RIFLE

This video was sent in by a friend who is also a Brother - filmed by some Air Force Joint Tactical Air Controllers (JTAC) in Tal Afar, west of Mosul in Iraq (date unknown):

A Marine unit was pinned down in the street. They set their video camera on the bumper of their armored HUMVEE, which they were using for cover.

Keep an eye on the opposing van parked just down the street. On the audio you can hear them shooting back and forth. The rounds you can hear are from the Marines, and the ones you hear pinging against the side of the vehicle with no accompanying pop are from the bad guys.

Listen carefully; when the Marine says they just fired the "rifle," it means an F-16 aircraft just launched a Maverick missile. You can see it strike the vehicle the bad guys were using for cover.

End of story . . . for the bad guys.



Tuesday Tart HERE


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THE MARINES ALWAYS WIN ! ! !

This one is dedicated to my good buddy Frenchy the Marine, Legionnaire and Wild Hog - S.L.


Two Arabs boarded a flight out of London. One took a window seat and the other sat next to him in the middle seat.

Just before takeoff, a Marine sat down in the aisle. After takeoff, the Marine kicked his shoes off, wiggled his toes and was settling in when the Arab in the window seat said, "I need to get up and get a Coke."

"Don't get up," said the Marine, "I'm in the aisle seat, I'll get it for you." As soon as he left, one of the Arabs picked up the Marines' shoe and spat in it.

When the Marine returned with the Coke, the other Arab said, "That looks good, I'd really like one, too."

Again, the Marine obligingly went to fetch it. While he was gone the other Arab picked up the Marines' other shoe and spat in it.

When the Marine returned, they all sat back and enjoyed the flight. As the plane was landing, the Marine slipped his feet into his shoes and knew immediately what had happened.

"Why does it have to be this way?" he asked. "How long must this go on? This fighting between our nations? This hatred? This animosity? This spitting in shoes and pissing in Cokes?"


And the moral of this story is . . .

AT THE DMV

Waiting in line all day at two different government bureaucracies . . . all because I need a Pennsylvania state driver's license, so I won't be a VIOLATOR . . .

"Do you have two forms of ID?"

"Yes, here's my passport, and here's my US military ID."

"US military ID is no good."

"W-H-A-A-A-?-?-?"

"Because you don't have to be a US citizen to become a member of the US military."

"I know that - I wasn't a citizen when I signed up. But you can't be in twenty-plus years and make it to retirement without becoming a US citizen, and this is a RETIRED US military ID.  And anyway, this is a US PASSPORT, right here."

"Sorry, you will need your Social Security card, to get a Pennsylvania state driver’s license."

"My SOCIAL SECURITY CARD ? ? ? I haven't seen hide nor hair of THAT thing since before I joined the Army! And it doesn't even have a photograph on it, signature, nothing. Come to think of it, you don’t need to be a US citizen to get a Social Security number, anyway. I wasn’t, when I got mine. Besides, this US military ID card has my Social Security number ON IT."

"Sorry, sir; but you can join the US military without being a US citizen . . ."

Next stop, the Social Security Administration. That actually wasn't so bad - once you get over the government propaganda being transmitted over a 65-inch plasmatron, and the WAITING. They had The Social Security Story going in a fifteen-minute loop, so I got to watch of how FDR and Social Security saved America from the Great Depression about eight times over. This makes me wonder, of course, if putting people on the government dole is what it takes to get an economy out of the doldrums, then why don't we put EVERYBODY on the government payroll - we'll be back on track to being the greatest, richest, most powerful society in the history of the world, times ten million. Funny thing is, I thought World War II had something to do with it, and of course there was no mention of Social Security being a giant Ponzi scheme - but what do I know? I'm a philosopher, not an economist.

Back at the DMV - wife TigerLily is going nuts: "HEY! Our numbah neary rup, an dey CHANGE-A NUMBAH! I go up there, ask 'em whatta hell go on heah?"

"You got get 'em, TigerLily! Give 'em that angry Oriental routine!"

Guy in front of me turns around. "Man, I've got my passport, my Honorable Discharge from the Marine Corps . . ."

"That ain't good enough, man. Military means nothin' to these people."

"I'm nobody special or nothin', but its like four generations of my family served in the military - one of 'em a Medal of Honor recipient."

"You better not tell them THAT, they'll treat you like a second-class citizen!"

"NUMBER 369!"

"Oh that's us honey, let's go up there."

"Are you Mrs. TigerLily Stormbringer?"

"Yes."

"Please look into the eye exam machine.  What color do you see?"

"Red."

"And what does red mean?"

"Red mean Stop."

"What color do you see now?"

"Green."

"And what does green mean?"

"Go."

"What color do you see now?"

"Yellow."

"And what does yellow mean?"

"Yellow mean . . . GO FASTER."

"Very good, Ma’am. Now sign here, and here. Now go over there and have your picture taken. NEXT!"

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I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN' YOU BABY

GENE SIMMONS MILITARY TRIBUTE . . .




Gene Simmons as you've never seen him before . . .

. . . and YES your Uncle Stormy was a Charter Member of the Raider Nation AND the KISS Army . . .

GOD IS BUSY

It is Sunday; this is appropriate - S.L.



A United States Marine was attending some college courses after doing his bit in Iraq and Afghanistan and getting out. One of the courses had a professor
who was an avowed atheist, and a member of the ACLU.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, "GOD!! If You are real then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes!"

The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am GOD, I'm still waiting . . ."

It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.

The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently.

The other students were shocked and stunned, and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, "What in the world is the matter with you? Why did you do that?"

The Marine calmly replied, "God is too busy today protecting American warriors who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff like that and act like an idiot. So He sent me."







The preceding anecdote illustrates to me, better than ever before, the meaning of the Serenity Prayer; guidance I use to help keep me from driving myself insane at the stupidity and illogic of the world around me - Sean Linnane


The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.






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MARINE SNIPER: I MILE KILL SHOT

Marine sniper Steve Reichert tells his own story about doing battle in Iraq with his trusty Barret 50 cal.

SOMEWHERE SOMETHING WENT HORRIBLY WRONG

Congressman John Murtha dead at 77.





In 1974, Marine Colonel John Murtha became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress. Considered one of Congress' most hawkish Democrats, in 2002 Murtha voted to authorize President George W. Bush to use military force in Iraq.

By November 2005, however, it became politically expedient to join the growing number of Democrats criticizing the administration's handling of the war. In calling for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops, Murtha said, "The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion."

In 2006 Murtha's criticism of the Iraq war morphed into emotional accusations when he exclaimed Marines murdered Iraqi civilians "in cold blood" at Haditha, Iraq, after one Marine died and two were wounded by a roadside bomb. On December 21, 2006, eight Marines from 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines were charged in connection with the incident.

Murtha unfairly held the Marines responsible before an investigation was concluded and fueled enemy retaliation. Latching onto defeatist liberal sentiments of the day, Murtha said the war couldn't be won militarily and such incidents dimmed the prospect for a political solution.

"This is the kind of war you have to win the hearts and minds of the people," Murtha said. "And we're set back every time something like this happens." Murtha's strident accusations against the Haditha Marines helped the Democrats gain a majority in the House of Representatives.

Murtha's disgraceful accusations against fellow Marines were reminiscent of another Vietnam veteran's ungrounded claims of US servicemen's conduct in an earlier conflict.





Charges against seven of the eight Marines were ultimately dropped, and murder charges against the eighth were reduced to negligent homicide. In the course of the Haditha Marines' Article 32 hearings, the investigating officer told the prosecution so far, "The account you want me to believe does not support unpremeditated murder."

John Murtha's conduct throughout this incident was considered shameful by my Marine brothers. Murtha played the incident for maximum media coverage; it was impossible to avoid the subject as his face dominated television screens in mess halls, orderly rooms and other gathering places throughout the military.

I have always admired the Marine Corps; probably the finest fighting force ever to ever march across a battlefield. I have served alongside Marines, in training and operationally, overseas. My only regret of my entire military career is that it did not include a hitch in the Marine Corps. To this day I count Marines amongst my truest friends.

During the time of John Murtha's betrayal, more than one Marine I know looked down, shook his head and said, "He's not one of us. He's not a Marine anymore." For a Marine to say such a thing of another Marine is bad enough; for a Marine to say such a thing in front of a non-Marine, in the company of other Marines, is unheard of.


***************************************


Murtha joined the Marines in 1952, served in the 2nd Marine Division, and did a stint as a drill instructor at Parris Island, South Carolina. He served as an intelligence officer in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967 and received a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.

Murtha routinely drew the attention of ethical watchdogs for off-the-floor activities, and his entanglement in the Abscam corruption probe three decades ago.

In the 1980 Abscam corruption probe, the FBI caught Murtha on videotape turning down a $50,000 bribe offer while holding out the possibility that he might take money in the future. "We do business for a while, maybe I'll be interested and maybe I won't," Murtha said on the tape. Six congressmen and one senator were convicted in that case. Murtha was not charged, but the government named him as an unindicted co-conspirator and he testified against two other congressmen.

More recently, Murtha drew scrutiny for the connection between special-interest spending known as earmarks and the raising of cash for campaigns.


He will not be missed.

- S.L.


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A NEW ANGLE

Bank of Nigeria



I get a LOT of emails from those "Nigerian Bank Scams". You know the deal:



Hello ,
I am writing to you for a business co-operation and your assistance .
I have some money, i will like to invest with you in your country on a good areas you could choose . . .



Dear Respectful One
I am writting this letter with due respect and heartful of tears since we have not known or met ourselves previously I am asking for your assistance after I have gone through a profile that speaks good of you. I will be so glad if you can allow me and lead me to the right channel towards your assistance .




END OF YEAR AWARD BONANZA
FROM THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR
PROMOTION/PRIZE AWARD DEPT.

Dear Winner,
We are pleased to inform you the result of the computer random selection for the LUCKY DAY LOTTO NL International program held on 4th of Feb,2010 as part of our new year Bonnaza.Your personal or company email address, attached to ticket number EE7-_____YH-__, with serial number PP___B-__ drew the lucky numbers 5-2_-_8-2_-_2-6_, and consequently won the lottery in the 2nd category . . .




Here's a new format I haven't seen before:



Hi there,

How are you doing today? I am Kenneth P_______, a US Marine currently serving in Iraq. I am actually one of the few Marines remaining in Iraq. We are waiting for executive order for our next deployment to Afghanistan this new year. I got your email from a business directory and I believe that you will maintain the level of confidence and trust that this mission I am about to inform you of require. Several months ago, my unit discovered some abandoned cash in the mansion of a militant ruler during a covert military raid. The total cash we discovered was $11.5 Million USD. We stashed all the funds in one trunk box and moved it secretly out of Iraq to Kuwait for safekeeping. We waited for several months to ensure that nobody is on our trail. Now, we need to move the money out of Kuwait. I am contacting you because we need your assistance in receiving the box for us on our behalf, and securing the cash until we return home from service. Please note that we cannot use any of our known relative or friend for this

1. Your Full name
2. The address where you want the box to be delivered
3. Your private telephone number where you can be reached 24 hours

If for some reasons you don't want to or can't help us, I want you to delete this message immediately and assume we never had this conversation. However, if you are going to fully cooperate with us in this transaction, we will compensate you with 25% of the total cash after the mission is accomplished. Like I said earlier, we are a GO and waiting for your response. This is a very serious deal and I wouldn't be asking for your help if I am not convinced that this is not going to bring any harm to you or your family, or put you in a risky position. We have worked the kinks out and am very convinced this is gonna be successful.

Once we get a positive response from you with the info requested, we will proceed into the next step and I will give you further instructions. I hope I can rely on your sense of discretion. Write back soon buddy. Wishing you a prosperous new year.

In God we trust,

Ken

kenneth._____@infantry-marines.com




What's interesting is this one seems to be genuinely written by an American; "We have worked the kinks out and am very convinced this is gonna be successful." but I doubt he was a Marine, or even in the military. Indicators: "trunk box" - we call it "foot locker", and a Marine doesn't end a letter with "In God we trust," he says "Semper Fi".


The greatest indicator is the email address suffix: 'marines.com' - no .mil or .gov

My instincts aroused, I ran the " @infantry-marines.com " suffix through Google and came to SCAM-O-MATIC - a site that alerts on such scams. It turns out I WAS RIGHT! In fact, they have a copy of the email I posted above practically verbatim from a different guy but with the same email address at the end of it.


Some comments by the SCAM-O-MATIC:

* The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:

o "trunk box" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
o "million us dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
o "i got your email address from " (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)

* This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.


I know plenty of Marines - they are honorable, decent upright people; the Marines I know and have worked with, I would trust with my life.




"No Greater Friend, no Worse Enemy."



This guy is a wannabe, a phisher and a scamster. Be warned.


- Sean Linnane

UPPING THE ANTE

The final chapter of 2009 was written by the enemy:



CIA workers killed by 'Afghan soldier'

". . . worst against US intelligence officials since 1983."


5 Canadians killed in Afghanistan

Five Canadians — four soldiers and a Calgary Herald reporter — were killed in a bomb blast Wednesday in Afghanistan . . . a Canadian civilian was also wounded in the attack at about 4 p.m. local time.


Afghan insurgents seize 2 French journalists-police

KABUL, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Insurgents kidnapped two French journalists, their translator and driver northeast of the Afghan capital, a police official said on Thursday.



The Taliban - henceforth referred to as "the enemy" - are working hard to develop their latent insurgency into a war of movement. They shot their wad earlier on, during the annual Spring Offensive. Reeling back after US and NATO operations covered in STORMBRINGER, the enemy was toast.




This Marine wants to kick Taliban ass!


But in modern warfare, defeat on the battlefield does not necessarily translate into defeat. When the Communist North Vietnamese Army launched the infamous Tet Offensive of 1968 in collusion with their southern allies the People's Liberation Front (i.e. Viet Cong), they suffered over 92,000 killed, 81,000 wounded and 5000 missing versus US and allied (SVN/AUS/NZ/ROK) 9,078 killed, 35,212 wounded, 1,530 missing.

Tet was a disaster for the Communists, and resulted in the total extermination of the Viet Cong as a battlefield formation. And yet their defeat on the battlefield was viewed as a victory over the American efforts, as our own media - the same surrender dogs who would have us cut and run in the Middle East - proclaimed the war was no longer winnable, that "We Are Mired in Stalemate."






Whatever you say, Uncle Walter. I guess you were asleep the day in Journalism School when they put out:


"When both sides are convinced they’re about to lose, they’re both right."

#41. Murphy's Law of Combat


The sad truth of it was we could have won Vietnam. If we'de have dropped the 82d Airborne on Drop Zone Hanoi immediately following Tet '68, the war would have be WON - point, blank and simple. I know, I know; "Victory" - what a concept.


Comparing Afghanistan, or the Global War on Terror in it's entirety, to Vietnam is not a good analogy; and yet, the Cut-and-Run yellow bellies of the Left love to compare every single military engagement the United States has experienced since 1975 to Vietnam. I remember watching CNN's coverage of the air campaign in Afghanistan in October 2001; two weeks into it the word was thrown out there: "are we engaged in a stalemate?"

The Left loves America to lose, they drool at the thought of America losing, because they hate the image of America in her role as the Leader of the Free World.




How come we're never presented with heroic images of American troops in action, kicking ass and taking names?


If we MUST compare the GWOT to Vietnam, let us pose a few questions:

"How many enemy capitals did we take during Vietnam?"

"What was the Communist Viet 9/11 attack on us?"

George W. Bush liberated MILLIONS in the GWOT, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and yet the leftist mainstream media and their mouthpieces in Congress have done everything and anything to de-legitimize this conflict, to snatch Victory from the jaws of Defeat and hand it over to an insidious, inhuman, barbaric enemy that only wishes to kill EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US in a series of escalating operations that will make 9/11 look like a Sunday School picnic.




The face of our enemies' Satanic leader . . .



. . . and THESE guys worship his ass:




Just like Tet, it's the New Year. The ball is in your court, Mr. Obama, the decision is yours. Engage the enemy, consolidate our earlier victories, crush their ability to prevail on the battlefield and extinguish their will to win; or, embrace fear and despair, cut and run in the face of enemy opposition in a pitiful demonstration of hand wringing mea culpa's.

The enemy has upped the ante - what are you gonna do, Barry? Meet their bid and raise them? Or fold?





"Uh . . . that's it . . . I'm just gonna . . . uh . . . hold with what I got . . ."





You're the President of the United States, the decision is yours to make. We're all waiting . . .

DIFFERENTIAL THEORY of US Armed Forces (SNAKE MODEL)

Upon Encountering a Snake in the Area of Operations (AO):


1. ”Straight-Leg”: Sees snake, runs screaming from the area.


2. Airborne Infantry: Lands on and kills the snake.


3. Ranger: Sees snake, picks up snake and plays with it. Snake bites Ranger. Ranger calls in AC130 Spectre gunship fire mission on snake; kills snake and every other living thing within 100 meters of the target.


4. Marine Recon: Follows snake, gets lost.


5. Air Force Para-Rescue: Wounds snake in initial encounter (accidentally, of course), then works feverishly to save snake's life.


6. Navy SEAL: Expends all ammunition and calls for naval gunfire support in failed attempt to kill snake. Snake bites SEAL and retreats to safety. Hollywood makes fantasy film in which SEALS kill Muslim extremist snakes.


7. US Army Special Forces: Makes contact with snake, then ignores all State Department directives and Theater Commander Rules of Engagement and establishes rapport with snake, wins its heart and mind. Trains snake to go out, find other snakes, and kill them.

Files enormous travel settlement upon return.

MARINE CHARGED WITH FAKING WAR WOUNDS, DECORATIONS FOR GAIN

I'm re-posting this story on STORMBRINGER because it's always good to bust phony war heroes. The way I learned it, it's one thing to be woofing some far-out war stories to some blonde in a bar, but you never lie to a fellow warrior. This douchebag took it above and beyond that, he not only lied to his own Corps, he lied to the kids. The good news is it looks like he will do some hard time for his phony valor. Read on . . . S.L.

Marine Sgt. David W. Budwah, phoney wannabe.

By DAVID DISHNEAU, Associated Press Writer David Dishneau – Mon Sep 21

SABILLASVILLE, Md. – On a sultry day in July 2008, Marine Sgt. David W. Budwah strode in his battle fatigues to the front of a picnic pavilion to tell three dozen young boys what he did during the war.

With his clear gaze, rigid posture and muscled, tattooed arms, Budwah looked every inch the hero he claimed to be. He said he was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan when a homemade grenade exploded, wounding his face and arm when he dove to shield a buddy from the blast.

"We're here to make sure of the freedom you have every day," Budwah told his audience at Camp West Mar, a wooded American Legion compound about 60 miles northwest of Washington.



But the Marines say Budwah is a liar, a fraud and a thief. They are court-martialing the 34-year-old Springhill, La., native, alleging he was never in Afghanistan, wasn't wounded and didn't earn the combat medals he wore — or the many privileges he enjoyed.

Budwah joined the Marines in October 1999 and spent nearly all of the next six years with a radio communications unit in Okinawa, Japan, according to the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va., where Budwah has been stationed since February 2006.

Phony heroes aren't unusual. Thousands of complaints pour in annually to the FBI and civilian groups about impostors flaunting store-bought medals.

Their very prevalence exposes something else — a nation so eager to embrace its war fighters, especially the wounded, that it sometimes fails to discern between the real heroes and the fakes.

"In every society in history, the warrior is glorified," said phony-hero debunker B.G. "Jug" Burkett of Plano, Texas. "The second you say you're a warrior who has performed heroically in combat, everybody perceives you differently."

Burkett, 65, a Vietnam veteran and author of the 1998 book, "Stolen Valor," said the urge to honor the wounded can cloud a person's judgment.

"I tell reporters that when you've got a guy who's vocal — 'Let me tell you how I won my Silver Star' — your antenna should go up," Burkett said. "The real guys typically don't talk about it."

Budwah's case is remarkable because he is an active-duty Marine facing military justice, not a civilian charged with wearing unearned medals. Of nearly 3,100 courts-martial last year in the four major armed services, only 27 were trials for wearing illegal decorations. Just two involved Marines.

Prosecutors say Budwah wore unauthorized medals and accepted VIP invitations to rock concerts, major-league baseball games, banquets and other events meant to fete wounded warriors.

He faked post-traumatic stress disorder in hopes of leaving service early and was sent to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, where he bluffed his way into 33 events from late July through November 2008, according to charges obtained by The Associated Press through an appeal of its Freedom of Information Act request.

Bethesda hospital spokesman Chris Walz said the staff tries to involve as many patients as possible in such activities, which range from free NFL tickets to speaking engagements like Budwah's at Camp West Mar.

The charges include making false official statements, malingering, misconduct and larceny. Budwah faces up to 31 1/2 years in prison and a dishonorable discharge if convicted on all eight counts at a trial set for Oct. 20. at Quantico.

Budwah, who declined to enter a plea at his Aug. 5 arraignment, denied wrongdoing in a brief telephone interview in April. "The allegation is not even true," he said, declining to comment further.

Defense attorney Marine Capt. Kelly Repair and prosecutor Marine Capt. Thomas Liu also have declined to comment.

Recent prosecutions of active-duty service members include Dontae L. Tazewell, a Navy hospital corpsman sentenced in January 2008 in Norfolk, Va., to two years in prison for wearing an unearned Purple Heart and other decorations. Tazewell falsely claimed he had rescued six Marines and recovered the bodies of four others in Iraq.

Prosecutors portrayed him as a failing sailor so desperate to remain in service that he fabricated the story.

Navy corpsman Robert White, got 45 days in the brig after pleading guilty in December at Great Lakes Naval Station, Ill., to wearing a Purple Heart he bought. A former girlfriend testified White obtained the medal after he was shunned by his peers for assaulting her, the Navy Times reported.

People fabricate military injuries for many reasons, including laziness, greed, sympathy and psychosis, said Loren Pankratz of Oregon Health & Science University, who wrote about PTSD impostors in his book, "Patients Who Deceive."

"A more common theme would be somebody who would represent sort of the antihero — the guy who's given his all and yet been abused and misunderstood," Pankratz said. Burkett said others are simply con men.

Walter E. Boomer, who served as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps from 1992 to 1994, vaguely remembers meeting Budwah in November when they were guests at a Grand National Waterfowl Association benefit on Maryland's Eastern Shore. They shot at ducks, drank and dined with other VIPs and shotgun manufacturing executives.

"I accepted his story at face value," Boomer said. "Nothing that I recall would have set off alarm bells."

Budwah again managed his way to the center of attention at a September 2008 boxing event in Glen Burnie, Md. Organizer Scott Wagner said the highlight of the night was when he brought Budwah and dozens of other military hospital patients into the ring for a standing ovation.

"Were they injured or not? I don't know and I really don't care. If half of them were injured, I still feel good about it," he said.



A year after Budwah's speech to the youngsters at the American Legion camp, Spencer Shoemaker sat stunned in the family's kitchen as he read the charges against his Marine idol for the first time.

Shoemaker, then 10, was so impressed he had his picture taken with Budwah and kept a treasured newspaper clipping about the visit. He said Budwah's talk made him want to join the Marines.

"Well, it's better that I know," the boy said after a long silence. "It did tear me down, but I'll still join the Marines."

His father Michael, a construction worker, seethed at the news about Budwah.

"He scammed America," Shoemaker said. "He scammed a kid."

MARINE WAR DOG HERO

A Marine Corps Military Working Dog recently passed away; please review this touching tribute to a true canine hero:



MWD Flapoor was one of our great military working dogs who was on the front lines with our Marines during Operation Iraqi Freedom. His handler, Marine LCpl Brown, made this tribute video so we can all remember one of our beloved K9 heroes.

MWD Flapoor did two tours in Iraq. During his first tour, in 2005-2006, MWD Flapoor and his handler at the time, Cpl Poelart, were providing security at an Iraqi police recruitment center in Ar Ramadi when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the building. The bomb killed dozens of Iraqis wanting to become police and wounded dozens more.

The bomb set a precedent in that the first military working dog handler, Sgt Adam Cann, was killed in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom. MWD Flapoor and his handler were both wounded and awarded the Purple Heart. Cpl Poelart was eventually honorably discharged while MWD Flapoor recovered from his wounds and went back for a second successful tour in Iraq. Thank you for making this tribute LCpl Brown so we can all remember this amazing dog for his sacrifice and service to our country.

Video: Marines in Helmand 2009 - NPR

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2009

These photos of Marines in combat in Helmund Province, Afghanistan are from over the past three days as Operation KHANJAR (STRIKE OF THE SWORD) continues - S.L.

DAY 1 HELO INFIL

US Marines patrol with their Afghan National Army and Police counterparts during Operation KHANJAR.

US Marines pull security overwatch during Operation KHANJAR

A Marine pulls security on patrol during Day 3 of Operation KHANJAR.

US Marines on patrol, Day 3 of Operations KHANJAR

US Marines return to base on the third day of Operation KHANJAR.

Our thoughts & prayers are with our brave Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen in the combat zones overseas, as we celebrate Independence Day 2009.

US MARINES IN COMBAT

Infil.

Contact.

Movement under fire.

Marines "stack on the door" as they prepare to search a compound. These Marines are from Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

M240 MG support.

We will be think of these brave men as we enjoy the Independence Day weekend. Be sure to mention them in your prayers, and as you say grace over your Fourth of July cookout meal.

GOD LOVES MARINES

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

“It’s not about how long your life is, 80 years, 100 years,” said Lt. Col Christian Cabaniss on June 5 to the men of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 3, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan. “Your measure is what you do with the time you have. The things you do now, people will remember, and they will remember forever!” Cabaniss, the battalion commander, gathered his Marines for possibly the last time as a unit before departing Camp Leatherneck to take part in what he labeled “a summer of decisions in Afghanistan.” (US Marine Corps photo by Cpl Aaron Rooks).

These Marines are at this very moment carving their names into history with the points of their bayonets. Our thoughts and prayers are with them this Independence Day weekend - S.L.

Operation KHANJAR

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Today, nearly 4,000 U.S. Marines and Sailors of Task Force Leatherneck, partnered with Afghan National Security Forces and supported by Task Force Pegasus, the Combat Aviation Brigade of the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division, conducted a near-simultaneous heliborne and surface insert into the central and southern Helmand River valley.

U.S. Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 1st Battalion 5th Marines wait at Camp Leatherneck to board helicopters for a night air assault in Afghanistan's Helmand province Thursday July 2, 2009. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

The rifle beside the Marine racking out against his gear in the middle foreground is a USN Mark 12 Mod 0/1 Special Purpose Rifle (SPR). Here’s another photo of it.

Towards the end of my time in operational units (2004) that weapon was introduced. Since then Marines began fielding the Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) to their Scout Sniper Platoons to be used by the observers to augment the current 8 sniper rifles with its own sub-minute of angle accuracy.

It’s impossible to tell if the helicopters in the background are CH-53 Sea Stallions or MH-53 Pave Lows. Pave Lows have a refueling boom protruding from the front end. The distinction is significant; CH-53’s are organic to the Marine Corps, MH-53’s are part of Air Force Special Operations. If they are Pave Lows, then these are MARSOF troops, the Marine Corps portion of USSOCOM, and they are participating in Joint operations.

Brigadier General Larry D. Nicholson is the Commanding General of Task Force Leatherneck. BG Nicholson was born in Toronto, Canada.