A soldier remembers

As in all things, the most accurate point-of-view willl come from from "first person observation". This soldier who was on scene at the Pentagon on 09/11 and has served in Iraq & Afghanstan provides insight into what our military experienced over the last 10 years.

Sage words from one of our warriors.

A soldier remembers
Thu Sep 8, 2011 / Gettysburg Times By Colonel Brian D. Prosser

On September 11, 2001, I was serving in the Pentagon. Today, I am deployed in Afghanistan and serving alongside approximately 130,000 other U.S. and Coalition service members. Yes, one could say that 9/11 holds a special, almost reverent, significance to me. To simply say that 9/11 has affected hundreds of thousands of military members misses the point, and underestimates its impact. The attacks of 9/11drastically changed our lives and those of our families.

It is hard to believe ten years have passed since the events of that terrible day shocked the world. Do you still remember the ashes and the smoke, the complete devastation of the World Trade Center - the black void - the crevice in the Pentagon, the scorched field in Shanksville, Pa.?

As it unfolded, we didn't want to believe it was true. And as it washed over us, the pictures, the destruction, it was almost too much to imagine; not in THIS country. If there is one city in this country we love to hate, it's New York City. But on that day we simply loved New Yorkers, we ached for them - and admired them for their character in dealing with the devastation.

Do you remember the shrines, the memorials, the flowers, the pictures, the poems, and the thousands of people who converged on Ground Zero to just be closer and to hope above hope that their loved one, friend, or colleague had somehow been spared?

The temptation is to look back, to remember our lost in sadness and in silence. We have labeled it a tragedy. But it was far more than that. Merriam-Webster defines tragedy as "a disastrous event." Another source adds that a tragedy involves a, "distressing loss or injury of life." Distressing, hmm - how about wanton, unjustifiable, shameless and indefensible? Nineteen al-Qaida terrorists murdered almost 3,000 innocent men, women and children, and it is right to honor and mourn them. But it is also important, and right, to remain committed to ensuring that men never again get the opportunity to murder innocents as they did just ten years ago.

Do you remember the firemen? When the first plane hit the tower, there were no firemen on the scene. Yet by the time the towers crumbled under the heat of the fire, over 300 of them died inside, many of them being blessed by a priest or a minister as they entered the buildings - in fact 343 firemen were murdered inside those towers. Some have said that those men were thrown into the situation and were made into heroes that day. I disagree. I don't think they were made into heroes that day; I think they were simply discovered that day. They were heroes long before they entered the towers. They were there all the time, among us.

For over thirty years, I've been a soldier and among heroes. And for the last ten years, be it here in Afghanistan, in Iraq, back in the States and elsewhere in the world, there have been many heroes, and not just those in uniform.

I know that Afghanistan no longer resides on the front pages of our newspapers. And I appreciate that the economy, lost jobs, the debt debate, and other important affairs which affect the daily lives of Americans have overshadowed this war. Having been here in Afghanistan for 11 months, I can assure all Pennsylvanians that their service men and women know why they are here. We understand the formidable challenges yet to overcome, and yet also appreciate the success that we've encountered along the way.

I don't know whether it will all work out here in Afghanistan. Who really does? I admit that there are real and substantial difficulties in working to inform, educate, and change a culture and society so different from ours. But I also believe that we're making an incredible difference in the lives of many Afghans. We may save a lost generation of young Afghan men and women who weren't given the opportunity to learn because of Taliban. In the last 20 months, we have taught more than 100,000 Afghan National Security Force soldiers and policemen to read and write at a 1st grade level. This initiative and so many others take time, resources, but most of all, people. We've spent billions of dollars, millions of man-hours and lost incredible and courageous people along the way. Many tears have been shed the last 10 years for those lost fighting to help ensure another 9/11 does not occur.

I am reminded of a newspaper article I read several years ago that was written about the Rangers killed in Grenada. It seems appropriate on this day:

No phrases can fill the void or soothe the hurt left by the loss of young men's lives, however worthy the cause for which those lives were given.

Hymns and speeches in praise of patriotism and bravery, in celebration of skill and daring, pale as platitudes when compared to the acts and attitudes they are meant to honor.

In the end it comes down to the lump in the throat, the glistening in the eye, the choke in the voice - the search for something to say that can't be said, but can only be expressed in the gushing forth of the innermost feelings.

As in all battles and all wars, the final ceremony is accompanied not by the roll of drums, but by the fall of tears.

Maybe that's what this day is about. Not so much the waving of the flag as our looking upon it with reverence, appreciating the ideal it stands for. Not so much the public proclamations as the quiet moments by ourselves, remembering those who died so needlessly at others' hands. Not so much by sounding the war cry as by the fall of tears.

I am proud to be a soldier and to serve with heroes, and I am honored to call Pennsylvania my home. On this 10th anniversary of 9/11, I ask that you remember those we lost on 9/11, those lost fighting for freedom in the years since, and those who continue to work to prevent such murder again.

Colonel Brian D. Prosser is a 30-year Army veteran currently serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff in NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan in Kabul. He and his family currently live in Springfield, Va. He is a native of York Springs, Pa., and a 1978 graduate of Bermudian Springs High School. He graduated from the Army War College, Carlisle, Pa., in 2007

The Dogs of 09/11

Man's Best Friends helped on 09/11. Their service in assisting the searchers at the Pentagon & Ground Zero was critical. Our K-9 companions showing again why the Dog is our best friend always.

The 9/11 rescue dogs: Portraits of the last surviving animals who scoured Ground Zero one decade on
By Anna Edwards UK MAIL

During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, where almost 3,000 people died, nearly 100 loyal search and rescue dogs and their brave owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors.

Now, ten years on, just 12 of these heroic canines survive, and they have been commemorated in a touching series of portraits entitled 'Retrieved'.

The dogs worked tirelessly to search for anyone trapped alive in the rubble, along with countless emergency service workers and members of the public.

Travelling across nine states in the U.S. from Texas to Maryland, Dutch photographer Charlotte Dumas, 34, captured the remaining dogs in their twilight years in their homes where they still live with their handlers, a full decade on from 9/11.

Their stories have now been compiled in a book, called Retrieved, which is published on Friday, the tenth anniversary of the attacks.

Noted for her touching portraits of animals, especially dogs, Charlotte wanted 'Retrieved' to mark not only the anniversary of the September 2001 attacks, but also as recognition for some of the first responders and their dogs.

'I felt this was a turning point, especially for the dogs, who although are not forgotten, are not as prominent as the human stories involved,' explained Charlotte, who splits her time between New York and Amsterdam.

'They speak to us as a different species and animals are greatly important for our sense of empathy and to put things into perspective.'

Most of the search and rescue dogs are Labradors or Golden Retrievers and Charlotte feels that the title works across many aspects of the story.

'I found the dogs, I retrieved them, they were there to retrieve the victims, it is nicely rounded,' explained Charlotte whose work is being exhibited at the Julie Saul Gallery NYC opening on September 8, in time for the anniversary.

After working on a project about police canines and other working dogs, she was inspired to concentrate on the animals that played such a huge part in seeking survivors.

Contacting the NYPD, the New York Fire Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Charlotte discovered that out of the nearly 100 dogs among the first responders deployed by FEMA, there were in fact only 15 still alive last year.

'They were there for the first few weeks, they were trained to find people alive, although that is ultimately not what happened,' said Charlotte, who will hold a fundraiser for the First Responder Alliance at Clic Bookstore in New York on September 29.

'I traveled across the United States to meet with the owners and portray the dogs. They are all retired and I spent time with each of their handlers learning about their experiences.

'It was moving talking to Denise Corliss, who is the handler and owner of Bretagne, one of the Golden Retrievers.

'She told me a touching story of one fireman who was there in the rubble, and how taken he was with Bretagne who comforted him as he sat down to catch his breath.

'Years later at a Remembrance Ceremony, the same fireman recognised Bretagne and her handler and they had a touching reunion.

'It developed that even though the dogs couldn't find people still alive, they could provide comfort for the brave firemen and rescue workers of the emergency services.'

Wishing to tell the other side of heroism from 9/11, each of Charlotte's encounters with dogs such as Gabriel and Orion and Scout stayed with her.

'The dogs are now old and they will soon pass away. Even during the time it has taken since my first work on the 'Retrieved' portraits to now, three of the final 15 have died,' said Charlotte.

'These portraits are about how time passes, and how these dogs and their portraits are offering us a way to deal with the things that happened as well as relying on them for comfort.'

Pentagon can't explain 'missile' off California - REALLY??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME ?

There's a new commercial showing people fooling around with there phones at the worst possible moments...obsessed by the small screens while they ignore the rest of their lives with another person saying to them incredulously, " REALLY?" - It's a take off on the Saturday Night Live skit with Amy Poehler & Seth Mayers screaming " Really??" after reading an incredulous news story and trying to figure out how things got so stupid, so fast.

I had one of those moments when I read the enclosed story - " Pentagon can't explain 'missile' off California" - REALLY?? Like maybe it is one of the other countries that we should be worried about shooting it from a submarine by accident or in defiance of our defenses to show us they can...Ya know??

" "Nobody within the Department of Defense that we've reached out to has been able to explain what this contrail is, where it came from," Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said. "So far, we've come up empty with any explanation."

REALLY?? Like don't we pay you to make sure you KNOW what's going on off our coast at all times??

I tell ya, you can't make this SHITE up and if you did, people would not believe you or look at you and say, " REALLY??"


Pentagon can't explain 'missile' off California
By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Pauline Jelinek, Associated Press –

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon Tuesday said it was trying to determine if a missile was launched Monday off the coast of Southern California and who might have launched it.

Spokesmen for the Navy, Air Force, Defense Department and North American Aerospace Defense Command said they were looking into a video posted on the CBS News website that appears to show a rocket or some other object shooting up into the sky and leaving a large contrail over the Pacific Ocean.

The video was shot by a KCBS helicopter, the station said Tuesday.

"Nobody within the Department of Defense that we've reached out to has been able to explain what this contrail is, where it came from," Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said. "So far, we've come up empty with any explanation."

Lapan said officials are talking to the Air Force, Navy and NORAD as well as civilian authorities who control and monitor air space.

"Right now, all indications are that there was not (Department of Defense) involvement in this," Lapan said, adding that some object might have been launched by a private company.

Officials had no information to make them suspect that the action was taken by any U.S. adversary.
"At this point, until we know more information about what it may have been, there is not alarm," Lapan said. "But that could change depending on what we find out."

SAVE THE SEALS

All I can say is WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT ???? The lawyers in the Pentagon must have their heads up their arses if this is what they feel is worthy of their time and effort.....Abuse of a suspect?? ARE YOU F&*KING KIDDING ME?

I was in Fallujah - These SEALS are worthy of Medals and the fact that that we are doing this to our own people is ridiculous....More like a kick in the balls than a "punch in the gut"

"We have met the enemy and he is us..." Pogo had it right many years ago....

RELEASE THE SEALS and stop this reckless prosecution - we need these men to keep us safe.

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Save these SEALS: Navy commandos rate honors, not courts-martial, for terror arrest
Sunday, January 3rd 2010, 4:00 AM - NY DAILY NEWS

· Three Navy SEALS are facing what appear to be courts-martial to warm the hearts of terrorists around the globe. Defense Secretary Robert Gates must intervene to prevent an injustice that turns the world on its head.
Actually, the SEALS deserve medals. They were members of a team that captured Ahmed Hashim Abed, suspected mastermind of the barbaric murders of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah in 2004.

Their bodies were mutilated, dragged through the streets, burned and suspended from a bridge. The photographs of the charred corpses dangling above the Euphrates River outraged the world.

SEALS Matthew McCabe, Julio Huertas and Jonathan Keefe were part of a squad that captured Abed on Sept. 1 in a picture-perfect operation. They did not fire a shot, though he was armed with a pistol. But Abed later claimed that one of the SEALS had hit him after he was a prisoner.

Yes, hit him. Not stabbed or shot him; not mutilated his body, not set him on fire, not waterboarded him. Hit him.
"A punch in the gut," is the way a defense lawyer described Abed's accusation.

How can those who opened an official investigation of this trifling matter sleep at night?

McCabe, Huertas and Keefe rejected a proceeding called a captain's mast, where punishment is mild, fearing they would be victimized by politics. Besides, many in the military view the proceedings, conducted under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, as tantamount to an admission of guilt.

So instead of being paid honor due, McCabe has been charged with striking a detainee, dereliction of duty and making a false statement to an investigator. Huertas was charged with dereliction of duty, making a false statement and impeding the investigation. Keefe faces charges of dereliction of duty and making a false statement.
All three have been arraigned, and courts-martial are set for McCabe and Huertas this month and for Keefe in April. They face up to a year in jail, demotion and bad-conduct discharges.

It is bad enough that these men have been subjected to the indignity of formal criminal charges. Even an acquittal at trial would be a travesty. Why must they answer the charges of a terrorist?

McCabe's attorney, Neal Puckett, has said the matter could still be handled within the Navy chain of command, without staining the SEALS' permanent records.

More than 96,000 people have joined Facebook pages supporting the SEALS, and dozens of members of Congress have petitioned Gates to stop the proceedings. That's exactly what he should do. A terrorist has already been permitted to inflict too much damage on these American heroes