Iraq Medal of Commitment Announcement

Medals of America — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:55:30 +0000

This post was originally posted on Medals of America's Blog under the name "Iraq Medal of Commitment" and we thought it would be useful to the readers here at milplace. Medals of America is the premier source for all things military. From Army Awards, Military Rank and Navy Rates we've been the largest supplier since 1976.

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Earlier this year Iraq’s Minister of Defense, Dr. Saadoun Al-Dlaimi, sent notice to the Secretary of Defense authorizing the Government of Iraq Commitment Medal. Here is an example of how we receive information and announcements on new military medals here at Medals of America. This medal has yet to be adopted and produced. Below is the message written to the Secretary.

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Dear Mr. Secretary:

As Iraq and the United States prepare for the final withdrawal of United States forces, we reflect upon the long years during which we have been mutually committed to the effort to achieve peace and prosperity for the people of Iraq. We wish to recognize the contributions of those who have dedicated themselves to this great work. The government of Iraq is pleased to inform you that it has approved the issuance of the Government of Iraq Commitment Medal as a fitting means of acknowledgement.

It is our intention that the medal be awarded to military personnel who served in Iraq as part of the armed forces of the United States and other coalition nations. To qualify to receive the medal, service members must have served for 30 consecutive days or for 60 non-consecutive days within the borders of Iraq, within its territorial waters, or within its airspace during the period of March 19, 2003 to December 31, 2011. Pilots and aircrew members who flew missions within Iraqi airspace will be credited for one day for each day of air operations. In addition, service members who engaged in combat during an armed engagement or were wounded or injured in the line of duty to a degree which required medical evacuation from Iraq qualify without regard to the number of days of service. We expect that more than one million current or former service members may be eligible to receive the Commitment Medal.

We have enclosed a depiction of the medal and its associated ribbon. The Government of Iraq authorizes military authorities of the United States and other coalition partners to award the medal on behalf of Iraq to persons whose military records demonstrate that they qualify. We further authorize the United States and other coalition partners to arrange for the production of the medal and ribbon in their respective countries so that the items may be readily available to the recipients.

May the commitment to the bright future of Iraq, which we have shared through many difficult years, never be forgotten.

Sincerely,

Dr. Saadoun Al-Dlaimi
Minister of Defense

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The Commitment Medal is to be issued by the Government of Iraq to honor the service of the United States and its Allies during the Liberation of Iraq.

Description – The Commitment Medal is a gold-colored medal with enamel, 1 9/16 in diameter. On the front the relief of Iraq represents the area of operation. The lines symbolize the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, recalling Iraq’s title as “the land of two rivers.” The two hands superimposed over the relief symbolize the friendship between Iraq and her coalition allies. The star at the center top represents a vision of unity for the seven peoples of Iraq (Sunni, Shia, Kurd, Turkoman, Assyrian, Yazidi, Armenian) leading to a more secure, prosperous and free future for Iraqis. The inscription in both Arabic and English merge into a continuous circle symbolizing the closeness of Iraq and her allies.
On the reverse side the rayed disc symbolizes the sun, optimism and Iraq’s future of reconstruction and the establishment of the democratic way of life. The relief of Iraq represents the area of operation. The lines symbolize the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, recalling Iraq’s title as “the land of two rivers.” The crossed scimitars recall the partnership between Coalition Forces and Iraqi Security Forces essential to bringing a democratic way of life to Iraq. Gold is emblematic of honor and high achievement. It states JOINT COMMITMENT in both Arabic and English symbolizing the unity of effort between Iraq and her Coalition Partners. The palm trees along with the palm fronds on the front represent the sacrifices made by the Coalition Partners.

Ribbon – The ribbon is 1 3/8 inches in width; however it is it is mounted on the ribbon bar horizontally so that the horizontal top stripe is a 1/16 Chamois (67142) stripe with a 3/64 inch Scarlett (67111) stripe underneath it. A 1/16 inch White (67101) stripe on each side of a 1/16 Green (67129) follows. Below the bottom white stripe is a 3/64 Black (67138) stripe with a 1/16 Chamois (67142) stripe serving as the bottom stripe. A device of palm fronds representing the sacrifices of coalition forces, both Iraqi and Allied, is centered on the ribbon.

The colors represent the following. The Green is the traditional color for Islam. Red honors the fighting courage for the pursuit of freedom. White denotes generosity and black exemplifies Islam’s success. The tan represents the sands of Mesopotamia.

What goes into a resume?

Ann Danner — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:18:34 +0000

From War to Work
Your resume should include key headings that give a brief detail of your work experience and what you have to offer a hiring company. You don't want to be too detailed to make it lengthy, nor should it be too short and not contain enough of the pertinent information needed. Keep it simple but be sure that it is job specific as the viewer may be seeking specific information for that field. If you are skilled for multiple fields you may need multiple resumes to fit those specific fields. Your resume should contain:

Name
Address
Email Address
Phone numbers(s)
Your objective
Experience
Education
Additional Training
Community
Awards
Licenses
Security Clearances
References

Your resume may include other headings as well depending on your previous history. Hiring a professional is the best way to go since they are skilled at the target areas on a resume. When hiring a service make sure that you choose one that is aware of today's market and offers a job search or other services.

Understanding United States Military Awards

Medals of America — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:18:02 +0000

The evolution of the military awards system of the United States may be best characterized as paralleling the American passion for individual freedom. To the casual observer, it might resemble an endless series of unrelated regulations designed to confuse rather than to inform. However upon closer look, you find a highly organized, well documented system that has been overcomplicated by historical inertia.

When this country won its independence from Great Britain, most British traditions were retained but all trappings of the old regal system were repudiated. As a result, almost 75 years elapsed between the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and the authorization of our first military award, the Medal of Honor. (The President traditionally presents the Medal of Honor but does so in the name of the Congress).

As the number of awards grew, responsibility for the approval and presentation of an award to a recipient became (and remains today) a function of the importance of the proposed award. As in most Armed Services around the world, the immediate field commander is empowered to nominate deserving candidates for an appropriate medal but here the resemblance ends. In the U.S. Army, for example, final award authority can be a Company, Regimental, Brigade or Division Commander providing the award is for a campaign, good conduct, achievement, commendation or meritorious service. Only when the upper strata of the “Pyramid of Honor” are attained, i.e., Bronze Star Medal and above, is the senior level of command (The Chief of Staff, Secretary of the Army or Secretary of Defense) required to act upon such recommendations. The other Services follow this pattern closely, some going even further by delegating the authority to issue a few of the more senior awards to lower echelon commanders during wartime situations.

In 1947, when the U.S. Armed Forces were unified into the present Department of Defense, one might have expected a series of orderly and clear-cut directives that would totally reorganize all such awards policies. However, with only a few notable exceptions, e.g., standardization of the height and width of ribbons plus some award criteria, this has not been the case.

Although Joint Service awards committees do exist, they can only recommend general policies for those items shared by all the Armed Forces but do NOT have the authority to set standards within the individual Services. As a result, some 104 new military awards have been authorized since unification, only 25 of which are common to all the Services and the rules governing the display of ribbons and devices now vary so widely as to require a road map.

The first area of potential confusion is the order of military ribbon wear on the U.S. military uniform. A careful examination of the various awards manuals and uniform regulations shows that three distinct arrangements for order of precedence exist among the five Services (the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard share a common scheme).

Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Order of Precedence

Arbitrarily taking the Navy method as a baseline, the various award precedence schemes break down into general categories as follows:

A. U.S. Military Decorations
B. U.S. Unit Awards
C. U.S. Non-Military Decorations
D. U.S. Merchant Marine Decorations
E. Prisoner of War and Good Conduct Medals
F. Campaign, Service and Training Awards
G. U.S. Merchant Marine Service Awards
H. Foreign Military Decorations
I. Foreign Unit Awards
J. Non U.S. Service Awards
K. Marksmanship Awards
Army Order of Precedence

The order of precedence established by the Army is as follows:

A. U.S. Military Decorations
E. Prisoner of War Medal
C. U.S. Non-Military Decorations
E. Good Conduct Medal
F. Campaign, Service and Training Awards
D. U.S. Merchant Marine Decorations
G. U.S. Merchant Marine Service Awards
H. Foreign Military Decorations
J. Non U.S. Service Awards

NOTE: All U.S. and foreign unit awards (categories B and I above) are worn on the right breast of the Army uniform.
USAF Order of Precedence

The Air Force has been left for last owing to its unique set of ribbon rules. Not only is the Air Force order of precedence different from those discussed earlier but some of their medals and ribbons, designated as “Achievement Awards”, do not fit neatly into the previously defined categories. The Air Force precedence list is as follows:

A. U.S. Military Decorations
B. U.S. Unit Awards
C. U.S. Non-Military Decorations
D. U.S. Merchant Marine Decorations
E. Prisoner of War Medal Combat Readiness Medal
E. Good Conduct Medal
F. Campaign, Service and Training Awards
K. Marksmanship Awards Air Force Training Ribbon
J. Philippine Service Awards
G. U.S. Merchant Marine Service Awards
H. Foreign Military Decorations
I. Foreign Unit Awards
J. Non U.S. Service Awards

Japanese-American Vets Receive Bronze Star Medals

Medals of America — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:38:07 +0000

Here’s a recent news release from the Department of Defense that we thought our readers would find useful regarding the Bronze Star Medal.

By C. Todd Lopez
Army News Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2011 – In a ceremony here yesterday more than 66 years after hostilities ended in World War II, 40 Americans received the Bronze Stars they deserved for combat service in that conflict.

The Japanese-American soldiers fought as part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the Military Intelligence Service.

Army officials decided that all soldiers who wore the Combat Infantry Badge from World War II were owed a Bronze Star; some, however, never received theirs.

Getting such an award, in many cases, depended on "how good your clerk was, … and some of the clerks were not that great," said retired Army Lt. Gen. Joseph F. Peterson. It's really a matter of poor paperwork that the soldiers had to wait so long to get their Bronze Stars, he added.

The general organized a three-day recognition of Japanese-American soldiers in Washington, D.C. The highlight has some 800 of those veterans being honored with the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol today. But for the soldiers who gathered yesterday at a posh hotel, the day was about finally getting the Bronze Star they had earned.

At the event, 31 of those soldiers were present to have the military medal pinned on their chest by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno. Another nine Bronze Stars were provided to the family members of soldiers who could not attend or who have died.

"It's amazing to get a star like this," said Don K. Masuda, one of the recipients of the award. The former soldier attended the event with his wife, his daughter, and two of his grandsons. He said he's led "a pretty good life" since leaving the Army, which has included being a co-owner of a shipping business in his native Hawaii, and also working six years for the postal service.

He served as an infantryman in World War II, in both Italy and France, as part of the 442nd RCT. He earned two Purple Hearts during his service. He said he's been waiting "a pretty long time" to have a Bronze Star.

Fellow 442nd RCT soldier George Joe Sakato was also at the award ceremony -- both as a recipient of the Bronze Star and as a speaker. Sakato is one of 21 Japanese-American Medal of Honor recipients to come out of the 442nd RCT and 100th Infantry Battalion.

On behalf of the 33,000 Japanese-Americans soldiers who served in World War II, Sakato thanked Congress for the Congressional Gold Medal they are receiving today. He also thanked his country for the opportunity to earn that honor.

"We also thank the government, which allowed us to serve in the U.S. Army to defend our country and to prove our loyalty to America," Sakato said.

Odierno reiterated for those at the event the greatness of the Japanese-American soldiers’ service and the service of all who served in World War II, calling them "the greatest generation."

But the general also touched on the tragedy those soldiers faced that other soldiers did not. Many of their families back home were locked away in camps and branded as enemies of America, even while their sons served to defend the country's ideals.

"From the shock of Pearl Harbor, and out of fear and prejudice, 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry were sent to internment camps," Odierno said. "But what's incredible to me is that many of them did not allow that grave injustice of the internment to stand in their way. They remained steadfast in their commitment to their country, and volunteered to serve a nation in combat -- a selfless act of devotion."

Those Japanese-American soldiers, he said, served as infantrymen, linguists, military intelligence specialists and artillerymen.

"Over 33,000 Japanese-Americans served in the war," Odierno said. "And of those, over 13,000 served in the 442nd, and earned over 9,000 Purple Hearts."

The 442nd became the most highly decorated unit in the Army's history, Odierno said. The 442nd and the 100th Infantry Battalion together earned seven Presidential Unit Citations, two Meritorious Service Plaques, 36 Army Commendation Medals, and 87 Division Commendations. Individually, soldiers earned 21 Medals of Honor, 29 Distinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, more than 354 Silver Stars, and more than 4,000 Purple Hearts.

"Together, they define the ethos that we all live by today: ‘Never leave a fallen comrade,’” Odierno said.

The experience of World War II provided a lesson about tolerance, the general said.

"The lesson of the Japanese-American experience is that fear and prejudice make our country weaker, not stronger," Odierno said. "Japanese-Americans, like others, have more than earned their place in our country, in our Army, and in our society -- a melting pot to include African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and today, Arab-Americans."

About 240 veterans attended the Bronze Star event. Another 100 spouses of deceased veterans also attended, as did about 500 family members representing soldiers.

Peterson, who has Japanese ancestry, said the event was both to honor those soldiers who served, and to educate America.

"It's educational for our nation to know that a group of soldiers and a group of Americans, who because of the mass hysteria when the imperial military of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor -- were classified enemy aliens," Peterson said.

About 120,000 Japanese-Americans were rounded up, Peterson said, and put into any of 10 internment camps across nine states.

"Out of those camps came a demand, by 65 percent of them -- 65 percent of 120,000 internees -- to serve their country in a time of war," he said.

Those soldiers who served in units like the 442nd RCT, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the Military Intelligence Service, Peterson said, averaged number three individual awards for heroism.

"They are the most decorated unit in U.S. military history of its size and duration of the conflict," he said.

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Be sure to visit Medals of America for a huge selection of Awards, Military Patches, Challenge Coins and Military Rank. Veteran owned and operated for more than 35 years! Our mission is simple - we want every Veteran and Service person to display the Medals our grateful Nation awarded them. Anything we can do to have all the great Americans who served their country in the Military Forces display their award will enrich future generations by these symbols of Duty, Honor and Country.

Army Reserve Componenets Achievement Medal - Video

Medals of America — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:01:26 +0000

This information on the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal is provided by Medals of America. Medals of America is the premier source for Army Medals and Ribbons, Military Patches, Army Caps and Army Rank. Be sure to visit today and also try out our Army Rack Builder and other custom military builders.

Authorized by the Secretary of the Army on March 3, 1971 and amended by Dept. of the Army General Order 4, 1974, this medal is awarded to any person in the rank of Colonel or below for exemplary behavior, efficiency and fidelity while serving as a member of the Army National Guard (ARNG), a United States Army Reserve troop program unit (TPU) or as an individual augmentee.

The Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal is 1-1/4 inches in diameter. In the center is a flaming torch symbolizing the vigilance of the Guard and the Reserve and their readiness to come to the Nation’s aid. Two crossed swords in front of and behind the torch represent the history of the Guard and Reserve forged in combat. Left and right of the torch are five pointed stars and the entire design is surrounded by a laurel wreath symbolizing accomplishment. Around these symbols is a twelve pointed star superimposed over a smaller twelve-pointed star indicating the Guard and Reserve’s ability to travel where needed in the United States or the world. In between the points of the larger star are laurel leaves and a berry representing achievement.

On the reverse side of this military medal in the upper center is a miniature breast plate taken from the Army seal. Above this, the outside edge of the medal is inscribed either, “UNITED STATES ARMY RESERVE” or “ARMY NATIONAL GUARD.” Along the bottom edge of the medal are the words, “FOR ACHIEVEMENT.”

The ribbon has a wide center stripe of red flanked by narrow stripes of white and blue, reflecting our national colors and patriotism. The outside gold stripes are symbolic of merit. Additional awards are denoted by bronze and silver oak leaf clusters.

The history of the Army Medal of Honor

Medals of America — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:13:34 +0000

This information on the Army Medal of Honor, the highest valor Army Medal available, is provided by Medals of America. Medals of America is the premier source for Army Badges, Military Ribbon Racks and Cap Badges. Be sure to visit today.

Army Medal of Honor Criteria: Awarded for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of one’s own life, above and beyond the call of duty. This gallantry must be performed either while engaged in action against an enemy of the United States, while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. Recommendation must be submitted within three years of the act and the military medal must be awarded within five years of the act.

This full size army medal is a five-pointed gold-finished star (point down) with each point ending in a trefoil. Every point of the star has a green enamel oak leaf in its center and a green enamel laurel wreath surrounds the center of the star, passing just below the trefoils. In the center of the star is a profile of the Goddess Minerva encircled by the inscription, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”, with a small shield at the bottom. The star is suspended by links from a bar inscribed, “VALOR”, topped by a spread winged eagle grasping laurel leaves in its right talon and arrows in the left. The star represents each State in the United States. The oak leaf represents strength and the laurel leaf represents achievement. The head of Minerva represents wisdom with the shield from the Great Seal of the United States representing lawful authority. The laurel leaves clasped in the right claw of the Federal eagle offer peace while the arrows represent military might if the country’s offer of peace is rejected. The back of the bar holding the star is engraved, “THE CONGRESS TO.” The rest of the medal is smooth to permit engraving the recipient’s name. The ribbon is a light blue moiré patterned silk neck band one and three sixteenths inches wide and twenty four inches long, with a square pad in the center of the same ribbon. Thirteen white stars are woven into the pad.

The first Army Medal of Honor had the same five-pointed star and flag ribbon as the Navy Medal of Honor. The only differences were in the means of suspension. While the Navy medal was suspended by a fouled anchor, the Army’s was suspended from an American eagle with outstretched wings with a stack of eight cannon balls and a sabre in front of crossed cannon. The cannon, shot and sabre represent the artillery and cavalry with the eagle as the national symbol. The top of the ribbon was held by a shield derived from the Great Seal of the United States flanked by two cornucopia, symbolizing America as the land of plenty. The reverse of the medal was engraved with the words, THE CONGRESS TO but was otherwise blank to permit engraving the recipient’s name.

In the years following the Civil War, many veteran’s organizations and other patriotic societies adopted membership badges and insignia which were thinly-disguised replicas of the Medal of Honor. To protect the sanctity of the Medal of Honor, Congress authorized a new ribbon for the medal in 1896 to clearly distinguish it from veterans association’s badges. The basic colors of the original ribbon were not changed, but simply altered.

Unfortunately, the Army Medal of Honor continued to be widely copied and its design criticized. On April 23, 1904 a new design was approved and was granted Patent Number 197,369. In addition to the new planchet, the redesigned award was suspended from the now familiar light blue moire ribbon symbolic of the loyalty and vigilance, containing 13 embroidered white stars representing the 13 original states. This new version of the Medal of Honor is the design that is still used to the present day. The only change that has taken place since the Army Medal of Honor’s adoption in 1904 is the suspension which was modified in 1942 from a pin on breast ribbon to a neck ribbon.

Why I Became a Soldier - Duty, Sacrifice and Honor

Medals of America — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:36:10 +0000

Here's a great post from one of our own here at Medals of America. This was originally posted here and thought it would be a good piece to share with the MilPlace community.

As far back as I can remember I always knew I was going to become a soldier. Why I was so certain I would become a soldier even before entering grade school remains a mystery to even me. All I know is what I wanted to be and nothing was going to change that. As I grew up in life I was asked many times throughout my childhood, “What are you going to be when you grow up?” and the answer always remained the same, simple and short, straight to the point “A Soldier”.

When some of the individuals asking the question replied with “A Soldier” I knew right then the question and comment I had grown to hate the most would soon follow which was, “Why do you want to be a Soldier?”, and my answer has always been the same… Still in the end it never mattered how the reality manifested into being, and how both men and women transformed into the Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines, whether it was active, guards, reserves, Coast Guard, or Border Patrol, one thing remained one and the same, it was the bond that brought us all together as one, that which unites us until that which made us different became the same, and what we thought made us uncommon come into alignment transforming our differences into strengths, tuning our different values and beliefs into common values and beliefs.

It never mattered how we came to be whether by way of draft, enlistment, or even court ordered but what it came to mean to us all was the belief in our Duty, and how that sense of duty mattered more than ourselves. Being taken in by the truths that our founding fathers found to be self evident as we had to learned those simple truths the hard way, but not only did we learn that all men were created equal but also the freedoms we came to love and enjoy was not free but instead came with a very high price. The cost was one that all who wore the uniforms paid, no matter the level of the payment it was paid in the form of Sacrifices. The sacrifices not only made by the men and women in uniforms but by our families, friends, and neighbors as well. Those sacrifices are forever felt and remembered, engraved on our conscience and subconscious thoughts. Sacrifices I mention not to draw sympathy or pity, but instead to paint a masterpiece of pride, and joy in knowing that those sacrifices in some way touched the life of the many, and the acts being forever entrenched in our way of being. Sacrifices that every man and woman, who ever had the pleasure of raising his or her right hand would tell you, if they had a chance to do it again they would.

Then there are those who paid the highest price of all by making the ultimate sacrifice. A Sacrifice so great they would never be able to see the effects of their selfless service. A sacrifice shown only by the beautiful colors that their loved ones received as receipt of their grand payment, that they so proudly display for all to see whether it’s on a flag pole outside of their homes or in a beautiful flag display case, displayed in their homes for all to see. When we join the different branches of service we all joined for many different reasons. It could have been because we had no choice such as our brethren of the World Wars, Korean War, and the Vietnam War as some enlisted while others were drafted, or like our brethren and sisters of the currents wars enlisted, for the GI Bills, the security, or even out of a sense of duty after 911.

No matter what was the initial reasoning behind joining the service, what was the greatest reason that we continued to serve? Some think it may be because of the opportunities but I say to them no one wakes up and hopes for the opportune time to die. Some may think it’s for the benefits but to be honest with you although they help they are not all that great. Some even think it’s for the money but I can assure you that the money certainly could be better.

The truth is all those reasons may have been good reasons but they certainly were not that which held us. We all stayed for one reason and one reason only, that which we came to live for, and at the same time being more than to proud to die for. That which would ensure we are forever remembered in the most sacred of documents in this world and the next, physical and spiritual, forever lasting, and indestructible. We all chose to stay the course for the because of Honor.

We at Medals of America live with a sense of duty each and every day as we continue the fight to ensure your deeds are never forgotten. We are proud to serve our great customers as we can’t help but to feel their sacrifices as we sit and listen to their stories while they place their orders. Being touched by their love, loyalty and devotion to their family members or friends as try to capture a piece of their love ones history for one reason or another. We feel so blessed to be a part of helping you to build your beautiful display cases, mounted medals and military ribbon racks, so you can proudly display your military awards and decorations that you so greatly and selflessly earned. For you all have served and continue to serve with great credit to your family, friends and community and most of all you all served with Honor; so for the sake of Honor, it’s our pleasure to serve you. Thank you all, and most of all thank you all for your service.

Life is only as long as we live… Death is only as long as our memories are remembered… but Honor… Honor lasts forever.

Boris I. Jones
Medals of America

Be sure to visit the Medals of America website for a large selection of Air Force Caps, Marine Corp Medals, Army T-Shirts and tons of other Military Items for Sale. Visit today.

Many Veterans Suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a Disorder that Needs to be Recognized

Medals of America — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:43:06 +0000

This post was originally posted on Medals of America's Blog. It's a great read and a disorder that we all need to be aware of.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a very serious disorder that many of our veterans deal with in their lives. While this disorder isn’t always widely recognized, it is important that we support our troops and our veterans. Medals of America is doing its part to raise awareness and support this disorder by offering PTSD merchandise, including PTSD shirts, challenge coins and hats. All PTSD items are great for both active and retired military members helping let all of our soldiers know that they are supported.

While PTSD may not always be widely recognized as a disease or disorder, it is one that is very prevalent, as close to one-third of all soldiers returning home after war suffer from this disorder. Despite being angry, confused and even suicidal, many of these men and women refuse to seek help, as they are afraid it will be seen as a weakness or stigma. However, it is important to remember that it can be through the aid of friends, family, and military leaders that these individuals pull through and can begin the healing process. We all can play a role.

PTSD is a type of anxiety disorder that often affects people after they have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event that threatened them with injury or death. Victims of this disorder may suffer from flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, confusion, guilt and anger—all of which may result in thoughts of suicide. Many cannot stop thinking about the traumatic event, or events, that caused the PTSD. The sooner PTSD is diagnosed and treated, the better.

Helping spread awareness about this disorder and how it affects our country’s military, Medals of America is trying to do its part through the distribution of PTSD merchandise. It is important for those suffering from PTSD to know that they are not alone. Additionally, to support Vietnam Veterans with PTSD, Medals of America donates a portion of every purchase made through their VVA Store to the Vietnam Veterans of America Headquarters in Maryland.

Read the Medals of America press release, discussing this very real disorder, and what we can do to better recognize it here.

Guns suns and more guns

txsgrunt — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 08:31:06 +0000

Well let me start by apologizing for my absence. I can list all kinds of excuses for not posting, but I will not other than to say that my daughters were graduating from school at the same time we sold our house and bought a new one. We also had to remodel the new one while living in it and prepare for the graduation ceremony, party, and welcoming family from way out of town. And please don't get me started on the red tape war I had with the VA on my home loan. I lost by the way. That will be fodder for a future post on the decline of the VA and the commercialized business it has become. Did I just state an excuse? Sorry, I feel much better now.
Anyway, I would like to address the issue that has popping up in many media outlets that has made the US of A look like a main culprit in the instigation, or at least, the responsible party in the Mexican drug war. That subject is the issue of guns flowing into Mexico that perpetuate the drug war. I'd like to start by informing my readers that Mexico and various American news media outlets have accused the U.S. of either supplying the guns or not restricting the flow of guns into Mexico that are being used in the killings of hundreds of Mexican citizens. I would like to respond by saying, BULLSHIP, HOGWASH, and Lies. First off, The Mexican government does not want to and will not take full responsibility for the embarrassing condition they have created in their country. So, to shift a some of the blame, they've resorted to manipulating the numbers by using an old ATF (Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms)program that tracks U.S. registered fire arms serial number in Mexico which is outdated and unreliable. When Mexican Police or soldiers seize weapons from gun battles and cartel members, they check the serial numbers off of a list which is an old list of weapon serial numbers that have been stolen or known to have been smuggled into Mexico provided by the ATF. Funny thing is, they only check the serial numbers off of M-14s,AR-15s, M-16s, and any American made weapon. They do not check any AK 47 or other foreign made weapon serial numbers or state how many they seized. The result will always be that all weapons that were were seized were American made weapons that were smuggled into Mexico and used to kill innocent civilians. At last count, 80% of weapons seized in Mexico were smuggled in from the U.S. This number is coming from a president of a country where corruption is a way of life and anyone can be bought. In my line of work and the working with people in the position that deal with that particular issue, it has been my experience that most of the weapons enter Mexico from the south. Namely El Salvador, Columbia, and Honduras. Most of the weapons I have seen with my own two eyeballs have been AK 47s, variants of the AKs, and foreign made knock offs. Even in the aftermath photos I receive, the narratives state AR 15s seized but see no mention of the AK 47s I see in the photos.

A few months ago, I stumbled upon a blog by a Guatemalen army veteran report on deserting Guatemalen Kaibiles (elite Guatemalen soldiers) being paid to smuggle weapons and or join the Zetas Cartel in Mexico. When I went back to the page for some more research, the page was 404. Personally, I think the blogger was found out and was 404ed with an AK 47, duck tape and a shovel. With all that being said, most of the guns being used in Mexico that are being used in the narco war are NOT coming from the U.S. as the media says but coming from countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, China, Yugoslavia, and other cash starved countries. Yes. I will not deny that some weapons are going in from the U.S., but not in the numbers you are led to believe.

The Mexican press loves to showcase weapon seizures to the media and display all the weapons seized but fail to mention that that the AR-15 in the photos are actually knock offs made in China with no serial numbers. They want you to think the U.S failed to stop them from being smuggled into Mexico so The U.S can be blamed for one thing or another. I am not releasing the U.S. from any blame in this travesty since I have personally seen U.S. made weapons that have been smuggled into Mexico been used in the killings of Mexican citizens. From where I stand on the shores of the US/Mexican border, I see a different picture than the one the politicians and their controlled agenda driven media states as fact.

I'm just sayin.

The Immigration Issue.

txsgrunt — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:13:30 +0000

Immigration. Aside from the political issues surrounding immigration, I will try to explain why allowing the immigration bills to pass would be a bad thing for the US of A. While allowing immigration to the U.S. has been a hallmark of the American way, it is not the same as it was even 10 years ago. The purpose of immigration nowadays does not have the same purpose it did when people were trying to gain U.S. citizenship for a better way of life. Yes, I realize that people from other countries are trying to enter our country to escape persecution and crime in their perspective countries, but what are they contributing to ours? Are they they just trying to bring their way of life to our neighborhoods for their gain. While many Americans are screaming and yelling to let them in because they are are looking to participate in the American Dream, they are being fooled by the true intentions by many of the so called poor helpless immigrants. My sources at many of the U.S. ports of entry tell me the same thing over and over again. They hear the same sob stories over and over again about just trying to look for work to help their families and the persecution from the cartels and the government. How they just want to earn a decent living, etc, etc. Well, many of these so called immigrants first break the U.S. laws by having themselves smuggled across, and break U.S. laws by crossing illegally and in many cases backpack illegal drugs for extra money instead of the legal route. Then they claim they were forced to do so by the cartels only to find out that they have been busted and deported several times before for doing the same thing at different location. Another purpose for entering the U.S. is to establish transitional contacts and points of distribution (or cells) for future drug shipments as was proven by the latest sting operation in which several illegal immigrants were rounded up by ICE officials all over Texas in December of 2009. All were involved in the drug trade and living in the U.S. illegally, Do you think they were paying taxes like you and me, were they endangering innocent families living next door? Were they contributing to the American way of life like you and I? Are they above the law? Yet, these people who broke our laws to enter our country and dealing in narcotics were receiving free medical care, free schooling for their kids, we were paying for their health care, subsidizing their welfare cards for food because they cannot spend the drug cartel's money on those things or they will be hunted down in our country endangering even more American lives. I and many other U.S. military veterans do not have as good benefits as they do and even get neglected or rejected in some cases and get even better care than we do. We can no longer keep falling for the same sob stories for the sake of political correctness and self righteousness. They've learned to use those virtues against us.
Just as many Islamic radicals have infiltrated our sovereignty by entering our country under false pretenses such as the 9-11 bombers did, The Mexican illegals have learned from that and attempting the same techniques. If you saw an Iranian Islamic radical terrorist entering the U.S. hidden in the undercarriage of a car would you be shocked and scared? Why not a Mexican National with evil intentions who could cause serious mayhem in the U.S. Yes, I know a dirty bomb would be more dramatic than getting our children hooked on drugs and killing a few rivals on our streets would, but only because cases like that don't make the headlines like a bomb would. I think that's only because we have become somewhat desensitized to drug dealers being killed in the streets as opposed to an Islamic terrorist planting a bomb in New York Square. If you don't think that will ever affect you, it will only be a matter of time if you succumb to political correctness and acceptance of outsiders. To address the human side of immigration, Yes. I believe that there are honest hard working Mexican nationals seeking U.S. citizenship that want to contribute to our society because I know a few. But, we cannot continue to fall for the same old sob story and be blinded by self righteousness and political correctness that endanger our American way of life to ease our conscience in the name of acceptance of other cultures and their ways of life.
OK folks before you start calling me a racist or prejudiced against Mexicans, I must state that I am of Mexican decent and 2nd generation American citizen sworn to defend the American way of life. I have chosen to defend the country I have integrated into as my parents have because the USA has provided us with a prosperous life as the U.S. Constitution states. I am just asking that you rethink the issue of politics and "acceptance" and "understanding" over national security and our way of life as our Constitution states it. Our Constitution has made us the most powerful and most desirable country on Earth. Now is no time time to compromise our principles for the sake of false principles of political correctness or politics.

Soldier’s Heart Veteran Return Retreat

InternationalTroopSupport — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 01:15:20 +0000

www.soldiersheart.net
Led by Dr. Edward Tick and Kate Dahlstedt
March 24-27, 2011
Franciscan Spirit & Life Center – Pittsburgh, PA

This powerful experience provides veterans, family members, helping professionals and caring community members an opportunity to learn and practice ways of
successful homecoming and healing from war.
By replicating the Warrior’s Journey Home, participants will gain a deep understanding of PTSD as well as the experience of spiritual, holistic, community based,
cross cultural healing from war, as found in Dr. Tick’s Book,
WAR AND THE SOUL.

EVENT DETAILS
COST: $795 includes tuition, room and board
Veteran scholarships available. To inquire – info@soldiersheart.net

START AND END TIMES: Registration begins at 3 PM Thurs. March 24, opening ceremony at 7. Program ends on Sunday March 27, after lunch.

PLACE: Franciscan Spirit & Life Center, Pittsburgh PA. www.osfprov.org/fslc.asp

DIRECTIONS: arriving by car – http://www.osfprov.org/directions.asp
Arriving by plane:Fly into Pittsburgh International Airport

TO REGISTER: Request a registration form from Paula@soldiersheart.netOr http://www.soldiersheart.net/retreats.shtml

QUESTIONS? Contact us at info@soldiersheart.net or call 518-274-0501

Capacity is limited to 30, we encourage you to register soon!

To donate so that a veteran may attend contact info@soldiersheart.net

The Zetas Role in the Third War.

txsgrunt — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 10:18:50 +0000

Tonight, I am writing this post as I listen to the aircraft flying around my neighborhood. I know which aircraft it is and the crew on board. I also hear many sirens. I just got off duty so I don't know exactly what's going on but I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow when I go back on duty on duty. I could easily log on to my work site and find out, but I got off duty two hours ago and just want to kick back with a Corona brew and enjoy a cartoon on TV to numb my brain from today's workload of the Third War incidents of today.

So. This post is a block of instruction on the role Los Zetas (The Zetas)play in The Third War. The Zetas as described in my last post is an independent drug cartel fighting for the northern Mexican State of Tamaulipas - deep south Texas drug route against the mighty Gulf Cartel. Now against the New Federation which is the alliance between the Gulf Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel and others who want to destroy the Zetas just out of pure hatred.

The Zetas were originally formed back in the late 80s by a man named Heriberto Lazcano, AKA "El Lazca" and are considered by most as being the most violent paramilitary group in Mexico. Lazcano was at the time a highly trained Special Forces soldier in the Mexican Army who was trained in counter drug operation at Ft. Benning Georgia's School of the Americas to help Mexico fight the drug cartels. He and his subordinates were trained in all aspects of special warfare, counter insurgency, survival, escape and evasion, all the black ops stuff.
Once he returned to Mexico, he applied his skills in support of the Mexican war on drugs and served his country well as Z10. All counter-drug special ops soldiers used the call sign Z with 10 being the commander of the unit. Eventually Lazcano became disillusioned with his mission, mainly because of the dismal conditions, rewards, and pay for the effort he was putting forth. He finally realized he was fighting an uphill battle that could not be won and the only outcome for him would be death and penniless, or Pesoless in his case. Lazcano deserted and took a few of his men with him and brokered a deal with the Gulf Cartel after a few freelance jobs for anyone willing to pay him what he felt he was worth. Now the he was working as the enforcement arm for the powerful Gulf Cartel and making more money in a month than he ever made in a year in the army, he was set and recruited more deserters. He slowly built a small army with his personal ruthless twist of "the more senseless, the better".

The Zetas were quickly becoming well known throughout Mexico as being downright mean, ruthless, and cruel. They would not hesitate to kill, behead, eviscerate, torture, burn, rape, dismember, or mutilate an enemy on nothing more than a nod from a Zeta or Gulf Cartel leader. It was rumored that even the cruel Gulf Cartel leaders feared the Zetas being near them and referred to them as Demonios (demons).

Due to the Zeta's senseless propensity for killing and blind obedience, they accidentally killed a high ranking Gulf Cartel member who strode into town to check on his operation. The problem arose when either the Gulf Cartel member did not announce his arrival in town, or the Zeta gunman did not get the word that the Gulf lieutenant was coming to town. Either way, the unwritten rule among cartels states that if a gunman from a cartel kills an ally, whether intentionally or accidentally, the killer must be handed over for execution. At this point Lazcano refused to turn over his gunman. Supposedly because it was the Gulf Cartel's fault for not following procedure of announcing their arrival.
Because the Zetas broke the "Code", they were now violators and had to be eliminated. The word was put out that it was open season on any Zeta for anyone with a gun. This is a good time to mention that gun ownership by civilians in Mexico is prohibited. So, anyone who has a gun is a criminal.
This was the time that Lazcano felt his organization was big enough, powerful enough, trained enough, and feared enough to start his very own cartel. He felt Los Zetas were feared and trained enough that he could easily wipe out the Gulf Cartel and take over their territory and jump to the top of the drug cartel food chain. Unfortunately for Lazcano, the training his lower level foot soldier Zetas had received was not enough to overcome the fierce loyalty of the more experience Gulf Cartel soldiers. Ensuing battles were lopsided in favor of the Gulf Cartel over the undermanned Zetas that were even hated by the local peasants who would point them out to patrolling Gulf Cartel soldiers. The Zetas were eventually pushed west into remote ranch land areas south of Falcon Lake where they hid out to regroup and recruit anyone with a pulse with promises of wealth and glory.

During this time The Zetas were regrouping and planning their "second coming" when an American Jet Skier and his wife wandered into their territory for a photo session of the local ruins in Guerrero within the Zeta area of operations. The Zeta guards mistook the intruders for spies or enemies and went after them in boats. They chased the couple with AK 47s firing at full bore in an attempt to scare them off. In their haste and poor training, they shot David Hartley in the head and he fell in the water, David's wife circled around to try to help but there was nothing she could do as they continued firing in her direction. She gunned the engine on her Jet Ski and headed north without her husband as they chased her with AKs still firing up to the the International Boundary Line. I received the report on the shooting and started the normal procedure on border incidents. 30 minutes later, my cell phone rang, it was a friend who asked me if I could help with information on the shooting of his associate on Falcon Lake. He gave me the victim's name and my heart sank. It was a mutual friend.

Now many of the Zeta soldier caste are a low level bunch of underpaid under trained rag tag group of uneducated unwilling peasants and criminals threatened into doing the dirty work of the Zetas under threat of a slow painful death. This still makes them an extremely dangerous threat since they have no choice but to kill or be killed. Proof of the Zeta's ruthlessness and cruelty has been seen in cases such as the massacre of the 72 immigrants in San Fernando and the overtaking and mass exodus of scared civilians in the historic town of Mier.

Next week, The immigration issue and a word on Nancy Davis.

The links below will take to the respective story, please be advised that the reports are wrenching and not for the faint of heart but for the reality seeker. The Third War does exists. It is a hidden war, but it does exist.

Mier overtaking: http://mexicotoday.com.mx/en/headlines-footer-links-34/1599-zetas-threat-sparks-exodus-from-town-in-tamaulipas.html

Massacre: http://forums.liveleak.com/showthread.php?t=70907

2011 Soldier's Heart Retreats

InternationalTroopSupport — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:51:15 +0000

The following are dates for the 2011 Soldier's Heart Retreats!

MARCH 24-27 Pittsburgh, PA

JUNE 16-19 Lake Placid, NY

AUGUST 24-28 Nevada City, CA

Plan to join us on the journey toward healing!

FOR MORE INFO ON ANY OF THESE RETREATS,

PLEASE EMAIL US AT info@soldiersheart.net

OR VISIT http://www.soldiersheart.net/retreats.shtml

Be sure to listen to Trying To Find My Way Home, by Jason Moon

Marines and SoA provide winter jackets for Afghan school children

InternationalTroopSupport — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:44:11 +0000

This is the back story. In November, we asked your help to provide the Marines 1000 winter jackets, blankets and caps for Afghan school children in Garmsir. The jackets were needed to keep the children warm in the cold winter months, allowing them to continue to attend schools the Marines had opened in the summer and fall.

At the time Marine Captain Sven Jensen wrote: "Right now we have four schools, and children are flooding into the schools by the hundreds, no exaggeration. These people haven’t had a school open since the soviet invasion of ’79, so they are determined to send their children to school even though the Taliban are taking steps against it. Anyways, with winter right around the corner, the head elder here expressed his concern that the children have no cold weather clothes (coats, boots, gloves, beanies, etc.)."

You provided the financial support and we sprung into action. Our goal was to get the jackets to Garmsir by Christmas. We didn’t make Christmas but we came close. With Spirit of America’s personnel on the ground, working alongside the Marines, we were able to source the jackets and caps in Afghanistan. The gear was delivered to Garmsir and a week ago 250 of the jackets were given to children at the Mian Poshtay School.

Here are Major Andersen and LtCol Matt Reid with the Marines in Garmsir checking out the winter jackets provided by Spirit of America. Major Andersen looks pretty excited about it to me.

Afghan boys at the Mian Poshtay school with new jackets, blankets and wool caps.

Matt said, “The Battalion Sergeant Major told me that today was one of the best he's experienced since their tour began back in November.” And Marine Brent Cook told Matt, "I usually don't get to see a lot of these events but seeing these kids' faces, it made my day. Thank you, America!" More details and photos are here:
http://www.spiritofamerica.net/site/blog/1201

More Winter Clothing is Needed
As I type, Matt and Chris Hellie (our other field representative) are with Marines in Musa Qaleh. The Marines tell them that warm clothing is needed there, too. Keeping children in schools is a priority of our troops throughout Afghanistan. The immediate need is for 300 jackets and caps for children attending school in the tents shown here.

A winter jacket costs $16 (delivered) and a beanie is $1. You can contribute for the needed winter gear here:
http://www.spiritofamerica.net/projects/240

Please check our blog for updates and news. This email with photos is posted here:
http://www.spiritofamerica.net/site/blog/1207

All the best,
Jim Hake and the Spirit of America team

ps: thanks to all those who helped us reach and exceed by more than 80% our year-end online fundraising goal. More soon on how those funds are already being put to use.

Wall St. Journal on Spirit of America and our Commander Support Program

InternationalTroopSupport — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:39:48 +0000

There is an excellent story on Spirit of America and our Commander Support Program by Dan Henninger in today’s Wall Street Journal. The first few paragraphs are below. I hope you’ll read the whole thing. Please forward this to your friend

Through the Commander Support Program we have two SoA personnel on the ground in Afghanistan working alongside Marines right now: Matt Valkovic and Chris Hellie.

Their job is to identify how we - the American people and private sector - can help our troops help the Afghan people and to quickly direct our support to where it is needed most. This program is a breakthrough in how we can support our troops and their mission.

More information is here:
* Background and origins of the Commander Support Program.
* Commander Support Program blog with great updates on the work and experiences of Matt and Chris.
* How to support the Commander Support Program.

The Journal quotes General Jim Mattis, Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) as saying our Commander Support Program "opens a whole new vista for direct support when U.S. government money is not the right answer."

I agree. I believe we are at the beginning of what we can do to help bring our troops home sooner, safer and successful in their mission - leaving behind a true understanding of who the American people really are.

If you like what you read, please support the Commander Support Program. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. I’ll be talking more about the Program in the coming weeks.

All the best,
Jim Hake and the Spirit of America team

Will Afghanistan Be a Forgotten War?

Spirit of America fought through the government bureaucracy to support the troops in Afghanistan. Will the rest of us stay the course?

By DANIEL HENNINGER

We are here, and 97,000 men and women from all over the United States are in what in wartime is known as "over there"—in Afghanistan, at risk, fighting for us. When the opinion-poll people call, some 60% of Americans say they are against the war there. Some of that may be war weariness. But I hope it doesn't mean people are drawing the curtains on what is going on there, including our nation's troops. The U.S. already has one "forgotten war"—in Korea from 1950 to 1953. We don't need another one.

In 2004, when enthusiasm for the Iraq war was still tied to post-9/11 national unity, I wrote a column ("Here's a Way You Can Help the Cause in Iraq") about a group called Spirit of America, created to support the troops with aid from stateside. Readers responded with a burst of support for the new organization, founded by California software entrepreneur Jim Hake.

Even as the nation dialed back its attachments to these far-off battles between U.S. troops and Islamic fanaticism, Mr. Hake and his Spirit of America associates stayed in the game. First in Iraq and now in Afghanistan, they've continued to fill requests from commanders on the ground for the sort of stuff—sewing machines, blankets, radios, soccer balls—that is too small to register with the Pentagon's procurement bureaucracies but matters in terms of creating trust between the troops and local villagers.

Until the Defense Department made them stop.

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