why couldn't Captain Cahill be Dr. Cahill who had been lost on a humanitarian mission in Africa or Iran or something and came back to find that his nae'r do well brother had slept with his wife while they thought he was dead?? ooohhhh, that's right... then there'd be no anger or angst... they settle it over a cup of chai latte and forgive and forget and tell the whole enlightened story on Dr. Phil's show... no yelling, no blaming the government, no casting all military members and veterans as psychopathic losers, no drama, no stereotypes -- NO MOVIE. idiots. and I mean it.

BLITZER: Don, did you try to talk him out of this decision to leave Stanford and join the Marine Corps? that should have been, "I'm sure you were very proud of his decision to join the Marine Corps when he left college, Don." oh, Blitzer. CNN. right. yes, God Bless Us for such fine young men & women.

9/11 should be a day of Remembrance -- like Memorial Day and Veterans Day. It is already designated Patriots' Day. "Good Deed" Day s/b 9/12. and the two days should never be confused. and the only reason I can think that people want to somehow "add" to the 9/11 legacy is to diminish the terrorist intent of that day. murder.

you could always put them all in the bed of the pick up truck and drive around at 60 to dry the hair HAHAHAHAHA I'll bet you'd make the evening news (even if was just when they bailed you out of jail!!) But as a "been there, done that" mom, I absolutely GUARANTEE that there is a day fast approaching when you will look back, smile and brush a tear away... HAVE FUN!

I wish (for a thunderstorm)! VERY sunny... warm 90... 15% (yes, 15%) humidity... maybe tomorrow a storm will bubble up (fingers crossed and candles lit!!) (and jordon -- oy! jv cheerleaders? oi oi oi! ps Jimbo... someone emailed me that Rush just picked the "VA end of life pamphlet" story and read part on his show??

seriously here people. look at the titles of the check list Jimbo points us to: listing scenarios and asking people to judge: difficult but acceptable, worth living but just barely, not worth living, can't decide now??? Just who the hell are they giving these to and when?? If you had given it to my then-21 year old combat wounded and PTSD consumed son 3 years ago, he might have answered NWL no matter what you asked him. Sorry, I understand the need for end-of-life decisions and communicating to family members your choices, but I think the tone & tenor of this little tome is heartless and pushy... the full 53 pages.

reminds me of the final scenes of Bellavia's "House to House": after days of house to house and hand-to-hand combat, exhausted and wounded, laying spent on the ground, they were ordered to get up & cleaned up for a photo op with a visiting O... soundz 'bout right... I have always said that we could better spend our money by reducing the REMF ranks and spending their salaries on ammo

so, do you think he [the O-nnointed one] really doesn't know? I mean, when he sees a 2% increase, does he really think it's a ++ or does he know he's blowing smoke up everyone's arses?? Is he really counting on the US MSM to perpetuate the lie 'cause he figgers the rest of the populace w/ eat it HL&S (hook, line & sinker)?? or do you think his teleprompters blink red when he is lying so that his sincerity meter pegs?? and why isn't the esteemed mr. gates challenging teh prez?? (sorry... s/h given a beverage alert)

We saw people rallying outside a presidential event in AZ with visible sidearms and assault rifles. Can they do that? Source: CNN to borrow a phrase, YES WE CAN!!! and we do. I can't believe those idiot reporters had their noses out of joint: it is not uncommon to see people in AZ carrying openly... well, because it's an open carry state!! It's not the people openly carrying they have to worry about! it's the criminal or someone with criminal intent illegally concealing a weapon they need to worry about. And that's true in EVERY state no matter what gun laws they have. If I can see your weapon, I know what I'm up against. It's those other guys up to no good.

I have been working on a post on SUICIDE PREVENTION so here's this 24/7 Suicide LIFEline 1-800-273 TALK Military (Veteran, Active, Reserve): Press "1" http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org and this: From the Army AUG 1. I am pleased to inform you of two new initiatives launched on 1 August by Department of Defense Health Affairs and the Defense Center of Excellence. The first program provides Web-Based Behavioral Health Care Services through the TRICARE Assistance Program (TRIAP). This program is open to active duty service members, members eligible for the Transition Assistance Management Program (TAMP) for six months after demobilization, members enrolled in TRICARE Reserve Select, as well as spouses and family members 18 years of age or older. Through this new program, Soldiers and family members can access unlimited short-term, problem solving counseling 24/7 with a licensed counselor from home or any other location of choice that has a computer, Internet and Webcam. These counseling sessions can assist in dealing with personal problems impacting work performance, health and well-being. Through assessments and the counseling process, if a more specialized medical care is necessary, there are mechanisms in place for immediate referral to a provider. This is just the first step. In conjunction with TRIAP, the second program seeks to eventually expand services through TRICARE by also building a network of locations and online providers for telemental health services, using medically-supervised, secure audio-visual conferencing to link beneficiaries with offsite providers. This network will be able to provide the full range of behavioral health care services, including psychotherapy and medication management, and is another step toward enhancing access to care. I am very excited that our Soldiers can now access care from the comfort and privacy of their own home if necessary and that processes are in motion to move us through a phased approach to eventually get to where Soldiers and family members can truly access comprehensive behavioral health care at home. I will keep you updated as we move through this process toward our ultimate goal. For information or to link into your regional TRIAP web site for care, go to http://www.tricare.mil/TRIAP. For information about the more comprehensive telemental services, go to the getting care link at http://tricare.mil/mybenefit/home/MentalHealthAndBehavior.

as I recall, the O-nnointed one's first election "victory" was his "defense" keeping the other team from scoring (i.e., he had the other candidate thrown off the ballot...) and I guess in O's world, that is the only "winning" he knows. ya know, I don't ever remember seeing anything about him playing team sports -- where you all pull together TO WIN THE GAME... and if he did, it was for "fun" (no victory involved?) just sayin'

agree. if they were Taliban? good riddance. how do we know the mass grave doesn't pre-date 2001?? or that the bodies are Afghan civilians killed by the Taliban? or that they are Taliban killed by Afghans before we all became "allies"?? and absolutely spot on that the timing of this story is extremely suspicious... this is all just coming to light 8 years late[r]?? all that being said, what the hell does the O-nnointed one plan to do to our allies if they killed the Taliban?? offer an apology to the Taliban??

dear dazed and confused: STOP RIGHT NOW. RUN -- do not walk -- away from hank. he is no friend to you, your husband or your child. and lastly -- what the Hell are you thinking?? For heaven's sake GROW A SPINE, get rid of Hank and get some WOMEN friends. -- Navy Wife PS The "feeling" he has for you is LUST and the feeling you have for him is lonliness. He can come around again when your HUSBAND is home.

every parent's (and spouse's) nightmare... maybe (just maybe) this one will turn out differently...

one thing still not changed -- you don't have to recite Miranda to a dead Tango. and he won't be able to use my tax dollars for his attorney nor for his upkeep and "repatriation". someone should tell the P of H that "rights" to anything other than swift burial are negated if you are shooting at Americans. Period.

I read that he not only visited Ground Zero, but the VA Hospital and Rehab Center in Manhattan... chatting with British & American vets there... sounds like a good bloke... wonder where he got that from?? ;-)

you know I love you Uncle J, and I know this guy was a real tool for trying to bring disgrace and dishonor on those who honorably serve and protect this country, but we must get passed the name calling for those who have been treated for mental health issues. This is Mental Health Awareness Month for our military -- and Lord knows there are enough barriers and enough stigma associated with seeking help... The REAL disgrace is that IVAW and VoteVets has such a deplorable record of vetting (no pun intended) their membership -- and the press for so willingly running with stories that do not pass the smell test. If this man has mental health issues (and it appears likely that he does) it is IVAW who should be punished for patronizing this man and this man should be recommitted to be sure he gets the help he needs.

But there’s no denying today is another Mother’s Day blemished. By longing, anxiety, uncertainty. and worry. every day. you always worry. having one deployed was enough!! back in '05 when his youngest brother got orders for Iraq, the oldest brother said, "well, Mom, I can put in for orders to Bagdad... we said, "Thanks, son, but we can only handle people shooting at one son at a time..." so my heart goes out to ms callaway... Our prayers are with this family... we will be there (be here) for all of them throughout the long deployment.

Allan, even if there is no enemy navy currently large enough to take on the US Navy, it doesn't take a big naval force to strike at the USA. even a small or moderate [terrorist] force landed in a strategic or sensitive area could do sizable damage before our land or air forces could be effectively mobilized... and there are not enough soldiers and airmen to protect the coast lines and coastal skies of the USA. the US Navy is the first line of defense on/under the sea AND in the air. I know that sounds so "last war" thinking, but I know (some of) the long-range capabilities of our Naval forces and I know we are safer with a well-trained, well-equipped (and, of necessity, well-compensated) Navy. This is not like printing money (i.e., switch on, switch off): once the Navy is cut and allowed to deteriorate, it would take YEARS to repair and rebuild the force. While the Navy may not provide boots on the ground, its contributions to the defense of our country are immeasurable. In re the suspension of PCS through the budget year: this has a domino effect as sailors will not be permitted to leave their current billets to fill vacancies in other high-demand & sensitive commands until their own replacements are available. Our sailor son may find himself in this situation (but we won't know until his current sea deployment ends).

thank you, deebow. our feelings exactly. commander-in-cheap and commander, we weep. he simply does.not.have.a.clue. and he hasn't got anyone on his staff who is honest enough to tell the Emperor that he is, in fact, naked.

sorry to be missing this in my hometown! Fleet Week is always awesome in NYC and I know the people of Chicago (and environs) will show all the respect the Marines deserve... and I hope it is a tradition that lasts a very long time!!

a simple BRAVO ZULU. now we should put a small task force in the area and start picking off pirates whenever the opportunity presents... maybe we can have an Army-Navy-Marine competition? we could all pledge money per pirate for military charities! now I'd like to see the site meters for THAT fund raisier... (I know... 5 hail marys, five our fathers... I know, I know.)

soldiers already have to fill out forms indicating where they want to be buried (maybe that's in the form of last will & testament? I fergit) and that should be amended or modified to include what the SOLDIER (Airman/Marine/Coast Guardsman) wants with respect to Dover. And NO ONE -- spouse, parent or sibling -- should be able to do otherwise. and I am seriously hoping that they are prepared to retract this new policy the very first time it is abused. my son said that if he were still in and they made his casket available for photo ops, he'd want his buddies to scrawl "I died for you" on the top.

yes, I noted when looking up the Obama Administration's "Veterans Agenda" on the new and improved White House site that it looks -- gasp -- shockingly like the previous Administration's... and that most of the proposals of THIS administration are those that were proposed, drafted, legislated and funded by the LAST administration. You don't think the Obama admin. wants to take credit for Bush admin. initiatives, do you? Oh heaven forbid! Not that improved methods of funding and de-politicizing veterans' and miliary families' needs wouldn't be welcomed... but note to the Obamas: please stop treating us like we don't know what's around. Your veil is much too thin...

Happy Birthday, Mr. Sinise. May all your dreams come true. And thanks.