Semper Gratus!

Voting is now closed - Monday, November 5th
Yes, Marty and the gang are in the running for the Above and Beyond Awards sponsored by Microsoft and the USO.

Microsoft Corporation, in partnership with the United Service Organizations (USO), is recognizing the contributions of the military community - the friends, family, and other individuals who help brighten the lives of U.S. troops throughout the world - with the creation of the first annual Above and Beyond Awards.

You can vote up to 5 times! So vote early and often!!!

Rather than standing out front with the FReepers getting rained on, I accepted an invitation to spend the evening indoors watching a very cool band.

Gary Sinise, bassist and front man for the LT Dan Band.

The band

The concert was sponsored by the USO which had volunteers scurrying everywhere! They gave out bagged meals (sandwiches, salads, chips & soda) followed by some really yummy key lime pie. There were also people handing out sample cans of Right Guard X Body Spray which Mike Sparling kept telling everyone I needed more of. *jerk*

Intro to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Co ‘B’)

As viewed from the balcony

My cutiepie neighbor and her parents. Daddy won an XBox in the door prize drawings.

Iraq and Vietnam Vets

The Vietnam Vet pictured above is Murphy Neal Jones, Colonel, USAF (Retired). He spent 7 years in POW Hell during that war (1966-1973)

There were times when I wanted to die to end this ordeal, but my faith in God, my country, my family and the American people gave me the strength to endure it. I considered myself very patriotic when I was captured, but the patriotism I felt at that time is only a fraction of what I feel now. There is no denying that we have some problems in our country, but it is still by far the greatest country in the world.

Col Jones is a wonderful, gracious man who was obviously in heaven being around these young guns. His pride in the new generation of warriors just spilled out as he worked the crowd before and after the concert. Talk about a hero!

A Tired pup

Mike is showing Gary and crew member the back of the “Major League Infidel” shirts. The crew member was waaaay happy about getting a 2XL for himself and a bunch more for the band. My stash is now officially gone.

The band came early and toured the wards. Gary then stayed late and shook hands/had pictures taken with everyone. There were probably 200-250 people there. One kid looked like he should not have been out of the hospital yet, but he stayed thru most of the concert!

Gary and the band were very, very nice! It was obvious that their hearts really went out to the wounded warriors and the crowd was very appreciative.

Cross-posted at the Vox site.

MNF-Iraq, BAGHDAD — In a well-lit meeting room in a government building in the Iraqi capital, 20 Iraqi women were sitting in a circle, intently watching the demonstration in the center of the room. They were dressed modestly but with some flair: bright pink and blue headscarves mixed in among the black chadors, chunky, designer purses resting on the floor beneath their seats.

The friendly, casual atmosphere in the room looked similar to a suburban book-club meeting, or maybe a Mary-Kay cosmetics party. Except that these women were not learning how to apply foundation, they were learning how to lock and load an AK-47.

“Who can show me how to do it?” asked the instructor, an Iraqi Army sergeant, holding up the weapon.

One of the women jumped up and took the automatic rifle, expertly disassembled it and put it back together. When she cocked it by loudly slamming the charging handle back, the rest of the women applauded.

They might well have been applauding themselves. As members of the first class of female security volunteers in Adhamiyah, all 51 women in the class were groundbreakers. The women will join hundreds of male residents that are already helping secure Adhamiyah by guarding important public sites like schools, hospitals, and government buildings.

Pretty cool, huh?

read the rest.

Rush Limbaugh finally said what is really going on in the halls of power (Washington, DC that is): the Stalinists are emerging from their long, long wait and beginning to implement the dictator’s policies.

We are experiencing intimidation from the Leftinistas as never before seen, i.e. Media Matters smear of Rush for using two words, “phony soldier”, using “the children!” to push socialized medicine (SCHIP) on the taxpayers and calling a 4-star General a liar.