WASHINGTON – The White House official who authorized a $328,835 photo-op of Air Force One soaring above New York City resigned Friday just weeks after the flyover sparked panicked workers to rush into the streets and flashbacks to Sept. 11. Louis Caldera said the controversy had "made it impossible for me to effectively lead the White House Military Office," which is responsible for presidential aircraft.
"Moreover, it has become a distraction in the important work you are doing as president," Caldera wrote in his resignation letter to President Barack Obama.
An internal White House investigation found missed messages and portrayed an out-of-the-loop Caldera, clearly the administration's fall guy.
The former Army secretary in the Clinton administration said he didn't know Air Force One would fly at 1,000 feet during the April 27 photo shoot that had been planned for weeks. He also failed to read an e-mail message describing the operation and seemed unaware of the potential for public fear, the report said.
Without an advance public notice the morning of April 27, the sight of the huge passenger jet and an F-16 fighter plane flying near the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan's financial district terrified New Yorkers,
"Serving in the military may only last a few years, but it effects the way you live forever" A ordinary man, my husband said those words as he handed me a copy of the AUSA magazine, its cover photo of a headstone at Arlington. The headstone of Ross Andrew McGinnis is extraordinary... the lettering is in gold, and beneath his name is inscribed Medal Of Honor.
I will admit, that as I looked up information about this young man on the internet, I cried several times...I cry every time I hear or see images that tell me another family has suffered a loss. But the loving words of his Army friends, that is what made me emotional...my honey tells me that the perception of being a band of brothers is not unique to any service, that once soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors have experienced the life changing events of combat, they will forever be in a tight knit bond. He has a picture of the men in his platoon in our home, and can recite the name, rank and occupation of every man in the picture, taken nearly 40 years ago...but this is not about him, its about this extraordinary young man.
On a sad day in December 2006, buried in a corner of the major newspapers, if at all, a news item from the US Department of Defense simply stated:
December 5, 2006 DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis, 19, of Knox, Pennsylvania., died of injuries on December 4, 2006, suffered when a grenade was thrown into his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq. McGinnis was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. For further information related to this release the media can contact the 1st Infantry Division public affairs office at 011-49-931-889-6408.
Several days later, it was announced he had been nominated for the Silver Star, which was quickly approved and awarded December 12, 2006.
Ross had been a gunner, standing in the hatch of a vehicle, when the grenade sailed past him, and into the vehicle. Numerous witnesses attest to the fact that young Ross could have simply leaped out of the hatch to safety, but instead yelled “Grenade, its in the vehicle”, and before his fellow soldiers could react, quoting from the citation
“…covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion.”
Thus this soldier performed the ultimate sacrifice. His unit felt the Silver Star insufficient for such courage under fire, petitioned the Army to consider his nomination for this nations highest military award. Statements made by his fellow soldiers, such as Army Staff Sgt. Ian Newland surely played their part.
"I saw him jam it with his elbow up underneath him," says Newland, who was sitting inches away. "He pressed his whole body with his back (armor) plate to smother it up against the radios." The heat and flash of an explosion followed, and McGinnis was killed. Hours later, after surgery for shrapnel wounds, Newland realized the enormity of what happened: McGinnis had sacrificed himself to save four other soldiers in the Humvee on Dec. 4. "Why he did it? Because we were his brothers. He loved us," Newland says.
His funeral was December 18, 2006, followed by fully military honors internment ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
But this was not the end of the story…soldier dies, solider buried. No, behind the scenes, military staffers wrestled with the facts, and came to the conclusion, this soldier deserved to be treated differently. He didn't’t die simply in combat; he sacrificed himself for his brothers in arms.
After what must have seemed like an eternity to his comrades, the Army(thru an anonymous source to the Army Times) confirmed in April 2008 that a recommendation had gone forward; Ross should be awarded the Medal of Honor.
His friend SSG Newland commented “I think for me to thank him, is to do everything I can to live my life to the fullest,” Newland said. “Because if he can have courage like that, if he can give up his 19-year-old life, then I can live the rest of my life, however long it is, to every day’s fullest.”
In May 2008, award of the Medal of Honor to PFC McGinnis was announced by the White House. It was awarded June 2008.
On order of the Commander in Chief, President George W. Bush, he was posthumously promoted to Specialist, 4th Class.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Armed Taliban insurgents seized control of the main town in Pakistan's Swat valley, sending thousands of residents fleeing in advance of a possible showdown between the Islamic militants and the army that could help decide the future of nuclear-armed Pakistan.
"You may say the city has fallen to the Taliban," school principal Zia-ud-Din Yusufzai told McClatchy Newspapers by phone, as he followed the advice of Pakistani authorities and fled the valley's main town of Mingora on Tuesday. "Not everyone could leave. Those who stay will be hostage (to the Taliban)."
"Pray for Swat," implored Yusufzai, driving south with his wife and three children toward safety and an uncertain future.
Pakistan's army has proved to be ill equipped and ill trained, particularly to fight an Islamist insurgency with which many military officers sympathize, but the militants' advance into Swat and Buner poses an unparalleled threat to Zardari's government and to the U.S. battle against al-Qaida and the Taliban.
The militants are drawing closer to some of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and other military facilities. Swat and Buner also are close to the huge Tarbela dam and to two important highways, one of which is a main supply route for U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan and the link between Islamabad, the capital, and Peshawar, a city of about 2 million and the capital of the North West Frontier Province.
The fighting in Swat also could ignite Pakistan's tribal area along the Afghan border, which already is mostly in the hands of the al-Qaida-linked Taliban. The nightmare scenario is that a civil war in Swat could trigger a sympathetic uprising from Islamic extremist groups in Punjab province, the heart of Pakistan, and in Islamabad.
It isn't clear whether the army can retake Swat, where the Taliban are well supplied and entrenched. Two Pakistani army offensives in the valley have failed in the past 18 months, and any new operation would likely be much larger, with the associated risk of turning more of the population against the army and the government.
One factor has turned in favor of a military operation in Swat: a shift in Pakistani public opinion.
Analysts said that the failed peace deal in Swat has demonstrated to the population o Pakistan that the militants aren't interested in a negotiated settlement or in fulfilling their stated demand for Islamic law. They never disarmed and disbanded as required by the accord, instead invading the Buner district last month, and this week, even a hard-line religious group, Sunni Tehreek, held an anti-Taliban march through Islamabad.
"This is the first time that the Pakistani nation has identified that Talibanization is a threat," said Asad Munir, a former head of military intelligence for northwest Pakistan. "If we say that this is 'our war,' then we can win it. (But) If the nation is not behind the army, then the army cannot fight."
Those who had private vehicles or could afford public transport abandoned their homes. The provincial government, appealing for emergency assistance, estimated that 500,000 people would leave Swat to become refugees in their own country.
On Monday night, intense firefights between security forces and Taliban had left residents cowering in their homes. According to Shaukat Saleem, a human rights activist based in Mingora, 21 civilians died after they were caught in the crossfire. Others gave lower figures. There was no official word on the casualties.
"The streets are empty. I haven't seen any security forces today, just the Taliban patrolling in great strength," said Saleem, speaking by phone from Mingora, adding that he'd decided to stay. "I cannot abandon my people."
Some 46 paramilitary soldiers remain surrounded by Taliban at the town's electrical grid station. While the army denied that Mingora was in the hands of the Taliban, a spokesman based in the town, Maj. Nasir Khan, admitted that the militants were present in "outlying areas."
"Our purpose is to eliminate them (the Taliban)," Khan said. "They don't want Islamic Sharia (law). They want to establish their reign of terror."
"The United States has three major bases in Australia. One is in South Australia (Nurranger, near Woomera, T.N.), another in New South Wales, and the third (and by far the largest) is located within about 230 km (143 miles) of the geographical center of the continent, not far to the west of Alice Springs (Northern Territory), at the foothills of the southern slopes of the MacDonnell Range. This base is completely underground, with barely visible entrances to the surface.
"This 'Top Secret' base is entirely financed by the United States Government, and is officially known as the Joint Defense Space Research Facility. Part of its mission is rumored to be ECHELON.
In its report, the European Parliament states that ...ECHELON is used ... for a signals intelligence collection system. The report concludes that, on the basis of information presented, ECHELON was capable of interception and content inspection of telephone calls, fax, e-mail and other data traffic globally through the interception of communication bearers including satellite transmission, public switched telephone networks (which carries most Internet traffic) and microwave links...
As a community organizer, he had helped register thousands of new voters. But when it came time to run for office, he employed Chicago rules to invalidate the voting petition signatures of three of his challengers.
The move denied each of them, including incumbent Alice Palmer, a longtime Chicago activist, a place on the ballot. It cleared the way for Obama to run unopposed on the Democratic ticket in a heavily Democrat district.
“That was Chicago politics,” said John Kass, a veteran Chicago Tribune columnist. “Knock out your opposition, challenge their petitions, destroy your enemy, right?” Kass said. “It is how Barack Obama destroyed his enemies back in 1996 that conflicts with his message today. He may have gotten his start registering thousands of voters. But in that first race he made sure voters had just one choice.”
The corruption never ends...he is covering his birth record, he is covering his using a foreign passport at Occidental College for financial aid reasons, he used the poor in Chicago to get into office, he sold his integrity to get to be state senator, a United States Senator and now is President....
All these things still don't matter to the mass media, whose obligation is to challenge government to be transparent and above board...not on board with the ruling junta, whomsoever party that maybe.
It may in fact be time for Americans to do the unthinkable. If we the People can't reclaim our government by electing representatives who view government has an opportunity to serve their community and not a career choice, then perhaps its time to petition our states to unhinge themselves from this dysfunctional government.
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. " Thomas Jefferson
I wonder if Obama’s plans to sign America up for the International Criminal Court (and some of his shenanigans on veterans health benefits) have anything to do with that. Can you imagine serving your country in a war zone while worrying about making a mistake that might get you sent to a foreign court to be tried by people who hate your country and would to great lengths to embarrass it?
I can’t imagine that there are many Marines who are fond of the idea, and who can blame them?
Or to paraphrase my honey, former Marine (and later a Army Officer) "As a Veteran I find it impossible to think of this marxist fraud, who had the presidency purchased for him by George Soros, as my Commander In Chief." Not that we are opinionated...
My dad had the distinction of being the commanding officer over a decorated Korean War hero, who happened to be a horse.
When dad graduated college and was commissioned in the Marines towards the end of the Korean War , we moved east for hime to attend officer schooling at Quantico; following that we moved to Camp Pendleton.
One of the “Marines” he was assigned was a horse named Reckless.
I have a photo of my dad, several other Marines and Sgt. Reckless taken at Camp Pendleton. She was promoted to Staff Sergeant in 1959, well after dad was her commanding officer...
<<<<< I also learned part of this story because of a book dad had, the cover shown here.
Part of the book quoted here
“Bought by a Marine gun crew with their own money and trained to help them carry shells for theRecoilless Rifle which they have nicknamed “Reckless”, she is dubbed with the same name and made their mascot. Her antics, and her insatiable appetite for such surprising tidbits as poker chips, coca cola, shredded wheat, scrambled eggs, vitamin pills, a hat or two, and her specially made blanket of red silk trimmed with gold, bring welcome amusement and relief amid the strains of combat.
Her first real test under battle conditions comes when she is led beside the thunderous rifle to which she has packed ammunition over rugged hilly terrain. There were some who doubted that a horse could withstand the tremendous blast of the Recoilless Rifle and remain calm. Will she hold? Will she bolt? The gun is fired:
Wham-whoosh! The hills bellowed and rocketed with the roar. Behind the weapon spurted a flame of dust. Though weighted down with six shells, Reckless left the ground with all four feet ... her eyes went white. ‘Take it easy, Reckless,’ Coleman, a Marine, soothed. Wham-whoosh!Reckless went into the air again, but not quite so far. She snorted and shook her head to stop the ringing in her ears. Wham-whoosh! She shook as the concussive blast of air struck her, but she did not rear. She stood closer to Coleman, trembling slightly, but the white was gone from her eyes.”
She had held, and from that day Reckless was an indispensable member of the gun crew, making trip after trip, often alone, from the ammunition supply point to the gun, laden with heavy shells under the most devastating enemy fire, never faltering, never failing. “
Elsewhere on online, I found this story:
"A lieutenant… and others were in a circle talking. Reckless came up behind one fellow and nuzzled the back of his neck. It scared the guy, and he cussed Reckless, calling her a 'blanking nag.' The lieutenant sternly let him know Reckless was a hero and had done more for the Marine Corps than he ever would. And since Reckless outranked him, any further verbal abuse would be cause for disciplinary action.”
Reckless died in 1968 and was survived by three offspring.
Few stories better illustrate the military's promise to leave no one behind than that of Staff Sgt. Reckless, a horse who became a decorated Marine during the Korean War.
Plans have begun to honor the horse.(in 2004)
A Marine officer purchased Reckless from a Korean boy who needed money to buy his sister an artificial leg, according to Marine Lt. Col. Andrew Geer, who commanded the 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment of the 1st Division in Korea. Geer wrote two articles about the horse for The Saturday Evening Post in the 1950s and later wrote a book, "Reckless, the Pride of the Marines."
The horse served at the bloody Battle of Vegas after training as an ammunitions carrier, according to Geer.
He wrote: "Every yard she advanced was showered with explosives. Fifty-one times she marched through the fiery gantlet of the Red barrage and she saved the day for the Leathernecks."
While volunteering Wednesday at a D.C. food bank, the First Lady sported her usual J.Crew cardigan, a pair of utilitarian capri pants and, on her feet, a sneaky splurge: trainers that go for $540. That's right: These sneakers - suede, with grosgrain ribbon laces and metallic pink toe caps - are made by French design house Lanvin, one of fashion's hottest labels.
The kicks, made by high-end French fashion label Lanvin, cost $540. How many Feeding America meals would that have bought Mrs O?
My casual shoes generally are in the $25-50 range, how about you?
