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Navy SEAL Sees American Flag Barely Hanging On Pole At a time when the American flag is being continuously trashed by athletes, far-left protesters, and elected Democrats, Navy SEAL Dom Raso stepped in to honor our flag. As first reported by ABC News 4, Raso stopped his morning run in Virginia Beach, Virginia when he saw an American flag at the Navy SEAL monument barely hanging onto the pole. After three attempts to climb the pole, the SEAL made it to the top and fixed Old Glory. The amazing patriotic event was captured on video by a friend, posted to Facebook, and predictably went viral. “After a 3.5 mile run and being smoked from the previous attempts, this was my fourth attempt at trying to get up and fix the flag,” Raso posted to social media. “Literally had to visualize what I was doing wrong and what I had to do to correct my inefficiencies in order to improve for the next attempt.” “I couldn’t go by this flag this morning and not give it everything I had,” he wrote. “The gold stars on this monument and the sacrifice that has been made for all us was something I wasn’t just going to pass by. This flagpole climb reminded me about EVERYTHING in life. There has been way to grave of sacrifice for me not to try. Once I do try I have to give it my ALL for them. If I fail … honor them by trying one more time and get better every time I do it.”
Features
AF General Falsely Accused Air Force Gen. John Hyten gave a blanket denial of sexual-assault allegations made by a former aide in his bid for Senate confirmation as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “These allegations are false,” Hyten said of the charges made by Army Col. Kathryn Spletstoser. “Nothing happened, ever” in his contacts with Spletstoser, he said in his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Former Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, who directed the investigation of Spletstoser’s accusations, gave a forceful defense of Hyten’s integrity while introducing him to the committee, saying he was “falsely accused.” By the way, how does one prove a negative?
Prosecutors Awards Rescinded Following reports that the military prosecutors of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher are receiving Navy Achievement Medals — despite failing to secure a conviction for Gallagher on murder charges — President Trump is stepping into the fray. Trump took to Twitter, calling the medal awards “ridiculous” and demanding that they be rescinded. “Not only did the prosecutors lose the case, they had difficulty with respect to information that may have been obtained from opposing lawyers and for giving immunity in a totally incompetent fashion,” Trump tweeted. “I have directed the Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer & Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson to immediately withdraw and rescind the awards.” A Navy official confirmed that Trump does have the authority to order the revocation of the awards, and that Spencer, accordingly, planned to rescind them. I wonder why in the world any competent leader would consider the efforts of the prosecutors to be even marginally acceptable, much less commendable.
America—Far from perfect America is not and has never been perfect, but it’s a very, very good place to live and well worth the lives of those of us who have defended her. She’s far better than “ok”. Nobody is force to stay here, yet, for some reason, some people who are here don’t like who we are. I’m proud to be an American and an American veteran.
A Band of Real Brothers The sons of Ben and Hattie Davis give special meaning to the term “band of brothers.” Eleven in all, their combined 158 years of service to the US military make them brothers in arms as well as brothers raised on a family farm in rural Alabama. Seven of the 11 gathered in mid-July at a hotel and casino in Mississippi for a reunion thick with brotherly love and military pride. They laughed together, told stories from their days growing up and serving the country, and reminisced about what it was like to be black in the US military in the 20th century in America. But in the end, they talked less about racism than the lack of respect all veterans feel from their fellow Americans. “Being in the military, it was a fine thing,” said Lebronze Davis, who fought in the Vietnam War and has survived cancer and heart surgery. “We all think we’ve done an outstanding job.” In 2017, the Davis men were honored by the National Infantry Museum Foundation. The names of the 11 brothers and their uncle are engraved on four paving stones installed at the museum.
Our Founders and National Debt The Founders of the USA warned against massive federal debt, but, to our detriment, their political descendants are not paying attention. The Founders speak to us from their graves to condemn and warn of the consequences now that President Trump and Congress have come to an agreement about lifting the meaningless “debt ceiling” and increasing already massive federal spending and the debt, which is at $22 trillion and growing rapidly. First to speak is Thomas Jefferson: “We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.” Next is Alexander Hamilton: “Nothing can more affect national prosperity than a constant and systematic attention to extinguish the present debt and to avoid as much as possibl(e) the incurring of any new debt.” I’m not sure if that line made it into “Hamilton,” the Broadway musical, but if it didn’t, it should have to teach a new generation about fiscal responsibility. Then we have this from George Washington:
Canadian Black Watch in WWII The Canadian Black Watch battalion’s snipers have a personal and intense story to tell. These are real heroes.
Do White Cops Shoot More Minorities? Reports of racially motivated, fatal shootings by police officers have garnered extensive public attention and sparked activism across the nation. New research from Michigan State University and University of Maryland reveals findings that flip many of these reports on their heads—white police officers are not more likely to shoot minorities citizens than non-white officers. “Many people ask whether black or white citizens are more likely to be shot and why. We found that crime rates are the driving force behind fatal shootings,” Cesario said. “Our data show that the rate of crime by each racial group predicts the likelihood of citizens from that racial group being shot. If you live in a county that has a lot of white people committing crimes, white people are more likely to be shot. If you live in a county that has a lot of black people committing crimes, black people are more likely to be shot. It is the best predictor we have of fatal police shootings.” The vast majority—between 90% and 95% – of the civilians shot by officers were actively attacking police or other citizens when they were shot. Ninety percent also were armed with a weapon when they were shot. The horrific cases of accidental shootings, like mistaking a cell phone for a gun, are rare, Cesario said.
Iran Gave No Warning While more than a dozen U.S. military aircraft flew in international airspace near Iran’s borders the day the country downed an RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over the Strait of Hormuz last month, officials with US Central Command say the US was never “warned” before Iran took out the drone, contrary to the regime’s statements. After analysis, CENTCOM officials concluded there were “six different occasions where Iranian air defense stations queried or warned US aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles on the international guard radio channel” in the 12 hours prior to and following the shootdown, CENTCOM spokesman Navy Capt. Bill Urban said. “None were recorded or reported by the RQ-4 that was shot down in international airspace in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz, and none were received, reported or recorded by any other aircraft at the time of the shoot down,” Urban said in an email response to Military.com. “We are not aware of any Iranian attempt to warn any US forces or headquarters before they executed the shoot down of the RQ-4.”
Not the Smartest Choice Federal officials say they’ve found a missile launcher in a man’s luggage at the airport in Baltimore. The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement that the military grade weapon was located in the man’s checked luggage at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. TSA officers called airport police who found the man and detained him for questioning. The unidentified traveler said he was in the military and coming home from Kuwait. He said he wanted to keep the weapon as a souvenir. The TSA said the missile launcher was “not a live device.” But it was handed over to the state fire marshal for disposal. The man lives in Jacksonville, Texas. He was ultimately allowed to catch his flight home.
New Deputy SecDef David Norquist was confirmed as the 34th deputy defense secretary by voice vote of the full Senate, as the upper chamber of Congress continues its spree of Defense Department appointments to fill several key leadership vacancies at the Pentagon. Norquist has been performing the duties of deputy defense secretary since January when his predecessor, Patrick Shanahan, became the acting defense secretary. Norquist also has been serving as the Pentagon’s chief financial officer since 2017. After Defense Secretary Mark Esper was sworn in last week, he delegated the duties of deputy secretary to Navy Secretary Richard Spencer while Norquist went through the confirmation process.
Artillery Humor This artillery soldier had trouble making the gun go “bang.” If you’re interested, it’s all in the angle of the pull.
Border Crisis I totally agree with President Bill Clinton on this issue. This is not a partisan issue.
Mold Not Just in Military Housing It’s in military dorms, too. Mold in dorms forced about 200 airmen into new housing over the weekend at Joint Base Sane Antonio in Texas, after online scrutiny of living conditions triggered base leadership to conduct a full review of all facilities. As inspections continue at the Air Force’s largest dormitory program, officials anticipate the number of displaced airmen to grow. The base commander ordered a full review of dormitories within 24 hours. Now, follow-up inspections continue, and some remediation has begun in those rooms where mold was found to be a severe problem, Brig. Gen. Laura Lenderman, 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio commander, said in a statement. About three-quarters of permanent-party dorms have been inspected with 16% showing a presence of mold, according to the statement. Inspection of the remaining permanent party dorms should be soon completed. In the technical training dorms at Lackland Air Force Base, part of the joint base, ongoing inspections have revealed that 28 rooms in Building 1215 have mold.
Some Smart Sabotage This year is the 100th anniversary of Citroën. Here is a fascinating bit of wartime Citroën lore. It involves screwing with Nazis in a genuinely clever and subtle way that nevertheless had big repercussions. When, during WWII, France was occupied by the Germans in 1940, major French factories like Citroën were forced to produce equipment for the Nazis. Citroën president Pierre-Jules Boulanger knew he couldn’t just refuse to produce anything, but he also knew there’s no way in hell he’s going to just roll over and build trucks for a bunch of filthy Nazis. Pierre had a plan. John Reynol’ds book Citroën 2CV describes Boulanger’s sabotage efforts. Of course, he instructed workers to set a nice, leisurely pace when building trucks for the Wermacht, but that’s fairly obvious. What was brilliant was Boulanger’s idea to move the little notch on the trucks’ oil dipsticks that indicated the proper level of oil down just a bit lower. By moving the notch down, the trucks would not have enough oil, but German mechanics would have no idea, because, hey, they little notch on the dipstick says it’s just fine. Then, after the truck has been used for a while and is out deployed somewhere crucial, whammo, the engine seizes up, and you’ve got a lot of angry, stranded, vulnerable Nazis, balling up their little fists and redly barking curses in German. It’s such a fantastic act of sabotage: it’s extremely cheap to implement, it’s subtle, there’s no way to see something amiss is happening as the trucks are being built, and it delivers its blow away from the site of the sabotage and when it will cause the most inconvenience and trouble. That’s some mighty good sabotaging, Pierre.
Ending WWI The Treaty of Versailles was signed in Versailles, France, on June 28, 1919. Neither the winners nor the losers of WWI were happy with the formal conclusion to the bloodbath. The traditional criticism of the treaty is that the victorious French and British democracies did not listen to the pleas of leniency from progressive American President Woodrow Wilson. Instead, they added insult to the German injury by blaming Germany for starting the war. The final treaty demanded German reparations for war losses. It also forced Germany to cede territory to its victorious neighbors. The harsh terms of the treaty purportedly embittered and impoverished the Germans. The indignation over Versailles supposedly explained why Germany eventually voted into power the firebrand Nazi Adolf Hitler, sowing the seeds of the WWII.
Insider Attack Kills Two Soldiers in Afghanistan Two paratroopers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, were killed in and insider attack in southern Afghanistan. Ahmad Sadiq, a spokesman for the Afghan army’s 205th Corps, said the soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan soldier at a base in Shah Wali Kot district in southern Kandahar province. The attacker was wounded and taken into police custody, Sadiq said. “We and our foreign colleagues are working hard together to eliminate the enemies of this country, the enemies of Afghanistan and humanity,” Sadiq told Stars and Stripes by phone. “It is unfortunate that some of our soldiers will open fire on foreign troops or even on their Afghan colleagues.” Deputy spokesman of Afghanistan’s Defense Department Fawad Aman confirmed two American troops were killed in Kandahar by an Afghan soldier but was unable to provide further details. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi commended the attack in a statement, saying it was carried out by a “sensible Afghan soldier,” although not one of the militant group’s fighters.
The US Constitution When members of our Armed Forces are sworn in, we all take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the US against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The entire document, including all amendments, takes slightly less than 7600 words. We veterans and, indeed, all patriots, should read this document over and over again. It’s not complicated. On 5 Aug 1861 the US Army abolished flogging—beating with whips. The US Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment and was in effect for over 60 years at that point, so, clearly flogging was non cruel and unusual punishment. Now some courts say that being confined in a cell without a TV is cruel and unusual. We need some people with some common sense in our Congress and courts. There are two national organizations that are focused on making our nation aware of, and practicing, the Constitution—and I’m active in both of them. First is Concerned Veterans for America (cv4a.org). Then, there’s Combat Veterans for Congress (CVC.org).
God Loves Us Scott McChrystal is a retired Army Colonel, Chaplain. Here are some of his insights that I think you’ll find appropriate. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. – Psalms 138:8 | ESV Have you ever met people who seem to have plenty on the ball and tons of potential but do not seem to have a clue about their purpose? As a minister for many decades, I certainly have. While not always the case, many folks were trying to discern their purpose through human logic and intellect alone. If the Lord is truly our Creator, doesn’t it make sense to consult Him? For more on this subject, please check the link below.
Wise Words Retired Navy CAPT Joe John has done many things in his life; I’ve asked him to share a few words of wisdom with us: Here is a riveting interview of former CIA Officer Kevin Shipp; he is a counterintelligence expert who worked on the seventh floor at Langley as protective staff for then-CIA Director William Casey. Kevin previously stated, that there is a – huge – grassroots movement brewing in our country. These are not fanatics; they are pastors, priests, moms and dads, good government employees, military men and women, and CIA officers he worked with, who cannot speak for themselves. Kevin has been speaking out, and has felt repercussions for speaking out, including affecting his retirement pension.
Military Music Toby Keith, Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue
Frontlines of Freedom Gear If you’d like to have a Frontlines of Freedom shirt or hat or whatever, we do have it for you. Check our store at http://fof.logoshop.com/
Two quotes to consider. Neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened from it by menaces of destruction to the government nor of dungeons to ourselves. Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it. President Abraham Lincoln,
I gave him the whole nine yards! A P-51 Mustang pilot, using a WWII expression referring to the plane’s 27-foot-long ammo belt.
Programming: You’ll want to tune into the show (live or by podcast). 10-16 Aug. Lela Gilbert, author and Middle East expert, will discuss Iran. Then we’ll discuss the great things the Freedom Alliance does for veterans with Josh Miles. 17-23 Aug: Co-host Roland Ashby had a great visit at the AirVenture at Oshkosh, WI, during the last week in July. You’ll enjoy meeting two amazing women veterans; one is Major General Miller. The other is Tammy Joe who is helping military members with family issues–she’s also the captain of the SW flight that had the engine blow up and kill one passenger–and she’s an F-18 pilot. And Football Co-host Quinton Roberts will look at the soon-to-be-here Service Academy Football Season.
Advertising on Frontlines of Freedom’s Website and Newsletter: We encourage you to patronize our advertisers; they are keeping Frontlines of Freedom alive and well. You can advertise on-air (as a show sponsor) or only on our website and in this newsletter. If you or someone you know would like to advertise on Frontlines of Freedom please contact me at denny@frontlinesoffreedom.com.
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Humor Please forgive the political aspect of this humor, but this is way too funny not to share—and it is about two of our Commanders-in-Chief. Oh, and I got it from an AF vet. Former Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was one of the brightest people in the current administration. She has a very quick wit about her. Press Secretary Sanders astutely responded, “We’ve found a very secure place, and I’m certain they won’t be found.” “And just where is that?” asked the reporter sarcastically. Mrs. Sanders grinned sardonically and said, “They are underneath Obama’s college records, his passport application, his immigration status as a student, his funding sources to pay for college, his college records, and his Selective Service registration. Next question?”
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