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RealClearPolitics - Articles - How Hostages, And Nations, Get Liberated
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Pajamas Media » Former CIA Agent in Iran Comes In from the Heat
Some years later, while I was stationed in Europe working for the CIA, I met with three Iranian agents who were shopping for nuclear parts. The agents confirmed what I had heard through the Guards: that Hashemi Rafsanjani had promised retaliation for the downing of an Iranian civilian jet by a U.S. warship over the Persian Gulf on July 3, 1988, toward the end of the Iran-Iraq war. According to the U.S government, an inexperienced crew mistakenly identified the Iranian Airbus as an attacking F-14 fighter; 290 people were killed. The agents said it was Rafsanjani who ordered the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on Dec. 21, 1988, which killed 270 people. They also talked about involvement of a Palestinian man and the radio transmitter that carried the bomb, information that I passed on to the CIA. I made an assessment at that time that Iran had ordered, through surrogates, the bombing of the Pan Am flight.
more frompajamasmedia.com
Hot Air » On the cusp of the “most spectacular” victory against Al-Qaeda
Did you know that the US and Iraq will shortly conclude “one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror”? You wouldn’t if you read American newspapers or watched American television. The Times of London reports on the approaching end of al-Qaeda in Iraq as the forces of Nouri al-Maliki and the US close the trap on 1,200 AQ terrorists in Mosul: After being forced from its strongholds in the west and centre of Iraq in the past two years, Al-Qaeda’s dwindling band of fighters has made a defiant “last stand” in the northern city of Mosul. A huge operation to crush the 1,200 fighters who remained from a terrorist force once estimated at more than 12,000 began on May 10. Operation Lion’s Roar, in which the Iraqi army combined forces with the Americans’ 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment, has already resulted in the death of Abu Khalaf, the Al-Qaeda leader, and the capture of more than 1,000 suspects. How significant will victory in Mosul be? The American commander in the region, Gen. Mark Hertling, calls it “the irreversible point”. It will deprive AQ of an urban base and put them at the mercy of tribal leaders in the countryside. For the terrorists, that means certain death — which will likely force them to find a way out of Iraq without further incident. Maliki has declared that the terrorist siege of Baghdad and Iraq has collapsed. He blamed unnamed foreign nations for funding the terrorist wave against his nation, and hailed the new Iraqi Army for its tenacity against the radicals of all stripes. While he kept his praise to the Iraqis, the unspoken truth is that the IA could never have survived it without the Bush administration’s shift in strategy and tactics in January 2007, and without George Bush’s tenacity in insisting that we stay and finish the job in Iraq. And what have we won? AQ has sustained an unmitigated defeat in Iraq. They have lost tens of thousands of recruits and fighters, men that would have otherwise volunteered for other missions in which they didn’t have to face the American military. They have lost their supposedly divine endorsement; why would Allah have called them to action, just to see them destroyed by the infidels? The sheer bloodthirstiness of their actions in Iraq have exposed them as drug-driven demons, not righteous jihadists. The Times of London has this right: the victory in Mosul gives the West the most spectacular victory of the war. Too bad the American media missed it. (via Instapundit)
more fromhotair.com
GeneaBlogie: No-fee Passports Available to Visit Veterans Graves Overseas
In one of our Memorial Day posts, we mentioned that there are thousands of American veterans buried overseas. I've recently learned that “No-fee” passports are available to immediate family members (spouse, children, parents, brothers and sisters) for the purpose of visiting their loved one’s grave or memorialization site at the American military cemeteries on foreign soil. For additional information, write to the American Battle Monuments Commission, Courthouse Plaza II, Suite 500, 2300 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201, or telephone 703-696-6897, or visit the Web site at http://www.abmc.gov/home.php. Given the onward march of time, I hope this benefit soon is extended to grandchildren as well.
more fromblog.geneablogie.net
Darmstadt Throws Farewell Fest for U.S. Garrison
DARMSTADT, Germany - The city of Darmstadt threw a Farewell Fest Friday to say danke schoen and auf wiedersehen to Darmstadt's U.S. military community, and to celebrate more than 60 years of kinship. Darmstadt's Lord Mayor Walter Hoffmann said the May 30 fest was in keeping with the long tradition of a German-American friendship week. "We Darmstaedters have taken our American friends into our hearts during all these decades and will never forget them," he said. "They came as liberators, now they are leaving as neighbors." Lt. Col. David Astin, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Darmstadt, thanked Hoffmann and the city for their generosity and friendship, saying: "That the Lord Mayor and the citizens of Darmstadt would hold a farewell fest as a way of saying thank you to their American friends speaks volumes about the bonds that have been created between us." "Today is not meant to be a day of sadness," he added, "rather, it is meant to be a celebration of the friendship that has been created in this wonderful community, a friendship that will forever endure." Following their remarks, Hoffman and Astin then tapped the final Darmstaedter beer keg for the U.S. military community, with the assistance of Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Smith, Darmstadt's senior mission commander, and Col. Robert Ulses, commander of USAG Baden-Württemberg. Approximately 700 people - young and old - stopped by Freedom Field on Cambrai-Fritsch Kaserne to say tschuess to former friends and neighbors during the fest. Children bounced on inflatables provided by USAG Baden Württemberg, while adults cued for complimentary burgers, brats, ice cream and goulash soup provided by the German Red Cross. Even though he was on patrol duty during the fest, Staff Sgt. Michael Gaskins called the experience "fantastic." The military policeman, like so many in Darmstadt, will miss a close relationship that existed between two communities. And in Gaskins' case, the rapport extended into his day-to-day work with the Polizei and German fire department, which also supported the event while celebrating a lengthy collaboration. During his time in Darmstadt, Astin noted that he came to know the city, like many Americans, as his "home away from home." But saying goodbye to Darmstadt does not necessarily mean a final parting. "A farewell is necessary before meeting again," he explained. "And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends."
more fromwww.army.mil
Nationwide Gravesite Locator
Search for burial locations of veterans and their family members in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, various other military and Department of Interior cemeteries, and for veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker.
more fromgravelocator.cem.va.gov
Mudville Gazette
This remarkable series of before and after pictures documents the rebuilding efforts of Task Force Marne, aka Multi-National Division Center, aka "the surge" Division in Iraq, 2007-2008. The Division's area of responsibility included some of the most violent areas on the southern edge of Baghdad (the "Baghdad belts") and in addition to peacemaking efforts in the region the Division's mission included halting the flow of "accelerants" into the city. Areas such as Salman Pak, Yousifiyah, Arab Jabour, Jisr Diyala, Mahmudiyah, and Iskandariyah may not be familiar to Americans (they were generally - and erroneously - referred to as "Baghdad" in many press reports) but they were the scenes of some of the most intense combat of the past year - and years before.
more fromwww.mudvillegazette.com
Military Report - Hotline for Army Reserve Families
The Army Reserve Family Programs Outreach and Support Center is now available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide support and assistance to the family members of deployed Army Reserve Soldiers. Operators will connect callers to available resources and services. For additional information or questions, call 1-800-345-8248.
more fromwww.military.com
Military Report - TRICARE Beneficiaries About to be Turned Away?
Barring congressional action, the Medicare payment rate to physicians will be reduced by 10.6% in July of 2008. This directly affects TRICARE beneficiaries because TRICARE payment rate is based upon Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) update formula. This means that doctors will be forced to accept less money for medical procedures. In the past these reductions have caused doctors to turn away TRICARE patients and will likely do so again if the reduced payment rates are not blocked. This issue will adversely affect survivors, retirees, members of the active-duty, Guard and reserve and their families, especially those living far from military installations. There are already some doctors in remote areas who refuse to see new TRICARE patients. Without congressional action to ensure these cuts don't take effect, more doctors may chose to turn TRICARE beneficiaries away.
more fromwww.military.com
Family and Medical Leave Act Expanded
Military.com | US Department of Labor | January 30, 2008 On January 28, 2008, President Bush signed into law H.R. 4986, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2008 (NDAA), Pub. L. XXXX. Among other things, section 585 of the NDAA amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to permit a "spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin" to take up to 26 workweeks of leave to care for a "member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, is otherwise in outpatient status, or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list, for a serious injury or illness."
more fromwww.military.com
Army Expands Battlemind Training
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, May 30, 2008) - Due to its success preparing Soldiers for deployment, the Army has decided to transition Battlemind training from a deployment cycle requirement to standard training Armywide. "Although Battlemind is in its infancy, it is proving to be effective in theater," said Maj. Todd Yosick, chief of the Battlemind training office at the Army Medical Department Center and School. "Modules are already being developed for basic training." The Army Medical Department created the Battlemind concept with the specific goals of addressing problems associated with the mental health of Soldiers affected by combat. One of the Battlemind tools the Army developed is a Web site containing audiovisual training aids and other materials to allow units to conduct their own mental health training. The site also provides training for leaders, healthcare providers, individual Soldiers and family members. The new Web site features a module that addresses the stigma associated with post traumatic stress disorder; the testimonial of a suicide survivor; and scenario-based animations for younger members of the family.
more fromwww.army.mil
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Space A Flights Benefits Expanded
From <a href="http://www.military.com">Military.com</a>
more fromwww.military.com
More Scholarships Available For Military Children - SpouseBUZZ
Throughout the year many scholarships are available specifically for military children. Even though it is getting late in the school year, there are still some options available. Some options include spouses. Not all application deadlines have passed. This is by no means a comprehensive list of scholarships with deadlines still open, but hopefully this will serve to point you in the right direction.
more fromwww.spousebuzz.com
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