President Obama and the First Lady Speak to Troops at Fort Bragg

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcome home troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and thank them all for their service.

Weekly Address: Bringing Home Our Troops

President Obama discusses how the death of Moammar Qadhafi in Libya and the announcement that troops from Iraq will return home by the end of the year are strong reminders that the United States has renewed its leadership in the world.

In Memoriam....First Sergeant Billy J. Siercks

From the Executive Chamber of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo

Governor Andrew Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings be flown at half-staff on Wednesday, October 5 in honor of a Fort Drum soldier who died on September 28.

First Sergeant Billy J. Siercks died in Landstuhl, Germany of wounds suffered in Logar, Afghanistan on September 27 when insurgents attacked his unit. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division's 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, based at Fort Drum. First Sergeant Siercks was from Velda Village, Missouri.

"I extend my deepest condolences to the family, friends, and fellow soldiers of First Sergeant Siercks," Governor Cuomo said.

"I join with all New Yorkers in honoring the service of this Fort Drum soldier. We will mourn his loss."

From The G-Man would like to honor First Sergeant Billy J. Siercks, his love of country, and his service with the following video tribute. May he rest in peace.

Video uploaded to YouTube by moderatepopulist

President Praises Petraeus

Readout of the President's Call with General David Petraeus

President Obama called General David Petraeus today on the occasion of his retirement from the U.S. military.

President Obama congratulated General Petraeus on an historic career of service in the United States Army, including extraordinary contributions to our national security in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The President also welcomed General Petraeus’ continued commitment to public service as he prepares to take on his new role as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Photo source: U.S. Military

Author: Monica A. King; DoD photographer

Permission: Public Domain

Pissing on the Graves of U.S. Soldiers

Yahoo! and Federal Agencies Must Investigate Internet Scam That Defames U.S. Soldiers

I received an email last week, as well as several of my friends, that I have not been able to dismiss. Why? Quite frankly, it's because it really made me angry. When I read it for the first time, my initial reaction was to just laugh it off and hit the delete button. After reading it a second time, I realized this was something that should be made public because I truly believe it implies that a U.S. soldier is acting in a criminal manner, which tarnishes the reputation of soldiers currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as soldiers that took their last breath in these war-torn regions.

The email reads as follows:

Subject: "Can I Trust You?"

Dear Friend,

My name is Sergent Thomas Allen. I am an American soldier presently on active service with Squadron battalion here in Afghanistan. I served with the Third Infantry Division in Iraq since 2003, before thousand of my lucky colleagues were pulled out in August last year, leaving my superior and myself among the unlucky ones redeployed to Afghanistan where I am serving presently.

During my call to duty in Iraq, my superior and I moved US$25million (Twenty five million US dollars) being part of funds recovered from late Saddam Hussein during a search in one of his palaces in 2003. Through the assistance of a Senior Red Cross Delegate to Iraq, this fund has been safely moved out of Iraq to a secured location.

You can go to this web link to read about events that took place here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm

Basically, since my superior and I are still on active service, we can not continue to keep these funds in the secured location due to a classified information we received from our "Contact Person" where the funds are deposited. Hence, my Superior Officer has authorized me to look for a reliable and trustworthy person that could assist us to retrieve the funds immediately for investment placements. This is why I am sending this mail to you, seeking your urgent intervention and assistance.

Once you retrieve the funds, you shall take 30% of it which from our calculation is US$7.5million, 5% of it set aside for expenses while my superior and I shall require your candid assistance to place the remaining 65% in a good investment platform in your country on our behalf.

Due to my call of duty here coupled with the secret nature of this transaction, I prefer you communicate with me through email at the moment. If you know you could keep this transaction very secret, please get back to me.

Respectfully submitted,
Sergent Thomas Allen

Guess what, "Sergeant Allen"? I'm not keeping sh*t secret! Again, I could've very easily dismissed this email for what it is: an Internet scam or a joke. It's similar to those emails from some Nigerian or Chinese businessman that wants to you to help them funnel money through your personal bank account. Claiming to be one of the aforementioned is one thing, but claiming to be an American soldier stationed in Afghanistan takes the con to a whole new level. There will be those who read this and state, "Dude, it's not that serious!". I beg to differ.

I don't consider this a laughing matter because of the level of shrewdness involved in the con -- embedding an actual news report from the BBC in order to substantiate the claims being made by the "soldier" -- and the implication that the Red Cross and U.S. soldiers are inherently corrupt.

I also have concerns because numerous broadcast and print news reports have indicated how many Americans have fallen prey to Internet scams in recent years, with many of them being the elderly. Given that this scam utilizes the U.S. military -- whom many in this country support -- and that people are desperate to earn money any way they can to alleviate economic hardship during the recession, a good number of people could be sucked into this ploy. You'd be surprised at some of the online cons people have fallen for, so don't laugh.

The email was sent from thallen001@yahoo.com and the reply address lists as thallen001@live.com. It should be noted that the email addresses used may have been hijacked and the person holding the actual account may not even be aware of it. Nonetheless, I believe Yahoo! and federal government hackers need to trace these emails to their original source and press charges against the person or people responsible.

In addition, elected officials need to seriously consider drafting legislation to thwart email scamming, especially if it involves U.S. service members or national security. I don't believe the majority of Americans are silly enough to fall for this hoax, but the fact that some sick bastard or group is perpetrating it at the expense of living or slain U.S. soldiers means it needs to be addressed.

The men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces are serving and have died honorably for this country, and to make them part of some two-bit con game is unacceptable, unconscionable and unforgivable. I truly hope that I'm not alone in making this assessment. Step up and speak out, America!

This commentary is from the heart and......From The G-Man.

Image courtesy of http://internet.phillipmartin.info

In Memoriam....Army Specialist Rafael A. Nieves, Jr.

From the Executive Chamber of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo

Governor Andrew Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings be flown at half-staff on Thursday, July 14 in honor of a soldier from Albany who was killed in action in Afghanistan on July 10.

Army Specialist Rafael A. Nieves, Jr. died of wounds suffered when small arms fire and a rocket propelled grenade struck his vehicle during a mounted patrol in Paktika province. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I express my sympathies to the family, friends, and fellow soldiers of Specialist Rafael Nieves, Jr.," Governor Cuomo said.

"We join them in mourning the death of this New York soldier and we will honor his service to our nation."

From The G-Man would like to honor Army Specialist Rafael A. Nieves, Jr., his love of country and his service with the following video tribute. May he rest in peace.

Video uploaded to YouTube by moderatepopulist

In Memoriam.....Private 1st Class James A. Waters

From the Executive Chamber of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo

Governor Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings be flown at half-staff on Friday, July 8 in honor of a Fort Drum soldier who died in Afghanistan on July 1.

Private 1st Class James A. Waters died of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York. Private 1st Class Waters was from Cloverdale, Indiana.

"I join with the family, friends, and fellow soldiers of Private 1^st Class Waters in mourning his passing," Governor Cuomo said.

"Private 1^st Class Waters made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. We will honor his memory and continue to hold the brave men and women based at Fort Drum in the highest regard for their dedication to keeping America safe and protecting freedom around the world."

From The G-Man would like to honor Private 1^st Class James A. Waters, his love of country and his service with the following video tribute. May he rest in peace.

Video uploaded to YouTube by moderatepopulist

Senate Passes Pre-Memorial Day Bills Honoring Service of Veterans, Past and Current

Bills Provide Additional Entitlements

Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Queens), ranking member of the New York State Senate’s Veterans, Homeland Security & Military Affairs Committee, today announced the passage of several bills before the New York State Senate in honor of all the brave men and women who decided to protect and serve the United States during non-combat and combat instances.

The ten bills, comprising the Senate’s Active List for Wednesday, May 25^th, would build upon the Senate’s ongoing commitment to increased recognition and respect for veterans and their families. Addabbo voted in favor of all the veteran military bills, including a bill (S.2497) that would require the executive director of the office of real property services to create a list of documents in support of a veteran’s eligibility when applying for real property tax exemptions.

The proposed law would make it easier for veterans to apply for real property tax exemptions. With the exception of S.656, all bills now await passage by the Assembly before going to Governor Andrew Cuomo for signature. The ten bills included:

Bill S.2497, cited above; Bill S.656, authorizing the Department of Environmental Conservation to designate additional fishing events as rehabilitation for armed forces veterans or active members with need for veterans or active duty members to obtain fishing licenses; Bill S.3192, establishing a mechanism for parents or guardians who find themselves deployed for short term military service to appoint a short term military guardian for their child or children during service; Bill S.3222, permitting municipalities to enact a local law to grant additional combat veteran exemptions to persons not discharged from their subsequent service; Bill S.5337, prohibiting the unauthorized use of the names and images of members of the armed forces or organized militia of New York.

Bill S.3228, prevents the court from using deployment and military status as a detrimental factor in determining custody; Bill S.193, allows honorably discharged veterans certified as having a 40% or greater service-connected disability to purchase a lifetime sportsman license for a twenty dollar fee; Bill S.824, provides qualified veterans with a certified disability access by a float plane to appropriate lands under the Department of Environmental Conservation’s jurisdiction; Bill S.4569, which extends two previous military law sections, allowing for rental of armories for non-military use when available and transporting monies from those armory rentals back into the armories state wide to cover operating costs; and Bill S.3684, amending the definition of naval militia to conform with federal law and legally recognize the naval militia as the naval forces of the state of New York.

Senator Addabbo stated, “As we approach Memorial Day, the Senate is doing its part to honor veterans and remain mindful of their service to our country. Since the 19th century, the United States has honored the legacies of these brave individuals and proclaimed Memorial Day to be a significant day to acknowledge those that did not make it home.”

Addabbo noted by advancing these bills, the legislature would ensure military-family privacies, the entitlement of additional benefits, an expansion of recreational activities with fewer restrictions, and support in custodial matters.

“New York was the first state to recognize Memorial Day in 1873, and today as we remain mindful of those veterans who have left us, we cannot forget our current service men and woman who have served, are serving, and who have provided countless hours of service to defend our freedoms,” concluded Addabbo.

In Memoriam.....Army Specialist Preston J. Dennis and Army Sergeant Kevin W. White

From the Executive Chamber of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo

Governor Andrew Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings be flown at half-staff on Friday, May 6 in honor of a Fort Drum soldier who was killed in action on April 28, in Afghanistan.

Army Specialist Preston J. Dennis died when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. Specialist Dennis was from Redding, California.

"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Specialist Preston Dennis," Governor Cuomo said.

"We are saddened at the death of this young soldier, and we join with Specialist Dennis' fellow soldiers at Fort Drum in mourning his passing and honoring his service."

In addition, the governor has ordered flags be flown at half-staff on Monday, May 9, in honor of a Westfield resident who was killed in action on May 2, in Kunar province, Afghanistan.

Army Sergeant Kevin W. White died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

"In his hometown of Westfield and across the State, all New Yorkers join with the family, friends and fellow soldiers of Sergeant White in mourning his loss," said the governor.

"Sergeant White dedicated himself to serving his country after graduating from Westfield Academy and Central School in 2006."

From The G-Man would like to take this opportunity to honor Army Specialist Preston J. Dennis and Army Sergeant Kevin W. White, their love of country and their service with the following video tribute.

Video uploaded to YouTube by moderatepopulist

Michelle Obama: 'My Husband and I Are Proud of You - Very Proud!'

REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY

AT THE MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR AWARD

Ritz Carlton Pentagon City

Arlington, Virginia

6:04 P.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you so much. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you so much. Please sit down. Thank you. And good evening, everyone. Let me tell you, it is a pleasure and an honor to be here tonight for the 2011 Military Child of the Year Award. These aren’t children, they’re young adults, but, you know, we know the difference.

I want to start by thanking Jim for that very kind introduction and for his leadership as CEO of Operation Homefront.

I also want to recognize the leaders from each of our services who are here tonight to present these awards: General Schwartz, General Dunford, Admiral Greenert, Lieutenant General William Troy, and Vice Admiral Sally Brice-O’Hara. Thank you all for your leadership and for your continued commitment to the families.

I also want to thank my partners in these efforts, some of them who are here: Deborah Mullen, Bonnie Amos, Susan Schwartz, and all of the other spouses who have been so supportive to me and to Jill. They have been partners with us every step of the way, and I love them like they are sisters. But I want to commend them for their championship, for their leadership for military families. Let’s give them a round of applause. (Applause.)

And finally, I want to thank everyone at Operation Homefront for the vital work that you all are doing for military families across the country, including hosting this beautiful event for the five outstanding young people that we’re honoring tonight.

As First Lady, I’ve had the privilege of welcoming the 2009 and 2010 Military Children of the Year Award recipients to the White House. I’ve had the chance to get to know those young people and to meet and know their families, and to be inspired by their sacrifice and their spirit and their strength.

And I’ve seen them up close. I’ve been proud to share their stories with people that I meet all across our country. And that’s why I wanted to be here tonight to be a part of honoring the five of you all, our 2011 Military Children of the Year.

Now, each of you young people already knows that your families are proud of you. You know that your communities are proud of you. Your parents’ services are proud of you. But tonight I want you to know that my husband and I are proud of you -- very proud.

We’re proud because we know about your strength and your resilience and your spirit. We know about your achievements in school -- they’re amazing. We know about the countless hours you’ve spent volunteering in your communities and caring for your families.

And I’m here tonight because I want our country to know about you all as well. I want our country to know about the five of you and about all the military kids and families all across this country.

Most folks in this country are already aware of the incredible sacrifices that your parents are making. We’re already in awe of our men and women in uniform. But we often lose sight of the fact that our Armed Forces is largely a force of families.

More than half of our active duty troops are married. And there are nearly 2 million American military children. And a lot of folks don’t realize that when our troops are called to serve, their families serve, too. A lot of folks simply don’t know the stories of our military families and their kids. They don’t know what it’s like to kiss Mom or Dad goodbye as they head off to war, and then have to go back to class, and do homework, and act like everything is fine.

They don’t know about all the missed soccer games and the missed prom nights and the missed shared daily moments -- the hugs, the bedtime stories, the meals with an empty seat at the table. They don’t know that every day, military kids are stepping up and helping to run the household and care for their families.

That’s what Nicole Goetz has been doing. When her little brother is feeling down, Nicole is the one who takes him to the movies and cheers him up. When he needs help with his homework, Nicole is the one who tutors him. And somehow, she’s managed to perform 500 hours of community service, earn a 4.0 GPA -- right about that? -- do all kinds of activities at school, and work a job as well. Sheesh. (Laughter.) You must be tired.

And I understand that Nicole’s dad, who I got to meet, Chief Master Sergeant Michael Goetz, has come all the way from Afghanistan to see Nicole get this award today. So let’s give him a round of applause. (Applause.)

And let’s remember that our military kids aren’t just shouldering extra responsibilities when their parents are deployed. They often continue to do so once Mom or Dad returns home, and everyone has to readjust and reconnect as a family figures out how to come together after those months away. And when a parent comes home wounded, the result can be a real role reversal. It can mean taking care of Mom or Dad who once took care of you; taking on responsibilities that would be overwhelming for most adults, let alone for most kids.

And that’s what Taylor Dahl-Sims -- Taylor, where’d you go? There you go. That’s what she did.

Now, Taylor already had plenty of experience with adult responsibilities. Her new baby brother was seriously injured at birth, and her house was flooded I think at the same time, all while her stepfather was on his fifth deployment.

So Taylor helped care for the baby. She helped clean up the house. And when her stepfather returned home with traumatic brain injury, going in and out of the hospital for most of that year, she stepped up again to help hold everything together.

So when we talk about service to our country, when we talk about all that sacrifice for a cause, when we talk about patriotism and courage and resilience, we’re not just talking about our troops and our veterans. We’re talking about our military families as well. We’re talking about military kids like the young people that we’re honoring here tonight. They play their own very unique role in keeping our country safe and preserving the freedoms that we all hold dear.

Their strength and support helps our troops serve and protect every last one of us. So I think it’s time for every last one of us to step up and show our gratitude for our military families. And that’s why, for the past two years, I’ve traveled this country meeting with military families and working to raise awareness of the incredible contributions that these families are making, and it’s why next week Jill Biden and I are launching a new nationwide campaign calling on every single American to honor, recognize, and support our military families. And our message is very clear: It’s that every American has the ability -- and the obligation -- to give something back to our military families.

Everybody can do something. Schools can work to better meet the needs of military kids. Businesses can make an effort to hire military spouses. Ordinary citizens can do something as simple as offering to shovel the snow, babysit, organize events in their communities to celebrate these families.

And in the coming months, Jill Biden and I will be traveling the country -- Jill’s a Blue Star mom herself -- and we’ll be highlighting the best businesses and nonprofits and community efforts, and we’re going to be doing everything that we can to tell the stories of our military families. And I think we could learn a thing or two from a couple of our honorees tonight.

Kyle Hoeye -- there’s Kyle right there, quite handsome young man -- (laughter) -- he’s taught hundreds of his peers how to make videos educating non-military kids about the challenges faced by military kids. He also speaks publicly about his own experiences as a military kid and works with his school’s Key Club to send personalized care packages to troops overseas.

Margaret Rochon -- Margaret, where did you go? There you go, there’s Margaret. She singlehandedly convinced six nationally recognized experts to come lead a seminar for teachers about the effects of PTSD on military families. And it was so successful that it’s now a yearly training requirement for all the teachers in her county. And by the way, Margaret also managed to find time to volunteer more than 500 hours in the community herself.

So when you think about everything that tonight’s honorees have done with their lives, you can’t help but begin to think twice about the title of this award, because while these five Military Children of the Year might be young people, they’ve each shown maturity and grace and wisdom far beyond their years.

And that’s certainly true of our last honoree, Melissa, Melissa Howland. There’s Melissa right there. Now, she was diagnosed with a serious blood disorder and hospitalized several times while her dad was deployed. And because of her illness, she had to quit the basketball team -- an activity that she loved. But instead of sitting around feeling sorry for herself, she decided -- and these are her words -- “You can’t go wrong giving back.” She then went on to volunteer nearly 500 hours for a dozen different causes.

So in the end, while our five honorees come from different places and they’ve taken different journeys to this moment, it’s clear that they share the same ethic of service that led their parents to enlist in our Armed Forces in the first place. It’s clear that they share the same desire to help others, to serve their country, and to do something meaningful with their time on this earth.

And tonight, let me tell you, I am proud and I am honored to be here to congratulate them and to thank them for all that they have contributed to their communities and to our nation. We are really, really amazed by everything you all are doing. And again, we want this country to know your stories. We want you to be shining examples to all other young people of how much you can get done with a little will, a little passion, and a little determination.

So you all keep doing what you’re doing, and we will keep supporting you. God bless you all. Thank you so much. (Applause.)

END 6:17 P.M. EDT

From The G-Man: Season 1, Episode 2

Bits and Pieces

The G-Man offers commentary on strange news stories, racism at Walmart and gays and lesbians serving in the military.