A Loooooong Weekend

Virginia International Raceway (VIR) is one of two tracks the Woodbridge Kart Club races on each season (the other being Summit Point Raceway in West "By God" Virginia). It is the Ritz-Carlton of road courses offering an immaculately maintained, challenging and thrilling track along with the best state-of-the-art facilities. For a little less than half the value of William Jefferson's (D-Louisiana) freezer contents, you too can spend an action-packed weekend in Danville, VA!

A view from the flag stand at racers gridding.

We normally drop the green flag from the pits with the karts starting from a dead stop. At the insistence of a bunch of whiny sprinters, the Club reluctantly agreed to try a "rolling start" for 6 of the 14 groups that raced over this weekend. It actually turned out pretty cool and I managed to get some shots of the starts.

Each race group contains two or more classes that are similar in speed and kart configuration. The classes run the gamut from Briggs powered Cadet Karts driven by 8 to 12 year olds (new for this year) to twin-250cc Gearbox "Honest! I was going so fast I couldn't see the red flag" speed demons.

Mandatory Drivers' meeting before each group goes out.

Each kart is equipped with a transponder that emits a unique signal which is picked up by the electronic scoring system as the kart crosses the "loop" buried under the asphalt at the Start/Finish line. The drivers provide the transponder number along with their driver profile data in the registration process.

The race director gives the signal: One Minute to Flag!

The Club saves all the driver/kart data in an MS Access db so the racers and registration workers don't have to re-enter everything each weekend, just the classes. This data is then sent race-by-race via our wireless intranet to the scoring computers.

The Pace Car: a Mercedes-Benz Kompressor provided by sponsor American Service Center proceeds to pit-out.

As part of the new "rolling start" change, the classes involved were also allowed to partake in qualifying sessions on Friday night. Qualifying for grid positions is SOP for short track racing, but it's never done (to my limited knowledge) in enduro racing (on long road courses/super speedways). You start from the position in which you registered - first come, first served.

The gridman sends karts out after the pace car.

This new wrinkle meant that the starting line-up for all the classes in 6 groups had to be re-ordered from the qualifying sessions prior to sending the race data to scoring.

Race Director Brandon Taylor cuts 'em lose!

I mention all this technical stuff because I spent 12 hours each day (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) as well as four hours Thursday night in Registration covering for the two paid workers who didn't show up. I only got to pop out and start TweetiePie in the first of his three races (the one he WON! Yippee!) and to take some pics of the rolling starts.

A few drivers refuse to lift and try taking turn 2 five wide on the first lap. The result: Doh! a few drivers sit out the rest of the race watching from the grass.



So, I didn't get to relax and play "pit-babe", I didn't get to blog from the track, I didn't take anywhere near enough pictures of family, friends and karts. I did spend three and a half days with a few hundred of the best people on the planet.

Note to self: If I start racing again, I won't be so apt to "volunteer" my entire weekend away from the team.

Escape from the Beltway

I'm spending this Memorial Day weekend 200+ miles away from D.C. but it may as well be light years. Beautiful southern Virginia - northern NC area. Racing. Friends and family. World class track and facilities. Racing. Booze. Springtime. Racing.

Did I mention racing?

Virginia International Raceway!!!

This is the only track I know of that has free wireless. God Bless the Old Dominion! I'll be reporting a little of what's happening for anyone interested and I'll be remembering all weekend just who it is that makes it possible for me to enjoy this wonderful activity in freedom and safety.

SEMPER GRATUS!

Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus

And he resides in Maryland! From today's Washington Times comes this wonderful holiday gift:

More aliens seek driver's licenses in Maryland

Since March, the average weekly number of driver's license applications by immigrants and illegal aliens has nearly doubled in Maryland, where legal residency is not required of applicants, according to the state Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA).

The number of out-of-country license applications, or those for noncitizens, has surged from an average of 946 a week to 1,800 a week since March, MVA spokesman Buel Young said.

...Local immigrants say illegal aliens are contributing to Maryland's surge in license applications by flocking to the state when their visas expire or by using the Maryland addresses of relatives.

"I heard that it's easier [to get licenses] here because in other states you need documents, but here it's not required," said 16-year-old Marcela, a Salvadoran immigrant who lives in Silver Spring and did not want to give her last name.
Antonio Lopez, a Guatemalan immigrant living in Hyattsville, said it is common for illegals to come to Maryland to apply for a license because a green card or Social Security card isn't required.

Cameroonian immigrant Nelson Manga, 35, who is obtaining his green card, said it depends on what a license will be used for. "Some people want to use it to identify themselves as permanent residents. That's not right," he said.

When I moved to this Socialist utopia, I was turned away from the MVA because I had nothing but my Virginia drivers license, Social Security card, government photo id, etc. as way of identification. "You must bring an original birth certificate and/or current passport!" Fortunately for me, I was born in D.C. and would not have to travel to some distant state to get the precious document. Unfortunately, I was born in D.C. and would have to wrestle the precious paperwork from the grip of surely, resentful public employees.

"Our task at the MVA is to determine whether someone is in fact who they say they are, so we require proof of age, identity and Maryland residency," Mr. Young said. "If someone provides proper documentation such as bills or lease agreements establishing residency, we must accept it," the MVA spokesman said. "Because proof of legal presence is not required in Maryland, we do not ask if you're here legally or not."

WTF? I could have saved myself a whole lotta time and effort by simply showing up with a phony lease agreement that I filled out in the parking lot. Instead, I followed the stupid rules and they took away my middle name 'cause is wasn't on my birth certificate!

A suit filed last year by CASA [de Maryland] against the MVA claims the agency, among other things, makes it more difficult for immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. "The MVA has for a long time been known for putting up extensive barriers for anyone not born in the United States," Miss Propeack said. "Instead of looking at the totality of what people are submitting and telling them what to do, they're doing it piecemeal, pointing out another problem each time people come back."

Lenny Campello, a Cuban immigrant, said illegals shouldn't be able to get licenses at all.

But Miss Propeack said illegals will continue to drive without licenses.

Well, isn't that special! What do you bet that all these immigrants of dubious legality also left the building with a brand new voter registration card to boot? Feliz Navidad!

Something to Add to My Border Arsenal

Marines develop "stealth" trebuchet! Exclusive to Mudville's new Milblogs site.

A Day in the Life of a Hero

PFC Joshua Sparling represents all that is good and honorable in the U.S. Military. To say that he's been through the "wringer" is an understatement and he still has a long, hard road to travel before he can get back on his chosen path. Josh has survived the worst that terrorists in Iraq and anti-American scumbags here could throw at him without losing his amazingly generous nature and love for his brothers-in-arms.


Recently, Josh and his father Mike Sparling experienced the dramatically different ways some Americans choose to honor our heros. The following is a letter Mike sent to one American who knows the right way to do it.


Josh and Mike Sparling at Walter Reed in March.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 29, 2006

Dear Mr. “John Doe”,

“John”, when I met you at Ronald Reagan International Airport, you asked that I send you an e-mail in regards to my son, PFC Joshua Sparling. You wanted to know what happened to him while he was stationed in Iraq and what he and the family have been through during this period.

Let me begin by telling you how grateful and thankful we were for you on his flight back to Detroit. As you witnessed, it was very emotional and stressful for both Joshua and myself.

Joshua is with the 82nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He dropped out of college to enlist with the 82nd to fight in the War on Terror. The recruiter told him he was nuts, because of his testing he could be in any MOS they had to offer. Joshua told him that he wanted to go after the bastards that came after us and he could not do that by sitting behind a desk.

In July 2005, Joshua went to West Point on temporary duty with C company 504-PIR, to train cadets for two months. Joshua was given a citation and written up in the New York papers. Basically, the article said that PFC Sparling was on the open fire obstacles with the cadets and one of them lifted their head too high. Josh ran to the officer and yelled at him to keep his damn head down or it would be blown off in combat. The officer embraced Joshua, thanked him and bought him a beer.

They did such a good job with the cadets they were going to be rewarded with a two-week temporary duty in Europe to get their overseas jump wings, which nobody has received since WWII. A week before they were to leave, they got the call the Marines needed support in Iraq.

On September 2, 2005, they arrived in Baghdad, Iraq. Once in Baghdad, Joshua came down with smallpox in reaction to the shot to prevent them. He was under care for three weeks for that and still has scars on the back of his neck and shoulders. They asked him if he wanted to go to Germany for treatment, but he told them he would not leave unless everyone in the 82nd got to go with him.

Joshua then proceeded with his unit to support the Marines in Operation Steel Curtain, on the Syrian border. There were seven member squads of 101st Airborne (Paratroopers), Marines, and Joshua’s squad from the 82nd. The 82nd and Marine squads came under fire from the terrorists. During the fight, the 101st started firing on Joshua’s squad and the Marines. They thought they were engaging terrorists. “Tom”, with the 82nd was hit in the leg by the 101st. Joshua and his squad leader ran 200 meters while under constant enemy fire to the right of the terrorists and got behind a light pole to draw fire away from the two squads, while killing three terrorists, so they could retreat. Then the 101st realized what had happened and took out the appropriate target, killing the remaining terrorists. Joshua called me and said, “Dad, I thought I was going to be killed today, but God had other plans.” Joshua was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor. “Tom”, with the 82nd was shipped to Kuwait for treatment for the rifle wounds he received. Lucky for “Tom” it was a clean wound causing no damage. “Tom” rejoined Joshua and his unit 4 weeks later.

Joshua’s unit and the Marines then went to Ramadi, Iraq for a support mission. While on lookout, they spotted a motor boat crossing the river. ... Josh was told to try to hit the boat with a 50-caliber machine gun. Josh fired one burst, which sank the boat, and they captured the surviving terrorist. Two terrorists were killed from the explosion of the motor boat. Later, Joshua and his unit were on foot patrol when they came under fire from out of a house. Joshua was told to toss in a grenade. The terrorists sent out two kids around eight years old with the grenade. The kids were blown up by that grenade, which Joshua still cannot deal with. The remaining terrorists were killed.

“Tom” rejoins the unit on November 18, 2005. The 82nd only has two more missions and they can return home. On November 20, 2005 at 1100 hours, they were on foot patrol in the outskirts of Ramadi. They spot what they thought were terrorists and began pursuit on foot. Then the terrorist turned around and set off an IED, or improvised explosive device. Joshua saw the red detonator and yelled before it went off blowing Josh 20 yards away and injuring “Tom”, who had just rejoined the unit two days before.

I received the call by satellite phone from Joshua’s squad leader so Joshua could tell me goodbye. Joshua said, “Dad, I’m sorry, but I’ve been hit bad and they don’t think I’m gonna make it.” Joshua’s buddy tied on a tourniquet above his knee to stop the bleeding. Skin and the knee braces, that all paratroopers wear, were holding on his leg. The chopper was there within two minutes carrying doctors and medics. They started giving him blood transfusions and got the bleeding stopped on the way back to Baghdad.

I received a call saying he was being sent to Landstuhl, Germany for further treatment. On November 23, 2005, I got a call saying Joshua was being shipped to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I arrived here on November 24th, the same day Joshua did. The doctor in ER wanted to amputate his leg at that point, but it would have been an amputation just below the hip. Joshua said no, so the doctor called in another surgeon, who was on leave. Major Tis, the BEST surgeon in the country in our eyes, told Joshua that he would personally take his case up with Captain Mack and Captain Hagelson, but it was going to be a long hard road ahead. Joshua and I agreed with Major Tis.

On the way to his first surgery on November 24th, the Red Cross gave Joshua a card. Josh thanked them for the card and opened it the next day. The card said, “Have a great time in the war and have a great time dieing in the war.” Joshua hung the card on the wall of his hospital room as an incentive to get well so he could go back to Iraq and finish the job.

Brian Kilmeade from Fox News and Colonel Oliver North came by the hospital just before Christmas and saw the card. They were appalled that someone would send such a card. The story made the news on Fox and Friends. Sean Hannity was made aware of the card and interviewed Joshua on his radio show.

On December 10, 2005, I became unemployed because of the time I would have to be with my son, which is the same day Joshua had a sixteen-hour surgery and the same day he was awarded the Purple Heart. Joshua was also awarded the Silver Star, and will receive it when he travels to Fort Bragg at the beginning of June.

From November 20, 2005 through January 15, 2006, Joshua had over 23 surgeries on his right leg while being treated for depression. He has had 31 surgeries to date. Joshua was discharged from the hospital on February 4, 2006 and began physical therapy. Both bones on his lower right leg were completely gone as well as his calf muscle and nerves. They removed the muscle from his stomach and placed it just below his knee. They did skin graphs from his left leg and hip to put on his right leg and used a new drug hormone that promotes new bone growth.

Joshua suffered other injuries from the explosion as well. He has a blown eardrum, cracked teeth with cavities blown out and shrapnel wounds inside his mouth and all over his body.

In March, Joshua and I were finally able to go home to see our family and friends for the first time in nearly four months. Upon our return to Walter Reed, Joshua informed his great Doctors that he could not get the pain out of his right foot, which was not damaged. They x-rayed his leg and foot. The bone in his leg is now about the size of a spaghetti noodle. The extensive damage done to the nerves in the leg was so severe that the foot was trying to tell the brain that everything was okay, but there are no nerves left in the leg to relay the message, so the foot believes it is damaged. Upon further testing they discovered that Joshua has no feeling in his lower right leg. The good news is in nine to ten months, Joshua’s bones, just below the transplanted stomach muscle, will be large enough to support a below the knee amputation. This news came to us about two weeks ago. Joshua is still on five different narcotics for pain and two anti-depressants, along with others for bone growth.

That brings me to the part where you, “John”, helped us. Joshua had booked a flight to go home for another convalescent leave on SPIRIT Airlines. We told them we would need a wheelchair and assistance with security because he was a wounded paratrooper confined to a wheel chair. They told us that would not be a problem. We normally use Northwest and they are great, but SPIRIT was $35.00 less so we booked with SPIRIT. I cannot fly with Joshua, because when he is home we need a car to go back and forth to the hospital and to dental and ortho appointments. I always send him first then I drive back to Michigan. This is when the incident occurred that precipitated our meeting with you, “John”. You are a great American and a great representative for your company.

We arrived at the airport at 4:30 pm for a 5:10 flight. When we arrived there was no wheel chair, no one at the SPIRIT counter and no security. I looked for a SPIRIT employee for ten minutes. Joshua said, “Dad I’m going to miss my flight, just get me to the gate and they can help us there.” Northwest gave us a wheel chair, but we still had no security. Security would not let us through because we had no boarding pass. We informed them that SPIRIT had our boarding pass and asked that he please let us go to the gate with him and he could verify it, or get someone from SPIRIT and they could give it to him. The security guard said, “You are no different than any other passenger with no boarding pass - no go.”

My son started to cry uncontrollably and told the guard to go to hell. Another lady spoke up and said, “That’s what you get for fighting in a war we have no business in.” Madder and very emotional I asked, “Can’t you remember 9-11?” She responded that was just our excuse to be in Iraq when we should not be there and we deserved whatever we got. That is when my son really lost it. Three WWII vets were coming off flights into DC, gave my son a hug, and stood up to the lady and security guard. They stayed with my son until he flew out.

In the meantime, a wonderful man who works for the Military Severely Injured Center, and assigned to the airport, was called by security. He asked what was going on. The Vets and I explained the situation and he said he would get someone from SPIRIT as soon as possible. It was now 4:50 pm and the plane leaves at 5:10. He went to the SPIRIT counter and there was still no one there. At 5:00, he found the employees in the back room at the SPIRIT counter, where they had been the entire time. He could not explain why they were not there to support their passengers. The manager came out and told us we were too late and they could not get Joshua on the flight because it was leaving in ten minutes. He also explained that it was a non-refundable ticket, but he would let us fly tomorrow evening. The head of MSIC (Military Severely Injured Center) said to give us a voucher on another airline and get the Soldier out tonight. The SPIRIT manager said they do not do vouchers for other airlines. I then suggested they give us a refund so we can get a ticket on another airline…he said, “NO.” The head of MSIC told them to give the Soldier a refund now or we will press charges against SPIRIT. We were then given a refund.

Meanwhile, Joshua was still at security. I told him “SPIRIT would not help us, but hang tight, I’ll get you out tonight, I promise.” Joshua said, “never mind Dad, it’s not worth it. I’m going to end it tonight. I said don’t you dare do anything stupid. There are too many people who care about you and too many people have got you where you are today. Remember they thought you were going to die and you fought hard to stay alive.
I went to the Northwest counter and the lady was crying because of what had happened. She told me she was already working on a ticket for Joshua. Northwest offered any passenger a free roundtrip ticket to anywhere they flew, if they would give up their seat for a soldier who was severely injured in Iraq.

EIGHT businessmen came forward and said he could have their seat and no compensation was necessary. Northwest then asked if anyone would give up his or her first class seat for Joshua. A gentleman came forward and said Joshua could have his seat, saying he would sit in the toilet if need be. Other passengers remarked that Joshua could sit anywhere on the plane he wants and we will sit wherever.

That is when I broke down and started to cry. Everyone on that Northwest flight began patting Joshua on the back shaking his hand and telling him what a great job he did and how proud they were of him and the other troops who serve. After helping my son board, not one person failed to tell me thanks for what my son and I have been through. Joshua made it back to Michigan and is doing extremely well. He has therapy at Port Huron Hospital and he has counseling twice a week and is doing great!

Since this ordeal began, I have lost my job, Joshua and I have missed the birth of my grandson and granddaughter, my 18-year-old son’s graduation from high school and every holiday. Joshua and I feel we would go through it again if need be. My belief has always been God, Family and Country, in that order, nothing else matters.

I am a proud father/grandfather of eight children and ten grandchildren. We will be home in May, to see all the family. We both will return to Walter Reed in June for follow-ups. Joshua should be able to return to the 82nd Airborne in the next 18-24 months or so.

Please keep all of our troops in harms way in your thoughts and prayers. Five out of the seven paratroopers in Joshua’s unit were injured in Iraq. Three of the five are still there. Joshua just got the unlucky straw because he was injured the worst. One of the two injured Marines is already back with his unit. I say already, but it has been over 5 months. Thank God, neither unit lost any lives!

Thanks again “John”, for your kind heart and your uplifting spirit. If any one wants to send a card or anything, please address it to me so I can screen it first.

God bless you and may God continue to bless America. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Josh, Mike and "John" - THANK YOU!

Fmragtops for President!

Look! Learn! Vote!

Waaaaay cool campaign banner by Steve the Pirate.

Fmragtops will solve all our problem and let us have our way with dirty, smelly seditious hippies! What's not to like? And I get to be head of the Department of Immigration and Neutralization, aka Border Security!!!! OORAH!!! No commie pinkos or terrorist a-holes crossing our borders under MY watch!

Deploy the trebuchets and fling the flaming poo back across the border!

Now I'm off to a long, busy weekend w/no internet access. See y'all Sunday night.


One more thing, Capt B's got a new post and a new look to the blog, and a most promising preview of No Shit News to come!!!! He's also go a really dumb troll. Ah, well... jim b's comment makes up for it in spades!

AQIZ /Rhino's Retreat

CENTCOM released an amazing set of translated documents siezed in a raid on April 16th.

BAGHDAD, Iraq – During an Apr. 16 raid in the Yusifiyah area, Coalition Forces discovered a large amount of documents and videos ranging from plans to critiques including al Qaida in Iraq’s strategy in Baghdad, and how the terrorist organization lacks leadership, military capability and Iraqi support.

There's some really good stuff in here and it makes AQ's prospects for success in Iraq a pipe-dream. It also occured to me that the text bore a striking resemblance to the Republican party's leadership (or lack thereof) and the political quagmire in which the Rhinos now find themselves. Ignoring polls on illegals, border security and other conservative issues, they are as stuck-on-stupid as the mujahidin in Baghdad.

The following is my translation of part of the confiscated document as written by one of the liguine spined Republicans now serving in Congress with key words replaced. Substitutions like Democrat for Shiites, Republican for mujahidin, D.C. for Baghdad, etc.

• It has been proven that the Democrats have a power and influence in D.C. that cannot be taken lightly, particularly when the power of the Supreme Court and State Dept. is given to them, compared with the power of the Republicans in D.C. During a Congressional confrontation, they will be in a better position because they represent the power of the special interests along with the power of the popular medias. Most of the Republican power lies in surprise attacks (forced votes) or setting up explosive charges and booby traps. This is a different matter than a battle with civilized opponents that possess morals and underground communications networks. Thus, what is fixed in the minds of the Democrat and Independant population is that the Democrats are stronger in D.C. and closer to controlling it while the Republicans (who represent the backbone of the Independant people) are not considered more than a daily annoyance to the Democrat government. The only power the Republicans have is what they have already demonstrated in hunting down drifted polls and taking pot-shots at those party members who stray far from their polls, or planting leaks among the media and hiding among them in the hope that the expose's will injure Democrat members of the government. In other words, these activities could be understood as hitting the scared and the hiding ones, which is an image that requires a concerted effort to change, as well as Bush's wisdom.

• There is a clear absence of organization among the groups of the Republicans in D.C., whether at the leadership level in D.C., the State leaders, or their groups therein. Coordination among them is very difficult, which appears clearly when the group undertake a join operations.

• At the same time, the Democrats and the MSM were able to absorb our painful blows, sustain them, compensate their losses with new replacements, and follow strategic plans which allowed them in the past few years to take control of D.C. as well as other areas one after the other. That is why every year is worse than the previous year as far as the Republican's control and influence over D.C.

• The role that the Democrat party and the Democrat National Committee play in numbing the American people through the media is a dangerous role. It has been proven from the course of the events that the Democrat investment in the Party and the Committee were not in vain. In spite of the gravity of the events, they were able to calm down the American people, justify their traitorous deeds, and give the traitors the opportunity to do more work without any recourse and consequence. This situation stemmed from two matters:

First, their media power is presented by their special radio and TV stations as the sole American information source, coupled with our weak media which is confined mainly to the Internet, without a flyer or newspaper to present these events.

Second, in the course of their control of the majority of the speakers in the media who convert right into wrong and wrong into right, and present patriotism in a sinful manner and sins in a patriotic manner. At the same time we did not have any positive impact or benefits from our cooperations.

• The Minuteman status is frequently raised and whether they belong to the Democrats or Republicans. Too much talk is around whether we belong to them or not, or should we strike and discredit their men or not?

• I believe that we should not allow this situation to exist at all, and we should bury it before it surfaces and reject any suggestion to that effect.

Wha'dya think? Pretty scary scenario for the upcoming elections.

Border Bedlam

The Minuteman Caravan is heading towards D.C. and will be here Friday night. Hopefully, the Mexican government has been apprised of their movements and properly notified of the whereabouts of the caravan.

"This ... simply makes two basic statements -- that we will not allow any lawlessness of any type, and that if an alien is encountered by a Minuteman or arrested by the Minuteman, then we will allow that government to interview the person."

Won't allow lawlessness?!? Crossing our borders illegally isn't against the law?!? Wouldn't want those vigilantes arresting and roughing up any poor migrant/undocumented/hard working/really good people without benefit of counsel!

AAAAAAAGGGGHHHH! I need more duct tape!

When are we gonna bring back the sedition laws? 90% of Congress should be in jail!!!!!

Spring and Sunsets at Walter Reed

Another beautiful spring evening outside the front gate at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The rain held off as we held the 55th Friday celebration of our Troops and the wounded warriors who are recovering inside the hospital.

No police surveilance tonight. Not that we mind the cops being around -- they like us -- but they've been a constant presence the last few weeks. Oh well...

About 2 dozen FReepers and friends showed up tonight compared to half that number for the commie Pinkos. We even had one gentleman from India get off the Metro bus and come stand with us most of the evening!

This is concretebob's flag pole flying the U.S. and Corps flags.
Speaking of the USMC, (I'll make any excuse!) Marine Corps Field Historian LtCol Covert has a new post! This is one of two articles he wrote for Leatherneck magazine and it details the work the Marines have done to train, equip, and motivate the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement.

By the end of his tour in Iraq, Desimone saw radical changes in the effectiveness of the border police forces. “The border police are locking people up and are becoming more and more effective daily. We measure their success on how many arrests they make and how many people they are stopping and interdicting. They’ve come a long way – from guys in Metallica t-shirts and flip-flops to what we’ve got now – jundee in uniform, armed, conducting patrols and making arrests.

Marine Corps Combat Artist WO MD Fay has several new posts, and has been having problems with Blogger and images (Gee! what a surprise! /sarcasm). In Afghan Images, Afghan Memories and ...Continued he's got wonderful stories, pics and his own amazing artwork on display.

I finally was "first" to comment on Taco's site! You go now and read Save your Mommy, Kill a Commmie. This is part 2 of his "How I became a Marine despite the dire warnings of my parents" series.

One of Walter Reed's resident bloggers, Stg. Elijah Allen of Contact Right...Taking Fire, has created an image for the designation POWR (Prisoner of Walter Reed). Check it out!

Twelve little Pinko 'tards all in a row.

Mothers' Day will be very special this year for all those "mothers" who will gather on the Mall to protest the country that the rest of us love. Rumor has it that the Sheehag and Susan Serandon will be there. Fortunately, the Minuteman Caravan to D.C. should be arriving Friday night and may collide with the commies and run them over. ...Ok, I can wish can't I?





"Princess" came back tonight. He and Perry jammed a little too hard and "Princess" looks to have a headache...







Trooprally [Mr.], Philip from India, and JVB. Philip was the one who got off the Metro bus to join us. He has promised to return.





Sisku Hanne's sister was flying higher than Alan Shepard on another famous May 5th after getting an Airborne cap from a soldier passing in a car. She thought he was trying to touch her flag with the hat and she stretched out to let him touch it, but he kept motioning for her to come closer and finally she "got it". HOOAH! She probably has yet to touch down, she was sooooo happy and thankful.


The lovely ladies on the left brought a whole lot of enthusiasm. They screamed and cheered and had all the cars and trucks honking like mad.






Sunset at the gate.





No more buses from Fran O'Brien's. There was a WR "school bus" that came thru the gates at about the time the Fran's bus would have, but I'm not sure if it was carrying wounded warriors from the Hilton. Sgt. Allen's got a post about the last supper.

Hooray! I'm on a new blogroll and you should be, too!

The 101st Fighting Keybordists is where it's at.

Frank J in his infinite wisdomness has the best example/excuse for this new list of listers and why you should follow the herd and jump off the same cliff as the rest of us lemmings.

Hey, fmragtops started this line of thought. Follow it right over to Captains Quarters and sign up.

OK, maybe I'm like the last one to find it and you are all on it already. There are sooooo many that I haven't seen them all but I saw lots of people's blogs that I used to visit on a regular basis but because I'm a loser I haven't been to in a really long time and I feel bad about that 'cause they're all excellent bloggers and deserve the traffic and comments and kudos. Like FIAR and fmragtops, and DPT and DETECTIVE Wyatt Earp and JimmyB and Professor RWN, and doll, and Insolublog and a bunch of others others. I am also still working on my sidebar links and there are several blogs I just haven't gotten to add because I'm such a loser.

Week 54 at Walter Reed

If this post looks a little funny, it's because I cut-and-pasted it from the AAR I wrote on FreeRepublic. I'm too lazy to write another, original post for this site. NOTE: The empty photo boxes are Blogger's problem (I assume). Hopefully they will magically appear tomorrow.

Last weekend, we had lots of new faces in the crowd as people had come from all over to be at the Milblog Conference. This week, we had new faces come to be part of the anti-PhreakPhest on Saturday. The events have one underlying similarity: Supporting the Troops and Their Mission.

It's been a long time since these Friday night revelries began. They weren't all as positive and fun as they are these days. For those who'd like to step back in history, here's a list of reports chronicling all of the WR FReeps as compiled and updated by BufordP. Pay special attention to Week 40 -- that's when concretebob kicked CodePink to the curb and we took ownership of

ALL FOUR CORNERS.

Tonight was clear as a bell in contrast to last week's downpour. Lots of folks turned out to take advantage of such a nice night and celebrate our heroes who are recovering from wounds suffered in service to our great nation. The DC Chapter and many FReepers from out of town had a terrific time.

Mr. Sparling was back in town with son and hero Joshua Sparling, and he stopped by to say hello. We were also favored by the company of two OIF vets, Evan and Tim who bravely went waaaaaay down the block to find out what the lefty moonbats think Troop Support really is.

Now for some pics. For all the ones I took, see the Photobucket collection for this night.


tgslTakoma, Kristinn and StayTrue

Early evening under the MOAB2

Marine and Soldier - buddies


With bert, bstein80 and Pasquale


Tim

BufordP and I were approached by a local business owner who said he wanted to show his support for us and offered free drinks if we came to his restaurant. Thank you Mr. Reyes!!!! Be sure to patronize el Tamarindo (just a block or so north of the WR gates) and say thanks to Mr. Reyes for his generosity.

Tonight was made extra special by the return of -- SQUEEGEE!

Yes, that lanky character was back with his wingnut Pinko friends and stoically ignoring the the men and women he supposedly supports.

Marge crosses the street (with McCarron) to make sure we know that they "have a permit for both sides of the street and you have to move back behind that tree". Sure Marge, anything you say (twit).


Tim and Evan crossed to the Pinko side where they were completely ignore by everyone but Bruce, who did little more than turn halfway to face the pair and tell them to leave. Yeah, I call that supporting our Troops! (nitwit)


Um, ... NO!


Ickabod Squeegee in his favorite pose. So much for Pinkos.

Tom holding down the NW corner all by himself for a while.


Taco Mamma and Kristinn


bert and TroopRally [Mr.]


Jimmy Valentine's Brother and Exit148


Nick Z. and pals

The only bad thing about tonight is that it marks the last time Fran O'Brien's will host a dinner for the wounded warriors at the Capital Hilton. It seems, however, that Hal and Marty aren't giving up completely. See Sandrat's post for the future plans.

From Capt Z comes another wonderful Chuck Rant:

If, however, you happen to live near Brian Kelleher who works for the hilton, tell him that the best part of him is a stain on the towel in a San Francisco mens bath house. Then, give him a kick in the nuts for me.

Fran's has left the building.

There was no bus tonight (unless it came reaaaaalllly late). We stayed 'till after 10pm anyway. It really was a nice night!

DollyCali's FReepups liked it.


tgslTakoma's new MOAB2 looked great!


And we enjoyed some great company.

What more can you ask for? Come next week and join the FReep!

Our Troops appreciate it almost as much as we appreciate them!

Every Friday - on ALL FOUR CORNERS at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Elder Street in NW D.C. - starts at 6:30p and goes until 9:30ish - bring your own signs, flags, banners or use one of a gazzillion on hand (thanks tgslTakoma!) and most importantly bring your enthusiasm!

You Can't Keep a Good Man Down

Filed under THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME! comes two stories about wounded warriors who have not only recovered from near-fatal injuries, but are back with their units.

First, a young man I've had the great pleasure to meet and talk to on several occasions, Army Spc. Bryant Jacobs of B Company, 66th Engineers. Bryant had been disposing of IEDs in Iraq for 11 months when he fell victim to one. He had an incredibly long and painful recovery. On January 13th of this year I saw him walking for the first time and my heart nearly burst with joy! The following is from the CENTCOM story, including the photo.

Having come to a point in his life where he wasn’t happy with his job and things didn’t seem to be going well, Jacobs said he entered the military for a career change, and now believes he’s helped make a real difference in Iraq and said that building schools, clearing routes, and improving the way of life for Iraqis has made him proud to be a part of the Army.

Bryant, I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of your service and sacrifice. HOOAH!

The second story begins with a quiz. Do you know who this man is?

Don't look at the second picture! Oh, OK go ahead and look. Yes indeed, its Sgt. Major Brad Kasal, USMC. Photo by Col. B.B. Yarborough, USMC Ret. I found this story over at Deb's site, Marine Corps Moms, and flipped my lid. I have been looking at the picture below for over 6 months now since I tacked it up on the wall in front of my desk. It's horrible and inspiring and really motivates me.


That's a Navy Cross pinned to his shirt, the second highest award for valor and bravery, and he was promoted to Sgt. Major to boot! Please read Deb's post for more from the ceremony and what's been going on in the Sgt. Major's life. He's got a bright future.

Sgt. Major Brad Kasal is not only a hero, he's a SUPER HERO! OORAH!

Phelp's PhreakPhest FReeped at NNMC

Here's my story from Bethesda Naval Hospital and I'm stickin' to it.