SGT Matt Maupin’s Remains Found in Iraq
March 30, 2008
I have worn a bracelet with Matt’s name on it for almost four years, and was dreading the upcoming anniversary of his capture. I have read everything there is on the internet about him; to know the man whose name I wore on my wrist seemed to be the least I could do. The circle of black metal become a living symbol for me, one of sadness, certainly–but also one of pride, and hope.
Today, I take it off and place it on my desk, where I can look at it and remember him. The tan line on my wrist will fade eventually, but the memory of Matt’s sacrifice, and the horrors he endured for the sake of our nation will live forever in the hearts and minds of those who know the price of freedom. Godspeed, little brother. Your name will never be forgotten. Never.
Kit Lange
SEALS/SPECOPS INK writes about GOE!
March 30, 2008
The following is a note on the “Gathering of Eagles” as found in SEALS/SPECOPS INK
A number of you might remember that thousands of patriotic Americans confronted Cindy Sheehan during her March on the Pentagon in March of last year. What you probably don’t know is that one of our SEAL brothers, Larry Bailey, organized that rally, called “Gathering of Eagles.”
That rally was so successful in confronting Sheehan’s people (they only put 12,000 or so on the Mall compared to GOE’s estimated 30,000) that the rally became the movement of the same name–”Gathering of Eagles,” or GOE. Since that first event, GOE has been in the face of the such demonstrators as Code Pink, A.N.S.W.E.R., the Communist Party USA, United for Peace and Justice, among many others–on dozens of occasions.
To date, GOE’s protests have been pretty much local events with little or no coordination from the top. Now, though, Larry says that they are ready to “go national” in the sense that the group needs to hire a full-time Executive Director and launch a national advertising program. Up to now, it’s been an all-volunteer effort, except for hiring a webmaster for their website http://gatheringofeagles.org.
Larry asked me to pass the word to my mailing list and to ask that you SEALs (and others!) get involved. I’m glad to do that. These guys are doing the work and doing it well. Last year, for example, they organized “Recruiter Appreciation Day,” and some 500 recruiting offices across the country were treated to coffee and pastries by Eagles. And just last week they confronted the anti-war types in front of the recruiting offices in
Check out the GOE website, and if you like what you see, sent them a few bucks.
~Please send checks directly to:
Gathering of Eagles
And now a message from the notorious Larry Bailey!
EAGLES TO THE FORE!!!!
March 20, 2008
As we bask in the glory of our recent triumphs in
The one thing I hate most about this job is having to ask folks to donate money, but from time to time I have to suck it up and beg for it. Now is one of those times.
And if we’re going to continue to grow like we’ve been doing, both in numbers and effectiveness, we need to have more money than ever before. Put succinctly, we’re working our one “semi-paid” employee to death and eating a lot of reimbursable expenses at the same time, and we have to do better than that.
Someone said that your finances follow your heart, and that is the case with so many dedicated Eagles. Hundreds of you pay your own way, and here I am asking you to help our “National.” I can’t help it. I’ve got to do it.
I hate to poor-mouth us, but we’re broke, and it comes at a time when we are in a position to be at our most effective. Specifically, we already have permits for a prime piece of real estate on Capitol Hill in April to welcome General Petraeus and simultaneously put pressure on Congress to put away any cut-and-run thoughts our elected officials may have.
We especially want to make it impossible for Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and the other anti-American nincompoops to obstruct the proper execution of the Iraq War. Our servicemen and –women have already paid the price for victory, and we need but tough it out a while longer to demonstrate that the victory is essentially won already.
We need easily $10,000.00 to pull off the type of action we are planning in April.
Eagles, we are desperate. We are at the stage where we HAVE to have more financial support if we are to realize our potential.
Here’s an example of how we’re stepping out on faith: Eagle Robert Gowan, who is a Kona coffee grower on the “
With support from “National,” Robert could expand that program to include much larger numbers of troops.
Check the website in the next few days, and you’ll see a piece about the great work Robert is doing with the help of Irene Holland in
Tell you what. We’ve been promoting Scott Swett’s and Tim Ziegler’s great book, To Set the Record Straight, the definitive account of our
If you send $50.00 to $100.00, I’ll send you a copy of that great DVD of that great day of March 17th, 2007—GOE I!
~Please send checks directly to:
Gathering of Eagles
If you donate by PayPal, be sure to inform me of that and send me your street address or PO box number.
PLEASE, PLEASE open your pocketbooks like you’ve opened your hearts and give us the means not just to stay where we are but to grow! We have a message that
Thank you.
Larry Bailey
Chairman
GOE Forum and other stuff
March 29, 2008
Look under the “get involved” tab….a bunch of stuff has been moved there.
ACTION NEEDED: Engage Local Candidates for Congress!
March 28, 2008
From the Washington Post:
More than three dozen Democratic congressional candidates banded together yesterday (3/27) to promise that, if elected, they will push for legislation calling for an immediate drawdown of troops in Iraq that would leave only a security force in place to guard the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Rejecting their party leaders’ assertions that economic troubles have become the top issue on voters’ minds, leaders of the coalition of 38 House and four Senate candidates pledged to make immediate withdrawal from Iraq the centerpiece of their campaigns.
The plan focuses on five goals: ending U.S. military action in Iraq, using U.S. diplomatic power, addressing humanitarian concerns, restoring our Constitution, and restoring our military.
Read more
The Power Behind ANSWER, Code Pink, and Others
March 28, 2008
March 28, 2008
Eagles!
In case you might have wondered who the “other enemy” is (along with radical Islam), this website will remove all doubt. It’s still Communism. This group supports A.N.S.W.E.R., Code Pink, and all the other anti-American peace groups.
I’m just waiting for one of these traitors to create a formal “Hate America Party.”
Take a look.
Larry Bailey
Chairman
Legacy of Ashes
March 28, 2008
Eagles! Take a look at this and, if you want to get involved, check out the Missing in America Project (MIAP) website. You might find the Jefferson Barracks Memorial Service photos inspiring. That’s under “Announcements.” Check it out.
This is one worthy cause, and I hope some of you can check out your local funeral homes for cremains of our valiant servicemen and -women. They deserve better than to have their ashes stuffed into some storage locker.
Larry Bailey
URGENT: ALL USERS NEED TO CHANGE THEIR PASSWORDS
March 27, 2008
As you can imagine, hundreds of spam bots, commie trash, and worse hit our site every day. Thousands of fake users try to sign up to spam us, argue, or even attempt to hack the site.
Due to a security issue, ALL users of GOE’s National site only need to change their passwords immediately. This is IMPERATIVE. If you do NOT change your password, you will not be able to comment or use the forums, and I will personally delete your name from the user database as a potential security hole.
This is not a fake post, this is not a hack. My name is Kit Lange, I have been the webmaster of GOE since day one, and I stand behind this post. Please go to http://gatheringofeagles.org/wp-login.php and click the “Forgot Password” link to reset your password.
Even if your current password still works (which it may or may not), you need to do this. If you still have concerns, please email me at kit.lange@gatheringofeagles.org and I will personally change your password.
Thank you for your continued support of GOE! Read below for exact directions on how to change your password.
Read more
Video from Skye
March 27, 2008
Well, I’ve tried and tried to get the video to play for you here, but I can’t make it work. Here’s the clip of the “gentleman” that attacked Skye last weekend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
(LINK UPDATED)
New Haven, CT Rallies
March 27, 2008
For Immediate Release:
The GATHERING OF EAGLES, a patriotic organization whose goal is to publicly support our men and women in uniform, whether active duty or veteran, announces our whole hearted participation with the New Haven EAGLES UP in an upcoming rally at the Vietnam and Korean War memorial.
The Vietnam and Korean War Memorial Walls in New Haven, CT have been desecrated on three separate occasions. It was claimed to have been done by Illegal Alien gangs including - but not necessarily limited to - the MS-13 criminal gang organization, due to the messages that were scrawled upon the face of these memorials.
We as Americans should never stand for this. These two internet links show the media coverage of this story.
On Saturday, April 5th, Gathering of Eagles will be holding a rally at the War Memorial Park in New Haven, to protest this unspeakable act and to stand up for our fallen heroes.
Read more
Berkeley: Individual With Strong Voice Makes Difference
March 26, 2008
Eagles!
This is the guy who started it all out there in LaLaLand–Berkeley, CA. What a testimony to the Power of One–the mustard seed that exploded into the outpouring of passion abetted by MAF, GOE, Brigade America, and EU in front of the USMC Recruiting Office in downtown Berkeley.
PLEASE read Brian Dennard’s guest column and accompanying letter to the Mayor of Berkeley HERE.
And, if you like, send Bruce Kesler an attaboy for inviting Brian to say his piece. Bruce is a great friend and fan of GOE.
Eagles forever!
Larry Bailey
Buying the Troops Time to Win
March 26, 2008
So, through some good planning, and more than a little dumb luck, we are perfectly situated to support General Petraeus’ testimony on 8 and 9 April and buy the troops some more time to win. We know our brave warriors are winning on all fronts, and we need to let Congress know that we know. We need to let the honorable men and women in Congress know that we are paying attention and are not caught up in the latest installment of American Idol.
On Monday, 7 April 2008, we will gather on the West Lawn of the Capitol at 0900 hrs. We have contacted various members of Congress in hopes of garnering some major media press coverage. That will be what it is. We are not overly hopeful that any major media will cover the event. We are prepared though, to break into teams and hand-deliver a copy of GOE’s position paper to every single member of Congress on 7 April. Our friends at Vets for Freedom will be doing likewise the next day and the VFW will be there at the end of the week. Read more
Surge of Optimism
March 24, 2008
A recent poll of Iraqis suggests a more favorable view of Americans, and more importantly, of the structures of democracy.
Iraqis
regard their safety, well-being, and prospects as substantially
improved compared to last summer (when the surge was in progress), and
last spring (when it was just beginning), according to a newly released
poll of 2,228 Iraqis conducted by D3 Systems and KA Research, Ltd. on behalf of a consortium of new organizations, including ABC News and the BBC News.
Americans
read Iraqi polls in terms of how much “they” like “us.” And in this
context, it is pleasing to note that we are uniformly more liked, or
less hated, by Iraqis of all regions and sects, according to the
consortium’s post-surge survey. But the purpose of American polity in
Iraq is not to poll the “Arab street,” but to structure that street so
that its opinion matters. A more instructive approach, therefore,
focuses on how Iraqis regard the structures of their new democracy.
Taken
February 12-20, 2008, this was the first major post-surge survey of
Iraqis. Its scope and methodology are comparable to polls that the
ABC/BBC consortium commissioned in March and August of 2007.
Compared
to last summer, the percentage of Iraqis who regard their own security
as good has risen 19 points, from 43 percent to 62 percent. The
percentage of persons who describe their own life as “going well” has
risen 16 points, from 39 percent to 55 percent. Sixty-five percent of
Iraqis now describe the availability of household necessities as good,
compared to 39 percent last summer.
In
August 2007, Iraqis expecting things to get worse over the next year
outnumbered those expecting things to get better by a margin of 39
percent to 29 percent. Since then, civilian casualties have fallen by
60 percent. In the post-surge survey, the optimists out-polled the
pessimists, 45 percent to 19 percent.
The optimism reported in
the survey is particularly impressive given its methodology. The
ABC/BBC consortium sample contains 30 percent Sunni Arabs. This
“sample” stands in marked contrast to population estimates by the
Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress and the U.S.
Central Intelligence Agency. The latter estimates that Sunni Arabs
comprise 12 percent to 22 percent of Iraq’s population.
The
decision to exclude religion and ethnic weighting to a sample of Iraqis
that is 30 percent Sunni Arab has put the ABC/BBC survey series at odds
with other major Iraq pollsters, notably Oxford Research Group and
Opinion Research Business. The decision seems particularly odd, given
the fulsome coverage afforded the Sunni refugee crisis by both ABC and
BBC — the flight of several million Sunni Arabs to Jordan, Syria, and
other nations following the overthrow of Saddam.
The
result has been a series of ABC/BBC polls substantially more
pessimistic than others of equal scope. Sunni Arab tribes controlled
most things under the Baathists; Sunni Arabs had the most to lose when
the regime was overthrown. They have suffered from the invasion itself,
from the inevitable Shiite/Kurd ascendancy, and from the brutal
“anti-collaboration” machinations of al-Qaeda. Their polled opinions
reflect this experience.
An
example of the influence of the consortium’s liberal estimate of Sunni
Arab population is as follows. The ABC/BBC poll reported last spring
that by a 51 percent to 49 percent margin, Iraqis considered attacks on
coalition troops “acceptable.” This finding was derived from three
components: Sunnis, who “accepted” such attacks by 93 percent to 6
percent; Shiites, who rejected such attacks 65 percent to 35 percent;
and Kurds, who opposed anti-coalition violence 93 percent to 7 percent.
Only the double-weight of Sunnis in the sample allowed news
organizations to report (as many did) that most Iraqis approved
anti-coalition violence.
In
the current survey, Iraqis overall oppose such attacks 57 percent to 42
percent. The percentage of Sunnis who find anti-coalition violence
unacceptable has increased from 6 percent to 37 percent. But once
again, the double weight given to the 62 percent of Sunnis who continue
to approve of anti-coalition violence — at least in the abstract —
attenuates the reported improvement in relations between Iraqis and the
coalition.
Do Iraqis love us? No.
The Multi-National Force (MNF) is an army of occupation, and 99 percent
of Iraqis polled want it to leave. They just don’t want it to leave
anytime soon.
Fifty-nine
percent of those polled want coalition troops to stay until security is
restored, the government is stable, and/or the Iraqi security forces
are stronger, while another 4 percent wanted Coalition troops to stay
indefinitely. Support for a continued MNF presence increased among both
Shiites and Sunnis.
There are some specific reasons why Iraqis, who do not love us, want us to hang around:
66 percent want our security assistance “in terms of Turkey”;
68 percent want our security assistance “in terms of Iran”;
73 percent want our help in reconstruction;
76 percent want our help in training and equipping the Iraqi army; and
80 percent want us “participating in security operations against al-Qaeda or foreign Jihadis in Iraq.”
The
important results of this poll relate not to how Iraqis regard us, but
to how they regard the institutions we have mentored, and the
reconciliation we are fostering. Here are some of the consortium’s
post-surge findings:
Attitude toward a “Unified Iraq, with one central government in Baghdad”: 66 percent positive, up 8 percent since last spring;
Confidence in Iraqi national army: 65 percent, up 4 percent since last spring;
Confidence in Iraqi police: 67 percent, up 3 percent since last spring;
Confidence in local militia groups: 22 percent, down 14 percent since last spring;
Confidence in the anti-al-Qaeda “Awakening Groups” among Sunni Arabs: 73 percent;
Confidence in the anti-al-Qaeda “Awakening Groups” among Shi’ite Arabs: 60 percent;
Overall
support for allowing former mid- and low-level Baathists to take
government jobs: 69 percent, up from 56 percent last spring;
Shiite
support for allowing former mid- and low-level Baathists to take
government jobs: 63 percent, up from 35 percent last spring;
Support for the right of previous residents to re-occupy homes expropriated during the insurgency: 88 percent;
Opposition to the separation of Iraqis along religious or ethnic lines: 92 percent.
In short, cohesion is in, jihad is out; the new institutions are gaining popular support.
The
Western fascination with the vagaries of the Arab street has been
misplaced due to the totalitarian nature of most Middle Eastern
societies. The Coalition’s challenge is to create power structures in
which the “Arab street” finally matters. This implies the destruction
of the masks through which Arab opinion has been filtered in the 20th
century: Marxism, pan-Arab nationalism, and jihadism.
The end game is not for “us” to help “them,” but for them to effectively help themselves.
— Richard Nadler is president of the Americas Majority Foundation.
Peace Protestors Turn Violent–Again
March 24, 2008
In West Chester, PA this past weekend the Peace Activists escalated to violence once again. One of our most ardent photographers/videographers, Skye, was using her video camera on the SE corner of High and Market Streets about Noon on Saturday, March 22nd. This is the corner where the anti-American protesters congregate, and is directly across the street from where we gather. One of the ‘veterans against the war’ took umbrage at being recorded spouting his usual brand of anti-American nonsense, and pushed the camera into Skye’s face, then, in a true example of manliness and honorability, pushed it a second time. This caused the video camera to impact her face and the filming then ends. The video is in our possession and will be made public once the attorneys have had their say. Immediately after the incident several of our people went over to the protesters corner to defend her. Although this caused many voices to be raised angrily, none of our people responded violently.
Read more
The Front Line: Winter Soldier Recap
March 22, 2008
Tonight on The Front Line, we’ll be talking to “Thus Spake Ortner,” a well-known military blogger from The Sniper who, together with Jonn from This Ain’t Hell, live-blogged the Winter Soldier II hearings last week. TSO will be on to tell us all about how much of a circus it really was. So much for freedom of speech.
Tune in tonight at 9 pm EST, and feel free to call the show and weigh in with your opinion at 646-915-9926!
Eagles Needed For April!
March 20, 2008
Eagles,
It’s time to make our presence felt on Capitol Hill once again. In conjunction with GEN Petraeus’ testimony in Washington DC (on or around April 7th), we are looking for Eagles to take our message of victory and unconditional support of our military to our elected representatives.
If you are able to make it down to DC in April, please send me your name, state, and your congressional representative. If you do not know your representative, there is a locator at www.house.gov that allows you to search by zip code. Please send me all information no later than March 28, 2008.
Remember, it is your right to meet with your representatives in Congress! Phone calls, emails and letters are great, but do not pass up chance to meet with your elected officials in person.
I look forward to seeing as many as possible in April-we’ve built great momentum over the last week; let’s keep it up!
Coby W. Dillard
Assistant to the National Director
coby.dillard@gatheringofeagles.org
See What the Iraq Soldiers & Marines See
March 20, 2008
months on the ground in Iraq living with Soldiers and Marines, filming
them as they courageously and selflessly fought the war on the streets
of Baghdad and villages of the Euphrates river valley.
From those three months comes ‘Outside The Wire,’ a documentary
trilogy about Iraq like no other.
Click here to watch a preview–and you will see what I mean.
http://outsidethewire.com/documentary-series/about/extended-trailer.html
The three documentaries, available in a 2-DVD set, take viewers beyond
the headlines and to the war only the grunts get to see and introduces
viewers to unknown heroes like Specialist Jason Stegall, who took on a
suicide truck bomb, saving his unit from destruction.
If you want to see what the war in Iraq looks like outside the
concertina wire and on the streets then you need to watch ‘Outside the
Wire.’
http://outsidethewire.com/get-the-outside-the-wire-documentaries.html
EAGLES TO THE FORE!!!!
March 20, 2008
As we bask in the glory of our recent triumphs in Washington, DC, we have suddenly come to the startling conclusion that we are out of funds. Dang.
The one thing I hate most about this job is having to ask folks to donate money, but from time to time I have to suck it up and beg for it. Now is one of those times.
And if we’re going to continue to grow like we’ve been doing, both in numbers and effectiveness, we need to have more money than ever before. Put succinctly, we’re working our one “semi-paid” employee to death and eating a lot of reimbursable expenses at the same time, and we have to do better than that. Read more
Why we do what we do: An essay from Iraq
March 20, 2008
This being my third trip over here, I have been able to see Iraq go
from a terrible place to live, to a somewhat tolerable place, to what it
is now, a country with a future.
My first trip over here basically had a single mission, to rid the
country of insurgents and stop Saddam Hussein’s reign of terror. My
Brigade, Battalion, Company and Section did our part and in the end,
before we left, Saddam Hussein was captured and most of the insurgents
were cowards hiding behind the scenes. When I left the first time, I
was proud of the job we had done to bring down the tyranny in Iraq.
During my first tour I earned a Combat Action Badge by absorbing an
Improvised Explosive Devise (IED) on the driver’s side of the vehicle I
was driving. It was 6 Dec 04, we were moving locations and I was called
to drive the Command Sergeants Major’s truck. We loaded up and left the
base in our soft shell HUMM-WV’s. Within two miles from the new base a
defining explosion rang to my left and the street disappeared in a cloud
of dirt and smoke. As rocks, shrapnel and debris hit the vehicle I, I
hit the gas. On a few occasions this is when the insurgents attacked
with small arms, I wanted to ensure we had a clear view when it
happened. I needed to get my men out of the smoke so we could defend
ourselves, so I stomped the gas and thrust us forward and yanked the
wheel to the right to pull off to the side so we could dismount and take
cover. Thankfully they were cowards and did not attack. After securing
the area we found that the IED was placed next to a manhole cover which
caved in causing the blast to dissipate.
During my second deployment to Iraq I had the honor of being on a
military transition team (MiTT). The MiTT is a team of US soldiers
chosen to train the Iraqi Army to stand up and proudly take charge of
their country. When I first arrived I saw a beat up, un-motivated, un-
equipped group of civilians… before I left, they were a proud, well
trained, well equipped fighting force. When I left, I was again proud
of the job my men and I did.
We were based out of Yusufiyah, in Southern Baghdad; a place that
was dubbed, “The Triangle of Death” due to how many WIA and KIA’s we
endured. Getting support down there was hard so we had to take care of
ourselves. When we first took over we received IDF mortar rounds five
days a week. On seven occasions they had landed close enough for me to
earn the CAB (Though we are authorized only one per operation). On all
seven occasions I was hit by fallout, thankfully no shrapnel. I walked
away from everything they threw at me; sadly not all were as lucky.
Though we saw our fellow Soldiers hit, though the danger was constant,
daily we pushed through and continued our mission. We didn’t lose
any of the 40 men on the MiTT team, though a few of them will never walk
again, some will take years to recover, some never will.
My third deployment to Iraq is with a support unit rather than an
Infantry unit as were my first two. Our mission is to support the Infantry
and their mission. I have seen this war from three different
perspectives, first from the aggressor, second as a trainer, third as a
supporter. With each deployment I have seen an improvement in this
country.
Though we have been here for only five months out of the 15 month
tour promised, we have seen our share of war. Just this past week we
were attacked twice by mortar and rockets. We received a mortar round a
few nights ago that was very close to home. One of my men and I were
walking into our building and I heard two distinct sounds, the sound of
mortar rounds being launched. Though off in the distance and muffled;
when you live through it once, you never forget what it sounds like.
Just as I said, “What the hell was that” I heard a round fly directly
over our head. The sound of the fins off balance cutting through the
air is very distinct, very frightening. If you are ever unfortunate to
hear it, you will know two things, first that it’s very close and second
that it’s probably not going to hit you (You would not hear it if it was
to hit you because before you realize what it is, it’s exploding).
Before we realized what it was, the round was impacting not 100 yards
away. All at once the air thickened, my heart quickened, and my adrenal
gland kicked into overdrive as I began to sweat all within a second.
We could tell where the round was traveling and quickly rotated
our head in that direction, we saw the splash of metal rise above the
15 foot barriers and within seconds the fire was roaring. At this
point I directed Trenton to get inside (our protocol). Within seconds
of the impact we could see Soldiers fighting the fire and looking for
injured Soldiers. Thankfully, no one was in the building that was
destroyed on impact.
I have seen just about everything that you don’t want to see when
at war. I have been blown up by an IED, hit by mortar rounds and I have
seen men, women and children blown apart, both civilians and fellow
Soldiers. I have seen my share of war and truthfully, I have learned now
how to deal with it. This is Trenton’s first trip and after this, he
will be leaving the service for bigger plans that he has. I do not want
him to deal with what I have had to deal with in the past. I do not
want him to have to go through the sleepless nights or to see the
horrible pictures that came to me for years when I closed my eyes. I
will shelter my Soldiers from the face of war the best I can, but when
it is thrown at them like it was last week, it’s hard to keep them away.
In the end, there ended up being three injuries, all non life
threatening. From what I am told, there was one Soldier with a
laceration on his leg, one suffered smoke inhalation and the third was
shot from a round cooking off (another reason to stay away from a
building when it is burning). The Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) was
three trailers (living quarters) that housed at least 12 Soldiers.
Thankfully, no one was home when the mortar round hit.
I wish I could say that’s it, but two days later we were hit again.
This time we endured three KIA’s. These Soldiers were in my Brigade so I
did not know them personally but the proximity brought this one close to
home. Many of the Soldiers on this tour are experiencing war for the
first time and they are pretty shaken up. We push on day by day
completing our mission, thinking about family and friends back home
asking ourselves why we do what we do. One word sums it up: freedom.
The freedom that we have, the freedom that we offer to those oppressed
is all the energy that I need to do what I do.
I have been asked if I think our mission here in Iraq is worth
while or if I think we should be here in Iraq. From my experience, I
believe in what we are doing in Iraq and I believe in my mission. I
believe in helping those that can not help themselves thus my career
choice. The carnage around a soldier is a part of the life that we
live, a chosen path. Some can handle it; some can’t, in the end we all
do our best to do what we believe in.
Sergeant First Class
Communications NCOIC
Still Worth the Sacrifice
March 19, 2008
This week marks the 5th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War. As we approach the anniversary, many antiwar organizations will take their cause to the streets, the media and the internet. Undoubtedly, they will state their case that the war has been mismanaged, that too many lives have been lost, and that what we’ve lost in the conflict far outweighs what we’ve gained.
I served onboard the USS CONSTELLATION during the opening days of the war in 2003. For me, while it is important to acknowledge the views of those against the war, it is equally important to acknowledge the progress that has been made in Iraq, and why we must see its citizens through to stability and a strong self-governance.
I take encouragement in our cause from the fact that Iraqis are taking an ever increasing role in the future of their country. For example, Iraq’s security forces-which now hold responsibility for security in nine of Iraq’s 18 provinces-grew by more than 100,000 in the past year, and now boast over 500,000 personnel. Volunteers calling themselves the “Sons of Iraq” have stepped forward to secure their own neighborhoods.
While al-Qaeda and other extremists remain a threat to Iraq’s future, their capabilities are seriously diminished. In the past year, thousands of extremists have been captured or killed in Iraq, including hundreds of al-Qaeda’s top leaders and operatives. Evidence of this diminishing threat can be seen in the 60% decrease in the number of monthly attacks (placing them at the same levels as 2004-2005), and the 75% decrease in the number of civilian deaths (placing them at a level not seen since 2006).
There is one constant between the antiwar movement and individuals like myself who support our troops and our mission: we want our military to come home, safely and quickly. Where we differ is that pro-mission Americans want them to return under a banner of victory and honor. The facts on the ground show that we are winning the battle for a free, strong, and secure Iraq. The mission that was prematurely declared accomplished during my military service is being accomplished today.
The Iraq War will go down in history as one of our country’s most expensive undertakings. Soon, this country will lose its 4,000th service member in the conflict. These sacrifices are felt by us all, and we honor the memory of those who gave their lives in defense of this country and in the birth of a free Iraq.
The price of freedom is no less expensive in Iraq as it was during the birth of our country. The truest way to honor the sacrifices of our nation is to finish the course we have set out on. We must allow our military to win in Iraq, and give them everything they need to complete their mission and return with honor.
Coby W. DIllard
Assistant to the National Director
Gathering of Eagles
Moonbats on Parade
March 19, 2008
TSO over at The Sniper has a fantastic laugh today. He works on K Street in Washington, D.C., and he had some visitors over his lunch hour.
A couple of things.
1) You people simply have no musical potential. I mean none. I realize you’re working with a bucket, but I’m thinking rhythm is not your strong suit. I’m Irish, I know lack of rhythm.
2) Your marching also sucks. It’s 9 to the front, 6 to the rear people. Eyes straight ahead. Now, some of you look borderline deformed, walking all Quasimodo style, but for the love of Spongebob, try to synchronize.
3) The F word is not what it once was. And whoever spent the better part of the last month finding rhymes for it needs to get off mom and dad’s dime. Seriously, you ain’t a poet, and everyone knows it. It gave me fits, because you rhyme like comprehensive immigration reform.
Read the whole thing. It’s worth it.
