Wanna Fight?

Then join the Marine Valour-IT blogging team.

We're blogging to raise money for Project Valour-IT which provides laptop computers to our Wounded Warriors recovering in military hospitals.

If you don't blog, please pass the word to your friends, community groups, colleagues, and your company. Soldiers' Angels is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so donations to the project may be tax deductible and eligible for employer matching funds.

You can donate via the PayPal button at the right or by sending a check to:

Soldiers Angels
Valour-IT Marine Fund
1792 E. Washington Blvd
Pasadena, Ca 91104


Thank you and Semper Fi!

The is a (more or less) friendly competition amongst the service branches to raise funds, but laptops are of course awarded to all wounded service members who qualify regardless of branch.

Your Marine Cpl Christopher Trevino

"When I saw those kids I'd see my kids. And it made me want to help more."

Chris' mom Rose sent me the link to this story the other day.

"It came from nowhere," he said. "I remember reaching over to grab the water, maybe not even a foot onto the bridge and hearing a loud bang, almost like an amplified shotgun blast... "

The blast flipped the vehicle upside down, pinning Trevino and filling the cabin with white smoke from an electrical fire. It could have been a lot worse if the group's corpsman hadn't "done his Incredible Hulk thing," Trevino said. The corpsman kicked open a door, giving room for him and the radioman to scramble to their feet and pull Trevino and his lieutenant out.

Trevino called his wife, Crystal, a couple of days later to say he was OK, but X-rays soon found the C-7 vertebrae is his neck was fractured and pressing dangerously on an artery. He was flown to a hospital in Germany, and finally returned home last week.
( ... )
To him, Iraq is a country of good and bad, of innocent children and terrorist insurgents, of people who welcome Americans and those who don't.

Iraqi children "are there in 120-degree-plus weather - no shoes, little clothing. My kids are back here. They have shoes, socks, the whole outfit. They have heat and A/C. They can go get a cold drink if they want to.

"If we can help (Iraqis) so those kids can have a better life, then I'm all for it."

Chris and his mom, Rose.

I wanted to relate a huge thank you to the staff and personnel at Landstuhl as hearing my son say, "Mom don't worry - I'm getting great medical care" gave me a smile at a time I was panicked. I don't know if you can in any way relate this message to the hospital but if you can would you please for me. You can't imagine the relief I felt in knowing my son was in good hands.
Forever grateful to you,

Rose Trevino

Turns out Rose dressed Chris as a Marine for Halloween one year when he was a kid and her husband "blames" her to this day for his choice of career ;-)

Chris is back home and doing well. The doctors expect him to fully recover within six to nine months.

Semper Gratus Chris and Family!

This is for...

John, Matt & Jim, and Curt.

* * *
US AIR FORCE OATH OF ENLISTMENT

"I, (State your name), swear to sign away 4 years of my life to the UNITED STATES AIR FORCE because I know I couldn't hack it in the Army, because the Marines frighten me, and because I am afraid of water over waist-deep. I swear to sit behind a desk. I also swear not to do any form of real exercise, but promise to defend our bike riding test as a valid form of exercise. I promise to walk around calling everyone by their first name because I find it amusing to annoy the other services.

I will have a better quality of life than those around me and will, at all times, be sure to make them aware of that fact. After completion of "Basic Training", I will be a lean, mean, donut-eating, Lazy-Boy sitting, civilian-wearing-blue-clothes, Chair-borne Ranger. I will believe I am superior to all others and will make an effort to clean the knife before stabbing the next person in the back. I will annoy those around me, and will go home early every day. So Help Me God!"

______________________ Signature ______________________ Date

* * *
US ARMY OATH OF ENLISTMENT

"I, Rambo, swear to sign away 4 years of my mediocre life to the UNITED STATES ARMY because I couldn't score high enough on the ASVAB to get into the Air Force, I'm not tough enough for the Marines, and the Navy won't take me because I can't swim. I will wear camouflage every day and tuck my trousers into my boots because I can't figure out how to use blousing straps. I promise to wear my uniform 24 hours a day even when I have a date.

I will continue to tell myself that I am a fierce killing machine because my Drill Sergeant told me I am, despite the fact that the only action I will see is a court-martial for sexual harassment. I acknowledge the fact that I will make E-8 in my first year of service, and vow to maintain that it is because I scored perfect on my PT test. After completion of my "Basic Training" I will attend a different Army school every other month and return knowing less than I did when I left. On my first trip home after Boot Camp, I will walk around like I am cool and propose to my 9th grade sweetheart. I will make my wife stay home because if I let her out she might leave me for a better-looking Air Force guy.

While at work I will maintain a look of knowledge while getting absolutely nothing accomplished. I will arrive to work every day at 1000 hrs because of morning PT and leave everyday at 1300 to report back to "COMPANY." So Help Me God!"

______________________ Signature ______________________ Date

* * *
US NAVY OATH OF ENLISTMENT

"I, Top Gun, in lieu of going to prison, swear to sign away 4 years of my life to the UNITED STATES NAVY, because I want to hang out with Marines without actually having to BE one of them, because I thought the Air Force was too "corporate," because I didn't want to actually live in dirt like the Army, and because I thought, "Hey, I like to swim... why not?" I promise to wear clothes that went out of style in 1976 and to have my name stenciled on the butt of every pair of pants I own. I understand that I will be mistaken for the Good Humor Man during summer, and for Nazi Waffen SS during the winter. I will strive to use a different language than the rest of the English-speaking world, using words like "deck, bulkhead, cover, geedunk, scuttlebutt, scuttle and head," when I really mean "floor, wall, hat, candy, water fountain, hole in wall and toilet."

"I will take great pride in the fact that all Navy acronyms, rank, and insignia, and everything else for that matter, are completely different from the other services and make absolutely no sense whatsoever. I will muster, whatever that is, at 0700 every morning unless I am buddy-buddy with the Chief, in which case I will show up around 0930. I vow to hone my coffee cup-handling skills to the point that I can stand up in a kayak being tossed around in a typhoon, and still not spill a drop. I consent to being promoted and subsequently busted at least twice per fiscal year. I realize that, once selected for Chief, I am required to submit myself to the sick, and quite possibly illegal, whims of my newfound "colleagues." So Help Me Neptune!"

______________________ Signature ______________________ Date

* * *
US MARINE CORPS OATH OF ENLISTMENT

"I, (pick a name the police won't recognize), swear.. uhhhh.... high- and-tight.... grunt... cammies.... kill.... fix bayonets.... charge.... slash.... dig.... burn.... blowup.... ugh... Air Force women.... beer..... sailors wives..... air strikes.... yes, SIR!.... whiskey.... liberty call.... salute.... Ooorah Gunny.... grenades... women.... OORAH! So Help Me Chesty PULLER!"

X____________________ Thumb Print

XX __________________ Teeth Marks

_____________________ Date


With best regards from Project Valour-IT Marine blogging team:

Villainous Company *Team Leader*
Fuzzilicious Thinking
Something... and Half of Something
CatHouse Chat
A Swift Kick & A Band-Aid
A Blog For All
When the Smoke Clears
Soldiers' Angels Germany
PC Free Zone
Flopping Aces
Straight White Guy
The Gun Line
Grim's Hall
Firm Ground
Micahel
MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
Drunken Wisdom
Lightning From The Sky
Cao's blog
onemarinesview
Semper Gratus!
Iraq War Today
AskMom
rachel
Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho
thinkinboutstuff
Galactically Stupid

Second Valour-IT Blogging Fundraiser Competition Begins!

Today marks the start of the second Valour-IT Blogging Fundraiser Competition, which will continue until Veteran's Day. The "competition" is between blogging teams representing 4 service branches, Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines to raise a total of $180,000 for Valour-IT.

All donations go into one fund and will of course be used for members of all service branches.

Readers of this blog are familiar with Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT.

The goal is to provide voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers in the United States and Germany.

Soldiers' Angels Germany is again a member Marine Valour-IT blogging team, this year headed up by Cassandra of Villainnous Company (thanks, Cassandra!)

You can donate via the PayPal button on the right, or by sending a check to:

Soldiers Angels
Valour-IT Marine Fund
1792 E. Washington Blvd
Pasadena, Ca 91104

Please note "Marine Valour-IT Team" on your check so we get credit for your donation, because we want to WIN this thing!

Thank you and Semper Fi!

German-Based 54th Engineer Battalion Returns Home from Ramadi

The 54th Engineer Battalion has come home.

While most units spend their time in Iraq staying as far as possible from roadside bombs, the 54th spent a year actively seeking them out.

And they found them. More than 1,000 of them, said Command Sgt. Maj. Terry L. Defenbaugh, the battalion’s sergeant major.

Rolling up and down the streets of Ramadi and the volatile Anbar province, performing most of their missions at night, the 54th “provided freedom of maneuver for I Marine Expeditionary Force” and other elements in Multi-National Force-West, Defenbaugh said.

“We were extremely successful. I don’t really know how to put it, except to say that it was a privilege to serve with this group of heroes,” he said, praising the soldiers and platoon leaders.

“All the credit goes to the soldiers of the battalion and task force who rolled every night knowing what was waiting for them. And they did it night after night after night.”

Well Done and Welcome Home!!

Save Your Breath, Lynne

Here's Lynne Cheney trying to explain the difference between "news" and "terrorist propaganda" to Wolf Blitzer of CNN.

This is, of course, regarding CNN's broadcast of terrorist-made videos showing American troops being shot by terrorist snipers.

As we all know, CNN was perfectly aware that the videos were terrorist propaganda because they said so themselves (follow the links in Greyhawk's post for complete background on this story).



I hadn't posted on the sniper video story for a couple of reasons.

First, because Greyhawk and others have done a much better job of it than I can.

And second, because the day after the video was first broadcast I happened to visit a Soldier at Landstuhl hospital who had been medevaced to Germany after being shot by a sniper in Iraq.

"I don't want to wind you guys up", I said to the Soldier and his two roommates, "but have you heard about.... "

"The video? Yupp. We've seen it", said all three in unison.

So these three troops - who had spent the previous couple of days getting shot/blown up, having sugeries, been medevaced to Germany, and then undergone more surgeries - had already seen the video on CNN.

Great.

Now ask yourself... and take a moment to really think about this... How would you have felt standing there in that hospital room?

Well, I'll tell you how I felt. Ashamed. More ashamed than I've ever felt in my life. Ashamed that we let this happen, ashamed that we have let them down. While they were out there putting it all on the line for us.

"Funny," said the Marine in the bed next to the Soldier who had taken a .762 round to the gut, "to think I'm lying here in this bed because I was defending their right to broadcast that stuff."

Well you know what, CNN?

I don't think it's funny at all.

Faces of Courage: SGT William Thomas Payne

The latest in MSNBC's series honoring our military Heroes.

H/T John at OPFOR.

Soldiers' Angels Mourns CPL David M. Unger

From Renee of the Soldiers' Angels Living Legends Team:

We have a fallen hero from Soldiers' Angels, CPL David M. Unger.

David, 21, and four other Soldiers died Oct. 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.

The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

David is survived by his wife, Laura, a son and daughter, and his mother, Diana Pitts, all of Leavenworth, Kansas.

Renee

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Fort Hood Soldiers and their families.

"The only way I can remember my son is he made everybody laugh," Diana Pitts said. "For almost 22 years, he was the rock of our family."

The family is cherishing a video he made spoofing "MTV Cribs," which gives viewers an inside look at the plush homes of television and film stars.

In Unger's version, viewers got an inside look of a shabby-looking grassy patch in Iraq. Unger called the ground "the future bowling alley, golf course, horseshoe arena. It's all gonna go down right here."

"He was just always just trying to make everybody happy and laugh. That was my child. I just don't know what any of us are going to do without him," said Pitts, who works in the chaplain's office at Fort Leavenworth.

The Patriot Guard Riders rode on 25, 26 October and will ride again today for CPL Unger.

Please take a moment to read the Army Cpl. David M. Unger tribute at the Soldiers' Angels Fallen Heroes blog.

Remember our Heroes.

Soldiers' Angels Mourns SPC Nathan J. Frigo

From Renee of the Soldiers' Angels Living Legends Team:

We have a fallen hero from Soldiers' Angels, SPC Nathan J. Frigo.

Nathan, 23, and two other Soldiers died Oct. 17 in Baqubah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.

The Soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Nathan is survived by his parents Maureen Frigo, of Kokomo, and Fred Frigo, of Indianapolis, and his sisters Sarah and Beth.

Renee

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Fort Carson Soldiers and their families.

Frigo reported for active duty April 2005, and completed his training at Fort Benning, Ga. At that time, he chose the position of infantryman as his military occupation. He had volunteered to serve a four-year tour of duty.

“He went into the infantry because he wanted to fill the area of greatest need. Army infantry is a very small area of our military”, sais his sister Sarah.

While many disagree with America being involved militarily in Iraq, Sarah said her brother believed U.S. involvement was not only right, but necessary.

“Nate would want people to support the troops there and their families. He believed in what he did over there and that we needed to be there,” she explained, “otherwise it would be on our own shores."

The Patriot Guard Riders will be riding for SPC Frigo today.

Please take a moment to read the Army Specialist Nathan J. Frigo tribute at the Soldiers' Angels Fallen Heroes blog.

Remember our Heroes.

Soldiers' Angels Mourns SSG Ryan E. Haupt

From Renee of the Soldiers' Angels Living Legends Team:

We have a fallen hero from Soldiers' Angels, SSG Ryan E. Haupt.

Ryan, 24, and two other Soldiers died Oct. 17 in Baqubah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.

The Soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Ryan is survived by his wife, Nannette Byrne-Haupt, and his parents Lynn (Perrie Jay) Forhand and Lance Haupt.

Renee

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Fort Carson Soldiers and their families.

Haupt arrived at Fort Carson in April 2004 after serving in Korea. He was deployed to Iraq in December for his first tour, which was scheduled to end next month.

He was a member of the Army's elite sniper section and was posthumously awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

The Patriot Guard Riders rode for SSG Haupt on 25 October.

Please take a moment to read the Army Staff Sgt. Ryan E. Haupt tribute at the Soldiers' Angels Fallen Heroes blog.

Remember our Heroes.