A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
U.S. Forces Free Al-Qaeda in Iraq Captives - BAGHDAD, May 27 -- U.S. forces raided an al-Qaeda in Iraq hide-out northeast of Baghdad on Sunday and rescued 41 people who had been kidnapped by the insurgent group, some as long as four months ago, a U.S. military spokesman said. (READ MORE)
Record Turnout Marks Rolling Thunder Ride's 20th Anniversary - The day is known for its ability to evoke power through the thunderous collective rumble of thousands of motorcycles rolling through downtown Washington. But for Johnny "Halftime" Penn, 31, of Lancaster, Pa., the power is also in quiet solemnity. (READ MORE)
This Memorial Day - Today we observe a solemn celebration of freedom. Memorial Day is for remembering, rededicating and commemorating those soldiers who have fallen and a celebration of those who serve. (READ MORE)
Malaysian court to settle Islam's power - Lina Joy has been disowned by her family, shunned by friends and forced into hiding -- all because she renounced Islam and embraced Christianity in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Now, after a seven-year legal struggle, Malaysia's highest court will decide on Wednesday whether her constitutional right to choose her religion overrides an Islamic law that prohibits Malay Muslims from leaving Islam. (READ MORE)
From the Front:
Desert Flier: Darwinian Award “Sitting in EVAC this afternoon. Jarhead just started 5 minutes ago on the Armed Forces Network, and I haven't seen it yet. Rolling past the opening credits, with a phalanx of trucks crossing the desert in a hazy mirage, Charlie Medical reverberates with a detonation. "Wait, that wasn't the TV." This one rattles the windows for about 4 seconds....big one.” (READ MORE)
Assad Baghdad: America is at the Mall -- or, A Call to Remember Memorial Day “I referenced this sentiment in an earlier post -- a sentiment that I felt long before I set boots on ground here in Bag-city, but one that has gnawed at me for some time. The anti-war movement assails the President for failing to ask the American people to sacrifice during war--and fundamentally I don't disagree with them on that point. The only thing we, as a nation, have been asked for is patience, and, in the days after 9/11...dare I say it...to go shopping.” (READ MORE)
Making the Leap: Dear World “Please take note of our return. Give us a hero's welcome, regardless of whether or not we feel we deserve it. Shake our hands, give us a hug, let us know that we were missed, that we are wanted, that we were cared for, that we are welcome. Please take us back into the fold. Help those who are seeking for work find it. Do not look at our job applications, our resumes and think that we have no "real world" experience.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Paul Greenberg: Remember the Living, Too “They are beyond it all now, the dead. They are beyond all the words, even beyond the slow, mournful sound of taps. They are beyond the muck and blood, too, thank God.” (READ MORE)
Suzanne Fields: A New Woman in Combat. Not! “Jessica Lynch turned out to be a soldier worthy of the uniform, but not, as we were told she was, the poster child for women in the military. Hers was a great story when it broke. She was Sgt. York and Audie Murphy in skirts (although she mostly wore combat fatigues), spraying fire at the enemy with the ferocity of a warrior on fire.” (READ MORE)
Dinesh D'Souza: Win- Bin Laden Wants Us To Fail In Iraq “The best way for America to win the war on terror is to make alliances with traditional Muslims to stem the influence of the radical Muslims.” (READ MORE)
Bryan Preston: Fact-checking Plame “Byron York has a memo that definitively answers the question, Did Valerie Plame recommend her husband Joseph Wilson for a trip to Niger to investigate reports that Iraq was interested in purchasing yellow cake uranium from Niger? The answer is yes. And she recommended him the day before VP Cheney called on the CIA to inquire about that same Niger-Iraq story.” (READ MORE)
Jay Tea: Remembrance “Today is Memorial Day here in the United States. It is the day we set aside to remember and honor those who lost their lives in service to our nation, and to recall that we owe our own lives and freedom to them and their sacrifice.” (READ MORE)
Sgt Hook: The Honor Was Ours “For one week each month, my unit has a 9-soldier detail, including riflemen and a bugler, trained and ready to don their class ‘A’ uniforms complete with all awards, standing by to provide military honors to veterans who have passed away in our area. Sadly, each time we’ve pulled this detail (6 consecutive months), we’ve conducted funerals nearly every day of the week. I recently had the honor to participate in one of those ceremonies…” (READ MORE)
Wide Awake Cafe: The First Memorial Day that Hurt “On the morning of Memorial Day, May 30th, 1962, I was sleeping in because school was over and I had completed the sixth grade. My mother came into the room and whispered my name. I ignored her, thinking, “she’s forgotten school is out. I can sleep in.” When my Dad came in the room, and said, “Laura Lee.” I noticed his voice cracking. I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes, wondering what was wrong. I opened my eyes and saw Daddy’s face. His eyes were red and he was crying.” (READ MORE)
Army Girl: Memorial Ceremony “I was up all night.. as a new group of guys came home and I became DD somehow... so I was in no mood to have to attend yet another ceremony in the heat of this humid summer morning. But as fate would have it (as they say) I knew I was going. I drove up and parked on the only lot left open for those of us who work at the building. In front of me, an older man got out of his red truck and smiled at me.” (READ MORE)
The Belmont Club: The Call of Cthulhu “US troops freed 42 Iraqis who had been held captive by the al-Qaeda in Diyala. Some had been hung from the ceiling and tortured for as long as 4 months. One of the captives was a 14 year old boy. Military officials said the operation, launched on tips from residents, showed that Iraqis in the turbulent Diyala province were turning against Sunni insurgents and beginning to trust U.S. troops.” (READ MORE)
Laughing_Wolf @ Blackfive: A Day of Remembrance, and Thanks “Today is a special and unique holiday. It is a day of giving thanks, not for all blessings, but for one. It is a day not of fireworks and revelry, but of quiet celebration. It is a day not focused on an event, but on the people who have made the events of our lives, and the freedom in which we -- and others elsewhere -- live them, possible.” (READ MORE)
Chic[k]pilot: Memorial “We left our places of work. Walked out of the squadron, the office, the shop, off the flight line. Where there would normally be the buzzing, whistling, wizzing, bustling sounds of one of the busiest airfields in the country, all was quiet. We walked, we drove, in silence, while a C-17 landed with precious cargo. We lined the center avenue of our base, side by side we stood.” (READ MORE)
Cool, Calm & Collected: Memorial Day. “These are a few of the many pictures I took today while at the "Field of Honor" (where over 800 flags are placed to honor those who have served, and are serving our country).” (READ MORE)
Maj. Mike Nachshen: Officer remembers the fallen on Memorial Day “Soon it will be Memorial Day, and I'll remember. I'll remember Eric. I'll remember how even though I only met him two or three times, his wife was my deputy and I knew him through her eyes. I'll remember that every time she talked about the love of her life, her face would come alive and her sparkling eyes would light up the whole room. I'll remember that even though my wife and I couldn't make it to their wedding, we got the newlyweds a silver-serving spoon they had listed on their registry. I'll remember when I last saw him, Eric and his wife were holding hands, and they looked the way people do when they're madly in love with each other.” (READ MORE)
Flopping Aces: Memorial Day 2007 “I had second thoughts about starting this post out with a cartoon, but it describes the state we are in when it comes to this holiday. A day that was proclaimed a day to remember. Remembering those who have fallen and those who are still serving: (click pictures to view videos)...” (READ MORE)
Don Surber: That unmentioned al-Qaeda torture handbook is being used “Just in case anyone thinks Iraq would be better off without the United States, here is a report from the Associated Press: “U.S. rescues 42 Iraqis from Al Qaeda hideout.” The report said, “42 Iraqis imprisoned inside, including some who had been tortured and suffered broken bones.” (READ MORE)
Carren Z: Our Little Patriots “Chuck made the mistake of actually going to bed EARLY, which gave me access to the laptop without him staring over me waiting for "his turn." Plus, I haven't posted in a while... and since I usually post about non-political, family-oriented stuff, I felt this was worth putting on the blog (I also posted it on SpouseBuzz). I have a quick story to share, which I feel is appropriate this weekend as we remember the men and women who gave their lives in the name of freedom! Happy Memorial Day to all... may we Never Forget!!!” (READ MORE)
Homefront Six: Memorial Day 2007 “When I was a kid, Memorial Day was a day off from school. Nothing more. Growing up in middle class Southern California, military service was not something I was really exposed to. I grew up in between Vietnam and Desert Storm - a time when most people I knew didn't talk about their service to our country. And what a shame that was.” (READ MORE)
The Anchoress: Memorial Day: “Americans will die for freedom…” “An Englishman decides that it is a sentiment not worthy of mockery, after all. ‘The Americans are more old-fashioned than us, and what is equally admirable, they are not ashamed of being old-fashioned. They know Churchill was a great man, so they put his house on the map. There is a kind of Englishman to whom this sort of behaviour seems painfully unsophisticated.’” (READ MORE)
John Donovan: Memorial Day 2007 “Today, we honor those who have gone before. In November, we honor the living. I don't mind the sales. Commerce built this country. I don't mind "Going to the Lake" - having fun with family and friends makes life worth living. And this day is about having a life worth living. And I know that most of us (though not perhaps those who read this space) have no memory of a loved one lost in war. Many of the younger of us don't remember or never knew a relative who served in time of war.” (READ MORE)
Kat in MO: Remember Them - Memorial Day “Today is Memorial Day. Today we remember all those who have served our nation and made the final sacrifice on behalf of our nation, in defense of freedom. Today, we will eat barbecue and watermelon, drink soda, and enjoy a fantastic day with our families and friends. This unique freedom was purchased for us with the blood, sweat and tears of millions of men and women in uniform for over 230 years.” (READ MORE)
Neptunus Lex: Memorial Day, 2007 “On June 17th, 1775, Joseph Warren - a teacher, doctor, President of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and the man who sent Paul Revere on his famous “midnight ride” - was killed defending the wall at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Having been recently appointed a major general by the Massachusetts congress but the commission not yet in effect, he had been asked by General Israel Putnam and Colonel William Prescott to take over command of the revolutionary defenses. He declined, serving as a private soldier instead.” (READ MORE)
Have an interesting post or know of a "must read?" Then send a trackback here and let us all know about it. Or you can send me an email with a link to the post and I'll update the Recon.
Trackbacked by:
Memorial Day Remembrance - Ploesti Aircrewman from The Steeljaw Scribe
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