Would You Take an SUV into Combat?
The Foundry

Should our fighting men and women be forced to drive unarmed SUVs into war zones, with speed as their only defense against rocket and car bomb attacks? Tragically, that’s a true story of U.S. military readiness today, and America’s defenses will only get worse under the drastic cuts aimed at our armed forces.

In a new video by The Heritage Foundation, combat veteran Kerry Kachejian explains why U.S. military readiness is so crucial. He has first hand experience in the matter from his experience during the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan. “Because this unit was organized, staffed, equipped and deployed so quickly, there was no spare military equipment for it,” Kachejian explained. Unable to acquire the necessary armored vehicles, his unit turned to ingenuity, courage and innovative ways to get the job done, all while coming under withering assaults from the enemy.

Kachejian’s story, which is continued in new book, “SUVs Suck In Combat,” illustrates the human impact of an ill-equipped military. He tells of being jolted by a one-thousand pound truck bomb, speeding at 110 mph through the streets of Iraq, ripping tailgates off SUVs and mounting machine guns in back, and men duct-taping their body armor to their vehicles to get even the smallest level of protection. On an individual level, the lesson is clear — our men and women soldiers are risking their lives in defense of freedom, and yet they’re ill-equipped to get the job done.

But from the ground level to the global stage, a weak, unprepared military poses great threats, as well. Unfortunately, the U.S. military is in very real danger of growing weaker, losing its deterrent force, and being left unable to fight and win wars in defense of America.

There are those in Washington who believe that America can afford to slash the military in order to shift that money elsewhere. That, though, will leave the military hollow and ill-prepared for growing threats. In a newly released Heritage lecture on the Obama Doctrine of humble engagement with friends and enemies, Kim R. Holmes explains that despite the president’s claim that the world is more secure, serious threats remain, all while the military’s readiness is being depleted.

Clearly, the military is becoming weaker. You can argue that smaller is smarter, but at some point quantity matters. The military is getting smaller and weaker. It has already cancelled the F-22 and some F-35s, the C-17s are being delayed, and 100,000 forces are being taken out of the military’s end strength.

Yet Iran has become more aggressive and is closer to gaining a nuclear weapon. Russia is far more aggressive and certainly not cooperating where we really need them to cooperate, such as on Syria and Iran. Our relationship with Pakistan has deteriorated sharply. It frankly is already acting as an adversary in some areas and may become even more so in the future. . .

There’s also the question of the future in Afghanistan. The Taliban clearly think that they are winning the conflict and only need to wait us out. It is entirely possible that after 2014, there will be areas in Afghanistan that again become safe havens that the Taliban and other terrorists control.

Despite these threats — not to mention China’s growing strength and North Korea’s erratic pursuit of nuclear weapons — future defense spending will be cut across the board by nearly $500 billion beginning next year, on top of the $487 billion in cuts proposed by President Obama in February. Those cuts will leave America with a military that is less prepared to defend the nation while signaling to our enemies that we have a weaker hand to play on the world stage.

In Heritage’s video, Kachejian explains that “The big picture is, the military really is a national insurance policy. Its primary purpose is to deter war, and if you have to go to war, it has to win it as fast and inexpensively as it can.” That insurance policy is about to lapse unless Congress acts to ensure that the U.S. military has the resources it needs to effectively defend America.

Shared by Ick.

The Obama administration’s proposed defense budget calls for military families and retirees to pay sharply more for their healthcare, while leaving unionized civilian defense workers’ benefits untouched. The proposal is causing a major rift within the Pentagon, according to U.S. officials. Several congressional aides suggested the move is designed to increase the enrollment in Obamacare’s state-run insurance exchanges.

Excuse me?  Not just no…but HELL NO!  These men and women put their lives on the line every day and that….that….  POS has the audacity to take what little they get now away from them?  Oh, I don’t EVEN think so!  This is the same clown that has wasted billions of our dollars to fund his little pet projects, aka ‘green energy’, for his buddies, and yet, those who protect his and Moochelle Antoinette’s sorry asses, get the shaft from their so called ‘commander in chief’?  The only thing that sorry excuse of a male deserves is our contempt!  He’s not worthy to wipe the sweat off of a single one of our brave military men and women!  Honestly, I can’t even find the words to express my total revulsion towards that bottom dweller!  He can take that ObamaCare BS and shove it WAY up where the sun don’t shine!

H/T: Chris via FB

I want to extend my sincere condolences to the families of the Army Colonel and Major who were killed by Afghanistan security forces over this “burning Koran” episode.

If we had resolute leadership in the White House, we would have explained that these Islamic terrorist enemy combatants detained at the Parwan facility used the Koran to write jihadist messages to pass to others.

In doing so, they violated their own cultural practice and defiled the Koran and turned the Koran into contraband.

The Islamic cultural practice and Parwan detention facility procedures support burning the “contraband.”

Instead here we go again, offering apology after apology and promising to “hold those responsible accountable.” Responsible for what?

When tolerance becomes a one-way street it leads to cultural suicide.

This time it immediately led to the deaths of two American Warriors.

America is awaiting the apology from President Hamid Karzai.

Swiped from Chicks on the Right on FB.

The Dover Air Force Base mortuary for years disposed of portions of troops’ remains by cremating them and dumping the ashes in a Virginia landfill, a practice that officials have since abandoned in favor of burial at sea.

The Dover, Del., mortuary, the main point of entry for the nation’s war dead and the target of federal investigations of alleged mishandling of remains, engaged in the practice from 2003 to 2008, according to Air Force officials. The manner of disposal was not disclosed to relatives of fallen service members.

Air Force officials acknowledged the practice Wednesday in response to inquiries from The Washington Post. They said the procedure was limited to fragments or portions of body parts that were unable to be identified at first or were later recovered from the battlefield, and which family members had said could be disposed of by the military.

Lt. Gen. Darrell G. Jones, the Air Force’s deputy chief for personnel, said the body parts were cremated, then incinerated, and then taken to a landfill by a military contractor. He likened the procedure to the disposal of medical waste.

Sorry….I can’t even comment.  Anger doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about this!

Today, we at The Heritage Foundation are proud to honor Veterans Day by pausing to remember the men and women in uniform who serve this country. They are some of the finest this nation has to offer.

Among those who have served throughout the years, the recipients of the Medal of Honor (MOH) deserve our utmost respect and admiration. They wear this august award for those who did not come home. They never refer to themselves as “winners” but see themselves as caretakers of the Medal of Honor for all who also served in harm’s way in defense of freedom.

The Medal of Honor is the highest award given to an American military service member who has shown extreme courage and intrepidity during combat.

We at The Heritage Foundation would like to take the opportunity on this special day to introduce you to a foundation devoted exclusively to perpetuating the legacy of these heroes and their notion of service above self.

The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and its Educational Curriculum are an invaluable resource for Heritage and for our nation. Teaching lessons in character, the Foundation holds in its resources short video living biographies of over 100 recipients of the Medal of Honor. These testimonials provide the basis for a six-part curriculum that teaches students how to better understand and emulate the virtues of courage, integrity, sacrifice, commitment, citizenship and patriotism in their own lives.

The interdisciplinary character development resource, “Medal of Honor: Lessons of Personal Bravery and Self-Sacrifice,” uses the oral histories of Medal of Honor recipients to convey to students that not only in military circumstances, but in everyday life, everyone can demonstrate courage and sacrifice. The lessons are intended for use across grade levels using a wide variety of teaching methods. The content is appropriate for all students in any school setting and encourages the use of critical thinking and collaboration skills.

This MOH Character Development Program is a research-based teaching strategy using vignettes that allow the participants to see and hear the events directly from the Medal of Honor recipient’s perspective and in their own words.  To see a sample of this resource, go to www.cmohedu.org. Above the log in, you can view one of the overview videos “In Their Own Words.” You can also watch MOH recipient Clarence Sasser and hear how a medic on a mission saved so many lives in the jungles of Vietnam.

Students connect the lessons to their own lives through small and whole group strategies and discover “what values can I apply to my life?” This resource curriculum does not glorify war. In contrast, it asks students to create their own definitions of courage, integrity, sacrifice, commitment, citizenship, and patriotism. The Program helps students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to positively direct their social and civic interactions and to preserve our democratic society.

The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation’s target goals and strategies include:

• Increase students’ understanding of the Medal of Honor and the 6 values associated with it: courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship and patriotism.
• Increase academic engagement
• Improve school culture and climate
• Increase student achievement

To quote an educator using the program, “Just…press play; you will immediately know the importance of educating our youth about the values these men represent.” And from a student: “Act like everyone is watching, even if no one is.”

The resolution was approved on November 10, 1775, officially forming the Continental Marines.

As the first order of business, Samuel Nicholas became Commandant of the newly formed Marines. Tun Tavern’s owner and popular patriot, Robert Mullan, became his first captain and recruiter. They began gathering support and were ready for action by early 1776.

Each year, the Marine Corps marks November 10th with a celebration of the brave spirit which compelled these men and thousands since to defend our country as United States Marines.

Shared by Tena.

Thank you Maggie for posting this. I have to share it.