NEVER FORGOTTEN!
From: "Bruce Brookshire"
Lt. Col.(Trung Ta) McDonald "Don" Valentine passed away a few hours ago.
Hard charging Ranger to the end, Agent Orange diabetes finally did him in.
He met my plane when I landed at Tan Son Nhut Airport in Saigon. He helped me through the beginning days to become a Vietnamese Ranger Advisor. The Parrot's Beak of Cambodia close to Kampong Cham in the summer of 1970 was the last place our paths crossed until we met again through the U.S. Army Ranger Association in the spring of 1975. We kept up through the years from that point onward and shared a lot of war stories.
He will be missed.
Biet Dong Quan, sat!
----------------------------------------
Florida Ranger Camp Oct 1968
Dan Lynes, Jim Sweeney, Al Goodin, Rich Bauer,
2nd row
Steve Korenek, Don Valentine, Pat Moe, Larry Greene, John Cole, Charley Denholm
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About Lt. Col. Mc Donald Valentine
 Class Picture Contributed by Larry Green (in picture) l-r 1st row Mountain Ranger Camp, Hootch #82 Dahlonega, GA - Sept-Oct 1968 Al Goodin, Dave Banner, Don Valentine, John Cole, Larry Greene 2nd row Hoppy Hopper, Chuck VanGorder, Dick Powell |
Don
was born in Greenville, Alabama in 1945. His mother was predominate
Choctaw with English and German blood and his Dad a 24 yr old US Navy
C.P.A. and Aviation Machinist Mate was part of crew of USS Hornet when
it was sunk at the Battle of Santa Cruz in Oct. 1942. Don's Dad met his
lovely wife in Mobile, AL. Don's Dad was born and raised in Crosby
Tennessee.
Don loves to play baseball. He played baseball with many famous kids -Steve Carlton, Charlie Hough, Ted Kendrick ("THE MAD STORK"), and was the first to receive a baseball scholarship at the Univ. of Miami ('63-66) and then pitching coach at the University of Tennessee. Don ended up scouting for U.T. Don claims, "...the greatest kid I met in sports and life, Phil Garner". Don has one of the finest collections of Baseball National Champ Rings, Bats and Trophies. Don served 19 months in Nam with 14 of those in the bush, paddies, muck, constant bugs and rain. (Despite the opening song, Don never really "wished it would rain"). Several of his illnesses are water related, esp. the Dengue Fever and the Falarium. Don on Falarium, " ....this causes me to blow the worst farts recorded in Atlanta V.A. history. I killed 2 people behind me in line at the canteen". Also, Agent Orange appears to be more likely than not the cause of Don's diabetes. |
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McDonald Valentine, Jr., 64
Passed Away: 06/11/2009McDonald Valentine, Jr., 64, of Cumming, GA died on June 11, 2009. The son of the late McDonald and Willie Valentine, Sr., he was born in Greenville, AL.Don is survived by his beloved wife, Agnes Valentine of Cumming, GA; stepmother, Lora Mae Valentine of Cosby, TN; brothers, Ronnie Valentine of VA and Hal Valentine of Knoxville, TN; sister, June Sims of Cosby, TN; and many friends.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, June, 15, 2009 in the chapel of McDonald and Son Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Georgia National Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Monday, June 15, 2009 from 9:00 – 11:00 am at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made at any branch of Wachovia Bank to account #1010241582114, In Memory of McDonald Valentine.
Condolences may be expressed on-line (Look for link) at Life Files Remembrance Registry www.mcdonaldandson.com
Arrangements by McDonald and Son Funeral Home & Crematory, 150
Sawnee Drive, Cumming, GA 30040 (770) 886-9899
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MY DEAR AND VALIANT FRIEND HAS FALLEN.
RIP AND MAY THE THUNDEROUS SHOUT COME FROM THE FIELDS WHERE RANGER WARRIORS LIE
'BIET DONG QUAN SAT CONG' (RANGERS KILL COMMUNISTS)
Maj. Mark A Smith, 31st Vietnamese Ranger Battalion 1969
Loc Ninh Border Ranger Battalion 1972.
PoW - Vietnam
Song of the Soldiers Comrades known in marches many, Comrades, known by faith the clearest, By communion of the banner,
by Charles G. Halpine
Comrades, tried in dangers many,
Comrades, bound by memories many,
Brothers let us be.
Wounds or sickness may divide us,
Marching orders may divide us,
But whatever fate betide us,
Brothers of the heart are we.
Tried when death was near and nearest,
Bound we are by ties the dearest,
Brothers evermore to be.
And, if spared, and growing older,
Shoulder still in line with shoulder,
And with hearts no thrill the colder,
Brothers ever we shall be.
Crimson, white, and starry banner,
By the baptism of the banner,
Children of one Church are we.
Creed nor faction can divide us,
Race nor language can divide us
Still, whatever fate betide us,
Children of the flag are we.
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Tổng Hội Trưởng
BĐQ Đỗ mạnh Trường
P.O. Box 1448
Westminster, CA 92684-1448
Ðiện Thư: BĐQ Trần Tiễn San
hay: BĐQ Đỗ Mạnh Trường
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The ARVN RANGERS
INTRODUCTION
The Vietnamese Rangers were the most elite units of the Army Republic of Vietnam. Since the birth of those units (July 1960) until the end of the war (April 30th 1975), the Rangers had participated in many well known operations, campaigns such as Dong Xoai, Binh Gia, Lam Son 719, etc...The Rangers gathered many victories and earned many medals and recognition from both South Vietnam and the United States governments. Many Rangers battalions had earned the Presidential Citation Unit awards (the PCU) several times.
In the early years, the Rangers were formed as separated
independent companie, they fought independently, suitable in a guerilla
warfare. They were best known for their aggressiveness and elan
attacks, the Viet Cong (VCs) were afraid of and always tried to avoid a
confrontation with the governmental soldiers with a snarling black
panther painted in front of their helmets. As the war escalated into
conventional warfare, those independent Rangers companies were grouped
together to form battalions then groups. After the TET offensive the
Rangers groups had participated in many large scale operations, the
Cambodia incursion, Lam Son 719, and during the Easter offensive the
Rangers helped in defending the cities of Quang Tri, An Loc, Kontum.
Those Rangers units continued to fight until the last minutes of the
South Vietnam in the morning of April 30th 1975 when they were directed
to lay down their arms.
This is a document about the Vietnamese Rangers, their stories were organized and placed in the order according to the times in which the events occured. The story of the 52nd battalion told the history of a typical Rangers battalion, how it was formed, its activities during the war. Story of the 62nd battalion showed the fighting of a Border-Rangers camp after it was converted from a Special Forces CIDG camp. Story of the 58th battalion told how a Rangers battalion was deployed during the NVA’s final offensive. The “Eternity Ranger” replaces for the conclusion of this document.
Dallas, TX. Hieu Dinh Vu
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Vietnam Studies
U.S. Army Special Forces
1961-1971
CMH Publication 90-23
Department of the Army
Washington, D.C. 1989 (First Printed, 1973)
Sign Lt. Behenna’s petition for a new trial at: Sign Lt. Behenna’s petition for a new trial at: http://www.petitiononline.com/MBehenna/petition.html
GOVERNMENT WITHHOLDS EVIDENCE; ARMY RANGER GOES TO PRISON FOR 25 YEARS FOR SHOOTING AL QAEDA OPERATIVE
The Story
Michael Behenna
On March 20th, 2009, Army Ranger 1st Lieutenant Michael Behenna was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing a known Al Qaeda operative while serving in Iraq. The “victim”, Ali Mansur, was known to be a member of an Al Qaeda cell operating in the lieutenant’s area of operation, and was suspected to have organized an attack on Lt. Behenna’s platoon in April 2008 which killed two U.S. soldiers and injured two more. Army intelligence ordered the release of Mansur and Lt. Behenna was ordered to return the terrorist to his home.
During the return of Mansur, Lt. Behenna again questioned the Al Qaeda member for information about other members of the terrorist cell, and financial supporters. During this interrogation, Mansur attacked Lt. Behenna, who killed the terrorist in self-defense. The government subsequently prosecuted Lt. Behenna for premeditated murder.
Not only is this a miscarriage of justice on the behalf of Lt. Behenna, who was acting to prevent further loss of life in his platoon, it is demoralizing to the U.S. troops who continue to fight on behalf of the freedom and security of our nation. Whether it is U.S. border patrol agents, members of the armed forces, or FBI agents, no individual who is serving on the frontlines in the War on Terror should be so blatantly mistreated.
We urgently need your help to correct this terrible wrong against a loyal and faithful soldier. Please contact your congressman and ask them to intervene on behalf of 1LT Behenna. Below is a brief recap of the relevant aspects of Lt. Behenna’s case.
- September 2007: 1st Lieutenant Michael Behenna deployed to Iraq for his first combat experience
- April 21, 2008: Lt. Behenna’s platoon was attacked by Al Qaeda operatives. The attack resulted in death of two of Lt. Behenna’s platoon members, two Iraqi citizens, and wounded two additional soldiers under Lt. Behenna’s command.
- May 5, 2008: Known terrorist Ali Mansur was detained at his home for suspected involvement in the attack on Lt. Behenna’s platoon
- May 16, 2008: Army Intelligence orders the release of Mansur
- Lt. Behenna, who lost two members of his platoon just weeks earlier, was ordered to transport Mansur back to his home
- Lt. Behenna attempts a final interrogation of Mansur prior to his release
- During the interrogation, Behenna is attacked by Mansur and is forced to defend himself. During the altercation, the terrorist is killed.
- Lt. Behenna failed to properly report the incident
- July 2008: The U.S. Army charges Lt. Behenna with premeditated murder for the death of Al Qaeda operative and terrorist Ali Mansur.
- February 23, 2009: Lt. Behenna’s trial begins
- Government and defense experts agree on the trajectory of the bullets killing Mansur
- Prosecution expert Dr. Herbert MacDonnell initiated contact with defense attorneys explaining his agreement with the testimony of Lt. Behenna and his presentation to prosecutors supporting Lt. Behenna’s version of events.
- Dr. MacDonnell is not called to testify in the case and is sent home. Just before leaving the courthouse he picks up his coat from the prosecution room and says to the three prosecutors, ‘The explanation that Lt Behenna just testified to was the exact same scenario I told you yesterday. Lt Behenna is telling the truth.’
- Jack Zimmermann, defense counsel, asks prosecutors if they
have any exculpatory evidence that should be provided to the defense
(referring to Dr. MacDonnell’s demonstration). Prosecutors deny having
any such evidence despite having been told by their own expert witness
that Lt Behenna’s explanation was the only logical explanation.
- Prosecutors withholding of this evidence allowed them to argue that Lt. Behenna executed Ali Mansur while seated when the forensic experts, including Dr. MacDonnell, agree that Ali was standing with his arms outstretched when shot
- Lt. Behenna is convicted of unpremeditated murder and assault by a military panel of seven officers, none of whom had combat experience.
- Dr. MacDonnell contacts prosecution requesting that the information provided in his demonstration be given to the defense.
- Prosecutors provide such information after a verdict was rendered, but prior to sentencing.
- At the request of the presiding judge, Dr. MacDonnell provides his information to the court via telephone
- The judge orders both sides in the case to file briefs relating to a possible mistrial
- After reading the briefs the judge set an additional hearing and ordered additional briefs, including one from the defense requesting a new trial.
- On March 20, the judge denied defense motions to declare a mistrial and to order a new trial
- Lt. Behenna’s attorneys are appealing the verdict
- Lt. Behenna is currently serving a 25-year sentence
1st Lieutenant Michael Behenna was an excellent officer. He received his call to serve his country while attending the University of Central Oklahoma. He is from a family of public servants, his mother being an Assistant United States Attorney and his father a retired Special Agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. He has served the Army and the United States with honor and dignity. To sacrifice the life of this Oklahoma soldier over the death of a known terrorist, is a breech of faith with all who are serving our country.
www.DefendMichael.com Wristband
We’ll send you this DefendMichael.com wristband with any donation of $20 or more.
» Donate Online
Support Michael
We need your support now more than ever. The government has unlimited resources and has spent accordingly. 1LT Behenna and his family hired civilian counsel, Houston lawyers Jack B. Zimmermann and Kyle R. Sampson, at their own expense. This Legal Defense Fund has been established for the sole purpose of helping ensure that 1LT Behenna has meaningful access to experienced legal defense counsel in the military prosecution. The value of having experience in a case like this became very obvious when the issue of evidence withheld by the prosecution was discovered. All donations to this Fund will be used exclusively for attorney fees and expenses associated with this legal defense and will be maintained in an independently administered trust account. Disbursements from the Fund will be made directly to 1LT Behenna’s legal counsel upon receipt of qualified invoices. Funds will not be distributed directly to 1LT Behenna.
If you are able to help defray these costs, please send contributions to the:
1LT Michael Behenna Legal Defense Fund
c/o Jack Dawson, co-trustee
100 Park Avenue, Second Floor
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102-8099
or Rachel Lawrence Mor, co-trustee
3037 N.W. 63rd Street, Suite 251
Oklahoma City Oklahoma 73116
Please read our Legal Disclosure before donating. Thank you for assisting Lt. Michael Behenna.
The Daily Post-Athenian, Athens, Tenn., August 7, 1946; pages 1, 6.
McMinn A Warning — By Eleanor Roosevelt
New York, Monday — After any war, the use of force throughout the world is almost taken for granted. Men involved in the war have been trained to use force, and they have discovered that, when you want something, you can take it. The return to peacetime methods governed by law and persuasion is usually difficult.
We in the U.S.A., who have long boasted that, in our political life, freedom in the use of the secret ballot made it possible for us to register the will of the people without the use of force, have had a rude awakening as we read of conditions in McMinn County, Tennessee, which brought about the use of force in the recent primary. If a political machine does not allow the people free expression, then freedom-loving people lose their faith in the machinery under which their government functions.
In this particular case, a group of young veterans organized to oust the local machine and elect their own slate in the primary. We may deplore the use of force but we must also recognize the lesson which this incident points for us all. When the majority of the people know what they want, they will obtain it.
Any local, state or national government, or any political machine, in order to live, must give the people assurance that they can express their will freely and that their votes will be counted. The most powerful machine cannot exist without the support of the people. Political bosses and political machinery can be good, but the minute they cease to express the will of the people, their days are numbered.
This is a lesson which wise political leaders learn young, and you can be pretty sure that, when a boss stays in power, he gives the majority of the people what they think they want. If he is bad and indulges in practices which are dishonest, or if he acts for his own interests alone, the people are unwilling to condone these practices.
When the people decide that conditions in their town, county, state or country must change, they will change them. If the leadership has been wise, they will be able to do it peacefully through a secret ballot which is honestly counted, but if the leader has become inflated and too sure of his own importance, he may bring about the kind of action which was taken in Tennessee.
If we want to continue to be a mature people who, at home and abroad, settle our difficulties peacefully and not through the use of force, then we will take to heart this lesson and we will jealously guard our rights. What goes on before an election, the threats or persuasion by political leaders, may be bad but it cannot prevent the people from really registering their will if they wish to.
The decisive action which has just occurred in our midst is a warning, and one which we cannot afford to overlook.
and why they want America disarmed. From our past.. a part of history that should never be forgotten..
2 AUGUST 1946
I. Introduction
II. The Setting
These Americans were Tennesseeans of McMinn County, located between Chattanooga and Knoxville, in Eastern Tennessee. The two main towns were Athens and Etowah.
McMinn Countians had long been independent political thinkers. They also had long:
* accepted bribe-taking by politicians and/or the Sheriff to overlook illicit whiskey-making and gambling;
* financed the sheriff's department from fines - usually for speeding or public drunkenness - which promoted false arrests;
* put up with voting fraud by both Democrats and Republicans.
Tennessee State law barred voting fraud:
* ballot boxes had to be shown to be empty before voting;
* poll-watchers had to be allowed;
* armed law enforcement officers were barred from polling places;
* ballots had to be counted where any voter could watch.
III. The Circumstances
The Great Depression had ravaged McMinn County. Drought broke many farmers; workforces shrank. The wealthy Cantrell family, of Etowah, backed Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1932 election, hoping New Deal programs would revive the local economy and help Democrats to replace Republicans in the county government. So it proved.
Paul Cantrell was elected Sheriff in the 1936, 1938, and 1940 elections, but by slim margins. The Sheriff was the key County official. Cantrell was elected to the State Senate in 1942 and 1944; his chief deputy, Pat Mansfield, was elected sheriff. In 1946, Paul Cantrell again sought the Sheriff's office.
IV. World War II Ends; Paul Cantrell's Troubles Begin
At end-1945, some 3,000 battle-hardened veterans returned to McMinn County. Sheriff Mansfield's deputies had brutalized many in McMinn County; the GIs held Cantrell politically responsible for Mansfield's doings. Early in 1946, some newly-returned ex-GIs decided:
* to challenge Cantrell politically;
* to offer an all ex-GI, non-partisan ticket;
* to promise a fraud-free election.
In ads and speeches the GI candidates promised:
* an honest ballot count;
* reform of county government.
At a rally, a GI speaker said, "'The principals that we fought for in this past war do not exist in McMinn County. We fought for democracy because we believe in democracy but not the form we live under in this county.'" (Daily Post-Athenian, 17 June 1946, p. 1).
At end-July 1946, 159 McMinn County GIs petitioned the FBI to send election monitors. There was no response. The Department of Justice had not responded to McMinn Countians' complaints of election fraud in 1940, 1942, and 1944.
V. From Ballots to Bullets
The election was held on 1 August. To intimidate voters, Mansfield brought in some 200 armed "deputies". GI poll-watchers were beaten almost at once. At about 3 p.m., Tom Gillespie, an African-American voter, was told by a Sheriff's deputy, "'Nigger, you can't vote here today!!'". Despite being beaten, Gillespie persisted; the enraged deputy shot him. The gunshot drew a crowd. Rumors spread that Gillespie had been "shot in the back"; he later recovered. (C. Stephen Byrum, The Battle of Athens; Paidia Productions, Chattanooga TN, 1987; pp. 155-57).
Other deputies detained ex-GI poll-watchers in a polling place, as that made the ballot count "public". A crowd gathered. Sheriff Mansfield told his deputies to disperse the crowd. When the two ex-GIs smashed a big window and escaped, the crowd surged forward. "The deputies, with guns drawn, formed a tight half-circle around the front of the polling place. One deputy, "his gun raised high ...shouted: 'You sons-of-bitches cross this street and I'll kill you!'" (Byrum, p. 165).
Mansfield took the ballot boxes to the jail for counting. The deputies seemed to fear immediate attack, by the "people who had just liberated Europe and the South Pacific from two of the most powerful war machines in human history." (Byrum, pp. 168-69).
Short of firearms and ammunition, the GIs scoured the county to find them. By borrowing keys to the National Guard and State Guard Armories, they got three M-1 rifles, five .45 semi-automatic pistols, and 24 British Enfield rifles. The armories were nearly empty after the war's end.
By eight p.m., a group of GIs and "local boys" headed for the jail to get the ballot boxes. They occupied high ground facing the jail but left the back door unguarded to give the jail's defenders an easy way out.
VI. The Battle of Athens
Three GIs - alerting passersby to danger - were fired on from the jail. Two GIs were wounded. Other GIs returned fire. Those inside the jail mainly used pistols; they also had a "tommy gun" (a .45 caliber Thompson sub-machine gun).
Firing subsided after 30 minutes: ammunition ran low and night had fallen. Thick brick walls shielded those inside the jail. Absent radios, the GIs' rifle fire was un-coordinated. "From the hillside, fire rose and fell in disorganized cascades. More than anything else, people were simply 'shooting at the jail'." (Byrum, p. 189).
Several who ventured into "no man's land", the street in front of the jail, were wounded. One man inside the jail was badly hurt; he recovered. Most sheriff's deputies wanted to hunker down and await rescue. Governor McCord mobilized the State Guard, perhaps to scare the GIs into withdrawing. The State Guard never went to Athens. McCord may have feared that Guard units filled with ex-GIs might not fire on other ex-GIs.
At about 2 a.m. on 2 August, the GIs forced the issue. Men from Meigs county threw dynamite sticks and damaged the jail's porch. The panicked deputies surrendered. GIs quickly secured the building. Paul Cantrell faded into the night, almost having been shot by a GI who knew him, but whose .45 pistol had jammed. Mansfield's deputies were kept overnight in jail for their own safety. Calm soon returned: the GIs posted guards. The rifles borrowed from the armory were cleaned and returned before sun-up.
VII. The Aftermath: Restoring Democracy in McMinn County
In five precincts free of vote fraud, the GI candidate for Sheriff, Knox Henry, won 1,168 votes to Cantrell's 789. Other GI candidates won by similar margins.
The GIs did not hate Cantrell. They only wanted honest government. On 2 August, a town meeting set up a three-man governing committee. The regular police having fled, six men were chosen to police Athens; a dozen GIs were sent to police Etowah. In addition, "Individual citizens were called upon to form patrols or guard groups, often led by a GI. ...To their credit, however, there is not a single mention of an abuse of power on their behalf." (Byrum, p. 220).
Once the GI candidates' victory had been certified, they cleaned-up county government:
* the jail was fixed;
* newly-elected officials accepted a $5,000 pay limit;
* Mansfield supporters who resigned, were replaced.
The general election on 5 November passed quietly. McMinn Countians, having restored the Rule of Law, returned to their daily lives. Pat Mansfield moved back to Georgia. Paul Cantrell set up an auto dealership in Etowah. "Almost everyone who knew Cantrell in the years after the 'Battle' agree that he was not bitter about what had happened." (Byrum, pp. 232-33; see also New York Times, 9 August 1946, p. 8).
VIII. The Outsiders' Response
The Battle of Athens made national headlines. Most outsiders' reports had the errors usual in coverage of large-scale, night-time events. A New York Times editorialist on 3 August savaged the GIs, who:
"...quite obviously - though we hope erroneously - felt that there was no city, county, or State agency to whom they could turn for justice.
... "There is a warning for all of us in the occurrence...and above all a warning for the veterans of McMinn County, who also violated a fundamental principle of democracy when they arrogated to themselves the right of law enforcement for which they had no election mandate. Corruption, when and where it exists, demands reform, and even in the most corrupt and boss-ridden communities there are peaceful means by which reform can be achieved. But there is no substitute, in a democracy, for orderly process." (NYT, 3 Aug 1946, p. 14.)
The editorialist did not see:
* McMinn Countians' many appeals for outside help;
* some ruthless people only respect force;
* that it was wrong to equate use of force by evil-doers (Cantrell and Mansfield) with the righteous (the GIs).
The New York Times:
* never saw that Cantrell and Mansfield's wholesale election fraud, enforced at gun-point, trampled the Rule of Law;
* feared citizens' restoring the Rule of Law by armed force.
Other outsiders, e.g., Time and Newsweek, agreed. (See Time, 12 August 1946, p. 20; Newsweek, 12 Aug 1946, p. 31 and 9 September 1946, p. 38).
The 79th Congress adjourned on 2 August 1946, when the Battle of Athens ended. However, Representative John Jennings, Jr., from Tennessee decried:
* McMinn County's sorry situation under Cantrell and Mansfield;
* the Justice Department's repeated failures to help the McMinn Countians.
Jennings was delighted that "...at long last decency and honesty, liberty and law have returned to the fine county of McMinn...". (Congressional Record, House; U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1946; Appendix, Volume 92, Part 13, p. A4870.)
IX. The Lessons of Athens
Those who took up arms in Athens, Tennessee:
* wanted honest elections, a cornerstone of our Constitutional order;
* had repeatedly tried to get Federal or State election monitors;
* used armed force so as to minimize harm to the law-breakers;
* showed little malice to the defeated law-breakers;
* restored lawful government.
The Battle of Athens clearly shows:
* how Americans can and should lawfully use armed force;
* why the Rule of Law requires unrestricted access to firearms;
* how civilians with military-type firearms can beat the forces of "law and order".
Dictators believe that public order is more important than the Rule of Law. However, Americans reject this idea. Criminals can exploit for selfish ends, the use armed force to restore the Rule of Law. But brutal political repression - as practiced by Cantrell and Mansfield - is lethal to many. An individual criminal can harm a handful of people. Governments alone can brutalize thousands, or millions.
Since 1915, officials of seven governments "gone bad" have committed genocide, murdering at least 56 million persons, including millions of children. "Gun control" clears the way for genocide by giving governments "gone bad" far greater freedom to commit mass murder.
Law-abiding McMinn Countians won the Battle of Athens because they were not hamstrung by "gun control". McMinn Countians showed us when citizens can and should use armed force to support the Rule of Law. We are all in their debt.
This is a bare bones summary of a major report in JPFO's Firearms Sentinel (January 1995). To learn how the gutsy people of Athens, Tennessee did the Framers of the Constitution proud, send $3 to JPFO, 2872 South Wentworth Avenue; Milwaukee, WI 53207; and request the January 1995 Firearms Sentinel. This document is from: chiliast@ideasign.com (A.K. Pritchard)
Click Here to go to websie http://liberty-or-death.ning.com
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Full Length Movie - 2 hrs long or so
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SEAL Team 7
Colombia is in chaos, caught in a bitter war between its government and insurgent guerrillas.
A team of 5 U.S. Navy SEAL (SEAL Team 7) is sent on a secret mission to observe a meeting between the factions (FARC - CNA) and ensure peace is the end result. But when a team of Colombian Special Force Soldiers strikes, they frame the SEAL for the bloodbath.
Abandoned by their own government and trapped behind enemy lines, the remaining TEAM members must survive long enough to find the evidence of their innocence and that will also prevent a brutal war.
When movie starts, double click on movie for full screen if you so desire.
Quality good - broadband vs dialup recommended.
Subject: Who REALLY saved Capt Phillips?
Cmdr. Frank Castellano, that's who! As already explained, our Commander-In-Chief did nothing but dither about the situation for days, then rushed to take credit when it turned out OK because a real military man made a needed decision. (For which he could have been reprimanded by that same CIC; but he made a decision to do the right thing regardless of risk to his career. Hopefully there's a post to Admiral in his future some day.)
Del
=======================================================
Excerpted from a article from Jack Wheeler
All of us want to raise our glass the highest this week to the Navy SEALs who popped those three Somali pirates. And I'm sure you want to hear the real story of what happened. Especially because there is a revoltingly opportunistic and cowardly side to it. Guess which side Zero is on.
Why, for example, did it take SEAL Team Six (aka DEVGRU, Navy Special Warfare Development Group, the Navy's equivalent of Delta Force) over 36 hours to get to the scene?Because Zero refused to authorize the SEAL deployment for those 36 hours, during which the OSC - the on scene commander, Cmdr. Frank Castellano of the USS Bainbridge - repeatedly requested them.
Once the SEALs arrived - parachuting from a C-17 into the ocean near the ship - Zero then imposed Rules of Engagement (ROE) specifying the SEALs could not do anything unless the life of the hostage, Captain Richard Phillips, was in "imminent" danger.
Thus, when Capt. Phillips attempted to escape by jumping off the lifeboat into the ocean, the SEAL snipers had all four pirates (one later surrendered) sighted in and could have taken them out then and there - but they could not fire due to Zero's ROE restrictions.
When the SEALs approached the lifeboat in a RIB (rigid-hull inflatable boat) carrying supplies for Capt. Phillips and the pirates, the pirates fired upon them. Not only was no fire returned due to the ROE, but as the pirates were shooting at the RIB, SEAL snipers on the Bainbridge had them all dialed in. No triggers were pulled due to the ROE.
Two specific rescue plans were developed by Cmdr. Castellano and the SEAL teams. Zero personally refused to authorize them.
After the second refusal and days of dithering, Cmdr. Castellano decided he had the Operational Area and OSC authority to "solely determine risk to hostage" and did not require any further approval of the president.
Four hours later, the White House is informed that three pirates are dead and Capt. Phillips has been rescued unharmed. A WH press release is immediately issued, giving credit to the president for his "daring and decisive" behavior that resulted in such success.
Zero has absolutely no military knowledge or experience whatsoever. He demanded decisional control over the entire hostage drama to the last detail. All actions required his personal approval. He dithered like a coward while the world laughed at our warships flummoxed by four illiterate teenagers with AKs in a lifeboat.
Only when the Navy Commander decided to ignore his Pantywaist-in Chief and take action and responsibility himself, were the incredible skills of the SEALs put into play.
That Zero could cynically and opportunistically claim that his "bold" "calm" "tough" leadership was responsible should remind everyone that not a single action, not a single word of this man can be trusted. He is bereft of honesty and moral character. That's why he's Zero.
Let us raises a glass full of pride and gratitude to Navy Commander Frank Castellano, the Navy SEALs for their incredible competence, and our military. Let's hold a Tea Party in their honor.
American Freedom
-- Thomas Jefferson
The war for our individual and collective Liberties, our Freedoms, our Rights is underway, not in some foreign land, here on American Soil and it requires dedication of the Patriot to prevail. Indifference, ignorance and apathy toward our Rights are the only thing that relinquishes those rights to the authority of a government that is only too willing to usurp. The Constitution was created to limit the reach and scope of government The government has revered this and now limits the reach and scope of the Rights of the People.
“At what point shall we expect the approach of danger?
By what means shall we fortify against it?
Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow?
Never!
All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.
At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected?
I answer, if it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher..”
— Abraham Lincoln: Address Before the Young Men’s Lyceum, of Springfield, Illinois, January 27, 1838.
One of our greatest responsibilities, as Americans, lies in defending Our Constitution. This scroll of freedom provides a system of government that is designed to promote individual liberty as well as stability in our society
To "preserve, protect, and defend" — comes with a duty to vigilance. The price you may have to pay is your life.
My generation is moving off the stage.
Your generation is emerging and I hope our generation has prepared you for the task ahead of you.
In the light of liberty, our ancestors passed on our freedoms to us, we now pass them on to you.. They are left in your care. Uphold the principles of free speech, the right to own arms, freedom of movement and travel and much, much more. The greatest of these rights is a gift, and that gift is faith in one nation under God, and our nation's greatest expression of that faith remains our Constitution and we hereby place it in your care to "preserve, protect, and defend".
God Blessed America, may He bless her once again.
Welcome to
The Spirit Of Resistance
An Honor To Serve
Words and music by Ray Boltz
He was just a young man
When he first heard the call
Come and join in the battle
Come and give us your all
And he rose up to follow
Leaving all else behind
And he joined in this song
When he reached the front lines
CHORUS:
It's an honor to serve
To join in the fight
To lift up my voice
And to lay down my life
Giving glory to God
Seeking none in return
It's an honor, an honor to serve
Now the day he was captured
They locked him in chains
And though weeks turned to years
Still his faith stayed the same
As his body was broken
His dark hair turned gray
But each night in his cell
He would stand up and say
CHORUS:
It's an honor to serve
To join in the fight
To lift up my voice
And to lay down my life
Giving glory to God
Seeking none in return
It's an honor, an honor to serve
Now one day the war
Finally came to an end
And he spoke with his heart
As he stood with his men..
.
(spoken)
"We are honored to have had
The opportunity to serve our country
Under difficult circumstances.
We are profoundly grateful
To our commander-in-chief
And to our nation for this day…
God Bless America."
As they lifted the flag
At the front of the crowd
I watched him stand up
And bring his hand to his brow
Oh Lord, help me remember
What true honor means
And no matter the cost
To stand up and sing
CHORUS:
It's an honor to serve
To join in the fight
To lift up my voice
And to lay down my life
Giving glory to God
Seeking none in return
It's an honor, an honor to serve
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