service though, he runs around claiming to be a 3-star. When challenged, he bluffs or waives his child's medical record in the questioner's face - or goes old-school Shoe on them. Generally, he throws a hissy-fit because reality will not allow him to be the rank he wants to be.

That doesn't stop him. He still lets everyone - and has his "people" make sure others who want to talk to him - refer to him as a retired 3-star.

Who is this 2-star prancing around in 3-star shoulder-boards? Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA). Fired by the then CNO and now CJCS Admiral Mullen. If you think this is wrong - more here with all the pictures and documentation you need to get your blood pressure up.