Theodore's World

Appeal For Courage
This site is an Appeal For Redress in support of our mission in Iraq.
An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.
It is authorized by DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6 (pdf).
The wording of the Appeal is:

As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.
If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal.

This Appeal will be delivered to members of Congress.
We are currently working with members of Congress to make a presentation.
Most service members fully support the war in Iraq and feel calls to retreat by Congress and emphasis by some in the media on negative aspects while ignoring positive ones acts to motivate our enemy while demoralizing our support at home, directly increasing the threat we face and resulting in greater American casualties.

Questions and answers:
1. Can I get in trouble from my command for signing this?
No. Although as active military we are limited in what we can say, this appeal is in support of our mission and our chain of command. Also, any military member can sign an appeal as authorized by DoD Directive 7050.6.
2. I’m a vet/retired, how can I help?
Please see the support page for methods to help. If you have a specific idea or skill you think could help, please email us at committee@appealforcourage.org
You can also sign this petition.
3. What is the purpose of the appeal?
The primary purpose is to offer military members a chance to submit to Congress our desire for Victory in Iraq, and halt calls for retreat. It is also intended to express the damage done to our efforts by those calls for retreat.
4. What will be done with the Appeal?
It will be delivered to Congress, we are currently working to contact a member of Congress or the Senate to accept the Appeal.

Appeal For Courage Demographics

Wild Thing’s comment…….
Thank you so much for serving our country. The numbers have climbed over the last 48 hours for the Appeal For Courage. The Air Force and Navy are almost at a tie for signatures. Please pass this on to all active duty and reserves. More signatures are needed. All Military can sign. They need to use their home computer, not a mil address, and sign when they are not on duty hours. Thanks to all at Appeal For Courage for their hard work on this.

Democratic presidential candidates Mike Gravel, Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Sen. Joe Biden, Bill Richardson and Sen. Hillary Clinton gather on stage prior to the first presidential debate.

ORANGEBURG, S.C., April 26 – The eight Democratic presidential candidates used their first joint appearance Thursday to assail President Bush for threatening to veto legislation that would set a deadline for bringing troops out of Iraq, even as they sought to highlight differences among them on the depth of their opposition to the war and what they would do to end it.
For 90 mostly low-keyed minutes, the Democratic candidates offered a somewhat united front in denouncing Mr. Bush for the way he handled the war and saying that they should work to assemble the votes to try to override Mr. Bush’s expected veto. The debate came on the same day that four of the candidates on stage – all sitting Senators – had rushed back from Washington after voting in favor of the bill.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Democrat Party presidential hopefuls gathered together and demonstrate that they are not afraid to give the finger to all Americans.
At one point, Mike Gravel, a former Senator from Alaska, said he wanted Congress to pass a law “making it a felony” for the administration to stay in Iraq. This man is totally a sicko. He was also around to do his ugly deeds during the Vietnam war and he was against the troops then too. He is a walking talking felony all on his own.

Former Staff Sgt. Robert D. Speed salutes Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley after receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in the Ploesti, Italy, mission 63 years ago. Mr. Speed was a member of a B-24 Liberator Bomber crew who encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire July 15, 1944, and as a result lost one engine.
The crew still managed to complete their mission of bombing oil refineries in Romania, but was shot down the next day while participating in a raid over Austria; they were taken prisoner of war. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Cohen A. Young)

WWII bomber crew awarded Distinguished Flying Cross
Maj. Gen. Robert Smolen, Air Force District of Washington commander and former 1st Lt. Edward McNally pay their respects during a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of the “Flak Man” B-24 Liberator crew April 24 in Washington, D.C. Mr. McNally was a member of the bomber crew who encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire July 15, 1944, and lost one engine, but still managed to complete their mission of bombing the Nazi’s oil refinery lifeline in Romania. They were shot down the next day while participating in a raid over Austria and were taken prisoner of war. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Rusti Caraker)
A wreath-laying ceremony in honor of the “Flak Man” B-24 Liberator crew was held April 24 in Washington, D.C.The bomber crew members were also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross 63 years after their encounter with heavy anti-aircraft fire July 15, 1944. Despite losing one engine, the crew managed to complete their mission by bombing the Nazi’s oil refinery lifeline in Romania. They were shot down the next day while participating in a raid over Austria and were taken prisoner of war.(U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Rusti Caraker)

World War II’s “Flak Man” B-24 Liberator crewmembers were honored with the Distinguished Flying Cross during a ceremony April 24 in Washington, D.C. From right are crew members 1st Lt. Edward L. “Mac” McNally, Tech. Sgt. Jay T. Fish, Staff Sgt. Robert D. Speed and families of deceased members. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Cohen A. Young)

WWII bomber crew members awarded Distinguished Flying Cross
4/26/2007 – WASHINGTON (AFNEWS) — It was a warm summer morning when the crew of the Flak Man, a B-24 Liberator, joined other bombers and their escort fighters on a daring mission. They flew from Pantanella, Italy, and played a key role in the bombing of oil refineries 700 miles away near Ploesti, Romania. The location was of strategic importance — Nazi Germany got 60 percent of their petroleum from the plants there.
En route, there was heavy resistance from the Luftwaffe in the air and from anti-aircraft fire on the ground. But despite heavy damage to the Flak Man, the crew was able to successfully deliver their munitions and returned to Italy, their mission complete and instrumental to halting the Nazi war machine.
The next morning, the crew was sent out again, but the Flak Man was too damaged to fly. The crew instead went out in the Black Fox, a B-24 so similar to their beloved Flak Man, they hardly noticed the difference. On the way to their target in Austria, the Black Fox was shot down, killing one of the crew, Tech. Sgt. William Magill. The others were held as prisoners until the end of the war.
In a ceremony on Capitol Hill April 24, the crew of the Flak Man was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for their role in the Ploesti mission 63 years ago. The three living members of the original crew were on hand for the event, while representatives for the others accepted their medals.

“This is the legacy of today’s Air Force and a sign of what young Americans are all about,” General Moseley said. “They walked in the footsteps of Airmen before them just as they paved the way for us. Today’s Airmen stand on the shoulders of giants and it’s my honor to present these American heroes with the Distinguished Flying Cross.”

Humbled, yet proud, Mr. McNally also spoke to the crowd.

“Most Air Force members don’t care if they ever get a medal or not,” he said. “But should the Air Force see fit to honor me, I will not disdain it. I will cherish it.”

Wild Thing’s comment……..
We salute you and thank you. God bless you all. We are ever in their debt.

Chaos erupted Wednesday outside a House briefing with Army Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. military commander on the ground in Iraq.
Protestors thronged the halls of the Rayburn House Office Building outside the committee room where Petraeus is briefing members of Congress. The assembled protestors, which included members of Code Pink, shouted for members to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq as the lawmakers entered the room.

Then, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to resign after suggesting the war in Iraq “is lost.”

“It must come as a shock to Al Qaeda leaders to have an aide come into their safe house and tell them that Senator Reid has declared that, in fact, they are winning and the war is lost,” Hunter said. “I think it’s highly irresponsible for the leader of the U.S. Senate to have said that and, just speaking for myself as the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, I think that the leader of the Senate should step down from that position.”

That prompted the protestors to shout him down and pandemonium ensued before Capitol Police officers cleared the hallway for reporters, members and aides.
Both parties have scheduled on-camera briefings following the meeting to share their impressions of what Petraeus has to say.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) scheduled a briefing for Democrats on Wednesday afternoon, a day after ABC reported that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) would not attend the meeting.
Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, said the American military campaign in Iraq is “making progress,” but admitted there have been setbacks amid a highly complex political environment among the various factions within the Iraqi government.
Petraeus also denied that he has come under pressure from President Bush or other political leaders to paint a false or skewed picture of the U.S. military campaign in Iraq.

“I am not being pressured by the president to say anything,” Petraeus told reporters after 3 hours of back-to-back briefings of House and Senate members on the situation in Iraq. “I am not going to be pressured by political leaders of either party.”

Petraeus, who was confirmed by the Senate in late January to take over command of U.S. forces in Iraq, also declined to be dragged into the controversy over the $124 billion Iraq funding bill being debated by Congress this week. The legislation includes a “goal” of having most American forces out of Iraq by March 31, 2008. Bush has threatened to veto the legislation, although Democratic congressional leaders have refused to back down in the face of Bush’s position, saying the majority of the American public is on their side in seeking an end to the war.

“I am not going to get in the middle of discussion about various legislative proposals,” Petraeus said.

Petraeus said he “tried to give an accurate assessment of the situation in Iraq” to lawmakers. He reported that sectarian murders were down significantly inside Baghdad itself, while adding that the security situation in Anbar province, the heart of the Sunni insurgency, is also improving.
He rattled off a list of insurgent “networks” that have been rounded up, including some responsible for IED attacks and car bombs.

Petraeus added that the U.S. military commanders “have learned a great deal more about Iranian involvement, very nefarious involvement” inside Iraq, including funding and training for insurgent forces.

Wild Thing’s comment………

Reid, D-Nev., dismissed Cheney’s comments. “I’m not going to get into a name-calling match with the administration’s chief attack dog,” he told reporters.

He calls Cheney the “chief attack dog” in a statement saying he isn’t going to get in a name calling match. Real substantive debate there Harry.
There is a reason Al Qaeda cheered when the dems won in November. But not because Al Qaeda liked them better, it knows if the democRats are able to stay in power and if they get the White House back, the terrorists will be able to attack us again and the rat’s won’t do anything about it. The liberals are so dumb to believe when the terrosts attack, they will ask who is a democrat, and who is a Repuplican

This is a new book coming out, the book covers the 3rd ID’s part in OIF:
Take Down: The 3rd Infantry Division’s Twenty-One Day Assault on Baghdad by Jim Lacey (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2007)
War Chronicle
Here’s a quote from the Introduction…
It was a few thousand soldiers like Sergeant Johnson at the tip of the spear that made the 3rd ID the most awesome weapon of war America has ever placed on the battlefield. They were men who proved absolutely ruthless in fight, but a moment later would start helping enemy wounded, even at great personal risk.
This story from Sergeant Johnson’s experience around As Samawah gives insight into the character of the men who fight America’s wars. In his own words:

We were in an overwatch position after the battle of As Samawah. I was watching through the thermals and I see this Iraqi attempting to sneak up on us in the dark. He gets about seventy-five meters away when all of a sudden this bull comes out of nowhere and demolishes the guy. Really lays him out and thrashes him. The whole platoon is watching and is in absolute hysterics.
Then somehow the guy manages to stab the bull and it bellows and runs away. Using his rifle as a crutch he then starts back towards my vehicle! He then falls down and begins to crawl towards us.
When he is about thirty-five meters away he aims the rifle at us so we killed him with the coax. His rifle was a really nice .303 British so I kept it for a while. Later in the war I was shooting RPG guys from two hundred plus meters away. When that .303 hit them they stayed down for good.
Anyway later that night the bull came back and stomped on this guy for hours. He would gore him, throw him up in the air, and then stomp on him some more. The next day the guy was about three inches thick! We later protected the bull the whole time he was there. We conducted first aid for his wounds and gave him all the water and vegetables we could find. We also protected him from other Iraqis and other soldiers.

This was the 3rd ID’s war, and this is their story….Tens of thousands of Iraqis fought with fanatical, even suicidal, intensity. They were met by dedicated, hard-fighting American soldiers. Sergeant Johnson’s story is typical of the hundreds of engagements the 3rd ID fought before it finally stormed into Baghdad.
It is a story of twenty-one days of brutal fighting, a story that until now has remained largely untold. Mostly it is the story of American soldiers who killed in order to do what America asked them to do, but as one officer stated, “My men could not wait to stop killing and start helping people.”
It is a special breed of man that can fight America’s wars one day and turn to repairing schoolhouses the next.

Ronald Reagan on Appeasement

Harry Reid has said he will not believe David Petraeus if Petraeus reports progress in Iraq as he’s expected to do. In other words, in addition to his declaration of defeat last week, Reid has now in essence called General Petraeus a liar. Let us not forget that this is the same senator who nearly clucked with joy over the prospect of gaining additional Senate seats because the situation in Iraq would be less than satisfactory when the next election season rolls around.
Here is Reid saying he will not believe Petraeus.
VIDEO of REID

Cheney Blasts Reid Over Iraq Comments……Video of Cheney….
Vice President Dick Cheney strongly criticized Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday over comments Senator Reid has made about the Iraq war in recent days. Good for Cheney. Hit the punk in the mouth.

* HOT AIR

Rep. Duncan Hunter takes Reid to task.
While they wrangle over the terms of their surrender legislation, the Democrat leadership has sent the worst of messages to the world. Speaker Pelosi struck the first wedge into what should be a united American foreign policy on Iraq by introducing a defense bill, which would effectively move the position of Commander in Chief to the U.S. Congress. Along with timetables for withdrawal from Iraq, the Pelosi bill, on page 72, mandates a 15 day waiting period before an American unit can be moved into the Iraq war theater. This incredibly obstructive provision would have profound negative effects on our forces’ abilities to fight. For example, should US hostages be taken and a Delta Force team moved from outside the theater to attempt a rescue, Pelosi’s provision would require a fifteen-day waiting period and a report to Congress before the rescue could be attempted. Should a Zarqawi level target be located and U.S. fighter aircraft be deployed from outside Iraq, the same fifteen days would elapse before a strike could be executed. The very nature of the “notice and wait” requirement illustrates how unfamiliar Democrats are with the war against terrorists. This is a new era involving rapid movement of specialized personnel and equipment across theater boundaries. “Notice and wait for two weeks” reflects an ultimate misunderstanding of U.S. military operations.
Democrats, in defending the Pelosi requirement, state that their concern is readiness of our military forces and that the President’s certification of ”full mission capability” and Congress’ fifteen day review of said certification is simply assertion of normal congressional oversight responsibilities.
This position should be rejected for several reasons. First, such micro management can never work in a congress, which takes weeks to tee up a hearing.
Second, readiness levels are a complicated thing, often unreflective of real military capability.
For example, if an infantry company does not have its flu shots, it will be rated as “unready.” In the world of speaker Pelosi, this may justify non-deployment, but to a soldier engaged in combat and awaiting reinforcements, the message that the speaker is worried that the re-enforcements will catch the flu and will have to “stay home from school” until they get their shots is hardly inspiring.
All this reflects the wisdom of the Constitution’s reserving Commander in Chief responsibilities for the single leader elected by the entire nation. Even the Washington Post noted the obvious intrusion of the Pelosi bill on the President’s powers.
Senate leader Reid quickly followed Speaker Pelosi with his own mis-guided “missile,” in announcing that the U.S. had “lost” the war in Iraq. Just as Speaker Pelosi had surprised the Israelis by becoming their ambassador to Syria without portfolio, Senator Reid’s comments must have been a surprise to some.
Consider, for example what effect they might have on an Al-Qaeda leader in Anbar Province. As he sits in his safe house outside Fallujah, the bad news has been coming in. His assassinations of Sunni Tribal leaders have turned the region against him. Sunnis are joining the Iraqi Army in Anbar Province in unprecedented numbers.
The Sunni led national police force is working with the Shiite led Army and the U.S. Marine Corps to push back against Al-Qaeda. The terrorist leader is interrupted from his “bad news” briefings by ecstatic aides. “Senator Reid has surrendered,” they shriek. “He says the U.S. has lost the war.” The Al-Qaeda leader asks the aides if they are joking, and, assured they are not, turns to the task of redoubling his efforts. This statement can only have the effect of encouraging the enemy in Iraq.

Scheduling the memorial day right before the independence day is supposed to remind people of the price paid for independence and of what was achieved with the soldiers’ sacrifice. This transition shows the importance of this day among Israelis, among whom many, if not most, have served in the armed forces or have a connection with people who were killed during their military service.
Days before the celebration, Israeli flags begin to wave from almost every house and car. On the eve of Israel Independence Day, there are parties, singing and dancing on the streets, and fireworks. On Independence Day, everyone packs their picnic baskets with charcoal, lots of meat, Israeli salad, and bamba. Then they head out in search of the perfect picnic spot. The whole country is dotted with families outdoors enjoying “The Land.”
Acting President Dalia Itzik, whose speech opened the ceremony, referenced the connection between Independence Day and Memorial Day, saying “our grief encompasses our joy.

“Dear citizens, we live in a long war whose end we cannot see. Alongside our peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt, we hear from near and far, constant sounds of war.” Addressing the source of such incitement, she asked Iran and Syria to “leave off your wickedness, for Israel lives and lets live.”
“Residents of Iran, Syria and the Palestinian Authority, has there not been enough blood spilled, yours and ours? Replace your Katyushas and Qassams with computers and education, and finally, be rewarded with peace and quiet,” she said.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz invited families of kidnapped Israeli soldiers to the ceremony at Mount Herzl.
Among those who attended were the families of the three soldiers kidnapped by Hizbullah in 2000, the families of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev kidnapped by Hizbullah in 2006, and the family of Zachary Baumel, captured in battle in 1982.
Israel of 2007 is a very different country from Israel in 1948. The population has grown almost by almost nine times and stands at almost seven million people. Israel now has five cities with over 200,000 residents each, a far cry from 1948, when Tel Aviv was the only city with over 100,000 residents.

Wild Thing’s comment………
Since 1948, Israel has defended itself against the hostility of its neighbors and the enmity of many who wished the State would disappear. And not only did Israel survive — it thrived. I pray they never ever lose their inheritance again.
But of course the enemy cannot let them celebrate in peace, no way.
Dozens of Celebrating Jews Threatened by Israeli Arab Mob
(IsraelNN.com) An Arab mob of several thousand – including young men on horseback and others waving PLO flags – surrounded and threatened about 150 Jews from Haifa who went to a public forest to celebrate Israeli Independence Day. A Jewish young man was lightly injured in the ensuing clash.
On Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the group of Haifa families made their way to the Megiddo Forest, in the north of the country, a group of Arab youths on horseback accosted the Jewish celebrants, jeered and threatened them. As the young Arab men continued their menacing behavior, they called more Arab youths to join them. Some of the new arrivals were waving flags of the PLO terrorist organization.

“Within a short time, there were hundreds of Arabs surrounding us,” one of the Jewish celebrants said. “We felt threatened. We are here with little children and they are threatening us. We called the police. They promised they would handle it and send a patrol car, but the car never arrived. We called the police again and again, but the help never arrived.”

At this stage of the incident, a few of the Jewish young men, with Israeli flags in hand, charged the gathering Arab mob. Within moments, a fight broke out, during which one of the Jewish youths suffered a light injury to the face. The Arabs, still threatening the Jewish families, called for more of their comrades to join them.
Within forty minutes of the start of the incident, 6,000 Arabs waving PLO flags and making menacing threats had gathered around the group of Jews in Megiddo Forest. It was only at this point that a border guard patrol jeep showed up on the scene, with just six soldiers.
Speaking from the forest at about 3:40 pm, one member of the Jewish group described the outcome of the day’s events:

“The border guards are handling [the group of Arabs] and trying to block them. They are a few dozen meters from us. We are folding up to go. They are staying here. We can’t stay here when we have so many little children with us. …It is sad that this is the picture in the center of the country on the Independence Day of the State of Israel.”

But there was a time when they made an oopsie and actually said Iraq needed to be delt with as well as Saddam.
OOPS is right and the key word here…how soon THEY er ah forget. But then they have selective memory at best those down and dirty traitors the Democrats.

Democrat Hypocrisy on Iraq