(Tanker Brothers) Because one Tanker Brother is worth (at least) TEN Sean Penns!

Okay, here's the deal: In light of the stupid "Rolling Fast" Stunt that the Crazy Hollywood Left and Conde Pinko have come up with, we here at the Tanker Brothers have decided to come up with our own version: "The 2006 Tanker Brothers Rolling Victory Fast!"

But we need your help: pledge to fast for one day. Just one single day to show your support for those of us who would stand in Crazy Cindy's way. Support us like this: we're proposing a "Rolling Fast", Hollywood Style. I'll kick it off: I will pledge to fast for the first day (we'll kick this off on Sunday, 9 July 2006), and hand it off to someone, Sean Penn-style. In this case, it will be Cav Tanker. If you wanna take part in this, click the Comments section and sign up for a day. We ask that you keep it in Chronological order: in other words, the first person to sign up will sign up for Tuesday, the next person for Wednesday, and so on and so on.

Read the entire story here.

.  The picture was taken a few weeks after the Fourth of July.  The picture shows my son, me, my wife and Goofy (aka "Daddy" during my deployment).  Not pictured is our newest addition who arrived this April.
 


I could go into detail why I like this picture, but it's mainly because it reminds me of my deployment, my family, and my supporters.   And the fact I was thirty pounds lighter.  Damn you McDonald's...

(Bucks County Courier Times) Patty Walton knows just what her nephew Dale likes: Nilla wafers, crackers, beef jerky and Tastykake Krimpets. Such snack staples aren't available to Dale in war-torn Iraq, the home away from his Falls home.

So, Walton, who lives in Bristol Borough, sent a care package chock full of goodies, pictures and cards to the Army sergeant.

“That's one thing that really keeps you going, when you get mail from people,” she said. “If anybody has someone out there, the stamps are a good thing. The writing materials are a good thing.”

Now, with the recent launch of The Bucks County Brave military blog, bucksbrave.blogspot.com, sending food and cheer to soldiers stationed overseas could get even easier.

Webmaster Cory Steiner, 42, of Lower Makefield launched the site in June to keep Bucks residents in contact with local soldiers. He hopes family members will post addresses of local soldiers serving so schools and individuals can send care packages or letters. Soldiers with Internet access could also post messages to loved ones here in Bucks, he said.

Read the entire story here.

(Military.com – Bruce Kesler) I've been out of the Marine Corps for three-and-a-half decades. Most of what I know, or remember, about combat tactics is out-of-date. I don't nor do I want to own a gun, my only one being the M-16 back then. I'm probably too old to fight, or even run.

Most of what I write about at Democracy-Project.com is not about the war in Iraq or Afghanistan. I prefer to write about today's problems with healthcare, something I have more current firsthand knowledge about. Good milbloggers are in the combat zones, or have current experience, so understand and focus upon the details that aren't presented in the major media.

Still, many of my posts are about the current war, and more particularly about the media coverage. As an ordinary citizen, I'm concerned to get reliable reporting upon which to make judgments. And, I live in San Diego, where I have to face the many sincere, squared away Marines and sailors whom I see on the street.

We aren't getting that reliable reporting. Indeed, we usually aren't getting much of any reporting about what's happening at the front, the who, what, when, where, why. Instead, most newspaper columns and TV reports focus on a list of casualties, the inside politics in the Green Zone, or speculations built on little information about the latest prejudged atrocity by U.S. forces. Much of that information is provided, and passed along by our mainstream media without critical comment or qualifications, from often suspect Iraqi stringers and press manipulators among our foes.

Read the entire story here.

About this time every week, I write about my pick as Milblogger of the Week.  That, and I benchpress 300 pounds in the weight room (but I’ll save that for later).  This week’s Featured Milblogger is Bandit.three.six who’s been milblogging since January.  BANDIT.THREE.SIX is a Signal Officer currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and he’s stationed in the International Zone (aka the Green Zone) in Baghdad.  Oh yes, more bad news for the MSM…another milblogger who tells it like it really is, instead of the imbecile games the media plays.  I’m still not sure what we would’ve done without milblogs like Bandit.three.six.  To be fair though, I heard it’s pretty hard to sit behind a desk and read from a teleprompter.  Okay, so when I was six years old I could do it. And I think if I trained my lazy cat long enough, I could get him to do it, too.  I once trained him to push a little toy shopping cart and wear little pants. It’s really cute.

Anyway, Bandit.three.six is currently home on R&R in Germany with his wife awaiting the arrival of their newborn.  So get over to Bandit.three.six and wish him the best. Here’s a little background some of you may not know about him: He joined the Army ROTC in his second year of college after the September 11th attacks and after graduation in 2004 he was commissioned into the US Army Signal Corps on Active Duty.  Signal was a natural fit for him -- A) because his major in college was Management of Information Systems and b) he had always been something of a geek (according to him, not me).  Really.  More importantly he finds that the media is doing a piss-poor job of telling their audience about the fight in Iraq.  As he writes to me by email, “There is so much good news about the war out there it's staggering.”

Here’s an excerpt from his blog:

Little-Known Facts of Victory

The assessment of Iraqi Security Force status is done on the following scale

Independent - At this level the unit conducts operations independently of the Coalition. This is the desired endstate for all Iraqi Security Forces.

In the Lead - At this level the unit is responsible for planning and conducting operations and is supported by the Coalition.

Capable - At this level the unit participates in operations that are planned and conducted by the Coalition.

Training - At this level the unit is just forming and is being trained.

In a four month period between October and February, the number if Iraqi Army battalions assessed at levels 1 & 2 rose 32% to a total of 53. This means that these units are responsible for securing their country, not the Coalition.

- article about unit transition from level 3 to level 2.
In a poll conducted during the same period, it was shown that more than two thirds of Iraqis believe that the Iraqi Security Forces are winning the battle against terrorism. TWO THIRDS OF IRAQIS THINK WE'RE WINNING!!!