http://www.trackpads.com/forum/ General discussions about military life and all things in uniform. en Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:51:56 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.trackpads.com/forum/images/misc/rss.png http://www.trackpads.com/forum/ http://www.trackpads.com/forum/grapevine/944095-disgusting-banned-dod.html Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:27:42 GMT *Medal of Honor* Coming October 12, 2010... Medal of Honor

Coming October 12, 2010
Game Info

Operating directly under the National Command Authority, a relatively unknown entity of handpicked warriors are called on when the mission must not fail. They are the Tier 1 Operators.
Over 2 million Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines wear the uniform. Of those, approximately 50 thousand fall under the direct control of the Special Operations Command. The Tier 1 Operator functions on a plane of existence above and beyond even the most highly trained Special Operations Forces. Their exact numbers, while classified, hover in the low hundreds. They are living, breathing, precision instruments of war. They are experts in the application of violence. The new Medal of Honor is inspired by and has been developed with Tier 1 Operators from this elite community. Players will step into the boots of these warriors and apply their unique skill sets to a new enemy in the most unforgiving and hostile battlefield conditions of present day Afghanistan.
There is a new enemy. There is a new war. There is a new warrior. He is Tier 1.

Pre-Order On:

Xbox 360
Ships 10/12 PS3
Ships 10/12 PC Download
Ships 10/12 PC
Ships 10/12
Medal of Honor Official Site

1. Developer: Danger Close
2. Genres: Shooting
3. Brand: Medal of Honor

This title is rated Mature for:

• • Blood
• • Strong Language. Violence
• • Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB

]]> The Grapevine Bluehawk http://www.trackpads.com/forum/grapevine/944095-disgusting-banned-dod.html http://www.trackpads.com/forum/grapevine/944046-nebraska.html Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:48:14 GMT Turns down ban on US FLAG DESICRATION Judge... Turns down ban on US FLAG DESICRATION

Judge Overturns Nebraska Flag Mutilation Ban


Wanna make a bet...they best NOT do it in front of ME..... ]]> The Grapevine Stick http://www.trackpads.com/forum/grapevine/944046-nebraska.html http://www.trackpads.com/forum/grapevine/944042-9-11-a.html Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:30:02 GMT We have less than two weeks to get the word out... We have less than two weeks to get the word out all across this great land and into every community in the United States of America .

If you forward this email to atleast 11 people and each of those people do the same ... you get the idea.

THE PROGRAM:

On Saturday, September 11th, 2010, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States . Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this eighth anniversary of one of our country's worst tragedies. We do this to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds.

Action Plan:

So, here's what we need you to do.

(1) Forward this email to everyone you know (at least 11 people). Please don't be the one to break this chain. Take a moment to think back

to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.

(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11


(3) For that day,try to come up with a slogan to tie in with the upcoming election and post that near you flag. Example:


ON SEPTEMBER 11,2001

AMERICANS STOOD SHOULDER TO SHOULDER.

ON NOVEMBER 4TH

WE MUST DO THAT AGAIN. ]]> The Grapevine Stick http://www.trackpads.com/forum/grapevine/944042-9-11-a.html http://www.trackpads.com/forum/grapevine/943206-laptops-wounded-warriors.html Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:13:02 GMT I believe this is worthy: ============== ... I believe this is worthy:
==============







Laptops for Wounded
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Laptops for Wounded Warriors
Posted on July 21, 2010 at 8:30 AM by Kathy
No comments
By George Samek 07/21/2010
Laptops for Wounded Warriors
Portsmouth Va Naval Hospital
June 16th 2010

On June 16 2010 members of the Gathering of Eagle's and Soldiers Angels presented twelve Windows 7 laptop computers to our brave Wounded Warriors at the Portsmouth Va Naval Hospital. Laptops were presented to ten US Marines and two US Navy service members. These laptops were provided to insure our wounded service members can maintain contact home to their family and friends during their recovery and also enjoy escape from the isolation of the distance between themselves and the outside world during their recovery.. Funding for these laptops was provided by Soldiers Angels, Gathering of Eagles and the Band of Mothers.Since September 11 2009 over 95 laptops have been presented to our Wounded Warriors at military medical treatment centers. As a Gathering of Eagles Wounded Warrior Advocate I wish to give my personal thanks to each of you who have found it in your heart to reach out to say to our wounded thank you for your brave service to our nation and without each of your donations these laptops missions would not have been possible.Special thanks to Dawn West for her hard work with the New Republic Patriots to make the required contacts and insure the success of this mission.
The next joint laptop mission will be conducted at Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Washington DC on September 11 2010. Please consider a donation to help fund this mission. Each laptops, with web cam cost $400.00 and this is a small price to pay to bring joy to American service members who has received their wound fighting for our freedom.
Details for donations can be found at Laptops for Wounded Warriors at Face book.. Donations can be made by personal check or Pay Pay.

Laptops for Wounded Warriors
Welcome to Facebook

CWO {SFC} George Samek
US Army Retired
Wounded Warrior Advocate
Gathering of Eagles
Soldiers Angel NC ]]> The Grapevine Bluehawk http://www.trackpads.com/forum/grapevine/943206-laptops-wounded-warriors.html http://www.trackpads.com/forum/grapevine/942788-petraeus-oef-strategy.html Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:56:23 GMT *Petraeus: Here’s My Afghan Redeployment... Petraeus: Here’s My Afghan Redeployment Strategy

• By Spencer Ackerman
• August 18, 2010 |
• 8:47 am |
• Categories: Af/Pak

KABUL, Afghanistan – General David Petraeus isn’t planning to wake up one morning after July 2011 and order his troops out of Afghanistan’s provinces all at once. Instead, his idea is to slowly and deliberately remove small units, district by district, in an intricate process he describes as “thinning out.”
“You can reduce your forces. But you thin out,” Petraeus tells Danger Room in an interview from his professorial Kabul office. “You don’t just hand over. The whole unit doesn’t leave.”
At least not in the early stages after the Obama administration’s announced date to start a withdrawal. And some of those troops won’t come home right away: They’ll be “reinvested” at first in parts of the country where security remains dicey.
For months, Petraeus has been questioned about how quickly the U.S. will remove its troops from Afghanistan after July 2011. He’s heard lawmakers and pundits parse everything he says for the tiniest iota’s worth of difference with President Obama. It’s “premature” to speculate what will happen eleven months from now, Petraeus says. Once again, he declares support for the Obama policy of beginning a “conditions-based” drawdown next summer.
But for perhaps the first time, Petraeus opens up, just a bit, about his thinking for how to send troops home, and in what size.
A few combat brigades of between 3,000 and 5,000 troops, like those Obama ordered to Afghanistan last winter, may indeed come back to America. But he is maintaining the mantra that withdrawals next year, beyond the 30,000 surge troops, will depend on how the security picture looks. Petraeus says the recommendations will come from “those who know it best” — his subordinate commanders.
Much as Obama will consider Petraeus’ advice, Petraeus will consider theirs. They will assess how much sense it makes to move troops out of certain areas; whether there is still more to achieve in battle; whether Afghan troops and police are ready to hold terrain cleared by Americans.
That focus will “start at the district,” he says, and then progress to the larger provinces. The idea is to ensure that U.S. troops don’t vacate a hard-captured area and abruptly turn it over to unprepared Afghans. “We’ve got a lot of months in this fighting season and a lot of work to do before July 2011,” he adds. “But in the tough areas, it’ll probably be district-level. More autonomous areas, it can be province-level.” (Brigade-sized Task Forces typically handle security in more than one Afghan province.)
Some units pulled out of stable districts might find themselves heading for more volatile ones. “You maybe take one company and send it somewhere else. Maybe send it home,” Petraeus explains. “We want to reinvest some of the transition.” It won’t necessarily be the case that a unit that “thins out” from a district heads directly home. “Some will, certainly,” Petraeus qualifies. “And this is all premature.”
In keeping with Petraeus’ admitted addiction to PowerPoint, the general passes on a briefing slide, titled “Transition,” to explain his thinking. The assessment for drawing down will be built around “Districts, Provinces, Functions [and] Institutions,” looking for what can be handed to Afghans with minimal disruptions in security.
In our interview, the general elaborates that “institutions” means U.S. functions like training the Afghan security forces — jobs that don’t have to remain American duties indefinitely. According to the slide, it’s a process that will draw on what security gains the U.S. command in charge of training Afghan security forces believes the Afghans can maintain; and the Afghan government itself.
Some of Petraeus’ division commanders are already looking toward drawing down their forces. In a separate interview with Danger Room, Maj. Gen. John Campbell, commander of U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan, says that he’s considering turning over relatively secure provinces like Parwan, Panjshir and Bamiyan to the Afghans by the time his tour ends next summer.
But volatile areas aren’t off limits for possible troop reductions. Campbell says he’s taking a hard look at districts in the violent border province of Kunar that he might consider leaving, including the Pech Valley, where U.S. troops find themselves in a tough, mountainous battle. Campbell says that the provincial capital of Asadabad will need U.S. troops to secure it. But other parts of Kunar might bring the U.S. little but a violent fate, making it questionable to stay.
Campbell says he’ll review “the task and purpose” of what his troops are doing as he looks toward reducing their numbers in the east, asking if it “complement[s] the campaign strategy.”
That’s Petraeus’ focus, too. He’s got a lot to produce, both before and after July 2011: development of a competent Afghan security force. Protecting Afghan civilians from rising violence. Rolling back the insurgency’s momentum. Bolstering effective, transparent and legitimate Afghan governance. And balancing the need to prosecute the war with the U.S.’ disinterest in prolonging the longest war in its history.
It may be “premature” to speculate on what the U.S. troop presence will look like after the “conditions-based” drawdown begins next year. But Petraeus has formed the concepts to guide what he recommends to Obama about how fast U.S. troops should actually come home.
Editor’s note: Spencer Ackerman’s complete interview with Petraeus will be available online shortly.
Photo: Spc. Albert Kelley / CJTF-82



Read More Petraeus: Here’s My Afghan Redeployment Strategy | Danger Room | Wired.com ]]> The Grapevine Bluehawk http://www.trackpads.com/forum/grapevine/942788-petraeus-oef-strategy.html