Mamamontezz's Mental Rumpus Room

Cpl. Lonnie Young

Some men are just men. Some men are Military Men. And some Military Men are Marines.

This, by God, is a Marine.

Thanks, Slaglerock! Excellent post. And a huge Thank You to Marine Cpl. Lonnie Young. I sleep better in my bed at night knowing there are men like you keeping watch on us all.

Semper Fi!

The Letter Project.

You all remember how torqued-off I get when people disrespect military personnel? You remember how that inspired me to write an open letter to the troops that started out like a snowflake and snowballed and ended up starting a drive for letters at Slaglerock's Slaughterhouse? Remember?

Well, after collecting about 300 of these letters, Slagle and I built a site for them and he has been posting them all online. We thought that having a site where our men and women in uniform could go anytime they needed a pick-me-up or a warm message from home was a good idea. No politics, no advertisements, no pressure, just letters from appreciative people.

I want to direct you to The Letter Project, the outcome of our brainchild and of the gracious goodwill of the many many people who cared enough about our troops to take the time to send a letter for posting.

If you know anyone who is serving, whether they are deployed overseas or not, pass along this link. If you want to post a letter to the letter project, you can do so at any time by contacting me at mamamontezz(at)sbcglobal(dot)net. I will make sure it is posted.

Expect this site to evolve over time as we find better ways to get the letters up. And if you have any suggestions for sites to include in the gutter, support sites or humor sites, as long as they are not political, let us know.

Care Packages from Donatos pizza?

Early this morning, while lying in bed all warm and snuggly with the Spousal Unit, I heard something on the radio that I haven't been able to verify. Or at least I think I heard it. It may have been one of those restless, half-lit dreams a person has when they're not quite awake yet not quite still asleep.

I heard/dreamed about a Donatos Pizza commercial. The commercial stated that Donatos Pizza was collecting items for the purpose of putting together care packages for our troops overseas. Interested persons could drop off these items at any Donatos in the Indianapolis area, or give them to the driver who delivers their pizza.

Okay, it sounded pretty real to me, but there's nothing on the Donatos Pizza national corporate website about it, and the radio station that's on at work hasn't run any of their ads today. And I'd really like to verify this.

If this is true, I'll be certain to order Donatos this week. I make it a point to support businesses that support our troops, and I always have liked their pizza. Nothing fancy, nothing pretentious, but it at least gets delivered while it's still hot and it's never all slid to one end of the box in a sodden mess.

Anyone else hear about this program in any other region? If this was infact a real commercial and not some dream, please let me know.

Now, what will I order? Mmmmm... Sausage, 'shrooms, and extra cheese... Oh, and Anchovies on the side for the rest of the family. NO fish on pizza for me, thank you.

Deployed letter writers wanted.

I know that some of you readers are still knocking the gritty remnants of the sandbox out of your boots, so I'm going to direct you to something you might be interested in as a participant.

Keystone Military News is asking active-duty deployed servicemembers to act as pen-pals for other active-duty deployed folks who need to hash out mutual experiences. This is the result of a letter from a deployed guy asking for another deployed person with whom he could correspond. And his reasoning is sound: no one but one who's there can understand what he's doing or seeing or feeling in that hole.

If this is something you think you can do, hit that link. And if you've been recently deployed or have some history in that area, maybe they could find a place for you in this project as well. I know I have some good readers here who would be welcome in this endeavor.

Wounded...

Reuters is reporting that al-Sadr has been wounded in fighting in Najaf.

"He was in the cemetery at the time. He was wounded in the chest, arm and leg," Shinabi said. Other spokesmen said Sadr was being treated at the mosque.

There was no independent confirmation.

Considering what our men are using for weapons, this most likely cannot be considered merely flesh-wounds. Infinitely more serious than slivers and wayward grains of rice.

The Mehdi Army has vowed no surrender, and Sadr has urged his militia to keep fighting even if he is killed.

Good. Keep fighting. Keep pointing those weapons. That makes you legitimate targets. Good reactive targets, too.

Let's all hope for a successful outcome to this battle, and a rapid one. And I hope we can find that lump of hamburger before he gives it up so we can have his capture on film. If he bites it on camera, fine. But get his shredded remains alive and on tape.

Go! Read! Link!

You all know, if you've read more than a post or two, that I hold a special place in my heart for persons with service in the military, either past or current. I think almost all of my blog children have either a service background or are connected by blood or marriage to someone who does.

Even my blogroll tends toward these men and women and to those who support them.

As such, I want to bring your attention to a blog that needs your support for what it is doing.

Keystone Military News is a remarkable clearinghouse of information and provides a wonderful link for current personnel. I want you to take a moment and go there and see the wonderful works they are involved with.

While you're there, make sure you read the letter and check out the video at the A Soldier's Thanks post. If you don't get a lump in your throat, you have a problem.

Let's see if we can't get this blog a few inbound links and a better spot in the blogosphere than Lowly Insect. I've got my link up. Do your bit.

(Ooo... I wonder... Does this make me a Link-Madame?)

Update: You're doing good! As of today, August 16, they've reached Crawly Amphibian status. Keep up the good work. Let's find these good folks a few more links. And keep them bookmarked for updates as they post them.

An Open Letter

To the members of the Armed Services of the United States currently serving overseas in and around Iraq:

I have read the letter from Spc. Joe Roche regarding the impact of Michael Moore's film on the morale of young men and women who have served or are currently serving in Iraq.

The motives of any person who would download this film, burn it to a disk, and mail it to a young, exhausted, and vulnerable man or woman far from home doing what has to be the world's most difficult and thankless job have got to be questioned by sane and rational people. Any person who would do this is nothing less than thoughtless and cruel. I liken this behavior to telling "dead baby jokes" to a couple who has recently lost an infant, or amputee jokes to someone who is still learning to use his newly fitted prosthetics.

Michael Moore has an agenda, a very specific agenda, which he promotes with this film: The overthrow of a sitting president for the purpose of weakening this country and her military. He is Jane Fonda in a fat suit. He very obviously cherry-picked those he interviewed and then edited what was said in such a way to make their words as damning to their fellow fighting men and women as possible, and to undermine all sense of duty, honor, and patriotism in each of you, as well as in as many of us who remain at home as possible.

Spc. Roche is right that the youngest of you is the most vulnerable to his deceits, and because of this, you have been targeted for his venom. By undermining your confidence in yourselves, in your NCOs, in your officers, and ultimately in your Commander-in-Chief, he forwards his agenda and comes ever so much closer to accomplishing that which he prizes and seeks so openly. By turning your pride and spirit into despair and anger, he destroys you and all who depend on you. He knows and depends on the fact that when you begin to question yourself, you become a danger to yourself and to the man or woman who stands beside you, and you become a liability to your comrades, to your unit, and to your mission.

"Farenheit: 911" is a web of half-truths and outright deceits spun together for no other purpose than to become a rallying point for the anarchists, pacifists, and appeasers in this country and abroad. It gives them purpose and puts the fire in their bellies, instigating them to do such contemptible things as phoning the wives and mothers of servicemen, impersonating the Red Cross to give false death notifications. It gives them the nerve to confront returning military personnel at airports and on the streets for the purpose of abusing them much in the same manner as a great many veterans were abused during and after the Viet Nam war.

You may look at this film and feel that this nation views you as so much "cannon fodder" for a war about oil. Nothing could be further from the truth. My family and I are proud supporters of each and every one of you, and of your efforts to make our home a safer place. We are not the exception, but the rule. Our support is quiet. It takes the form of a box of snacks, a letter to a stranger, the anonymous picking up of the check when we see a man in uniform eating alone at a restaurant. It is the envelope with a 4th grade child's hand drawn card saying "I Love You" to a person she's never met.

We don't have the media voice given to those like Michael Moore or his followers, but we are not silent. We write on weblogs such as this one here, and those you find listed on this site. We are appreciative, we are informed, we are supportive of you and of your mission, and we are Legion.

I can only hope that when you see one of those disks being passed about on an installation, you get that disk, find the person who received it and didn't have the good sense to either send it back or destroy it, and bring that person up to speed on what they are doing to the very men and women they are supposed to be supporting. They have become by their actions a cog in a machine that has no purpose other than the destruction of all you have accomplished, and the discrediting of you and your mission and your entire chain of command.

There is little we can do to take away the pain of what this man and his propoganda have caused you, except to tell you that his movie and his agenda in no way represent the prevailing sentiment of the men and women who remain here at home. We do what is right, we support you and your efforts, and we welcome the day when you can return. We do what we can to counteract the damage he has done over here, and hope that you can do the same where you are, so many thousands of miles away.

A Call to Action: It is up to each of us to counter what this man has done, and to heal those who's hearts and minds bear his bitter wounds. Do what's right. Send your support. However small or insignificant you may think it is, there is no such thing. Tell someone you support them and the job they're doing in your name, in our names.

Kerry meets the Marines

Inspired by the captioning contest going on now at Greyhawk's Mudville Gazette. Damn, Greyhawk. They really pile on when you do one of these, don't they? In the few minutes it took to do this, you went from two comments to a huge string! I'm impressed.

And the rest of you? I suggest you get over there and submit a good one! I know you got one in you! And no, I didn't link straight into the specific post because you should read through to find it.

24 Honorable Men say No.

You know, when a man or woman so selflessly does what these men have done, and by doing so saved the lives of their fellows, and did it not for glory but for honor, it would behoove us to pay attention when they talk.

You know by their actions that they do what's right because it's what's right. You know they are motivated by love of their country and duty to their fellow countrymen. You know that when they say something like this, it is not politics as usual for them. It's genuine, it's sincere, and it bears our attention.

First the Swiftboat Vets. Then the combined officers of the theatre. Now the Medal of Honor recipients.

What more do some people need?

Put your Emails where your Mouth is.

Several bloggers wrote about this sickening incident after it happened on Indepence Day, the Spousal Unit among them. For a Vietnam era kid, this brought back all manner of horrible memories and unresolved anger. No, I didn't serve. I was a kid. But I certainly remember what I saw, what I heard, what my older cousins and uncles and friends experienced, whether they were ever In Country or not.

Matt "The Coolest Milblogger in the Midwest" Blackfive has a way for you to lend your support to this young warrior, and I suggest you do so. It's only right.

See what I sent in the extended entry.

Update: Slaglerock weighs in too. And he's not as nice about it as I am.

Jason,

It is difficult for me to understand the mindset of people like those you encountered during what should have been a celebration of everything given to us all by sacrifices like yours.

I know that rationally, intellectually, you know these people and what they espouse are an aberration and not representative of most of this country. Sure, they're more vocal, and certainly more obnoxious in their caterwauls, but they certainly don't represent me or mine.

Let not these fools deter you. Let not their bitter words hurt you. For when this is done and you look back upon your service and your gifts to all of us, you have reason for nothing but pride.

I thank you, my family thinks you, and your country thanks you. Let these words replace their stinging insults in your heart.

Lila Meyer,
"Mamamontezz"
http://mamamontezz.mu.nu

Brit Sailors in Iran

Okay, let's discuss how this is an actual violation of the oft cited Geneva Convention.

The government's attempts to resolve a deepening diplomatic row with Iran over the capture of British sailors and marines were poised on a knife edge last night after a day in which two of the men appeared in blindfolds on Iranian television and apologised for entering the country's territorial waters. (emphasis mine)

Okay. It is against the Geneva Convention to do this. The State, in this situation the Government of Iran, has placed two of these men on display in a State Sanctioned program for the purpose of propoganda.

Earlier, pictures on Iran's main state-run channel, showed the men sitting silently on chairs and a sofa. Three of them were in British military uniform; five others wore military trousers and civilian T-shirts.

By placing these men in civilian T-shirts, they open the possibility for a trial of these men as spies or infiltrators. By changing their mode of dress, they remove them from the pervue of the military and all of the protections afforded them by the Geneva Convention.

Now let's see what the real reason for this act of aggression is.

While Tehran welcomed the end of Saddam Hussein's regime, it is deeply worried about the continuing presence of US troops in Iraq. It is also embroiled in a dispute with the US, the EU, and the UN over its nuclear programme

Ah. They are deeply worried scared spitless that the continued presence of the coalition in Iraq will bring something resembling a representative republic to the region, right next door for that matter, and give their own population even more reason to rebel and revolt against the Mullahs and their pet regime.

They are also concerned freaking out that their plans for regional nuclear domination could be squashed by the proximity of coalition troops.

The question now is whether or not Tony Blair will be a Reagan or a Carter.

D-Day

Update: The list of posters in Blackfive's D-Day blogging project has grown substantially. These posts are touching, enlightening, and informative, and each and every one honors those who are fallen and whose dwindling few who remain. Take the time to read these wonderful works by the best of the blogosphere. I am humbled in their presence, and honored to be included in even this small way by people who's service overshadows anything I have done in my life.

Red Surf

Red flows the water
that caresses Utah beach,
bringing gifts of sacrifice
with every touch.

It murmurs gentle sighs
into ears which do not hear
the sharp retort and whine
of hostile missiles.

The tears of God
swell up and lift each man
to rest upon the shore,
each in turn.

His mercies are not sweet
to the abbreviated men
cradled in the arms
of the reddening sea,
or nestled in the sand
stained with their life.

Some cry out to their NCOs
seeking their strength.
Others plead for their mothers
to ease their fear and pain.
Some seek their wives and lovers
for the comfort of a final touch
a final word,
a final kiss
goodbye.

Youth, no longer tender,
take stock of their brothers,
and move on
in their stead,
blooded,
grizzled,
scarred,
veterans at 19 years old.

Free men fight
to free a land
which holds no claim
to their loyalties.
Free man struggle
to free a people
languishing in fear,
in bigotry,
in hatred,
in hunger,
in the darkness of evil.

Red flows the water
that flows to Utah beach,
bringing gifts of sacrifice
with every touch.

*******************************************

Our heartfelt thanks to the men who approached the beaches of Normandy in LST's, on ships of war, in gliders and bombers, and offered their skills and their lives and their honor to the world.

God rest the souls of all the heroes who passed that day and since.

Please take the time and go to Blackfive for links to wonderful posts honoring the fallen and the survivors of D-Day, all of them heroes.

Roundup

Battle Haiku

I've been rather affected by Memorial Day this year, quite likely because I've cultivated some World Wide Web friendships with some men either currently in the sandbox, recently home from serving there, or veterans of wars over the last few decades.

I can think of no other reason for sitting down and writing Haiku, a poetry form I've never been terribly good at, and consequently one I tend to avoid. Like the plague. Or a butt-ugly drunk.

But I sat last night at my parents' home and watched The Longest Daywith them, and strangely enough these darned Haiku kept buzzing about in my consciousness like big, black attic flies in the kitchen window on a warm winter day. They wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote them down.

So indulge me. I had to do something with them. It was me or them.

I
NCO becomes
Second Lieutenant.
Officer now lost.

II
Damp and sticky sand
grows bright crimson and amorphus.
Sea slowly disburses.

III
Claymore no longer
a blade wielded with honor.
Hot shrapnel horror.

IV
Strangers by birth,
they break down all dif'rences.
Brothers to the end.

V
Canopy reduced
to fluttering silk ribbon.
"Beautiful Streamer."

Hacked Off

I strongly suggest you head over to Dok Russia's Bloodletting and give a read to his recent post. Particularly the Novak Nonsense at the end.

Yes, another "Journalist Pundit" becomes a hack propagandist against our troops, from the least experienced private to the Commander in Chief. People like that disgust me.

Go ahead, read it.

Hacked Off, Redux

And While I'm on a major piss-off, go read this from Poisoning Pigeons. There is nothing to add without causing undue stress to my cardio-vascular and neurological systems.

Pizza?

Well, it looks like the Bomb Planters in Iraq are having some of the same problems as their little, like-minded buddies in Gaza.

TWO men were killed when a bomb they were planting by a road north of Baghdad, exploded prematurely, police said today.

"We discovered two bodies. They were killed when they tried to plant a home-made bomb on the road in the Baiji area," Lieutenant Colonel Aymad Abdullah al-Obeidi said.

US convoys frequently drive along the road running through Baiji, which heads south to Baghdad and north to the city of Kirkuk.

Makes a person wonder if maybe Emperor Misha needs to start another Pizza fund to commemorate Stupid Bomb Planters in Iraq now, too.