The Military Trains Soldiers to Have COURAGE

Courage is what we use to control fear.

Courage is used to confront the things that bring fear into our lives. Fear is always associated with something and cannot be dealt with through denial—which unfortunately a great many people of our country choose to do on a daily basis.

For this reason I have chosen to write on this topic in the hopes that you will strive to adopt a courageous life style and become a silent hero.

Courage is essential for all soldiers’ especially in combat but it is also necessary to all of us in our daily lives.

Courage breaks down into two categories: physical and mental.

1.    Physical courage is the ability to use your physical self to confront fear, pain, risk/dangers, uncertainty and intimidation.

2.    Mental or moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal and discouragement.

How do I summon courage or become courageous?

Aristotle believed that an individual develops courage by doing courageous acts (Aristotle, translation 1962); there is current suggestion that courage is a moral habit to be developed by practice (Cavanagh & Moberg, 1999).

I believe these two excerpts are correct. For example when I think back to when I was a kid afraid to jump off a high object into the water everyone told me if I take that first jump I wouldn’t be afraid anymore so I took that first jump and I was less afraid with each jump after.

The Military understands the importance of courage that is why the main focus of military training is to deal with fear and teach courage even though they do not label it that way.

When a man is double-minded, unstable, or cowardly, he can never be an effective soldier. James 1:8 (nor will he be effective in any endeavor)

In time of war a young man can come out of high school enter the military, receive approximately eight weeks of basic training and then another eight to twelve weeks of training into their MOS or job field where they become Infantry Soldiers, Radio Operators, Medics, Truck drivers etc. and then find themselves deployed with their Unit into combat. Hardly enough time to train a fighting Soldier. So the Military designs their training to deal with panic, gain confidence and how to acquire courage as the ultimate goal.

The 5 Steps for a Soldier in Addressing Fear

First we will address panic which is absence of thought. The Soldier in a state of panic loses his ability to think straight causing him to freeze up or occasionally run hysterically, etc. Its hard to know how a Soldier is going to react when put to the test or comes under fire. So the Military inculcates through repetitious training by teaching essential battlefield survival skills, broken into tasks. They learn what to do in each situation they may face until it becomes an automatic reaction. For example: what to do if their weapon jams and they practice this over and over again to the point when the Soldier is in their first fire fight and their weapon jams and in a state of panic the Soldier automatically clears his weapon without thinking because of the trained response. The repetitious training also develops confidence in its young soldiers which is the path to courage. The Military knows that some will always panic in certain situations and so they inculcate conditioned responses for these anticipated situations, and they also know a Soldier needs confidence to find courage to face the enemy.

Second, the Military conditions its Soldiers with a rigorous physical training program designed to test a Soldier’s fortitude or ability to deal with pain. He is challenged physically constantly throughout each day pushing some to their limits. Here the Soldier becomes physically fit for battle and learns to carry on in the face of personal discomfort and pain, laying the ground work for physical courage.

Third, the Military runs each Soldier through a series of challenges designed to create fear from danger. They consist of obstacle courses, confidence tests, hand to hand combat training, P.O.W. training etc. The Soldier has to learn to control his fears to make it through these blocks of training, giving him confidence and a taste of how to confront fear of danger.

Fourth, all throughout all training Soldiers are introduced to valor or moral courage. Drill Sergeants and Instructors are rotating Soldiers through leadership rolls and holding each Soldier accountable for their actions throughout training and off time. Here the Soldier learns about initiative and judgment. When to act and how to act in different situations. They learn moral courage and its importance. For you soldiers you will probably remember these words “Good initiative poor judgment”

Fifth, when each Soldier graduates they should have learned basic individual and collective soldiering skills, basic tactics, immediate action drills, and battlefield survival skills, team work, personal excellence and integrity, discipline and honor, focus, organization and basic leadership skills. Although they are just out of training this gives them confidence to move on to their Unit.

Now as a member of their unit they begin to function performing the duties they have been trained for. But this is just the beginning, the learning never stops for a Soldier. The Unit deploys or is deployed and now for the combat Soldier he will learn why training is so important. Some will pay the ultimate price for mistakes for not taking training seriously, others will get a pass and smarten up quick.

I will never forget my first squad leader SSG Lour, one of the most decorated soldiers in Vietnam, telling us how he was sent out on his first patrol and they had failed to learn Land Navigation in training. They were lost for four days in Vietnam. He told us that story so we would take our training seriously he knew how important it is. In the Special Forces we always prided our selves in one of our mottos “We train as we fight” which was not easy.

Battlefield Courage

Here some Soldiers will be introduced to something the Military calls Battlefield Courage. This is where a Soldier rises to confront a situation in battle. It can be motivated by different reasons, the loss of a buddy, or to protect your buddies, but is usually performed more as a reaction to something. Sometimes this works and sometimes there is not much thought leading to senseless further loss of life. I think the sniper scenario works best to illustrate this. Sometimes a sniper will intentionally wound his victim to set a trap for other Soldiers to come to his aid. There are some that will not face the reality of the situation and needlessly sacrifice themselves in an effort to aid their fallen comrade. One of the problems for Soldiers is when emotionally motivated it is like a high or taking a roller coaster ride. It can only be sustained for a short period of time and the Soldier will come down off that emotional high and he will not be at his best.

As time moves on for the combat Soldier he has to deal with fear on a daily basis and this can be rough emotionally because we all have an off day when we are challenged by losing our nerve, but we learn to carry on despite how we feel. Here everyone is different in how they handle themselves.

For me I used to imagine the worst thing that could happen to me and face it by becoming some kind of machine, this switch would go off in my head and I would carry on aggressively through what ever was going to happen. But in time I found that confidence came from preparation, training, and knowing my job and gaining the edge which comes from reading, studying, practicing on my own, and trying at every opportunity to gain extra training and knowledge. See like a writer, the greater his vocabulary the more ways he can express himself. This is also true of Soldiers the more knowledge preparation and experience a Soldier has the more options and ways he has to express himself against the enemy giving one great confidence allowing a Soldier to transition from Battlefield Courage to courageous, which is the ultimate goal of every professional Soldier. Courageous is a life style not an emotional state.

When I think of courageous people I think of George Washington on his white horse leading from the front placing him self in harms way for his men to see, to rally courage among them to face the enemy. Patton and all of our greatest generals said that a general has to be seen by his men, either leading them or encouraging them as they move forward. Nothing is a better motivator.

“Whenever I make a bum decision, I just go out and make another.”

President Harry Truman

I also think of General Douglas McArthur, Medal of Honor winner. Who also led from the front, placing himself in the face of the enemy bullets flying around him, directing his men. But maybe what I admired most was his bold strategies during World War II and the invasion of Korea through Inchon Bay that worked brilliantly, but not without risk and opposition. Only a courageous man could have accomplished what he did but even the greatest get put to the test. For McArthur he was faced with a dilemma that some of our Soldiers have to face today but not on the same scale. President Truman as many of our leaders have done and continue to do make crazy decisions and policies based on fear. We were winning the war up until the Chinese stepped in but they had seen a weakness, Truman was afraid of the Chinese. McArthur, to make a long story short, was told to give up and not do anything to upset the Chinese even though they were fighting and killing our Soldiers they had even come into the POW camps torturing and murdering our Soldiers. McArthur was a courageous man and the concept of succumbing to fear was shocking especially from his Commander and Chief. To read more on this see General McArthur’s Farewell speech http://www.geocities.com/cabvoltaire.geo/MacArthur.html

He had to make one of the toughest decisions a soldier ever had to make. What he was asked to do violated his integrity, was a betrayal to our country and the Armies he commanded. It has been much debated what he should have done. What would you have done in his position? McArthur chose to obey orders and speak out against it and he was relieved of his Command. This marked the Death of our Military from that time forward—and since then policy has been influenced by fear and the result has been a no win policy.

Our own history has shown us time and time again that this no win policy has been disastrous. What he should have done and is the conventional wisdom is he should have disobeyed orders and kicked the Chinese Communist ass until relieved. Many believed had he made this morally correct decision Truman would not have been able to relieve him because it would have exposed him for what he was and of course things would sure be different now.

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Awhile back I read a book called “The Lone Survivor ” by Marcus Luttrell about a 4-man detachment of SEALs sent on a mission in Afghanistan to gather intel on a 150 man Taliban Force. They were compromised by some Goat herders which is easy to happen in that part of the world. In the Middle East you can think no one is around and you can snoop and poop around without being detected but that’s not true…people pop up out of nowhere when you least expect it. People in the US often do not realize they have lived for thousands of years passing their knowledge down generation after generation. Well the 4 SEALs were faced with a Moral decision on what to do. They took a vote one said if they let them go we are signing our death warrant. Two said let them go because they were afraid they would be prosecuted if they disposed of them and the last one abstained from voting. They let the goat herds go and they ran to tell the Taliban.

Result: 3 of the SEALs were killed along with a helicopter crew and the entire rescue team sent in to extract them. Many paid for this bad decision as it always is in combat and the cowardly people and news media that constantly attack our soldiers and put this kind of pressure on them get a pass.

Again I will mention the courageous General George S. Patton, one of greatest soldiers of all history. He understood too well the importance of courage as demonstrated in this prayer he wrote on 1 January 1944.

A Soldier’s Prayer

God our Father, who by land and sea has ever led us on to victory, please continue Your inspiring guidance in the greatest of our conflicts.

Strengthen my soul so that the weakening instinct of self-preservation, which besets all of us in battle, shall not blind me to my duty to my own manhood, to the glory of my calling, and to my responsibility to my fellow soldiers.

Grant to our armed forces that disciplined valor and mutual confidence which insures success in war.

Let me not mourn for the men who have died fighting, but rather let me be glad that such heroes have lived.

If it be my lot to die, let me do so with courage and honor in a manner which will bring the greatest harm to the enemy, and please, oh, Lord protect and guide those I shall leave behind.

Give us the victory, Lord.

I think now we should introduce the enemy which is “fear” –as the opposite of courage. Several famous men in history have used this phrase “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” and I think these words couldn’t be truer in the human sense.

There is much debate about fear, some say it is a survival instinct but most agree it is an emotion which I agree with. Emotions are what we use to appreciate things with and I can certainly appreciate fear as a warning of danger. Remember fear is always associated with something that is why you should always focus on the solution and not the problem to combat fear. But like all emotions a Soldier must learn to rule them, for if he doesn’t control his emotions he will constantly bring nothing but trouble on himself. I have come to think that fear is also a form of self-indulgence where people focus on the problem and start feeling sorry for themselves and blaming others and ultimately justifying acts of betrayal attacking the people who are on the side of right. We have seen an example of this in our nation where cowards have attacked our President, Soldiers and country blaming them for the actions of the terrorists.

This is how fear works:

   1. The more you surrender to fear, the more you perpetuate fear.

   2. The more you perpetuate fear, the greater your capacity for fear.

   3. The greater your capacity for fear the more you increase the power of fear in your life. When you control fear it has no power in your life.

   4. The more you increase the power of fear in your life, the more you live by fear.

   5. The more you live by fear the more you are intimidated by life.

   6. Fear focuses on the problem obstructing the ability to solve problems. While courage focuses on solutions.

   7. Fear breeds arrogance leading to cowardice.

   8. Fear cannot prevent death, but fear can prevent living. You know what they say “The brave only die once, but a coward dies many deaths.”

These were derived from the book Freedom Through Military Victory

by LTC R.B. Thieme, Jr. Ret

We all have our weaknesses and fears.

I remember attending the Military Free Fall Course at Ft. Bragg commonly referred to as HALO school and a young Marine asked me before our first jump if I was afraid and I immediately replied the only thing I’m afraid of is not graduating because I’ll probably never get a second chance. He was not expecting an answer like that and neither was I it sure made me think. I realized I had a fear of failure which I would need to address. The answer was simple but the application was not so simple. I knew that if I gave my best effort 150% I would have to be content and happy knowing that regardless if I graduated or not I had done my best. Well I graduated no problem, but I never forgot how I let fear into my life through fear of failure. I learned that fear is like a virus it exposes a weakness and attacks in many ways and forms so I passed the lesson of this experience on to my men through leadership—always focusing on solutions and doing your best each day. There is no reason to punish yourself for whatever happens.

As we go through life circumstances and things change especially as we get older, and along with that fear will always be lurking to exploit any weakness and take control and that is why I say being courageous is a life style and a life long battle to not let fear take control. Be courageous in everything every day.

HOOAH

Dave

In these perilous times which face mankind today, I would like to stress the moral and ethical side of leadership responsibility. For it is in the area of moral courage, truth and honor that the fibers of character are strengthened sufficiently to sustain men under the great stresses and responsibilities facing our military leaders today. - General D.M. Shoup, USMC

Hooah!
Dave Thomas

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Subject: Presidential Memorial Certificates

To Chapter Presidents

All, please share with members and other veterans:

The Veteran's Administration has implemented a new initiative to honor our deceased veterans. Attached is information on the Presidential Memorial Certificates authorized for family of honorably discharged deceased veterans. Each veteran is authorized up to 20 certificates for family members and information on how to obtain these certificates is included in this attachment.

Keep in mind that this is not just for veterans that were KIA during GWOT. This is a new initiative for all veterans.

DE Oppresso Liber

Mel Smith
Secretary

Special Forces Association
PO Box 41436
Fayetteville, NC 28309-1436

Telephone (910) 485-5433 Fax (910) 485-1041
Website: www.specialforcesassociation.org

Javelin Missile & T72 Tank

Special Forces Newsletter Poll Results

Regarding: Freedom of Speech

Dave you hit the nail right on the head. The 5 rules that you mentioned is freedom of speeach. I don't only go by thoes rules with the public I use those rules with my wife & kids as well. Thanks for all this great knowlege.

P.S how about sending me one of those nice S/f t shirts!

- Timothy [name withheld]

Me..? 17 years Spec Ops,in t'em "old Smokebomb Hill days".. but, still part of the Ops Team because of your great website, and you're "saying, what needs be said." Thank you, Thank you, and "Stand in the Door..!

- Mike "slackman" [name withheld]

Dear Dave,

I love your topic this month. The truth is very hard for the public to understand. It is my experience that the military community has to stand together to set things right. I have been very truthful about what has happened - however, when you are dealing with gifted actors who are experienced at using the media to their advantage it is very hard. The DoD knows what is going on, and they are working on it daily - trust me. They did not know what was happening before they were notified. By speaking up and contacting the Supreme Court everyone is saved. I have discussed the truth with the media - but I admit if I told the cold hard truth it is too hard of a pill to swallow. But believe me the press knows the truth as well and slowly the tide is turning.

We all have to stick together when the mlitary is attacked and people believe my situation is really an anti-military harrassment.

- Sara [name withheld]

Dave,

Your right on target!

All to often we never use this right because our upbringing and Society in general.

Follow the rules, think and shoot your words straight.

- Jim [name withheld]

Hey Dave, this is Tim [name withheld], the person who asked for the shirt, well I got it and it fits great & I just wanted to say thank you. please keep the great writing up look forward to reading your leters each month. keep up the good work. Tim out...

Regarding: Last Month's Word of Truth

Dave this is a rock bottom truth newletter. Rubber meets the road kind of thing. I am sending this to my (SF instructor retired) army brother in law. He will love to read this. Do not quit this! Sir.

- Dan

Regarding Last Month's Message from Dave

Dave just read your latest. Thanks. Can you send me your archived letters please.

- Miles [name withheld]

The Word of Truth

Fear

By Rev G.J. Rako
LTC (Ret)
IN USAR

Fear is sin! During my weekly sojourn to the county jail to teach the prisoners the Word of Truth, an inmate asked me, "what defines sin?" My answer was, "the Bible defines sin." There are many sins clearly and directly stated in the Word of God. A good definition of sin is anything that falls short of God’s perfect standard. To understand what is sin and what is not, one must have a clear understanding of scripture. God’s perfect righteousness is the perfect standard of God and He has revealed His standard in the Bible.

There are two categories of fear mentioned in the Bible. Fear having the meaning of reverence, respect, or awe which is documented in many passages of Scripture, including 2 Sam 23:2-3; Neh 5:9; Job 28:28; Ps 19:9, 34:11-12, 111:10; Prov 1:7, 9:10, 10:27, 22:4; Mal 3:16; Eph 5:21.

Ps 111:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

Fear as a mental attitude sin is found in:

Proverbs 29:25 "The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.."

Fear is a sign of reversion-ism. 1 Sam 18:12,29, 28:20. Saul was afraid of David.

Fear is prohibited in the grace plan of God. Deut 31:6,8, Josh 8:1, 1 Chr 28:20;

Isa 41:10; 2 Tim 1:7. "Fear not, for I am with you." Spiritual maturity is characterized by courage or lack of fear. Ps 3:6, 56:3, 11; Heb 11:27. This is true even when you are in battle. True love is the absence of fear, 1 Jn 4:18. It is impossible to have fear and be occupied with Christ at the same time.

Fear falls short of God’s perfect standard for redeemed mankind. We are commanded repeatedly not to fear, and to stop being afraid. God has provided a solution to fear in our lives, just as He has provided a solution to every problem we would ever face. Fear is one of many emotional sins. In an emotional state, you become irrational. Irrationality cannot think or utilize Bible doctrine to stabilize your soul in adversity. Fear, worry, anxiety, and guilt are sins that if left to fester will completely shut down your ability to think.

Fear, worry, and anxiety are a contradiction to God's plan, purpose, and will for your life. No believer can execute the unique spiritual life of the church age while in a state of fear, worry, anxiety, hatred, anger, or any other emotional sins.

There is a legitimate fear however, of failure to utilize the faith-rest drill and make doctrinal application.

Heb 4:1. Believers should be afraid of subjective thinking and failure to claim the doctrines, promises, and logistical grace of God.

The solution to fear is Bible doctrine in the soul of the advancing or mature believer coupled with the faith rest drill. Faith rest is the beginning of applying scripture to circumstance, resulting in accelerated spiritual growth and trust in God and His Word. Christians must learn to faith rest the adverse circumstances of life. Faith rest can be defined simply as claiming the promises of God.

The mechanics of the faith rest drill:

1. Rebound. The means of bouncing back into fellowship with God and the filling of the Holy Spirit.

   I John 1:9 If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we (believers) confess (name, cite, or acknowledge) our sins to Him (God the Father) He is faithful (He does the same thing every time) and just (God is justified to forgive us based upon the perfect, efficacious, substitutionary work of Christ on the cross) to forgive us our sins (known sins just named) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (forgotten or unknown sins). This simple act of naming our sins to God the Father is God’s grace plan to recover the filling of the Holy Spirit. If we are in fellowship we are filled with the Holy Spirit, if we have unconfessed sin in our life we are carnal and the filling of the Holy Spirit is removed.

2. Filling of the Holy Spirit. Please do not confuse the filling of the Holy Spirit (spirituality) with the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit occurs at the moment you believe in Jesus Christ and can never be lost. The filling of the Holy Spirit is also given at the moment of salvation but is lost the first time the believer commits a sin. The filling of the Spirit is recovered by the grace provision of the rebound technique (I John 1:9) described above.

3. Claim a promise to stabilize your soul when disaster strikes. Remember a promise from the Word of God and think about how that promise relates to your personal situation. Then, believe it! As long as there is breath in your body, God has a plan for your life and your situation is never hopeless.

4. Use that promise in a doctrinal rationale. A rational is a reason or justification

which forms a conclusion. Believe it!

2 Cor 5:7, "For we walk by faith and not by sight."

Every promise in God’s Word is explained, or justified by a doctrine or doctrines.

5. Reach a doctrinal conclusion. You have now been focusing on the solution and not the problem. By this time, your soul is stabilized and you have avoided panic in your soul. The promise and doctrinal rationales lead to doctrinal conclusions. Paul gives us an excellent example of a doctrinal conclusion in Romans 8:31.

Rom 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

We have all experienced situations that grip us with fear or anxiety. The faith rest drill will handle all of the crises of life. The grace of God is a marvelous thing. He tells us not to fear because He has already provided a means of not being afraid. The faith rest drill which after consistent use becomes the faith rest life.

Ps 56:3-4, "What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose Word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid of what can man do to me?"

2 Tim 1:7, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and sound judgment."

1 Cor 2:5, "That your faith should not be in the wisdom of man [human viewpoint], but in the power from God".

Ex 14:13-14, "But Moses said to the people, 'Do not fear! Take your stand and watch the deliverance of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.

Ps 118:6 "The Lord is for me; I will not fear;

What can man do to me?"

Isa 41:10 "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness."

I Sam 17:47b "The battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands."

II Chron 20:15b "Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude [huge army], for the battle is not yours but God’s".

I John 4:18a "There is no fear in love; but perfect love [virtue love] casts out fear".

Ps 91: 14-15 "Because he has loved ME therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.

He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and honor him."

Job 5:20 "in famine He has delivered you from death; And in war from the power of the sword."

If you have already made the most important decision of your life (faith alone in Christ alone) then you really have nothing to fear. Only ignorance of the concepts listed above will get you into the destructive pattern of emotional sins. If you have not made the most important decision of this life, then let me say to you.

Acts 16:31, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved."

John3:16 " God love the world so much, that He gave His only begotten [uniquely born] Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

Fear is a mentally paralyzing emotional sin. Utilize God’s gracious provision, the filling of the Holy Spirit, promises of scripture, doctrinal rationales, and faith.

II Cor 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Heb 11:6a "but without faith it is impossible to please Him."

Click here to contact Reverend Rako >>

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"U.S. Army Special Forces now consider the WW II Alamo Scouts to be their direct predecessors."

The Alamo Scouts were organized on Fergusson Island, New Guinea, on 28 November 1943 to conduct reconnaissance and raider work in the Southwest Pacific Theater under the personal command of then Lt. General Walter Krueger, Commanding General, Sixth U.S. Army.

Named for his beloved association with San Antonio, Texas, and the Alamo, Krueger envisioned that the Alamo Scouts, consisting of small teams of highly trained volunteers, would operate deep behind enemy lines to provide intelligence-gathering and tactical reconnaissance in advance of Sixth U.S. Army landing operations.

During these two years the Alamo Scouts liberated 197 Allied prisoners in New Guinea, and provided forward reconnaissance and tactical support of the Sixth Ranger Battalion in the liberation of the Cabanatuan Prisoner of War Camp on Luzon, in February 1945, freeing 511 Allied prisoners. In addition, the Alamo Scouts captured 84 Japanese prisoners of war.

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"I had many different assignments ...and I was doing things that I thought were important... no, I didn't either: I didn't think they were important. But I found out afterwards when I read up on my history that some of the things that I did were quite important."

~ Former World War I A US Corporal Frank Buckles, February 6th 2008 who at 107 years old is the last U.S. Veteran alive to have seen combat action in World War I

"All Special Forces Soldiers, past and present, mourn the passing of Robin Moore; he was a valued and trusted member of the Special Operations family. Robin was a devoted advocate and a true Ambassador for the "Green Beret" and all they stand for. His writings on Special Forces are textbooks for our modern Unconventional Warriors; they were both educational and inspirational and introduced the world to the 'Green Berets.' He will be missed."

~ Maj. Gen. Gary L. Harrell, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg

"[William F.]Buckley [Jr.] was part of a generation of public intellectuals and writers who captured the nation's attention after World War II. These philosopher kings were not pundits as we know them today but rather men of letters whose themes and interests were political."

~Scott Kraft, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer on William F . Buckley, February 28th, 2008

"The techniques and systems that the OSS Office of Strategic Services... developed during World War II proved a valuable asset in winning that war, and they were passed on to succesor [post World War II] agencies in the intelligence community...a question is often asked how the lessons learned by the OSS in World War II can be applied today...As a fledging organization operating with relatively few restraints and improvising its own methods and procedures, wherever and whenever needed, OSS ran its own show to a remarkable degree...[The ]OSS scored a good number of successes, but many operations failed , sometimes with disastrous results...As the checks and balances of our threefold democratic system have been reinforced , the [U.S.]government's capacity to carry out the intelligence function and wage war has been dramatically altered from that of World War II. We cannot turn back the clock to the time of "the good war," and a looming question arises as to whether time is our ally in the idealogical conflict now confronting us."

~Eramus Kloman, Captain AUS; and acting Chief Of Operations OSS- Special Operations, Mediterranean Theater 1945; CIA 1947-1949; Spring 2004

Video - How to Light a Fire

MARTAC : Maritime Tactical Tips for the Modern Day Privateer
Should your force cause you to be invloved in a maritime tactiacl scnario bone up on these several key elements to force superiority on-in-or from under the water:

Tactical Navigation Techniques:
has operators adapt navigational skills to a MARTACsituation. Concentrates on using radar in reduced visibility or at night to assist in pursuits and intercepts. Trains to use radar to assist in enforcing security zones. Finally, introducing an operator to state-of-the-art integrated electronic navigation tools is essential.

Defensive Boat Tactics:
shows operatiors how to operate a patrol boat during maritime security operations. Knowing these skills will enhance the operators' abilities to work in cooperation with the Coast Guard or Mariitme LE during these critical evolutions, improve their confidence, and increase their performance of other marine enforcement duties.

Tactical Boat Pursuits:
introduce the opeartor to the tactics of single- and multiple-vessel pursuits, including positioning, screening, blocking, and handing off. The operator should practice these tactics during underway laboratories, while a pursuit scenario in a graded practical exercise evaluates their mastery of these skills.

High-Risk Boarding:
trains operator how to conduct tactical boarding in high-risk situations. Covers tactical techniques, such as line of fire and triangulation, as well as assessing threats and reacting appropriately. Operators will need to deal with aggressive behavior by methodically escalating the level of force necessary to bring a situation under control.

M4, in Their Sights

Competitors See Opening To Challenge Colt For Billion-Dollar U.S. Army Carbine Market

By Matthew Cox and Kris Osborn

The U.S. Army says it's standing by its M4 carbine, but doubts about the weapon's reliability have energized the small-arms world, which is now painting a target on a billion-dollar market that has been seemingly locked up by M4 maker Colt Defense LLC.

The latest round of controversy surrounding the M4 came in late November, when the embattled carbine finished last in an Army reliability test against several peers.

The M4 suffered more stoppages than the combined number of jams by the three other competitors - Heckler & Koch XM8, FNH USA's Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR) and the H&K 416.

The Army downplayed the test results, maintaining that soldiers using the M4 in combat praised the weapon in a recent study by the Center for Naval Analysis.

"What we are hearing from the field is that we are not seeing any great amount of stoppages due to the conditions. What soldiers are doing is cleaning their weapons often," said Richard Audette, deputy program manager for soldier weapons, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

Nonetheless, service officials did acknowledge that changes could be made to the magazine to decrease the amount of stoppages. Now, the Army is redesigning the M4 carbine's magazine to help it feed rounds more consistently.

"The magazine spring is going to be made of thicker wire, will have a wider coil profile and flat end coils. The follower, or material on top of the spring that allows for consistent feeding of rounds into the weapon, is being improved as well," said Lt. Col. Tim Chyma, product manager for individual weapons. Audette added that testing of the improved magazine is slated for this summer.

But these recent test results aren't the first time the M4's performance has come under scrutiny.

The Army's Delta Force replaced its M4s with the HK416 in 2004 after tests revealed that a piston operating system reduces malfunctions while increasing the life of parts.

The M4, like its predecessor, the M16, uses a gas tube system, which relies on the gas created when a bullet is fired to cycle the weapon. Weapon experts say the M4's system of blowing gas directly into the receiver of the weapon spews carbon residue that can lead to fouling and heat that dries up lubrication and causes excessive wear on parts.

U.S. Special Operations Command has also revised its small-arms requirements. In November 2004, SOCom awarded a developmental contract to FN Herstal to develop another piston for its new SCAR, which is also piston-operated, to replace its weapons from the M16 family.

Officials with Colt declined to comment.

These moves to oust the M16 family have ignited enthusiasm and creativity in the small arms community. Many gun companies view the controversy surrounding the M4 as justification to plan ahead for the chance to produce the Army's next rifle.

Even small players like Magpul Industries are daring to dream big. The Boulder, Colo., company - best known for inventing a molded-plastic, magazine attachment that helps combat troops perform speedy magazine changes - just last year unveiled a new carbine system known as the Masada.

The weapon features a gas piston operating system, tool-less quick change barrels, multi-adjustable folding stock and is compatible with a number of M16 family parts.

"There is a huge amount of energy in the small arms industry," said Magpul President Richard Fitzpatrick, who described how his company produced a firing prototype of the Masada in four months for less than $100,000 without military support. "You don't need to spend five years and millions of dollars to do it."

There is also a growing frustration among arms makers that the Army is wedded to a single company.

The Army adopted Colt's M4 in the mid-1990s. So far, the service has bought roughly 280,000 M4s and plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to arm the entire Army with it.

The Army has made many small changes to the M4 in the last decade, but some argue that the carbine still has the same operating system as the M16s combat troops carried 40 years ago in the jungles of Vietnam.

Hot Topic

This is likely to be one of the main topics of conversation at the National Defense Industry Association's (NDIA's) International Infantry & Joint Services Small Arms Systems Symposium this May in Dallas, said Brian Berger, chairman of NDIA's Small Arms Committee.

The event, "Enhancing Small Arms Effectiveness in Current and Future Operations," will include a presentation focusing on the M4 and its recent performance in Army reliability tests, Berger said.

Army weapons officials agreed to perform the dust test at the request of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., in July, following reports that elite special operations units wanted to ditch the M4 in favor of carbines they consider more reliable. The Army plans to spend more than $300 million to purchase M4s through fiscal 2009 when the service takes over the "technical data" rights from Colt.

From there, the Army will either compete the M4 design for the best deal or hold a "performance-based competition" for a new carbine if the Army has made significant changes to its performance requirements, Army officials said.

Berger, who worked for Colt from 1980 to 1995, said there is frustration in the arms community that the Army has not given fair consideration to the modern carbine technologies available on the market today.

"I think it really justifies a competition," Berger said, explaining that NDIA exists to encourage and promote new innovations in technology. "I personally think it is always a good thing to go back and take a look and see if something out there is better."

On the other hand, Berger defended the Army for its past efforts to develop cutting-edge advancements in weapons technology.

Leaping Ahead

Over the past 20 years, the Army has been searching for a next generation weapon to replace the M16 family - one that will arm soldiers with a revolutionary leap in performance.

There was the Advanced Combat Rifle program which began in the mid-1980s. The ACR program tested several weapons that fired exotic types of ammunition such as lightweight, caseless rounds and low-recoil, flechette rounds.

When that didn't work, the Army spent the 1990s developing the Objective Individual Combat Weapon, a gun designed to fire projectiles that explode in the air and rain shrapnel down on the enemy. But at 18 pounds, the prototype proved too heavy for combat troops.

So far, "they really haven't seen the results that are revolutionary or better than what they have in the current systems," Berger said.

This is one of the reasons why Magpul recently signed a deal with Bushmaster Firearms International to produce and market its Masada prototype, Fitzpatrick said.

The new weapon system will be known as the Adaptive Combat Rifle. It will initially be offered in 5.56mm NATO caliber for civilian and law enforcement, but military versions are scheduled to be ready by this fall.

"Everyone was waiting for the Army to come out with the next big leap" said Fitzpatrick, who served in a Marine reconnaissance unit from 1988 to 1994 before founding Magpul in six years later. "We have come to the conclusion that that isn't going to happen anytime soon."

Magpul, Bushmaster and other small-arms companies believe "there is going to be a bridge weapon between the M16 and the new, uber-weapon the Army wants," he said. "Our judgment is there is going to be a need for something, so let's get it ready now."

Toast A Mojito! The Bastard Fades Away With a Wimper... Fidel Castro Resigns as Cubas President.

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
Published: February 20, 2008

MEXICO CITY Fidel Castro stepped down Tuesday morning as the president of Cuba after a long illness. The announcement was made in a letter to the nation written by Mr. Castro and published early Tuesday morning on the Web site of Granma, the official publication of the Cuban Communist Party.

The resignation ends one of the longest tenures as one of the most all-powerful communist heads of state in the world.

In late July 2006, Mr. Castro, who is 81, handed over power temporarily to his brother, Ral Castro, 76, and a few younger cabinet ministers, after an acute infection in his colon forced him to undergo emergency surgery. Despite numerous operations, he has never fully recovered but has remained active in running government affairs from behind the scenes.

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Adios Amigos

Do you remember when Puerto Rico was raising heck about the US Navy using that nothing little island just off the coast of Puerto Rico for bombing practices, which they had used for the past 75 years?

Demonstrations were held; Hollywood left wingers, Al Sharpton, and his fellow demagogues went down there to demonstrate to get the Navy out?

I am sure it infuriated you just as it did me at the time. Well, here is our revenge. Always be careful what you ask for, you just may get it!

One of the many headaches that the U.S. has had was the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. In the waning years of the Clinton Administration protesters demand that the US Navy abandon bombing and naval gunfire exercises that had taken place on the largely uninhabited island for nearly seventy years.

In 2002, the bombing exercises were transferred to an Air Force bombing range in central Florida not far from Jacksonville and Pensacola Naval Air Stations. In January, many of the protesters were back in Puerto Rico, celebrating the final bombing exercise on Vieques and waved Puerto Rican flags and placards that read "U. S. Navy, get out of Puerto Rico."

The following February, Rumsfeld announced that the U. S. Navy will close the Roosevelt Roads Naval Air Station in Puerto Rico in 2004, eliminating 1200 civilian jobs as well as 700 military positions. This naval facility is estimated to have put nearly $300 million annually into the local economy.

The next day a stunned Governor Sila Calderon, held a news conference in San Juan protesting the base closure as a serious blow to the Commonwealth's fragile economy. The governor stated that "The people of Puerto Rico don't now or never did have an interest in closing the Vieques bombing range or the Roosevelt Roads naval base. We are interested in both staying in Puerto Rico.

When asked, the Commander-in-Chief, Western Atlantic Command, said, "Without Vieques, I see no further need for the facility at Roosevelt Roads. None."

So, Yankee go home? Fine. But we'll take our DOLLARS with us. Hasta la vista, baby!

On February 21, the Secretary of Defense also announced that starting this year! , the U .S. European Command would begin moving most, if not all, of its active combat and support units from bases in Germany to others being established in Poland, The Czech Republic, Hungary and Turkey to "better position them for rapid deployment to likely hot spots in those parts of the world."

Immediately the business and government leaders in the German states of Hesse, Rinelandand Wurttemburg, protested the loss of nearly $6 billion US revenue each year from the bases and manpower to be displaced. A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry speculated that the move may be "what the Americans call 'payback' for the actions of t his government in opposing Military action in Iraq."

"Does anyone know the German translation for: "Hasta la vista, baby?" I think "Aufwiedersehen, linesmen" is a good translation.

Oh, isn't it nice to see a government with guts and a good memory???

Allso, here are some statistics and conclusions about a different subject.

If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theater of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112 deaths, when this was written) that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.

The firearm death rate in Washington D. C. is 80.6 per 100,000 for the same period. (...and that was while handguns were outlawed!!)

That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the U. S. Capitol, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.

PASS THIS ON 'cuz you can be sure that CNN, NBC, ABC and CBS won't!

Conclusion: Just maybe the U.S. should pull out of Washington, D.C. !!!!

Dear Friends, This e-mail has been overlooked by me since December. It's still important and needs to be read by all American citizens. It's possible that the following numbers are larger today than when it was originally written. Read it and send it on. We should all know.
- Anne

Read it & wonder...

If only half of this is a fact I have to wonder about our press.

The saddest thing about the email below is the conclusion about the media...

WE ALL SHOULD KNOW!

Did you know? I didn't know!

Did you know that 47 countries have reestablished their embassies in Iraq ?

Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?

Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are now under construction. And 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq ?

Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating?

Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program?

Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational? They have 5 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.

Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft (under Iraqi operational corol) which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers?

Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?

Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?

Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?

Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilits, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.

Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?

Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?

Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158%?

Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?

Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?

Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a televised debate recently?

OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW!

WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW?

OUR MEDIA HASN'T TOLD US!

Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos of flag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at the presidential motorcades. Tragically, the lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two purposes:

It is intended to undermine the world's perception of the United States thus minimizing consequent support, and it is intended to discourage American Citizens.

---- Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense web site.

---- Pass it on! Give it a Wide Dissemination!

(Unfortunately, this turns out to be a hoax - Read about it Here!)

Hoover and Eisenhower Did It. Why Can't They Do It Today?

Here is something that should be of great interest for you to pass around. I didn't know of this until it was pointed out to me. But, back during the Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover ordered the deportation of all illegal aliens in order to make jobs available to American citizens that desperately needed work.

And then again in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower deported 13 million Mexican nationals! The program was called 'Operation Wetback' so that American WWII and Korean veterans had a better chance at jobs. It took 2 years, but they deported them!

Now, if they could deport the illegals back then, they can sure do it today!! If you have doubts about the veracity of this information, the check out the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Wetback

POMC for Deceased Veterans

Private Ships of War

By Ann Jocelyn

Privately owned warships are so deeply at the heart of American maritime tradition that a reference to them is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. With their own contract crews who rushed to the fight for independence during the American Revolution and in defense of the nation during the War of 1812, the private warships successfully waged naval guerrilla warfare against the world's most powerful fleet. Private warships also fought the Barbary pirates in the nation's first foreign war.

Read More Here >>

A Coalition of the Capable

How private naval companies can expand humanitatrian efforts

By Claude Berube

The first sign of the disaster was a little girl's sandal in the water. Then the debris of houses, the bodies, and then the smoke on the shoreline from burning refuse of what hadn't been swept away by the waves. Survivors were met almost immediately by gray hulls and Americans. Two years later on the other side of the world, a city fell to a hurricane as levees broke and anarchy followed until the citizens' fellow Americans arrived on the scene.

Read More Here >>

France denies report special forces fought in Chad

Fri Feb 8, 2008 2:15pm EST

PARIS (Reuters) - French government and military officials denied on Friday a newspaper report that French special forces supported the Chadian government in fighting rebels who attacked the capital last weekend.

France's La Croix daily, citing diplomats and military sources, said members of the special operations command helped to drive back rebels in fighting around the capital N'Djamena.

The newspaper said French soldiers also opened fire on rebels approaching the airport during an evacuation of foreigners, and said Paris persuaded Libya to send tank ammunition which enabled Deby's forces to defeat the rebels in the capital.

During a visit to Mauritania, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner dismissed the report.

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The Patton of Counterinsurgency

By Frederick W. Kagan and Kimberly Kagan
The Weekly Standard | Monday, March 03, 2008

Great commanders often come in pairs: Eisenhower and Patton, Grant and Sherman, Napoleon and Davout, Marlborough and Eugene, Caesar and Labienus. Generals David Petraeus and Raymond Odierno can now be added to the list.

It's natural to assume that successful pairs of commanders complement each other's personalities (the diplomatic Eisenhower and the hard-charging Patton, for example) or that the junior partner is merely executing the vision of the other (Sherman seen as acting on Grant's orders). In reality, the task of planning and conducting large-scale military operations is too great for any single commander, no matter how talented his staff. The subordinate in every successful command pair has played a key role in designing and implementing the campaign plan.

History does not always justly appreciate such contributions. The role that Davout played in shaping operational plans for Napoleon is a matter for specialists. General Odierno deserves better. He played an absolutely essential role in designing and executing the successful counterinsurgency operations in Iraq. His contributions to securing Iraq offer many important lessons for fighting the larger war on terror. As he and his team return to Fort Hood, Texas, it is important not only to commemorate their achievement, but also to understand it.

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Special Ops Force Based In Hawaii To Be Field-tested

By William Cole

A lot of Hawai'i-based special operations forces will be in the field this week on O'ahu as the headquarters of Special Operations Command-Pacific based at Camp Smith gets some extra training.

About 150 Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine service members are taking part in the deployment. Many are Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces, otherwise known as Green Berets.

The command, which operates as U.S. Pacific Command's rapidly deployable special operations joint task force, has been in Hawai'i for 25 years.

The "SOCPAC" service members will conduct individual and team tasks. Individual tasks include "water confidence" training, and qualification training with individual weapons.

A six-mile hike at Ka'ena Point is planned, and the troops also will conduct survival training and jump operations.

The Hawai'i Army National Guard will fly CH-47 Chinook helicopters for jump operations and a Navy dive unit is providing Zodiac boats for the training, officials said.

The training will take place at Camp Smith, Area X-Ray at Schofield Barracks, and at Iroquois Point.

SOCPAC members and component units recently participated in a two-week exercise in Guam to hone readiness as the Pacific region's special operations Joint Task Force-510.

"The exercise was designed to bring JTF-510 together on short notice to test our capability to rapidly deploy and respond to crisis situations," Maj. Gen. Salvatore F. Cambria, SOCPAC's commander, said at the time. "Our forces performed extremely well, and are now better trained and more capable to serve U.S. Pacific Command."

That exercise, Fortune Maker 2007, included command post and field training events with notional host nation forces.

About two dozen SOCPAC service members based out of Hawai'i are typically in the southern Philippines as part of the 500-member Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines.

UK enlisted astrologer to fight Hitler

By D'ARCY DORAN, Associated Press Writer

Desperate for a glimpse into Adolf Hitler's unpredictable mind, British spies hired an astrologer during World War II to write horoscopes for him and other Nazi leaders, documents declassified Tuesday show. They soon regretted it.

The file released to Britain's National Archives catalogs the frustrations of MI5 handlers as they tried to prevent the astrologer, Louis de Wohl, from publicly embarrassing high-ranking intelligence and military officers.

"I have never liked Louis de Wohl he strikes me as a charlatan and an imposter," reads the first line in the astrologer's file. The letter is typical and appeared to be signed by Dick White, who went on to become the head of Britain's domestic spy agency, MI5, in the 1950s.

That view didn't keep de Wohl from winning a temporary rank as a British army captain. He was sent by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who did not believe in astrology, to the U.S. to persuade Americans that the Nazis would lose within months if they entered the war.

When de Wohl's services were no longer needed, intelligence agents puzzled over how to get rid of the man who called himself Britain's state seer, the declassified documents show.

De Wohl was born in Berlin in 1903 and fled to Britain in 1935 to avoid Nazi persecution for being part Jewish. His wife, Alexandra, fled to Santiago, Chile, where she claimed to be a Romanian princess and was known as "La Baronessa."

In London, de Wohl claimed variously to be a Hungarian nobleman, the nephew of an Austrian conductor, the grandson of a British banking magnate and a relative of the Lord Mayor of London. His break came, he wrote in a later book, during a dinner at the Spanish Embassy, when a Spanish duchess asked de Wohl to reveal Hitler's horoscope to Britain's foreign secretary, Lord Halifax.

Sir Charles Hambro, the head of Britain's Special Operations Executive, soon hired de Wohl as part of his network of agents across Europe.

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U.S. captures Iranian special forces commander near Baghdad

BAGHDAD The U.S.-led coalition has captured a senior Iranian operative who helped finance and equip Shi'ite militias.

U.S. Army paratroopers detained the suspected senior leader of the Iranian-sponsored Special Groups network during an operation in Baghdad's Beida neighborhood on Feb. 27.

Officials said the Special Groups was trained and equipped by Iran. They said the organization, believed to comprise a series of cells, introduced the Explosively-Formed Penetrator, designed to destroy U.S. and other Western origin main battle tanks.

The loss of yet another senior Special Groups leader places additional stress on the criminal Special Groups network," Maj. Trey Rutherford, executive officer for the 2nd Bn., 325th Abn. Inf. Regt., said.

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Special Operators Head West

Over the next six years, Cannon will acquire nine squadrons of special operations forces and aircraft.

By Marc V. Schanz, Associate Editor

The wind-blown plains and mesas of New Mexicos Melrose bombing and gunnery range are dotted with targets, from the hulls of tanks to ammunition carriers, from gun emplacements to mock SA-6 anti-aircraft batteries. Over the years, fighter pilots had taken aim at them and fired countless rounds.

In December, however, the Air Forces New Mexico-based F-16 fighters roared out on their last mission from Cannon Air Force Base. The forces of Air Force Special Operations Command began moving in.

The change was ordered up by decision-makers in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process. Out at Cannon, AFSOC is building its new 27th Special Operations Wing, which will be the first of its kind outside of Hurlburt Field, Fla., and only the second special operations wing in the United States.

Over the next six years, Cannon will experience a massive makeover. It will see the addition of up to nine squadrons of special operations forces and aircraft, the introduction of the CV-22 Osprey and the MQ-9 Reaper to AFSOC operations, and an expansion of Air Force special tactics training into the desert upland of eastern New Mexico.

In those wide-open spaces, air commandos, gunships, and tilt-rotor aircraft will be able to train with a broad collection of Air Force assets and other SOF elements. Dedicated areas on the range are being set aside for the practice of assault landings and special tactics. The participants will include pararescue jumpers, combat controllers, and combat weathermen, all Air Force specialities.

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Colombia: Says some documents suggest the rebels have bought and sold uranium - Chavez Funding FARC Rebels

By TOBY MUSE, Associated Press Writer

Venezuela and Ecuador sought Monday to make Colombia pay a high price for killing a leftist rebel leader in the Ecuadorean jungle expelling its diplomats, ordering troops to the border and cracking down on trade across the border.

But Colombia quickly struck back, revealing what it said were incriminating documents seized from the rebel camp that suggest its neighbors have been secretly supporting the leftist rebels' deadly insurgency.

And in a tit-for-tat move, Venezuela later displayed the laptop of a slain drug trafficker, which it said contained information implicating Colombia's national police chief in the cocaine trade.

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa piled on the pressure saying Colombia's killing of the rebel leader Raul Reyes Saturday had scuttled talks between his government and the guerrillas to free 12 rebel-held hostages, including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. defense contractors.

"I'm sorry to tell you that the conversation were pretty advanced to free 12 hostages, including Ingrid Betancourt, in Ecuador," said Correa in a televised address. "All of this was frustrated by the war-mongering, authoritarian hands" of the Colombian government.

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Hunt Continues for Nazi Treasure

German treasure hunters were to begin digging Tuesday for what they claim to be plunder buried by the Nazis in a man-made cavern near the Czech border.

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Bullet Magnet' Prince Harry fights Taliban in Afghanistan

by Phil Hazlewood

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Subject: C-141

Left from Pleiku, Vietnam on a C-141 Nov 1966

The Hanoi Taxi (tail #66-0177) was retired from active service in May 2006.

She was the last of the 285 C-141's built by Lockheed to leave active service. She flew 100 POWs out of Hanoi on 12 February 1973, some of them tasting freedom for the first time in six years. Each POW put their shot-down date on the face of the oxygen panel during their flight to Clark Air Base in the Philippines . For her retirement ceremony, the POWs she brought home were brought back for the ceremony and one last flight by this gracious lady. Most of them are old men now but their enthusiasm, emotions, and excitement were evident during this flight and retirement ceremony. She was then flown to Dayton , OH where she will spend her final days in the Air Force Museum. A very touching video - Be sure to turn on the sound.

Watch the Video here

Berkeley City Council Condemns Our Soldiers

You may not be aware of the situation in Berkeley, California. The mainstream media has not been reporting on it. Here is the situation. The Berkeley City Council has told the Marine Recruiting Office to get out of Berkeley.

Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina has put together a video that shows you explicitly what the City Council members of Berkeley said about our Marines and the effort to force the recruiters to leave the city. They include comments from the Mayor who says that the Marines "don't belong here in Berkeley ."

These people aren't just against the war, they are against our soldiers who are fighting and dying in that war.

The video also includes rebuttal by veterans of this nation who are outraged by the conduct of this city council. I hope you will send the letter and forward it to friends and family. The letters will go straight to the Mayor and City Council members.

Click here to watch the video.

Read the letter from Debbie Lee, whose son was killed in action.

Read the statement from U.S. Senators DeMint, Cornyn, Vitter, Coburn, Inhofe, and Chambliss.

TAKE ACTION

Click here to send the e-mail to the Mayor and City Council members.

Please forward this to family and friends.

Sincerely,
Don
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman American Family Association

Last Man Standing:
Frank Buckles Our last living U.S. World War One Veteran Honored at the White House By President Bush.

By the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Published: February 6, 2008

In 1917 more than 90-years ago -- the United States entered the Great Conflict in Europe. Sixteen-year-old Frank Buckles decided he wanted in, too. He figured he could fib about his age; say he's 18. But the Army recruiter told him, "No good: you need to be 21." So he kept shopping around until finally, he found a recruiter who believed him when he said his home state of Missouri didn't keep birth records when he was born; it's back home on the farm, an entry in the family Bible.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/06/frank-buckles-americas-last-living-world-war-i-vet/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/03/20080306-1.html

ABC Video Link

WW II Army Officier, Cia Agent, Spy Novelist, Staunch Intellectualconservative, Yaley & Post Modern Founder of The Hardcore Conservative Republican Movement, William F. Buckley Dead at 82

Devoted Advocate and 'Green Berets' author not only introduced the world to the Special Forces but walked the walk. He also wrote 'French Connection' and co-wrote 'The Ballad of the Green Berets' song - Robin Moore, Dies

Biography of Robin Moore

Special Forces Ballad

'Green Berets' author also wrote 'French Connection'

Adventurer / Explorer Recon Marine and Free-Fall Airborne Pioneer also filmed the wreckage of Titanic Ralph Bradshaw White

By Jocelyn Y. Stewart, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Ralph Bradshaw White, who documented the 1985 discovery of the sunken Titanic, then returned to the bottom of the ocean more than 30 times to film and recover artifacts from the ill-fated vessel, died Feb. 4 at Glendale Adventist Medical Center. He was 66.

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