Biden Spends $1 Million Annually for Weekend Trips

Tighten your belts America… just don’t expect Team Obama or Washington to do the same…

Newsweek:

Ronald Kessler reporting from Washington, D.C. — Last June, President Obama appointed Vice President Joe Biden to root out wasteful government spending. But behind the scenes, it’s a different matter.

Every Friday, Biden takes a helicopter designated as Marine Two from the vice president’s residence to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and then hops on Air Force Two to fly back to his home in Delaware. At the end of the weekend, he returns on Air Force Two, usually a Boeing C-32.

Vice President Biden boards Air Force Two.
(AP Photo)

During warm weather, Biden regularly returns to Andrews on the airplane on Saturdays to play golf at the Air Force base with President Obama. After the golf game, he flies back to Delaware and returns to Washington on the plane on Sunday evening — all at taxpayer expense.

The cost of flying Air Force Two is $22,000 an hour, so each half-hour trip to or from Delaware costs about $10,000. Each golf game costs taxpayers $20,000. At that rate, the annual cost to taxpayers of Biden’s weekend trips is well over $1 million.

In addition, the Secret Service rents more than 20 condominiums in the Wilmington, Del. area for agents who must accompany Biden when he returns to his home state.

Biden’s press office had no immediate comment.

“Biden leaves every Friday from Joint Base Andrews, so he gets lifts from the observatory via Marine Two to Andrews Air Force Base, takes off via Air Force Two, lands in Delaware, and stays the weekend and then comes back on Sunday nights,” says a Secret Service agent familiar with the trips.

Biden has been a long-time proponent of train travel.
(AP Photo)

“Every three or four weeks when it’s warm, he gets up there on Saturday and then will fly back on Air Force Two,” the agent says. “While Air Force Two is sitting on the tarmac at Andrews, he goes and plays golf with the president at Andrews Air Force Base, gets back on the plane, and flies back to Delaware. Let me tell you something, that is egregious.”

Besides that, “The Secret Service rents condos in Wilmington because his schedule is so fluid and never concrete enough to properly prepare for his visits to Delaware,” the agent says. “So they keep a fully staffed Secret Service advance team in Delaware in condominiums that we lease so that when he does these things back and forth to D.C., they’re up there ready for him to arrive.”

The Boeing C-32 that usually flies as Air Force Two is a specially configured Boeing 757-200 commercial jet which typically requires a crew of 18.

As a U.S. senator, Biden was proud of the fact that he commuted daily by train from his home in Delaware to Washington during the week. Amtrak named the newly renovated Wilmington station the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Railroad Station. But after taking office as vice president, a Secret Service agent says Biden began the pattern of commuting on Air Force Two on weekends, costing taxpayers close to $4 million so far.

As recently as May 12, Biden flew back to Andrews to play golf with Obama and with Biden’s second son Hunter and White House trip director Marvin Nicholson. They played 18 holes of golf for four and a half hours.

Biden also plays golf at a country club he belongs to in the Wilmington area. The Secret Service agent says that since Air Force Two parks at Andrews, Obama is obviously aware that Biden is running up a huge government tab for each game of golf he plays with him.

Asked if President Obama thinks these costs are appropriate, why he has not questioned Biden flying to play golf with him at a cost of $20,000 per game, and in view of these costs of $1 million a year for weekend trips, whether the vice president should no longer be in charge of cutting government waste, the president’s press office had no immediate comment.

In addition to his salary as vice president of $230,700, Biden has free use of the vice president’s residence at the Naval Observatory. The vice president’s residence is a handsome 9,150-square-foot, three-story mansion overlooking Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington.

Complete with pool, pool house, and indoor gym, the white brick house was built in 1893 as the home of the superintendent of the U.S. Naval Observatory. Congress turned it into the official residence of the vice president in 1974 and gave it the address One Observatory Circle.

During the day, at least five Navy stewards attend to every personal need of the second family, including cleaning, cooking, shopping for food, and doing the laundry.

Biden has portrayed himself as a regular Joe, a product of a working class family who takes on millionaires and Republicans who are said to be out of touch with middle-class Americans.

Last June 13, Obama placed Biden in charge of a Campaign to Cut Waste, which will “hunt down and eliminate misspent tax dollars in every agency and department across the federal government,” according to the White House website.

In an email, Biden told supporters that he was the “new sheriff in town.” He said that “particularly at a time when we’re facing tough decisions about reducing our deficit, it’s a no-brainer to stop spending taxpayer dollars on things that benefit nobody.”

By Ronald Kessler - chief Washington correspondent of Newsmax.com. He is the New York Times bestselling author of books on the Secret Service - In the President's Secret Service, FBI - The Secrets of the FBI, and CIA - Inside the CIA.

The one thing you can bet on is that the Obama White House is not interested in sharing in your sacrifice!!  Make you mad?  It should!!  Remember this in November~

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Best Memorial Day Entertainment

As we are enjoying the long weekend; we always spend a good amount of time focusing on the meaning of Memorial Day. We especially made sure we did that when our kids were young, including a stop at our church that celebrated America and those who protect(ed) her.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in activities and events that are not related the meaning of Memorial Day in any way or just quickly in passing. It is the weekend for Americans to take their first mini-vacation of the summer season; or participate in a string of activities from picnics and bar-b-ques to block parties, from trips to the local amusement parks now on their summer schedules to postponed projects around the house or involving or taking out the ‘summer toys’ including boats, sea-doos, motor bikes and ATV’s… And before they know it the weekend is gone and nobody even mentioned the reason for Memorial Day. (And don’t get me wrong… we always watch the Indianapolis 500… Congrats to Dario Franchitti!)

I am a first generation American immigrant from a family full of more recent immigrants and one of my fondest childhood memories is of family events where I would sit and soak in the conversation and stories. My mother was German and served in the (German) Red Cross during WWII where she met my father, an Austrian soldier in a medical unit. They married in an American prisoner of war camp after the war (where the Americans made my mother a wedding gown out of gauze from the medical unit supplies). My grandparents went through WWI in Germany. My uncle and his brother served in the Korean War and their father served in the U.S. army in WWI. It was fascinating because we heard personal stories and accounts from several perspectives and since that time we have added relatives and friends who have served in Viet Nam, Somalia, the first and second Iraq conflicts and now in Afghanistan.

There is no greater country on earth than America and there is nobody that deserves more credit for the great lives we live and the freedoms we all enjoy than our Founding Fathers and our troops who have fought for us, sacrificed and given their lives to keep us safe and free for over 235 years, since before we were a nation. Unfortunately we are no longer teaching history in our schools and if you do learn some, it has generally been re-written. As citizens, parents, grandparents and patriots, it is our job to inform ourselves and to reverse this cycle by returning to teaching and learning history from “original sources” and passing it on.

If you can get there, a trip to Washington D.C. and Arlington Cemetery is the ideal Memorial Day trip or summer vacation destination. Some other great Memorial Day Weekend activities are visiting a Presidential Library or civil war battle field, watching the yearly special honoring our troops from DC, visiting a veteran’s grave locally or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, reading a book about one of the wars we have fought in or about the founding of our nation and sharing about it over dinner or at an event. And watching a movie or movies (hopefully with some accuracy) about one of the wars and then perhaps following up on the history behind it is another. We all know that even the best films throw in a little “Hollywood” slant and sizzle (unfortunately sometimes too much), but the right movies can be a great place to spark our children’s interest in history and a jump off point for us to learn more!

Some years, like this Memorial Day Weekend, when gas prices are high and the economy is slow a great weekend is just staying local and participating in or attending the city parade or event, visiting a nearby cemetery, catching the yearly PBS Memorial Day Special from DC and spending your time at home with family, friends (or even alone) eating some comfort food, reading a worthwhile book related to the holiday or our history and/or creating your own film festival of war movies. Below are a few to start with. There are many more that you can add to the selection. One of my favorite movies for both Memorial Day and the 4th of July is Yankee Doodle Dandy about George M. Cohan, starring James Cagney. It is a musical that some might say is a bit corny, but it highlights the patriotic music of our country and somewhat balances out the serious and somber war movies. The songs therein were songs every American child learned in school and every American could sing until recent years.

A few movie suggestions (always good and great at Memorial Day, the 4th of July and Veterans Day):

Saving Private Ryan (Blu-Ray)(WWII): Is at the top of almost everyone’s ‘best’ war movie or movie from that era list.

The Hunt for Red October (Blu-Ray) (cold war): This cold-war submarine flick is a must for author Clancy fans, starring Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery.

Tunes of Glory (post-WWII): A well-regarded 1960 film starring Alec Guinness and John Mills in post-war Scotland.

Das Boot (Blu-Ray) (WWII): A claustrophobic thriller set aboard a German submarine.

Hope and Glory (WWII): Funny and touching, it tells the story of the British home-front in World War II.

Danger UXB (WWII) (hard to find): A TV series from my mom’s post-Brideshead Revisited phase. It also takes place on the British home-front with a squad in charge of defusing unexploded German bombs (“UXBs”).

The Bridge on the River Kwai (WWII, pictured above): An all-time classic, again starring Alec Guiness and William Holden. A great collection for WWII buffs is the WWII 60th Anniversary Collection (The Guns of Navarone/From Here to Eternity/The Bridge on the River Kwai) (Includes Collectible Scrapbook)

Mrs. Miniver (WWII): More from the British home-front, starring Greer Garson.

The War – PBS 7-Part Special Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick (WWII): A "Peoples History" of WWII with all original footage and photos.

Lawrence of Arabia (WWI): Another classic, and one of my favorite “see it on the big screen” type of movie.

Letters from Iwo Jima (Blu-Ray) (WWII): Clint Eastwood’s deeply thoughtful look at the Japanese perspective of World War II. And the companion piece, Flags of Our Fathers (Blu-Ray).

M*A*S*H (Korean War): Robert Altman’s black comedy that spurred the long-running TV series, which is also available on DVD now.

Gallipoli (WWI): Not exactly uplifting, but a powerful drama.

Joyeux Noel (WWI): Another one from the Great War. It’s based on a true event in which opposing armies take a respite for the holiday. (Special Collection) I remember my dad telling stories like this from WWII.

Platoon (Viet Nam War): Best Picture of the Year Oscar Winner (1986) that was part of Oliver Stone’s trilogy of Vietnam War films, also including Born on the Fourth of July (1989) — winner of two Academy Awards and Heaven & Earth (1993)

The Patriot (Blu-Ray) (Revolutionary War): An emotional, vivid, and palpable story about a South Carolina Family during the Revolutionary War with an excellent cast including Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger.

Black Hawk Down (Somalia Conflict): Depicting the Battle of Mogadishu, a raid integral to the United States’ effort to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid.

North & South (Civil War mini-series): An epic series with Patrick Swayze and Kirstie Alley.

The Hurt Locker (Iraq-Afghanistan Conflicts) The little film that beat out the mega monen blockbuster; won the 2010 Best Picture of the Year Oscar.

American Soldier: The Complete History of U.S. Wars : As Seen On PBS : Complete 4 Disc Box Set -With Bonus : A Historical Overview Of American Weapons

Others worth a mention including some of my own favorites: Patton, The Clock, The Great Escape, Stalag 17, Casablanca, The Guns of Navarone, The Deer Hunter, Glory, Breaker Morant (hard to find DVD (VHS), We Were Soldiers, Midway, Dr. Strangelove, Or…, Buffalo Soldiers, Tora! Tora! Tora!, The Forgotten Grave, The True Story of the Fighting Sullivans…, All Quiet on the Western Front, Band of Brothers, John Adams, Gone with the Wind… my favorite movie of all times.

Some great books to start or re-start your journey through America’s history with are: The Real George Washington; The Original Argument, A Patriot’s History of the United States…, Original Intent, Giants, The 5000 Year Leap, Glenn Beck's Common Sense, The Greatest Generation (on Kindle), War Letters, Being George Washington and Killing Lincoln.

There are many many more great films about American involved wars and the troops who fought them. Sorry if I missed one of your favorites! Unfortunately… “Freedom Is Not Free!!”, so we owe those who fought for us the respect of remembering and remembering the truth.

God Bless America, our troops, our veterans and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and their families!

Originally posted by Ask Marion on 06.05.11 - Updated 05.27.12 9:38p.m. CT

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Reminder of Upcoming Observance Cartoons

Reminders of the upcoming observances… 

  

 







 

Patriotism: “Supporting your Country ALL THE TIME; and, your government when it deserves it” - MARK TWAIN 

IF YOU DON'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS, PLEASE, FEEL FREE TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM !!! 

"Freedom is not free . . . but the U.S. Military will pay most of your share." 

Pacifism is a luxury paid for by warriors!! 

God Bless America and all those who have served and have scarified!!!

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Saying goodbye to a man I never knew

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Remembering Frankie - Saying goodbye to a man I never knew~
By: James S. Robbins

Back in college I picked up a used LP entitled A Year in a New Kind of War. It was a 1966 release from ABC records, an album made from an episode of the television news magazine Scope. The topic of the program was the first year of America’s expanded involvement in Vietnam.
One of the noteworthy segments was an interview between ABC reporter Howard K. Smith and his son, Frank Smith, a soldier in the 1^st Air Cavalry Division. Howard had come to Vietnam for the interview, but the circumstances were not what he expected. He found his son at a dressing station being prepared for evacuation to treat severe wounds he had received in the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley.
Frank’s platoon had been overrun by North Vietnamese regulars, and most of his fellow soldiers killed. He survived by pretending to be dead himself, and spent a horrifying night laying on top of the bodies of his comrades, being used as a sandbag for an enemy machine-gun emplacement. “Sandbag” Smith, as he was later known, was eventually rescued, and medevaced back to base with little hope he would survive. Nevertheless he gave a lucid interview to his father, who for his part was coolly professional despite the agony he must have felt seeing his son in that condition. Frank described in detail the engagement, the chaos (“guys with their guts hanging out…everybody was screaming”), and the aftermath. “They were killing the wounded,” he said. “We could hear them—when they found an American who was wounded they would kick him over on his stomach and they would shoot him.” Frank was awarded the Bronze Star for heroism in the engagement, and went on to become an Emmy-winning correspondent. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Towards the end of the program we meet Frank Sanchez, father of Specialist 4 Frankie Sanchez, who was killed in a firefight February 23, 1966. Frank reads the telegram he was sent informing him of his son’s death. His voice grows tremulous as he reads the words—“has asked me to express his deepest—I guess—regrets that your son Specialist Frankie Sanchez”—he chokes—“died in Vietnam”—he stifles a sob—“as the result of hostile action.” It is a moving segment, and one can sense Frank’s anguish. A new kind of war, but some things remain constant.

Shortly after finding the record I was in Washington visiting family and took the opportunity to make my first trip to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial. It was and remains a moving experience. An extraordinary silence encloses you as you descend next to the rising black granite panels. There is a stillness, a deep sense of reverence in the place. One can see it on the faces of a visitors, and in the Wall itself. The simple lines of the black panels, grey cobblestones, and sidewalk interrupted by the intermittent offerings of flowers, flags, notes, and mementoes. One can hardly recall the original hostility to the monument, the “slit trench of shame” as some called it. I suspect no one who has actually stood there could ever think such thoughts.

I did not know anyone who died in Vietnam, but I remembered the name Frankie Sanchez, so I looked him up in one of the glass-encased guidebooks. He was born June 12, 1937, in Dodge City, Kansas. He was 28 when he died. He had been in the service ten years, and this was his first tour in Nam. His name was located on panel 05E line 68. I found him, with some looking—the names have a tendency to blend. But when I spotted his name, a thrill ran through me, of recognition, affirmation, and inexplicable loss. The name was at arm level—I reached out and touched it, running my fingers over the letters lightly carved in cool, shiny granite. I never knew Frankie, but I could hear his father’s pain in a decades-old recording, and the connection between that voice and the rough letters beneath my fingers awakened a deep sense of empathy. I knew he had family members to mourn him, those who knew and loved him. That was not my place. But I wondered if they had ever stood on that spot, if they had ever had a chance to visit him there, to see him among his comrades, listed with the 31 others who died that same day. I thought, well, maybe they have, or maybe not. Nevertheless, I was there, and there for him, and that was something. As Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote of his eventual interment at Arlington, “perhaps some people will come in to say goodbye.”

I visited Frankie numerous times over the years, whenever I was in Washington and went to the Wall, or after I moved here, frequently acting as tour guide for visiting friends. Frankie connected me to the place in a way I otherwise would not have been—not as strongly as the friends and loved ones of the fallen, nor surely so powerfully as the veterans whom one can see there on any given day, distinguishable by the contrast between their set jaws and a certain softness around the eyes.

Recently I sought to learn more about Frankie, and with the assistance of the VFW I made telephone contact with his Uncle Isaac. Unfortunately, his father Frank Sanchez had passed away, but the similarity between the brother’s voices, in timbre and accent, was remarkable—it was as though I was having a conversation with that 40-year-old recording.

I learned that Frankie came from a family that had well served this country. His father was one of six brothers. Alvin, the oldest, was an Army infantryman who had served in the Mediterranean Theater in World War II. Rudy served as a corpsman in the South Pacific and was severely wounded. Gavino landed at Normandy. Louis was sent home from the service for being color blind, so instead he became mayor of Dodge City. Isaac, who was younger, fought with the Army in Korea. And Frank Sanchez, who worked on the railroad, was deemed an essential war worker and not allowed to get in the fight.

“Frankie was a really great guy,” Isaac said. But he was short in February 1966—that is, he did not have much time left on his tour. In fact Frankie was very short. He was down to a day, and anyone knows that is bad luck. Back then the Defense Department used taxis to deliver the news to families, and Isaac was in the cab business. The cabbie who got the thankless task asked Isaac for help, so they went together to find his brother Frank, who was expecting Frankie home soon. It was the same telegram he read on Scope.

Frankie’s wife lived in Georgia with their son, also named Frankie, and she wanted him buried there. But the coffin passed through Dodge City on the way and the family was able to pay their respects. Since then they had not in fact been to Washington to visit the Wall—but back in 1990 while in Colorado Springs for the VFW Isaac saw the Moving Wall, the half-scale replica of the memorial that tours the country. It stopped in Dodge City in June 2002, and the rest of the family was able to see Frankie’s name.

So now you know what I know about Spec 4 Frankie Sanchez. He is one of the more than 58,000 men and women who died in Vietnam, and whose names are carved in stone on the national mall. I never knew Frankie, but I will never forget him.

— James S. Robbins is senior fellow in national-security affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council, a trustee for the Leaders for Liberty Foundation, and author of Last in Their Class: Custer, Picket and the Goats of West Point. Robbins is also an NRO contributor.

Posted:  Knowledge Creates Power

EDITORIAL: Remembering our heroes

Jets from the Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, fly over graduation and commissioning ceremonies Friday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis in an aerial salute to the 1,036 members of the class of 2009.

By a coincidence of the calendar, our military academies hold their annual graduation ceremonies on or about Memorial Day weekend. The juxtaposition is especially poignant if you visit a service academy on graduation weekend.

Hundreds of our young, all of them models of American youth, count down the few remaining hours of four years of prodigious effort. They are fit, intelligent, polite, highly motivated and full of life. They are embarking on careers of service to the nation. All voluntarily chose this path, fully realizing the dangers involved in pursuing a military vocation. It is sobering to see them in the bloom of youth while knowing that most will be sent overseas, where they will place their lives at risk to preserve our freedoms.

Memorial Day has a special poignancy for a nation at war. Every week, more Americans make the supreme sacrifice. Air Force 1st Lt. Roslyn L. Schulte, 25, graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2006 with academic and military honors. She deployed to Afghanistan in February 2009 to help train the Afghan National Army in her specialty of military intelligence. Lt. Schulte died on May 20 near Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. She was the first female Air Force Academy graduate killed by an enemy combatant.

Americans fall in locations with exotic names, in countries that a decade ago few predicted would be host to thousands of American troops. Marine Sgt. James R. McIlvaine, 26, of Olney and Staff Sgt. Mark A. Wojciechowski, 25, of Cincinnati, fell during combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq, on April 30. The next day, Army Sgt. James D. Pirtle, 21, of Colorado Springs and Specialist Ryan C. King, 22, of Dallas, Ga., gave the last full measure of devotion near the village of Nishagam, in Konar province, Afghanistan. Al Anbar and Konar may not be household names, but previous generations had never heard of Guadalcanal or Bastogne before they became eternally linked with America's martial legend. Likewise St. Mihiel or Antietam, or any other locales whose names resonate with sacrifices made in freedom's cause.

Few Americans are touched personally by the ongoing conflicts overseas. The vast majority have no direct contact with the war in any form, much less knowing someone who fell. They enjoy freedoms hard won and preserved by people they have, for the most part, never met; they are as unaware of the deaths of these people as they were of their lives. Nevertheless, for every name there is a story of dreams, of duty, of a life cut short. Staff Sgt. Leroy O. Webster, 28, of Sioux Falls, S.D.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler J. Trahan, 22, of East Freetown, Mass.; and Staff Sgt. Esau I. De la Pena-Hernandez, 25, of La Puente, Calif., all gave their lives within the past few weeks to preserve our freedoms.

A society as blessed as ours - its people safe even while at war, prosperous even amidst economic crisis - needs to be reminded that such blessings come at a cost. Memorial Day is a time to remember, but it is more than that. Good men and women go off to war on our behalf, and some do not return. On Memorial Day, we observe more than the fact that people died, but also how their deaths came to pass, and in what cause. We commemorate not just their sacrifice, but the context that gives meaning to both the fate they suffered and the lives they led. We recognize the commitment to selfless service that brought them to a fateful day in an out-of-the-way place they had never heard of before they died there. Memorial Day is not simply about remembering our fallen; it is a day when we should fully and properly express our gratitude. Remember them, honor them and thank them. We owe them more than we know.

Source:  The Washington Times, LLC – Reprinted from Facebook

Posted:  Knowledge Creates Power

Memorial Day Message From Lt. Col Oliver Nortth

Dear Proud American,

Thank you to all those who have worn this country's uniform and have served in our Armed Forces. We especially pay tribute to those whose lives were lost in defense of this country.

Memorial Day, is a special time for all of us to remember that America enjoys freedom today because of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen and Marines who have sacrificed their lives for the defense of our nation.

In Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, I’ve seen these heroes make that final sacrifice for our country. It’s never easy. What makes it more difficult is to know that this American’s dying prayer is for a loved one back home.

Their last appeal is to us – their fellow countrymen – to care for the families they’ve left behind.

That is what we do here at Freedom Alliance – we care for the families they have left behind. Our Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund honors the bravery and dedication of our servicemen and women, who have sacrificed life or limb in defense of our country, by providing educational scholarships for their children.

One of our scholarship recipients is Andrea Padgett, who just graduated earlier this month from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Andrea’s father, Chief Warrant Officer Elmer Padgett, flew helicopters for the United States Army.

Sadly, Andrea’s father was killed in a helicopter crash just before her first birthday. Even though she barely knew him, his life is an inspiration to her today: “I have grown up aspiring to achieve the level of courage, bravery and dedication that my father achieved while serving in the United States Army. He has not only shaped my entire life and choices through his service, he has also touched many other people’s lives. Because of his choice to follow his dream of becoming a pilot, I have gained the courage and inspiration to follow my own dream of being a veterinarian, even though people have told me of the challenges involved.”

We cannot bring Andrea’s father back to her, but we are deeply honored that the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund has helped make her father’s dream of a college education for her, come true.

Providing scholarships to the children of our heroes is our way of honoring their service and sacrifice. Will you help us in this cause with a special Memorial Day contribution to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund? Please GO HERE to make your most generous, tax-deductible gift to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, a “Living Memorial to America’s Military Heroes.”

Through the generosity of many patriotic Americans, the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund has awarded $2.5 million in scholarships to hundreds of young Americans all around this great country. However, the need for our Scholarship Fund is ever-increasing. More than 4,900 American servicemen and women have been killed during Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, leaving behind thousands of young children who deserve our help.

With your special Memorial Day gift to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, these children will not only attain a college education, but they’ll know that their parents are heroes – not because of the way they died, but because of the way they lived. Please GO HERE to make your gift now.

I also invite you to join me in honoring our brave defenders of freedom this Memorial Day by supporting the Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program. This year-round outreach honors members of our Armed Forces – those who have been wounded in combat and are recuperating at military hospitals throughout the United States – as well as those currently serving on the frontlines.

The Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program regularly receives requests to help wounded troops who are recuperating in Wounded Warrior Transition Units and military hospitals all around the country.

Thanks to the generosity of many patriotic and generous Freedom Alliance supporters, we recently were able to help two combat-wounded veterans, Master Sergeant Dexter and Specialist Doug, by flying them from Fort Bragg in North Carolina out to Guide Dogs of the Desert in Palm Desert, California to meet and train with their new, seeing-eye dogs. MSG Dexter lost his sight during a demolition training accident while gearing up for deployment and SPC Doug lost his sight when he was hit by an IED during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After returning home with their dogs, Freedom Alliance received this thank you from SPC Doug: “Just wanted to thank you for all your help in getting us, Dexter & me, out to Palm Desert to receive our guide dogs. It was a great and moving experience. Here is a photo of our class at the war dog memorial. My dog’s name is Zihn. Thank you again!!”

Please GO HERE to make your most generous Memorial Day gift to the Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program. Your support NOW will enable us to continue providing grants to our combat-wounded heroes, and also provide support to our troops on the frontlines.

Freedom Alliance continues to send care packages, which include thousands of cards and letters of appreciation, to those risking their lives on battlefields all over the world. Recently, at a Freedom Festival in Jackson, Tennessee, hundreds of patriotic Americans collected more than 3,000 pounds of goodies and much-requested items for Gifts from Home care packages that Freedom Alliance shipped to Iraq and Afghanistan, just in time for Memorial Day.

So, I come to you, with an urgent appeal to open your heart with your most generous contribution to the Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program.

Having made 11 trips to Iraq and Afghanistan, I can tell you how much these Gifts from Home mean to these courageous men and women, who are so far away from home and their families.

This year, Freedom Alliance has hosted Troop Appreciation Dinners and other special events for service members in 10 different states. Many more Support Our Troops events are planned throughout the rest of this year to thank our troops for their service and sacrifice for our country and to give them an enjoyable time out with their friends and families.

Please GO HERE to make your most generous, tax-deductible and special Memorial Day gift to the Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program.

Will you please join with me and Freedom Alliance to pay tribute to our front-line warriors and their families? May we count on you, as together we honor and thank them for the sacrifices they have made for our country and please keep them in your prayers.

Semper Fidelis,

LtCol Oliver L. North, USMC (Ret.)
Founder and Honorary Chairman
Freedom Alliance

P.S. Join me in celebrating Memorial Day by flying Old Glory and saying “Thank You” to our troops and their families.

Posted:  Ask Marion – Knowledge Creates Power