Dennys no longer accept military

We were just at Denise and tried to use our veteran discount and they told us they no longer accept military are veterans discounts. It used to be 10% but now it is nothing.  My guess is Dennys is moving away from honoring men and women brave enough to serve this country.

Brave American Fighters Against ISIS

Iraqi forces have made substantial inroads with the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Tikrit. While the United States has stayed on the sidelines of this particular battle, a number of American veterans have volunteered for the cause, fighting with the Kurdish peshmerga against ISIS in Syria.

Former US Marine Sgt. Patrick Maxwell was one of them. Maxwell deployed to Anbar Province with his Marine unit in 2006. He left the military with an honorable discharge five years later, but he couldn't stay away from the fighting.

Last year, he returned to Iraq, this time as a volunteer with the Kurdish peshmerga forces. In an interview with The New York Times, Maxwell explained, "When I'm enlisted, I'm there to serve my country, protect my country, obey the orders of the officers appointed over me."

He continued: "As a private citizen, I'm going to have an adventure, essentially, and that's my own business."

While the US doesn't have official numbers on American veteran volunteers fighting ISIS, a Y.P.G. Kurdish militia spokesman told The New York Times that their forces include more than 100 American citizens.

Matthew VanDyke knows these veterans well. VanDyke has spent most of his adult life in the Middle East and North Africa, fighting with Libyan rebel forces against Muammar Qaddafi and filming a documentary on the Syrian Civil War. He's also the founder of Sons of Liberty International, a security organization that trains anti-ISIS fighters and recruits American veterans to the cause.

“[These veterans] once did something that they view as significant with the US military,” says VanDyke. “Now they’ve come back and they’re doing a job that they consider to be menial labor or something that they’re not happy with. They want a sense or feeling of belonging or importance again.”

In addition to having a sense of purpose, VanDyke says that veterans are joining forces with the peshmerga because they view ISIS an extension of al-Qaeda.

“They see it as the undoing of years of their own [work] for the US military in Iraq,” he says. “You spent years [fighting], saw comrades die, and perhaps suffered injuries yourself. And then you see, in a matter of a month or so, the sweep of ISIS through Iraq. It really must get to these people.”

The US government has put pressure on Kurdish forces to expel American veterans from their ranks, and now Kurdish forces have said that they are no longer accepting foreign volunteers. Beyond potentially complicating American foreign policy if they are caught, it’s unclear what kind of impact these veterans might have in the fight against ISIS.

“When you’re trained with the military, you’re trained to function as a unit with other trained individuals,” says VanDyke. “When you go there as a lone wolf who is well trained — to work alongside men who are not particularly well-trained — your impact on the battlefield is extremely limited.”

Here is the Kurdish Army Face Book

Donate to benefit volunteer American war fighters against the worst evil this planet has seen since Nazi Germany. 

Funds will go to everything from providing brave men with body armor, ammunition, food and weaponry all the way to paying for tickets home to America for our fallen and wounded. 

Support these brave patriots and help keep our homeland safe.

To donate, click here -->-Anonymous Freedom Fighters.

Today Marks National 0331 Day

Life of an 0331, But I am an 0351, so, What would I know???




What is an 0311 Machine Gunner?

To begin with, expect to walk virtually everywhere. 0331 are attached to infantry units. The only time infantry units ride is when they have to be put somewhere quick. This could be by helo or truck, but then the walking begins.



The HUMVEE gunners are not 0331, they are usually part of mortar T or a unit such as combat engineers and not infantry. I say usually because at times an infantry unit is lucky enough to get a hummer for advanced recon work. The majority of the time, you will be on foot and patrolling in a tactical march column.

You sleep the mud when it rains, in fox holes or defensive positions when in the field. When in garrision it is tents in combat zones and in barracks if in US or Marine Corps bases.

Difference between a rifleman and an 0331 is the weight of the weapon plus extra ammo. I bet you can figure that one out. All the other gear is the same. This is true if you wanted to be a mortarman 0341. Everyone walks.

Level of action - both see the same amount of action since both are on the same patrol. Maybe the question is: Which draws the most enemy fire? Guess what - the machine gunner will receive 10 to 20 times more lead in his direction than the rifleman. You better hope the rifleman is doing his job to take the heat off of you as an 0331!

Harder physically - the weight of the gun and the big box of ammo will feel like a 100 tons after a 20 mile march whereas the M4 rifle with 80 rounds ammo will only feel like 500 lbs.

Advancement - about the same for both 0311 and 0331. Same opportunities since both are grunts doing a grunt job.

Weapons Company - you get assigned to Weapons Company if you are assigned a heavy, crew served gun like the .50 cal MG. Lighter MGs that are organic to an infantry company are part of the company. Often 0331s are attached to Weapons Company and are assigned to infantry companies as heavy support weapons - ditto mortars. So I would say, the odds are good you will be assigned to a Weapons Company. Expect to be doing a lot of weapons cleaning if you are and still have a lot of field time on top of that when the infantry trains.

In Weapons Company, mostly mounted - nope. Most .50 cals are mounted but not so smaller MGs - these you carry. You can be qualified for both but find yourself most of the time assigned to an infantry company.

IF you are looking for a riding job, suggest tanks or LAVs - MT is another. Not much walking, unless your tank or LAV takes a hit and you survive. Ditto MT.

0311 or 0331.

A US Marine stood on the side of the road with a blunt message for Barack H. Obama

We’ve reported about the general disdain for Bowe Bergdahl after the U.S. Army announced he will be charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.

We’ve also reported on the animosity toward President Barack Obama for swapping terrorists for Bergdahl’s release.

Bergdahl’s story is a complicated one, sure to inflame many. Incredibly, it shows no signs of quieting down as each passing day presents new allegations on either Bergdahl’s character or Obama’s prisoner swap.

However, one of the most pathetic aspects of this story involves the soldiers who lost their lives while looking for the missing Bergdahl in Afghanistan in 2009.

Now one Marine is exercising his right to free speech with a sign that gets right to the heart of the matter.

We love the sign and this Marine’s conviction to garner support for those who died looking for the alleged traitor. We certainly hope he heard lots of honks, too.

His sign sums up exactly how our military feels about Bergdahl and the traitor in the Oval Office who swapped terrorists for his release.

Obama has said Bergdahl served our country honorably but we have to disagree. The real heroes in this story are the men who lost their lives while looking for Bergdahl. Bergdahl did not serve this country with honor or distinction and many believe he is responsible for those deaths.

Bergdahl is scheduled to appear before a military court in April to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to try him for desertion. If convicted, he could spend five years in prison. Additionally, he is facing life in prison if he is found guilty of misbehavior before the enemy.

If found guilty, we hope he gets the maximum legal punishment allowable.

Please share on Facebook and Twitter if you support this one Marine’s efforts to get the word out about Bergdahl and President Barack Obama.

Do Not Mess with Adam

R.I.P Brothers, 7 U.S. Marines and 4 Soldiers Presumed Dead After Blackhawk Crash In Florida

This is Bad News. Yesterday evening a Blackhawk helicopter crashed with seven Marines from Camp Lejeune, and four aircrew on board. Sadly, At this time, the Pentagon has stated that they are all presumed dead.

Debris from the helicopter and human remains have been found washed ashore, but efforts to recover any possible survivors are still underway.

The helicopter was reported missing around 2030 Tuesday, and debris was found later that night at 0200. Heavy fog is presumed to be possible factor in the crash.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of these warriors, and we will update this story as more details are released.

 

Former Marine found guilty in 'American Sniper' trial

A former Marine was found guilty late Tuesday of the 2013 shooting deaths of former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the author of "American Sniper," and his friend Chad Littlefield.

It took an Erath County, Texas jury less than two hours to convict Eddie Ray Routh of capital murder. State District Judge Jason Cashon sentenced Routh to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors had not sought the death penalty in the case. Routh's defense team said they would appeal the conviction.

"We have waited two years for God to get justice on behalf of our son," Littlefield's mother, Judy, told reporters outside the courthouse. "And as always, God has proven to be faithful, and we're so thrilled that we have the verdict that we have tonight."

Chris Kyle's widow, Taya, was not in the courtroom when the verdict was read. Earlier in the day, she had stormed out of the courtroom in the middle of the defense's closing arguments, whispering an expletive and slamming her hand on the wall as she walked out the door. At the time, attorneys were discussing how useful it would have been for Routh's mother to have told Chris Kyle about her son's history of violence. 

Routh showed no visible emotion as the verdict was read, while Kyle's brother and parents were among a group of the victims' families and friends who cried and held hands. They did not issue a statement.

Jerry Richardson, Littlefield's half-brother, told Routh that he "took the lives of two heroes, men who tried to be a friend to you, and you became an American disgrace." Routh had no reaction.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted "JUSTICE!" in response to the verdict.

Routh, 27, had admitted to killing Kyle and Littlefield at a gun range on Feb. 2, 2013 but pleaded not guilty. His attorneys and family members asserted that he suffers from psychotic episodes caused by post-traumatic stress disorder and other factors.

But prosecutors said Tuesday that whatever episodes Routh suffers are self-induced through alcohol and marijuana abuse.

In front of a packed courtroom, Erath County assistant District Attorney Jane Starnes and three defense attorneys made their case.

"That is not insanity. That is just cold, calculated capital murder," Starnes said. "(Routh) is guilty of capital murder and he was not by any means insane."

But defense attorneys contended that Routh could not have realized what he was doing.

"He didn't kill those men because of who he wanted to be, he killed those men because he had a delusion," Warren St. John said. "He thought that they were going to kill him."

Kyle and Littlefield took Routh, who had deployed to Iraq and earthquake-ravaged Haiti, to a shooting range after Routh's mother asked Kyle to help her son cope with PTSD and other personal demons. Interest in the trial had been partially driven by the blockbuster Oscar-nominated film based on Kyle's life.

Routh's attorneys also pointed to the gunman's use of Kyle's pickup truck after the shooting to purchase tacos at a drive-through window and run assorted errands as evidence of delusional behavior.

Had Routh been found not guilty by reason of insanity, the state could have moved to have him committed.

Routh's attorneys pointed out that they needed only a preponderance of evidence for jurors to conclude Routh was insane at the time of the shootings and therefore not guilty, a standard of proof well below what would be required to convict him of capital murder.

But prosecutors also noted that Routh had apologized to Kyle's family -- evidence, they said, of a guilty mind.

"This defendant gunned down two men in cold blood, in the back, in our county. Find him guilty," Erath County District Attorney Alan Nash said.

Kyle made more than 300 kills as a sniper for SEAL Team 3, according to his own count. After leaving the military, he volunteered with veterans facing mental health problems, often taking them shooting.


R.I. P.  Chris Kyle, Your mission is to now Guard Gods Gates.