Newsletter & Updates
America’s Frontlines is off to a great start. We’ve had some great interviews and discussions and there’s no shortage of topics that we need to discuss. I welcome your input on interviews we’ve done or ones we should do. Feel free to contact me at Denny@AmericasFrontlines.com.
Did you know that our nation is concerned with the Iranian terrorist proxy Hezbollah’s activities in Latin America? They established a presence there over 40 years ago. Our State Department recently said that it was seeking “information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanism” of Hezbollah—particularly in the tri-border area of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. There are indications that the bombing attacks on Argentina in the 1990s were prepared and financed from there. A Mexican finance expert agreed as the area has many money exchange houses and very little authority.
And, Hezbollah has helped facilitate a strong relationship between Venezuela and Iran. Indeed, remember when Israel indirectly provided some pagers that would explode to the terrorist groups. Many Hezbollah terrorists move to, yes, Venezuela.
And two US Senators, John Curtis (R-Utah) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev) introduced a bill called the No Hezbollah in Our Hemisphere Act. It demanded that Latin American nations “put an end to the impunity enjoyed by designated individuals and entities or face the consequences” described in the bill.
Here’s a challenge that needs to be dealt with—in addition to all the other challenges our nation is facing now. At least we have leadership that is actually acting to fix things, but there’s no such thing as a quick fix.
And, in an unusually candid moment, while speaking to a small group of journalists before a Security Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made something crystal clear: Israel’s upcoming operation in Gaza is not about permanent occupation.
The goal is to dismantle Hamas’s war machine and, then hand administrative control to reliable international partners — trusted Arab states that understand the stakes.
This is a strategic shift. Israel will remain only where necessary to ensure that Gaza can’t ever again serve as a launchpad for terror. This decision comes after 672 days of war — days marked by courage, sacrifice and national resilience, but also by deep wounds: tens of thousands injured, many psychologically scarred, families shattered, an economy under strain and a rising tide of antisemitism at home and abroad.
The cabinet debate that led to this decision was fierce but ultimately unified. Netanyahu was determined to send in IDF forces to Gaza City and areas in the Gaza Strip not under Israeli control. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir urged a more cautious approach, surrounding the remaining terror strongholds to protect the hostages’ lives.
Reality has forced Israel’s hand: Hamas has flatly refused to release the captives. Those skeletal men, women, and children can’t wait. Israel cannot permit Hamas to continue torturing them to death, nor to keep plotting the next Oct. 7 from the tunnels of Gaza.
As Secretary of State Marco Rubio put it bluntly: “As long as Hamas exists as an armed group in Gaza, there will not be a peace; there will not be a peaceful future because it’s going to happen again, and this can never happen again.”
Washington understands this. Unlike Europe, which continues to wring its hands and pressure Israel, we have chosen to work alongside the Jewish state toward ending the war on terms that secure its people.
Our nation has a large number of challenges and some very good people at the top of our government, but we have a lot to do to maintain our nation as the world’s finest country.
The Smiling Ranger
this book is a series of short, mostly funny, stories of my time in uniform – starting when I was in high school ROTC. These stories will come in the order that they appear in the book. (The book’s for sale at AmericasFrontlines.com and Amazon).
I’ll never forget that, I was thinking about…,
my first, or plebe, year at West Point. My roommate, Bob, wasn’t very neat and seemed never to have enough sleep—he could fall asleep pretty-much anytime, anywhere. It turned out that he did have a medical problem, but he didn’t get it diagnosed until one day when he fell asleep standing at a blackboard doing a math problem—yeah, during class. The way our math classes ran, the prof would lecture and then tell us to “take boards.” The blackboards were sectioned off so each of us had our own space—and we were not to look around; our eyes were to be on our own boards only—unless the prof told us to look elsewhere. Then the prof would give us a problem; we were to solve it as he walked around checking our progress. One day Bob was at the board next to me. After a few minutes of working on a problem I heard a loud CLACK; I couldn’t help but look. Bob had dropped his chalk—the clack. He was standing, facing his board, with his nose about ½ inch from the board; he was sound asleep. The prof yelled at him, which woke him up—and shortly thereafter he received medical help and got his issues under control.
Military History
On 1 Sep 1939, at 5.30 a.m., Hitler’s armies invaded Poland starting WWII in Europe.
On 2 Sep 1864, during our Civil War, Atlanta was captured by Sherman’s Army. “Atlanta is ours, and fairly won,” General William T. Sherman telegraphed President Lincoln.
On 2 Sep 1945, President Harry Truman declared V-J Day (Victory over Japan Day) commemorating the formal Japanese surrender to the Allies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. It was also the end of WWII, as Germany had surrendered in May.
On 3 Sep 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed by John Adams, Ben Franklin and John Jay, formally ending the American Revolutionary War between Britain and the United States.
On 4 Sep 1886, the last major US-Indian war came to an end as Geronimo was captured. He died of natural causes in 1909 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
On 5 Sep 1774, the First Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia with 56 delegates, representing every colony, except Georgia. Attendants included Patrick Henry, George Washington, Sam Adams and John Hancock.
On 7 Sep 1940, the German Luftwaffe began its Blitz bombing campaign against London during World War II.
On 9 Sep 1776, the United States came into existence as the Continental Congress changed the name of the new American nation from the United Colonies.
On 10 Sep 1919, following the defeat of Germany in WWI, the victorious Allies signed the Treaty of Saint-Germain ceding parts of pre-war German-Austria to Italy and Czechoslovakia. Austria was also forbidden to unite with Germany.
On 11 Sep 2001, the worst terrorist attack in US history occurred as four large passenger jets were hijacked then crashed, killing nearly 3,000 persons. Four separate teams of Mideast terrorists, operating from inside the US, boarded the morning flights posing as passengers, then forcibly commandeered the aircraft. Two fully-fueled jumbo jets, American Airlines Flight 11 carrying 92 people and United Airlines Flight 175 carrying 65 people, had departed Boston for Los Angeles. Both jets were diverted by the hijackers to New York City where they were piloted into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The impact and subsequent fire caused both 110-story towers to collapse, killing 2,752 persons including hundreds of rescue workers and people employed in the towers. In addition, United Airlines Flight 93, which had departed Newark for San Francisco, and American Airlines Flight 77, which had departed Dulles (Virginia) for Los Angeles, were hijacked. Flight 77 with 64 people on board was diverted to Washington, DC, then piloted into the Pentagon building, killing everyone on board and 125 military personnel inside the building. Flight 93 with 44 people on board was also diverted toward Washington but crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to overpower the terrorists on board.
On 13 Sep 1814, during the War of 1812, the Battle of Fort Henry in Baltimore Harbor occurred, observed by Francis Scott Key aboard a ship. He watched the British attack overnight and at dawn saw the American flag still flying over the fort, inspiring him to write the verses which were later coupled with the tune of a popular drinking song and became our National Anthem in 1931.
On 15 Sep 1776, British forces under General William Howe captured New York during the American Revolution.
On 15 Sep 1916, tanks were first used in combat, during the Allied offensive at the Battle of the Somme, in WWI.
On 15 Sep 1935, Nazis enacted the Nuremburg Laws depriving German Jews of their rights of citizenship.
On 15 Sep 1940, during WWII, the height of the Battle of Britain occurred as massive German air raids took place against London, Southampton, Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool and Manchester. The British claimed 185 German planes were shot down.
Humor/Puns
Dad, are we pyromaniacs? Yes, we arson.
What do you call a pig with laryngitis? Disgruntled.
A commander walks into a bar and orders everyone around.
Never buy flowers for a monk. Only you can prevent florist friars.
How much did the pirate pay to get his ears pierced? A buccaneer.
I once worked at a cheap pizza shop to get by. I kneaded the dough.
When I told my contractor I didn’t want carpeted steps, he gave me a blank stare.
Bono and The Edge walk into a Dublin bar and the bartender says, “Oh no, not U2 again.”
Prison is just one word to you, but for some people, it’s a whole sentence.
I’m trying to organize a hide and seek tournament, but good players are really hard to find.
Quote/Verse
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We Americans should be very proud of our nation; despite our current challenges and differences, we live in the best and freest nation in the world. Let’s end all the name calling and appreciate each other and our nation, even if we don’t all agree on everything. When you talk with someone you have disagreements with, you can at least understand why they feel like they do; we need to understand each other. Good Americans come in many flavors. |
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“War is mankind’s most tragic and stupid folly; to seek or advise its deliberate provocation is a black crime against all men. Though you follow the trade of the warrior, you do so in the spirit of Washington — not of Genghis Khan. For Americans, only threat to our way of life justifies resort to conflict.” – Dwight Eisenhower |
1st Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.