Thursday, April 30, 2015

Videos:UK - muslim vote to decide this election?

Much has been written about how, in the not too distant future, muslims will be a large enough segment of British society to affect every aspect of life. With the imminent election, it is now being noted that the muslim vote could decide who the next Prime Minister is.

From The Clarion Project:


Islamists demonstrate in the UK against voting in the upcoming May 7 elections.

British Politicians Woo 'Muslim Vote' With Pledges

 British Muslims — who voted overwhelmingly for Labour in the 2010 general election — could determine who will be the next prime minister. 


 BY SOEREN KERN
Thu, April 30, 2015


The leader of Britain's Labour Party, Ed Miliband, has vowed, if he becomes the next prime minister in general elections on May 7, to outlaw "Islamophobia."

The move — which one observer has called "utterly frightening" because of its implications for free speech in Britain — is part of an effort by Miliband to pander to Muslim voters in a race that he has described as "the tightest general election for a generation."

With the ruling Conservatives and the opposition Labour running neck and neck in the polls just days before voters cast their ballots, British Muslims — who voted overwhelmingly for Labour in the 2010 general election — could indeed determine who will be the next prime minister.

In an interview with The Muslim News, Miliband said:

"We are going to make it [Islamophobia] an aggravated crime. We are going to make sure it is marked on people's records with the police to make sure they root out Islamophobia as a hate crime.


"We are going to change the law on this so we make it absolutely clear of our abhorrence of hate crime and Islamophobia. It will be the first time that the police will record Islamophobic attacks right across the country."  [because of course muslims *never* attack infidels on the streets of England!  ]


Read the rest here. 

I, for one, would be quite happy if muslims chose to obey the poster above, and were no-shows at the election booth, but that's just me.

After all, is it islamophobia to point out this picture of one of the hundreds of 'demonstrations' islamists held in London?


This picture has been commonplace in England these last few years, as the islamists are very clear of their goals for the UK and the world.  Take a look at one of my least favourite people on the planet:



 Islamic flag to fly over Number 10 Downing Street - Anjem Choudary

That is from 2011 and the islamists have shown no reticence in screaming their ultimate goal from any street corner in the UK.

This insidious 'religion of pieces' has been a vocal - and very visible - part of  UK society for years and yet, they are allowed to 'protest' because of the tolerance of the very society they insist they will transform:


Back in October I wrote "Anjem Choudary proves he is still a scourge."  That was written in the wake of the very public beheading of Soldier Lee Rigby, and Choudary  usual diatribe included  "I don't feel sorry for the beheaded."

Now, in this election, Britons who reject the murderous ideology as practised by Choudary and his sycophants, MUST get out and vote for the denunciation of those whose only goal is to radically change the face of Britain.

Wake UP, Britain.


Related:  Muslims voters will decide 25% of election seats, claims neocon think-tank

London's Holy Turf Wars - MUST WATCH Video

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Military kids ALSO Serve

(photo)


From the DoD:

Military Kids Make Parents’ Service Possible, First Lady Says


By Lisa DanielAmerican Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, April 13, 2012 – First Lady Michelle Obama highlighted the shared sacrifices of military children while meeting with the teenage daughters of service members yesterday in Jacksonville, Fla.


“On behalf of myself and my husband, I want to tell you all truly how proud we are of you,” Obama told hundreds of high school girls, along with some of their parents, who greeted her at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. “We are so proud of you.  We are inspired by you, and we are grateful for everything that you do for this country every single day.”

[...]

“When we talk about how our men and women in uniform sacrifice so much and serve this country so bravely, we’re not just talking about your parents,” Obama said. “We are talking about all of you.  We’re talking about our military kids and our military families, because we know that when your parents are called to serve, you all serve right alongside them.


The first lady recognized the girls for their frequent forced relocations and dealing with deployed parents.

“When your parents get that call to pick up and move halfway across the country, you pick up and move right alongside them,” she said. “And then, just when you finally get settled in, just when you’re feeling comfortable and make friends and start fitting in, what happens?  That call comes again, right?”...


White House under hack attack - again?


From Homeland Security News Wire:

Russian hackers gained access to unclassified White House e-mails


28 April 2015


Reports that Russian hackers gained access to unclassified e-mails to and from President Barack Obama during last October’s White House e-mail breach, are adding to concerns regarding the security of government communications systems.


According to the New York Times, Russian hackers broke into the email archives of people working in the White House who regularly exchanged correspondence with the president. The hackers were then able to read e-mails that Obama had sent and received.


“This attack is a red flag that they really need to improve their security procedures. It’s quite serious,” said Kevin Mitnick, a former hacker who is now a computer security consultant. “It’s not surprising — the government has a huge attack surface where someone can exploit the computer data through a security flaw in the unclassified system,” Mitnick added.


Cybersecurity professionals are trying to figure out how exactly hackers breached White House e-mail systems. According to the Guardian, one theory is that the attackers could have infected government staffers’ computer systems when the staffers were working off-site using external wireless networks in places such as coffee shops or their homes.


“You can compromise the system in their house, then use that to jump on to the system issued from the government,” said cybersecurity researcher John Bumgarner. “Perhaps you would springboard from the State Department email into the White House e-mail.”...

“This attack is a red flag that they really need to improve their security procedures. It’s quite serious,..."

You think???????  What happened to that whole 'reset' thing? 

Canada: New Chief of Defence Staff named


From The Globe and Mail:

New defence chief brings experience, charisma to military’s public face
Campbell ClarkOttawaApril 27, 2015
(Picture:  Global News)

He’s the first officer from the class of Kandahar to rise to lead Canada’s armed forces. And he’ll take the helm at a time when another mission, against Islamic State, is the government’s first military priority.

Lieutenant-General Jonathan Vance, a commander with experience in combat and in front of TV cameras, has officially been named the next chief of defence staff.

It was clear, though the new top general was presented in a brief photo op in the Prime Minister’s Office, why Stephen Harper has picked him: the PM highlighted the missions against Islamic State, and to reassure allies in Eastern Europe, as central to an “important time” for the Canadian Forces.

There’s little doubt Mr. Harper is leaning on Lt.-Gen. Vance’s operational experience as a combat commander, including two tours commanding troops in Kandahar, and in serving as the military’s public face for missions in Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq. Lt.-Gen. Vance has less experience with the institutional challenges the Forces face: coping with strained budgets and delayed purchases of major equipment. He’s known for charisma and a dynamic personality, for a sharp mind and for blunt talk. As head of the Forces’ Strategic Joint Staff, where he briefed Parliament and the public on the Libya mission in 2011, and then as commander of Joint Operations, where he oversaw the Islamic State mission, he’s had a more public profile and more close contact with the PM than other senior generals have had.

With the promotion of Lt.-Gen. Vance, 51, comes generational change, to those who served in the defining Canadian mission in recent decades, in Kandahar.

“This is truly the first senior commander who has been produced in the crucible of Afghanistan,” said Dr. Howard Coombs, professor of history and war studies at the Royal Military College in Kingston. “For people to excel in that environment, they had to be agile intellectually.”...

Monday, April 27, 2015

US Senate Hearing focuses on northern border security


Lawmakers want more attention to be paid to security along the northern border


27 April 2015

Over the years, concerns over U.S. border security have largely focused on the southern border, where hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants have been apprehended and millions of dollars in illegal drugs have been seized by border patrol agents. U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) tried to shift lawmakers’ focus toward the U.S.-Canada border at last week’s Senatehearing on border security, “Securing the Border: Understanding Threats and Strategies for the Northern Border.” At one point during the hearing, Booker focused on a ditch which separates western Washington state and British Columbia, one of many weak spots along the border. Areas like the ditch are left unguarded, making it easy for drug smugglers, terrorists, and human traffickers to cross over without detection.

The hearing last week was a fifth in a series exploring the challenges associated with U.S. entry points. Drawing attention to the security risks on the Canadian border has been a challenge. “It’s kind of the forgotten border,” said Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota). The border is not associated with highly chared issues such as immigration, day laborers, and violent drug traffickers.

Heitkamp, who has been vocal on security concerns at the northern border, drafted two amendments during the Senate’s 2013 immigration reform debate. One amendment aimed to speed up commercial goods flowing between the two countries by allowing border patrol agents to work more closely together; another tried to ensure the northern border received adequate resources- financial and manpower- just as lawmakers flooded the southern border with more patrol agents and program funding. Neither of Heitkamp’s amendments received a vote....

There is much more here....


Pay attention, America, to the hordes of ne'er-do-wells flooding your northern border.

Omar Khadr granted bail



Omar Khadr   - sentenced to 40 years in a GITMO Military Tribunal - was granted bail in a Canadian civilian court last week:

From CBC:

Omar Khadr granted bail, but federal government to appeal


Convicted war criminal to remain at Bowden Institution in Alberta until bail conditions are set

CBC News Apr 23, 2015 
Convicted war criminal Omar Khadr, the Canadian transferred to an Alberta facility after serving time at Guantanamo Bay, has been granted bail.


Shortly after the decision was announced, the federal government said it would appeal the decision made by an Alberta judge.


Court of Queen's Bench Justice June Ross, in a 23-page decision, granted Khadr's bail request Friday morning. He will remain in custody until a May 5 hearing to set out his bail conditions.


"Even though the applicant has pled guilty to serious offences, he should be granted judicial interim release," the judge wrote, "because he has a strong basis for an appeal, and the risk to public safety is not such that it is in the public's best interest that he remain in pre-appeal detention in a manner that could render his appeal irrelevant."


Khadr's Edmonton lawyer, Dennis Edney, said the case will now go back before the courts to work out the conditions of his client's release, including where he will live and what he will do with his time. ..

Former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr, shown in this undated image from Bowden Institution in Innisfail, Alta., was granted bail by an Alberta judge Friday. (Bowden Institution/Canadian Press)


Khadr may be smiling in that undated picture, but not all are as thrilled with bail being granted. If you want to get a hint how I feel about it, check out the very first link above.

US LT. COL (retired) Allen West pretty much summed up:






Canadian government about to do something DISGUSTING with this jihadi murderer

Written by Allen West on April 27, 2015

There’s not much I need to say about this story, other than I am truly disgusted.
As reported by The Stripes, “A Canadian judge on Friday ordered the release of a former Guantanamo Bay inmate while he appeals his conviction in a Washington court for war crimes, including killing a U.S. soldier. Judge June Ross said the terms of Omar Khadr’s release will be determined May 5. Canada’s government said it would appeal the order. Toronto-born Khadr is in prison in Alberta, serving out an eight-year sentence handed down by a U.S. military commission in 2010. He was convicted of five war-crimes, including throwing a grenade when he was 15 years old that killed Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer in Afghanistan during a 2002 firefight. He spent a decade in Guantanamo Bay. Khadr, now 28, agreed to a plea deal in 2010 that stipulated he serve one year of his eight-year sentence at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. He has since said he only pleaded guilty to get out of Guantanamo and be sent back to Canada. Ross said Khadr has a strong basis for appeal and keeping him behind bars would not be in the public interest.”Omar is fortunate to be back in Canada where we have real courts and real laws,” said Nate Whitling, one of Khadr’s lawyers.”

I find Mr. Whitling’s comments disrespectful, disingenuous, and denigrating to the United States of America and to all the men and women — and their families — who have lost their lives fighting against Islamic jihadism. Mr. Whitling is indicative of the yellow-backed “coexist” crowd who extends constitutional rights and privileges to non-state, non-uniform unlawful enemy combatants captured on the modern 21st century battlefield.

I don’t give a doggone how old Omar Khadr was when he made the decision to throw a grenade and kill an American Soldier, SFC Christopher Speer. If anything, Khadr deserves to die. At the very least, he should never see the light of freedom for the rest of his life — SFC Speer certainly will not. And convicted of war crimes? I suppose in the true progressive socialist mantra, “what difference at this point does it make?”

 
You can be sure that Allen West has much more to say on this topic, and he doesn't hold back.   GO read it all.

SFC Christopher Speer is unavailable for comment.


Khadr and his supporters may be thrilled by this latest development, but I don't believe this IS a done deal.  The fat lady ain't singing, yet.

Pay attention.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Video: Falkland War Veterans share their weapons know-how

From British Forces News

Falklands Veterans Return To The Firing Range

17 April 2015

Veterans of the Falklands War have been sharing their knowledge of 1980's military equipment with British Army weapons specialists.


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Saturday, April 25, 2015

ANZAC Day Honours Gallipoli Heroes



From the BBC:

Gallipoli centenary: Australia and New Zealand mark Anzac Day
25 April 2015


Australia and New Zealand have been remembering soldiers from the two countries who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War One.


A series of events on Saturday marked the centenary of the Allied attack on the Gallipoli peninsula.


A dawn service was held at the landing. The two countries later remembered their dead at battlefield services.


More than 11,400 of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) troops were killed in the course of the campaign.


Australian PM Tony Abbott paid tribute to their selflessness, describing them as Australia's "founding heroes".


Anzac Day is arguably the most important national occasion for Australia and New Zealand.



Gallipoli holds a special place in Australian hearts. Many believe it was here Australians proved themselves the equal of any in the world, heralding the young nation's emergence onto the world stage....

Read more on international remembrance ceremonies here.
From ABC.Net (Australia):
Gallipoli 1915: The first Anzac ashoreBy Ross Kay

In the waters off Anzac Cove in the early hours of April 25, 1915, boats carrying Australian soldiers of the 9th Battalion made their way to shore. 


At the head of boat number one was Duncan Chapman, then a lieutenant, who led his men onto the beach and became known as the first Anzac to set foot on Gallipoli.


Duncan Chapman's name is one of many on the cenotaph in Maryborough, Queensland, but a new life-size statue has been unveiled in recognition of his special place in history.


But how do we know for certain he was in fact the initial Anzac ashore?


Anecdotal stories and letters have been passed down through to Chapman's grand-nephew, Grant Cook.


"I heard a lot from my uncles about Duncan Chapman," Mr Cook said.


"I've been told that [he was the first ashore] through family over all these years. It's only the letters that he sent home that reinforce that."


One of the letters from Chapman details the dawn landing and reinforces the idea that he was recognised by Army brass to have been the first ashore.


"To me was given the extreme honour of being actually the first man to put foot ashore on this peninsula, to lead a portion of the men up the hill in that now historic charge," the letter reads....



Lest we forget those who answered the call.

Video: LCpl Joshua Leakey Humble Hero of AFG awarded VC



"Highest award for battlefield gallantry"


LCpl Joshua Leakey Awarded Victoria Cross by The Queen



"giving first aid to a wounded US Officer"



British Forces News

Published on Apr 17, 2015
A paratrooper who risked death on three separate occasions during a battle with the Taliban has been awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) by Her Majesty the Queen.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Liberation of the Netherlands: Letter to Canada





From the fall of 1944 to the spring of 1945, the First Canadian Army played a major role in the liberation of the Netherlands and its people who had suffered terrible hunger and hardship under the increasingly desperate German occupiers. The warm friendship that Canada still enjoys with the Netherlands is a poignant reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by thousands of Canadians and the enduring gratitude of the Dutch in ending the reign of tyranny in their country.
     
                                                   
               Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (R.C.A.S.C.) personnel of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division examining a captured German dummy aircraft. October 28, 1944 / Huijbergen, Netherlands.
Credit: Harold G. Aikman/Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada/PA-176879

Letter from Holland:
Leeuwarden, Holland
27th April, 1945

Dear Mrs. Crofts,


Our town was liberated by the Canadians on the 15th of this month. Your son Joe was with them, and he stayed with us for a couple of days and so we made friendship. I promised him to drop you a few lines just to tell you that your son was doing well, everything O.K.


We have had an awfully bad time, these five years. The Germans came here on the 10th of May 1940. Their army was then nicely equipped, and they had quite a number of planes on the Leeuwarden airodrome. When they went on the 14th inst., they had very little left, no planes, their cars riding on wood-gas, for they have been out of petrol since a long time already. That is the end of Hitler’s army.


But a lot of harm they have done here. In 1941 they started picking up all the Jews. All our Jewish friends disappeared and were sent to Poland, and Germany, most probably to be butchered there. I wonder what will come back of them, I am afraid not many.



In 1942 they started sending all our young fellows to Germany to work as slaves for them. Those who could escape were hidden by friends or family. Often the Germans entered the houses and searched for young men, bu then they were put under the floor, so that in most cases the Germans could not find any. When a German wire was cut, they let all men of the town do some watching so that no more wires should be cut. When a German was killed, they picked out a number of civilians, ten, twenty-five, and in one case even 400, and shot them. You will understand how glad we were when at the end it was all up with them, and when the Canadians arrived here we gave them a cheery welcome where ever they came...



This personal letter to a Canadian family gives insights into what war in Europe during WW2 was like for the citizens facing Nazism.    It is part of an in-depth history of Canada's role in the liberation of Netherlands, which forged close ties that remain today.


Take the time to go search the government site here, for lots of interesting and - perhaps - little known, history.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Video: Renew James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act


YOUR MISSION for our 9/11 survivors:

   

Published on Apr 13, 2015


Tell your Representatives in Congress to Co-sponsor the renewal of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Text 911 to 877877 to be connected to your representative.





 Please help us get the message out and share this video, by email, Facebook and Twitter.  Please join in telling your Member of Congress to join the bipartisan supporters and co-sponsor the  James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act.


Zadroga 9/11 Health Act to Expire Unless Congress Takes Action

“Without this program, thousands upon thousands of people will be devastated financially, emotionally, physically, and mentally.  They need the support of Congress.  They gave their lives to take care of other people and they deserve to be treated as long as they live.”

-- Dr. Ellen Koffler, Cancer Care Coordinator, World Trade Center Health Program
Today, advocates for 9/11 first responders and survivors released [the above] new video featuring Americans who are suffering from 9/11-related illnesses and need help from Washington.  The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which was signed into law in 2011, will expire unless Congress takes action now to renew it.  The legislation provides health care and economic compensation to those who lost their health as well as to the families of those who died since 9/11 from related injuries.
Please watch the video, tell others about it, and take action to help ensure the Zadroga law is renewed.

SIGN UP to take action at http://www.renew911health.org.

TELL CONGRESS to renew the 9/11 health law by texting "911" to 877877, or by calling  888-701-7499  toll free to be connected to your representatives.

The video was produced by E-18 Media with the generous assistance of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act is a coalition of advocates who are working to make sure that Washington does the right thing and renews and extends the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.  More than 30,000 sick and injured 9/11 responders and survivors depend on the medical treatment and the compensation programs provided by this law.
# # #


I have written about the Zadroga Act many times.  For more background - to educate yourself - put 'Zadroga' in the top left search box...


[Related:  Why Rheumatoid Arthritis is plaguing so many 9/11 First Responders ]
               

Reauthorization of the Zadroga 9/11 bill is an American duty (editorial)

Monday, April 20, 2015

Military Children of the Year Honored

The children also Serve. It is well known that I honour ALL of our Military children, but this last week there was an official ceremony to recognise and honour some very special kids.

From DoD:
Dempsey, Leaders Honor Military Children of Year
By Shannon CollinsDoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2015 – Resilience, leadership and achievement are just a few of the many traits that earned six youths acclaim from senior leaders during Operation Homefront’s 7th annual Military Child of the Year Award Gala in Arlington, Va., Thursday.
Military Child of the Year Award recipients stand with former professional athlete Jason Brown, center, before the award ceremony April 16, 2015 in Arlington, Va. From left are Zach Parsons, Caleb Parsons, Christopher-Raul Rodriguez, Brown, Cavan McIntyre-Brewer, Emily Kliewer, and Sarah Hesterman. DoD photo by EJ Hersom  

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and keynote speaker, Jason Brown, a former professional athlete, honored the sacrifices of some 2 million military children around the world. Out of more than 500 nominations, six were chosen, representing each service branch.

“Our awardees have pursued excellence; they’ve made it a priority to serve others. They’ve inspired us. They’ve done it with character,” Dempsey said. “I’m incredibly proud and honored to be the chairman of such a fighting force with incredible military families who support them. Our winners tonight are perfect examples of the stellar quality of military kids, and we’re so fortunate to have them in our military family. This nation asks a lot of each of you, and each of you continues to prove day in and day out that you are strong, that you are resilient and you are full of love of our country and for each other.”

Brown said he was honored to speak at the event, which took place at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, and was inspired by the military children. While he has never personally served in the military, his older brother, Lester Bernard Brown II, paid the ultimate sacrifice Sept. 20, 2003, in Afghanistan, while serving in the Army....

(copyright)


Sunday, April 19, 2015

Oklahoma City Bombing: Remember Their Names







On April 19, 1995, a truck-bomb explosion outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, left 168 people dead and hundreds more injured. The blast was set off by anti-government militant Timothy McVeigh, who in 2001 was executed for his crimes. His co-conspirator Terry Nichols received life in prison. Until September 11, 2001, the Oklahoma City bombing was the worst terrorist attack to take place on U.S. soil.

At 9:02 a.m., a rental truck packed with explosives detonated in front of the nine-story Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. The powerful explosion blew off the building’s north wall. Emergency crews raced to Oklahoma from across the country, and when the rescue effort finally ended two weeks later the death toll stood at 168 people, including 19 young children who were in the building’s day care center at the time of the blast. More than 650 other people were injured in the bombing, which damaged or destroyed more than 300 buildings in the immediate area.....


Much more here.

On this day twenty years ago, America was witness to the face of evil, the devastation of terrorism  - on home soil.

In the years since that terrible day, much has been written, and today the msm is reporting on Memorial events.

All the conspiracy theorists, and the talking head experts are rehashing the reasons behind it all, and lessons learned.  (Apparently we haven't learned much at all, and I am reminded:  those who refuse to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.)

Be that as it may,  for me, the most important to remember is those we lost.  Those innocents killed that day - whose ages ranged from 3 months to 67 years old - MUST be remembered.

Today, I urge all to pause, read the list, stop at each name, and imagine these lives cuts short.  These lives matter.

06/20/2001 
Victims of the Oklahoma City bombing
A list, by floor and location, of those killed in the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995:

NINTH FLOOR
Drug Enforcement Administration
Shelly D. Bland, 25, of Tuttle
Carrol June "Chip" Fields, 48, Guthrie
Rona Linn Kuehner-Chafey, 35, Oklahoma City
Carrie Ann Lenz, 26, Chotaw
Kenneth Glenn McCullough, 36, Edmond
U.S. Secret Service
Cynthia L. Brown, 26, Oklahoma City
Donald Ray Leonard, 50, Edmond
Mickey B. Maroney, 50, Oklahoma City
Linda G. McKinney, 47, Oklahoma City
Kathy Lynn Seidl, 39, Bethel
Alan G. Whicher, 40, Edmond
EIGHTH FLOOR
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Ted L. Allen, 48, Norman
Peter R. Avillanoza, 56, Oklahoma City
David Neil Burkett, 47, Oklahoma City
Donald Earl Burns, Sr., 63, Oklahoma City
Kimberly Kay Clark, 39, Oklahoma City
Susan Jane Ferrell, 37, Oklahoma City
Dr. George Michael Howard, 45, Vallejo, Calif.
Antonio "Tony" C. Reyes, 55, Edmond
Lanny Lee David Scroggins, 46, Yukon
Leora Lee Sells, 57, Oklahoma City
Jules A. Valdez, 51, Edmond
David Jack Walker, 54, Edmond
Michael D. Weaver, 54, Edmond
Frances "Fran" Ann Williams, 48, Oklahoma City
Clarence Eugene Wilson, Sr. 49, Oklahoma
SEVENTH FLOOR
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Diane E. (Hollingsworth) Althouse, 45, Edmond
Andrea Yvette Blanton, 33, Oklahoma City
Kim R. Cousins, 33, Midwest City
Diana Lynne Day, 38, Oklahoma City
Castine Brooks Hearn Deveroux, 49, Oklahoma City
Judy J. (Froh) Fisher, 45, Oklahoma City
Linda Louise Florence, 43, Oklahoma City
J. Colleen Guiles, 59, Oklahoma City
Thompson Eugene "Gene" Hodges, Jr., 54, Norman
Ann Kreymborg, 57, Oklahoma City
Teresa Lea Taylor Lauderdale, 41, Shawnee
Mary Leasure-Rentie, 39, Bethany
James A. McCarthy II, 53, Edmond
Betsy J. (Beebe) McGonnell, 47, Norman
Patricia Ann Nix, 47, Edmond
Terry Smith Rees, 41, Midwest City
John Thomas Stewart, 51, Oklahoma City
John Karl Van Ess III, 67, Chickasha
Jo Ann Whittenberg, 35, Oklahoma City
SIXTH FLOOR
U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting
Sgt. Benjamin LaRanzo Davis, USMC, 29, Edmond
Capt. Randolph A. Guzman, USMC, 28, Castro Valley, Calif.
FIFTH FLOOR
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Olen Burl Bloomer, 61, Moore
James E. Boles, 50, Oklahoma City
Dr. Margaret L. "Peggy" Clark, 42, Chickasha
Richard "Dick" Cummins, 55, Mustang
Doris "Adele" Higginbottom, 44, Oklahoma City
Carole Sue Khalil, 50, Oklahoma City
Rheta Bender Long, 60, Oklahoma City
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Paul Gregory Beatty Broxterman, 42, Edmond
U.S. Customs Office
Paul D. Ice, 42, Midwest City
Claude Authur Medearis, S.S.A., 41, Norman
FOURTH FLOOR
U.S. Department of Transportation/Federal Highway
Lucio Aleman, Jr., 33, Oklahoma City
Mark Allen Bolte, 28, Oklahoma City
Michael Carrillo, 44, Oklahoma City
Larry James Jones, 46. Yukon
James K. Martin, 34, Oklahoma City
Ronota Ann Newberry-Woodbridge, 31, Edmond
Jerry Lee Parker, 45, Norman
Michelle A. Reeder, 33, Oklahoma City
Rick L. Tomlin, 46, Piedmont
Johnny Allen Wade, 42, Edmond
John A. Youngblood, 52, Yukon
U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion
Sgt. 1st Class Lola Bolden, U.S. Army, 40, Birmingham, Ala.
Karen Gist Carr, 32, Midwest City
Peggy Louise Holland, 37, Oklahoma City
John C. Moss III., 50, Oklahoma City
Victoria (Vickey) L. Sohn, 36, Moore
Dolores (Dee) Stratton, 51, Moore
Kayla Marie Titsworth, 3.50, Lawton
Wanda Lee Watkins, 49, Oklahoma City
THIRD FLOOR
Defense Security Service
Harley Richard Cottingham, 46, Oklahoma City
Peter L. DeMaster, 44, Oklahoma City
Norma "Jean" Johnson, 62, Oklahoma City
Larry L. Turner, 42, Oklahoma City
Robert G. Westberry, 57, Oklahoma City
Federal Employees Credit Union
Woodrow Clifford "Woody" Brady, 41, Oklahoma City
Kimberly Ruth Burgess, 29, Oklahoma City
Kathy A. Finley, 44, Yukon
Jamie (Fialkowski) Genzer, 32, Wellston
Sheila R. Gigger-Driver, 28, Oklahoma City
Linda Coleen Housley, 53, Oklahoma City
Robbin Ann Huff, 37, Bethany
Christi Yolanda Jenkins, 32, Edmond
Alvin J. Justes, 54, Oklahoma City
Valerie Jo Koelsch, 33, Oklahoma City
Kathy Cagle Leinen, 47, Oklahoma City
Claudette (Duke) Meek, 43, Oklahoma City
Frankie Ann Merrell, 23, Oklahoma City
Jill Diane Randolph, 27, Oklahoma City
Claudine Ritter, 48, Oklahoma City
Christy Rosas, 22, Moore
Sonja Lynn Sanders, 27, Moore
Karan Howell Shepherd, 27, Moore
Victoria Jeanette Texter, 37, Oklahoma City
Virginia M. Thompson, 56, El Reno
Tresia Jo "Mathes" Worton, 28, Oklahoma City
SECOND FLOOR
America's Kids Child Development Center
Baylee Almon, 1, Oklahoma City
Danielle Nicole Bell, 15 months, Oklahoma City
Zachary Taylor Chavez, 3, Oklahoma City
Dana LeAnne Cooper, 24, Moore
Anthony Christopher Cooper II, 2, Moore
Antonio Ansara Cooper Jr., 6 months, Midwest City
Aaron M. Coverdale, 5.50, Oklahoma City
Elijah S. Coverdale, 2.50, Oklahoma City
Jaci Rae Coyne, 14 months, Moore
Brenda Faye Daniels, 42, Oklahoma City
Taylor Santoi Eaves, 8 months, Midwest City
Tevin D'Aundrae Garrett, 16 months, Midwest City
Kevin "Lee" Gottshall II, 6 months, Norman
Wanda Lee Howell, 34, Spencer
Blake Ryan Kennedy, 1.50, Amber
Dominique Ravae (Johnson)-London, 2, Oklahoma City
Chase Dalton Smith, 3, Oklahoma City
Colton Wade Smith, 2, Oklahoma City
VISITOR
Scott D. Williams, 24, Tuttle
FIRST FLOOR
Social Security Administration
Teresa Antionette Alexander, 33, Oklahoma City
Richard A. Allen, 46, Oklahoma City
Pamela Cleveland Argo, 36, Oklahoma City
Saundra G. (Sandy) Avery, 34, Midwest City
Calvin Battle, 62, Oklahoma City
Peola Battle, 56, Oklahoma City
Oleta C. Biddy, 54, Tuttle
Casandra Kay Booker, 25, Oklahoma City
Carol Louise Bowers, 53, Yukon
Peachlyn Bradley, 3, Oklahoma City
Gabreon D.L. Bruce, 3 months, Oklahoma City
Katherine Louise Cregan, 60, Oklahoma City
Ashley Megan Eckles, 4, Guthrie
Don Fritzler, 64, Oklahoma City
Mary Anne Fritzler, 57, Oklahoma City
Laura Jane Garrison, 61, Oklahoma City
Margaret Betterton Goodson, 54, Oklahoma City
Ethel L. Griffin, 55, Edmond
Cheryl E. Hammon, 44, Oklahoma City
Ronald Vernon Harding, Sr., 55, Oklahoma City
Thomas Lynn Hawthorne, Sr., 52, Choctaw
Dr. Charles E. Hurlburt, 73, Oklahoma City
Jean Nutting Hurlburt, 67, Oklahoma City
Raymond "Lee" Johnson, 59, Oklahoma City
LaKesha Richardson Levy, 21, Midwest City
Aurelia Donna Luster, 43, Guthrie
Robert Lee Luster, Jr., 45, Guthrie
Rev. Gilbert X. Martinez, 35, Oklahoma City
Cartney J. McRaven, 19, Midwest City
Derwin W. Miller, 27, Oklahoma City
Eula Leigh Mitchell, 64, Oklahoma City
Emilio Tapia, 50, Oklahoma City
Charlotte Andrea Lewis Thomas, 43, Oklahoma City
Michael George Thompson, 47, Yukon
LaRue A. Treanor, 55, Guthrie
Luther H. Treanor, 61, Guthrie
Robert N. Walker, Jr., 52, Oklahoma City
Julie Marie Welch, 23, Oklahoma City
W. Stephen Williams, 42, Cashion
Sharon Louise Wood-Chesnut, 47, Oklahoma City
General Services Administration
Steven Douglas Curry, 44, Norman
Michael L. Loudenslager, 48, Harrah
THOSE KILLED IN SURROUNDING AREA
Rescue Worker
Rebecca Needham Anderson, 37, Midwest City
Athenian Building (Job Corps)
Anita Christine Hightower, 27, Oklahoma City
Kathryn Elizabeth Ridley, 24, Oklahoma City
Oklahoma Water Resources Board Building
Robert N. Chipman, 51, Edmond
Trudy Jean Rigney, 31, Midwest City

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Video: Brit D-Day Veteran honoured by France

British D-Day Veteran Awarded France's Highest Honour

From British Forces News

A British D-Day veteran has been awarded the Legion D'Honneur, the highest honour France can bestow, at a ceremony in Portsmouth.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Red Shirt Friday: The Children also Serve - and Sacrifice


That chart is about the US Military Kids, but the sacrifices our Military Kids make is universal.

Military children make up a very special part of [any] nation's population. Although young, these brave sons and daughters stand in steadfast support of their military parents through moves and deployments. To honor their unique contributions and sacrifices on behalf of our country, each April is designated the Month of the Military Child.




The average child in a military family will move six to nine times during a school career. That's an average of three times more frequently than nonmilitary families. Source: Department of Defense Education Activity




Master Cpl. Tyler Stobbs was reunited with his three-year-old son Lyam just in time for Christmas following a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Photograph by: Nick Brancaccio, The Windsor Star  (2010)


The Military BRAT lifestyle is a lifestyle like no other  (and despite what Wiki tells you, the term BRAT actually originates from Britain.)




Child holds on tight to her dad's leg while saying goodbye to him. Her father deployed to Southwest Asia for six months in support of OEF and OIF

Out of Britain:
PLYMOUTH HMS HEROES TAKE UP THE 42 COMMANDO CHALLENGE
Published on February 2nd, 2015 | by Pete Ogburn
Over 40 Plymouth HMS Hero delegates took up the Commando challenge at 42 Commando, Royal Marines, Bickleigh, as part of their termly network meeting.

The Heroes, aged 5 to 14, were invited to the base, by Major Titerickx, and took up the challenge with lots of enthusiasm. After a fantastic lunch in the mess, the Heroes got stuck in to a series of activities in the gymn, including the climbing wall, obstacle courses and lots of physical puzzles and tests! Everyone passed with flying colours and the 4 teams of Heroes, most of whom didn’t know each other before the challenge, worked really well together.

Go check out the pictures, and the site, for more on how Britain works hard to take care of our youngest Heroes.



Mark David's son Aaron Juarez visits his fathers grave

GO read the rest of his story at the link.

Lest we forget,  Military kids also make the ultimate Sacrifice when their parents give their lives on deployment.   There are more than a few MilKids who hold a special place in my heart.





The May kids: the pride and joy of US Fallen Hero Marine Corp SSG Donald C May and his wife Deborah.

Perhaps the most recent in Canada is Cpl Nathan Cirillo's son. Marcus. Cpl Cirillo was the unarmed Soldier who was murdered while standing on guard the Canadian War Memorial last October.



[...]It was a hat just like his dad’s, a special gift from his father’s regiment — the kind given when there are simply no words, least of all for a 5-year-old child.


With its distinctive red-and-white checker pattern, the Glengarry cap was the same type his dad proudly wore with Hamilton’s Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, the one that topped the uniform of 24-year-old Cpl. Nathan Cirillo as he guarded the National War Memorial, the one that would soon be placed on the soldier’s coffin. [...]

GO read the rest here.


April may be the officially designated Month of the Military Child, but our MilKids Serve and Sacrifice every month, every week, every day, every minute, for the rest of their lives.


 HONOUR THEM ALWAYS


[Related:  Face of Defense: Mother, Daughter Strengthen Bond in Kuwait

Children of fallen fathers