Soldier's dogs return home

Great story, check it out.

http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=news&fps=1&mode=entry&entry=FA3D3099-19B9-B9D5-9DC0160C0FBA533A

• Soldier's dogs return home - romey
  • Ya just had to make my cry, didn't ya...sm - cat
    • Cat, may you - RettaB
    • sweet. - N/M
  • bitter sweet; good story, thanks for sharing. - nm
  • What sad yet heartwarming story. nm - trose

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I commend for this man for standing up for what he doesn't believe in!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352703,00.html

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. —  Like hundreds of young men joining the Army in recent years, Jeremy Hall professes a desire to serve his country while it fights terrorism.

But the short and soft-spoken specialist is at the center of a legal controversy. He has filed a lawsuit alleging he's been harassed and his constitutional rights have been violated because he doesn't believe in God. The suit names Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

"I'm not in it for cash," Hall said. "I want no one else to go what I went through."

Known as "the atheist guy," Hall has been called immoral, a devil worshipper and — just as severe to some soldiers — gay, none of which, he says, is true. Hall even drove fellow soldiers to church in Iraq and paused while they prayed before meals.

"I see a name and rank and United States flag on their shoulder. That's what I believe everyone else should see," he said.

Hall, 23, was raised in a Protestant family in North Carolina and dropped out of school before earning his GED. It wasn't until after he joined the Army that he began questioning religion, eventually deciding he couldn't follow any faith.

But he feared how that would look to other soldiers.

"I was ashamed to say that I was an atheist," Hall said.

It eventually came out in Iraq in 2007, when he was in a firefight. Hall was a gunner on a Humvee, which took several bullets in its protective shield. Afterward, his commander asked whether he believed in God, Hall said.

"I said, 'No, but I believe in Plexiglas,"' Hall said. "I've never believed I was going to a happy place. You get one life. When I die, I'm worm food."

The issue came to a head when, according to Hall, a superior officer, Maj. Freddy J. Welborn, threatened to bring charges against him for trying to hold a meeting of atheists in Iraq. Welborn has denied Hall's allegations.

Hall said he had had enough but feared he wouldn't get support from Welborn's superiors. He turned to Mikey Weinstein and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

Weinstein is the foundation's president and a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate. He had previously sued the Air Force for acts he said illegally imposed Christianity on students at the academy, though that case was dismissed. He calls Hall a hero.

"The average American doesn't have enough intestinal fortitude to tell someone to shut up if they are talking in a movie theater," Weinstein said. "You know how hard it is to take on your chain of command? This isn't the shift manager at KFC."

Hall was in Qatar when the lawsuit was filed on Sept. 18 in federal court in Kansas City, Kan. Other soldiers learned of it and he feared for his own safety. Once, Hall said, a group of soldiers followed him, harassing him, but no one did anything to make it stop.

The Army told him it couldn't protect him and sent him back to Fort Riley. He resumed duties with a military police battalion. He believes his promotion to sergeant has been blocked because of his lawsuit, but he is a team leader responsible for two junior enlisted soldiers.

No one with Fort Riley, the Army or Defense Department would comment about Hall or the lawsuit. Each issued statements saying that discrimination will not be tolerated regardless of race, religion or gender.

"The Department respects (and supports by its policy) the rights of others to their own religious beliefs, including the right to hold no beliefs," said Eileen Lainez, a spokeswoman for the Department of Defense.

All three organizations said existing systems help soldiers "address and resolve any perceived unfair treatment."

Lt. Col. David Shurtleff, a Fort Riley chaplain, declined to discuss Hall's case but said chaplains accommodate all faiths as best they can. In most cases, religious issues can be worked out without jeopardizing military operations.

"When you're in Afghanistan and an IED blows up a Humvee, they aren't asking about a wounded soldier's faith," Shurtleff said.

Hall said he enjoys being a team leader but has been told that having faith would make him a better leader.

"I will take care of my soldiers. Nowhere does it say I have to pray with my soldiers, but I do have to make sure my soldiers' religious needs are met," he said.

"Religion brings comfort to a lot of people," he said. "Personally, I don't want it or need it. But I'm not going to get down on anybody else for it."

Hall leaves the Army in April 2009. He would like to find work with the National Park Service or Environmental Protection Agency, anything outdoors.

"I hope this doesn't define me," Hall said of his lawsuit. "It's just about time somebody said something."

***UPDATE*** The Associated Press reveals more details about the shooter:

The suspect had been disarmed after an earlier incident at the center but returned with another weapon, according to a senior military official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation into the shootings was ongoing.

***UPDATE*** The American soldier who shot dead five fellow soldiers at a U.S. base in Baghdad is in custody.

"The shooter is a US soldier and he is in custody," US marine corps lieutenant Tom Garnett, a US military spokesman in Iraq, told reporters.

The New York Times adds some perspective to the tragedy:

The killings appeared to be the worst case of soldier-on-soldier violence among the American forces based in Iraq since the invasion more than six years ago.
The shootings, which took place at a stress clinic, highlight the problem of post-traumatic stress disorder among U.S. soldiers, notes the Guardian:

Stress is one of the biggest killers of US soldiers in Iraq. About a fifth of all US troops are thought to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, contributing to high divorce and suicide rates. An estimated one fifth of the 4,292 members of the US force in Iraq have died from non-combat causes, either in accidents or from suicide.
***UPDATE*** According to Fox News, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs Monday relayed President Obama's response to the tragedy. Obama expressed shock and sadness and is promising to fully investigate what exactly transpired at Camp Liberty, so as to prevent such incidents in the future.

***UPDATE*** AP has another update. The shooting was at a 'stress clinic':

Pentagon officials say five Americans are dead after a U.S. soldier opened fire at a U.S. base in Baghdad. They say the attacker is in custody.

The officials say the shootings happened on Camp Liberty at a stress clinic, where troops can go for help with the stresses of combat or stress from personal issues.

One senior military official in Washington says it's unclear whether those killed are workers at the clinic or were there for counseling. He says officials also are unsure whether all the dead are members of the military.

***UPDATE*** ABC News reports that the U.S. soldier who attacked fellow troops on a U.S, base in Iraq has killed five of them and is now in custody. Initial reports suggested that he had turned the gun on himself after his rampage.

***UPDATE*** AP now reports that the U.S. soldier who went on a rampage against his fellow troops in Iraq may have survived the incident:

Pentagon officials say five U.S. soldiers are dead after an American soldier opened fire at a U.S. base in Baghdad.

The officials say the shootings happened Monday at Camp Liberty near Baghdad's airport.

One senior military official in Washington said it was not yet clear whether the shooter was among the dead. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the circumstances surrounding the deaths are under investigation.

Initial reports indicated the Army soldier shot several others, then turned the gun on himself. But it was unclear whether he, too, had died.

***UPDATE*** CNN reports that 3 other U.S. soldiers were wounded during the friendly fire incident that has left 5 U.S. troops dead. An American soldier killed 4 of his fellow troops before killing himself.

According to the Washington Post, it is the single greatest loss of life in a single incident involving U.S. soldiers since a truck bomb last month took the lives of 5 American soldiers.

***UPDATE*** CNN has just sent out a breaking news alert reporting that senior defense officials have told the network that a US soldier killed 4 of his fellow troops before killing himself. Check back for more information.

McClatchy is reporting that a shooting at a U.S. base in Baghdad has left 5 soldiers dead. The shooting occurred at Camp Liberty, a base near the Baghdad airport.

with no receipt.  Then your son can pick out what he wants.  The charity sounds great, but it sounds like you're the charity case. 

Braces are never a necessity and are never ever covered under insurance hardly ever.  My son has braces.

If you don't think a senior center would get a kick out receiving a Wii from a 9 year old boy, then take it back to any store and you'd probably get 250.00 which is what they are going for.

The stores are loaded with them here on the East Coast.  Just take it back to any store. 

They do not take proper care of them. I have bought several expensive things (which they chose and they chose the best!). I later find out they have either sold it or gotten rid of the expensive item(s). I can picture the payment book(s) lying on my desk, sometimes a thousand dollars or more. I can't write them completely off my list as it would hurt the kids. I work so hard that I picture everything in terms of lines I killed myself for. Does anyone else have this problem? I have been so hurt as the latest item they are "junking" should have been an heirloom. No more! Please don't lecture me on a gift is a gift, I've heard that one before. I call it complete disrespect.Am I alone here or how do you handle such ingrates?

I own and live in a house in a midwest city in a bad neighborhood (wasn't that bad 11 years ago).  I spent the day waiting for the plumber to come and jackhammer the foundation (slab house, no basement) to find a leaky pipe that is flooding my DD's bedroom. Last week, it was the electrician with quotes for costly repairs.

In the meantime, I've really been thinking about selling out and moving into a mobile home.  Has anyone done this before?  Is a mobile home in a decent park less of a hassle than a regular house?  I'm so tired of cutting the grass and spending $$ to fix things and tired of old flooring and cabinets, etc., that are just too costly to replace.  I'm single with no man to do these things for me and I can't afford a mortgage on a newer house in a good neighborhood.  Some of the pictures I've seen of the mobile homes look really nice and modern on the inside. 

Any advice and comments appreciated.  Thanks!

where the beer and the cantaloupe play . . . where seldom is heard . . . .

Uggg.  I feel for you.  At least the dog isn't being abused but I understand your frustration.

BTW you get the little icon thingies when you click "post reply to this message".  They should be right underneath the message box and just click on the ones you want.  Don't click "quick reply" because then they don't pop up. 

Years ago when I lived in Detroit and we had chain link fences, there was a nylon type of material that you could get to weave in and out of the chain links in the fence.  Sort of like the stuff that the old style folding outdoor chairs were made of.  It gave you privacy in terms of not being able to see on the other side, but you could still hear everything.  Would the dogs still go nuts if they could hear and smell each other, but not see each other?

The nylon in the fence is old school and not necessarily pretty, but it might work.