1-504 PIR Casualty

Soldier from Elyria dies in Iraq
Associated Press
Christina Jolliffe The Chronicle-Telegram
"ELYRIA, Ohio - Army Sgt. Norman Lane Tollett, 30, of Elyria, was killed last week in Baghdad. Two military officers went to the Loyola Drive home of his father, David, early Sunday morning to tell him about his son. Stationed at Ft. Bragg where he was in the 82nd Airborne Division, Tollett had joined the military in August 2003. His father said his son made his decision to enter the military after he visited Ground Zero and after hearing ex-NFL player Pat Tillman, who was later killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, said he wanted to join the military to be part of a “bigger team.” A huge sports fan, Tollett was a 1994 graduate of Elyria Catholic High School, where he played football all four years and was co-captain of the team. He would have been 31 on May 6. "

n.b. Sgt Tollett was in Charlie Company and was killed in action while on patrol. I join the rest of the Red Devil families in offering my deepest condolences to the friends and family -- and to the 1-504 PIR troops. Sgt Tollet will be remembered for his significant contributions and ultimate sacrifice. ~Wendy

Prince Harry will go to Iraq

"by Prashant Rao
1 hour, 32 minutes ago


LONDON (AFP) - Prince Harry will serve in Iraq with his regiment, the head of the British army said Monday, despite fears that insurgents could target the third in line to the throne.

'I have taken the decision as chief of general staff. It's my decision as chief of general staff. I have full command of everyone in the army, including Prince Harry,' General Sir Richard Dannatt said in a statement."

More... Prince Harry will go to Iraq: army chief - Yahoo! News:

Blue Star Moms -- MyFox

"Blue Star Moms

Created: Saturday, 28 Apr 2007, 11:08 PM CDT

Back in World War II, the first Blue Star Moms began hanging blue banners on their doors. It let folks know someone they loved had gone to battle. The Blue Star Mothers are back and with them comes the reminder of just how much hurt and hope this war sows here at home."

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For the 82nd Airborne

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The YouTube General

"Petraeus Reports on Iraq
by Jed Babbin (More by this author)

Posted: 04/27/2007
The Iraq war has come down to a decentralized fight against clan or family-based terror networks supplied by Iran and Syria, against which more and more Iraqis are willing to fight, according to the description given by Gen. David Petraeus in a Thursday interview. This was the first time I’d met with Petraeus since he left to take command in Iraq earlier this year.

...

The latest news from Iraq is mixed and the good seems to weigh as heavily as the bad. Petraeus said that the rate of sectarian murders in the Baghdad area had been reduced by two-thirds since January 2007. However, this success seems to have driven the terror networks to work harder at achieving mass casualties which they have in a number of horrific bombings. But those bombings seem to be making more mileage in the US media and Congress for al-Queda than in Iraq. Al-Queda’s indiscriminate attacks on Iraqi civilians is creating a backlash of support for the government forces. (That does not equate to support for the Baghdad government) In some of what had been the most insurgent-sympathetic areas, such as Anbar province, Sunni Iraqis are now rebelling against al-Queda by volunteering to join the Iraqi security forces. In Western Nineveh province, local sheiks want their people in the Iraqi Third Division and in Diyala, sheiks “of all tribes” are pushing their people to join the fight against al-Queda. This adds up to a trend toward success in the classical counterinsurgency fight. But is the trend sustainable? No one can say yet.

...

Case in point: David Petraeus is our first “YouTube” general. Go to the website for Multinational Force Iraq and you’ll find this link (http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=MNFIRAQ) to the MNFI “you tube” page. Why is this there? Because for every snuff flick the terrorists use to recruit (showing their bravery in hacking off some handcuffed hostage’s head) there should be one showing the good guys winning. Petraeus gets it. Forget psychobabble about “hearts and minds.” Petraeus understands laptops and IPods. This guy gets it."

More... HUMAN EVENTS:

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Kurds step into sectarian battle in Baghdad

International Herald Tribune - By Edward Wong
Photo of Kurdish fighters by Kevin McKiernan


BAGHDAD: The Shiite mother and her son opened their door for the soldiers on night patrol. In walked the Americans, each brandishing an M-16 assault rifle. Next came the men wearing tan uniforms and carrying Kalashnikovs and looking not quite Iraqi.



They spoke Arabic with accents as thick as crude oil.



'Are there problems in the neighborhood?' said their leader, Captain Sardar Hamasala. 'We're here for your safety. Let us know if there are sectarian problems or other kinds of problems - Sunnis threatening Shia, Shia threatening Sunnis.'



The black-robed mother and her son shook their hands. The soldiers stepped back into the cool night air of western Baghdad.



'There was a time when we couldn't go from house to house like this among the Arabs just because we're Kurds,' Hamasala said. 'Now we're trying to make things easier for them. We're proud of that.'"

More... Kurds step into sectarian battle in Baghdad

Our Sacrifice

America Supports You: Musician Champions Recognition of Soldiers' Sacrifice
By Samantha L. QuigleyAmerican Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 24, 2007 – A Cleveland-based musician and songwriter is hoping one of his newest works will raise the country's collective awareness of the sacrifices its servicemembers are making every day.
"Our Sacrifice" offers musical support to servicemembers and their families, Mark Reis said. "After I wrote the song, I started looking at the lyrics and the meaning behind it. I knew that it was intended to support (servicemembers) and their families and what they're going through." "Our Sacrifice" was recorded in Nashville with Frank Camp and Nicole Cuglewski singing vocals. For a year, Reis said, he didn't really do anything with the song. And though the song's intent was clear, its true purpose came to light only recently. Working in the entertainment business has Reis in and out of airports frequently. During a two-hour layover in Dallas, he took advantage of the beautiful weather and wandered outside. "There was this woman and she was standing there and she was thanking this young soldier who was on his way to Iraq," he said. But that woman's actions were the exception to the norm, he said he discovered during his two hours in Dallas. "I watched soldiers coming by, and they were just being passed by by businessmen and women ... and nobody's actually thanking them," Reis said. "That kind of struck me as odd." Reis said he's trying, through "Our Sacrifice" and its accompanying video, to raise the country's awareness of how important it is for Americans to support their servicemembers regardless of their views on the war. "That's pretty much what the real goal is, to remind people that we have a patriotic duty to support and honor our brave servicemen and women and their families," Reis said. "They're making sacrifices -- some of them are making the ultimate sacrifices -- to defend us (and) protect our freedom." He said he hopes that eventually "Our Sacrifice" will be "embraced as the national theme for all Americans to show their support for troops and their families." To help make that happen, he has turned to major corporations in hopes of getting one to come on board and use the song and video in its advertisement campaign. This, he said, will raise awareness to the next level.

Waiting for Wuffy

Charlie is patient and loyal and even quite willing to display his support.

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At the End of the Desert...: Yellow Ribbons, Tied with Love