Modern War Heroes

In Afghanistan, the US Marines has been employing a different kind of soldier. This soldier is a little shorter and a lot hairier than your average Marine.

Labradors, a popular hunting dog, have been a vital addition to foot teams patrolling in the dangerous south Afghanistan terrain. When they are just puppies, the dogs are selected and trained to “detect five kinds of threat, from military grade C-4 plastic explosive to common chemicals used by the Taliban to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs)”.  This training has proven invaluable and has saved countless lives.

“They are 98 percent accurate. We trust these dogs more than metal detectors and mine sweepers,” says handler Corporal Andrew Guzman.

Since Labradors were originally bred  for use as hunting dogs, their incredible sense of smell is well-tuned to environmental scents. The breed has also proven to be an eager student and is easy to train.

Of course, as anyone who has met a Labrador knows, the dogs are incredibly easy-going and friendly. They have provided much needed companionship, and a break from the daily life in hostile territory,  to the homesick soldiers. The soldiers are able to blow off steam playing with the dogs. Many have even requested to adopt the dogs after their tours are over.

As the use of IEDs by the Taliban goes up, so will the numbers of war dogs. Currently there are nearly 70 dogs working in the southern parts of Afghanistan alone, with more around the country. More of these valuable additions to our troops will be deployed in the coming months.

For more on the “dogs of war”, click here to read an article from Yahoo! News.

Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to make sure that special someone knows exactly how special they are. This past weekend taking advantage of this holiday and enjoying a romantic evening to themselves.

But imagine how hard this holiday can be for those in military relationships. Perhaps this only sharpens the pain of missing their special someone.

It can be hard to reach across so much distance.

Sometimes a soldier just needs to take a moment off and find the good things in life to laugh at – especially when on tour. As any one who knows someone in the military knows, our soldiers are often stuck “hurrying up to wait”. This is how they fill that downtime.

Visit this website to view more humorous photos taken by our brave men in uniform.

This is the face of a truly brave man. I’m sure many, when faced with the challenges he faced, would not have been able to act with the level of bravery and skill that Staff Sgt. Lincoln Dockery did.

It all started on an ordinary day in eastern Afghanistan. Dockery’s platoon had been ordered to investigate a report on a possible IED planted in the area around the villages of Kandegal and Omar. Unfortunately, the road-clearing platoon discovered the explosive device the hard way – by landing on it. The vehicle-mounted mine detector leading the convoy set the device off, causing an explosion that knocked down the dismounted troops, Dockery included. At the same moment, more than 30 insurgents opened fire on the soldiers.

Dazed from the blast, and despite heavy fire, Dockery risked his life to awaken the driver, Pfc. Amador Magana, who had been knocked unconscious from the explosion. Once Magana was awake and firing at the enemy, Dockery decided he wasn’t satisfied with merely saving the life of his comrade.

Seeing his convoy in danger from the heavy fire, he, along with Spc. Corey Taylor, stormed the enemy position, which was a staggering 75 feet up the mountainside. Not to be daunted, the two rushed upward, then crawled along – the whole way throwing grenades at the insurgents. Shrapnel hit Dockery, but he didn’t let slow him down.

Eventually he and Taylor found themselves taking shelter under a rock incline, so close to the enemy that they could hear them talking. They remained holed up there while Dockery attempted to get 1st Lt. William Cromie, his platoon leader, on the radio.

Finally they reached Cromie on the radio, but no one below could spot their position. No one knew how to reach them.

And they were running out of ammunition.

Cromie made the risky decision to take on the mountain by himself. He grabbed extra ammo and reached the two men above. Between the three of them, they were able to force the insurgents into a retreat.

Dockery received a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for his brave tactics against the enemy. Cromie also received a Silver Star for his actions.

I don’t know about you, but reading a story like this just gives me the shivers. Such bravery in the face of death and injury really humbles me.

These photos are yet another painful reminder of the real cost of this war.

Here’s a heartwarming image to send you off into the new year. What a beautiful moment.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a burden on our war veterans. The disorder eats away at their health and causes tears in their lives. Sadly, the articles on the internet highlight the unfortunate directions these soldier lives often take after being diagnosed with PTSD. Some even end tragically by ending their own lives.

The truly tragic side of this terrible illness is that, with proper help, it could be manageable. But the government doesn’t always care for these soldiers, and often, sadly, the soldiers themselves refuse to seek treatment for fear of appearing “weak”.

Enter Pets2Vets.

Dave Sharpe served in the U.S. Air Force. Returning home, he had trouble adjusting to civilian life and felt that he had no one to turn to – no one to share his experiences in Iraq with. This took his toll on him. Before he knew it, he had started displaying violent tendencies. He would wake up in the middle of the night and punch holes in walls or kick down the refrigerator.

A friend took him to an animal shelter and Dave took home a pit bull puppy named Cheyenne. When he next lost his temper and began his violent rampage, he looked over at the young dog staring at him trustingly and broke down.

“I froze, I put down my drink, I picked her up and laid with her in my bed,” he [Sharpe] said. “I cried and I told her the whole story. I didn’t feel judged.” (source)

Given the extraordinary love and support that Cheyenne gave him, Sharpe was inspired to reach out to his fellow vets. He started the organization Pets2Vets. Pets2Vets has the goal to raise awareness of PTSD and to arrange dog adoptions for veterans suffering form the disorder. With these new pets, the veterans have something outside themselves to focus on – a dependent that won’t judge them and will listen to every word said to them.

While family certainly is an important part of the healing process, so often the responsibilities of family can put pressure on the PTSD sufferer – even if that pressure is only imagined. The dogs provide that comfort needed without any strings attached. Just total  love and admiration.

Pets2Vets is still a fledgling operation, but David Sharpe has already seen results. He has hopes to continue to expand across the DC area and soon across the whole country. He also hopes to expand to encompass, not only war veterans, but police, firemen, rescue personnel, and any others who may have emotional trauma.

If you know anyone who may benefit from this organization, or just want more information about it, head over to the Pets2Vets website.

Our thoughts are with this young man’s family.

The latest British soldier to die in Afghanistan has been named as Corporal Simon Hornby, 29, from the 2nd Battalion, the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment.

Cpl Hornby was killed in an explosion while on foot patrol in the Nad-e-Ali area of Helmand on Saturday. The Liverpudlian’s wife Holly described him as her “hero”.

Cpl Hornby’s death brings the total of British service personnel who have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001 to 240, including 103 deaths this year.

Cpl Hornby had previously served in Iraq, where he was awarded a commendation for discovering an improvised explosive device and for spoiling an insurgent ambush.

He deployed to Afghanistan as a section commander with Arnhem Company, 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment as part of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards Battle Group, according to the Ministry of Defence.

His wife Holly said: “I am devastated by the loss of Simon. “He was proud to be a soldier and died doing the job he loved. He was my hero.” Read on…

We all know of the tragedy in 1941 that struck the U.S. Naval base located at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. But you haven’t seen it the way that the pictures show it.

Click here to see Pearl Harbor photos.

Last week Obama traveled to Norway to accept his Nobel Peace Prize. The trip was routine, if disappointingly short for the citizens. But what was not routine was President Obama’s speech.

In a move that can only be classified as gutsy, Obama gave a speech defending war while accepting a peace prize.

In his acceptance speech, Obama told Nobel Committee members and guests in Oslo that achieving peace must begin with the recognition that the use of force is sometimes morally justified.

“Make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaida’s leaders to lay down their arms,” he told the crowd.

It was just nine days ago that Obama announced he is sending an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan in an effort to step up training of Afghan security forces and root out insurgents operating on the border with Pakistan.

The president also used the Nobel platform to exhort allies to help eradicate terrorist extremism in Afghanistan.

“I understand why war is not popular, but I also know this: The belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it,” he said, urging support for NATO and saying peacekeeping responsibilities shouldn’t be left to a few countries. (source)