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Ashley I. White

24 Oct

1LT Ashley Irene White, 24, of Alliance, Ohio, assigned to 230th Brigade Support Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard, Goldsboro, N.C.

Ashley always pushed herself to be a better person, according to her family.

So it came as little shock when White, a first lieutenant in the North Carolina National Guard, volunteered to be part of an elite team of women soldiers who work alongside Special Operations forces.

White, a member of the second-ever class of Cultural Support Team soldiers, was killed along with two Army Rangers on Saturday in Afghanistan, officials said.

A Cultural Support Team is an all-volunteer force formed in late 2010 that is trained at Fort Bragg.

The women soldiers who serve on the teams assist Army Special Operations combat forces by engaging the women in areas where such contact may be culturally inappropriate for male soldiers.

White, 24, was a native of Alliance, Ohio, who lived in Raeford with her husband, CPT Jason Stumpf, officials said.

She was killed in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device.

Also killed were SFC Kristoffer B. Domeij, 29, of San Diego, Calif., and PFC Christopher A. Horns, 20, of Colorado Springs, Colo.

Domeij and Horns were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

White was assigned to the N.C. National Guard’s 230th Brigade Support Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team but was attached to a Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan.

A news release from Army Special Operations Command said White “selflessly served and her actions exemplify the highest commitment to duty, honor and country.”

In addition to her husband, White is survived by her parents, Robert and Deborah White; a brother, Josh; and a twin sister, Brittney, all of Alliance, Ohio.

Josh White said he and his siblings were inseparable while growing up in Ohio.

“We did everything together,” he said.

White attended Kent State University and, while enrolled, decided to join the military.

“The values behind the decision were instilled by our father,” Josh White said. “We supported her because we knew it was what she loved.”

But that support didn’t halt the fears that were realized Saturday, he said.

White’s parents had traveled to Dover Air Force Base, Del. on Sunday to retrieve their daughter’s remains.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete as of Sunday evening, according to the N.C. National Guard.

Josh White described his sister as a woman who never settled for anything less than her best.

“She always pushed herself,” he said. “She would drive herself to be the absolute best.”

In the military, White found a release for that dedication and a way to put her skills to use in helping people, her brother said.

“She said she felt like she was making a difference. She loved being a soldier,” he said. “It was never all about her. That’s just the type of person she was.”

From Afghanistan, officials said White was a crucial member of the special operations strike force to which she was assigned and said her efforts highlighted both the importance and necessity of women on the battlefield today.

“This battalion mourns the tragic loss of 1LT Ashley White. Ashley was an incredibly talented officer and teammate who lost her life while committed to making a difference in our effort in Afghanistan,” LTC David Hodne, commander of 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, said in a release. “She demonstrated a level of quiet courage that set the example for others to follow, and we will never forget her sacrifice. Her family is in our thoughts and prayers.”

The N.C. National Guard also issued a release in reference to White’s death.

“We are grieving with her family today. Our prayers are with them during this difficult time,” said MG Greg Lusk, adjutant general of North Carolina and commander of the nearly 12,000 men and women of the North Carolina National Guard. “She was a fine soldier who never shied away from the tough jobs. We will miss her.”

White, who deployed in August, was on her first tour in Afghanistan, according to the military.

She was commissioned as an officer after graduating college in 2009 and trained at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and Fort Benning, Ga., before being assigned to the 230th Brigade Support Battalion, where she served as an evacuation platoon leader.

White’s awards and decorations include the Parachutist Badge, the Ohio Faithful Service Ribbon, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Army Reserve Achievement Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

She will be posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Combat Action Badge.

LTC Tom Bryant, spokesman for Army Special Operations Command, said Cultural Support Teams first deployed in support of Army Special Operations soldiers at the first of the year.

He said White was a member of the second class following a stringent selection process and a difficult seven weeks of training that is comparable to what other Special Operations soldiers go through.

Cultural Support Teams assist in a variety of functions in Afghanistan, including medical civic-action programs, searches and seizures, humanitarian assistance and civil-military operations.

White was the 1,815th American killed in Afghanistan.

Staff writer Drew Brooks can be reached at brooksd@fayobserver.com or 486-3567.
 
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Posted by on October 24, 2011 in War on Terror

 

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Karzai said what?

23 Oct

It’s time for the United States to leave Afghanistan; according to Reuters, Afghan President (Bush’s handpicked puppet) Hamid Karzai has said in an interview to a private Pakistani TV channel broadcast that Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States.

So, the country that has been harboring the Taliban and insurgents killing Afghans would side with that country?

“God forbid, if ever there is a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will side with Pakistan,” he said in the interview to Geo television.

“If Pakistan is attacked and if the people of Pakistan needs Afghanistan’s help, Afghanistan will be there with you.”

It’s time for the United States to bring everyone home from that hell hole, we’ve accomplished the original mission of hunting down and killing those responsible for 9-11; After a decade there we have 1,814 Americans dead; 14,342 wounded; and have spent upwards of $1,042,000,000 dollars and the Taliban is still there, and spending another ten years there and another trillion dollars won’t change that.

As I said, it’s time to bring our people home, and on the way out the President needs to make it absolutely clear if Afghanistan ever harbors terrorists again then America’s retribution will come swiftly and without mercy upon those training to kill innocents, obliterating any and all traces of the camps, and anything else around it. He needs to tell them, “Fine, you want to handle things this way, well, we’ll see ya; but understand, America will never tolerate again terrorist training camps anywhere in your country, and we will destroy them and anything else near them with such force there will be no doubts from where it came. Oh, and have a nice day.”

 
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Posted by on October 23, 2011 in Afghanistan

 

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Bachmann’s entire paid staff in New Hampshire runs away

22 Oct

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential candidate Michele “Krazy” Bachmann is losing her entire New Hampshire staff – all five of them.

Bachmann spokeswoman Alice Stewart disputed reports of a staff shakeup, saying: “We have a great team in New Hampshire. We haven’t been notified that anyone’s left the campaign.”

Still, Stewart reportedly said she hadn’t been able to reach the top New Hampshire staff to confirm they were still on board. She said she had reached some junior staffers who didn’t say they were leaving.

Meanwhile sources close to the White Star Line are denying there’s anything wrong on board the RMS Titanic, and no one should assume that just because they can’t contact the ship that anything’s gone wrong.

Campaign finance reports show that Krazy, who has fallen in polls and struggled to raise money, had (what a coincidence) five paid staff in New Hampshire as recently as late September.

The once GOTP presidential headliner has largely ignored the first-in-the-nation primary state in recent months. She has been focused on Iowa and South Carolina, where her social conservative message has more appeal.

Krazy hasn’t visited New Hampshire very often since launching her presidential campaign in June, and since mistaking it for Massachusetts (that whole darned “shot heard round the world” mistake) and Stewart acknowledged a greater focus on Iowa, where Bachmann was born and where she won the GOP’s presidential straw poll in August.

According to Bachmann aides, her Iowa staff consists of 11 paid members, including her national political director who relocated to Iowa this fall. The staff is among the larger teams in the leadoff caucus state; a state where she’s polling in fourth place behind Cain, Romney and Gingrich. Someone please stick her with a fork.

 
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Posted by on October 22, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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Let me think?

22 Oct

 
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Posted by on October 22, 2011 in Humor

 

Rubio denies he mischaracterized family history?

21 Oct

According to the New York Times, Republican Tea Party (GOTP) darling, Senator Marco Rubio, says he’s never embellished his family history or misrepresented the year his parents first left Cuba for the United States.

That’s all well and good, but the Senator’s “official Senate biography” states, “In 1971, Marco was born in Miami to Cuban-born parents who came to America following Fidel Castro’s takeover.” (http://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/biography)

Now, that’s a pretty definitive statement; “…who came to America following Fidel Castro’s takeover”. I don’t think that can be taken any other way, but the way it’s written, which clearly says his parents came here (to America) after the takeover, and of course that’s all well and good except it isn’t true.

Senator Rubio’s parents came to the United States on 27 May 1956. For all of the non-historians, that’s almost three years before Castro took power on 16 Feb 1959.

Responding to charges he deliberately mischaracterized his family story, Senator Rubio issued a statement saying the “essential facts of my family’s story are completely accurate.” And he said it was “outrageous” to suggest that he had exaggerated his family history for “political gain.”

Yes, of course, the “essential facts … are completely accurate”; except they’re not. His official United States Senate biography unmistakably states his parents came to America after Castro’s takeover. Clearly the Senator doesn’t understand English; is it possible he wasn’t born here? Maybe he was actually born in Cuba and is a Manchurian candidate? Guess he can kiss any VP slot good-bye.

 
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Posted by on October 21, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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GOTP blocks money for teachers, firefighters in Senate?

21 Oct

And so, Republican Tea Party (GOTP) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has once again shown he means it when he says his “number one priority is to make sure Barrack Obama is a one term president”; just barely over a week since the President’s $447 billion jobs package was blocked in the U.S. Senate by the GOTP, one of the plan’s key components — which would’ve provided $35 billion to states and local governments to hire teachers and first responders — has suffered the same fate.

That’s right folks, the uber-conservative white bread GOTP senate members have decided we don’t need teachers and first responders; all you need is to home school your kids and a shot gun in your closet.

President Obama and his allies in the Senate promised to press ahead with separate votes on pieces of his failed $447 billion jobs measure, despite unanimous opposition from Republican Tea Party puppets, showing just how petty the GOTP members of the Congress are, and forcing them to each go on record opposing job creation; opposing teachers, firefighters and cops. Each senator who votes against the bills will have to eventually answer for their votes including one third of the Senate as early as November 2012 – that number includes the likes of Joe Lieberman (the famous turn coat liberal), Richard Lugar, Olympia Snowe, Scott Brown, Roger Wicker, Dean Heller, Ben Nelson (the moronic Democrat from Nebraska who somehow thinks he will escape unscathed), Bob Corker, Orrin Hatch (who clearly needs to retire) and John Barrasso.

Now granted, most of the GOTP types are smug in the confidence they’re almost untouchable, but some are not; certainly Corker, who barely beat Harold Ford Jr. for the seat, is very vulnerable; Dean Heller, who replaced John Ensign after he resigned, has to tell his fellow Nevadans who are hard pressed by the economy why he opposes job creation; Scott Brown, who narrowly won the former late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s seat in a special election is probably the most likely to go down as he will be facing tough opposition from Elizabeth Warren. Certainly the Democratic Party should withdraw all support from Nelson, and should go hunting for a strong Democratic candidate to challenge him; one thing the country doesn’t need right now are DINOs (Democrats in name only) in the Senate.

So, why did all 47 GOTP, one brain damaged Independent and two obtuse Democratic senators vote against allowing the bill to proceed to a full debate? Why, they argued that temporary stimulus dollars for state and local government would do little to bolster the private sector, and so we’ll just screw those no good teachers, fire fighters and police officers who everyone knows are overpaid.

But the biggest reason for opposing the bill is because the uber-conservatives are against imposing a 0.5 percent surtax on million-dollar incomes to pay for the aid. They contended that inclusion of a tax increase signaled that the vote was intended as a campaign tool and was not a serious effort to find bipartisan agreement on spurring job growth.

So, the whole charade of needing to pay for any funding is now out the window? Or was it really because you can’t stand to see any tax increases on those poor job creators?

President Obama told fire fighters at a rally in Chesterfield, Va., “If they vote against these proposals, if they say no to steps we know that will put people back to work right now, they’re not going to have to answer to me. They’re going to have to answer to you.”

Now what needs to happen is for the Democratic Party to flood markets with commercials of burning homes and overcrowded classrooms and then place the blame for both squarely on the shoulders of the GOTP senators who voted against the bill.The Party needs to hit the conservative candidates just as hard – if not harder – then they hit Democratic candidates. Hit them hard, and then hit them continually until they are beaten.

Democratic Party leaders are planning to hold votes on other elements of the American Jobs Act in coming weeks, including money for building roads and schools, tax credits for businesses that hire veterans and the long-term unemployed, an extension of benefits for unemployed workers and an extension of a payroll tax holiday.

Let the Republican Tea Party senators be hoisted on their own petards!

 
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Posted by on October 21, 2011 in Jobs

 

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U.S. Troops to Leave Iraq by Year’s End?

21 Oct

The New York Times is reporting President Obama has announced that the last American soldier would leave Iraq by the end of the year, bringing to an end the nearly nine-year Bush/Cheney pre-emptive war which has cost the country 4,479 dead, 32,200 wounded and approximately $1 trillion. The presumptive cause for invading nearly a decade ago was the threat Iraq was developing Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) – no evidence was ever found to support the claim.

The President said as of 1 Jan 12, the United States and Iraq would begin “a normal relationship between two sovereign nations, and equal partnership based on mutual interest and mutual respect.”

During a videoconference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the President told him of the administration’s decision, which grows out of an inability of the United States and Iraq to come to an agreement on leaving a few thousand military trainers in the country.

Reportedly, the United States had earlier agreed to exit Iraq by the end of the year and leave 3,000 to 5,000 troops in Iraq as trainers, with some members of Congress advocating for retaining a reduced fighting force as well. But after Iraq’s Parliament refused an American demand to give soldiers immunity from legal prosecution, the Pentagon changed its plans in recent weeks, scaling back even that meager number.

President Obama said, “As I told Prime Minister Maliki, we will continue discussions on how we might help Iraq train and equip its forces — again, just as we offer training and assistance to countries around the world.  After all, there will be some difficult days ahead for Iraq, and the United States will continue to have an interest in an Iraq that is stable, secure and self-reliant.”

The President’s announcement fulfills a pledge he made during the 2008 campaign to wind down the war.

“After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over,” he declared in the White House briefing room. “Over the next two months, our troops in Iraq, tens of thousands of them, will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home.” They will be joining approximately 100,000 others, he added, who have already been withdrawn from the country.

“The last American soldiers will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high, proud of their success and knowing that the American people stand united in their support for our troops,” the President said. “That is how America’s military efforts in Iraq will end.”

“Here at home, the coming months will be another season of homecoming,” Mr. Obama said. “Across America, our servicemen and women will be reunited with their families. Today, I can say our troops in Iraq will definitely be home for the holidays.”

Following such a long anticipated announcement there’s really nothing else to say, except, “Thank you Mr. President”.

 
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Posted by on October 21, 2011 in Iraq

 

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McCain thanks the French, British and everyone but the President for Qaddafi overthrow?

21 Oct

Republican Tea Party (GOTP) Senator – and one time GOTP once and future king, John McCain, gave credit to everyone in the world for the death of ousted Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi, but offered scorn and criticism for President Obama.

Appearing on CNN’s American Morning, McCain said, “If the United States had used the full weight of our air power, this conflict would have been over long ago; I want to thank the British, French, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, who played a key leadership role while we led from behind.”

He added in Syria, while he doesn’t see “the military scenario,” the United States “certainly could be doing a lot more to provide moral support to the Syrian opposition, just as we did not do when the Iranians rose up.”

McCain further criticized the President on the ongoing troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan. Having troops leave Iraq puts the country “in significant danger of having more problems than they otherwise would have,” McCain said, arguing that withdrawal could leave Iraq vulnerable to Iranian influence.

“I can tell you, from traveling the world, that in the world they believe the United States is withdrawing and is weakening,” he said.

Yeah, I’m sure that’s exactly what the world’s believing Senator; especially after Seal Team Six invaded Pakistan and put two rounds into Osama Bin Laden’s head; the Air Force shot a missile into Anwar al-Awlaki’s SUV; and Naval air superiority blew Qaddafi’s Army to smithereens; not to mention the bunker busters the President gave to Israel (after Bush refused to do so).

What the world’s beginning to believe Senator is it’s far past time for you to ride off into the sunset – news flash Sparky! You lost the election, and nobody outside of your own addled mind cares what your view is. If you’d won in 2008 we’d have invaded Iran by now, would still have 100,000 + troops in Iraq, Bin Laden would still be laughing at us and Sarah Palin would’ve smothered you with a pillow.

The President‘s leadership on Libya was exactly right.

 
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Posted by on October 21, 2011 in Libya

 

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Jorge M. Oliveira

21 Oct


Essex County Sheriff’s Officer Jorge Oliveira, 33, of Newark, left, was on his third tour of duty when he was killed, according to Sheriff Armando Fontoura. Oliveira is seen here in a February 2008 photo when he received a teamwork award. Credit Contributed photo.

A veteran Essex County Sheriff’s Officer serving in Afghanistan with the New Jersey Army National Guard was killed Wednesday, Sheriff Armando Fontoura said Thursday afternoon.

Staff Sgt. Jorge Oliveira, 33, of Newark, was on his third, year-long tour of duty during the incident. He previously served in Iraq and Cuba, according to Fontoura.

When contacted by phone, officials with the National Guard did not confirm the death or release details about the incident. A spokesman with the sheriff’s office said the U.S. Dept. of Defense plans to make an announcement around 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

Oliveira, an 11-year member with the sheriff’s office, is the 140th service member with connections to New Jersey who has died in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to statistics compiled by The Star-Ledger.

Outside Oliveira’s family home Thursday afternoon on Darcy Street in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood, sheriff’s officers surrounded the block as Fontoura met with friends and relatives inside. A National Guard officer paced in front of the home, wiping his eyes. The officer said he could not talk about the death.

As Fontoura left the house, he called Oliveira a “great guy.” “He loved this department,” he said. “He showed up every day for work and he loved what he did.”

The sheriff said Oliveira’s family was too distraught to speak with this reporter.

Meanwhile, at an unrelated press event Thursday morning in Newark’s Branch Brook Park, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said Oliveira defined the role of a sheriff’s officer and a guardsman, “Anytime he had the opportunity to go over there and serve and protect us all, he signed up.”

Word of Oliveira’s death quickly spread Wednesday into Thursday on the social networking sites Twitter and Facebook.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker said via Twitter late Wednesday night that his “heart aches” and that his “prayers are with (the) family.”

The New Jersey State Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association posted a photo on the organization’s Facebook page around 11 a.m. Thursday of Oliveira in his National Guard uniform. Shortly after, more than 50 comments poured in about the officer — most said, “Rest in peace.”

One comment, by Carol Piscitelli, called Oliveira an “American hero.”

http://westward.patch.com/articles/official-essex-county-sheriff-s-officer-newark-native-killed-in-afghanistan#photo-8179141

http://photos.nj.com/4504/gallery/photos_remembering_nj_soldier_killed_in_afghanistan/index.html

SSG Oliveira is 1,814th U.S. fatality in Afghanistan

 
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Posted by on October 21, 2011 in War on Terror

 

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Raymond J. Border

21 Oct

The parents of Chief Petty Officer Raymond Border, 31, a Gulfport Seabee who was killed Wednesday in Afghanistan said his body is being flown to Delaware and should arrive tonight. Members of his family, including his fiancee and his ex-wife are in Delaware now.

According to the Department of Defense website, an Army staff sergeant from New Jersey was killed with Border, who died inspecting a highway in Paktika province. His parents said that an improvised explosive device was detonated and killed their son.

His parents, Craig and Julie Border of West Lafayette, Ohio, said Raymond was inspecting a road for a convoy to pass and had stepped out of his vehicle when the mine went off. Killed with him was Jorge M. Oliveira, 33, of Newark, N.J.

Raymond Border had been a Seabee for 12 years and loved the work, his father said. He has served one tour in Iraq and this was his second in Afghanistan. He served with the Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 74, but was on an individual assignment separate from the battalion this tour.

He has a home in Gulfport where he has lived for 12 years. He had two children of his own, Donovan, 13, and Shlva, 8.

Border is the 1,813th American to fall in Afghanistan. ( http://www.sunherald.com/2011/10/20/3521663/gulfport-seabee-killed-in-afghanistan.html#ixzz1bPdrB8sL )

 
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Posted by on October 21, 2011 in War on Terror

 

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