AIR GUARD CREWS SAVE SNOWSHOER IN CALAVERAS COUNTY

MOFFETT FEDERAL AIRFIELD, Calif. - Air National Guardsmen from the 129th Rescue Wing, recently back from a deployment to Afghanistan, conducted a successful search and rescue mission of a missing snowshoer in Calaveras County yesterday.

Responding to the call from the Calaveras County Sherriff’s office, pararescue teams and two HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters departed here at 10:20 am. Shortly after the helicopters arrived in the Camp Connell vicinity near Dorrington, Calif., they made contact with a ground search party that found the snowshoer’s tracks. The 29-year-old male went missing Saturday near Camp Connell after departing on a snowshoe trip.

A ground search party representative flew with 129th crews while another followed the snowshoer’s path. The ground party eventually found the snowshoer and led him to a location where the helicopters could safely pick him up. The mountainous terrain was socked in with dense fog. (more…)

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GATES: NO TRICARE HIKE IN 2011 BUDGET REQUEST

By Donna Miles/American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2010 - Tricare recipients will see no increase in their premiums next year, if Congress approves that provision of the fiscal 2011 defense budget request, as expected.

However, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters yesterday he wants to work with Congress to find ways to help control escalating military health-care costs that are consuming an ever-increasing chunk of the budget.

Noting the skyrocketing costs of the military health-care system – from $19 billion in 2001 to $50.7 billion in the fiscal 2011 budget request — Gates questioned during yesterday’s Pentagon briefing how sustainable the program can remain without cost controls or higher premiums. (more…)

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PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH

by Fred Edwards

Feb. 5, 2010 — When considering the rationale for dumping the F-22 in favor of the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35, it’s easy to skew the reasoning with dollar tradeoffs. By some estimates a single F-22 costs $350 million including developmental and other costs. One F-35, on the other hand, might cost only $200 million. The $150 million savings per aircraft gets attention. I am not agreeing with those in the Department of Defense who opted to dump the F-22. I’m using it only as an example of cost comparison. But think of this: For the savings on one aircraft, we could operate the entire LORAN-C system for more than four years. But the Department of Homeland Security has ordered the Coast Guard to shut down all LORAN stations February 8.

So what? Doesn’t the Global Positioning System (GPS) do the same thing and better? It guides unmanned aerial vehicles, tells troops and their supporting arms exactly where they are, synchronizes time and cell-phone antenna, navigates ships, and helps us drive to the nearest McDonalds. Sure it does, unless it fails, or an enemy disables it. Then what would we do? A good answer is to keep a backup LORAN system, and even upgrade it to the enhanced version, eLORAN, which had been planned. (more…)

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BRIGADIER GENERAL MARY J. KIGHT APPOINTED AG CALIFORNIA GUARD

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Brigadier General Mary J. Kight as the first female adjutant general of the California National Guard and first African-American female National Guard adjutant general in the nation. He also thanked General William H. Wade II for his years of dedicated service.

“Brigadier General Mary Kight is a proven courageous, loyal and honorable leader. She has a long and distinguished history of service to our state and nation and I am proud to have her as the first female adjutant general of our military forces here in California,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “I am confident that with General Kight’s leadership, the California National Guard will continue to be fully prepared, standing ready and able to assist our local communities and our country when called upon in times of emergency.” (more…)

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DATA BASE PROVIDES SPECIFIC IDENTIFICATION

Data base of Stolen Valor heroes or villains including phoney POW claims,bogus ranks,fake medals,etc…… Alphabetical lists of of names who have made various claims of awards or ranks that cannot be proven or have made multiple claims . Has lists of those that been proven false. Some with actual records attached versus claims…..Also includes lists of apologies and clarifications. Appears these listsof fake “heroes”might be getting bigger not smaller……

http://www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies1050.htm

Submitted By: LTC Tom Lasser, USA (RET)

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VIETNAM WAR CASUALTY LINK

Here is a link to a virtual wall of all those lost during the Viet Nam war with the names, bio’s and other information on lost comrades.

It is a very interesting link, and those who served in that timeframe and lost friends or family can look them up on this site.

First click on a state……then when it opens ………scroll down to the city, the names will appear …….then click on their names…..it should show you a picture of the person or at least his bio and medals…… …….

http://www.virtualwall.org/

Submitted By: Robert Ramirez

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ON MIRANDA RIGHTS FOR RADICAL ISLAMISTS, AND OTHER NONSENSE

by Fred Edwards

Jan. 29, 2010 — Throughout much of history, spies were shot upon discovery or sometimes hanged after a trial. In America’s far west in the 19th and early 20th century, cattle rustlers were often hung from the nearest tree. Now, in the 21st century, we are treating radical Islamist killers like they are innocent until proved guilty. Hence, five men charged with masterminding the 9/11 attacks, including Khalid Sheik Mohammed, are to be tried by a civilian court.

On top of that, consider the lap bomber of last Christmas, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. According to AP accounts, he ended up being treated like a traffic violator. The interrogation started smoothly enough when U.S. Customs agents and local police took him off the airplane and to the hospital. He openly admitted that he had tried to blow up the plane, but then things turned sour. Agents from the FBI’s Detroit office were called in. Abdulmutallab readily informed them that he was from al Qaeda in Yemen. Under an exception to the Miranda ruling, they questioned him for 50 minutes without warning him about self-incrimination. Later, in order to make his statements admissible, another team of FBI interrogators gave him his Miranda warning, and he virtually shut up.

Why was this a sour turn of events? Because the FBI is concerned primarily with law enforcement — getting a conviction in court after a crime. Abdulmutallab should have been interrogated by a team concerned with national security — preventing future terrorist acts. He needed to be grilled as long as necessary about impending threats, about al Qaeda operational matters, and about other intelligence items critical in our war against radical Islamists. (more…)

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INFORMATION TO MAKE LIFE BETTER

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