OPUS AKBAR RULES

OPUS AKBAR

From FOX News: Washington Post, Other Newspapers Won't Run 'Opus' Cartoon Mocking Radical Islam.

A popular comic strip that poked fun at the Rev. Jerry Falwell without incident one week ago was deemed too controversial to run over the weekend because this time it took a humorous swipe at Muslim fundamentalists.

"The Washington Post and several other newspapers around the country did not run...." well, they did run...you should have seen them yankees run like Vampire Orcs were on on their Tuckas. Freedom of Speech is hell when you have to bleed for a just a little bit. Better to get on your knees and grovel and mock the Christians, hell yes, you can count on Christians not to go thousand pound ape on you and ruin a good suit. Yead buddy.

Richard Jewell--A Hero is Dead

Richard Jewell, 44, the heroic portly rent-a-cop, is dead from complications of diabetes and abuse from the feeding frenzy of the Media Mob and the gentle ministrations of the FBI to con him into a confession of setting off the bomb that blew away one woman and wounded 111 people in Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, July 27, 1996, Summer Games.

The Media Mob, the cops and FBI just could not imagine that a portly, lives with his mom, rentacop could be so cool, so together, so on top of a life or death situation that he could within seconds-of finding the bomb, OODA the situation, warn the police, clear the bomb blast area of potential victims without having prearranged a set up to make himself look like a true blue All American Hero. The day may come when the Three Horsemen of Cynicism will be accused of many things but lack of imagination is not one them.

Convinced by their cynicism they were onto the perpetrator, the FBI then tried to con Jewell into admitting guilt. When that trick did not work a leak was prearranged by the FBI. This leak was blood on the water for the piranha feeding frenzy that followed Jewell. NYT

“The tragedy was that his sense of duty and diligence made him a suspect,” said John R. Martin, one of Mr. Jewell’s lawyers. “He really prided himself on being a professional police officer, and the irony is that he became the poster child for the wrongly accused.NYT

In 2005, Eric R. Rudolph, a serial bomber, was sentenced to the slammer for life for the Atlanta bombing.

Rest in Peace Richard Jewell-An All American Hero.

CAIR In Full Panic Mode

Despite the NYTimes best efforts at sleeping through the Holy Land trial and helping CAIR with a cut and paste job that's supposed to pass for "news" CAIR is in deep trouble as the Holy Land trial clearly exposes as an Islamic Front organization devoted to the overthrow of America instead of a civil right organization. Scott W. Johnson outlines just how much panic CAIR is in as they try to use a news story by Audrey Hudson’s June 11, 2007 Washington Times story on CAIR’s membership decline as evidence of harassment. Previously, CAIR has disputed the accuracy of the story which now they try to draft as back up for their woe-is-us tale:

August 22, 2007, 6:30 a.m. Coming Clean About CAIR CAIR finds itself among the unindicted co-conspirators of the Holy Land Foundation. By Scott W. Johnson One of the most significant terrorism prosecutions brought by the government since 9/11 commenced trial last month in federal district court in Dallas. The government’s 42-count indictment charges seven individuals and the Holy Land Foundation — the biggest Islamic charity in the United States — with offenses including conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, namely, Hamas. Two of the seven individual defendants have not been arrested and are fugitives. The charges are dramatic. According to the indictment, U.S. based members of the Muslim Brotherhood established a Palestine Committee that was ultimately charged with the task of raising funds supporting Hamas’s efforts to eliminate the state of Israel. After the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the Palestine Committee swung into high gear. At a secret three-day meeting in Philadelphia in October, 1993 (monitored by the FBI), those in attendance discussed how best to continue to support Hamas without being viewed as terrorists. The Holy Land Foundation appears to have been the answer. Between 1995 and 2001, the foundation delivered millions of dollars to support Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza. The government charges that the foundation was a vital member of an international network of organizations that finances Hamas activities. Furthermore, the government charges that the Foundation and the individual defendants provided financial support to the families of Hamas terrorists, detainees, and activists knowing that the assistance would support Hamas ultimately contending that the story of the Holy Land Foundation is part of “the story of Hamas in the United States.” In June, the government filed its brief outlining the types of evidence it intends to introduce during trial. One such type of evidence is the out-of-court statements of co-conspirators that it will seek to introduce under a traditional exception to the rule against hearsay. The government has identified more than 300 unindicted co-conspirators whose out-of-court statements it may seek to introduce at trial. As the government explains, “the defendants were operating in concert with a host of individuals and organizations dedicated to sustaining and furthering the Hamas movement.” Under the Federal Rules of Evidence, the out-of-court statements of a defendant’s co-conspirators are admissible against the defendant. Although few outside the Islamic community are aware of the Holy Land Foundation, everyone, so to speak, knows of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR holds itself out as a civil rights group and has insinuated itself into programs sponsored by government agencies as a bona fide spokesman for America’s Islamic community. Knowledgeable observers have nevertheless long had their doubts about CAIR. Daniel Pipes and Sharon Chadha, for example, are the authors of a groundbreaking essay calling CAIR “Islamists fooling the establishment.” CAIR is, in fact, among the more than 300 unindicted co-conspirators of the Holy Land Foundation named by the government in the Holy Land Foundation prosecution. The trial has already produced evidentiary bombshells detonating along a path leading to CAIR. It has introduced evidence placing CAIR executive director Nihad Awad at the 1993 Philadelphia meeting of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee. FBI agent Lara Burns has testified that CAIR was listed as a member of the Palestine Committee. The evidence introduced at trial is conspicuously missing from the New York Times; the Times isn’t covering the trial. I found reports of the evidence introduced at trial posted on the invaluable Counterterrorism Blog by Steve Emerson’s Investigative Project on Terrorism. Although the Times has not stirred itself to cover the trial, it did cover last week’s filing of a motion by CAIR to strike the government’s pretrial list of unindicted co-conspirators. Neil MacFarquhar’s story dutifully recited CAIR’s charge that the government’s naming of unindicted co-conspirators constituted “the demonization of all things Muslim.” Such stuff is the grist for CAIR’s daily mill. If MacFarquhar read CAIR’s brief, he missed its newsworthy elements; CAIR is in full panic mode. CAIR’s brief verges on hysteria in asserting that the government has harmed it by identifying it as an unindicted co-conspirator. It repeatedly asserts that the government’s identification of CAIR has reduced its membership and donations. CAIR asserts without reference to any facts that, since it was named an unindicted co-conspirator (this past June) its donations have “dwindled well below [its] monthly budget.” CAIR states over and over again: [T]he mere publication of CAIR being named as an unindicted co-conspirator impresses upon the typical member of the American public that CAIR is involved in criminal activity. This is pure guilt by association. [The] negative reaction by the American public can be seen in the decline of membership rates and donations resulting from the government’s publicizing of CAIR as an unindicted coconspirator. In footnotes supporting this statement CAIR cites Audrey Hudson’s June 11, 2007 Washington Times story on CAIR’s membership decline. At the time of the publication of Hudson’s story this past June, however, CAIR vociferously disputed its accuracy. In a June 12 press release, CAIR assserted: CAIR today accused a right-wing Washington, D.C., newspaper of “agenda-driven reporting” for falsely suggesting there has been a drop in its grassroots support. According to CAIR, an article in today’s Washington Times newspaper misrepresented figures on its tax filings to falsely indicate a drop in membership. On the one hand, CAIR’s brief in the Holy Land Foundation trial confirms Hudson’s story. Indeed, it cites Hudson’s story to support its argument. CAIR’s brief also shows CAIR’s contemporaneous statement disputing the accuracy of Hudson’s story to be false. On the other hand, however, CAIR’s brief misleads when it suggests that Hudson’s story supports its argument in the Holy Land Foundation case. The government named CAIR as an unindicted co-conspirator of the Holy Land Foundation this year during the first week of June. Hudson’s Washington Times story was based on data covering the period 2000-2006, before CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator. CAIR’s citation of Hudson’s story in support of the argument made in its brief piles one convenient falsehood on top of another. The legal argument supporting CAIR’s motion seems thin as well. CAIR objects to the government’s pretrial identification of it as an unindicted co-conspirator, but acknowledges that the government can identify it as such during trial in order to lay the foundation for the admission of co-conspirator hearsay. Trial is now underway and CAIR’s motion will likely be overtaken by events. By the last paragraph of its brief, CAIR seems to be suggesting that it is unconstitutional for the government ever to name an unindicted co-conspirator. One cannot dispute that CAIR has reason to worry. It has long been known that it first opened for business in 1994 with the assistance of a $5,000 donation from the Holy Land Foundation. Evidence introduced at trial continues to shed new light on CAIR’s origins. CAIR is understandably concerned that its association with the Holy Land Foundation might give people an idea about the organization. As CAIR explains in its brief: [T]he public “outing” of CAIR as an unindicted co-conspirator fundamentally undercuts their [sic] central mission to protect Muslim-Americans’ civil rights and foster an atmosphere of acceptance of Muslims in American society. Any message that CAIR tries to deliver to the American public, will be undercut by the insinuation that they are a criminal terrorist organization. The American public and the media which CAIR uses to deliver its message will no longer believe in the veracity of such message because CAIR will be perceived as a terrorist front organization. One can only hope.

Sgt. Jason A. Gagliano,BRONZE STAR

Byline: Lcpl. R. Little

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., Oct. 12, 2006 — Sgt. Jason A. Gagliano, a squad leader with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment received the Bronze Star medal for heroic achievement in connection with combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq, while in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Gagliano’s unit was conducting a reconnaissance patrol on Jan. 7, when they were attacked with small arms fire from an unknown location.

“We went out on a lot of patrols, and you can’t help but think each time you go out patrolling that you’re going to get attacked,” Gagliano said.

During the attack, two of Gagliano’s Marines were mortally wounded. “We were shot at out of nowhere and one of my Marines was shot, another Marine tried to retrieve him but he was shot as well,” he said.

Gagliano ordered his squad to suppress the enemy with heavy fire as he threw a smoke grenade to help conceal his squad.

“I had to think quickly, even though we had Marines down, I had to make sure no one else got hit while we tried to rescue the Marines,” Gagliano explained.

A corpsman with his squad, who ran out to get one of the Marines, was also shot. Despite the heavy rifle fire, Gagliano directed one team to return fire in the enemies’ direction while he led Marines into the street to recover the wounded Marines on three separate occasions.

“The only thing I could think about was getting my Marines to safety and getting my fallen Marines out of the hot zone,” he explained. “A lot goes through your head when you get engaged in a firefight, but we went through so many exercises that my body just took over and knew exactly what to do.”

Gagliano established a casualty collection point for the medical evacuation and directed follow-on forces toward the suspected enemy position once the entire squad had moved to safety.

“Our main worry was getting everyone to safety, but once we accomplished that, I knew we needed to send Marines back out to fight,” Gagliano said.

The two Marines from his squad died from gunshot wounds but Gagliano’s quick thinking saved the life of the corpsman.

Simon Says:"join me in some verbal “weaponizing."

Roger Simon reminds all bloggers that the Beijing Olympics without Freedom of Speech is a propaganda con job. Simon says: blog about Chinese repression, censorship, suppression of bloggers and journalists. Do not blog about the Olympics.

Roger L. Simon

"So I would like to invite my fellow bloggers to join me in some verbal “weaponizing.”

From this moment on, I will not write about the Beijing Olympics unless the subject at hand is censorship and repression in China. And – unless the Chinese government changes its policies – when the Olympics do come, I will not blog about them at all. I will take the opportunity to write as often as I can about the lack of Freedom of Speech on the Chinese Internet and on the suppression of bloggers and journalists in that country.

I hope we could all do this together, especially since this is not an issue of right or left. It is about Freedom of Speech, something upon which the vast majority of the blogosphere can agree. We can reach across the aisle on this one, if others are willing. So…

… about those Beijing Olympics – they’re a propaganda sham until the people of China have Freedom of the Press.

Cowardly Brave Defenders Of Freedom AKA Mainstream Media Mob Run Away From Islamic Cartoon

Berke Breathed Islamist Cartoon Here

Breathed has skewered radical Islam this weekend. 'Run away!' says the Mob. Last week the Christians were SKEWERED. No problem with running the cartoon in 'Heaven has room for women who don't shave their legs and Jerry Falwell'. This week. HEH! The Mob hits their fox holes with protestations of unislamic behavior and refuse to stand up for truth, justice, free speech and the American way of life. The Orcs are laughing their ass off.

The Speech CAIR Didn't Want You to Hear--Robert Spencer at YAF

LCpl. Todd Corbin-NAVY CROSS--Cpl. Jeff Schuller-SILVER STAR

Navy Cross, Silver Star awarded for actions in deadly firefight Story by Beth Zimmerman, Marine Corps Times

Lance Cpl. Todd Corbin and the rest of his battalion commander’s personal security detachment had just finished several days of routine patrol and had returned to Hadithah Dam when they got the call. A platoon from the battalion was taking fire on the east side of the Euphrates River, and they needed Marines to block the insurgents’ retreat. Corbin hopped into his 7-ton truck, while other members of the detachment — which was now a quick-reaction force — piled into three Humvees and two tanks and barreled east toward the action. By the end of May 7, 2005, four Marines would lose their lives, but Corbin’s role in saving more than half of the QRF would earn him the Navy Cross more than a year later. A Marine driving the third Humvee, then-Cpl. Jeff Schuller, would later receive the Silver Star. From silence to chaos That day, the QRF consisting mostly of leathernecks from 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, passed plenty of Iraqis on its way to the west side of the river, but once it passed under the gate into Hadithah, “there was no one out, nothing moving,” Corbin said. Passing an alley perpendicular to the road, the convoy started turning around. Before the vehicles could all face north, Corbin said, “all hell broke loose.” A white van tore out of the alley and blew up between two of the Humvees. Then, another explosion “came out of nowhere,” said Corbin, who still isn’t even sure if it was from a roadside bomb or a rocket-propelled grenade. Meanwhile, the enemy pelted the Marines with RPGs, mortars and small-arms fire in a “choke point” surrounded by high ground, Corbin said. “It was a total nightmare,” said Schuller, now a 26-year-old sergeant. A Navy corpsman and three QRF Marines — two sergeants and a lance corporal — were killed instantly. Only five of the remaining 15 Marines were unscathed, leaving more than half of the QRF killed or injured, Schuller said. Corbin, 32, who has since been promoted to corporal, “leapt into the enemy fire, directing Marines to engage and marking targets,” his Navy Cross citation states. He ran to his patrol leader, a seriously injured sergeant, threw him over his shoulder and ran back to the 7-ton, all the while “firing at the enemy with his off-hand,” the citation states. “He just jumped [out of the 7-ton] and took over,” said Schuller, who added that they were down to uninjured corporals and lance corporals running the QRF at that point. “He immediately started getting the killed and wounded, not thinking of himself.” When the gunner for Schuller’s Humvee, Lance Cpl. Mark Kalinowski, was hit in the wrist with shrapnel, Schuller jumped up and took the lance corporal’s spot behind the M240G machine gun. Under intense enemy fire, Schuller gunned down insurgents shooting from the windows, doorways and roof of a nearby hospital, and others shooting from another roof and the alley. He swung his machine gun back and forth between targets for nearly 40 minutes, according to his Silver Star citation, using all of his ammo — short of launching a rocket. “When the 240 went dry, [Kalinowski] handed me my M16 with a full magazine … as I got the M16 empty, he had a new box of 240 [ammo] waiting for me,” Schuller said.

Navy Cross Silver Star As that was happening, Corbin raced back and forth through the kill zone, dragging Marines back to the 7-ton. He said he can’t remember how many times he ran across the firing zone. At one point, Corbin and a wounded Marine were carrying their corpsman to the 7-ton when the enemy opened up with small-arms fire at close range. Corbin leaned over the corpsman to shield him from the action while Schuller pushed back the enemy with his machine gun, the citation says. Since one gunner had been killed and two were wounded, Corbin said, only one gunner was left, firing a Mark 19 from the 7-ton. When the Mark 19 jammed, the only remaining gunner was Schuller, Corbin said. “My biggest worry was that we were gonna run out of ammo,” said Schuller, who even fired his 9mm pistol. Schuller was “just short of shooting my AT4 and throwing my Ka-bar” before he dismounted, he said. He then ran to the 7-ton and helped Corbin load Schuller’s vehicle commander, who had been killed, before he returned through enemy fire to guide Kalinowski to the 7-ton. Grabbing magazines of ammo from Corbin, Schuller fired his rifle while the rest of the QRF packed into the 7-ton. Any Marine who could fire a weapon had it pointed out of the truck, firing at insurgents, Corbin said. “The 7-ton looked like a porcupine with all these weapons sticking out of it,” he said. It also had three flat tires and a shot-up radiator. “I don’t even know how this vehicle even ran,” Corbin said. “The whole platoon rolled out in that 7-ton,” Schuller said. “It’s a testament to Cpl. Corbin’s knowledge of that vehicle that he kept it running.” Corbin was flipping switches the whole time he drove the five miles back to the battalion aid station, Schuller said. “Because of [Corbin’s] heroism, no Marine lost his life after the initial attack,” the citation states. An overwhelming honor Corbin and Schuller received their medals during a ceremony July 4 at 3/25’s headquarters in Brook Park, Ohio, an event Schuller said was humbling and a little surreal. “In hindsight, would I do that again? Hell, I don’t know,” Corbin said. “It’s a situation you want to say yeah, every time, but you don’t know,” he said. “It’s just what you’re trained for … and you do it for your buddies. “I live my life for those who didn’t come home.”

Seattle P.I Refuses to Post This Mug Shot of Two Inquisitive Men Very Interested in How the Ferry Works FBI(206) 622-0460

Attention, John Does: Have you seen these men?

APB Issued By Michelle Malkin Call (206) 622-0460

Michelle Malkin has issued an Blog APB on these men who acting strange while doing research for a show and tell report on how ferrys operate. An alert ferry employee snapped their picture after they kept asking questions that went beyond the usual boring tourist-type questions. Call the FBI at (206) 622-0460.

The FBI is asking for the public’s help two identify two men who have been seen acting strangely aboard Washington State ferries recently.

According to federal agents, passengers have seen the men on several occasions exhibiting unusual behavior. The FBI did not say precisely what that unusual behavior entailed.

Anyone who knows the men or there whereabouts are asked to call the FBI at (206) 622-0460.

The PI says, go back to sleep nothing to worry about: "The Seattle P-I is not publishing the photos because neither man is considered a suspect nor has either been charged with a crime."(206) 622-0460

Michelle Malkin:Isolated incident? “Racial profiling?” Unfounded paranoia? Only if you haven’t been paying attention. Recall the Seattle Times investigation from 2004 on reports on jihadi probing of the ferry system:(206) 622-0460

The PI will, doubtless publish the photos of the ferry sinking.

Marine Sgt. Willie L. Copeland III-NAVY CROSS

By Lance Cpl. Joseph DiGirolamo, MCB Camp Pendleton

For his heroic actions and bold leadership in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Marine Sgt. Willie L. Copeland III, team leader for 2nd Platoon, Company B, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, received the nation's second-highest combat award - the Navy Cross - April 21 at the Camp Del Mar Boat Basin.

"You don't expect him to come home and get that kind of award," said his mother, Robyn Copeland. "However, I was already very proud of him before the award.

"I didn't need this to know he's an exceptional person."

Seven Marines have been awarded the Navy Cross since Jan. 10 in OIF, according to Staff Sgt. Ronald N. Mendez, adjutant chief for I Marine Expeditionary Force.

Copeland, 26, from Smithfield, Utah, was overwhelmed by the mass attention his award lured - including 200 of Marines, friends and family members, along with several news organizations that turned out to record the event.

"Nothing's natural about running into bullets," said Copeland, who said he was nervous about the media hordes on hand. "I was only worried about my Marines and their safety."

His award was no surprise to one of his other close family members.

"He trained for battle 24/7," said his wife, Sgt. Danielle E. Copeland, 24, from Pasadena, Texas. "I knew what he did was all instinct, and I'm very proud of him"

The battle that triggered Copeland's heroics erupted April 7, 2004, near the Al Anbar Province. An estimated 40-60 insurgents opened fire from well-fortified positions on a 15-vehicle convoy, according to the award citation.

Copeland led five Marines out toward the enemy through a deep, muddy canal. They pushed the attack against the enemy at close range.

The Marines killed 10 insurgents and pushed back many enemy fighters, the citation said.

"Everyone in that platoon was heavily engaged," said Col. Rory E. Talkington, who recommended the award for Copeland. "The fact that Sgt. Copeland was not hit was just miraculous."

However, his platoon commander, Capt. Brent L. Morel, was wounded at his side during the battle.

"Unwilling to subject any more Marines to danger, he signaled others to remain in covered positions," the citation reads. "While placing himself in a position to shield his wounded officer, he applied first aid."

Morel was evacuated and later died.

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Richard Greco pinned the award on Copeland during the ceremony. Afterward, he spoke about dedication and sacrifice.

"Charity comes from the Latin word 'Caritas.' The direct translation comes from "caro," which means flesh. True love, true charity, is actually defined as the "giving of flesh," Greco said. "There is no greater act of individual charity that a person can do than to lay down his life for love.

"I just want you to know that those of us who have the humble honor, humble duty to lead you know that we're asking you to be our stewards of charity," he said.

Cpl. Mark A. Camp USMC--SILVER STAR

From DOD Heroes website

In May of 2005, Marines stationed in Anbar province began a week-long hunt to root out insurgents and foreign fighters in the volatile areas around the Syrian border. Dubbed Operation Matador, those tasked with carrying out the mission encountered enemies who had dug in and were ready to fight: deadly roadside bombs, sniper attacks, and several well-planned ambushes.

One day after the operation began, then-Lance Cpl. Camp and his company were sent to New Ubaydi on a house-clearing mission. As Camp’s squad entered one of the houses, insurgents hiding in a closet and in an underground crawlspace opened fire, shooting four Marines. Camp, outside, heard the gunfight and immediately ran inside to help. Three separate times he entered and exited the building to recover his squad members and clear the house of insurgents.

On May 11, Camp was again tested. This time, his company was heading to another small town to clear other insurgent strongholds. Camp was standing at the top hatch of his amphibious assault vehicle when he noticed an eerie silence. Camp was instantly on alert – but that could not stop the roadside bomb that detonated at that moment, hitting the vehicle and throwing the man standing next to Camp into a nearby field.

Shrapnel dug into Camp’s right thigh, and the explosion lit his hands and face on fire. He was thrown back into the burning vehicle, and he began beating out the fires all over his body and head.

Then, Camp heard the call of one of his teammates still trapped inside. As he crawled back into the wreckage, heat was cooking off ammunition all around him, ammunition that ricocheted inside even as insurgents continued to fire from outside. And then there was another explosion. Camp fell back out of the vehicle, on fire once more. Again, he beat his body until the flames subsided.

His comrade was still in the vehicle. So Camp went back inside and tried to grip the Marine’s pack, his helmet – anything – but by then Camp’s skin was melting from his hands. Camp later told the Columbus Dispatch, “I [was] screaming for someone to help me . . . someone with fresh hands.” Finally, some Marines answered his calls, and pulled Camp and the other Marine free.

For his actions and bravery, Camp was awarded the Silver Star on May 15, 2006. Columbus Dispatch story.

Battle of Donkey Island--Der Spiegel

Anticipating Gen. David Petraeus' scheduled show and tell report next month to their allies, the Surrender-Crats, the Orcs launch their version of Hitler's Heil Mary Pass at the Battle of the Bulge and run of gas too. The significance of the victory is not lost on the reporters from Der Spiegel--not only can the "broken" U.S. Army kick butt-the "broken" Army is actually winning in Iraq.

The Iraq war came within a hair of returning to Ramadi in early July. The attackers had already gathered four kilometers (about 2.5 miles) south of the city, on the banks of the Nasr canal. Between 40 and 50 men dressed in light uniforms were armed like soldiers and prepared to commit a series of suicide bombings. They had already strapped explosive vests to their bodies and loaded thousands of kilograms of explosives, missiles and grenades onto two old Mercedes trucks. But their plan was foiled when Iraqis intent on preserving peace in Ramadi betrayed them to the Americans.

Army Units of the 1st Battalion of the 77th United States Armored Regiment -- nicknamed the "Steel Tigers" and sent from an American base in Schweinfurt, Germany -- approached from the north and south. But the enemy was strong and they quickly realized that in order to defeat it, they needed air support. Before long, Apache combat helicopters, F-18 Hornet and AV-8 Harrier jets approached, the explosions from their guns lighting up the night sky on June 30.

The "Battle of Donkey Island," named after the wild donkeys native to the region, lasted 23 hours. The Americans forced the enemy to engage in trench warfare in the rough brush, eventually trapping them in the vast riverside landscape. It wasn't until later, after the soldiers lost two of their own and killed 35 terrorists, that they realized the scope of the disaster they had foiled.

Three of the captured attackers, who claimed to be members of al-Qaida in Iraq, revealed their plan to plunge Ramadi into chaos once again by staging multiple attacks in broad daylight. By unleashing a devastating series of suicide attacks on the city, they hoped to destroy the delicate peace in Ramadi and bring the war back to its markets, squares, streets and residential neighborhoods.

An Irritating Contraction

Ramadi is an irritating contradiction of almost everything the world thinks it knows about Iraq -- it is proof that the US military is more successful than the world wants to believe. Ramadi demonstrates that large parts of Iraq -- not just Anbar Province, but also many other rural areas along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers -- are essentially pacified today. This is news the world doesn't hear: Ramadi, long a hotbed of unrest, a city that once formed the southwestern tip of the notorious "Sunni Triangle," is now telling a different story, a story of Americans who came here as liberators, became hated occupiers and are now the protectors of Iraqi reconstruction. Link

Fire Fight At Donkey Island-Ramadi

Night Army Patrol on Humvees Runs into 70 Orcs unloading trucks filled with guns, bombs supplies and vest bombs. Out numbered 36 to 70, the Army goes toe to toe with the ambush the Orcs scrambled to spring. The infamous WAPO Ann Scott Tyson also chins in with her report based on interviews with the troops here.


Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
RAMADI, Iraq – At least 23 insurgents were killed in fighting 4 kilometers south of Ramadi on Jazzera al Humar (Donkey Island) along the Nassar Canal June 30 and July 1.

Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces received reports that a significant number of anti-Iraqi forces had gathered on the outskirts of Ramadi to stage a series of large scale attacks. The group, affiliated with al Qaeda in Iraq, intended to regain a base of operations in Al Anbar with suicide car and vest bomb attacks.

The battle began at approximately 9:20 p.m. Saturday when Coalition Forces were attacked with small arms fire from two trucks near their position. U.S. Soldiers returned fire and pursued the fleeing attackers with the help of Army AH-64A Apache helicopter gun ships, Marine F-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier fighter jets. Helicopters killed at least one insurgent and wounded another, and destroyed the two trucks, later determined to be loaded with weapons, ammunition and explosives.

A detailed search of the area at 5 a.m. Sunday discovered 22 dead insurgents, including seven who were wearing suicide vests, as well as 24 homemade grenades, 20 pressure plate improvised explosive devices, assault rifles and machine guns, military uniforms, suicide vests and backpacks with first aid kits. Most of the enemy were dressed in similar white dishdashas and white running shoes, an outfit often associated with extremist fighters prepared to kill themselves.

Coalition Forces continued their search for any remaining enemy or weapons caches in the area. Around 2 p.m., extremist forces again attacked with machine gun fire, grenades and a suicide vest. Coalition Forces responded with small arms fire and grenades, killing at least one insurgent. Helicopter gun ships and fighter jets provided aerial surveillance and engaged multiple enemy positions, including the destruction of an enemy bunker complex with precision guided munitions.

Coalition Forces detained two enemy fighters and transported them to a military detention facility for questioning.

Marine Maj. William D. Chesarek Jr.:United Kingdom's Distinguished Flying Cross

Major receives UK's Distinguished Flying Cross at Buckingham Palace

By Gunnery Sgt. Donald E. Preston, Marine Forces Europe

LONDON – Major William D. Chesarek Jr., an U.S. Marine Corps exchange officer serving with the United Kingdom’s 847th Naval Air Squadron, Commando Helicopter Force, stands in front of Buckingham Palace with the UK’s Defense Flying Cross presented to him by Queen Elizabeth II here March 21. Chesarek is credited for heroic actions during combat operations in Iraq 10-11 June 2006.

LONDON (Mar. 21, 2007) -- A U.S. Marine appeared before Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace March 21 to receive the United Kingdom's Distinguished Flying Cross for saving lives and in recognition for his bravery during combat operations in Iraq.

Marine Maj. William D. Chesarek Jr., is the first U.S. servicemember to be so honored since World War II.

Assigned as an exchange officer with the Royal Air Force's 847th Naval Air Squadron, Commando Helicopter Force, based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset, England, the U.S. Marine flew the RAF’s Lynx Mk7 helicopter -- the aircraft he used to dodge insurgent's bullets and rocket-propelled grenades.

Through flight school training at Pensacola, Fla., and Corpus Christi, Texas, he mastered the Marine Corps AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter -- a two-seater armed with Hellfire, Sidewinder and Sidearm missiles.

When he joined the RAF squadron in 2005, he traded in the Super Cobra for the Lynx.

"It's a very agile aircraft," said Chesareck, whose call sign is “Punchy.” "Its maneuverability is significantly enhanced, compared to a Cobra. It's like comparing a Mustang to a Porsche. They're both great, but different."

Flying the evening of June 10, 2006, Chesarek was providing radio communication relay for British ground troops conducting a company-sized search operation near Amarah, Iraq. Listening to radio transmissions, he overheard that a vehicle involved in the operation had became disabled and a crowd of insurgents was firing small arms and rocket-propelled grenades at the company.

According to his award citation, "Chesarek elected to fly low over the area in an attempt to distract the crowd and if possible, to engage the insurgents." Because the crowd was so close to the ground troops, instead of engaging his machine gun, he "opted instead to provide bold, harassing, very low level flight over the area in an attempt to disperse the crowd."

However, radio traffic from the ground told Chesarek he was now the target and was drawing small-arms fire, and that a rocket-propelled grenade had just passed the rear of his aircraft.

This was not his first time in combat. He and his wife, Christine, a U.S. Navy nurse, had served simultaneously in Operation Iraqi Freedom during the initial stages. But now in a different aircraft, with a different purpose, things were different. Last month, Chesarek's RAF commander and his crew had been shot down flying in the same type of aircraft.

"I had been in a couple of situations with troops in contact before," the 32-year-old Chesarek said. "I had a good idea of the kind of potential danger involved, but now I was listening to the individual commander on the ground. Someone was injured; what can we do?"

Using his view from above, Chesarek applied his training as an airborne forward air controller to coordinate, designate and control fixed-wing assets in conducting close air support, resulting in the dispersing the insurgents.

Chesarek made the unconventional move – what’s considered an “implied mission” in military parlance -- to conduct a medical evacuation with the Lynx to help a British soldier with a life-threatening head injury. As the only aircraft available to assist, he landed the Lynx near the company in distress as his door gunner and another crew member jumped out.

"My door gunner jumped out and picked up the injured soldier and put him in the helicopter," Chesarek said. "My other crew member had to stay, or we would have been overweight to fly."

Now, nine months later, Chesarek's name echoed throughout the ballroom of Buckingham Palace as he was called before the queen to be recognized and credited for "having a pivotal role in ensuring the rapid evacuation of (a) badly injured soldier and the safe extraction of the Company."

Wearing his ceremonial uniform, Chesarek stood before the queen and hundreds in attendance, including his parents, his wife and their 2-year-old son, William. After Chesarek bowed, the custom when in front of the queen, the British monarch placed her kingdom's level-three award for gallantry in the air while on active operation against the enemy on his chest.

Chesarek reflected on his lost comrades and brothers in arms.

"I am greatly honored and would like to accept this prestigious award for 847 NAS in memory of Lt. Cmdr. Darren Chapman (Royal Navy), Capt. David Dobson (Army Air Corps), and Marine Paul Collins (Royal Marines), who were killed in action over Basrah in May 2006," Chesarek said. "The awarded actions were only possible due to the combined effort of my combat crew; Lt. David Williams (Royal Navy) and Lance Cpl. Max Carter (Royal Marines). My greatest sense of achievement that day is in knowing the ground troops all made it home."

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Father Asks that Son's Name be Withheld From the Monument for Flight 93

The Memorial to 40 passengers and four Ocrs continues. It's too fantastic to believe that a memorial with 44 glass blocks would be considered anything less than evil travesty. Now the father of one of the passengers is refusing permission for his son's name be included in this monument to Orcs.

Flight 93 memorial draws a new round of criticism

Saturday, August 18, 2007

By Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Nearly two years after the design of the United Flight 93 Memorial was changed to eliminate any perceived Islamic symbolism, the father of one of the people killed in the crash has asked that his son's name be withheld from the monument.

"It's something I'd rather not do, but I can't get anyone to listen," said Tom Burnett Sr., of Northfield, Minn. "In a sense, I'm asking for a call to action."

Mr. Burnett, who served on the Stage II jury that picked the winning design originally named "Crescent of Embrace," said that he raised his concerns about using a crescent-shaped grouping of red maple trees around the crash site then.

"It's almost as though it's intentional," he said. "This design should not invoke any Islamic impression of any sort."

He called the crescent a well-known, widely accepted Muslim symbol that doesn't belong in a memorial honoring the 40 passengers and crew members who were killed on the flight headed from Newark, N.J., to San Francisco, on Sept. 11, 2001, in their efforts to thwart an attack on the capital.

When the concerns about the use of the crescent first arose, the designer of the memorial, Paul Murdoch, willingly changed the shape to an almost full circle.

But criticism, largely driven by online blogs, has continued.

Mr. Burnett has based many of his concerns in the theories put forth by conservative blogger, Alec Rawls, who has also written a book, "Crescent of Betrayal," on the matter.

On Mr. Rawls' Web site, errortheory.blogspot.com, he cites a number of examples of how he believes the Flight 93 memorial is really a monument to terrorists.

Among his allegations:

"A person facing into the giant central crescent of the Flight 93 Memorial is facing Mecca."

There are 44 glass blocks being used in the design, representing the 40 passengers and four terrorists who hijacked the plane.

The 93-foot tall Tower of Voices, which will include wind chimes to represent those who died, is an Islamic sundial. "Shadow calculations confirm that, on any day of the year, when the tower shadow reaches the inner arc of trees, it will be time for Islamic afternoon prayers."

All Mr. Burnett is looking for, he said, is a "thorough, honest investigation," of the design and those elements.

But personnel for the National Park Service, which will manage the memorial and 2,200 acre national park, have refuted each of the claims.

After Mr. Rawls' initial report came to light, they asked three independent scholars, including experts on architecture and religious studies, to review it.

"Alec Rawls bases all of his conclusions on faulty assumptions," said Joanne Hanley, the superintendent of the Flight 93 National Memorial. "In addition, the facts are twisted and people are misquoted, all to serve his intended purpose."

Daniel Griffith, a geospatial information sciences professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, said anything can point toward Mecca, because the earth is round.

"If you have a three-dimensional geography, you can go from one point to another point turning around in a circle.

"Essentially, what they're claiming, they could claim no matter where the memorial was."

Mr. Rawls points to his mathematical calculations, using latitude and longitude, claiming that his reasoning is sound.

But Mr. Griffith characterizes it differently, saying that Mr. Rawls' arithmetic is correct, but his mathematical analysis is not.

Regarding the claim that there are 44 glass blocks in the memorial, Mr. Murdoch vehemently disagreed, saying that, first of all, there is no glass block used in the design.

Instead, there are 40 inscribed marble panels listing the names of the passengers and crew at the gateway to the Sacred Ground, where their remains still rest.

There is then an opening in the wall, Mr. Murdoch said, and three additional panels, which would include the date, Sept. 11, 2001.

"Where the other one is being fabricated, I don't know," he said.

A separate glass plate will be located near the visitor's center and include the memorial project's preamble.

As for the allegation that the Tower of Voices is really an Islamic sundial, Ms. Hanley said with an analysis like Mr. Rawls' then the Washington Monument could be perceived as one, as well.

Further, she added, it is still unclear exactly where on the landscape the memorial will even be situated. It could move as much as 200 yards, she said, discounting the idea that it faces Mecca.

"The only thing that orients the memorial is the crash site," she said.

Mr. Murdoch reinforced that idea.

"It's oriented toward the Sacred Ground," he said. "It just couldn't be clearer."

The symbolism of the memorial, he continued, is representative of the geography of the crash site, an idea that predates Islam or any other major religion.

"It's a form that's grown out of the land," he said. "A public embrace of the land."

Mr. Murdoch spoke with Mr. Burnett more than a year ago on the matter, and he said, he thought that by the end of the conversation, his fears had been allayed.

"I don't know what's changed his opinion," he said.

But referring to Mr. Rawls, he said, "We basically have a fanatic who has continued to undercut and violate the families and is exploiting their feelings on his own behalf."

Ms. Hanley said she wants to be respectful to the Burnett family and his next of kin, but she continued, the design, including all 40 names, was approved by the families and the Department of the Interior, and that is the design that will be built.

In speaking for the Families of Flight 93 Inc., Patrick White, whose cousin, Louis Nacke, died in the crash, said he, too, respects Mr. Burnett but believes he's been led astray by Mr. Rawls.

"If he believes that he is in any way serving the families or the American people, I fail to see how that is in any way other than to waste our time and consume our resources."

---

Lt. Alfred L. Butler IV-BRONZE STAR

U.S. Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Natonski presented the Bronze Star Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device to 1st Lt. Alfred L. Butler IV, executive officer for Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment outside the battalion’s command post on Camp Fallujah, Iraq, May 19, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Mark Sixbey
U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Alfred L. Butler IV
Darkhorse Marine Decorated for Valor
By Cpl. Mark Sixbey 1st Marine Division CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq, May 22, 2006 — A Darkhorse Marine was decorated with the nation’s fourth highest award for valor by the 1st Marine Division commanding general here, May 19. U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Alfred L. Butler IV, Weapons Company executive officer, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, received the Bronze Star Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device from Maj. Gen. Richard Natonski. “I knew his father, and I think he’s following in his footsteps,” Natonski said. “This is his third deployment to Iraq, and he’s done a marvelous job over here.” The 27-year-old from Jacksonville, N.C., earned the award for his actions and leadership while commanding an 81 mm Mortar Platoon on Dec. 23, 2004, during combat operations in Fallujah. He is currently on duty in Iraq with Regimental Combat Team 5. “It was one of those days when everyone ran out of ammo,” said Butler, a graduate of Western Carolina University. “We even used AK-47s.” According to the award citation, as insurgents ambushed his platoon, Butler rushed to the attack where he found several men pinned under heavy automatic weapons fire on a stairwell. He evacuated them from the house and learned insurgents isolated additional men on the second floor. He quickly organized an assault force and raced to an adjacent house under constant small arms fire to recover the men. Cpl. Justin Butler, a mortarman in the platoon, saw his platoon commander from across the street while laying suppressive fire. “When we were on the roof, he was the first one I saw standing up to see the situation while everyone was getting	shot at,” said the 21-year-old from Dyer, Ind. “It pumped everybody up that he would do that just to know everything that’s going on.” The platoon commander led his team as they cleared two buildings, jumping from roof-to-roof to reach them. He shielded the bodies of the fallen Marines when a grenade landed nearby with complete disregard for his own safety, then threw two grenades into a room filled with insurgents. While delivering cover fire, the lieutenant moved the men across to an adjacent rooftop, personally evacuating a wounded Marine under constant small arms fire and grenade attacks. His actions preserved the lives of the men. He credited the decoration to the Marines under his command. “I owe those Marines my life,” he said. “The things they did that day are the sort of things you read about in books. What they do for each other and what they sacrifice for each other makes you not want to leave the Marine Corps. They hold up the tradition of 3/5 and live up to the legacy.” Alfred Butler III, was a Marine major who was killed in Beirut when his son was only 5 years old. The lieutenant said most of what he knows of his father he learned from Marines who served with him. “It’s nice that he (Natonski) knew my father and served with him,” he said. “My knowledge of him as a person is through people like General Natonski and what they say about him and the man he was. From what I understand, he was a great man, great Marine, husband and father. If I can be half of that, I think I’ll be fine.”

link

NYPD Report On Home Grown Threats By the Homies

“Radicalization in the West: The Homegrown Threat,” is the NYPD study on Domestic Radical Islamic Terrorists and how they got that way and, apart from drawing the ire of CAIR, tries to bring on radar candidates for future jihad activities by describing the four stages of radicalization that lead to terrorism. For example, Individual candidates often adopt Islamic dress, stop smoking or drinking and lecture on rights of the down trodden. CAIR's response:"Is Islamic attire or giving up bad habits, which is something recommended by leaders of all faiths, now to be regarded as suspicious behavior?"

Actually, yes. According to the Al Qaeda Training Manual --Islamic attire and giving up bad habits is against lesson 8 Rule 2 Member Safety.

Members should

:2 .Have a general appearance that does not indicate Islamic orientation (beard, toothpick, book,[long] shirt, small Koran).

11. Not get involved in advocating good and denouncing evil in order not to attract attention to himself.

Marine Lt. Stephen J. Boda-SILVER STAR

Afghanistan May 8, 2005, 1st Lt. Stephen J. Boada, was attached with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, during that time, serving as a forward observer and forward air controller serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom .

"You always train for the possibility of being deployed," said Boada, "It was good to finally have the opportunity to put that training to use. Even though some of it seemed pointless at the time, there was a good reason for all of it. In what seems like a symphony of chaos, there is organization."

Boada found himself with Kilo Company, 3/3, where he took part in a multitude of successful information operations, patrols, and civil affairs; while also the coordinating of aircrafts and mortars in the area.

While moving on a five to seven day patrol operation of eastern Afghanistan, Boada and roughly thirty other Marines set out in a mounted convoy through the Alisheng Valley to hopefully gain information on people who were on a target list.

"We set out at approximately 0700 in a mounted convoy through the Alisheng Valley," said Boada. "As you start to come up through the valley, the road eventually ends for vehicles, so we set out on foot. We were trying to get to the end of the valley and as we went a long, would stop at villages, consulting elders about certain issues."

While getting getting closer to the end of the valley, the Icom scanners that were being used to pick up radio frequencies, began receiving radio traffic that was translated by an interpreter to be enemy forces. The forces were watching the Marines and plotting to ambush them in the valley.

"We could hear them discussing how many of us there were, and how we would never make it out alive," said Boada "So from there we set up a satellite communications antenna and called back to higher. We requested close-air support to sweep the hills but the poor weather wouldn't allow it."

The radio traffic continued as the Marines proceeded to move through the valley. They were only stopped when they heard over the radio, "They just passed us. We'll get them on the way back."

"The Marines were getting pretty amped up at that moment and we could recognize two of the voices over the radio to be cell leaders who were responsible for a police station that was rocketed just before we arrived," said Boada. "It was difficult to see anything around us though due to the mountains. We knew what area the enemy was in, but couldn't pin point anything."

At that time, 1st Lt. Sam A. Monte, platoon commander, directed a squad and a 240 Gulf team, to go southeast onto a hilltop to scan the area. In a short time, they received a call back from the squad that they had spotted ten to 12 individuals across the valley, who had automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades in their possession.

"At the same time we heard a single rifle shot, but the round didn't actually land anywhere near us," said Boada. "At that time, we couldn't tell whether it was caused by sniper fire, or whether it was possibly a signal."

The machine gun team was then directed to engage toward the enemy who was located roughly seven to 800 meters away, said Boada. The individuals then fled into a ravine up the mountainside.

"The support by fire remained on the hilltop as we decided to make our way toward the enemy," said Boada. "As we began moving into the draw, a brief fire fight broke out, but none of us were injured."

The Marines continued and crossed a river that rose up to their chests. As they began to climb up the hillside they again contacted higher, who was able to push a section of A-10 Warthogs out to the area.

"Cpl. Johnny Polander, a squadleader, was on the radio on the hilltop and he was able to let us know where the individuals were located," said Boada. "At that time Lance Cpl. Kirven, a team leader, was able to send a 203 smoke round to mark the cave that the individuals entered. We also popped smoke in ours and the SBF did the same thing, we just had different colors so the aircrafts knew the difference."

After that was complete, Boada informed the aircrafts of the situation on the ground and they proceeded to use 30 mm cannons into the enemy cave, making three or four passes with 2.75 mm rockets. After every pass, the SBF was again contacted, and they would give any adjustments that would need to be made for the aircraft fire.

"When they ran out of ammo, more A-ten warthogs came out and there were about eight or nine passes made, total," said Boada. "During that time, we could hear the enemy over the radio making exclaims such as, 'That went just by my head,' so they were indirectly helping us adjust our fire."

When the situation was under control, the Marines began their long trek up the mountainside to assess the situation and check for any enemy KIAs, said Boada.

Once reaching the caves, Boada teamed up with Sgt. Robert R. Campbell, a squad leader, and began searching the different caves with the other Marines. This was when Marines heard Lance Cpl. Nicholas C. Kirven identify a dead body. He called out and Cpl. Richard P. Schoener came down to provide security for a dead check.

"Sgt. Campbell and I were only probably twenty-five meters away when we first heard the bursts from an AK-47 and the screams," said Boada. "The squad began circling toward Kirven and Schoener who were laying on the ground, but the gunfire wouldn't stop and we couldn't tell exactly how many people were firing at us."

Most of the Marines managed to find some cover and Cpl. Chinana, a scout sniper attached to Kilo Company, had a 203 but wasn't able to fire because the weapon needed at least 30 meters to arm itself and the Marines were too close. Chinana would then attempt to mark the cave with a 203 smoke round, but the round would ricochet, and Chinana would receive a bullet frag on his scalp line and fall back.

"We really didn't have any other option at that point because the Marines were laying so close to the mouth of the cave," said Boada. "I made the call to move up closer so we could see where the fire was coming from and attempt to grab the downed Marines."

Boada popped a smoke grenade as he and Cpl. Troy Arndt, team leader, made their way to a position very close to the Marines.

"The fire was still coming as we popped more smoke and kind of leap frogged from rock to rock," said Boada. "Cpl. Arndt attempted to grab one of the Marines by the sappy plate carrier, but the gear ripped and he fell. By that time the smoke was clearing up and I grabbed him and we got to cover again."

At this point, Boada said he could reach out and touch the downed Marines because they were so close. He then grabbed a fragmentation grenade and threw it, although fire was still coming.

"I ended up repeating the process about four times," said Boada. "Cpl. Arndt would prep the grenades for me, I would shout 'Cover and fire!,' and throw the grenades. Cpl. Arndt did some amazing things out there as a young corporal, I hope he gets recognized for something."

At this time, support was being given by Campbell and his Marines while Arndt and Boada were attempting to gain the opportunity to retrieve the downed Marines.

"We had to actually shoot over Arndt's and Boada's heads to cover them," said Campbell. "I admire both of them and their bravery."

Finally, there was silence and no movement in the cave, said Boada. Another corporal made the call to search the cave, which was secure.

Several attempts were made to regain the lives of Schoener and Kirven, but the CPR was useless, said Boada. They had passed away.

"By that time, it was about 1800 and getting dark," said Boada. "We weren't prepared for a night operation and there was a lack of both food and water. We set up an LZ to try to get a a medivac for the Marines, but they couldn't send one to us because of the weather."

At this time Boada said the Marines were beginning to get frustrated with the whole situation.

"They were doing a heck of a job out there, and they had just lost two of their friends," said Boada. "After everything that happened though, they still remained focused."

It was at that time, that the Marines began to carry their fallen comrades in ponchos.

"The Marines tried to buy some donkeys to help carry the Marines but it was no use," said Boada. "They carried the Marines the whole time, about seven miles through mountainous terrain."

"What had started as a three hour patrol, ended as a twenty two hour ordeal," said Campbell. "It was the worst day of my life."

AC130 support was available and would be able to give the Marines a heads up if there were enemies up ahead. They were able to engage and neutralize 25 individuals who were setting up ambushes in two separate areas, said Boada.

"We continued to move through out the night and arrived back to our vehicles at about 04 or 05," said Boada. "The Marines really did a hell of a job out there. They weren't even my Marines but I know I couldn't have picked a better bunch."

Boada said the hardest part about the whole deployment was having to leave the Marines he was with upon returning to K-Bay, especially the Marines he was with on that fateful day.

"They were ready for anything, even Kirven and Schoener," said Boada. "Those two were great Marines."

Boada received a purple heart and a Silver Star medal for his gallant actions against the enemy while serving as a forward observer and forward air controller that day, but remains truly humbled by the experience.

"I think about what happened out there every day, and will for as long as I live," said Boada. "I think about what we could have done different. What we could have done to have those two Marines walk home with us."

Boada is now back with 1/12, but feels he should be going to Iraq with the Marines of 3/3.

"It just doesn't feel right and I regret not having the opportunity to deploy with them again," said Boada. "I try to keep in touch with all of the Marines I was with."

Campbell said he feels the award for Boada is a much deserved one.

"He is an artillery officer," said the Jackson, Tenn. native. "The things he did, he didn't have to do. He put himself in harms way and did everything he could do to try and save those two Marines. We all did everything we could do, and it was truly an honor to work with Lt. Boada."

"The Marines I was with that day deserve the recognition," said Boada. "They all need to be talked about, talked about more than me, they are all amazing." link

Tashbih Sayyed Exposes CAIR and MPAC Agnst on 9/11--Too Much Attention To Islamist Agenda

At Freedom's Zone, Tashbih Sayyed relates how members of CAIR and MPAC expressed anger at the 9/11 attacks not because of the tragedy but because the 9/11 shock threw a monkey wrench into their plans for staying below the nation's red alert radar and exposed their slow, soft, "subtle"plans for undermining the U.S. Constitution for a takeover of America. Should they have worried? Until recently they were getting invites to the White House and the Mainstream media has not stopped asking for their "moderate" comments. Now , however, since the Holy Land trial has exposed their connections to even more sinister groups, these "moderates are ever anxious to regain their moderate cover and legitimacy as a civil rights advocates:

"Muslim Groups Oppose a List of "Co-Conspirators"NYTimes

"Two prominent Muslim American organizations took steps yesterday to reverse what they called a Justice Department effort to smear the entire Muslim community by naming some of its largest organizations as unindicted co-conspirators in a Texas terrorism trial.

The National Association of Muslim Lawyers, which is not named, sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales objecting to the list, which it said breached the department’s own guidelines against releasing the names of unindicted co-conspirators and did not serve any clear law enforcement purpose.

The letter, also signed by the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, said the “overreaching list” of more than 300 organizations and individuals would further cripple charitable donations to Muslim organizations and could ratchet up the discrimination faced by American Muslims since the Sept. 11 attacks.

In addition, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, which is on the list, announced that it would file a brief today asking Judge A. Joe Fish of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas to remove its name and all others from the list.

The brief, a copy of which was released yesterday, says the list furthers a pattern of the “demonization of all things Muslim” that has unrolled in the United States since 2001."

The current trial of the Holy Land Foundation is letting even the New York Times in on the news that CAIR is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a hardcore Islamic group whose mission statement "The Project" includes total world domination under a unified Caliphate-a world nation under Allah with 1.5 billion Muslims.

( LGF:The New York Times has not covered any of the evidence linking CAIR to Hamas that’s come out in the trial, but they eagerly promote CAIR’s claims of “demonization.”)

Tashbih Sayyed

Tashbih Sayyed, political analyst, journalist, and writer, is Editor in Chief of Our Times, Pakistan Today, and In Review. He worked from 1967-1980 at Pakistan Television in various capacities, including writer, editor, director, producer, Controller, and General Manager.

Tashbih Sayyed has been at the forefront of the fight against the increasing influence of Islamism among Muslims and its impact on world peace.

As a regular columnist for newspapers in the US, Pakistan, Germany and India, Tashbih Sayyed has written courageously on the Islamist threat to the US.

Tashbih Sayyed's editorials have been warning about the fundamentalist/ Islamist agenda.

Sayyed is the author of eight books, including: History Of The World, Left Of The Center, Pakistan - An Unfinished Agenda, Mohammad - A secularist's View, Foreign Policy Of Pakistan, and Shadow Warriors - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Taliban.

Marine Corps Reserve Sgt. Jeff Hunter--SILVER STAR

For his actions under fire from an ambush that seriously wounded the OIC--Marine Sgt. Jeff Hunter received the Silver Star

“I honestly don’t believe I did anything all that heroic,” Sgt. Jeff Hunter told Military.com when asked about his Silver Star. That’s a common refrain among American warriors serving in combat zones, but for those who served with Hunter during two intense fights, it’s a dramatic understatement.

Albuquerque, NM
Silver Star recipient

In the early hours of May 25, then-Cpl. Hunter set out on foot with Lima Company toward Haditha's market district in the opening days of Operation New Market.

According to Hunter, the company planned to arrive at the market by sunrise in order to catch insurgents by surprise. He said the trip seemed like any other, until a Marine shot a stray dog that had charged him. About ten seconds later, "all hell broke loose," Hunter said.

The award citation released by the Corps and interviews with Hunter and his fellow Marines reveal the platoon was ambushed by small arms fire that seriously wounded an officer on the patrol. Sgt. David Wimberg, Hunter's squad leader, ordered the squad to take a house to their left, where they were receiving fire.

Wimberg hopped the fence and opened the gate for Hunter's fire team, then kicked in the door and ran inside with Hunter on his heels.

"Sgt. Wimberg barely took a second step into the room before a muzzle to an AK-47 was presented [at his chest] and fired several times," Hunter said in a recap of the events he wrote after the firefight.

When Wimberg fell to the ground, "I instinctively reached down and grabbed him, pulling him back out of the house," Hunter wrote. "I dragged him to the right of the door under a window and lay on top of him while I heard him wheeze for us to frag the room."

Hunter called for two of his squad mates to take Wimberg to their corpsman while he pushed forward with the attack on the house.

"In the back of my mind, I knew that I was now in charge of the squad and I had to get control of the situation," he wrote.

"Acting as squad leader, [Hunter] reorganized his Marines and led them into the insurgent position…ultimately securing the house with close-range small arms fire and hand grenades," according to the Corps release. Wimberg later died as a result of his wounds, but Hunter's actions during the firefight "enabled his company to regain its momentum," the release said.

Two months later, Hunter found himself in another fierce gunfight, a battle that lasted for four hours and meandered through the streets of Cykla, a village near Haditha. After enemy fire from a hostile house hit a Marine, Hunter’s platoon engaged the enemies, forcing them to flee to a second home. By the time his squad cleared the second house, the insurgents had already left. Two of the Marines approached a couple of nearby cinder block buildings, and one of them was suddenly hit by insurgents firing from a fortified position. Hiding behind a three-foot-high wall, Hunter returned fire and shot two insurgents. He also made two attempts to extract the wounded Marine. The shooting was too intense, so Hunter ran through the line of fire and across the street to an M1A1 tank – which he guided to strike the enemies’ position. The tank eliminated the threat and allowed the platoon to retrieve its mortally wounded comrade.

For his actions, Sgt. Hunter received the Silver Star last June at his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hunter is currently completing his education at the University of New Mexico.

• Military.com
• Albuquerque Tribune
• DOD Heroes
  

It's Open Season On: The Revolutionary Guard Corps

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, with its' own 125,000-strong elite military branch, navy, air force, ground forces and special forces units, has been designated the status of "global terrorist" under Executive Order 13224:

I hereby order:

Section 1. Except to the extent required by section 203(b) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)), or provided in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the effective date of this order, all property and interests in property of the following persons that are in the United States or that hereafter come within the United States, or that hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons are blocked:

In effect, anyone doing business with the Guard will have their business operations disrupted and/or any terrorist assets blocked. Apparently, the IRGC, in addition to being military elite are also elite businessmen with reputed vast financial holdings that the administration will be disclosing at a later date. The IRGC has its' financial fingers in a lot of pies including Iran's military industries, missiles and nuclear weapons. Don't beat around the bush, Bush.

USMC Cpl. Christopher S. Adlesperger-Navy Cross

When then-Pfc. Adlesperger and his squad approached a house on Nov. 10, 2004, in the treacherous city of Fallujah, they entered into one of the most difficult and dangerous battlefield situations: they faced an entrenched enemy in an urban setting – with an entrenched machine gun.

As they entered the house, a volley of insurgent fire and grenades rained down upon them, immediately killing Adlesperger’s point man and injuring two others. Without pause, Adlesperger took control and moved out front, despite receiving minor wounds. As Adlesperger began firing back from the point position, he became the main target of enemy fire – but, with most of his squad pinned down by insurgent fire, he had no choice but to push forward on his own.

Adlesperger single-handedly cleared the stairs to the rooftop, which allowed the unit to move injured Marines upstairs to receive medical attention. And as U.S. forces gathered for a major assault on the building, Adlesperger, still inside, began moving from one spot to another, eliminating enemies in close quarters or forcing them to move out of entrenched positions to areas where U.S. forces were waiting.

Finally, an assault vehicle broke through a wall on the main floor. Adlesperger rejoined his platoon and demanded to take point for the final attack on the entrenched machine gun. He entered the courtyard first, and eliminated the final enemy at close range. By the end of the battle, Adlesperger was credited with having killed at least 11 insurgents.

One month later, Adlesperger was killed while clearing other houses in Fallujah. For his actions on Nov. 10, 2004, Adlesperger will be posthumously awarded the Navy Cross on April 13, 2007. Marine Corps Times story; Albuquerque Tribune story; North County Times story.

source DOD

Terrorist Memorial Mosque-Flight 93-

From Alec Rawls' Blog- Error Theory:

Tom Burnett Sr. denounces Flight 93 Memorial, calls for Congressional investigation

Tom Burnett Sr. called me yesterday and told me that he approved of my efforts to expose the many Islamic and terrorist memorializing features in what was originally called the Crescent of Embrace design. “I am so happy you are doing this,” he told me.

He described his own efforts to stop the crescent design, including letters to the press that were never published. With the crescent design still going forward, he has decided that it is necessary to up the ante, and has authorized me to publicize his decision to protest the crescent design by insisting that Tom Jr.’s name not be inscribed on one of the 44 glass blocks emplaced along the flight path, or used anywhere else in the memorial.

“I think we HAVE to,” says Mr. Burnett. “It’s not that I pull a lot of weight around. I know that. I’m one of forty.”

There were forty heroes on Flight 93, along with four terrorists.

Mr. Burnett was adamantly against architect Paul Murdoch’s design long before he knew about the suspicious glass block count, or the Mecca orientation of the giant crescent, or any of the other Islamic and terrorist memorializing specifics that I have discovered.

He read two letters (transcribed below) that he sent to the press back in September 2005, when the unveiling of the crescent design first ignited a national controversy. For those who are not familiar, the publicity photo, provided by Los Angeles architect Paul Murdoch, showed a bare naked crescent and star flag planted on the crash site:


The crash site, marked by the Sacred Ground Plaza, sits roughly in the position of the star on a crescent and star flag.

Both of Tom Burnett's September 2005 letters condemn the chosen design in the strongest possible terms. “It is unmistakably an Islamic symbol,” charged Mr. Burnett: “The red Crescent of Embrace… bastardizes what my son and others did on Flight 93.”

Incredibly, the newspapers declined to publish these explosive letters from the father of one of the heroes of Flight 93, a man who is also one of only fifteen Stage Two jurors, making him one of the few people who witnessed the design competition from the inside. “This all went on deaf ears, apparently,” Mr. Burnett told me on the phone. Neither was this the first time that his objections were stifled.

About the jury process itself, Mr. Burnett says: “I thought it was railroaded.” When he pointed out the Islamic symbolism of the crescent, the design professionals on the jury were scornful: “In effect, they said: ‘Don’t be stupid. That’s an aesthetic symbol. That’s all, and it’s used all over the place.’ They were telling us how to interpret it!” (Full transcript below.)

He also thought the voting process was suspicious, saying that there was never a straight up or down vote on the crescent design. Organizers asked the jurors for an ordering of preferences amongst three competing designs, then announced the winner. Even the vote count was suspicious: “It was not an open process.”

Afterwards, the Project announced that: “By consensus the Stage Two jury forwards this section of the Flight 93 memorial to the partner [architect Paul Murdoch] with the full and unqualified support of each juror.” On the contrary, says Mr. Burnett, the vote was NOT unanimous: “It was 9 to 6,” and Mr. Burnett for one remained adamantly opposed to the crescent design.

About my discovery that the planned memorial is actually a terrorist memorial mosque, built around the half mile wide Mecca oriented crescent, Mr. Burnett said that he believes in the validity of my findings and wants a Congressional investigation. Keeping Tom Jr’s name out of the Memorial is partly to force attention, and is partly a moral a moral imperative. “We don’t want it used at all if that design stays in,” says Mr. Burnett. “We’ve got to audit this process, and we’ve got to get to the TRUTH! That’s really what we’re after.”

Tom himself found two different Islamic elements in the crescent design. In addition to identifying the giant crescent as an Islamic symbol, he also noted that the Tower of Voices is akin to an Islamic minaret (long before seeing my proof that it is actually a year-round accurate Islamic prayer-time sundial).

This prescient commentary is what our newspapers decided that the American people should not see. “You’d think we lived in the Middle East!” Tom laughed on the phone. We laughed at a number of such dark epiphanies. Such is the joy of discovering a compatriot when there is a battle to be won.