“He’s not a dog. He’s a Marine.”

CBS' NCIS is the top show on television and the reason why is that it is well written, has a great cast lead by Mark Harmon and shows why HONOR, COURAGE & COMMITMENT matter, especially today more than ever.

I just watched an episode called "Seek" which covered the story of a Marine & his faithful Black Lab " Dex ". It aired earlier in the states but here in Afghanistan, we get the shows a few weeks/months behind the times.

As usual, the episode was great and I was emotinally touched by the story. Gibbs and his people got the bad guys and took care of those who needed his help. But there is more to it than that.....The story touched my heart as it involved a Marine and his faithful K9 buddy.

Here is the rest of the story from the Marine Times/AP. This great episode was dedicated to a real life pup and to "military working dogs and their brave handlers everywhere".

I'm glad that NCIS is one show we can count on in the vast wasteland that is broadcast network television.

Semper Fi and Semper Fidos to all those who stand in harm's way.  Your efforts and sacrifices are appreciated.

Navy SEAL’s loyal dog prompts ‘NCIS’ episode

The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Mar 23, 2013 15:00:46 EDT

DES MOINES, Iowa — The legend of Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson and his faithful Labrador retriever, Hawkeye, continues to grow.

A now-famous photograph of Hawkeye guarding Tumilson’s flag-draped coffin in 2011 inspired this week’s episode of the hit CBS television series “NCIS,” according to one of its executive producers.

“It all started with a photograph,” co-executive producer Scott Williams wrote on the show’s blog. The inspired result: Tuesday’s episode, “Seek,” the night’s top-rated show.

“It served as yet another stark reminder of the sacrifices made by our military men and women and their families (pets included),” Williams wrote. “It also set the wheels in motion for the (March 19) episode.”

Jon Tumilson, 35, who was born in Osage, Iowa, and grew up in Rockford, Iowa, died in Afghanistan in August 2011 when the Chinook helicopter carrying him and 29 others was shot down.
His cherished black Lab, Hawkeye, led Tumilson’s family into the funeral.

What happened next resulted in a photo that became an Internet sensation.

When Hawkeye’s new owner, close family friend Scott Nichols, went to the front to speak, Hawkeye came with him. The dog soon walked to Tumilson’s flag-draped coffin, dropped to the floor, and stayed there, as if on guard.

Tumilson’s cousin, Lisa Pembleton, captured the moment on behalf of 1,500 mourners at Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock gym in Rockford.

The image prompted people around the world to comment on its depiction of faithfulness, companionship, bravery and duty.

Now, “NCIS,” which follows special agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, has joined the legions inspired by the photo.

This week’s episode opened with a soldier and a mine-sniffing dog in Afghanistan who watch as a boy’s soccer ball rolls onto a live mine, which explodes.

Just after the soldier and dog lead the boy to safety, a sniper shoots the soldier. The dog lies at the side of his fallen master.

Later, the lead character, special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, says of the episode’s canine star, Dexter, “He’s not a dog. He’s a Marine.”

Many of the nearly 1,000 people who had commented on the producer’s blog post by Friday evening said the show, which incorporates a scene reminiscent of Tumilson’s funeral, brought them to tears.

The episode was dedicated to “military working dogs and their brave handlers everywhere,” Williams wrote.

The show won the ratings competition in its time slot, pulling in 19.8 million viewers, more than twice the No. 2 program, “Splash,” on ABC, and more than any prime-time show that night, according to the Nielsen Co. ratings.

Tumilson’s family hopes veteran actor Mark Harmon, who plays Gibbs, and others in the “NCIS” cast will help dedicate a statue of Tumilson and Hawkeye at Fossil and Prairie Park in Rockford this summer.

“We will be unveiling a life-size bronze statue of Jon and Hawkeye this summer in his hometown, and would like to personally invite Mark, and any of your cast members, to come and celebrate that special event with us,” Tumilson’s brother-in-law, Scott McMeekan, wrote on the “NCIS” blog.
Neither members of Tumilson’s family nor representatives of CBS could be reached for comment.

Letter from an airline pilot

Having worked for an airline, one that was not very well managed, I can tell you that there are many hard working people staffing the airlines, dealing with millions of passengers who need to fly each day.

Here's a letter from a Pilot that shows how they take extra care when it really matters.

Letter from an airline pilot:

He writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R. On this flight." (H.R. Stands for human remains.) "Are they military?" I asked.

'Yes', she said.

'Is there an escort?' I asked.

'Yes, I already assigned him a seat'.

'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early," I said..

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us.

'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia,' he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words.

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our pre-flight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', she said. She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia .

The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do. 'I'm on it', I said. I told her that I would get back to her.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a
Secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:

'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft.
The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans.. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.'

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.'

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told
that all traffic was being held for us.

'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the co-pilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to
make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'
We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was
clapping. Words of 'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane.

They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.
Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA

Foot note:

I know everyone who has served their country who reads this will have tears in their eyes, including me.

 

 

The Old Guard stays at Tomb of Unknowns while Hurricane Sandy raged on

“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”
― George Orwell

Thank God for our servicemen and women.  Guarding their resting place at Arlington National Cemetery is a solemn and honorable privilege. 

Old Guard stays at Tomb of Unknowns in superstorm

Associated Press – Mon, Oct 29, 2012

 

Enlarge Photo

Associated Press/Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr.,/U.S. Army Photo - This handout photo provided by the us Army shows Spc. Brett Hyde, Tomb Sentinel, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), keeping guard over the …more Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during Hurricane Sandy, at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Monday, Oct. 29, 2012. Just like the Sentinel's Creed says "Through the years of diligence and praise and the discomfort of the elements, I will walk my tour in humble reverence to the best of my ability." (AP Photo/Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr.,/U.S. Army Photo) less

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — In the face of Hurricane Sandy, the Army continued to guard the Tomb of the Unknowns on Monday but not with the familiar, choreographed 21 paces that the public typically sees.

 

A photo that went viral on social media of three soldiers from the Army's Third U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, keeping watch over the tomb was actually taken during a September rainstorm. The Army became aware of the photo and said on its Twitter account and to media that it was from September.

The Army handed out a photo that was taken Monday morning before Arlington National Cemetery closed because of the storm. Afterward, when morning funerals were completed, the Old Guard soldiers were still on duty but had moved into an enclosure covered by a green awning known as "the box," about 20 feet away from the tomb, according to regiment spokesman Maj. John Miller.

He said if the weather becomes intolerable, the tomb can also be guarded from a room inside a nearby amphitheater. But no such order was given on Monday afternoon

Bayonets & Horses?? Oh yeah, they are part of our military DNA

Well we heard and have seen how much POTUS cares about the military and our Veterans.  That is why he directed that Veterans must pay more for the benefits and healthcare they deserve.  He is not fooling anyone as he hates and holds distain for all military.

We deserve better than the failed fool who we have suffered under for the last 4 years.

Bayonets & Horses??  Oh yeah, they are part of our military DNA, not that Obama would know that.

If you need a reminder, please see the enclosed picture I took in Sept. 2010 when I attended the funeral of a fallen Marine at Arlington National Cemetery who was a shipmate of mine.

 

Obama line about horses, bayonets fails - www.dailycaller.com

 

In a debate exchange Monday night that set Twitter on fire, President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney crossed swords over the kinds of equipment and materials the U.S. military uses for modern warfare.

In a response to Romney’s barb that Obama has allowed the U.S. Navy’s inventory of battleships to approach a historic low mark, Obama snarked that “we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military’s changed.”

But horses and bayonets both remain vital parts of the U.S arsenal.

The Daily Caller won a prestigious Edward R. Murrow award this year for a war report about the American soldiers who — riding on horseback — were the first U.S. forces to fight in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terror attacks.

And bayonets remain a fixture in Army infantry training and deployment. On August 6 a blogger at the Gizmodo technology website reported that the military was trading in bayonets for a “tomahawk”-like hand-to-hand combat weapon, but it later emerged that the source of that erroneous report was Duffelblog — a military spoof website modeled on The Onion.

“I think Gov. Romney maybe hasn’t spent enough time looking at how our military works,” Obama claimed Monday night.

“You — you mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military’s changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.”

MARSOC MARINES HUNT TALIBAN ON MOTORCYCLES

SEMPER FI -   Go get'em Devil Dogs !!! - We need more Marines like these brave warriors who can take the fight to the bad guys on their own turf......awesome.

 
Motorcycle-borne MARSOC Marines prey on Taliban
July 18th, 2012 - Marine Times

This photo makes the Hell’s Angels look about as threatening as a litter of kittens.

Those are Marine special operators in Afghanistan, looking like something akin to a well-organized motorcycle gang. The photo is courtesy of former Staff Sgt. Michael Golembesky, who spent two years with Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, serving as a joint terminal attack controller.

As Marine Corps Times first reported back in March, MARSOC teams use these small-engine bikes to get around in the Afghan mountains. Before some units deploy, the command sends them through a super-sensitive training program that provides five days of schooling on off-road riding and general motorcycle maintenance.

Golembesky published his photos on SofRep.com, a site that tracks U.S. and British special operations news. An accompanying narrative describes how Marine special operations teams have been using dirt bikes and ATVs to track down Taliban fighters in the dead of night. The small vehicles allow them to swiftly maneuver in areas where larger vehicles can’t, and the noise they make keeps the enemy guessing by blending in with the sound of local traffic, Golembesky writes. Is it another villager — or one of the world’s most elite warriors swooping in for a kill? In some cases, where foreign bikes and ATVs are difficult to keep running, MARSOC Marines have used the same small motorcycles that Taliban fighters ride to make quick escapes after planting IEDs or taking potshots at U.S. patrols.
Golemesky is writing a book about MARSOC. Titled Level Zero Heroes, the account will examine his experiences in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan, during 2009 and 2010. It is set for release in 2013.

SEMPER FI CODY GREEN

Many will never understand it fully but this is why our USMC are the very best.  They made a small boy part of their esteemed history by granting his wish to become a US Marine before he died.

SEMPER FI and Bravo Zulu to all those who helped this boy achieve his dream.  All our prayers for Cody and his family.  

Rest Easy Cody, your Marine Brothers and Sisters have the watch.

A United States Marine stands watch over the hospital door of 12-year-old Cody Green in Florida, Ind. After successfully battling leukemia since he was 22 months old, Green died after a fungus attacked his brain. (Courtesy WLFI/Riley Children's Hospital)


Boy made honorary Marine before he dies
6/13/2012

Meera Pal, WTOP.COM

WASHINGTON - Before he died, 12-year-old Cody Green achieved his dream of becoming a United States Marine.

Green had always admired the strength and courage of the Marines says his father, David Snowberger.

Snowberger tells an Indiana-based television station the Marines decided Green had showed "strength and honor and courage" through his health battles.

SEMPER FIDO - Marine Seeks to Adopt Military Dog

SEMPER FIDO....Let's hope these two Marines get reunited soon.

Marine Seeks to Adopt Military Dog
Saturday, 10 Mar 2012
MYFOXNY.COM -

A former Marine is hitting bureaucratic red tape in her quest to adopt the military service dog she served with in Iraq before it is put down.

Former Corporal Megan Leavey, of Rockland County, wants to take in a German shepherd named Sergeant Rex. They hunted for IEDs on Iraq during two tours of duty.

They were both severely injured in Iraq when an IED exploded near them. The dog is 10 years old now and can no longer serve.

"This is not (the Marines) first priority," Leavey admits, "A lot of times it gets lost in the shuffle."

But time is running out for the faithful dog.

"He's done his duty. It's time for him to relax," Leavey says.

Sen. Charles Schumer has stepped in and has asked the military to expedite Leavey's application to adopt Sergeant Rex before he is put to sleep.

"The Marines don't have a reason against reuniting them, it is mainly a paperwork dely."

US Marine Sergeant Scott Moore enjoys an evening with Mila Kunis

The Marine invited Mila Kunis to the Marine Corps Ball via YouTube. She accepted and they went in style...Bravo Zulu !

Belle of the ball! Mila Kunis smoulders in stunning black gown at Marine Corps gala
By Anita Bennett - UK Mail
20th November 2011

It's proving to be quite the celebrity trend with Justin Timberlake and Kristen Cavallari among the famous faces attending military balls in recent weeks.

And last night it was the turn of Mila Kunis, who added Hollywood glamour to the annual Marine Corps Ball in tiny Greenville, North Carolina.

The Black Swan star arrived at the gala wearing a fitted black gown

According to local television station WNCT, the Oscar-nominated actress was quickly greeted by her date, Sergeant Scott Moore as she walked into the North Carolina Convention Center.
Even the military brass there seemed honoured to have the star in their midst.

'She’s going to get a chance to learn about the Marine Corps and were all going to have a great time celebrating the Marine Corps birthday,' Captain Scott Sasser told WNCT.

When asked about the event's significance, Sasser added: 'They're celebrating all of our Marine Corps history as well as the accomplishments and sacrifices they make while overseas and celebrating the lives of the fallen marines and sailors they lost while the were over there.'

Mila's date, Sgt Moore, just recently returned to the U.S. from seven months of service in Afghanistan.

He sent the actress an invitation to the Marine Corps Ball via YouTube in July while he was in Afghanistan.

In the video Sgt Moore said: 'Hey Mila, it's Sgt. Moore, but you can call me Scotty.'

Dressed in combat gear he added: 'I just want to take a moment out of my day to invite you to the Marine Corps Ball with yours truly. Take a second to think about it and get back to me. All right, bye now.'

The gathering was bittersweet after Moore's unit, lost seven of their own overseas.

While the media was not allowed inside the Ball, Mila posted pictures from the gathering on her website. Moore's unusual invitation sparked a wave of service members to invite celebrities to attend Marine Corps Balls around the country.

Justin Timberlake, who pressured his Friends with Benefits co-star to accept the invitation during an interview about their then-upcoming movie received his own YouTube invitation shortly after Kunis

The Grammy award-winning singer and actor accompanied Cpl. Kelsey De Santis to her Marine Corps ball last weekend in Richmond, Virginia.

Reality TV star Kristin Cavallari also attended a Marine Corps ball last night near Camp Pendleton in Southern California.

Cavallari attended per the request of Lance Cpl. Jonathan Burkett, who invited her around the same time Kunis received an invitation

Picture of the month

Here is the picture of the month.

November is more than half over and it is the week before Thanksgiving, the most American of all holidays.

Next week, you will likely be sitting down with family for the annual Thanksgiving Day feast. Military men & women will be doing their jobs and serving overseas away from family. Most will get a hot meal and the DFACs in Afghanistan will put on a feast. I have been there on the holiday and have seen how well our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines & Airmen get fed on this special day.

At the same time, there are those who will be at the point of the spear, like the soldier pictured here. He & his troops along with their K-9 mates will likely spend the day doing their job and hoping that a pre-packaged holiday meal finds it's way to their COP (Combat OutPost) as not all troops can be back at base to use the DFAC, regardless of the day.

Something to think about as you head to the mall, go shopping or have a drink with friends. They are out there, 24/7/365 allowing you the ability to enjoy your freedoms. Make sure they are in your thoughts and prayers. This week, Thanksgiving Day and always.

Help the US Marines Bring " Bill " Home

Marines have a soft spot for dogs, especially when they find one in need of help. In this case, it was the only surviving pup of a litter of 6 found in Afghanistan. I have enclosed the website address if you are able to donate and help them.

Bravo Zulu and SEMPER FI to these Marines for making the effort to bring " Bill " home.

Please go to their website to donate -

http://www.getbilltotheball.org/


TOUGH PUP: Houston-based Marines found Bill while on patrol in Afghanistan, the lone survivor of a litter of six.

Pup adopted by Marines bound for Houston ball
By RENÉE C. LEE, HOUSTON CHRONICLE

An orphaned puppy turned Marine mascot soon will make his way from Afghanistan to the United States to be reunited with his platoon - just in time for the Marine Corps ball in November.

Bill, a mutt, was rescued by the Houston-based 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, while 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, was on patrol. He was the lone survivor of a litter of six puppies when the reservists adopted him July 13.

Bill was just 9 days old. His eyes were still shut.

Marine Reserve Sgt. Jon Staffen made it his mission to raise the necessary funds to bring Bill to Staffen's home in Dayton, in Liberty County. Staffen and his platoon returned to Houston on Saturday after a seven-month combat tour.

Staffen said he and the other Marines kept Bill in a box that had held ready-to-eat meals, and had a 24-hour rotation to care for and feed the frail pup. They used a medical syringe and the finger of a plastic glove to feed him cow's milk, the sergeant said.

"It was really comical at times," Staffen admitted. "We got caught up in taking care of him. Here we are, Marine grunts, cheering when he took his first steps."

They didn't want to leave Bill behind at the end of their deployment, but there were military rules against taking him home.

CBS correspondent Lara Logan offered to help them out, and flew the dog via military air to Kabul, where he's been staying in a rescue shelter.

Staffen said he has raised more than the $3,500 he'll need to get Bill to the United States. He's now working on Bill's travel arrangements.

The goal is to get the dog transported in time for the Nov. 5 ball in Houston, where Bill is expected to be the guest of honor.

renee.lee@chron.com

An unbreakable bond

In this Sept. 14, 2011 photo, a U.S. Marine dog handler plays with military working dog Fuli, at Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, Afghanistan. Handlers and their dogs, that sniff for explosives or narcotics or track down wanted persons, patrol together, day after day. Sometimes, they sleep side by side in military cots. They face the same dangers together. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)


Our K-9 companions prove again and again why they are " Man's best friend " - No one who has spent time on the field of battle will ever challenge how much dogs make a difference in the lives of our soldiers. I know that in my time overseas in Iraq & Afghanistan, it was easy to see that the pups made a big difference for those who are at the " tip of the spear"


Military dogs and handlers patrol in Afghanistan
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press – 1 day ago

FORWARD OPERATING BASE JACKSON, Afghanistan (AP) — After the suicide bombing, the U.S. Marine dog handler lay on a stretcher, his bloodied legs laced with shrapnel. They brought in his wounded dog, too. Blood dripped from the haunches of the Belgian Malinois.

Seven Afghans died in the insurgent attack on Sept. 8 near a Marine battalion headquarters in southern Afghanistan. Sgt. Kenneth Fischer and his dog, Drak, were flown by helicopter to a bigger base for emergency treatment, then out of the country for surgery. Both will head to Texas for rehabilitation, and eventually, in line with military custom, Fischer will adopt Drak and take him home.

"I have literally spent more time with Drak than I have my own daughter," Fischer, 27, said by telephone earlier this week from his hospital bed at a military medical center in Bethesda, Maryland. The Marine had worked with 4-year-old Drak for two years and spent a total of nine months in Afghanistan. His daughter, Cheyenne, is 19 months old.

Much is made of the bond among men at arms, but the union between man and dog in a combat zone seems just as tight. Handlers and canines that sniff for explosives or narcotics patrol together, day after day, linked by a leash and an innate understanding of each other. Sometimes, they sleep side by side in military cots. They face the same dangers together.

A unit of handlers and dogs operates out of Camp Leatherneck, the main Marine base in southern Afghanistan, home to insurgent strongholds. The teams fan out in Helmand province and beyond, working with Marines and other branches of the U.S. military, as well as Afghan forces and, at times, British troops.

Eight of the 30 handlers have been wounded this year, but Drak was the only dog to be wounded, said Staff Sgt. Morris Earnest, supervisor of the unit, which is part of the III Marine Headquarters Group. Half went home because of the severity of their injuries. Three of those lost limbs to homemade bombs, but their dogs emerged "without a scratch."

Tucked inside the Leatherneck compound, a memorial pays tribute to Marine Cpl. Max William Donahue, a dog handler killed last year, and dogs that have died in attacks or from heat exhaustion and other causes in past years. A simple white cross, erect in a bed of pebbles, lists their names on wooden plaques hanging from the crossbar: Frida, Grief, Murdock, Torry, Chico, Dixie, Patrick, Marko.

"From a few of the finest. To the finest of the few," the memorial reads.

On Aug. 6, 30 American troops and eight Afghans died in a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan, and a U.S. military dog on board was also killed.

Dogs serve a small but valued role for the U.S.-led coalition that seeks to quell Taliban groups and transfer security responsibilities to Afghan forces in time for the withdrawal of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

Ideally, the dogs, which include labradors and German and Dutch Shepherds, give an edge in unearthing boobytraps laden with explosives or detecting drugs in a region where the Taliban reaps profits from poppy harvests used in opium production. A handler and his dog usually follow behind a sweeper with a metal detector at the front of a single-file patrol.

An Associated Press team at Forward Operating Base Jackson, headquarters for the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, witnessed the early treatment of casualties after the Sept. 8 suicide bombing in the district center of Sangin. While Fischer and other wounded were cared for, a trio of dog handlers tended to Drak, muzzling and hoisting him onto a stretcher before rushing him to a helicopter.

"He should be OK," Fischer said 10 days later by telephone, his voice raspy after having tubes inserted down his throat during treatment. "At first, there was some talk about him losing one of his legs, but not so much anymore. Knowing Drak, he should be fine."

Drak, trained to find narcotics, is being treated at Dog Center Europe, a U.S. military facility in Germany. He will be transferred for more care at Lackland Air Force Base, a training site for military dogs in San Antonio, Texas.

Fischer plans to head there, too. His wife has family there, and he wants to be with Drak, whose name is a variation of Drac, or "devil" in Romanian.

"When he meets people, he can be calm and relaxed," the Marine said. "When we go outside, he's excited and rambunctious and likes to play, and I'm the same way."

What Drak doesn't like is shooting. During gunfire training, he lay down beside Fischer, calm and meek, until it was over. He did the same during a Taliban mortar attack.

"He is a very obedient dog," Fischer said. "He will only listen to me. Somebody else will be around and give him commands and he'll just look at them like they're stupid."

Fischer wants to resume his Marine Corps career. But, he said, Drak can spend his days lying around at Fischer's home at his duty station in Twentynine Palms, California, or playing frisbee, one of the dog's favorite activities. He acknowledged it will be "some time" before they get there because of their injuries.

Sgt. Mark Behl, a dog handler who helped Drak the day he was injured, said it helps to fit a calm handler with a "high drive" dog, or an "excited person with a bored dog."

Placid and amiable, Behl said his dog, a German Shepherd named Fuli, is "a handful."

Dog handling under the stress of danger is a subtle, pinpoint profession. Behl said he knows Fuli so well after two and a half years together that he can tell whether he is sniffing idly, perhaps on the trail of another animal's scent, or has detected something serious, such as the ingredients of crudely made explosives.

"There's a lot more to the job than just holding the leash," said Behl of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. "I know to keep him moving or to let him work."

At the same time, he must know when to pull Fuli away from a threat, aware of the hidden bombs that have killed or maimed many troops in Afghanistan.

Fuli has a vexing habit during patrols in cornfields of running into adjacent rows of corn and getting his leash tangled around the stalks. But he plays ball with Marines back on base, boosting their morale.

"At the end of the day, the dog is going to come up and lick me in the face," said Behl, who grew up around dogs. "It's a little taste of home, just having an animal."

Semper FI to Medal of Honor recipient USMC Cpl. Dakota Meyer

SEMPER FI Cpl. Dakota Meyer

The editors of the Kansas City Lexington Herald-Leader hit the nail on the head with a commentary on what all Americans should understand about what the Medal of Honor means to a Marine who did his best under the harshest of circumstances.

Thursday, Sep 15, 2011
Commentary: Dakota Meyer's plea to respect military service members should be heeded

Kansas City Lexington Herald-Leader

Today, President Barack Obama will give Dakota Meyer an award the former Marine would rather not have.

Meyer, of Adair County Kentucky, will receive the nation's highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic efforts in Afghanistan on Sept. 8, 2009, when he made several trips in a Humvee into a valley trying to save his fellow service members who had been ambushed there.

Despite his efforts, several people died that day, including four members of his embedded training team. Meyer, later promoted to the rank of sergeant, retrieved their bodies.

"I went in there to get those guys out alive and I failed. So I think it's more fitting to call me a failure than a hero," he told the Herald-Leader's Bill Estep.

He's meeting the president and getting the big award but it's not what he really wants. "That would be the most amazing (thing) out of all this ... if they could bring my guys back."

Although he's the first living Marine to receive the medal in almost 40 years Meyer, 23, has been a reluctant public figure. He's said repeatedly that he's only interested in honoring the heroic men who died that day.

The events of that day have stirred controversy because calls for air support from Meyer and others went unanswered. Following an investigation Army officers were reprimanded for negligent leadership. Meyer himself disobeyed orders by going in at all.

Meyer, who is now a civilian, says that men and women in the armed services don't get enough recognition or support from the public. "I don't think they understand the sacrifices that people are giving."

Anyone who goes into combat comes back with problems, he said.

Meyer is doing his part by raising money for scholarships for the children of wounded Marines.

We should listen to Meyer.

We owe it to him to heed his message that there are many heroes who give so much without receiving the same full measure in support from the country they serve.

Supporting the Troops.....more than just a slogan

BRAVO ZULU to Ms. Kayyem for putting this issue on the radar screen for those who don't have a family member who has served and for anyone else who needs some perspective.


A soldier’s money
From health care to finances, we should protect those who protected us
By Juliette Kayyem - Boston Globe
July 25, 2011

LAST WEEK, 650 troops quietly left Afghanistan, beginning the long slog home as part of President Obama’s drawdown. At the same time, General David Petraeus, the architect of the surges in both Iraq and Afghanistan, formally resigned from the military to take over as director of the CIA. The timing was coincidental, but not without meaning: The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now simultaneously moving to a close.

Petraeus handed his Afghanistan command to Marine Lieutenant General John Allen, who will oversee further troop departures. He also symbolically handed over some measure of responsibility for those troops’ future well-being to his wife, Holly Petraeus, who represents a rare growth industry in government: protecting and providing to our returning service members and veterans.

As a nation, we are simply unprepared for the numbers of returning troops we now face. The wars of the last ten years have created over 1.1 million veterans; another 2.4 million men and women are on active, National Guard, or reserve duty. This class includes soldiers who have served in combat longer than any in US history. Of the nearly 400,000 who have seen combat duty, more than 13,000 have spent at least 45 months - nearly four cumulative years - in combat.

We know so little about the magnitude and the depth of the issues they will be facing in health care, employment, and education. All they want is to go back to normal lives. And that too is a challenge.

Holly Petraeus will help wage a small piece of this upcoming war. She runs the Office of Service member Affairs for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the entity conceived and established (but not to be run) by Elizabeth Warren. Her statutory mission, authorized to begin just last week, is to provide financial education for service members. Many are “young and inexperienced, with twice-a-month guaranteed paychecks, who move to areas in the country where they have never lived before and try to make ends meet,’’ she told me in an interview. Outside many military installations in the United States are strips of storefronts offering too-good-to-be-true deals: buy this, buy that, pawn this, cash that.

Service members are stressed, in difficult situations, and money is often tight. A survey of US military personnel showed that 25 percent have over $10,000 in credit-card debt; only 50 percent have any sort of rainy day fund for financial emergencies.

Today, the number one reason for a service member to lose security clearance is not loose lips, or drugs, or espionage. It is failure to show good financial standing because they simply can’t get ahead of their bills.

The blame isn’t just with shifty car dealers and pawn brokers. Earlier this year, JPMorgan Chase violated the Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act, which gives mortgage relief to deployed personnel, by overcharging thousands of clients and even foreclosing on 14 houses.

Financial woes may turn out to be the least of returning service members’ problems. At the highest levels of the Pentagon, there is a dawning recognition that we as a nation have no idea how the impact of excessive redeployments and the guerrilla nature of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will affect soldiers and their families. The end of war has been marked by celebration in the streets, as in World War II, or a hurried helicopter ride, as in Vietnam. This time, it must be marked by a much greater effort to adapt to the needs and aspirations of those returning home.

We are now ending the longest volunteer-only military effort since the American Revolution. And because there has been no draft, the divide between the US military and citizens who were asked to sacrifice little has grown. “Supporting our troops’’ has become a cliché with no meaning. We have learned to love our troops - often for selfish reasons, such as avoiding a draft - without really knowing them. Service members represent just 0.8 percent of the population.

In the months and years to come, we will be welcoming home and into society a population the likes we have not seen in our lifetime; the sheer numbers who have seen combat over and over will change the nature of the moral duty we owe those who fought voluntarily. And it will begin to change us. Ask Petraeus. Either one.

Juliette Kayyem can be reached at jkayyem@globe.com.

USMC inspects body armor using X-rays to keep our Marines safe

The USMC is all about making sure MARINES are ready, able & capable to take on the battle. They are all about doing what is needed to keep their Marines safe also.

Here is a simple idea on how to ensure this and this is one where when I read it went, " Well duh !! Why didn't I think of that???" Great job USMC. I hope that all others who go into combat wearing ballistic vest have them checked the same way.

The story cites a 5% failure rate of the 40000 vests they have checked already.....That means there are 2000 Marines who are safer for this intelligent idea being put into place, especially when we have Marines in the most dangerous places like Afghanistan.....SEMPER FI !


Marine Corps using X-rays to inspect armor
By James K. Sanborn, Marine Corps Times

The Marine Corps has a new tool to identify life-threatening flaws in body armor: X-ray machines.

An X-ray can reveal hairline cracks in armor that, in worst-case scenarios, can allow projectiles to penetrate vests and injure or kill Marines, Marine officials said.

Marines typically test plates using what's called a torque test, in which you grab catty-corner edges of the plate and twist as hard as you can. If you hear crunching or grinding, it's the tell-tale sign of a crack.

But the method doesn't catch everything; X-rays are more accurate, said Master Sgt. Mateo Mathis, operations chief at Program Manager Infantry Combat Equipment in Quantico, Va.

The Corps began scanning plates in January and is in a catch-up phase, attempting to scan all plates in its inventory.

So far, 40,000 plates have been scanned. About 5 percent of the ceramic plates, designed to stop a 7.62mm armor-piercing round, have been found to have cracks, Mathis said.

Testing the inventory should take until October, Mathis said, as plates downrange won't be scanned until Marines return home. Moving forward, plates will be scanned when they are received from manufacturers and again each time they return from a deployment or change hands.

In testing, plates on a conveyor belt are X-rayed and analysis is available immediately.

"If you are looking at a nice, dark image, and there is a long line that is white, we know that is a crack," said Danny Rivera, a member of the Infantry Combat Equipment Training Team who operates an X-ray machine at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The Marine Corps has five X-ray scanners, which cost about $500,000 each. Other bases with scanners, which can check 240 pieces of body armor per hour, are Camp Pendleton, Calif.; Okinawa, Japan; Hawaii and Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif. There are plans to install a sixth in Virginia, at a facility near Norfolk.

Rivera said Marines should still check their plates regularly while deployed or in the field.

"We do encourage them every time they get a chance to pull out the plate and do a torque test and go around pinching the edges to verify the plate because … there is not a machine they can turn around to, to get their plate scanned," Rivera said.

Plates are more easily damaged than many Marines realize, said Carlos Jaramillo, also with the ICE training team at Lejeune.

"Since it protects against rounds, a lot of Marines think they can just throw it wherever, and it is going to be OK," Jaramillo said. "But since they are made of ceramics, if the plate is dropped from 2- or 3-feet high, it could crack."

Marine Sgt. Scott Moore has some mighty large stones....Asks Mila Kunis out to the Marine Ball via YouTube & Gets the girl !!!

Kudos to Sgt. Scott Moore of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines in Musa Qala, Afghanistan...He came up with a way to get the young lady's attention....The young Marine likely has some "large stones" for asking and here's hoping that the young lady sees her way to attending the Marine Ball with him....It would be a hell of a night for the Marine(and the young lady)....Very well deserved as he came up with a very interesting way to get what he is looking for....a night with a beautiful young starlet.


Marine in Afghanistan asks Mila Kunis on a date with YouTube video
By Access Hollywood

Mila Kunis has been to plenty of award shows in the her life, but the "Friends with Benefits" star just received an invite to an entirely different type of outing equally as special -- a Marine Corps ball.


Sgt. Scott Moore of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines in Musa Qala, Afghanistan, posted a clip on YouTube on Thursday. In it, the military man asks Kunis to be his date for his November event.

"Hey Mila, this is Sgt. Moore, but you can call me Scott," the Marine said on the clip, after lowering his sunglasses to show the camera his eyes.

"I just want to take a moment out of my day to invite you to the Marine Corps Ball on Nov. 18 in Greenville, N.C., with yours truly.

"Take a second, think about it, get back to me." Moore asked for help from the public in a comment he posted beneath the clip

see more at the link below:

http://scoop.today.com/_news/2011/07/08/7043871-marine-in-afghanistan-asks-mila-kunis-on-a-date-with-youtube-video

UPDATE - People: Mila Kunis accepts sergeant's invitation to Marine Ball
By Vicki Walker
Contra Costa Times
Updated: 07/11/2011 03:51:32 PM PDT

From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli to the patriotic duty of Mila Kunis.

Kunis -- who as Meg on "Family Guy" couldn't get a school dance date with anyone but the family dog -- has accepted a Marine's YouTube invitation to the Marine Corps Ball in November.

Sgt. Scott Moore ("you can call me Scotty") from the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines in Musa Qala, Afghanistan, filmed the invite from his base: "Take a second to think about it, and get back to me." Kunis found out about it during a Fox interview to promote her next film, "Friends With Benefits."

"FWB" co-star Justin Timberlake, also at the interview, coaxed Kunis into accepting.

"You need to do it for your country!" he told her.

"I'll do it," she responded.

The ball takes place Nov. 18 in Greenville, N.C., which will give Moore plenty of time to find a corsage and watch "Black Swan" about 50 more times

Marine vet's 20-foot flagpole has HOA filing suit over a display of patriotism that stands taller than allowed

Petty Bureaucrats sit on HOAs (Home Owner Associations) and are the bane of a free society. The people who desire to serve on these types of boards are those who want to be able to inflict their views of what a community needs to be on their neighbors.

I fail to understand why people willingly buy property where others can order you on what you can or cannot do with your OWN HOME.

One of every five Americans lives under rules and regulations that could confiscate their homes from them, remove their right to privacy and take away their freedom of expression.

Neither Congress, the police nor local governments can do anything about it. Some people hate the situation. Others love the rules. Many homeowners, however, don't realize what rights they've signed away until it's too late.

They are people living their American Dreams inside a community regulated by a homeowners association (HOA), and corresponding covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) that constitute a form of government that pleases some but is just a headache-inducing hassle for others.

"Fifty-five million Americans live in developments overseen by community associations," says consumer watchdog Ken Hyland. "Four out of five of those associations are doing well, but the other 20 per cent have problems."

The reason: The rules that govern private home developments are very difficult to change and are set up by developers who never live on the site and who disappear after a few years.

Well in this case, they got a fight from a US MARINE and all I can say is he is NOT the kind of person who will surrender willingly or without a fight...

SEMPER FI to you MARINE - Go kick some ARSE on these fools who hide behind petulant rules and try to make other's lives miserable.




Marine vet's 20-foot flagpole has homeowners association filing suit over a display of patriotism that stands taller than allowed
By MIKE MORRIS
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Jan. 7, 2011, 4:49AM
.
Marine veteran Michael Merola says he "just didn't buy" his neighborhood association's reasons why he couldn't put up his big flagpole.

A Marine Corps veteran is being sued by his Cypress-area homeowners association because the flagpole on which he flies the United States and Marine Corps flags does not meet his subdivision's design guidelines.

Mike Merola and his lawyer, Lee Thweatt, say this is a classic case of overreach by a nitpicking homeowners association. Lakeland Village Community Association says it is seeking to enforce its rules evenly on all residents.

Standing in his backyard in a black T-shirt bearing an eagle and the American flag, the 60-year-old Merola called that argument "a lame excuse." After his application to erect a 20-foot flagpole in his backyard was denied, he protested in a series of letters and, ultimately, erected the pole anyway.

"They just don't understand, unless they've been in the military, to feel the pride that I feel in flying that flag high and proud," said Merola, who served in the Marines from 1969 to 1977. "The excuses and things that they came up with for me not being able to fly that flagpole, I just didn't buy. That's why I bucked the system and put it up."

The association's lawyer, Nina Tran, said her clients encourage residents who wish to fly the flag to do so — as long as that flag is attached to a 6-foot pole mounted on a resident's home, as the bylaws stipulate.

Such an approach is "in keeping with the residential nature of the community," the board wrote in a statement. The suit alleges the pole is "a detriment to Lakeland Village and … (causes) imminent harm and irreparable injury to (the association)." The suit seeks a $10 fine for every day the pole stays standing, a court order to remove it and payment of attorneys' fees.

"The problem with a flagpole of that height and that significance is that it flaps in the wind and causes noise to other homeowners," Tran said. "If we allow the mounting of a 20-foot freestanding flagpole in the backyard, who's to say that the next person isn't going to mount it to the top of their roof? We have to have standards."

But Merola, who moved into the neighborhood in March 2009, bringing the flagpole from his former residence, said he's received only compliments from neighbors about the pole, whether from kids skateboarding by on the walking path behind his back fence or from neighbors who've stopped to investigate the source of all the gossip.

Neighbors don't mind
"I don't understand why the homeowners association overreacted like this," said Thweatt, Merola's lawyer, and a Marine himself. "I understand they have to protect the property values of the people in that subdivision, but they've had no complaints. It's not like the guy painted his house neon orange."

Merola's next-door neighbors, Satish and Ann Kalra, said the pole does not bother them.

"The homeowners association should look at the rules again," Satish Kalra said. "If the rules need to be modified, they should be modified. … That would be the logical thing to do."

Tran said even if Merola has not received complaints, another neighbor with a similar flagpole might.

Thweatt, who took the case pro bono, said he believes the suit violates the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005, which says, in part, that a homeowners association "may not adopt or enforce any policy … that would restrict or prevent a member of the association from displaying the flag."

No court date has been scheduled in the case.

"I hope we can come to some kind of agreement that will let me continue to fly the flag loud and proud for as long as I live," Merola said.

mike.morris@chron.com

Support "Military Working Dog Adoptions" - Help find homes for our 4 legged Veterans !

Rode the train home tonight from Boston and had to inform a fellow rider on the value of dogs....not just as our companions & friends but for the value they add to our lives along with thier incredible ability to protect our Soldiers & Marines in the field...

He was trying to espouse support for VICK-THE-DOG-KILLER and I told him that the only thing that stupid bastard deserved was to be staked out for the buzzards....He was not convinced but he acted like a clueless idjit...typical clueless citizen who has never had to see what life is really worth and how much Veterans and our K-9 companions have to do to preserve it.

Dogs, especially those who have served the military in the field are more than just trained animals....They are HEROES, in every sense of the word.....

Here is the story of another hero....a lady making sure our foru-legged veterans get a chance for a new life once they leave the service....Way to go Ma'am.


Retired Military Working Dog Rescued By Borderland Volunteer
By ABC-7 Reporter Gaby Loria
POSTED: 6:45 pm MST January 6, 2011

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- A Las Cruces woman is making it her mission to rescue abandoned war veterans. She says these unsung heroes have some of the toughest jobs in the military...often braving dangerous battle zones to sniff out bombs and save lives. But these aren't your average soldiers-- they're the canine kind!

Debbie Kandoll traveled to Jacksonville, North Carolina to pick up Cleo, a retired military working dog. "This is Cleo's first day as a civilian," she said.

Kandoll explained Cleo is trained to sniff out explosives. The dog has served two 7-month tours in Iraq where handlers would strap her into a vest attached with walkie-talkies and a headset. Kandoll said the dog would be sent to sniff out danger while her handler guided her around a battle zone through verbal commands on the headset.

"She's saved so many lives," said Kandoll. Now Kandoll and the volunteers at her non-profit organization are returning the favor. "Military Working Dog Adoptions" is based out of Las Cruces. They place retired military and police dogs in loving homes across the country.

Kandoll said many retired dogs end up in shelters after they've served their community. Some end up getting euthanized, as could have been the case with Cleo. "I feel certain that her fate would have been euthanasia. It would have been evry difficult to adopt her out because her medication is very expensive," said Kandoll.

Cleo suffers from a stress-related disease. Donations from medication manufacturers and the general public have covered the cost of Cleo's meds for a couple of months. Doctors from the Northeast Veterinary Clinic in El Paso also opened their hearts to their pooch-- thanks to their donations, Kandoll was able to fly to North Carolina to pick her up.

If you're interested in adopting Cleo or learning more about "Military Working Dog Adoptions" just visit their website or give them a call. The phone mumber is (505) 990-8147. Their site is www.militaryworkingdogadoptions.com

Happy 2011 !!! - Jet-a-Pet reunites strays in war-torn regions with soldiers back home....

HAPPY 2011 to all !

Hope that this Year will be a happier one for you & yours!

------------------------------------------------------


Pups need help and a man from Connecticut dedicates his life to being there for man's best friends...especially our military working dogs - awesome stuff !!!

Volunteers in the News, Business

Dogs of War: Creature Comforts from Iraq, Afghanistan - locally-based Jet-a-Pet reunites strays in war-torn regions with soldiers back home.
By Chandra Niles Folsom - Westport, CT

Man's best friend in the war zone would often have to be left behind. Thanks to a Westport resident's organization, that is no longer the case.

It was 1987 when Westport's Town House for Dogs & Cats founder Mel Goldman changed direction in a career spent caring for animals.

With all the heartbreaking stories circulating about pet owners' experiences transporting their animals onboard commercial flights, Mel and his wife Sandra decided to launch their own critter airline of sorts dubbed Jet-a-Pet.

It would become the foundation for a venture the Goldmans embarked on with a not-for-profit organization to reunite American soldiers with the stray dogs they befriended while at war.

The former stable boy from Brooklyn discovered his calling during the summer of 1969 when he worked on a dude ranch out west. It was there that he met his future bride.

"Sandra asked me to go to a dog show with her where she'd entered her St. Bernard puppy—but she actually had an ulterior motive," recalled Goldman.

Because his new girlfriend wasn't confident that she could handle the pup in the ring, she sweet-talked Mel into helping out.

"I did and we won the blue ribbon." Mel said. "Soon, we became breeders of St. Bernards and moved up to Connecticut."

In 1972, Goldman received a license from the American Kennel Club(AKC) to handle dogs. However the honor was relatively short-lived because a later court ruling prohibited the AKC from issuing those licenses.

"Nevertheless, having had the license in the first place was an important milestone in the formation of my career," Goldman said.

The couple went on with the Goldmans raising two daughters. After the kids left the nest, the couple found themselves with some extra time on their hands to devote to new doggie ventures.

"That was when I had a brainstorm to start an animal freight forwarding business," explained Goldman.

He trademarked the name Jet-a-Pet and set up a website.

"The military was the main thrust of my efforts and as a result we made over 120 shipments of animals over the next few years," Goldman said.

The business also provides door-to-door delivery, relocating pets for corporate clients, and shipping show dogs throughout the world.

Then came the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Goldman started hearing news reports about military personnel adopting abandoned dogs while on active duty but unable to bring them home when they left. The dog lover knew that he was in the perfect position to help when the call came.

However it wasn't as easy as Goldman had imagined.

"It was a very involved process but I wanted to reunite soldiers with their loving animals and so we managed to find various ways," he said.

There are other non-profit organizations in our area that have done work for animals along the lines of sending care packages to military dogs overseas.

Organizations including Give2TheTroops.org and supportmilitaryworkingdogs.org have shipped items such as doggles (dog goggles) muttluks (dog boots), K9 bulletproof vests and other protective gear. Military dogs are subject to the same dangers as human soldiers yet are not first on the list to receive protective supplies from the U.S. government.

Another problem is access to veterinarians. Only a few are deployed with U.S. forces and they are thinly spread.

Military working dogs first entered the U.S. armed forces in March of 1942 to serve in the Army's K-9 Corps. By 2004, an estimated 2,300 military dogs were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, the vast majority of them German and Dutch shepherds, Labradors and Belgian Malinois.

Bred for cooler climates, these dogs suffer through sandstorms and blistering heat that can reach 135F while performing duties that include base security, individual and crowd control, tracking insurgents and explosives detection.

And with the vast numbers of civilian casualties and displacement, many pets end up homeless in the war zones. Some soldiers even manage to find time to care for hungry dogs and cats, bringing them food and water.

Thanks to Jet-a-Pet many of them have found new homes in the States.

"We were determined to get those brave soldiers reunited with their pets at all costs and as a result of those successes felt a sense of accomplishment that far exceeded any remuneration we may have received from the business," said Goldman

http://www.jet-a-pet.com/

A HOMECOMING WITH HEART - a story of a US Marine making his way home for Christmas in 1951

I have been able to share this with friends at Christmas and it still has a powerful impact as it is a true story(which took place in Fitchburg, MA)

Read on and remember the power of 'coming home" for those who have been away at this time of year....especially those, who like your humble scribe, have been away at the holidays, and wish they were able to be HOME....

The enclosed is my Christmas present to you & yours -

A HOMECOMING WITH HEART
Author: By Mike Barnicle, Globe Staff Date: 12/25/1997

Maybe Christmas Eve wasn't actually colder then, but it sure seems so; just like it seems you could always depend on snow dropping out of a lead sky the moment shops began to close and people headed home late on the one afternoon when excitement and anticipation arrived together, natural byproducts of the season. It was a period of far less affluence and cultural evil, a time when community meant more.

So again we spin the dial back to December 24, 1951. Harry Truman was in the White House. The Dow Jones closed at 228. ``Your Lucky Strike Hit Parade'' was the No. 1 show on a thing called television; an appliance few owned on the day Eddie Kelly stepped off the train at half past 11 in the morning.

Kelly was 22 and tired. He was of medium height but appeared smaller, hunched beneath the weight of a seabag he carried as he walked along Main Street, past people who thought they recognized him but were not quite sure because he was 40 pounds lighter and his eyes held dark secrets that had not been present prior to his departure for Korea in the summer of 1950.

By winter of that long-gone year, he was with ``Chesty'' Puller's Marines at Chosin Reservoir, surrounded by thousands of Chinese who charged through snow in a murderous mass, blowing whistles and bugles. It cost 2,651 Marine casualties and took 14 days of combat with men using rifles, entrenching tools, and their hands rather than concede defeat or leave anyone behind as they walked, on foot, 40 miles to Hungnam and safety. As a result, Kelly was hospitalized from January until December; in Japan, then at Philadelphia Naval, where he recuperated until boarding one train for South Station and another for the place everybody wants to be on this night: Home.

Four blocks from the depot, the lunch crowd stood two deep in the Beacon Cafe as Eddie pushed through the door and dropped his seabag by a stool. The old barroom went chapel-quiet. Then, after five seconds of a complete and awed silence, the patrons burst into endless applause.

They bought him drinks and begged for stories, but he had no thirst and there was very little he wanted to repeat or even recall. He stood in the warmth of a familiar setting, waiting to meet his mother, who worked 7 to 3 in a paper mill and did not know her boy had returned for Christmas.

He was the older of two kids. His father died when Eddie was 11. His younger sister, Eileen, was born retarded, and to keep things going his mother had to institutionalize her only daughter in a state hospital that people called ``The Nut House.''

When Eddie was in Korea, his mom sent him a picture of Eileen taken at the hospital. In the snapshot, she was smiling, waving and wearing a white Communion dress. Eddie taped the photograph inside the shell of his helmet. Now, as afternoon grew full of beers and cheers, Eddie Kelly brooded about the little girl who had been left behind. So he asked Roy Staples if he could borrow his car to visit Eileen. Staples insisted on driving and both men left the bar as snow began spitting from the sky.

At the hospital, Eddie waited at the end of a quiet corridor until an attendant came holding Eileen's hand. She recognized her brother instantly, never noticing the trauma and change that had settled into his skin. She threw her arms around his neck and would not let go, and she asked him to take her with him.

Over the objections of the nurse, Eddie carried his sister to the waiting car. It was 5 o'clock, snowing, and dark when they got back to the Beacon Cafe. Eddie removed his coat and wrapped it gently around Eileen. Then, to the cheers of all barside, they headed into the storm, past the shops on Main Street where everyone had been alerted by word of mouth that Eddie was carrying Eileen home for Christmas.

He had walked like this before, through cold and dark and danger, but now he had this light load in his arms: A girl -- young and innocent forever -- who would not let go, and her clench felt warm to his soul. When they got to the bottom of the hill by their apartment, the whole block knew what was happening, and the neighbors stood on the slippery sidewalk as a mother ran to meet her children on a whole street filled with tears of joy simply because it was December 24, 1951, the day Eddie Kelly and his family were finally home on Christmas Eve.

Eleanor tells it like it is.....enclosed pictures tell the rest of the story

" The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps! ”

Eleanor Roosevelt - Diplomat, Humanitarian and First Lady (1933-45), wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd US president. (1884-1962)