Marine Corps took some wounded today.Keep ur servicembrs in ur prayers.

I’ve been off the “net” for a bit and I can tell you one thing. Your warriors are kicking ass and taking names across the water ponds (oceans for you smart ones). Why doesn’t it surprise me that our nation is attracted to MJs death like bugs to a light but as in the below article and like the thousands that have paid the ultimate sacrifice before him, we have a warriors death glazed over as he was killed the same day as MJ…..I got to be honest, this apart of what’s freaking jacked with our country.  MJs accomplishments were greater than this warrior? Barf…..I’m glad I’ve been off the radar for awhile, I feel like I’ve missed all of the MJ bullshit and feel pretty good about that. God Bless the warriors who pay the price and are never recognized for their sacrifices. It’s a damn shame we take them for granted.

Time for a cigar for Lt. Brian Bradshaw and the many other warriors like him…..

A day before New York Rep. Peter King called Michael Jackson a “pervert” unworthy of nonstop media coverage, the aunt of a U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan on the same day Jackson died asked why her nephew's death went virtually unnoticed while the King of Pop got memorial shrines across the country.

"Mr. Jackson received days of wall-to-wall coverage in the media," Martha Gillis wrote to the Washington Post. "Where was the coverage of my nephew or the other soldiers who died that week?"

Gillis' nephew, Lt. Brian Bradshaw, 24, died in Kheyl, Afganistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Bradshaw, of Steilacoom, Wash., was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division in Fort Richardson, Alaska. He was one of at least 13 U.S. soldiers to die in Afghanistan since Jackson's death on June 25.

Bradshaw's mother, Mary, said she agreed with Gillis, saying the nonstop coverage of Jackson's death has become "totally ridiculous" and laughable.

"I can watch the news many nights and there's no mention of what's going on in Afghanistan or Iraq and there's boys dying over there," Bradshaw told FOXNews.com. "Oh God, I can't talk."

"He had old-fashioned values and believed that military service was patriotic and that actions counted more than talk," Gillis wrote. "He wasn't much for talking, although he could communicate volumes with a raised eyebrow."

Bradshaw, who graduated from Pacific Lutheran University, was the product of a military family. His father, Paul, is a retired National Guard helicopter pilot, and his mother is a retired Army nurse.

"He was a search-and-rescue volunteer, an altar boy, a camp counselor," Gillis' letter continued. "He carried the hopes and dreams of his parents willingly on his shoulders. What more than that did Michael Jackson do or represent that earned him memorial 'shrines,' while this soldier's death goes unheralded?"

Gillis said the only media outlets that covered Bradshaw's death were in his hometown of Steilacoom, Wash., and those where he was stationed before his deployment in March.

Gillis' sentiment echoes that of King, the Long Island, N.Y., congressman who called on society to stop "glorifying" Jackson in a YouTube video posted on Monday.

King said Jackson had been excessively praised in the days after his death while society ignored the efforts of teachers, police officers and veterans. In the two-minute video, King called the "day in and day out" coverage of Jackson's death "too politically correct."

"Let's knock out the psychobabble," he said in the video, which was taped outside an American Legion Hall in his district. "He was a pervert, a child molester; he was a pedophile. And to be giving this much coverage to him, day in and day out, what does it say about us as a country? I just think we're too politically correct."

King, who is among the possible Republican contenders to run against Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, acknowledged that Jackson "may have been a good singer" and "did some dancing," but he blasted the King of Pop as someone who could not be trusted around children.

"There's nothing good to say about this guy," King continued. "But the bottom line is, would you let your child or grandchild be in the same room as Michael Jackson?"

Altough this bill is focused and tittled the “Tobacco Bill” something that servicemembers should know is that the second half of the bill regulates TSP for servicemembers.  It describes how the Gov will not match what you earn etc. Clever stuffing it under the “Tobacco Bill”…Brilliant!

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/22/obama-sign-anti-smoking-monday/

Received this from a brother Marine:

Colonel Donald Gilbert Cook was the first U.S. Marine captured in
Vietnam; the first and only Marine in history to earn the Medal of
Honor while in captivity; and the first Marine POW to have a U.S. Navy
ship named in his honor.

On December 31, 1964 he was captured near Binh Gia in South Vietnam.
Until his death in captivity in December 1967, Cook led ten POWs in a
series of primitive jungle camps. His leadership and adherence to the
U.S. Military Code of Conduct earned him the nation's highest military
award.

This is the first book-length biography of Colonel Donald G. Cook. It
concentrates especially on his years in captivity and also covers the
ten other POWs under his command, including Sgt. Harold George Bennett
( the first American POW executed in Vietnam) and Sgt. Issac Camacho (
the first American POW to escape in Vietnam). The author outlines the
circumstances surrounding Cook's Medal of Honor citation and death.
All told, Cook's biography is a unique study of exemplary leadership
under almost unbearable conditions. Nearly 70 photographs are
included.

About the author.

Retired Marine Colonel Donald L. Price earned the Silver Star, three
Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart for service in Vietnam. He lives in
Sierra Vista, Arizona.

The story.

Leading up to what I'm about to share with you, Col. Cook had led some
other POWs on an escape attempt in which they were unsuccessful and
recaptured. The narrative picks up from there.

Leaving the hut, they walked toward the latrine when their guards
stopped them, ordering Crafts back inside. Suddenly, Bennett
whispered, " We can't leave him behind. " Cook looked at him and
whispered back, " I'm in command here, and this is my decision. Let's
go!" They had not gone far when Bennett's foot got caught in the
undergrowth. Being too weak....he was unable to free himself. At this
time, one of the guards caught up with Bennett. As the VC turned to
call for help, Bennett hit him and put his hand over his mouth to
muzzle his shout. Cook then hit the guard several times but was unable
to render him unconscious. In the course of the struggle, the guard
nearly bit off one of Bennett's fingers. Suddenly,another guard showed
up and forced the two Americans back to the camp at gunpoint.

Once in the camp, the enraged guards struck Bennett in the head with
their clenched fists and clubbed him to the ground with their rifle
butts. Then they beat him with a bamboo staff. Bennett uttered not a
sound-- even with his finger severed to the bone.

Cook thought they would be shot for lambasting the guard.

After dark, two Viet Cong officers came into the hut, forced Cook and
Bennett to their knees, put pistols to their heads, and threatened to
shoot them. One of the officers said to Cook in perfect Oxford
English, "I shall now kill you. I have the authority to do so."

In an incredible act of faith without fear, Cook gazed up at him and
said, " You can't kill me. Only God can decide when I die."

The stymied officer did not pull his trigger. Apparently, he was the
senior and the malevolent twosome backed off. Cook had psychologically
disarmed them with his righteous defiance

--
God Bless America and the U.S. Marine Corps

See his web page here

Rules for the Non-Military   (passed on from a friend) 

*Dear Civilians, 'We know that the current state of affairs in our great nation has many civilians up in arms and excited to join the military.  For those of  you who can't join, you can still lend a hand. Here are a few of the areas where we would like your assistance:*

   2. When you witness, firsthand, someone burning the American Flag in protest- kick their ass.

   3. Regardless of the rank they held while they served, pay the highest amount of respect to all veterans.  If you see anyone doing otherwise, quietly
pull them aside and explain how these veterans fought for the very freedom they bask in every second.  Enlighten them on the many sacrifices these veterans made to make this Nation Great. Then hold them down while a disabled veteran kicks their ass!

   4. (GUYS) If you were never in the military, DO NOT pretend that you were. Wearing battle dress uniforms (BDUs) or Jungle Fatigues, telling others that you used to be 'Special Forces.  Collecting GI Joe memorabilia, might have been okay when you were seven years old, now, it will only make you look stupid and get your ass kicked.

   5. Next time you come across an *Air Force* member, do not ask them, 'Do you fly a jet?' Not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot.  Such ignorance deserves an ass-kicking (children are exempt).

   6.If you witness someone calling the *US Coast Guard* 'non-military', inform them of their mistake - and kick their ass. 

  7. Next time Old Glory (the US flag) prances by during a parade, get on your damn feet and pay homage to her by placing your hand over your heart. Quietly thank the military member or veteran lucky enough to be carrying her - of course, failure to do either of those could earn you a severe                   ass-kicking.

   8. Don't try to discuss politics with a military member or veteran. We are Americans, and we all bleed the same, regardless of our party affiliation.
Our Chain of Command is to include our Commander-In-Chief(CinC). The President (for those who didn't know) is our CinC Regardless of political party. We have no inside track on what happens inside those big important buildings where all those representatives meet All we know is
That when those civilian representatives screw up the situation, they call upon the military to go straighten it out. If you keep asking us the same stupid
questions repeatedly, you will get your ass kicked.

   9. 'Your mama wears combat boots' never made sense to me - stop saying it!  If she did, she would most likely be a vet and therefore would kick
your ass!

   10. Bin Laden and the Taliban are not Communists, so stop saying 'Let's go kill those Commies!' And stop asking us where he is!  Crystal balls are not standard issue in the military. That reminds me - if you see anyone calling those damn psychic phone numbers, let me know, so I can go kick their ass!

   11. 'Flyboy' (*Air Force*), 'Jarhead' (*Marines),* 'Grunt' (*Army*), 'Squid' (*Navy*), 'Puddle Jumpers' (*Coast Guard*), etc., are terms of endearment we use describing each other.  Unless you are a service member or vet, you have not earned the right to use them. Using them                       could get your ass kicked.

   12. Last, but not least, whether or not you become a member of the military, support our troops and their families... Every Thanksgiving and religious    holiday that you enjoy with family and friends, please remember that there are literally thousands of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen far from home wishing; they could be with their families.. Thank God for our military and the sacrifices they make every day. Without them, our Country would get it's ass kicked..'

   *'It's the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.'  'It's the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of
speech.'
   'It's the Veteran, not the community organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate.'  'It 's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the
flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.'

 *AND ONE MORE::

13. If you ever see anyone either standing for or singing the national anthem in Spanish - KICK THEIR ASS.

Here is a military professional who time and time again uses the term Sir & Ma’am as  a professional response. How else could the “senator” mean her public demonstration other than a slap in the Generals face? “I worked so hard to get that title.” She says….and he hasn’t worked hard to get the title “General”? Typical one sided….do as I say not as I do. I watched the entire video and she never addresses him as General once…….Brilliant…..click the pic to see the video. A different version below...

Col. Jessep: Senator, we live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and curse the Marines; you have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives and that my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use then as the backbone of a life trying to defend something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you," and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest that you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.

Hat tip to Hot Air