Volunteer Ministry (no crooks allowed)

Ever since I was little I have always had an interest in nursing, and as I grew older military support became a passion as well. So I decided to combine the two interests by volunteering at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Omaha this year. I started out doing odd jobs at dialysis, before recently switching over to the radiology department. In any medical work there is always plenty of liability paperwork, but the VA seems to take particular interest in killing trees.

Needless to say, as a volunteer, I was given a 34 page “VA Cyber Security Awareness Course” to read. While I was skimming through it I came upon a rather humorous quiz that I proudly passed, with flying colors, without hardly reading a section of the course. I think you will too;

Quiz

If you believe someone is breaking a computer crime law, you should:

1. Not do anything about it

2. Inform your ISO (Information Security Officer)

3. Contact the news media

4. All of the above

If you are working with medical data and you find interesting medical information about a neighbor, you should:

1. Obey VA's confidentiality principles and not share the information with anyone except on a need to know basis for work related purposes

2. Tell your other neighbors, but make sure that they promise not to tell anyone

3. Print it out and take it home, as long as you don't share it with anyone

4. Download the information to your personal USB flash drive

I really have no interest in stealing anyone's medical information, but I do value the experience, relationships, and chance to share the gospel in volunteering opportunities. Don't know what to do this summer? Try giving the gift of your time without being repaid. It won't be wasted in eternity!

Find a VA hospital near you

Rebelutionary moms

Perusing recently through the insightful articles in the Practical Homeschooling magazine, I came upon an article written by a homeschooling military mom. HsKubes' is married to a Marine currently deployed to Iraq and posts insightful and encouraging updates on their schooling and learning as a family at home. It is especially inspiring for those of us who don’t have family members deployed with the military to watch this mother surrender the future to the Lord and continue in furthering His kingdom, despite the difficulties found in everyday life.

Recently HsKubes' posted a homeschooling giveaway pack that will be bestowed upon a homeschooling blogger on September 8^th. I would encourage you to check out her blog and take a peek into the courageous and amazing life of a family who knows not only what it takes to be learners and seekers, but sacrificial patriots as well.

Victory tour coming soon!

Just recently I heard of an event the pro-troop organization “Move America Forward” is planning this Fall. Starting September 3^rd the “Fight For Victory” tour will be holding more than two dozen rallies across the States, ending with a rally on September 15^th; the day General David Petraeus will give his report to Congress on Iraq.

Similar to Micah Derry’s “Operation Completion” rallies, the event was created for the intent of rousing patriotism and bringing supporters together to display our support of the mission in Iraq and Afghanistan. The rallies will begin their route across the States in California and end in Washington D.C. I think these types of events is just what some apathetic American citizens need in order to get excited, involved, and encouraged to come together in mutual support of our troops who have given so much.

The event will be led by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as well as families of deceased or deployed service members. Thousands of Americans already have signed up to take part in the rallies, and I’m excited to see where this massive patriotic effort will lead.

Support the effort...

Why only men should fight wars

Some say we should leave Iraq; pull out our troops and turn our backs. Here are my reasons why pulling out would make a cowardly, foolish figure of the greatest nation on earth…

A man:

Does not abandon those in need

And never has the U.S. denied help to a country overrun by evil, especially when that evil has spilled over into our land and taken such drastic measures to defeat us. Our motives and reasons for moving into Iraq may be questioned, beaten, and denounced, but our aide of a groaning and suffering people under a tyrant with a vision to increase power and destroy the “infidels” (i.e. Americans) cannot be scoffed at. Despite the tremendous costs paid on behalf of our security as well, protection of the innocent is never a weak display, and those who make light of it are not worthy of such protectors.

Finishes what he starts

My father did not start a business simply to become discouraged and abandon it when clients did not pour in immediately… instead, several years later we are slowly picking up business to be gained over the years- a benefit we would not have seen had we lost patience in a naturally slow process. The same applies for any investment made; time must be given, patience must be applied, and diligence must be practiced daily.

A businessman cannot afford to spend his hours moaning over the things not happening; but instead must actively work to make sure that they do. To make a plan, do the research, purchase supplies and employ help, win hearts, toil to set a foundation and begin building upon it requires hours of planning and work, and this is just the beginning. For any man to start such a foundation only to abandon it when he got tired would mean the ruin of his house, and the waste of his hours of work. Not only will we let down the men who actually perform this all, but we will completely and utterly pull away the foundation set by years of hard work and sacrifice should we pull out from Iraq.

Does not accept defeat

Any investment or new project taken on is going to come with difficulties and stumbling blocks, and this is ever so true with war. Throughout the history of the world, war has always been very painful, very hard, and sometimes very long. Any strong man venturing out to tackle something new is aware of the hardships that are bound to ensue, and strengthens his will to withstand them when the time comes.

However, a man who hangs his head and accepts defeat at the first sign of mockery or failure simply paints a picture of shameful weakness and poor planning. Life comes with it’s hardships at every bend and turn, and if we were all to take to heart the counsel given by anti-war protesters, not one of us would ever succeed at those things great or good.

Does not listen to the council of his enemies

This world is filled with people who would love nothing more than to discourage us from our visions and cause us to fail in life. To not recognize the distorted lies that are meant for our ruin and allow them to counsel and impact us would reflect a weak and uncertain character that leads to nowhere. Despite those people, even in our own nation, who sympathize with our enemies and speak their lies, we must stand strong and show that we indeed are a people who can think and stand for themselves. To pull out of Iraq would be to accept the council of bloodthirsty terrorists and to shame our soldiers and our nation, thus furthering our enemy’s hold over us and strengthening their will.

I pray with honest fervor that my nation would not so shame itself in this way, for I long and hope to always present myself as a proud citizen of a strong and honest nation called America.

That senseless war

Not too long ago my sister and I were managing our fitness center when two elderly people came in to exercise that morning. I was sitting quietly to the side focusing on my book when all of the sudden the war in Iraq came up in their discussion and completely broke my concentration for the rest of the morning. I will call them Chuck and Jane, and this is how their discussion went;

Chuck: All those religious people over there are just fighting each other!

Jane: And all those boys coming back from the war…isn’t it a shame that our soldiers are over there, when we haven’t made any progress! All those countries are fighting each other and we’re getting messed up in it. Cheney and Rumsfeld are just using their power and don’t know what they’re doing.

Chuck: I know- all those politicians are just lawyers who don’t know anything about war. It’s a waste; just like Vietnam and Korea.

Jane: They need to go over there and see what it’s like before they go to war. Terrible.

Chuck: Shame.

We already knew that Jane held pretty strong liberal views and that I would only create an enemy if I were to speak out. So I sat in the background, several emotions stirring in me, and yet keeping my peace. Eventually they left and I let out the torrent on the ears of my sister, but still feeling a mix of anger, sadness, and a pressing need to make a difference in the minds of similar Americans today.

They say they support the troops… they pretend to know the meaning of justice and liberty… they even show up wearing a T-shirt saying “freedom isn’t free”, and I want to yell out that they are missing the whole point. Freedom means we fight; not sit around making peace signs as Islamic extremists obliterate our homes. Justice means we strike; not let convicted murderers and terrorists go free to do more evil. Liberty means we hold fast to the truth, and not let madmen govern our lives, our opinions, or actions.

We must not sit passively to the side, railing against the actions of our leaders, and yet taking no actions ourselves. We must stand up and fight boldly for the truth; for when the truth is taken from this country, it will fall.

Though I knew it wasn’t the right place at the right time to impact the thinking of Chuck and Jane, I must be ready and willing to stand up for our troops and Iraq when they are questioned. May God give me strength, and America ears.

Let freedom ring

Just Ask An Airman: Part 2

(Read part 1 of this interview)

Has enlistment increased because of 9/11?

(Monter) Right after 9/11, it increased. Most of it is getting over the parents' fear. They’re scared- they don’t understand. All they hear on the news is the bad stuff. I’ve been in Baghdad; I’ve been there. I was there for three months, and you don’t see the kids in the (Iraqi) schools that got built and stuff like that. They show a clip of it and they’re done. What sells in news? The bad stuff. You know, it’s not like “hey, this guy saved some person’s life today!”. You hear the death count, because that’s what sells.

(Burton)- A lot of people don’t realize that over in Iraq right now the American soldiers over there are more supervisors. They rebuilt the entire Iraqi army and the Iraqi police department. There are over 100,000 people in the Iraqi police department. They take care of their own business. The American soldiers are still over there doing raids on Al-Qaida hotspots, and they rebuilt a ton of schools. You will see most of the Iraqi people enjoy the fact that we are over there. Most of the people that are doing the bombing aren’t even Iraqi citizens; they’re from other countries. The news doesn’t cover all that.

(Monter) In the Air Force we are drawing back. A few years ago there were 36,000 (Airman). The past couple years it’s only been 28,000. We had such a high retention rate because everybody is staying in, so we’ve had to set our standards higher.

(Burton) for this year we’re only taking 20,000 applicants for the entire Air Force. We have the highest retention rate of all the military branches. If you don’t meet our standards, we say “why don’t you go join the Army”, because we don’t need you.

(Monter) They (other branches) have different standards because they need a lot more people; they have a different mission. We have the highest standard. We have the highest test score requirements.

When you vote, will you vote Democrat or Republican?

(Burton) You know that’s a good question. Honestly, to me personally, democrat/republican doesn’t mean anything to me. It’s the one who gets up there who sells what’s best for me and my family. So whichever one gets up there and tells me what they’re going to do for my family, that’s who I’m going to vote for. That’s pretty much how it’s going to be.

(Monter) I’m not saying I’m one or the other, but most military vote republican because Republicans- they have a different view on the military than Democrats. It’s because of the thought pattern of the different parties.

Do you feel that being in the military has influenced your political standpoint?

(Burton) I want to say yes, because before I was in the military I didn’t care. After you join the military you know that whoever is President- it effects my career. So I would say yes to that.

What is the most important thing you tell recruits about military life?

(Burton) It’s what you make out of it. When you come in here and I interview you, I’m going to ask you why you want to join the Air Force- I’m going to ask how you see yourself in ten years… what you want to accomplish. And then you tell me what you want to accomplish and I’m going to tell you what the Air Force has to offer for you to accomplish that. You determine what your future holds.

The liberal media is very negative about the U.S. military and what you do outside our borders. How do you handle this negative attitude as a recruiter, and as an airman?

(Burton) It can be tough on certain recruiters depending on where they’re located. What people don’t understand is that they have the right to have that view- because of us. And as a military member, you don’t get mad at somebody for having their own views and own personal opinions, because that’s why you’re in the military- to give them their own personal opinions. Why be mad or upset with somebody when that’s what you’re giving them?

(Monter) But it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.

(Burton) But you just have to let that stuff roll off your back. A quick story… a few years after 9/11 I was at a store in my uniform, and this girl- probably no more than 22 years-old- turns around and spits on me. And I just looked at her, and she just starts going on “my best friend was in the Army in Iraq and he was killed over there for a senseless war, etc” and I just listened to her. She said her piece, and then she walked out. And the whole thing that was going through my mind was; how does her friend think of her right now? You know he’s up in heaven, and he’s seeing her… he joined the military because he wanted to do something. And if he went over there and died he wanted you to be proud of what he did. And now his friend is making him look bad. Because he loved it; or else he wouldn’t have gone.

Liberals and anti-war protesters often compare the war in Iraq to Vietnam. During Vietnam violence was a lot worse than it is today. Though protests today are not as violent as during Vietnam, have you had any problems with protesters?

(Monter) Not in Nebraska.

(Burton) every year they hold a protest at Offutt Air Force Base, but the protests are a little bit different than the protests you see on TV. They first have to get approved; the city has to approve them to do a protest on a certain day. And the protesters want to get in the media, so they say “we will have someone walk across the line, and would you arrest them?”, and we will agree to that. So it will be on TV, but it’s all staged out. They protest, but nothing is violent.

As you watch young men and women sign up to join the military, do you feel any doubt that they will receive the right and supportive response from Americans if or when they are deployed?

(Burton) Without a doubt. The majority of the Air Force don’t get deployed; it’s about half. But yes… all the support you need is from your family. I have people in Wal-Mart walk up to me while I’m in my uniform and say thank-you, but when you look at your wife or kids that’s all the support you need.

Are you ever discouraged by our media while serving overseas?

(Burton) Sometimes, some things they do I don’t agree with. I understand that they’re trying to sell a story. That’s what they get paid to do, and that’s fine. But see, I don’t watch the news in my house. I hear the real stuff from the military, and I see it in person so I don’t need the news to tell me what I’m seeing. You know a CNN reporter- Cooper- was an embedded reporter and he shot a live footage of a soldier being shot, and they played it on CNN. And I thought that was messed up. You know, it just made me want to turn the TV off because you don’t show that kind of stuff. That is frustrating. But there’s nothing you can do about it; why let it bother you?

In closing, do you feel that those who oppose the war can truly support the troops?

(Monter) My opinion is no. When someone opposes it I don’t feel supported. I have been deployed a lot- I’ve been gone a lot. And I have a 26 year-old brother that opposes the war. He’s far left; but you know, those are his beliefs. And I said “you know I’m glad you have these beliefs because that’s why I’ve been in the Air Force for 17 years.” And he never said a word about that to me again. But by my own brother I don’t feel supported. You know I guess they could support the troops, but when they’re out doing things like that, how can they? That takes away my morale. I don’t let it get me down… but still there’s that “how can they support us when they do that?” It’s not going to help at all. I’ve been to all those websites that support our troops, and those places I enjoy. Then you get your actors and singers who come over there (Iraq)- what a wake up call for them. We’re over there for a reason…

(Burton) I don’t believe it’s supporting because when you’re over there, deployed, and you hear somebody protesting, it does bring you morale down. You hear about actors that talk about opposing the war, and about 90% of them don’t even know what the war is about. And we think; what are they talking about? They’re not even on the right page. They need to open the book instead of just looking at the cover.

Many thanks to TSgt Burton and TSgt Monter for giving their time to this interview

Just Ask An Airman: An Interview

(Several months ago I had the opportunity to sit down with two Air Force recruiters and ask them some questions about military life, recruiting, and the war. It is my pleasure to post for my readers the informative answers I received. Enjoy!)

Richard Burton has been in the service for 14 years, and has been deployed to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. He has worked as an Air Force recruiter for 7 months, and lives with his wife and two children in Fremont, Nebraska.

Joseph Monter has been in the service for 17 years and has been deployed to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, Russia, and Africa (to mention but a few). He has worked as an Air Force recruiter for 3 years, and lives with his wife and three children in Columbus, Nebraska.

How does one become a recruiter?

(Burton) You volunteer for it. Basically they come around to every base and ask people if they would like to become a recruiter, and when you’ve been in the service for so long and you’re doing a job you think, well, it would be kind of nice to work with people coming in. You know; working with high school students and working with people who don’t know what they want to do in life. The Air Force has done a lot of great things for me and I just want to pass that information to our volunteers. And then when you volunteer they ask you where would you want to go, and I told them I wanted to go to a small town in Nebraska, and so they put me in Fremont.

So you probably get asked a lot if you fly jets?

(Burton) All the time! Believe it or not, only 4% of people in the Air Force are pilots. The Air Force has jobs just like a small town would have. You have people who work in the gyms, hotels, kitchens, people who work on transportation, you have mechanics, dieticians... Only a few people fly the jets, but you need to have those people to put them in the air.

What is your most memorable experience from boot camp?

(Burton) Going from being a trainee to an airmen. When you get down to basic training you are transitioning to military life. When you complete your fourth week of training; our hell week, they give you a coin with an airmen’s stripe on it, and that signifies that you’ve made it through hell week and now instead of being a trainee you are an airmen. You will see a lot of people go down there; male or female, and they will cry when they get it. When I came into the service I weighed about a hundred and eight pounds, I was 17 years old, and everyone told me I was stupid and that I wouldn’t make it. I weigh a lot more than 108 pounds now, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.

As far as character, what is the most important thing you learned at boot camp?

(Burton) I would say attitude. I was smart-mouthed, and you will see when someone comes back how respectful they are… and that’s how I was. What I took most out of my training was the customs and courtesies it taught me. It’ll change who you are.

A few years ago there was criticism from our mainstream media towards military recruiters. Their claim was that the numbers of military enlistees had gone down, and that recruiters were lying about military life in order to gain more volunteers. Do you think there is any truth in this?

(Burton) No, I don’t. I think people will hear what they want to hear. For most recruiters, it’s their job. Some people who come in here don’t know what they want, and you tell them what the Air Force has to offer, and sometimes there are recruiters out there who can’t break down exactly what they were asking. So someone might take it the wrong way. But it’s very hard to lie, especially if you’re near our Air Force base. Every month we go and visit an Air Force base, and what the Air Force recruiters do is when someone has just come back from basic training, they (possible enlistee) can talk to that basic trainee (it’s called the rat program). There are bad recruiters out there, but there are very few. But for the most part, I think the media just blew that up a little too much.

What about a claim that recruiters were calling possible enlistees repeatedly?

(Burton) Now, the way it works is- I get a list of everybody graduating from high school, because the high school has to provide that list. So every year my job is to contact everybody on that list. If it’s not something they want to do, I take them off my list and don’t call them again. But if I don’t get a response, I call back. I have to personally talk to you, and you have to tell me “no” before I can stop calling, because I have to have 100% contact. If people knew that all you had to do was answer the phone and say “I’m not interested” it would make my job so much easier.

Would you say that recruiting methods have changed much over the past, say, ten years?

(Burton)Yes, and the reason for that is- there’s more media outlets out there. And so a lot of rumors can be solved by looking on the internet. So it’s a lot less work for me and other recruiters to get our name out there. And it’s also changed in that it’s harder to get in now. When you come in here there’s a job interview. Now we only take the best, so you have to meet the qualifications. We really stress education.

Has the war in Iraq affected how you communicate with enlistees?

(Burton) No. Most people that walk through the door because of all that’s happened in Iraq; more want to serve their country. A lot of people are a little bit blind on how they’re going to do that, but that’s why they come to me. It affects more in talking to parents. Parents are scared, but if you look at the articles in the paper, how many people in the Air Force do you see getting killed?

(Monter) The Iraq thing- yes it does affect the parents quite a bit. Since 9/11 in the Air Force there have only been 45 deaths that have been directly related to the war. You know how many people in the U.S. die of lightning storms? 90. And 40,000 people die of car accidents. So yeah, it’s a lot more dangerous to get in your car because there’s more of a chance. But as far as the kids, they want to come in because of that right there (points to American flag). You get proud Americans; that’s why.

To be continued...

Justice in a war zone

Saddam Hussein is finally dead. After 24 years of oppression by an evil, inhuman tyrant, the Iraqi people are finally and completely freed of his hold on Iraq. No longer can he be a mascot or leader for the Islamic terrorists. No longer is he a hero, sitting in a considerably clean and humane cell, demanding that he be given a fair trial. He is dead, and this is yet another blow to Islamic extremists who followed his lead. Capturing him was one great step in the liberation of Iraq; executing him was another.

I believe many Americans are skeptical and often critical of Iraq’s young and forming government. But few realize the guts and courage it takes to become any type of leader of a young democracy, and yet considering the great risks taken in leading a country in a war against terrorism, Iraq has already taken a great step; for President Jalal Talabani has held his ground, and now the Iraqi courts have done their part to eliminate their former President. Their military continues to strengthen, their schools and hospitals continue to be built and function, and the people continue to live; free. After only 4 years of democratic history for this small country, this is in no way a condition or progress to look down upon.

Can death ever be a good thing? War always involves death, and it’s very rarely a thing to rejoice over. Many Americans have lost a brother, sister, parent, spouse… the Iraqis, too, have had to pay a great price for freedom. But in one kind of death we can have no mixed feelings, for if we are righteous, if we know justice, and ultimately a higher power, we can greatly rejoice in the putting to death of evil. It is in this time when we can also reflect upon the sacrifice of our military and the lost lives of our soldiers, and know that it was not in vain. The great effort made in these years will always, with proper care and ongoing leadership, keep on giving.

Thank God for justice

A soldier's prayer

Tall and straight he bore his weapon
With his boots in steady beat,
Stepping proudly with his unit
Down the sunlit city street.
Brave lad chanting with the footsteps,
Neither looking left or right,
Following the nation’s banner
Straight into the endless fight.

To a land of strife and battle
Far across the wide blue sea
He has gone to help the people
Who are struggling to be free.
In the sultry heat of swampland
In the insect-ridden mire
He has grown as tough as leather
And his heart is full of fire.

Now he sees his buddies falling
One by one they meet their doom;
While the rockets light the heavens
Sadness shrouds his heart with gloom.
Like an old man bent and weary
In the muddy foxhole there
Knelt the lad in noise of battle
As he offered up a prayer.

“Heavenly father, hear your child;
Why must people suffer so?
I’m so weary of this battle…
Surely father, you must know.
In your gentle way bring comfort
To my buddies lying there,
Ease their pain with all your mercy.
This, dear father, is my prayer.”

Then he raised his eyes to heaven
And a teardrop softly fell
As he mourned for all who suffer
In that burning battle hell.
As he rose to struggle onward
Silhouette against the sky,
One lone sniper raised his rifle
And ‘twas heard a pleading cry.

Oh so young to die in battle
Far from loved ones all alone;
His still face was turned to heaven
Waiting for his journey home.

~ Author unknown

May God bless and comfort the brave men and women of our U.S. military

MRE: Meal Ready to Eat or Meager Revolting un-Edibles?

I have always wanted to eat an MRE. Don’t ask me why; but for some reason I just always thought it would be cool to eat a military Meal Ready to Eat. Well, today I got my chance. Some friends gave us an old MRE (we figure it must date all the way back to the 1980’s; judging by it’s color…) and we had the unique opportunity to taste the contents. The package contained:

• Crackers
• Grape jelly
• Cheese
• Hot cocoa mix
• Pound cake
• Pineapple tidbits
• Chicken stew
• Beverage base powder
• A mini heater
• And a little bag containing salt, sugar, cream, coffee, Tabasco sauce, and mint gum
  

Please do not alert the social workers of this meal; the boys ate the food of their own accord.

I think Jeremy agreed that the crackers were as bland as hardtack...

So... what is this I'm drinking again? Caleb is rather hesitant to try the cocoa.

Andrew volunteers to try the "cheese"

What's with that face, Jeremy?

Thank you, Lord, for soldiers who eat these things so we don't have to!

Operation S.O.U.N.D.

For several years now, my sister and I have been writing letters regularly to deployed soldiers. When I was around 12 years old, and we were just beginning to really understand that we were at war, we were very eager and impatient to really support troops; we felt that sitting at home writing letters was not enough. Well, when you realize just how much our troops accomplish for America, it really isn't enough to measure up. But writing personal, hand-written letters has been and continues to be one of the best ways to convey a heartfelt thanks to our troops.

My family and I live in a small town of roughly 1,400 people. Even for such a small town in what I consider the safest place in the world (Nebraska!), there are several families from the area who are closely connected in the war on terror, as their children, husbands and fathers are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. So after several years of collecting care packages at Christmas and writing letters year round, Emily and I started a Military Directory for our small town; calling families of soldiers and adding their names to our list as we tried to get the community involved in supporting them. Well, not long after we had just created our military directory, Emily says "hey; let's start an organization for all of Nebraska!". At first I thought this might be a bit too much for us to handle, but not a few weeks later we were building a website for Operation S.O.U.N.D., which stands for "Supporting OUr Nebraska Deployed".

Everything worked out perfectly as we were offered the creation of a free website, and we are hoping that this is an organization that really takes off and supports the troops of Nebraska.

Take a look and let me know what you think!
Jennifer

Can we trust our military?

Over the past couple of months this year, there have been several incidents which involved U.S. soldiers in rape or murder. Really, through all of our five years in the middle east, there have been many times when our media reports of unfair or wrong actions by our U.S. military, making every incident sound earth shattering and of the most shameful kind. Despite many peoples realizations of our medias biased and twisted reports, those who are not provided with a clear, accurate source of news (hint: milblogs) may yet find themselves wondering; can we really trust our military?

Trained for the worst… taught to be the best

In the Navy, Marines, Air Force, Army, and Coast Guard, recruits are taught to be the best and to challenge themselves beyond their normal abilities. During training, the future servicemen and women and beaten down by degrading remarks and yelled in the face by fearsome DI’s. They are physically challenged and pushed beyond their limits by strenuous, life-like exercises and battle imitations. They are mentally challenged by lack of sleep and confusing situations. As one man, they are told they are nothing. As a group, they are a strong force; brothers watching each others backs. Through years of intense and orderly training, our military has become the best fighting force in the world, and remains so even today.

Losing heart in the heat of battle

Though our military is strong and more than adequately trained to protect America, our soldiers are not perfect nor invincible, and we should not expect them to be. No human being on earth has the power to completely remove his or her heart and mind from the horrors or disturbing moments in life, and we cannot be so unfair as to ask our soldiers to act as robots, totally unaffected by the images of war. Many young men in America lack the strength even to resist drugs, or gangs, or other temptations. Thousands of murders happen every year in the U.S., and millions of teenagers the same age as our soldiers are allowing themselves to commit crimes every day, and that’s minus the horror, exhaustion and stressful expectations faced by our young soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. How can we accuse a handful of young, tired, and stressed U.S. soldiers of doing something that happens every day in America; in our hometowns, in our own neighborhoods?

Yes, more is expected of our military. But when we pause to consider the significantly low number of such incidents in the past five years in Iraq, we can rest assured that we need not judge our entire military, a force of roughly 2 million men and women, on account of a few men.

Playing a part in Iraq

Despite the growing disregard towards our media by many Americans, the major news source still plays a large role in the attitude of our country, and especially the attitude of our troops watching from around the world. After a hard days work toiling for a cause one believes in, the last thing a person wants to hear is that his country does not believe in him or what he fights for. Personally, this would be enough to make me depressed, angry, and stressed, even apart from the strains of war. Yes, we are all playing a part in this war; how we react affects how the soldiers work, which in turn affects the whole war on terror. When we send a message of hopelessness and distrust to our soldiers, we can only expect to see the same attitude displayed in them. When we encourage and support them and let them know we trust them, we will be rewarded with a better performance as they go into battle with assurance of not only their own strength, but the strength of a people who will back them up.

I cannot express my pride in our troops and the strong, resolved attitude they have displayed, even in the face of rejection from our media. They deserve no less than our undying, unquestioning respect and admiration, and America would do well to strive to be more like the best military force in the world; the United States Armed Forces.

Rolling Victory Fast: say NO to Cindy!

Today I am fasting. And not for health reasons, either. No, today I am giving up chocolate to take part in the Rolling Victory Fast; a way to show support for our troops, and to protest against what Cindy Sheehan is doing. (Apparently she went on some hunger strike... and don't we all wish she hadn't stopped!)

Besides a great way to give your body a break, it's also a great way to give our soldiers a break from all this Cindy Sheehan stuff, and let them know that real people support them and the cause they fight for. Don't hesitate; get yourself on the list and protest Cindy Sheehan!

Letter of a terrorist: the brutal, honest truth

A letter written by Abu Musab Al Zarqawi was found by the U.S. in Iraq. As always, reading through the letter of a Muslim terrorist was quite... interesting, and confirms just what kind of evil, and yet fully convicted people we are dealing with in the war on terror.

In his letter, Zarqawi wrote short overviews on different religions and muslims, as well as he felt they should be treated. Upon reading the section in regards to America, I had to share some of the his honest statements with you;

"There is no doubt that the Americans’ losses are very heavy because they are deployed across a wide area and among the people and because it is easy to procure weapons, all of which makes them easy and mouth-watering targets for the believers. But America did not come to leave, and it will not leave no matter how numerous its wounds become and how much of its blood is spilled. It is looking to the near future, when it hopes to disappear into its bases secure and at ease and put the battlefields of Iraq into the hands of the foundling government with an army and police that will bring the behavior of Saddam and his myrmidons back to the people. There is no doubt that the space in which we can move has begun to shrink and that the grip around the throats of the mujahidin has begun to tighten. With the deployment of soldiers and police, the future has become frightening."

This man, a terrorist who fought and died for his Muslim convictions, stated clearly in this letter that he and his men are being defeated by the U.S.; despite the fact (which he states in a later excerpt) that we are "cowardly" people. This attitude of knowing we are a stronger force than they are, and yet stubbornly fighting on, is the attitude we are facing with all terrorists. No matter how badly they are wounded or restricted, they will never stop fighting, for their religion has bred in them a hate to deep and too evil to dissuade.

And finally, Zarqawi highlights four of Al-Qaeda's worst enemies; (with the Americans as number one) the Kurds, Soldiers, police, and agents, and the Shi'a

1. The Americans

"These, as you know, are the most cowardly of God’s creatures. They are an easy quarry, praise be to God. We ask God to enable us to kill and capture them to sow panic among those behind them and to trade them for our detained shaykhs and brothers." (Italics mine)

Abu Musab Al Zarqawi was a terrorist. He led the fighting group of Al-Qaeda, with his anger for anyone non-Muslim pushing him along. On June 7th, 2006 Abu Musab Al Zarqawi was killed by U.S. forces.

We are not just winning the war in Iraq. We have already won.

Life and death: progress in Iraq

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to hear right off about Abu Musab Al Zarqawi’s death on June 7th as I had when Saddam Hussein was captured. What a moment that was, that Sunday morning of December 14th, 2003 when I heard over the radio that one of Iraq’s worst tormenters and enemies was captured. This time I was in Colorado at our campsite, and Emi told me what they had heard over the radio. I hear these happenings, these steps of great progress in the Middle East, and I think; now this is something the media CANNOT ignore! No matter how hard they try, such big events as when the military takes out terrorists and evil men cannot be covered up or ignored.

Of course, I was very relieved to hear of Zarqawi’s death, but not at all surprised, for one way or another, our troops will hunt down these terrorists and end their killing tirades. This is called progress, and has been taking place in Iraq for the past couple years. To say that we are losing the war at this turning point for Iraq now would be ridiculous, though many liberals insist that progress is not possible in our “terrible” situation.

So when I say progress, what exactly do I mean? Well, try this:

Since the air strike that killed Zarqawi a week ago the U.S. military and Iraqi forces have carried out more than 450 raids in Iraq, and

Killed 104 insurgents

Captured 759 terrorists

Uncovered 28 weapons caches

Now they’re saying that we have collected enough names and information on terrorists to bring our troops home, though I highly doubt we can afford to leave this young country so soon. However, this is a huge step for both the U.S. and Iraq, and is only cause to remain optimistic and encouraged towards the cause we are fighting for.

Every time a terrorist is killed or captured, we are that much closer to keeping all of us here in the States safe. It’s time the liberal media quite fumbling for lame excuses and admit that we are not losing the war, but in fact, we have already won it.

Thank God for His victory over evil through us… may we continue to fight well for the freedoms He enables.