On during the last minute of March 19, 2003, I rolled into Iraq from its neighbor Kuwait with 3-7 Cav’s lead element. Our mission was to perform a wide hook and clear As Samawah in preparation for the main effort coming in from the south.

3-7, a part of the Third Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat, was a force to be reckoned with. Like all Cav units, we were cowboys blazing a trail of death and destruction to anyone who tried to stand in our way. The Iraqi military was no match, but we also took our lickings. We lost some good men in those first days. I wish they were still alive to see this.

Today, the last convoy (video above) rolled out of the country. Yes, the last convoy to roll out after the last time the last convoy convoy rolled out. It’s just nice to see an end to the war I took part in from day one. Though people still remain that wish to bring anarchy and chaos to the country, they are capable of taking care of their own trash. We leave the country freer than we went in. The people have a voice and the United States has a partner in the Middle East for the time being.

I’m proud of my fellow brothers and sisters in arms today as we celebrate the combined effort of hundreds of thousands of troops. Congratulations on a job well done!

Photo by Staff Sgt. Lynette Hoke

I met OP President and Found Mary Hacker back in 2006 or 2007 one Friday Night at Walter Reed. She was there taking care of our wounded troops and we ended up having her as a guest on the You Served Radio Show and Podcast.

According to their website,

Operation Pinecone was officially launched in November 2005, while founder, Mary Hacker, and her husband were preparing holiday packages to be shipped to the soldiers stationed in Iraq. The name Operation Pinecone originated when Mary decided to include a little symbol from home for the holidays. Pine cones are found in nearly every state in America. Thus, a pine cone continues to be lovingly placed in each package that is shipped to our beloved heroes!

The organization has sent many boxes to me which I have disbursed to the troops with which I come into contact. We set up a common table in one of our offices for troops that are coming through to grab what they need from care packages sent from people and organizations. OP has a small network of NCOICs and Officers that do that as well.

As is the case with many small non-profits during tough economic times, OP has experienced a drop in personal donations and volunteers. They are based in South Riding, Virginia and consist of all volunteers who assemble gift and care packages for service members primarily stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If you are able to donate either time or money to this great organization, please contact my good friend Mary Hacker. She’s a true sweetheart and really works hard to take care of us away from our families. You can contact her through her website or Facebook page.

She didn’t ask me to do this, so I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds in asking for help on her behalf. Mary, just let me know if I did.

Tuesday Morning a NATO helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, destroying the aircraft but fortunately no casualties to crew members on board. Several NATO convoys were attacked by roadside bombs and IEDs. One attack resulted in 12 killed and 28 wounded in a southern Kandahar province. IEDs were also used to killed several NATOP members in Eastern Afghanistan. In May 2011 there have been 29 coalition forces members killed. Since our last report 9 American soldiers have been killed. In 2011 there have been 1582 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan.

THE FRONTLINES OF IRAQ

Roadside bombs wounded six in a western district of Khadra and several other bombings took place throughout Iraq. In Kirkuk, several attacks were carried out which killed several civilians. A parked car bomb was used to target police and its blast killed two civilians and wounded 14 others in Kirkuk. Two Americans were also killed in operations in Baghdad. There were several outbreaks of violence in the capital city which resulted in several Iraqi civilians wounded or killed in clashes. Since our last report 2 more Americans were killed, bringing the total American death toll in Iraq to 4,454.

To read the full update please visit The Frontlines Weekly Update Brief (May 16-22, 2011). If you have a different opinion or comment please post it here, or email me at askthewarrant@thefrontlines.com. Thank you.

very respectfully,

The “Warrant”

References

The Economist. (2011). May 21-27th Issue.

iCasualties. (2011). Coalition Casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. Retrieved from www.icasualties.org.

Taliban insurgents kidnapped 50 Afghan police officers in an ambush in northeastern Afghanistan. Insurgent forces in the Helmand province attacked an American unit with small arms fire, killing SPC. Justin Ross of Wisconsin. Other ISAF members were killed in separate attacks using IEDs and small arms fire. Since our last report nine more American have died in Operation Enduring Freedom. The war in Afghanistan has claimed 59 American lives thus far in 2011, and the total for the war is now 1,514 (www.icasualties.org).

THE FRONTLINES OF IRAQ

Several attacks by gunmen occured throughout the country, and insurgent used bombs to kill contractors, police, and civilians. Gunmen using silenceers killed a police colonel in his house in Ramadi and a roadside bomb was used against a food distribution center in Baghdad. One American soldier died in Iraq since our last update.  American soldiers killed in 2011 is eleven and an overall death total of 4,441 (www.icasualties.org).

If you have a different opinion please email me at askthewarrant@thefrontlines.com. Or to learn more visit The Frontlines. Thank you.

very respectfully,

The Warrant

References

The Economist, March 26-April 1, 2011

The Frontlines Weekly Update Brief thefrontlines.com/the-frontlines-weekly-update-brief-march-21-27-2011

iCasualties. (2011). Coalition Casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. Retrieved from www.icasualties.org

As a service of this website, we’d like to provide the President with some additional background information that also seemed to be missing from the press kit:

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This is going to be the most updated version of my exposure of these Nigerian scams that target military personnel on dating sites. If you have a photo that is being used to scam women by using photos of military personnel, send to cj[at]soldiersperspective[dot]us and I will update this post. Eventually, women will be able to come here and SEE that the photos are being used on multiple women. It may also tip off people to who the REAL Soldiers are so they can understand that their names and/or images are being used illegally. If you are a Soldier in one of these photos, please contact me from your military email address so I know you’re legit.

Let’s get started…This post will be updated as photos are submitted to me. If you are being scammed by someone using these photos, please put your stories in the comments section. And keep in mind that the people in these photos are not the problem. They are victims just as much as those that they scam.

Claims to be Perry Terry Knox. Tells the standard retirement story, with a 11 year old son. Said he was a Sargeant. Asked for an iPhone, but when told it was too expensive asked his victim for a Blackberry. Uses the Datehoodup.com website.

This person is claiming to be Major Mark Collins Ehresman. Now, for anyone that knows anything about the Army uniform, knows that this is NOT an officer’s uniform.

These are supposedly of someone going by the name Tom Curtis. He uses the email tomhcurtis69@yahoo.com. Because of the size of each photo, they were obviously taken from either a MySpace or Facebook page. I’ve seen that last photo used in other scams as well.

These photos are supposedly of a Captain Steven Massingale Barrett. Yet, one just need look at the rank on the second picture to see how dumb this Nigerian scammer is.

Here’s the storyline on this guy, who uses the name Robert Bill Haggard.

My name is Robert Haggard.I was born on the 2nd of August, 1961 at Baptist Hospital of California. I started A & A Children Academy at 6 and later on continued from Calvary Baptist Church Schools. I was very playful at school and it affected my academic works. I joined the Military academy at the age of 16. I was in the boarding school so my parents visit me once in a while. I didn’t spend much time at home. My mom was a head teacher and dad was in the medical field.
I fought in the Gulf war in 1990 to 1991. The gulf war was fought to liberate Kuwait from autocratic rule of the late Saddam. I had a pretty bad experience.
I am an E-6 Staff Sergeant (SSG). I also act as a platoon sergeant in the absence of the Sergeant First Class. I am the leader of my squad. I am a non commission officer and I work in the junior management of the military.
As you already know, I am currently stationed in Baghdad , the capital of Iraq.I have to let you know that I am on my second mission to Iraq and I have already spent 10 months here in Iraq. My first mission to Iraq was in 2003. My mission ended in 2005. When back to the States, I found out that my ex betrayed my love by going in for another man. She cost me a lost. She misused my properties so I paid her off. I was in love with her with all my heart but she let me down. I was with her for 14 years.
My son lives with a friend in Miami. I have full custody of him. I do not want to pay my ex any amount of money again.I will be getting him to stay with me when i come home soon. I was married only once. I am now looking for another woman to involve myself with. I will be home in 3 months. Actually, we are not allowed to communicate with outsiders because of security reasons but I need a woman for myself. A woman that will be there for me and I will be there for her too. I will not be able to call you because we are not allowed to communicate with outsiders on phone. Everything is monitored.
My relationship with my ex was like this. I loved her with all my heart. In fact it is true. I wasn’t thinking she can do such a thing. I helped her in her work, support her family, spending much time with her as much as I could. Going with her to the beaches, the movies and a lot of interesting places just trying to make her the happiest woman in life. I know she is regretting it by now. Her parents once called me and were apologizing for her but I already made my mind. I don’t know why she drew away from me. Maybe, she can’t control her sexual desire. I do not get angry. It happens once in a while but I know how to control myself. In the army, if you can’t control your anger, you gonna end up fighting all the time. Will like you to also send me some pictures of you too.Take care.
I am concluding this letter here but remember this am serious about my words
Have a good day.
Hugs,
Haggards

I highlighted the glaring holes in this guys story, especially the rank. As I’ve said before, Soldiers ARE able to call back home and have contact with “outsiders”. What a weird term they use. Again, judging by the size of each of these photos, they were most likely snagged from a MySpace or Facebook page. Anyway, on to the next.

Meet “Captain James Miniard of the US army”. What a promotion for this guy, huh? I highly encourage you ladies being scammed by these guys to actually do a Google search on military ranks. You’ll knock out 90% of your problems right there.

The first one goes by the name MikeJones@Yahoo.com. The other 3 are supposedly the same person and goes by the name SGT.Oliver@yahoo.com ( full name Oliver Adamson). I’ve heard this name both ways. Both of these men were on HOT or NOT.

These are supposedly of a” Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Lanois” from Cleveland North Carolina…and is presently stationed in Afghanistan in a “very dangerous are” in Kabul and that he is with the Second Falcon Bridge Combat Team 82 SF Base. Again, notice the rank of this LTC!! What a coincidence! I’m in the First Blue Falcan Blog Brigade!

Here is a pic of “MAJ Joseph Morris” aka jose.muriz@yahoo.com. No explanation about why the name and email address are different. Probably tired of creating new Yahoo accounts and keeping up with them. Same story wants ts2 money and transit money. Says he was in 24 years, wants to retire and marry his victims and has money aplenty. Again, if someone says they need you to pay for communications, it’s a scam. Soldiers can pay for it themselves. It can also be taken out of their paychecks automatically if they “don’t have cash on them”.

Here is “John Palmas”. He said he was from CA studied at West Point, been in the Army for 15 years. Now in Afghanistan and will come back in 11 June. They always say they’re coming home soon so that when something goes terribly awry, they can bilk you for sympathy money for hospital clearances and all that crap. The interesting thing about these photos is that the scammer actually took the time to remove the name tags from the photo. Could be anyone here!

The first 4 photos are of a young James Ruddock and his family. He says he is from New York and a widower with 2 daughters and that he also had a house in England that he was going to retire to ‘any day now’. He targets women in the UK mostly, it seems and proposes marriage, using his dead wife and two kids as emotional bait.

He also says to some women that he was supposed to be in Afganistan with a house also in the UK that he was going to retire to a different location. He sends out emails from “a diplomat” whose English and grammer are very poor but his emails requesting money for a package to be delivered to the UK. He also uses the name of Steve Ruddock and Mark Ruddock as well.

This one is funny, but the person using the above photos claims to be a Captain Brown Mark (Mark Brown?). The moron can’t even use photos of people with the right name in his scams!! He uses the email address brown_mark50@yahoo.com. This guy is such a tool, he tries to use General Odierno in his scam. He sent one of my readers he was trying to scam the following email explaining that “CPT Brown Mark” had been wounded and she needs to send him money to leave:

This is to inform you that that tallibiance man as attack the solider mans that they realse for the leave and will are very sorry to let you know that the travel will be in this week………And will are by let you know that you can still make the payment for your solider man capt Brown Mark in two day

GENERAL RAYMOND T. ODIERNO
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp taji
APO AE 09342

Now, I don’t know if ya’ll have ever had a chance to listen to General Odierno speak, but he sounds NOTHING like that letter. See for yourself:

This is supposedly Lt. Christopher M Morris with Military Number (USArmy/MlL 456378) based with the 32nd Infantry Division camp phoenix kabul in Afghanistan. There is no such person in the Army as Lt. Christopher Morris and we sure as heck don’t have “military numbers”. Oh, did I mention that the Army doesn’t have a 32nd Infantry Division?

Here are the pics that the scammers used on another reader using the name Sgt Patrick Mcdonald. This moron also sent pics using using the name Gen. David Petraeus. Ha! EVERYONE knows who General Petraeus is, but these guys aren’t smart enough to realize that.

The next scammer uses the name Capt. Harry Swain of the US Army, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, MOS 11B Infantry and these photos. When anyone asks him questions, he is vague on the answers – probably because he doesn’t know anything! He only communicates through yahoo and of course is retiring in June. This is so that he can set up the classic Nigerian Retirement pass payments, as if a Soldier needs to pay to retire from the Army! I tried looking into this one, but there are so many Swains in the Army, but none of them with a first name Harry.

The guy using these photos seems to have hit the motherload of images. He calls himself Arena Adams. He even has pictures of his “kids”. It’s beyond twisted when they start to use servicemembers’ kids. The have all come out of Saudi Arabia, but could easily be routed through there from Nigeria and other African nations.. He has a “diploma” (diplomat) contact the victims, Mr. Randolf was his name, and uses the phone number 233543756622. He also had the story that he wanted to open a jewelery store when he got “home” and was going to send a package containing all his worth, $950,000 in gold and $600,000 in money, to hold till he got here. I wonder how much shipping would cost on nearly $1 million in gold? It conveniently gets stuck in customs and after spending $11,000 for the weighing fee (oh, that’s how much it costs!), he still needed another 5,500. Said his birthday was April 30, 1969, and he sponsors children in Iraq, that he has 15 children that he set up a foundation for and provides for them.

Interestingly, the reader who sent this to me said, “When I told him I wanted to send him something for his birthday, he gave me the address 60 mango tree blvd, Accra Ghana, with the name Alexander Ofori Hammond as the person who will be receiving it.” I’m surprised since usually they just claim they can’t receive packages due to “security”.

I’m not even going to create some witty banter for the guy using these photos. I’m just going to copy and paste his intro email. It’s too funny to miss, especially that he calls himself “Mac Donald” as if it’s two names:

I have decide to take my time to write out this message to you and I will expect same back from you.hmm i lived in U.S right at this moment,in the beautiful city of Farmington Hills, Michigan where i had been for so long since the divorced between my Mother and my Daddy. Really before my Dad passed away, we were living peacefully together, but on a official peace keeping mission in Dafur War Region, let me quickly phrase out this that my Dad and my mother are American. My father was from the Marine Military,My mother is a teacher.They both met on a trip down to Paris, they met each other and were friends till they were finally able to find true love which had led them together to have given birth to me. hmm they both were Christians, just like my Mother would say to me, that if my Daddy wasn’t a Christian, she wouldn’t have agree to marry him when he proposed to her. We all were living peaceful before my Daddy had to divorce my Mom due to some sort of things i don’t know if i should tell you here because i don’t know you yet, so please don’t worry about it, i am only trying to be cautious of who i am dealing with, maybe when i know you enough alright? anyway to make it short, my Daddy and i lived alone in Farmington Hills, Michigan after the divorced between him and my Mother. So Mom couldn’t stand it living in the city anymore, she packed her stuffs and then went back to United kingdom to live on her life right there.unfortunately,I lost my father on the line of duty, he was on the sea as a marine Major when he fell to the bullet of Jamaican Militant.His death made me to join U.S Army because he was given a state of heart burial and all his benefits was converted to me as a beneficiary, which will make me to get more benefits after I retire from my present job. It was so painful to recall this memory at last i had no other choice than to go live with my Mother in Scotland United Kingdom as i felt needed someone around to help me through life difficulties before i can carry on myself you know what i mean. My Mom and i live together in an apartment here before i travel down to US when i got deployment to Sudan Dafur war region for peace keeping in the country. I am the second child of my parents because we are two in number of our parent. Honestly she is very nice, kind, caring and loving Mother anyone would pray to have. She treats me sister like every good Mother would treat their beloved children.
I have spent 19 good years in the Military,got rapid promotion due to my dedication to my work. I have been to some countries, mostly to lead the troop on peace keeping mission and aid relief mission. I am planing ahead for my future as I am looking forward to meet through right woman, so I can make my final decision to tender my resignation letter, in order to enjoy my new relationship and build a strong family.Now i must tell you i am looking for in a soul mate, someone i could call my own, a woman in whom i could invest my time, good deeds, seriousness. I know out there lies someone who has the nature of God inside of her, someone who would be ready to give 100% of herself. Of course i am not getting any younger as my age increases by year.I am 6’1 in height .. I do not smoke but drink socially. just looking for the rightful one now.Also this is the quality i seek in a woman,one who will be dedicated to being my wife, loyal, faithful and honest. One who knows what it means to being in love, one who is very affectionate, simple, easy going, fun to be with, caring, very sincere, very romantic, giving nature, tolerant home loving, hard working, reliable, sensual, with a sense of humor. One who will be a good Wife and who can take care of me and my one kids!
I am tired, need some rest. I led the early morning parade for the troop in my Base.
Have a great day and waiting for your message.

Warm Regards,
Sergeant Mac Donald

These photos look familiar. The individual has already appeared on this list, but now under a different name:

Notice how the scammer has removed the name from the uniform? That enables him to use any name he wants while sending out the same photos to other women. Here’s his story (with yet ANOTHER) rank faux paux:

Hello how are you going today ? well thanks a lot for your replyed …
well i have been devorced for 4 years now ..i have been in iraq 2 years 4 month now ..I;m in iraq baghdad now …i have been in the army 21 years …I’m army side …I am an E-7 Staff Sergeant (SSG) and now working with the un. I also act as a platoon sergeant in the absence of the Sergeant First Class. I am the leader of my squad. I am a noncommission officer and I work in the junior management of the military…well i have only one sister living in germany .. i have no kids …My mom was a head teacher and dad was in the medical field of the army and later worked with the .Gold mining company in ghana but as i m talking to you now i lost both of them..i will get back 25th june for retirement , that why i m serious here looking for woman who is can be with me for the rest my life …,I’m pride of myself in being honest and most trustworthy, I seek that in a mate, someone who is compassionate yet understanding who has a calm behaviour and a great personality…I b’lieve there is no ideal relationships, Be honest a relationship is hard work and compromise, It is as good as you make it, What makes a relationship ideal to someone is how much time and effort one puts into it and how committed two people are to it..

I love the grammar from this “senior NCO”. It’s also interesting that a SFC is in a “squad leader” position. BWHAAHAH!

The scammer posing as “SGT David Monfils” is one of the earliest names used for these scams. I hadn’t seen the name in a LONG time, but now it’s cropping up with photos. It used to be part of those “I have a million dollars buried in Iraq and I need your help getting it back” scams. Now, “Monfils” is trolling internet dating sites.

Now, this guy cracks me up. He even sent his victim a “scan” of his “passport”, an obviously photoshopped monstrosity of an attempt. I love the lines through the face. This is supposedly SGT Steven McCabe, but after searching for the person in the passport in the Army database, I came up empty!

These photos are of “Sergeant Heicken Kenneth” of the “US ARMY on mission to Iraq.” However, I’m trying to figure out who in the Army wears German uniforms and drives around in a vehicle with the German flag on it. The scammer using these photos lifted them from a Reuters photographer because he didn’t even remove the embedded code describing the photos. Since they are pretty cool pics of our German brothers in arms, you at least deserve what they are:

Top Picture: German Bundeswehr army soldiers with the 3rd company of the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) patrol during a mission in Chahar Dara district in the outskirts of Kunduz, northern Afghanistan, May 11, 2010. It’s actually a Reuters photo by Fabrizio Bensch.

Bottom Picture: German Bundeswehr army soldiers with the 3rd company of the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) take cover after detecting a suspicious site during their search for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Chahar Dara district on the outskirts of Kunduz, northern Afghanistan, May 12, 2010. Also from REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

He uses the email address sgt_heicken@yahoo.com.

I’ll just let the dufus (Andrew Sanchez) using these photos tell you about himself, since I can’t seem to make any more fun of him than he makes for himself without realizing it.

I am presently in Afghanistan at the moment and would be back by next month, I have been serving for 11months here now and would be done by next month. I work in the Military and I am a Lieutenant, My work schedule is like a 24hour thing I dont have any schedule as we work round the clock here trying to keep peace here, I just have little time for myself here so you need to see how glad and excited to know that I would be back home next month.

between the 6months I would be off work. I have only lived in Lawrenceville GA and I have really enjoyed my stay here and would always love to stay here. That was where I was given an apartment and I could decline the offer as I also do like my apartment. I am not at all bothered about the distance. Andrew

I keep forgetting when he says he’ll be home!

By the way, a lot of scammers are starting to ask for things like iPods, undershirts, digital cameras, and other items. They are asking people to FEDEX the items to this address:

Wisdom Dome
60Mango Tree
Accra-Ghana
Zip Code…00233
Tel.Num.00233205622258 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              00233205622258      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Again, a moron who can’t read English using the photos of someone with a completely different name on his uniform. Meet “Joe Harold”. He says he is in Iraq on his third tour of duty. He is retiring in July 2010 and is looking for a life partner. He says he is is from Bedford, TX and also owns a home there. How dare he claim to be a Texan!! He, like almost ALL of these scammers, uses Yahoo: joe.harold45@yahoo.com. He is a smooth talker. He claims his mother was a head teacher and died. His father worked in Gold business in Ghana and also also died. He tells women his birthday has recently passed and how he would like to receive a gift. The posting text of Arena Adams is so similar and also includes similar text from Sargent MacDonald. Probably joe harold is also Sargent MacDonald. He asked to send an iPhone, digital camera, 5 packs of Calvin Klein white, round necked tshirts for him and his troops, chocolate, toffees and cologne. He also uses the Ghana shipping address.

I am Ivan Nobile and am with the US Army as an Intelligence Officer (MST SGT)currently serving in Iraq-Baghdad(Camp Taji),although I just got back from Afghan a week ago.I have no kids,I am widowed,lost my wife and parents in an accident 5yrs back.
My late parents were originally from Russia,and since their families never agreed for them to marry they moved to Virginia(USA) to start a new living as no family member back home in Russia knew their whereabouts.I have never been to Russia before and never met any family member of mine as my parents never allowed me,But for sure,I will visit them this year as my dad gave me all info about them before he departed.So I was born and raised in Virginia and I was educated in Arizona(AZ).
I attended my High School Education in Pittsburgh (Oliver High School) and furthered on to Central Texas College in Texas to major in Criminal Justice(Associate Degree) and then to the Cochise College in Arizona(AZ) to major in Intelligence Operations(Associate’s Degree).
I am seeking a woman that I can leave my life and love with.Someone that I can make my partner forever and be with for the rest of my life.A woman with a sense of humor.A caring,loving,faithful and loyal partner who I can trust for the rest of my life,and I hope you have all this as I seek.
I have attached some pics of me too in this email and I will love it if you could attach yours too.hoping to hear from you soon.Take care.
Ivan xxxxx

Sounds like a great guy. Too bad he doesn’t exist!

This is supposedly Kenneth Steven England, who originated from Chicago and was supposedly living in London. As you can see, the photos are small and no nametapes are discernible. Depending on how old these photos are, I may be able to find him since he wears a local patch.

This one is funny. These are supposedly photos of SSG Scott Adams from Fort Irwin, CA. Anyone that knows anything about the military will laugh when I say that the person behind these photos claims to be an ARMY SSG. When the potential victim forced the issue about pictures he changed his tune and stated he is a CSM in Baghdad. These are obviously photos of a Marine Corps Colonel. The fake Scott Adams stalks Facebook and myyearbook.com for his scams.

Okay, this next one cracks me up. Check out these photos:

[click on photo for better resolution]

I love the part on the back in the red little blotch that says “money back guarantee”! If we don’t kill the enemy, we’ll refund the cost of the war!! Here’s the photo that “Captain Cris Kepley” used to make his ID:

a href=”http://militarygear.com/asp/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ano_11.jpg”>

Good thing he brought his dress uniform to Iraq so they could create this wonderful Camp Victory ID badge!!

The douche using the photos above are of a guy who says he is in the US Army in Afghanistan. Don’t they all? He uses Badoo and his name is “Steve Lopez” but the same photos are used on other profiles calling himself Johnson. Same story:

“This Steve contacted me last week and he is a very nice person in his mess. He is an Officer in Afghanistan (though he’s wearing the uniform of a Sergeant) and have been there for 22 years and he will now retire in October. Then he will come to Sweden and marry me. And we will love each other forever. He had pray to God he should meet a girl like me and when he saw me at Badoo he thought God had made his wishes come true. He has a son in Tampa or Miami Florida, Been divorced 5 years ago. He had send me message every each morning and night but hadn’t asking for any money yet. He was telling me he was not allowed to give me his service number or his home address or his military email address cos of security (this is a lie and a classic tactic of scammers).”

He uses the email address stevelopez_27@live.com and will try to guilt you into believing him if you call his bluff by saying he will “kill himself”. Don’t fall for this tactic. Even if it were true, maybe it’s best if he just did it!

This guy calls himself Staff Sergeant Christian Richardson from Miami, FL. Again, ladies, you need to Google military ranks and you’ll see that this guy is not who he says he is.

The scammer using these photos goes by the name Marcus Movic and claims – like all these scammers – to be “a widower with a lovely Son” who’s wife was killed in an ac

cident while he was toiling in Iraq. The problem is that there is no Marcus Movic in the Army.

Over 3 days I had the sad but honorable duty of riding escort for KIA SPC Anthony Blount. This was my second KIA mission, but this time I was able to participate all 3 days instead of just the day of the services. I am thankful that in a weird twist of fate, even though I can no longer drive a big truck, I can still ride my bike and am able to give these Heroes my support and stand a line for them.

Thursday morning around 1020 a small jet landed at the Hattiesburg/Laural Airport with SPC Anthony Blount’s body. This was the first time I have met a plane at the airport and it was so very hard. I stood beside Kim and Wilma and let the tears roll down my face. Kim and I were lucky that our sons came home safe as they can, both suffering from PTSD. But Wilma is a Gold Star Mom and I know this day was very hard on her. We stood there arm in arm to comfort each other as they brought the coffin off the plane with the family standing at the edge of the flight line. I can only imagine their pain and feel a hint of guilt for being thankful for that.

There were 76 bikes there to bring SPC Blount home to his family. Not all were PGR, some were from Camp Shelby and a couple of other motorcycle groups from the area. As we made our way into town and around the High School, I was amazed and thankful to see so many people out on the side of the road to support and honor this Hero and his family. Once again I had to fight the tears as we made our round of the school and the age of the kids there went from High School to the Elementary, younger and younger. At one point I remember seeing a boy scout troop on the side of the road holding the National Flag and saluting. My goggles filled with tears; it made it very hard to see where I was riding.

On Friday night there were about 25 PGR that stood the Flag line during the viewing. Taking turns every 15 minuets for 3 hours we did our best to make sure the family knew that their loved one was honored. Several time family would come out and thank us for being there. My response was always the same, “It is our honor to be allowed to be here.” And that is how I and many other feel. At one point, after standing the line, as Kim and I walked back down to the resting area, SPC Blount’s Aunt stopped us to thank us again. She had flown in from up north and was full of great stories about Anthony. We listened to her talk about Anthony and how he wanted to become a preacher and how surprised she was when he told them he was going into the Army. She was very proud of her nephew and you could tell that she loved him very much.

Saturday morning we gathered again at the Funeral Home, this time to escort SPC Blount’s  from the funeral home to the church to the cemetery.  We had around 80 biles this day. We had the honor of being lead by SPC Blount’s brother-in-law and his cousin rode with my Dad at the end of all the bikes. Once again, the route we took was lined with people showing their love and support. Once at the church, we stood a flag line for the family to enter and then waited for the services to be over.

With my left wrist hurting I decided I would go ahead with two others to the cemetery to help set up the flags and wait for the procession to get there. We set up flags in a U shape around the tent and a few others on the entry road to the cemetery.  The the color guard arrived. A few minuets after that, the first of the PGR came rolling in.

I stood there directing them through the route they were to take. Then when the bikes had past, I rendered my honors to SPC Blount and his family.

We then stood a flag line during the grave side service. Ed, our State Capitan presented the family with a flag, a plaque and a bear with a medal for the unborn daughter.

I am so proud to be a part of such a great group of people that now matter where we come from, what our beliefs are, or our political views are, we love, honor and support our Troops. I like many others wish there was no more mission like this to do, but we know better. So as long as there are KIA, Veterans, Troops deploying overseas to combat zones, we will be there to make sure that they know they have love and support back home. That what they are doing DOES matter and that we DO applicate their sacrifices.

To SPC Anthony Blount: Thank you for you service and making the ultimate sacrifice.

To his family: I can not know your pain, but you are in my prayers. Anthony will NEVER be forgotten by any of us.

An article from the Washington Post titled “For soldiers, single motherhood becomes another battlefield” brings up the question of single parents in the military. Now I understand that there are many people that want to serve their country, but not all should. Heck, I tried at the age of 42 but my body did not cooperate and I chose to come home. I felt, even though the Army was willing to do what it took to help me over come the problems in my lower back and hips, that it was better for my fellow soldiers for me to stay home and give them all the support I can, than to be the weak link. And that is what I felt I would be. If you can not perform the duties required to the fullest, whether physically or mentally, then you are just putting the people around you at risk.

I don’t care if you are single, married, a single parent, or a married parent, when you sign on the line to join the Military, you should know that one day you could be sent into battle and have to leave your children behind. If you have children, then you need to weight the responsibilities as a parent against those of being in the military. What is best for you and what you feel you and your family can deal with may not be what is best for your career in the military. I am NOT saying that all military personnel should be single, many make it work. Yes, it is hard on the whole family, I don’t deny that, BUT, what do you think the military is and does?

I get so tired of people that say they joined the military to get out of this or that, or to get a “free” education. It isn’t free! That “free” education or “free” ticket out of the situation you are in could be paid for with your life. To me that is very expensive! If you are not willing to lay your life down for this Country, DO NOT JOIN THE MILITARY! It is that plain and simple.

Yes, the military still has many things that it needs to work out where women are concerned, health care and women in a combat MOS are just two. But as the article, “G.I. Jane Breaks the Combat Barrier” that they reference from “The New Your Times”, many women are honorably proving that they can handle “the shit” just as well as many men that they stand beside in battle. So how can it be any different for a single mother in the military then a single father? Just a few years ago a friend of mine that was in the Navy, retired because he and his wife divorced,  and he got custody of their children. Feeling that it was better for him and his boys, he gave up a military career that he dearly loved. I respect his decision, I am saddened by it, but respect it. He was, and still is to me, a great Sailor! And look at CJ and the battles he has gone through over the last year. He is still in the Army AND doing his duty as a parent. Yes, it has cost him greatly, but apparently he was willing to make that sacrifice for the things he believes in, the Army and being a Dad.

Many years ago during WWII, my grandmother was in the Army. First she was a flight instructor and then a darkroom tech. When she became pregnant with my mom, she was released from the Army with a dishonorable discharge.There was no debate about it and she had no choice. Today, women can stay in the military when they become pregnant whether they are married or not. That is a great thing! We have come a long way in the last 60 to 70 years. But to sit there and refuse to deploy when you have known for months that it is going to happen is inexcusable.  I understand in the case of Spec. Alexis Hutchinson that her mother was supposed to take care of her son, but she was offered other help and refused it.

Now granted I don’t know all the regulations and maybe CJ and Marcus can help me with this, but can’t a person get out of the military siting hardship, without getting a “other-than-honorable” discharge? According to the story, Hutchinson choose the”other-than-honorable” discharge because she could get on with her life and would not have to face court-martial or possible jail time. In a way, I can understand that decision and sympathize with her. But I have many questions that these articles do not answer. Did she exhaust every means possible to delay her deployment and find other arrangements? Is there not any other family? And what about the offer of help that she did get and refused? Why did she refuse it? What were the conditions of it? There are a lot of unanswered questions. I believe that MSM has yet again taken a story and reported only half of it to, once again, make the military out to be a bunch of cold-hearted bastards!

Now, I’m going to agree and disagree with this statement. In a sense, it will be one of the great achievements of this administration. Perhaps the only one. Things haven’t gotten WORSE under President Obama, which is definitely an achievement and one that should be credited to his administration. However, to give this administration credit without deference to the previous one is shameful and petty by the Vice President.

In 2006, former President George W. Bush announced he was sending in 20,000 additional troops to calm the sectarian violence plaguing Iraq. The so-called “surge” was designed to put troops on the ground for an offensive that would (and did) crush the insurgency and provide breathing room for the fledgling Iraqi government. During the debates on this policy, then-Senator from Delaware, Joe Biden, made the following impassioned speech on the floor of the Senate.

According to then-Senator Biden, no number of additional troops in Iraq was going to end the violence. He also noted that General Petaeus is the “only one” that believes that the surge was going to work (time hack 2:00 in the video). Not long after that, MoveOn.org began a campaign against the heroic general in which they called him “General Betray Us.” The surge worked. For those that say this war was not authorized by Congress, then-Senator Biden even admits in this video that Congress gave him the authority to take down Saddam Hussein (“declaration of war”). He also says that Iraq can “never be” a “central government that is a democracy.” He continued, “IT IS NOT POSSIBLE. Mark my words!” This didn’t happen in just the past 13 months since he’s been Vice President. It happened under the previous administration.

Then-Senator Biden also announced a new and bold campaign to stop the escalation of troops into Afghanistan. He took an active role in trying to convince the country that allowing then-President Bush to send more troops into Iraq was a “tragic mistake” and would lead to conflicts with Syria and Iran. See for yourself:

Even then-Senator Obama stated in 2007 that he was “not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence. In fact, I think it will do the reverse.” And yet, it did work and it worked indisputably.

I don’t have a problem with this administration claiming some sort of credit for the eventual pull-out of American troops from Iraq personally. I have a problem with them claiming the credit exclusively while obviously undermining the people responsible for getting it there the whole time. Politics is politics, I understand that. This is just blatant neglect and fictional history making.

[Author's Note: The OPINIONS expressed here are solely those of the author and do not represent those of any agency of the United States Government, expressly including, but not limited to, the Department of Defense or the United States Army. This site is not designed, authorized, sanctioned, or affiliated, by or with, any agency of the United States Government, expressly including, but not limited to, the Department of Defense or the United States Army. This post is in accordance with DODD 1344.10, which expressly permits me to "express a personal opinion on political candidates and issues, but not as a representative of the Armed Forces." Therefore, I hereby declare that I do not write this post as a representative of the Armed Forces. Since I no longer own this site, consider this post also in compliance with the provisions of paragraph 4.1.1.6 of DODD 1344.10.]