Archive for category Warriors

Travis Letter Returns to Alamo After 177 Years

Today at 16:00 CST the letter that William B. Travis wrote to America requesting help at the Alamo returns after 177 years.

Watch the ceremony live.  http://new.livestream.com/accounts/2629152/events/1897059

Commandancy of the The Alamo

Bejar, Feby. 24th. 1836

To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World-

Fellow Citizens & compatriots-

I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna – I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man – The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken – I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls – I shall never surrender or retreat .  Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch – The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days.  If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country – Victory or Death .

William Barret Travis.

Lt. Col.comdt.

P. S.  The Lord is on our side – When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn – We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.

Travis

http://www.travisletter.com/the-letter.html

 

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Rob Bowman, Warrior, Passes Away

From: Michael Yon

Rob Bowman

SFC Bowman shades his commander’s eyes after he was shot in Iraq.

15 January 2013

The United States has lost a great Soldier and fine man to cancer.  Rob struggled with the disease for about 20 months before passing yesterday.  It is with great sorrow that I write these words.

In combat, Rob was courageous and tactically expert.  I got to know him in the Deuce Four battalion in Iraq, where Rob was recon platoon sergeant.

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National Security leaks from the Obama Administration

These Intelligence and Special Operations Professionals were mocked, ignored and belittled by the National Media this summer when much of this activity was revealed.

From: OPSECTeam via YouTube

Intelligence and Special Operations forces are furious and frustrated at how President Obama and those in positions of authority have exploited their service for political advantage. Countless leaks, interviews and decisions by the Obama Administration and other government officials have undermined the success of our Intelligence and Special Operations forces and put future missions and personnel at risk.

The unwarranted and dangerous public disclosure of Special Forces Operations is so serious — that for the first time ever — former operators have agreed to risk their reputations and go ‘on the record’ in a special documentary titled “Dishonorable Disclosures.” Its goal is to educate America about serious breaches of security and prevent them from ever happening again.

Use of military ranks, titles & photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement of the Dept of the Army or the Department of Defense. All individuals are no longer in active service with any federal agency or military service.

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Navy Sailor Indicted With Espionage

Robert P Hoffman II, a former U.S. Navy sailor has been charged with attempted espionage after he tried to deliver classified documents to what he believed were individuals working for the Russian Federation. Details

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Marines Have to Explain What They Do

From National Defense Magazine:

With budget cuts on the horizon for all branches of the military, Marine leaders are taking no chances that the Corps’ value might be put into question. They are stepping up the rhetoric in a preemptive effort to put to rest the idea that the Marine Corps is just a smaller version of the U.S. Army.

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Drone Video Unencrypted

From Danger Room:

Four years after discovering that militants were tapping into drone video feeds, the U.S. military still hasn’t secured the transmissions of more than half of its fleet of Predator and Reaper drones, Danger Room has learned. The majority of the aircraft still broadcast their classified video streams “in the clear” — without encryption. With a minimal amount of equipment and know-how, militants can see what America’s drones see.

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Military Dog Monument

From Military Times

The first national monument to pay tribute to military dogs will be unveiled in California in just two months. The U.S. Working Dog Teams National Monument will honor every dog that has served in combat since World War II.

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GORUCK Backpacks

GORUCK bags are made in the United States by a former Special Forces member.

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Military Dog to Get Equivalent of Victoria Cross

From ITV:

An Army sniffer dog who died of a seizure shortly after his handler was killed in Afghanistan will posthumously receive the highest Military Honour available to animals today.

 

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CIA Operators Were Denied Help During Attack on Lybian Consulate

From: Fox News (Exclusive)

Watch “Special Report Investigates: Benghazi — New Revelations” on Fox News at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, 3 p.m. on Sunday and 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods was part of a small team who was at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When he and others heard the shots fired, they informed their higher-ups at the annex to tell them what they were hearing and requested permission to go to the consulate and help out. They were told to “stand down,” according to sources familiar with the exchange. Soon after, they were again told to “stand down.”

Woods and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The rescue team from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.

At that point, they called again for military support and help because they were taking fire at the CIA safe house, or annex. The request was denied. There were no communications problems at the annex, according those present at the compound. The team was in constant radio contact with their headquarters. In fact, at least one member of the team was on the roof of the annex manning a heavy machine gun when mortars were fired at the CIA compound. The security officer had a laser on the target that was firing and repeatedly requested back-up support from a Spectre gunship, which is commonly used by U.S. Special Operations forces to provide support to Special Operations teams on the ground involved in intense firefights. The fighting at the CIA annex went on for more than four hours — enough time for any planes based in Sigonella Air base, just 480 miles away, to arrive. Fox News has also learned that two separate Tier One Special operations forces were told to wait, among them Delta Force operators.

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B-17 with MIA Found in Mediterranean

From Battleland:

Navy divers assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2, Company 4, and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, stand Oct. 19 with the American flag, and the POW/MIA flag, on the wreckage of a B-17 bomber that was shot down and sank during World War II. The team is deployed alongside JPAC aboard the USNS Grapple (T-ARS 53) as part of a 30-day underwater recovery mission for an unaccounted-for service member who went missing during the crash into the Mediterranean Sea.

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New Tire Technology in Development

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Sgt. William J. Woitowicz, USMC

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Marine Helps Amputee Finish Triathalon

From Military Times:

A few hours later, a photo was snapped of Baltz being carried across the finish line on the back of Pfc. Matthew Morgan, 19, a communications signals collection operator/analyst with Marine Detachment Corry Station in Pensacola, Fla. The two were surrounded by a pack of Marines as they completed the race in solidarity.

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Stunning Letter: Infantry Colonel Communiqué to Secretary of the Army

From: Micheal Yon

This is the most stunning and forceful letter I have read from the Afghanistan war.  It was written in 2010 from Afghanistan by Colonel Harry Tunnell, the Brigade Commander of 5/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

After this letter, Colonel Tunnell was investigated and the normal smear campaign unfolded.  Having been embedded with his Brigade in 2010, it became obvious that they were put into a no-win situation, with troops spread over several provinces in Afghanistan.

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