Tag Archives: iraq

Operation Baghdad Pups: No Buddies Left Behind

I had meant to write about this last week to compliment the article I’d done on no cost ways to donate to the ASPCA. However, the unexpected babysitting duties sort of threw my schedule all off kilter last week. However, even though I had planned to write about it, I knew I had to get on it when my dear friend Sandra Worth sent me an email with a link to her site about a cause she’d just become aware of: the SPCA International’s Operation Baghdad Pups. I think the reason it captured her interest was for the same reason … Continue reading →

Katie Headed For Iraq

Just a few weeks shy of celebrating her first anniversary as “CBS Evening News” anchor–Katie Couric is ditching the desk and heading for Iraq. In what network insiders are calling an “ambitious reporting trip,” Couric leaves today for the war torn country. She is scheduled to anchor the “CBS Evening News” from Baghdad next Tuesday and Wednesday, then from Damascus on Thursday and Friday. This will be the first time Couric will be reporting from the region. She is the second major network anchor to travel to Iraq since ABC News’ Bob Woodruff was nearly killed by a roadside bomb … Continue reading →

Army Wife May Be Deported

Her name is Yaderlin. She entered the United States illegally from the Dominican Republic in 2001. She married Army Spec. Alex Jimenez in 2004. His lawyer along with Jimenez applied for a green card and legal residence status. Army Spec. Jimenez and his unit came under attack by insurgents in Iraq on May 12, 2007 – he has been missing ever since. Now, a judge has halted the proceedings because her husband is missing. Their attorney is seeking a hardship waiver to keep Yaderlin in the country. She is currently living with her spouse’s family in Pennsylvania. Under normal circumstances, … Continue reading →

Prince Harry—No Iraq

Was it all much ado about nothing? Or was it a legitimate case of risky business? Whatever the real reason is (or if in fact the report is true) Britain’s Prince Harry will not be going with his unit to Iraq. According to Britain’s top general, sending Harry was simply too dangerous. Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt, the army chief of staff who recently traveled to Iraq to assess the situation prior to the prince’s deployment said today, “the changing situation on the ground exposed the prince to too much danger.” The general went on to say that specific threats to … Continue reading →

Prince Harry going to War?

The Daily Mirror is reporting that Princess Diana’s youngest son, 22-year-old Prince Harry, is set to go to Iraq very soon. It is believed that the Defense Secretary Des Browne will make the announcement on February 26th. The royal family has not made a comment on the report and the Defense Ministry had said it was speculative earlier today, but CNN is reporting that a British Military source is saying he will indeed go to war. Prince Harry graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2006. He is known by the 11 soldiers he commands as Troop Commander Wales. … Continue reading →

They Just Joined For The Education

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One of my biggest pet peeves is to listen to someone go on and on about someone who really didn’t want to go to Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere else that the military sent them but instead they joined the military for the education benefits. After ten years of marriage to a soldier, I have stood there as he has taken the oath that every member of the military [takes up enlistment and re-enlistment]: “I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I … Continue reading →

Meet My Soldier

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It’s been a rough week on our military and their families. We have dealt with an anti-war protest that included the police being told to stand down during an incident with spray paint and then we discovered that William Arkin considers our troops “mercenaries”. For that reason, I would like to introduce you to one of those so called mercenaries: my husband. My husband Carl grew up in a very small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Carl joined the Army at the age of eighteen for two reasons: First, to get some kind of training that would give … Continue reading →

It’s Time To Take A Stand

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In my last blog I responded to a small part of a blog from The Washington Post by William Arkin and I promised to share my ideas about supporting our troops and taking a stand against these kindS of attacks on our troops. Military members and their families have always been more or less encouraged to just let it all go; don’t engage in the discourse when it comes to remarks such as those made by William Arkin. I do my best to be a good military wife and I hope that when all is said and done that my … Continue reading →

My Response To William Arkin Of The Washington Post

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I have pretty thick skin when it comes to those who protest the war and even those who bad mouth the troops. I spent a year writing a column in Greenville, Michigan, during my husband’s deployment to Iraq. I refused to write under any name but my own, though I was encouraged to do so for my own protection. I don’t like being bullied and I refused to hide or be ashamed of my husband’s service. This week, even my thick skin was penetrated to the core of my being as I found the same link in my email three … Continue reading →

Understanding Your Deployed Soldier

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While my husband was in Iraq, I discovered a brand new side to his personality. My husband is generally pretty laid back and it takes a great deal for him to really get upset in the everyday world. To say the very least, this was not the case while he was deployed. I was lucky enough that my husband had internet access in his tent so we were able to talk everyday online and without a doubt this was a blessing; it could also be a huge stress factor as well. I arranged my life around the computer as my … Continue reading →