Update 7/5/2008:

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From DefenseLink:

More Than 1,100 Troops in Iraq to Re-enlist in Independence Day Ceremony
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 3, 2008 – More than 1,100 servicemembers stationed in Iraq will celebrate the nation’s birthday tomorrow by re-enlisting, the senior enlisted leader for Multinational Force Iraq said today.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin L. Hill said 1,157 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines will re-enlist at the Al Faw Palace at Camp Victory, in Baghdad. This may be the largest re-enlistment ceremony since the all-volunteer force began in 1973, Hill said via phone from Baghdad.

This is becoming an annual blockbuster event for the command. Last year, 588 servicemembers re-enlisted.

“We are extremely proud of the accomplishments we have made in security on the ground as well as proud of all of our great warriors for the work they are doing since they arrived in theater,” Hill said. “We recognize the sacrifices they make and the sacrifices their families and communities make as they serve in Iraq.”

These servicemembers know the cost of war and they are still re-enlisting, Hill said. Some serve in “the most austere conditions — meaning they are in patrol bases and combat outposts,” he noted. Some of the re-enlisting servicemembers are in places where the troops “hot-bunk it” — that is, they take turns using limited sleeping space — and burn human waste because they lack plumbing. Others are based in more comfortable surroundings.

The vast majority of the servicemembers tell Hill and others that they are re-enlisting because “they are doing what they joined the military to do,” he said.

“If they joined to be a rifleman, they’re doing it in combat,” the sergeant major said. “If they joined to fix helicopters, they’re doing it and doing it in combat.”

Often in years past, he said, some warriors probably felt they weren’t doing what they joined the military to do, he said.

“Now, since we’ve been fighting this global war on terrorism … these warriors are doing what they joined to do,” he explained. “They can see the fruit of their labor and see the fruit of the sacrifices of those who have gone before them. It makes them feel good about what they are doing.”

The ceremony will be broadcast on the Pentagon Channel, Hill said. Multinational Force Iraq Commander Army Gen. David H. Petraeus will preside. Hill and Petraeus will speak at the ceremony, then Petraeus will administer the oath of enlistment.

A 50-gun salute will honor of the nation’s birthday, and then all will sing “God Bless America.” The ceremony will end with a medley of service songs.

All components of the military are represented in the ceremony. Officials said 738 active-duty soldiers, 188 National Guard soldiers, and 122 Army Reserve soldiers are re-enlisting, along with 54 Marines, 39 sailors and 16 airmen.

“…to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America…”

Commitment in capital letters, with 1,100 raised right hands taking an solemn oath.

Update 7/4/2008 later in the day: Early this AM, when posted, this was what was to be. Today, it is now part of history and 115 more service members came to the event, for a total 0f 1215 re-enlistees in the combat zone, while the Nation is at war, while many of use are preparing for friends and family to come over and sit without worry, to watch fireworks displays. Wow…just wow. How can we thank them?

SSGT Matt Maupin, USA arrived home April 25th, 2008, to a wonderful tribute from his community:

Photo Credit: The Associated Press/David Kohl

Procession in Mt. Carmel Rt 32. Photo Credit: The Enquirer/Ernest Coleman

The Patriot Guard stand watch. Photo Credit: The Enquirer/Jeff SwingerThe local paper, The Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH) has more pictures, text and a video of the visitation and other events for Matt and his family here.

Staff Sergeant Matthew Maupin’s remains are coming home to Cincinnati’s Lunken Airport on Saturday, April 26th. The Critical Hour blog has a request for those wishing to honor Matt to line the route to the Union Township Civic Center holding lighted candles. SSGT Maupin was the soldier captured in Iraq in 2004 and was recently found dead. Details of the route for tomorrow, Saturday 4/26/2008 are here. A condolence page to leave a note to Matt’s parents is also available.

SteelJaw Scribe reminds us of the final airlift out of Vietnam in 1975: Operation Frequent Wind in his ongoing excellent “Flight Deck Friday” series.

CDR Salamander’s “Fullbore Friday” chronicles reminds of how one man from Hollywood served his nation well crossing the beaches at Normandy on day one and then further into Europe. The man is Charles Durning.

“Rounds Out!” on Townhall reminds of “Climate Change” with a painting depicting a cooler time in history.

Yid with a Lid presents the speech BhO might have given, had he been at the Reed Sea when Moses parted the waters en route the Promised Land.

Interesting…news from 2003 we could have used.

Could these weapons have been within our reach, but spirited away, while the military dealt with an offensive that went so fast, they couldn’t have possibly managed to keep the chaos organized?

As teh article points out, it would be tremendously embarrassing for the White House to let the cat out of the bag now…after all, it is a Republican President, and he can’t lie, without being pilloried by the press and the Democrats. On the other hand, a Democrat president could shrugs their shoulders and say “it all depends on what the meaning of ‘found’ is” and the story would pass with a yawn.

Forget that. The routine harangues about no WMD, and therefore no need to have had 4000+ service members giving their lives would be stopped in their tracks, even if it is “embarrassing.” On top of that, the reasonable opportunity to no longer continue the shredding of the nation along ideological lines would actually be good for us, and would most certainly allow peace of mind for the familes who have contributed far too much in the form of a lost loved one, knowing it wasn’t in vain, or for some future legacy, but for the real protection of peoples, even beyond our borders.

Also, in the end part of the article, a comment about seeing thousands of Iranians crossing into Iraq, specifically for the purpose of fomenting a civil war. Kinda like BhO not wearing a flag label pin, and a few months later, you find out his mentor hates the country. It puts incomprehensible things into a context that makes sense.

Anyhow, take a read, and see what may well have been mishandled, and the net result is someone, in fact, many people are at risk for this error, if in fact the linked story is correct.

Interesting how things are turning out: jf kerry’s too stupid to get educated types are rolling up their sleeves, and putting down their M-4s to help another people make a life.

From a wonderful and detailed post by Michael Totten:

“This is my hardest deployment,” Marine Sergeant Cooley said as he unfastened his helmet and tossed it onto his bed. “We weren’t trained for this kind of thing.” He’s been shot at with bullets and mortars, and he’s endured IED attacks on his Humvee, but post-war Fallujah is more difficult and more stressful than combat. He isn’t unusual for saying so. Many Marines I spoke to in and around the Fallujah area said something similar.

“We’re trained as infantrymen,” Captain Stewart Glenn said. “But here we are doing civil administration and trying to get the milk factory up and running.”

“We make up all this stuff as we go,” Lieutenant Mike Barefoot added.

While most Americans go to school, work traditional day jobs, and raise their families, young American men and women like these are deployed to Iraq, Kosovo, and Afghanistan where they work seven days a week rebuilding societies torn to pieces by fascism, terrorism, ethnic cleansing, and war. It is not what they signed up to do. Some may have geeked out on nation-building video games like Civilization, but none of the enlisted men picked up any of these skills in boot camp.
[..]

Go, read, absorb and put it in your memory banks, for those years from now, when you meet an OIF vet, long removed from that part of their lives, now just looking like almost any other person i our nation, not wearing a uniform. Shake their hand. Tell them how much you appreciate that they would take up tools, instead of weapons or war, for those half way around the globe, to save them, and to thereby save us from harm.

I remain in awe of the compassion and dedication of those who have been trained to use violence in defense of this nation, and can put that aside for a greater purpose for all mankind.

I’ll venture to say, it will not be in me to ever thank a Democrat for the role they have played in signaling the enemy it is acceptable to kill ours and their own to support the political end game of a few power hungry people to the detriment of the rest of humanity. More souls have been lost in their pursuit of power, while our service men and women clean up behind them. But then. how could we expect anything else?

I spotted three of my most favorite things in this video:

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The Military Cross, no less.

The whole article is here.

Brave man, desperate times, and victory…

A big “Bravo Zulu” to Sgt. Wayne Leyde, WA-ANG. Most, who don’t understand, would take the money and run. This man made a commitment, and his word is his bond.

In a very good way.

Her post, describing a discussion with a soldier at the USO is wonderful. Even if it didn’t give me an opportunity make a teaser headline from one of her observations, it’s still another one of those “must read” posts around the blogosphere.

Titled “Investments”, you won’t be disappointed.

What a testimony to our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines!

From Yahoo! News today:

Iraqi to return home, as a U.S. soldier

By CLARKE CANFIELD, Associated Press Writer Sat Feb 23, 7:53 AM ET

LEWISTON, Maine - Safaa Wadi moved to this former mill city after his life was threatened in his native Iraq while serving as an interpreter for the U.S. Army. He expects to soon head back to Iraq — not as a civilian interpreter, but as a U.S. soldier.
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Wadi arrived in the United States in September with a special immigrant visa for Iraqi and Afghan interpreters. But with his savings nearly depleted and unable to land a decent job, Wadi enlisted in the Army. He begins training in South Carolina on Monday.

Wadi isn’t worried about returning to Iraq, where many of his countrymen considered him a traitor because he worked with American forces. His allegiance is now to the United States, he says.

“I want to serve this country because this country returned to me my life,” Wadi said. “If I had stayed in Iraq, I’d be dead now.”
[…]

If Barack can use the words of one Army captain (who I suspect has a name like “CAPT Jesse MacBeth”, for the record) to impunge the Office of the President (hey, BHO….”it will happen to you, it will happen to me, it will happen to everyone eventually…” as the song goes (not my words, but I’m not sure who did it)), then I will use one Iraqi to proclaim our success in the overall OIF campaign, fair enough?