A Thank You to Our Soldiers

Hello dear Fellow Patriots. I just want to post that I am very grateful to all the Brave United States Soldiers that are serving our Country in all the ungrateful cesspools of the world. They put themselves in harms way daily for our freedoms, and I don't think people appreciate them enough. Well, I do. I pray for them daily and am proud they are protecting us.

Every day I am very sad when I read about more of our boys deaths. Today there were four more fatalities. May God Rest their souls and bring some comfort to their families left behind, who must grieve now and make sense out of their sacrifice.

BAGHDAD — Iraq officially took control of its fate Tuesday as the U.S. pulled its combat troops out of Baghdad and other cities and towns, handing over security responsibilities to Iraqi forces.
The withdrawal completed the Status of Forces agreement signed last November, and touched off celebrations in Baghdad and other cities. It is a day when Iraqis celebrate as they continue to move towards exercising their full sovereignty," U.S. Commanding General Ray Odierno told FOX News. "The Iraqi people should be very proud of the dedication, progress, and sacrifice of the Iraqi security forces and the government of Iraq."

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared Tuesday to be "National Sovereignty Day," complete with a military parade to display to Iraqis — and a still stubborn insurgency — its ability to maintain order in a nation ravaged by six years of war. But the dangers facing Iraq were brought into stark focus after a car bomb exploded on Tuesday, killing at least 24 people in the city of Kirkuk. Today, U.S. military officials reported that four American soldiers were killed in combat on the eve of the withdrawal. Officials said the four soldiers killed on Monday served with the Multi-National Division-Baghdad, but did not provide further details pending notification of their families. The soldiers died as a "result of combat related injuries."

If the Iraqis can hold down violence in the coming months, it will show the country is finally on the road to stability. If they fail, it will pose a challenge to Barry's pledge to end a war that has claimed the lives of more than 4,300 U.S. troops and thousands of Iraqis.

Despite Tuesday's formal pullback, some U.S. troops will remain in the cities to train and advise Iraqi forces. U.S. troops will return to the cities only if asked. The U.S. military will continue combat operations in rural areas and near the border, but only with the Iraqi government's permission. Gen. Odierno told FOX News, "Our combat forces partnering with the Iraqi security forces will secure the belts and borders in an attempt to eliminate safe havens and sanctuaries, and to limit freedom of movement of insurgents and prevent the facilitation of foreign fighters through the borders." The U.S. has not said how many troops will be in the cities in advisory roles, but the vast majority of the more than 130,000 U.S. forces remaining in the country will be in large bases scattered outside cities. There have been some worries that the 650,000-member Iraqi military is not ready to maintain stability and deal with a stubborn insurgency.
Privately, many U.S. officers worry the Iraqis will be overwhelmed if violence surges, having relied for years on the Americans for nearly everything. Fox News, The Associated Press, Reuters and Time contributed to this report.

Your Amusing Bunni finds I am even more interested in what is happening over in Iraq and Afghanistan these days because last week I Adopted a U.S. Soldier. I will write another post soon about my experiences with The AAUSS site, as it is still in the new stages. Below I will put some links for you. You can keep up on the news over in the middle east as well.

I'd also like to give props and thank the GREAT Website War On Terror News, who has a super informative site with daily e-mail updates you can sign up for. They are also on Twitter, under the Name WOTN and I follow them.

I have links in my Blog Roll for these sites also. On the Right Side of My Page --->

Another site I found keeps me informed on Iraq casualties lists for Soldiers who have passed away. I know it is morbid to have to look at that, but I am a worrier and I don't hear from the Soldier I adopted for long stretches. I want to make sure nothing bad happened to him. The casualties are also listed by month.

With Independence Day fast approaching, I just wanted to honor and our Soldiers who Fight for Freedom everywhere. It is even more important these days, with the daily downward spiral our liberties and freedoms here in America have been going, thanks to the fascist-in chief.

I doubt we can realize the pressures our Boys are under out in the theatre of War. The Hurt Locker a great new film by K Bigelow, will really take you out there. The link I put is from Salon, with trailers, reviews and interviews. It's about a bomb squad that faces instant death upwards of 12 times a day. I can't wait to see it.

I have commented to my special friends and readers many times lately that this year will be a SAD Holiday for me, thinking on how our Constitution has been shredded and given less respect than used toilet paper. I know our Founding Fathers are spinning in their Graves, and I Pray that America survives the next 3 1/2 years intact.