I was a reporter and columnist for 40 years for a chain of newspapers in the suburbs of Chicago. I'm a military veteran having served in the United States Army Combat Engineers (Cpl. E-4) and a Korean War veteran with an Honorable Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States of America
What I'm Reading
Everything having to do with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the 2008 Presidential race
The language is brutal and the firefight is equally brutal as a U.S. unit from Firebase Phoenix in the mountains of Afghanistan battle it out with the Taliban. TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERSWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/DTz3LgmhV_M&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO Read Full Story
This is a very intense video because it captures the moment when one U.S. soldier is shot and others come to his rescue. TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERSWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/tCAi3RGxnfQ&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO Read Full Story
The following is a list of names of U.S. military personnel killed in Iraq in June. Click on the name in "blue" for more details. Also, cause of death and place of death. SOURCE: http://icasualties.org/Iraq/prdDetails.aspx?hndRef=6-2009 Date Total Name Place of Death - Province Cause of Death 29-Jun-2009 4 US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0 US Sergeant 1st Class Edward C. Kramer Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack US Sergeant Roger L. Adams Jr. Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack ... Read Full Story
Six U.S. soldiers have been at a lonely Camp Joyce in the Afghanistan mountains for five months. Their job is to train Afghan troops and to secure the area from Taliban fighters. In this video, you see and hear the troops describe their mission.WATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/0cDfOkoYWLY&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO Read Full Story
While most of America spent the Fourth of July holiday at picnics and the beach, the men and women from FOB California in Afghanistan were engaged in a deadly firefight with the Taliban in the mountains of Afghanistan. Turn up your speakers and watch.WATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/5e9VUMuyOCc&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO Read Full Story
Keeping the spirits up of our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq is a very important part of military life, and in this video you see a USO tour of performers and NFL cheerleaders visiting FOB Blessing near the Pakistan border in Afghanistan to spread a little joy among the brave warriors who are fighting the Taliban.TURN UP YOUR SOUNDWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/KkNu8jSrtgY&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO Read Full Story
The video was made at Camp Leatherneck deep in the heart of Afghanistan and this is how GIs are spending their "Fourth of July" in the distant land. No backyard BBQ or slugging down a few cold ones, but on patrol in the mountains of Afghanistan searching for the Taliban.WATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/m7XIFKMzmLM&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO Read Full Story
Nobody said fighting the Taliban in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan was going to be easy, but in this video from the New York Times you see just how difficult the mission has become for our troops. Two U.S. soldiers were killed Saturday and 4 more were injured and the Taliban resistance is picking up rather than diminishing. President Obama may be pressured by military commanders in Afghanistan to send in more troops. The Afghanistan War has all the earmarks of being a bloody battle for y... Read Full Story
KABUL (AP) - A blast outside a U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan killed two American troops and wounded four others Saturday, a military spokesman said.2009-07-04 09:30:01 -http://tinyurl.com/m3uc4nThe troops were attacked outside the base in eastern Paktika province, but there were no immediate details about the nature of the blast, said Tech. Sgt. Chuck Marsh, a U.S. military spokesman.Insurgents also attacked the base with small arms fire before U.S. troops called in airstrikes on the... Read Full Story
You've heard about them, but now you get a first hand look at what is in the "famous" MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) packet of food our troops eat while in the field in Afghanistan. It's not your typical "Fourth of July" BBQ of hot dogs and hamburgers, but what the hell. The Pentagon says it is "food" and it is nutritional. Would the Pentagon lie to our GIs? Is the Pope a Catholic? Looks better than K-rations and C-rations they gave us when I was in the Army du... Read Full Story