COUNTDOWN: BUSHED! SPEC OPS OFFICER: "TORTURE DOESN'T WORK"

KEITH OLBERMAN, host of "Countdown" on MSNBC, delivers another "Bushed" recap highlighting how a former Special Ops officer writes in the Washington Post that torture NEVER works and is more sadistic than productive.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/0VjiXHakfNI&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

BLOODY AFTERMATH OF LATEST CAR BOMBING IN IRAQ (NEW VIDEO)

This video was made last Saturday in Iraq and shows the bloody aftermath of a car bombing that killed 14 people.

As we have been reporting, the mainstream media in the U.S. continues to act like the Iraq War is over, but this video proves it isn't.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/MPAoQ8jQJPs&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

HEART-WARMING VIDEO: SAILOR BACK FROM IRAQ SURPRISES HIS SON

CRainqueen sent me this touching video of a meeting between a sailor who had been deployed to Iraq when he returned and walked into his son's classroom.

The video is a touching reminder of what so many young men and women are giving to their country.

Here is a quote from the sailor in the video:

Sailor father surprises his son during class...

Very emotional.**EDIT February 27, 2008 -

I have been recieving tons of messages asking me about the song in the background. So here you go: The song is from the soundtrack to American Beauty written by Thomas Newman and naturally it's called American Beauty. There is a little bit mixed up version of the same song on the soundtrack called Any Other Name. Hope that helps. BTW - I disabled comments because of the assholes who had nothing positive to say.**Update October 22, 2008 -

I have received hundreds of messages about me disabling the comments.

Well, no more - Comments are back up and I don't care if its positive or negative. Just make sure you vote down the negative ones.

And to the 43 other of you that have ripped the video and then reposted it back on YouTube, whats the point? Its already here -

This is my contribution to youtube, don't take that away from me.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/kerMm0HG1mk&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

HOW FAR WE HAVE COME: BILL MOYERS NARRATES WHAT ELECTION OF BARACK OBAMA WILL MEAN

Thanks to my good friend MARV who sent me this video. Bill Moyers narrates this video and with poignant pictures and poems shows how far African-Americans have come since the Dred Scott Decision in the 1800s.

This video puts everything in perspective and is well worth your time to watch.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/MUcTHlRtZ94&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

VIDEO OF MUSLIM WOMEN VICTIMS OF ACID ATTACKS

Thanks to CRainqeen for sending me this video of how Muslim women have come under attack from their husbands who pour acid all over them. In this video you see one Pakistani women who was a successful real estate agent until her husband poured acid all over her face and body.
She is now blind and has gone through reconstructive surgery, but is waiting for help to hopefully restore her eyesight.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/NA98U0Csers&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

FOX NEWS' STM

FOX NEWS is out to bring up everything either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton said about each other during the primary, but NOT ONCE have they brought up how George H.W. Bush called Ronald Reagan's domestic plan "voodoo economics" during their primary battle in 1980.

FOX NEWS suffers from short-term memory syndrome.

As we all know, Reagan won the election and then appointed George H.W. Bush as his Vice President.

The point is many things are said in a primary, but quickly forgotten after someone is selected as the Presidential choice for President of their party.

But poor little wimp Sean Hannity and his ass-kissing regular FOX NEWS guest, Dick Morris, former Clinton adviser, keep bringing up everything that Clinton or Obama ever said about each other, but NEVER, NEVER, NEVER mention what someone like George H.W. Bush said about Ronald Reagan's economic plan.

Where is the "fair and balanced" reporting at FOX NEWS?

WASHINGTON POST: BOMB ATTACK IN BAGHDAD KILLS 27, WOUNDS DOZENS

The mainstream press keeps trying to say the war in Iraq is over. That is far from the truth. In fact, there have been a steady uptick in violence across Iraq in the past few days. Here is the latest:

Bomb Attacks Kill at Least 27, Wound Dozens in IraqU.S. Military Patrol In Mosul Among

By Sudarsan Raghavan and Zaid SabahWashington Post Foreign ServiceTuesday, December 2, 2008; A17

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/01/AR2008120100557.html

BAGHDAD, Dec. 1 -- Bombing attacks targeting Iraqi security forces in Baghdad and a U.S. patrol in the northern city of Mosul left at least 27 people dead and dozens more injured, Iraqi officials said, making Monday one of the deadliest days in recent weeks in Iraq.

The attacks highlighted the fragility of Iraq's security situation as the country prepares for provincial elections early next year. The United Nations mission in Iraq warned Sunday that violence could rise in the run-up to the voting.

In eastern Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives belt at the back gate of a police academy about 1 p.m. Two minutes later, another bomber exploded a booby-trapped car at the main entrance of a nearby government building, said Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, the top spokesman for Iraqi military operations in Baghdad.

In a statement, the U.S. military said 15 policemen were killed and 35 policemen and civilians were injured in the attack. Iraqi authorities said the blasts killed 11 people and injured 34.

When the blast occurred, students were leaving the academy after classes, said Lt. Ahmad Kadhim, a member of the SWAT team assigned to guard the academy. He said his men had left their posts to receive their salaries.

Read more here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/01/AR2008120100557.html

CNN REPORTS: SUICIDE CYCLIST HITS AFGHANISTAN

The wars in the Middle East have shifted from Iraq to Afghanistan where violence is escalating.

A suicide cyclist killed two people and injured 12 others in an attack in Afghanistan.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/30/afghanistan.attacks/index.html

Story Highlights
Suicide bomber detonates explosives near German Embassy car in Kabul
Not clear if the German ambassador was in the car
Afghan, U.S. operation targets militants linked to radical Haqqani network
17 militants killed, 10 captured in incidents to south and east of Kabul

(CNN) -- A suicide bomber on a bicycle detonated explosives Sunday near a car from the German Embassy in Kabul, a local police official said.

Two people were killed and three were injured, said Ali Shah Paktiawal, the police chief in charge of investigations for the city of Kabul.

The German embassy car was slightly damaged, but the occupants were not hurt.
It is not clear if the German ambassador was in the car. Watch more about the attack »

The attack took place shortly after U.S. and Afghan forces announced they had killed 17 people they called "armed militants" in Afghanistan, and detained another 10.

One person was killed and 10 seized in one incident in Zadran district, south of Kabul, while 16 were killed in a second encounter in Sorobi district, east of the capital.

The Zadran operation Saturday targeted a militant associated with the radical Haqqani network who assisted foreign fighters, the joint statement said.

He is thought "to coordinate and assist with the movement of Islamic Jihadist Union (IJU) and other foreign fighters into Afghanistan." He was among the 10 people detained, according to the statement.

NEWS ALERT: GREEN ZONE IN BAGHDAD HIT BY ROCKET ATTACK

Conditions in Iraq are anything but peaceful as the Bush Administration and their puppet propaganda organization FOX NEWS would lead Americans to believe.

Two UN contractors killed in Baghdad rocket attack

Sat Nov 29, 3:54 am ET

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081129/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestun

BAGHDAD (AFP) – Two foreign UN contractors were killed and another 15 wounded when a rocket slammed into Baghdad's heavily guarded Green Zone on Saturday, according to the United Nations.

"Today at 6:15 am (0315 GMT) one rocket hit nearby a UN compound in the International Zone," the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said, after initial reports that the projectile was a mortar round.

The statement said another 15 people were wounded, adding that all of the victims worked for a catering company contracted by the UN mission.

"No UN national or international staff were killed or injured as a result of the attack," it said.

A UN spokesperson declined to comment on the nationality of the contractors who were killed and wounded, saying only that they were not Iraqis.

The Green Zone in the centre of Baghdad, also known as the International Zone, houses parliament and a number of government buildings and embassies.

The United Nations dramatically scaled down its presence in Iraq after a suicide truck bombing against its headquarters in 2003 killed 22 people, including its top Iraq envoy, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

MILITARY BASES BRACE FOR SURGE IN STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS WITH RETURNING VETS

Military bases brace for surge in stress-related disorders among returning war veterans

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press Writer

8:24 AM EST, November 29, 2008
http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-soldier-stress,0,2601257.story

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) _ Some 15,000 soldiers are heading home to this sprawling base after spending more than a year at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and military health officials are bracing for a surge in brain injuries and psychological problems among those troops.

Facing prospects that one in five of the 101st Airborne Division soldiers will suffer from stress-related disorders, the base has nearly doubled its psychological health staff. Army leaders are hoping to use the base's experiences to assess the long-term impact of repeated deployments.

The three 101st Airborne combat brigades, which have begun arriving home, have gone through at least three tours in Iraq. The 3rd Brigade also served seven months in Afghanistan, early in the war.

Next spring, the 4th Brigade will return from a 15-month tour in Afghanistan. So far, roughly 10,000 soldiers have come back; the remainder are expected by the end of January.Army leaders say they will closely watch Fort Campbell to determine the proper medical staffing levels needed to aid soldiers who have endured repeated rotations in the two war zones.

LARA LOGAN, CBS WAR CORRESPONDENT, SEXY AND SMART (WATCH VIDEO)

Lara Logan, CBS' News Chief War Correspondent, is without a doubt the sexiest war correspondent in the history of war coverage. Logan, who spends much of her time in Iraq and Afghanistan, is a brilliant journalist and a take no prisoners interviewer.

In this VIDEO, Lara Logan describes what it is like to be a war correspondent and what hardships she has had to endure.

In another video (not seen here), Logan criticized the mainstream news media for not providing Americans with coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not one to let people in the newsrooms back in New York push her around, Logan has seen it all during her assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan and she is quick to let editors know they are short-changing the American public by not allowing videos she and other war correspondents have made of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to be aired by the mainstream media in the United States.

WATCH LARA LOGAN'S GOOD MAGAZINE INTERVIEW HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/XK5WIjWXTbU&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

3RD ID ON ATTACK IN IRAQ

This video shows the 3rd Infantry Division on attack in Iraq. This is just many of the videos which NEVER make it to the mainstream television news organizations in the United States. Video accompanied by rock music.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/De8H2qMHIAI&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

GREAT VIDEO OF U.S. ARMY MORTAR PLATOON IN ACTION IN IRAQ

This video shows a U.S. Army Mortar Platoon in action in Iraq. The music is great.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/k7I0vCNVaaQ&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

NEW NAMES, CAUSE OF DEATH, PLACE OF DEATH FOR US SOLDIERS IN IRAQ DURING NOVEMBER

The following is a list of US military deaths in Iraq in November. Click on the name in "BLUE" for more details as to cause of death and place of death.

Source: http://icasualties.org/oif/prdDetails.aspx?hndRef=4-2008

US
Captain Warren A. Frank
Baiji - Ninawa
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
24-Nov-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Master Sergeant Anthony Davis
Baiji - Ninawa
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire

US
1st Lieutenant William K. Jernigan
Ba'qubah - Diyala
Non-hostile
21-Nov-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Sergeant 1st Class Miguel A. Wilson
Mosul - Ninawa
Non-hostile - during rescue attempt
20-Nov-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Private Charles Yi Barnett
Tallil - Baghdad
Non-hostile
19-Nov-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Gunnery Sergeant Marcelo R. Velasco
Falluja - Anbar
Non-hostile
15-Nov-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Chief Warrant Officer Christian P. Humphreys
Mosul - Ninawa
Non-hostile - helicopter crash

US
Chief Warrant Officer Donald V. Clark
Mosul - Ninawa
Non-hostile - helicopter crash
14-Nov-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Corporal Aaron M. Allen
Ferris (near Fallujah) - Anbar
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
13-Nov-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Specialist James M. Clay
Al Anbar Province
Non-hostile - vehicle accident

US
Specialist Armando A. De La Paz
Baghdad
Non-hostile - vehicle accident
12-Nov-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Sergeant Jose Regalado
Mosul - Ninawa
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire

US
Specialist Corey M. Shea
Mosul - Ninawa
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
08-Nov-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Staff Sergeant Timothy H. Walker
Baghdad (northern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED
06-Nov-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Sergeant William Justin McClellan
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Hostile - hostile

US
Private 1st Class Theron V. Hobbs
Kirkuk - At-Ta'mim
Non-hostile - vehicle accident
05-Nov-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Specialist Adam McKamey Wenger
Tunnis - Baghdad
Non-hostile
Total
17
US: 17 UK: 0 Other: 0

BREAKING: BAGHDAD SUICIDE BOMBING KILLS 12

Baghdad suicide bombing kills 12

Friday, 28 November 2008

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/world/asia/baghdad-suicide-bombing-kills-12-14084747.html

Twelve people have been killed after a suicide bombing in Baghdad.

Another 17 are injured.

The attack took place in a busy Shi'ite mosque this morning.

It comes just a day after a controversial security deal was agreed between Iraq and the US.

VIDEO OF US ARMY SOLDIERS AND MARINES FIGHTING IN IRAQ

The economy has taken center stage in the news, but there is still a war going on in IRAQ and we will not let readers of this blog forget it.

This video shows US ARMY soldiers and MARINES in combat in IRAQ.

WARNING: THE LYRICS ARE GRAPHIC.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/ETUid6x5dro&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

MARINES KICK ASS 1

This video of UNITED STATES MARINES and others on the same page give viewers of this blog a look at war in IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN which are no longer covered by the mainstream media.

The lyrics to the accompanying song are a little rough, but real war is not a video game.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcs0Fk5fJIs&NR=1

AWESOME MARINE VIDEO

SEMPER FI.

This video shows U.S. Marines in training and in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The brightest and the best.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/j-7S4CHAvQc&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

BLACKWATER: AMERICA'S PRIVATE ARMY: A VIDEO HISTORY OF BLACKWATER

Most people have heard about BLACKWATER, the private security firm which the Bush Administration allowed to set up in Iraq and paid for by U.S. taxpayers.

This video takes you inside the BLACKWATER firm and how much money they are making off government contracts.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/yJUEULWEP9c&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

IRAQ WAR. (BEST VIDEO FOOTAGE EVER)

While everyone is enjoying a Thanksgiving dinner at home, we hope you will take time to think about what our troops are still going through in Iraq.

DON'T BELIEVE THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA.

THE IRAQ WAR IS NOT OVER.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/KTB3YR8v4JI&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO DISPLAY VIDEO

The Deployment Game: Livin' FOBulously in IRAQ (Revised)

Army Spec. Casey J. Porter has produced this video which tells how the military and major corporations work in concert to provide stores off base in IRAQ where GIs can buy everything from burgers to Harleys.

The idea is the GIs will spend so much money they will think of "re-upping" rather than returning home when their discharge date comes up.

The video is excellent and gives you a GIs view of what is being done to encourage military personnel in Iraq to consider staying in the military after their enlistment time is over.

WATCH VIDEO HERE

http://www.liveleak.com/e/b9b_1227815237

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

MARINE IN IRAQ PROPOSES MARRIAGE TO GIRLFRIEND ON JIMMY KIMMEL SHOW (NEW VIDEO)

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel arranged for a Marine stationed in Iraq to propose marriage to his girlfriend back in the United States in this heart-warming video.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/3gXLbuX7kbk&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

IRAQ WAR VIDEO: FULL METAL JACKET

Far too many Americans have no idea what has been going on in Iraq because the mainstream media and the Bush administration don't want the war brought into living rooms across the United States.

We, on the other hand, feel it is our duty and obligation to our brave troops to show what they are going through in Iraq.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/sA_K0NBwYEI&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

IRAQ WAR (THE GREATEST WAR FOOTAGE EVER)

This video is considered one of the best Iraq War videos ever made and shows the U.S. Air Force in battle in Iraq and ground forces taking out the enemy in Iraq. The scenes are very graphic.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/inP3I7Llc4o&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

WAR IS HELL: RARE IRAQ WAR VIDEO: CONTAINS SOME GRAPHIC SCENES

This video shows American forces taking out the enemy in Iraq. The rare Iraq War footage is very graphic.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/bWV-Y9C5rpA&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

CNN REPORTS: THREE BOMBINGS IN BAGHDAD KILL 19

The fragile peace in Iraq was tested once again on Monday when three bombings killed at least 19 in Baghdad.

Bombings kill at least 19 in Baghdad

Story Highlights
One attack took place outside one of the main entrances to the Green Zone
Two roadside bombs kill at least 14
Iraqi soldiers and civilians were among the casualties

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/24/iraq.blast/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Three bombings, including one outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, killed at least 19 people in Baghdad on Monday, officials said.

A female suicide bomber detonated her explosives outside one of the main entrances to the Green Zone, killing at least five people and wounding 12 others, an interior ministry official said. Iraqi soldiers and civilians were among the casualties.

The district, which is also known as the International Zone, houses Iraqi government offices and the headquarters of U.S. forces in Iraq. The Iraqi parliament is expected to vote this week on an agreement that determines the terms of U.S. troops in Iraq after the U.N. mandate on their presence expires at the end of this year.

Also Monday morning, a roadside bomb struck a bus in eastern Baghdad, killing at least 13 people and wounding seven others, the interior ministry said. The victims were on their way to work at the Ministry of Trade.

In the morning's third deadly attack, another roadside bomb went off in eastern Baghdad. It targeted a police patrol, the interior ministry said.

One civiliian was killed and five injured. Three of the wounded were police officers.

MORE U.S. SOLDIERS SEEK SUBSTANCE ABUSE HELP

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — The number of soldiers seeking help for substance abuse has climbed 25% in the past five years, but the Army's counseling program has remained significantly understaffed and struggling to meet the demand, according to Army records.

By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2008-11-20-drug-help_N.htm

About 13,500 soldiers sought drug counseling this year and 7,200 soldiers were diagnosed with an abuse or dependency issue and enrolled in counseling, Army data show. That compares with 11,170 soldiers reporting to drug counseling in 2003, when 5,727 enrolled.

UNDERSTAFFED: Missouri Army drug abuse counseling program cited
Army records show 2.38% of all soldiers had positive results on routine drug urinalysis screening, a 10-year record. In 2004, when combat troops returned from Iraq in large numbers, 1.72% had positive results.

The Army requires one drug counselor for every 2,000 soldiers, yet is currently operating with one for 3,100 soldiers, a chronic shortage exacerbated by the increase in substance abuse cases.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Iraq Marines Army Secretary Pete Geren Fort Leonard Wood D-Mo McCaskill Army-wide

The problem has been more severe here, where three counselors had been serving 14,000 soldiers and 1,000 Marines — one for every 5,000 troops. In recent months, three more counselors joined the staff.

Les McFarling, director of the Army Substance Abuse Programs, said the Army is authorized for 283 drug and alcohol counselors and despite new staffing this year, is still 38% short of full strength.

Col. Theresa Sullivan, former hospital commander, agreed that the program has had problems but insisted that no one was denied counseling.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., is demanding a review of the program after her staff investigated allegations that more than 150 troops at the installation here were denied substance abuse counseling because of a staff shortage.

"If it was that bad at Fort Leonard Wood, it very well could be an Army-wide problem," McCaskill said Wednesday, urging aggressive hiring efforts. "This is about grabbing the military and shaking them and saying, 'Hey, you've got to focus (on this).' "

In a Nov. 12 letter to Army Secretary Pete Geren that McCaskill's staff provided to USA TODAY, McCaskill said the fort's program had been "in shambles" for years.

"How is it that a program can so deteriorate at a time when drug use and alcohol abuse is known to be closely tied to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), suicides, criminal behavior, divorce and domestic abuse, all of which have substantially increased in recent years in the Army?" McCaskill wrote.

USA TODAY reported last month that narcotic pain-relief prescriptions for injured troops jumped from 30,000 a month to 50,000 since the Iraq war began, raising concerns about potential drug abuse and addiction.

"PARDON ME, MR. TURKEY:" SARAH PALIN INTERVIEW AT TURKEY FARM

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin went to a turkey farm to pardon a turkey, but before leaving she agreed to do an an interview right in front of some guy who was feeding "live" turkeys into a slaughtering machine.

Hopefully the turkey Governor Palin "pardoned" is not the one you see being fed into the killing machine.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-kjM1asH-8

YOU MUST VIEW THIS VIDEO: A HERO'S SONG BY BRENDAN JAMES

There have been times during this past year I've thought of giving up my blog devoted to the wars in IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN because it seems as though nobody really cares about the nearly 200,000 young AMERICANS who are deployed to both countries and fighting what seems at times like endless wars.

The mainstream media in the UNITED STATES has drawn the curtain down on both wars, and you can watch cable news for hours and hours and never see a mention of what is taking place in either IRAQ or AFGHANISTAN.

But then you wake up one day and receive an email from LYNDA GRAHAM giving me a link to a video she produced about BRENDAN JAMES with beautiful music and slides that will tear your heart out.

Suddenly it all seems worthwhile again. Suddenly I realize I can NEVER turn my back on the young hero's from the IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN wars.

It is with this devotion and a deep sense of gratitude to LYNDA GRAHAM, I submit this video for your viewing pleasure.

I sincerely hope you will find it as moving as I did.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/mr5B9pvbDCI&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

WAR STRESSES MAY BE GROWING: TOP MILITARY OFFICER

WASHINGTON — Stress on U.S. troops from repeated combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan is “extraordinary” and may be worsening even as fighting eases in Iraq, the military’s top officer says.

By Robert Burns - The Associated PressPosted : Wednesday Nov 19, 2008 6:04:49 EST
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/ap_mullen_111908/

In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Adm. Mike Mullen expressed hope that the strain will be relieved gradually as the Marine Corps and Army expand the pool of available forces.

The Marines, for example, created an additional battalion this fall and plan to add another by February, Mullen said. That will allow them to “feed the fight as well as relieve the stress,” he said.

The Army, while also growing, will take longer to put additional combat units into the pipeline for fighting wars, he said.

When he became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a little over a year ago, Mullen made much of his concern that stress on the force — and on troops’ families — could undermine military readiness.

Since then, improved security in Iraq has opened the door to a withdrawal, or at least a slowdown in troop rotations there. But at the same time conditions in Afghanistan have worsened and commanders there are calling for substantially more troops. Thus, slack in Iraq is being taken up by the push into Afghanistan.

In the interview in his Pentagon office, Mullen made clear that he remains concerned about stress, but stopped short of calling it a crisis.