Theodore's World

Linking Islam to terror ‘will divide civilisations’ this was the headline in one of the articles at Gulf News
More on the article is also found at Jihad Watch

Bahrain yesterday warned that associating Islam with terrorism would be a devastating blow to humanity and would deepen the abyss between civilisations.
“Islam is a tolerant and peaceful religion and it is the identity of many nations and peoples. Associating this religion with terrorism amounts to accusing whole nations of supporting it and, eventually, playing into the hands of radicals and extremists. Such a stance is a grave mistake that annihilates understanding between peoples,” Shura (upper) Council Chairman Dr Faisal Al Mousawi said at the opening of the international conference in Manama between Bahrain’s parliament and the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats.

And this quote taken from the rest of the article further down………………

Such a stance is a grave mistake that annihilates understanding between peoples,” Shura (upper) Council Chairman Dr Faisal Al Mousawi said at the opening of the international conference in Manama

Wild Thing’s comment…….
Everyone knows that the Muslims have spread their religion by the sword! Islam’s Muhammad, the man that started the cult of pedophilia, murder and theft, beating of women and the list goes on and on. He was immoral, a criminal, and violent. He was a thief, liar, assassin, mass murderer, terrorist, warmonger, and an unrestrained sexual pervert engaged in pedophilia, incest, and rape. He authorized deception, assassinations, torture, slavery, and genocide. He was a pirate, not a prophet. According to the Hadith and the Qur’an, Muhammad and his henchmen plundered their way to power and prosperity.
And by putting the Qur’an in chronological order and correlating it with the context of Muhammad’s life as it was reported in the Sira, Sunnah and Hadith, we also find that Allah mirrored his prophet’s character. Muhammad’s god condoned immoral and criminal behavior. Allah boasts about being a terrorist. He claims to have deceived men, to have stolen their property, to have enslaved women and children, to having committed acts of murder, genocide, and sadistic tortures.
Islam a religion of Peace? I think NOT!
Good grief…..”devastating blow to humanity”?????? Excuse me but those delivering the BLOW to humanity are those that follow Islam. sheesh
…”and would deepen the abyss between civilisations”….…..but wait civilizations, doesn’t that have the word civilized in it?? What the hell is civilized about Islam. I mean really, I am dead on serious here.
…“annihilates understanding between peoples”….Islam has annihilated the rest of the world, it has kept Jews out of Saudia Arbia, it speaks of hate and killing of the Saturday people ( the Jews) and the Sunday people ( the Christians). What an oxymoron! Since when IS barbarism called civilization? Islam is an anti-civilization cult par excellence. It destroyed every civilization it touched and brought misery, poverty, ignorance and war in every country that it invaded!
I think ole Al Mousawi has not been in contact with the likes of some of the KLAN such as Abu Mus’ab al Zarqawi, Osama Bin Laden, Osama Bin Laden’s lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahri, Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah
(remember how he lead the call in destroying the USA and Israel), Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, Iran leader and terrorist President-Elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Hell they are all radical and should be taken out ! 90%-95% of all the conflicts on this planet today involve Muslims fighting NON-Muslims or each other!!!

Hassan Nasrallah:”How can death become joyous? How can death become happiness? When Al-Hussein asked his nephew Al-Qassem, when he had not yet reached puberty: ‘How do you like the taste of death, son?’ He answered that it was sweeter than honey. How can the foul taste of death become sweeter than honey? Only through conviction, ideology, and faith, through belief, and devotion. We are not interested in our own personal security. On the contrary, each of us lives his days and nights hoping more than anything to be killed for the sake of Allah.”

“We don’t make a distinction between civilians and non-civilians, innocents and non-innocents. Only between Muslims and unbelievers. And the life of an unbeliever has no value. It has no sanctity.” – Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad

“We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you.” – Hussein Massawi, former leader of Hezbollah

Islam leaders and the list is long of the followers that have interpreted this verse literally!!! There are over a hundred passages in the Qur’an, includng all of Sura.
Just a few verses of the Qur’an as proof of what Islam is about……..

Sura (chapter) 47 contains the ayah (verse):
“When you encounter the unbelievers on the
battlefield, strike off their heads until you have
crushed them completely; then bind the prisoners tightly.”
Qur’an 8:12 “I shall terrorize the infidels.
So wound their bodies and incapacitate them
because they oppose Allah and His Apostle.”

See my Terrorist page at my web site for more verses and quotes.

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The Lambeth Council in London will no longer be putting up ‘Christmas’ lights. Instead, they will be called ‘winter lights’.

The festive season is not yet upon us, but Christmas has already been banned from some seasonal light displays.The latest local authority to take the Christ out of Christmas is Lambeth in South London, where bureaucrats in all but one district are making sure their seasonal lights are bereft of any connotation of Christianity. Instead, council officials have used the words “Winter Lights” and “Celebrity Lights”.

The crusade against CHRISTmas lights continues in the City of Portsmouth.

Same lights, but don’t mention Christmas
HAVANT Council has renamed its Christmas lights as the Festival of Lights in a bid not to offend religious groups.
Shoppers, traders and community leaders said Havant was now becoming the ‘scrooge town of the south’.
The decision comes after Father Christmas and his grotto was booted out of the Meridian Centre in West Street over health and safety fears.
But council leader David Gillett said: ‘It’s Christmas and these are Christmas lights. I don’t see any sense in denying this.
‘I can’t for the life of me see why people would be offended by this and, to be honest, I don’t think anyone is.’
The lights cost more than £5,000 this year and have been funded by the council and the Havant Business Group.
The display will be the same as last year and will still feature a Christmas tree with shoppers and families invited to carol singing, a Christmas market and other festive events.
Town centre manager Gail Grant, who oversaw the whole project, was unavailable for comment and Dawn Baxendale, director of community services at the council, refused to comment on how and why the decision was made.

Wild Thing’s comment…..
Excuzzzzee me but Christmas is NOT a Muslim holiday the last time I checked. A-hem the name of the holiday is CHRISTmas NOT Winter Holiday or any other name. Will this kissing up to Muslims come to our shores as it has Britain??? I have steam coming out of my ears. When it gets to the stage where local councils (as in England) start banning mention of words like ‘Christmas’ because it *might* offend people of other religions then that is a step too far. Christmas is the celebration of CHRIST’s birth and yes it is to celebrate the act of giving and sacrifice… but of CHRIST for us.
At the same time as our Christmas there is also a very special Jewish Holiday of Hanukkah. Will that be next, will that be somehow changed too in case it MIGHT offend another religion and a so-called religion of peace at that, the one called Islam???? Hanukkah is a festive holiday that celebrates a great victory for freedom. The liberation of Jerusalem and a miracle witnessed in the holy Temple 2,000 years ago. For eight days the oil burned, and the light of freedom still burns in Jewish homes and synagogues everywhere.
It is interesting and maddening to see that even if the Muslims have not demanded the name to be changed City’s are doing it “just in case”. Now don’t you think this is wrong? Don’t you see that living in fear of what might happen only gives more credibility to the Muslims and their desire to take control? It is PC to the Max! Councils etc. are taking political correctness way too far. When traveling to other countries it was one of the things to take note of, the differences in cultures. I as an America would never dream of visiting another country knowing the difference in cultures and then attacking it. If it were not to my liking I probably would not be going to that country in the first place except in wartime to visit the troops. And even then I would never tell that country how to be like America for their holidays.
And what gets me too about all of this is that they say it is being done not to upset those with other cultures. Why not at least be honest about the WHY of it. Good grief, is being honest so hard to do? They fear of being attacked, they fear more riots and that is why this is being done. And the worst part is that if this happens here it will be lead by the freaken ACLU (all communists Love Us). The ACLU has already done this by not wanting religious symbols on public property.

* Stuck on Stupid Blog has Christmas: To Be Or Not To Be?
* Michelle Milken has THE WAR AGAINST CHRISTMAS

Bomber Bloodies U.S. Toy Giveaway
BAGHDAD, Nov. 24 — A suicide attacker steered a car packed with explosives toward U.S. soldiers giving away toys to children outside a hospital in central Iraq on Thursday, killing at least 31 people. Almost all of the victims were women and children, police said.

U.S. military helicopters ferried the top U.S. officer in Iraq, Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., from base to base so he could deliver Thanksgiving greetings and encouragement.

Also mentioned here:
* Mudville Gazette
The vile death seeking terrorists also targeted and bombed a civilian hospital in Mahmoudiya that is 20 miles south of Baghdad.
Also mentioned here:
* Major K
Wild Thing comment….
These so called human beings, the terrorists have such a hate that even children cannot soften their evil hearts. Our troops have to go through so much, and a lot that even at their blogs they cannot discuss or share with us. My biggest hope and prayer is that they always know 1000% that we are for them. That we are so very proud of them and we do realize the sacrifices they make for us, for America, and for the world. There are several Dems in each of the two offices where I work and I keep reminding them that our troops are fighting for them too. I will NEVER let a leftie in my presence off the hook with their BS.
And to our Troops………..always know we way out number the sicko lefties.

Democrats Speak Out on WMD
Carl Limbacher for NewsMax
Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005
Perhaps Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) should have done some research before charging the Bush administration with “manufacturing” and “manipulating” pre-war intelligence relating to Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction programs.
In particular, Reid should have researched statements made by several prominent members of his own Democratic Party.
Republicans have circulated numerous pre-war Democratic statements on weapons of mass destruction since Reid blurred the line between the claims of the Democratic Party and the slanders of Michael Moore. Reid on Nov. 1 invoked Rule 21, accusing the Bush administration of purposely misleading the public in the run-up to the Iraq war.
Bottom Line: If the Bush administration was lying about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, then so too were many leading Democrats.
The following is a list of statements made by prominent Democrats on Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction program:
Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.)
“According to the CIA’s report, all U.S. intelligence experts agree that Iraq is seeking nuclear weapons. There is little question that Saddam Hussein wants to develop nuclear weapons.”
Wild Thing’s comment……I am putting my comment here as the article is long so click below to read the article…………thank you……
OK so here is one of the many things I just don’t get about these Terrorcrats ( the left, the liberals, the Democrats) they make statements, big statements, statements regarding world affairs and the security of our country statements. It gets them on talk shows, in the media, it keeps them in the news, up front and personal. They are relied upon by their own sheep that follow every word spoken by these terrorcrats.Oh so and so said it so it must be true. Note here that most of the sheep do not follow every day news of what is happening in the world such as the many graves Saddam had, the torture he did to his people pretty much goes unnoticed by the sheep because it has nothing to do with the last reading at Barnes Noble or hanging our at a coffee house and trying to sound intellectual to another sheep nodding in agreement how the world is coming to an end if something isn’t done about global warming and that one kind of bird that needs to be protected from the evil lumberjacks that want to keep a clearings in State Parks to make it possible fight forest fires.
They pay no attention at all to the numerous times the idiot Cheif UN weapons inspector Hans Blix went back and forth to Iraq giving Saddam enough time not only to move the WMD but to get rid of all the sand and replace it with sod and landscape the entire country of Iraq.
Take a look further down in the article of the DATES of the quotes by chia pet hair President Clinton. The sheep would sit by their TV sets, glazed over eyes and brain dead and nod in agreement, oh yes this man is dangerous, this Saddam. Just listen because President Clinton said so. The truth is Saddam is and was dangerous, not only to his neighboring countries but to the world. His payments to suicide bombers families and I firmly believe he did have a connection to Osama, but that is my opinion and gut feeling. Funny thing some of the things were true that the Dems said under Clinton about Saddam.
But here is the kicker, here is what I will never get………….Only because the President is a Republican that went after Saddam, only because he took action where his predecessor wimped out, the left cannot stand the truth now. Their hate for Republicans, and for President Bush is beyond the pale. It is so deep it is part of their DNA much like the actual terrorists hate all NON-Muslims and want us dead. Thus now WMD has become a lie, the sheep and their leaders have conveniently forgotten their quotes, their agreement with one another that WMD did exist! Even when faced with past quotes they will not answer to it, they will not respond to ” but you said this blah blah blah back in such and such”.
If a person says something, believes in it or does something they believe in then said person needs to own up to it. But the terrorcrats are such natural born liars they feel no guilt at all in feeling accountable for their remarks or deeds. Men(?) like Harry Reid and others have NO emotion of wrong doing when they lie. They could stand outside your front door in a blizzard and tell you that the sun is shinning and it is 80 degrees outside and the sheep would say ” get the swimsuits out Velma we are going to the beach”. You and I would stand on the other side of the door and tell Reid he is a freaken liar and to stand back he has a 38 aimed at his Pa Kettle face! ( Maybe not that drastic but you get my drift. hahaha)
I just don’t get how a person can believe the lies of the left when they are so blatant. I am 5’11” and it would be as though I would stand next to someone 5′ tall and tell them we are the same height and the person would say ” I noticed that too”. Sheesh! Helloooo is anyone home?
I think this is one of my biggest pet peeves with the left, one of many. The way they lie right in our faces and we are supposed to take it, to accept it. Then the media joins in with promoting their lies and their spin. Like Rush Limbaugh has said many times, the left are given their spin for the week and it is true, we can hear the same spin somehow brought in to every interview by various lefties for that week. One would have to be totally deaf and Non Compos Mentis not to notice.

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Musician Charlie Daniels Mission To Help Iraq Troops Takes Off
11/23/2005 9:30:13 AM
A morale-boosting project for troops in Iraq has reached a crescendo of giving.
When singer Charlie Daniels learned that soldiers lacked guitars for church services, he sent one of his own. He followed that by asking guitar manufacturers to follow his example.
The Mount Juliet (Tennessee) resident says only one company that he refuses to name turned down his request. Otherwise, he says the response has been more generous than he would have thought.
Nashville-based Gibson Guitar, one of the nation’s top instrument makers, surprised Daniels by offering 100 guitars worth 35-thousand dollars, and thousands of dollars worth of accessories. Other companies have followed Gibson’s example, donating hundreds more electric and acoustic guitars, as well as dozens of keyboards, drum kits, microphones and amplifiers. Contributions to the effort called “Operation Heartstrings” have included laptop computers and thousands of D-V-Ds and C-Ds.
Wild Thing Comment………….
Isn’t is fabulous to see Charlie Daniels and the things, thw many things he does for our Troops and always has. He has never wavered in it either.

From the Edmonton Sun
TORONTO — Years after 9-11 and the “crazy Zeitgeist” that permeated the United States, Americans have still not learned to know their enemies instead of just hating them, said American political journalist Chris Matthews yesterday.
In a speech to political science students at the University of Toronto, the host of the CNBC current affairs show Hardball had plenty of harsh words for U.S. President George W. Bush, as well as the political climate that has characterized his country for the last few years.

“The period between 9-11 and (invading) Iraq was not a good time for America. There wasn’t a robust discussion of what we were doing,” Matthews said.”If we stop trying to figure out the other side, we’ve given up. The person on the other side is not evil. They just have a different perspective.
“The smartest people understand the enemy’s point of view, because they understand what’s driving them.”

Wild Thing’s comment…..Now wait just a sliced Turkey minute here! The terrorists are not evil they just have different perspective? Hey Chris once again you have established you are brain dead. Won’t you be surprised when you learn they want you dead just like the rest of us.

Article also discussed at:
* Blackfive
* Michelle Malkin

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Principal rejects anti-war assignment (Teachers wanted 3rd graders to write anti-war letters)
Madison students’ planned letters set off dispute
By BOB PURVIS
bpurvis@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 22, 2005
The principal at a Madison elementary school where teachers assigned third-graders to write a dozen letters urging an end to the war in Iraq sent a letter of apology to parents and ordered teachers to rescind the assignment Tuesday.
A letter sent home Friday with third-graders at Frank Allis Elementary School explaining the assignment to parents said students would be assigned 12 letters to write to third-graders at other Wisconsin and out-of-state schools, federal lawmakers, the media and President Bush.
If the war hadn’t ended by the 12th day of letter writing, students would have had to start the process all over again. The letter gave parents an opt-out option and said the assignment was intended to teach civic responsibility, composition and handwriting skills.
The assignment irked U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-Wis.), who sent a letter to the school’s principal.
“It’s a profound misjudgment to use third-grade students as political pawns regardless of the issue,” said Green.
“If I received letters from third-grade students saying, ‘Dear Congressman Green, please vote for the war,’ I would be equally as disturbed.”
School Principal Chris Hodge said the third-grade teachers came to her with the proposal last week. She believed it violated district policy but wanted to check with administration officials first.
Hodge said the teachers misinterpreted her comments and sent a letter about the campaign to parents anyway. She immediately canceled the project after finding out.
The campaign violated two district policies: one that bans teachers from promoting their personal political beliefs to students; and another that requires teachers to address opposing views when presenting controversial topics, said district spokesman Joe Quick.
“It was a mistake on the teachers’ part,” Quick said. “They were very enthusiastic about what they were trying to do and didn’t realize it violated School Board policy.”
Most of the calls made to the district about the assignment were from media outlets, not angry parents, Quick said.

Wild Thing comment…….
Besides making me furious I don’t know which I am angrier at, the terrorists hugging teachers or the piece of crap parents that did not get angry about this. How about if parents start suing teachers who use classrooms as political platforms…….well somethng…..something has to be done. I mean several times now we have read where children at schools are excused from class as long as they participate in a protest aganist the war and our troops. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
What a bunch of Freakin’ pinko-commies there are teaching the children, the next generation of what…..OH Look Mom and Dad I got an A+ in how to carry a sign properly in a protest against our Military.
A Hump Day link to:
* Cao’s Blog * BIG DOG * Don Surber

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Jack Idema and his men have suffered immeasurably at the hands of the United States government over in Afghanistan for fighting the enemy. For some strange reason, American policy has now changed and left many of our operators out in the cold.
We are no longer going after our enemies to kill them; we have now instituted a policy of appeasement.
In the lurch are Jack Idema, Brent Bennett and Ed Caraballo, a blameless journalist who was only documenting what Jack was doing.
These men were charged in July with running a “torture chamber” when all they were doing was questioning men who were plotting to kill Qanooni, Fahim, and many other men who are, in fact real and true anti-Taliban, anti-terrorist American allies. The Karzai government has taken a position of appeasing the Taliban, allowing them to run in the elections, and releasing them from jails.
In the meantime, Idema and his men were charged with nonexistent crimes and put before a Taliban-lead kangaroo court and convicted, sentenced to 10 years, Caraballo to 8. Immediately after they were taken into custody, they were tortured at Saderat, the extreme interrogation compound with FBI agents laughing about it in the hallway.

Shortly after their [Jack and his team’s] arrest, they were subjected to varying degrees of torture and interrogation, apparently determined by rank. Jack Idema was repeatedly beaten by, and in the presence of- Amrullah at NDS Headquarters, as was Lieutenant Rasuli. A palace official was personally aware of and authorizing, at a minimum, Idema’s initial torture at NDS Headquarters by Amrullah, with FBI agents in close proximity and directing the interrogation.
During the following days and nights Idema was tortured with boiling water, starvation, threats of death, and assault with various implements (such as wire cables and rubber whips), resulting in broken ribs, a separated sternum, torn rotator cuffs, hemorrhaged eyes, multiple concussions, lacerations, contusions, and bruises. Although the U.S. Embassy later had medical reports indicating the extent of the torture, Sandra Ingram, Assistant U.S. Consul DOS Kabul, ordered the reports rewritten to tone down the extent of the injuries.

John Tiffany and Jack Idema immediately appealed the ‘guilty verdict’; and 5 Afghan appeals court judges rendered them INNOCENT in late March, early April of 2005.

They are still being held at the behest of the American government because apparently now the Northern Alliance is “unrecognized” and considered part of the “resistance”. We have flipped sides in the middle of a conflict with SF operators and military personnel still on the ground.
We must demand from our government officials that these men be released. They have committed no crime.
We should also be questioning a dangerous policy of turning our backs on our allies.
They should be released from custody, they’ve been declared innocent by the Afghans, and have been recognized by the Afghans as having POW status.
We should be wondering why a Geneva Convention hearing with regard to their POW status which has been denied by the American government.
There should be a congressional hearing as to what has happened with regard to these men, and the people involved should be held responsible.
Write your representatives.
Write your representatives, your congressmen, the President, Condoleeza Rice, Director Mueller (FBI) and Ambassador Neumann (the new Ambassador to Afghanistan since this spring).
Contact information:
for Condoleeza Rice
Main address:
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Main Switchboard:
202-647-4000
TTY:
1-800-877-8339 (Federal Relay Service)
Send a message from their website to Condoleeza Rice, and be civil.
Send a message to the US Embassy in Kabul. The new Ambassador to Afghanistan is Ronald E. Neumann.
American Citizen Services
U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan
Phone: (+93-20) 230-0436
Mobile: (93) 070-20-1908
E-mail: usconsulkabul@state.gov
Ambassador Khalizad is now Ambassador to Iraq. Judging from his questionable track record in Afghanistan, I don’t have a very high opinion of his work in Iraq, and now I have all kinds of questions as to what exactly we are accomplishing there, and under whose guiding influences.
Send a message to Director Mueller, the head of the FBI.
FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Call (202) 324-3000 or write to the following address:
Federal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20535-0001
Also, we should inquire and write about Caraballo’s status to the Society of Professional Journalists and why they haven’t lifted a finger in Caraballo’s case:
Maria Trombly
Chair, SPJ’s International Journalism Committee
Work : (212) 931-0152, (413) 323-0842
maria@trombly.com

We should make it clear that we know what has gone on here and that it’s an outrage and all men from TF Sabre/7 should be released, exonerated, their names cleared. And we should be also pushing for a Congressional investigation as to who was involved, the how and the why. Nobody fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq should EVER have to worry about being hung out to dry like this by a government that is employing stalinist tactics and turning its back on all the freedoms and rights that have been provided and guaranteed us by our founding documents and the blood of our forefathers, many of whom are laying at Arlington cemetary–as well as old standards which all men in uniform think they have as safeguards such as the Geneva Conventions. Are we to apply the Geneva Conventions to terrorists to whom these safeguards don’t apply and ignore them for our men in uniform for whom they were written???
If so, we’re setting ourselves up for FAILURE in this TERROR WAR.
This is the “Free Jack” campaign.
To join the campaign, email Cao from Cao’s blog and tell her you want to join the Free Jack Idema blogburst. You will be added to the blogroll and she’ll send you the html code to put up for that week in case you’re pressed for time and can’t put something together…or you can write your own.
We will be blogging on this every Wednesday until he and his team are released, and when they are, we’ll be blogging about a congressional hearing.
Cao will maintain an email list, and will email you the post of the week along with a picture (if there is one for that week) to host at your blog.
Join the fight. No American should ever have to worry about ending up in this predicament ever again. But first, we must make sure they get home safely and in one piece.
These are the blogs so far who are participating:

“The SuperPatriots and Jack images on this site are used with written copyright permission and any use by any third party is subject to legal action by SuperPatriots.US”.
Wild Thing’s comment……………
For more than 27 years Jack Idema has defended his country in Latin America, South America, Eastern Europe, Africa, the Mid-East, South East Asia, Central America, and finally, South West Asia. For more than a quarter of a century Jack has worked in counter-terrorists projects and activities which may never be known or written about but which have kept America and its allies free from oppressors and terrorists.

CW3 Christopher Palumbo. Chief Palumbo is an Army Aviator flying UH60 Blackhawk helicopters in Afghanistan

“History does not long entrust
the care of freedom to the
weak or the timid.”
– General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Palumbo, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, is awarded the Silver Star by CJTF-76 commanding general Army Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya.
Staff Sgt. Ken Denny

An Army aviator was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in a ceremony Oct. 1 in Bagram, Afghanistan
Army Chief Warrant Officer Three Christopher Palumbo from A Co., 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, was awarded the medal for his actions April 11. Palumbo was the pilot in command of “Skillful 31,” the call sign for a UH-60L Blackhawk helicopter conducting aviation operations in Southeast Afghanistan that came under fire while supporting Special Operations Soldiers.
“I was going to do whatever it took to ensure those Special Forces soldiers were protected and spared from any further injuries,” Palumbo said. While inserting a quick reaction force and extracting two wounded Soldiers, Palumbo and his crew were credited with killing more than six enemy and were constantly under fire from small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.
“None of the crew aboard Skillful 31 had any reservations,” Palumbo said. “Over 50 bullet holes, shot-up engine, shot-up cabin and cockpit, one crew chief wounded, four blades tore up…we were lucky.” Luck may have had something to do with it but Palumbo said, “I think while the fight played out instinct took over and training just kicked in.”
Palumbo worried for the safety of his crew but said that none of his crew had any reservations about the importance of the mission or more importantly the troops on the ground.
“I think this incident just reinforced the bond that aviators have with their infantry brethren and reminds us that the war in Afghanistan is not over,” said Palumbo. “There are many soldiers all over this country taking the fight to the enemy and persevering.” The news of the award shocked Palumbo.
“I never realized the magnitude of the actions we took that day,” he said.
(Editor’s note: Army Staff Sgt. Ken Denny serves with the
117th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)