| Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah
 What a great ending to the year!-For the first time since 1959, Christmas and Hanukkah fall on the same day. This has happened only four times in the past 100 years. Christmas starts at dawn on December 25 and Hanukkah starts at sunset. (Hanukkah also known as the Festival of Lights, lasts for 8 days and commemorates the Jews’ recapturing of the Second Temple of Jerusalem from Syrian-Greek oppressors in 165 B.C.)
And, 7,000 troops may be withdrawing from Iraq. Two combat brigades will not be deployed at the beginning of the new year(one brigade will stay in Kuwait). This means reduction could be 130,000 by Spring of 06'. -Hooah! Hope this comes to fruition.
 This has been a tumultuous year dealing with Katrina, Wilma, and their aftermaths including the Indian Ocean Tsunami. There is also the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the mounting deaths of our soldiers. Let us not forget those who have had a difficult time this year-give a donation of time or finances, if possible; if not, keep them in your prayers.
God Bless you and your family during this joyous holiday season especially as we look forward to a New Year filled with great possibilities. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah. Or Merry Chrismukkah - I mean we have to stay "hip"!!! jhl
Take a look back at some Webzine Holiday Favorites:
Christmas Is Itself A Story of God Breaking Through...
Some Thoughts on Christmas Cards and Letters
It's Christmas: Come On! Let's Put Up a Nativity Scene
ELF Dvd Review: I Did Not Fall Asleep During This One
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| In Memorium:Lt. General William P. Yarborough-Special Forces Leader
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William Yarborough, far right (US Army, File) |
Lt. General William P. Yarborough, Father of the Green Berets(also known as the "big Y"), died Tuesday, December 6, 2005, at a hospital near his home in Southern Pines, North Carolina, from complications of a broken hip. He was 93 years old.
General Yarborough was born May 12, 1912, in Seattle, Washington, graduated from West Point in 1936, and served 35 years in the military. He was a leader in Airborne, Special Forces, and Intelligence operations.
He served as commander of the 509th known as the Geronimo Division. He is featured in General William C. Lee's (Father of the Airborne) papers. He made four combat jumps in World War II, leading his paratroopers into battle in North Africa, Salerno, and Anzio in Italy, and southern France. In the invasion of Sicily, he saw his men hit by Allied gunnery.
General Yarborough was a risk taker. On October 12, 1961, while General Yarborough was leader of both the Army Special Warfare Center and Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, N.C., President Kennedy came for a visit. Yarborough had his men appear before Kennedy at Keller Field in the forbidden "green beret" in a effort to make the headgear a part of the Special Forces uniform. Yarborough's risk worked. Kennedy liked the green beret and approved it for the Special Forces soldiers. Decades later, the headgear was approved for Airborne soldiers and Rangers.
General Yarborough added counterinsurgency training to the green berets duties of unconventional and anti-guerrilla warfare in expectations that Special Forces troops would be helpful in Vietnam; He helped in surveillence of groups "deemed to be subversive" during the race riots in Detroit and Newark in 1967.
According to Yarborough’s longtime aide, Retired Special Forces Maj. Rudi Gresham, General Yarborough chose the green beret song. After listening, to Barry Sadler, a young sergeant, playing his guitar, Yarborough knew he found the song for the green berets. Sadler appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and the song became a hit and the "Ballads of the Green Berets" was born. (Anyone over forty-five should remember this popular song. My brother can remember singing along with the record as a boy).
General Yarborough is survived by his son; retired Special Forces Lt. Col. Lee Yarborough; daughter, Patricia Reed, a school teacher; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Yarborough will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date with full military honors.
Yarborough' s accomplishments are many, more than we can list in a brief obituary. May General Yarborough rest in peace. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. And, we thank all those War War Two veterans who fought and/or died for their county as well as those who are still with us. (Sources: thepilot.com, New York Times, Washington Post, Fayetteville Observer, Associated Press)
contributing writer, Jake Ashworth
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| GEORGE W. BUSH COULD STAND AN INFORMATION MAKEOVER
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(The White House/Handout/Reuters) |
What amazes me about politics, in general, is instead of just giving us the facts, politicos, even our President, keep coming up with gimmicks.
The Democrats hired some guru to help them frame the issues. And, now George W. is talking about victory in Iraq because a Duke University professor named Dr. Peter D. Feaver, a 43 year old Duke University political scientist (who happens to be a lieutenant commander in the United States Naval Reserve), was recruited by the administration and came up with this idea of talking about victory.
Feaver and a couple of his buddies did a paper, in which they analyzed polls about the Iraq war in 2003 and 2004 and concluded that Americans would support the war if they thought the result would be successful, even if there were significant casualties
(NY Times).
In the President's speech last week, at Annapolis, amidst a friendly audience, he used the word "victory" something like fourteen times surrounded by "Victory in Iraq" signs.
People, who care, don't care about slogans. I think the Prez's
advisors, old and new, are selling him beach property in Arizona. Hard-core Bush supporters could care less about what slogan the White House uses, they are going to support the Prez even if he mooned Congress, which is not a bad idea. Those who hate the President are going to hate him regardless. It is those of us in the middle that need to be convinced and it's not happening by talking about victory.
According to the latest New York Times/CBS poll taken December 2–6, Bush's approval rating have increased from 35 to 40 percent(most likely due to the economy), but 52 percent said the administration misled the public on the war; and, to me, more importantly, 68 percent of voters still do not believe the President has "a clear plan for victory in Iraq." And I don't think these 68 percent are going to be convinced on the basis of buzz words like "Victory in Iraq."
So, what should George W. do? He should lay out a strategy which he basically has done with one exception: say we need a different mix of troops. He should give some general guidelines to withdraw most of our conventional soldiers and replace them with Special Operations troops. The President should say "The young Marines, the Army Divisions, the Reserves, and National Guard will start withdraw in an orderly manner." And, for once, the President ought to say, "I made a decision, operated on the best information that I had at the time, and we've done what we started out to do while messing up way to much. But, we've learned. It has been a tough row, but we're closing in on what we consider the job and then it is up to the Iraqis. If they request it, we will keep a contingency of troops there for awhile, but they will be more like a paid security force, older, not dressed in traditionally military garb, and mainly serve as advisors and support personnel. God bless you and good night."
The President made his second speech defending the Iraq war before the Foreign Relations Committee, Wednesday December 7. This is the second of four speeches leading up to the vote for a democratically elected Iraqi government December 15. In the speech, Bush touted the
successes in Iraq. So, the President has not taken my advice yet. But a guy can hope. There are two more speeches. Let's just say, I am not waiting with anticipation for George W's next speech on Iraq. KT
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| December 07. 2005: The 64th Anniversary of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor
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the battleship USS Shaw explodes after being hit by bombs during the attack on Pearl Harbor, (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, File) |
The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, prompted the United States involvement in World War Two in which more than 450,000 Americans died.
The attack killed more than 2,400 Americans and wounded another 1,100.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it, "A date that will live in infamy." There are only 54 survivors still living.
The following is a statement released by Secretary R. James Nicholson, Department of Veterans Affairs, on Pearl Harbor Day 2005 in tribute to those lost during this national tragedy.
"Few days in American history are burned into our national consciousness like December 7. On this date 64 years ago, the American fleet at Pearl Harbor suffered a crippling blow. More than 2,300 soldiers, sailors and Marines were lost, and the nation was thrust headlong into the largest global conflict in human history.
Today, it is the stalwart veteran survivors of Pearl Harbor who remind us not only of this solemn chapter in the American story, but also of the great courage and resolve that continues to define us as a Nation …
We also pause to salute the courageous people of the Hawaiian Islands for whom December 7, 1941, was not just a surprise attack on the forces of the United States military, but an unprovoked attack on their homeland. Despite its status as a U.S. territory, Hawaii and its citizens responded with great fortitude and determination, many serving with distinction in the U.S. military.
For all Americans, Pearl Harbor Day should inspire us to remember the precious gift of freedom that has been handed from one generation to the next for more than 229 years."
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 Now Available: Newly revised paperback General Lee:Father of the Airborne. Order from Amazon.
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