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National security will be a key issue during the intense fall presidential campaign, given the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the unexpected Russia-Georgia conflict. That makes it all the more important for service members to remain above the political fray, the nation’s senior officer said Thursday. “It is very tempting in this time because of where we are, and we just shouldn’t do it,” said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, speaking at the Pentagon Thursday. “We are an apolitical, neutral organization in this country, and we need to stay out of politics — those of us in uniform,” Mullen said, echoing a theme he has been stressing for months.

The military should stay apolitical in that they endorse no candidate. However all soldiers should be encouraged to vote and should be informed about the political issues for each candidate. It is difficult to keep track of the political landscape while in a war zone, but the military should provide information about both candidates to all personnel so that they can make an informed decision. Should military members be allowed to endorse presidential candidates?

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The National Guard has enlisted two superstars to attract new members and remind those already serving what the Guard is all about through a new nationwide theater advertising campaign that made its debut last week. The new “Warrior” campaign includes music from Kid Rock and features Dale Earnhardt Jr., the National Guard-sponsored NASCAR Sprint Cup driver. Over the next two months, the “Warrior” video will appear in more than 3,000 theaters and on more than 27,000 screens around the country. The video and pre-show slides will air before every movie except those rated G and PG.

NASCAR and it's fans are known for their support of our country and our troops.It is rare, however, in this day and age to find support among Music industry Stars. Both Kid Rock and Earnhardt deserve accolades for participating in this ad campaign promoting the National Guard. Maybe this will inspire more young people to think about what makes America great and how they can serve their country. Good Job to both Kid Rock and Earnhardt. Will Earnhardt and Kid Rock's ad campaign make a difference in recruitment numbers?

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There are already plenty of troubling signs. The Navy is talking about tying up ships because they don't have enough sailors. The Army has artillery and engineer battalions that haven't practiced firing cannons or breaching a minefield in a long time. The Air Force might well have just lost its service secretary and chief of staff, not because of their alleged failure to exercise leadership but because they chaffed at accepting unrealistic budget projections. Washington officials probably will use the same excuses they did after Vietnam to justify reneging on their obligation to "provide for the common defense." They will argue that they can spend less on defense because they're so smart. They know exactly what the future holds, what the threats will be, how to handle them - and, miraculously, the cost of this defense will be exactly the paltry amount of money they're willing to spend.

Why is it that after every war people forget the main lesson of war? Naked brute force is respected all over the world. It is a law of nature only the strong survive. Isn't this also a law of international politics? The strongest nation that is willing to use force to achieve it's objectives is the one respected. No one respects the nation that wants to empathize with their enemy or understand why they were attacked. That nation ultimately is attacked again and again as their enemies perceive them as weak. Didn't one of our Presidents say "Speak softly but carry a big stick"? We must be a nation of peace but one willing to back up our moral obligation to do the right thing. Should we be considering downsizing our military at a time like this? Or shifting the responsibilities of the military to civilians with no training?

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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday that he is not afraid of a new Cold War, but does not seek it. "We are not afraid of anything, including the prospect of a new Cold War," Medvedev was quoted as saying Tuesday by the ITAR-Tass news agency. "But we don't want it and in this situation everything depends on the position of our partners." The statement comes hours after Medvedev recognized the independence of two Georgian rebel provinces, defying the West. The recognition follows a short but intense war with Western-allied Georgia earlier this month.

An aggressive Russia with a Soviet type power and land hunger, is at the bottom of the list of things the rest of the world needs. An outbreak of the black plague would be better. Former KGB officer and now President Medvedev seems to yearn for the good old cold war days. In fact Russia even threatened the new missile defense shield with a nuclear attack. What should America do about this?

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Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki dug in his heels Monday on the future of the U.S. military in Iraq, insisting that all foreign soldiers leave the country by a specific date in 2011 and rejecting legal immunity for American troops. Despite the tough words, al-Maliki’s aides insisted a compromise could be found on the two main stumbling blocks to an accord governing the U.S. military presence in Iraq after a United Nations mandate expires at the end of the year. Last week, U.S. and Iraqi officials said the two sides agreed tentatively to a schedule that includes a broad pullout of combat troops by the end of 2011 with the possibility that a residual U.S. force might stay behind to continue training and advising Iraqi security services.

Nice stab in the back by al-Maliki. After becoming the Prime Minister of Iraq due to the U.S. Led liberation of that country, he now wants to dictate the where and when to the U.S. What stinks like camel dung is that the Iraqis now want to have the approval power over our troops campaigns in Iraq. That would work well as there government probably has more leaks than a sieve. The only problem with those leaks is that they can cost American lives. Do you think the Iraqi government is ready to take over everything in Iraq?

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Who serves in the active-duty ranks of the U.S. all-volunteer military? Conventional wisdom holds that military service disproportionately attracts minorities and men and women from disadvan­taged backgrounds. Many believe that troops enlist because they have few options, not because they want to serve their country. Others believe that the war in Iraq has forced the military to lower its recruiting standards.
Any discussion of troop quality must take place in context. A soldier’s demographic characteristics are of little importance in the military, which val­ues honor, leadership, self-sacrifice, courage, and integrity—qualities that cannot be quantified. Nonetheless, any assessment of the quality of recruits can take place only on the basis of objec­tive criteria. Demographic characteristics are a poor proxy for the quality of those who serve in the armed forces, but they can help to explain which Americans volunteer for military service and why.

Contrary to popular belief it is not the uneducated, the poor, and the minorities who are filling the majority of the ranks of our military. The backbone of American culture is still the backbone of our countries fighting forces. There are many factors as to why people join the military and regardless of the scare tactics used by the anti-military left money is usually not the leading cause. Many of our young men and women want to serve their country like their parents did. Many of our young men and women see the evil in the world and realize that yes someone does have to fight it. There are also those who join for the educational benefits and those who join to see the world but never make the mistake of assuming that our fighting men and women are not the best that our country has to offer. I would put them up against any college student any day when it comes to loyalty, integrity, and perseverance. Why did you join the military?

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Military successes in Iraq have nearly crippled al-Qaida’s ability to produce battlefield propaganda, hampering for now its ability to recruit fighters and raise money, the U.S. military and analysts say. The amount of Web statements and videos attributed to the main al-Qaida group in Iraq fell to 12 in May from more than 200 in May 2007, according to SITE Intelligence Group, an independent organization that tracks terrorist Web activity.

Yet more evidence that our troops are forging a victory in Iraq. Despite treachery and lies by American Congressional leaders they are still winning. Repeatedly America has been told that we are losing in Iraq. Lately this has been proven to be false as great news about Al Qaida giving up has come out of Iraq. God bless our troops and good job.

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Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is launching a national outreach program to help veterans prepare for the big increase in GI Bill education benefits that takes effect next year. This includes an online calculator, at an IAVA Web site, that gives veterans an idea of how much money they will receive when the Post-9/11 GI Bill takes full effect on Aug. 1, 2009, with full tuition for people attending four-year public institutions, plus a monthly living expense and annual book allowance. Paul Rieckhoff, IAVA executive director, says the Web site should help answer basic questions about the new program, which has spawned a fair amount of confusion because the details underwent many changes before the final plan was enacted.

This is a great way to help veterans understand the full benefits that are available to them. Since a majority of our lawmakers are lawyers they instinctively write obtuse and undecipherable legislation that requires a specialized law degree to understand. (Consider it job security) The site gives a breakdown of the allowances for tuition, books/supplies, and monthly living. Ina addition it appears that the 10 year limit has been expanded to 15 years. Is there any thing missing from this new G.I.Bill?

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The days of the green Class A’s are over. The Army’s plan to make dress blues the only Army Service Uniform has been approved and soldiers who own the uniform are encouraged to begin wearing it now, the Army announced Wednesday. The move to eliminate the green uniform is designed to streamline soldiers’ clothing bags while modernizing the way the traditional blue uniform is worn.

With this move away from the green Class A it actually reduces the number of uniforms a soldier is required to keep. This change in regulations will take some time to implement and every soldier will be wearing the blue uniform by 2014. This change in uniforms reflects a similar change the U.S. Navy made recently in their uniform standards. Are there any issues with the new uniforms that the Army hasn't addressed?

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An open casting call for "All My Children" is far from business as usual: The soap opera is seeking an Iraq war veteran to play an injured veteran. The ABC daytime show has created a romantic story line to combine entertainment and a window into the challenges faced after combat, said executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers. "All My Children" has launched a broad search to fill the role, inviting veterans to contact the show's New York casting director. The series also is working with a veterans' support group, USA Cares, as well as the military.

Is this a misprint? Use an actual war veteran to play a war veteran. Is this allowed? Hopefully this will inspire other directors and producers to look for some realism in their films. Good luck to whoever gets the part and hopefully it will be a long standing part in the show. Do you see anything wrong with a war veteran playing the part of a war veteran on TV?

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Iraqi Shia fighters are now been trained inside Iran as assassination squads, the U.S. military has told the Iraqi government. A U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad confirmed details to CNN on Friday. The story was first reported by The Associated Press. The official said the details are being made public in part to pressure Iran to stop the training. The official confirmed that the training was being conducted by Iran's Quds force and elements of Lebanese Hezbollah at four locations inside Iran: Qom, Tehran, Ahvaz and Mashhad.

Qom, Tehran, Ahvaz and Mashhad, fi this story is true then there is your list of bombing targets. Oh and while you are at it go ahead and completely destroy their nuclear facilities. While it may not occur to Washington D.C., we should do our best to eliminate any threat to our soldiers. If this is war shouldn't we be using this intelligence to locate and destroy enemy training camps?

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A federal appeals court today rejected lawsuits by victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against Saudi Arabia and senior members of the Saudi royal family, alleging that they helped foster al-Qaeda and other Islamist terrorist groups. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, ruling in Manhattan, said Saudi Arabia and members of its royal family were protected from being sued because the State Department had not officially designated the desert kingdom as a supporter of terrorism. Under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, foreign governments are immune from such lawsuits unless the State Department finds in advance that they had actively supported terrorist groups.

Isn't it amazing that our military men and women can be tried overseas for a perceived crime and these "Princes" cannot be tried for supporting one of their own brothers. For far too long America has been held to a higher standard than the rest of the world and our civilian courts have only encouraged this. We do not have a justice system we have a legal system. What is sad is that our legal system does every thing it can to protect the murderers and the thieves and the terrorists, but does nothing to protect the good citizens of our country. Do you think the Saudi Arabian government should be able to be held liable for its funding of terrorism?

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A U.S. Army specialist who fled Fort Bragg for Canada after learning his unit was to be deployed to Iraq was ordered deported Wednesday. Jeremy Hinzman, 29, is likely to be court-martialed when he returns to the U.S. and could face up to five years in prison. Hinzman said Canada’s Border Services Agency ordered him to leave the country by Sept. 23, and he would be handed over to U.S. authorities.

In a move that drips poetic justice Canada deports one of the U.S. Army deserters hiding in their country. Considering this young man only deserted when he found out he was to be deployed, all arguments of conscientious objector are off the table. This was a run to save his own hide possibly at the expense of one of his fellow soldiers. Should they throw the book at him?

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Spc. Glenn Eller won the Gold Medal in double trap shooting Tuesday, setting an Olympic record with a total score of 190. Eller's teammate, Spc. Jeff Holguin, finished fourth. Both Soldiers are members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit based at Fort Benning, Ga. Eller went into the final round leading by four shots and hit 45 out of 50 targets, to win the first shooting Gold for Team USA in Beijing.

USA USA USA. Good on these soldiers for bringing home the gold. It goes to show that ourmilitary strives for perfection and can beat the best in the world. The only question is should active duty military be allowed to participate in the Olympics or should we have our best shooters in Iraq and Afghanastan?

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Sgt. Joshua Winter, a 22-year-old infantryman just returned to Fort Bragg, N.C., after a 13-month tour in Iraq, has 72 days of leave. He is a fan of recent policy changes that allow soldiers to earn, bank and sell more leave. “The new policy is definitely going to help out a number of soldiers, from the single guys, the married guys ... it’s going to be good stuff all around,” said Winter, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

After spending 12-15 months in a war-zone could you imagine coming back to find out that all of the leave you had accrued would just disappear? For some of our soldiers that is exactly what has happened in the past. With this legislation our men and women over in the sandbox can count on being able to use the leave or sell it back, without fear of losing it on October 1. The ability to take a month or two off after being in Iraq or Afghanistan is a relief for our men and women. this legislation should be made permanent for war time accrued leave. Should leave be accrued on a use it or lose it basis or should soldiers be able to "rollover" their leave till the next year and sell the time back if they so choose>

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Starting Oct. 1, Defense Department travelers will get more money for trips to many big cities, such as New York, Washington, Boston and San Francisco. About 400 locations will have higher per diem rates than the national standard, which is $70 for lodging and $39 for meals and incidentals. That standard per diem rate is unchanged from this fiscal year.

It appears that this per city per diem will take into account that there are places in the U.S. and possibly world wide that cost much more than the average. This allows DoD travelers to stay in a semi-nice hotel in New York as opposed to staying in a roach motel. Does this also mean that people traveling to sections of the country with lower than average costs will receive less per diem than average?

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When military recruits speak of their reasons for enlisting, many cite family pride and tradition as their strongest motivation. The desire to follow in a parent's footsteps has prompted many soldiers to enlist into the National Guard. For recent enlistee Pvt. Larry Gravius, a 39-year-old Massillon, Ohio, resident, family tradition was a definite factor in his decision to become a soldier. But this time, the parent was following in the child's footsteps. ... "I have always wanted to serve, seeing both of my brothers serve during the current war, and watching my daughter enlist was a sign for me that it was time to join up," Gravius said.

That is one of the best reasons for joining the military. Both father and daughter will have each other to look up to and to lean on for support. Mostly a parent is the role model for the child to do extra-ordinary things. Would you follow your children into the military if they joined?

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Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr intends to disarm his once-dominant Mahdi Army militia and remake it as a social-services organization, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The transformation would represent a significant turnaround for a group that has been one of the most destabilizing anti-American forces in Iraq. A new brochure, obtained by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed by al-Sadr’s chief spokesman, Sheik Salah al-Obeidi, states that the Mahdi Army will now be guided by Shiite spirituality instead of anti-American militancy. The group will focus on education, religion and social justice, according to the brochure, which is aimed at al-Sadr’s followers. The brochure also states that it "is not allowed to use arms at all," The Journal noted.

The proof is in the pudding. A leopard never changes it's spots. All these come to mind, and yet with the recent scramble by Al-Qaida to get the heck out of Iraq maybe Al-Sadr is getting scared and doesn't want to end up like the rest of the terrorists in Iraq, dead. If he was really smart he would call for the disarmament and then call heresy on any of his followers that keep their weapons. In fact if he is really going to do this he should have his Mahdi Army turn all of their weapons over to U.S. forces. Does this sound like a ruse, or is it for real?

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A Mexican national on Texas' death row is awaiting possible last-minute intervention from the Supreme Court, just hours before he is scheduled to be put to death Tuesday for two brutal slayings. Jose Ernesto Medellin's execution by lethal injection could be the final act in an unusual capital appeal that pitted President Bush against his home state in a dispute over federal authority, local sovereignty and foreign treaties. Medellin was 18 when he took part in the June 1993 gang rape and murder of two Harris County girls, Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16. He was convicted of the crimes and sentenced to death.

Texas has it right, if you come into our country and rape and murder our children you will die. No one has even tried to say that this piece of human refuse is innocent. The anti -death penalty crowd doesn't believe the crime should fit the punishment. When he dies by lethal injection he will be getting off easy, he should have to suffer just as much as his victims. The Governor of Texas should mobilize the Texas National Guard and post the in an interdiction line near the Mexican border, with more stationed in larger cities just in case. Once this case is settled there are several more of this killer's gang that are up for execution. Just keep the Army on the border and we don't have to worry about illegals anymore either. Should it have taken 15 years for this killer to finally meet his maker?

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An internet message from al-Qaeda has apparently confirmed that the group's top chemical-weapons expert, Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, has died. The al-Qaeda message did not specify the cause of his death, though he was widely reported to have been killed in an airstrike in Pakistan last week. Taleban officials had told the BBC he died in the raid, but false reports of his death have circulated in the past.

Maybe the death of this terrorist will help the spirits of the 17 American Sailors rest in peace. One can only hope that this "leader" saw it coming and couldn't escape his fate. It is amusing though because while Al-Qaida admits his death, the Taliban are still denying it. Who should we believe in a time like this?

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Faced with a shrinking pool of eligible young recruits, the Army is getting into the business of granting diplomas at its own homegrown high school. In a pilot program scheduled to begin Aug. 4 at Fort Jackson, S.C., qualifying high school dropouts will start a four-week curriculum at the new Army Preparatory School to earn a general equivalency diploma.

Faced with an ever increasingly incompetent government school system, the Army is probably the best place for these young men and women to actually learn something. Anti-military group will call this the exploitation of the uneducated, but you don't ever see any of those groups offering a suitable alternative do you?

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