Well, Well, Well, the cowardly Hezbollah leader speaks a good game on TV but it seems he prefers hiding under the shelter of Diplomatic Cowardice. It seems when the going gets tough, the terriorist gets into hiding.
Hezbollah leader said to be hiding in Iranian Embassy
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July 28, 2006
Intelligence reports indicate the leader of Hezbollah is hiding in a foreign mission in Beirut, possibly the Iranian Embassy, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.
Israeli military and intelligence forces are continuing to hunt for Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's secretary-general, who fled his headquarters in Beirut shortly before Israeli jets bombed the building last week.
"We think he is in an embassy," said one U.S. official with access to the intelligence reports, while Israeli intelligence speculates Sheik Nasrallah is hiding in the Iranian Embassy.
If confirmed, the reports could lead to an Israeli air strike on the embassy, possibly leading to a widening of the conflict, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Foreign embassies are sovereign territory and an attack on an embassy could be considered an act of war.
But other reports from the region indicate Sheik Nasrallah may be in Damascus. A Kuwaiti newspaper, Al-Seyassah, reported from the Syrian capital yesterday that Sheik Nasrallah was seen moving through the city with Syrian guards in an intelligence agency car, Associated Press reported. He was dressed in civilian clothes, not his normal clerical robe.
The newspaper quoted Syrian government sources as saying Iranian national security council official Ali Larijani was in Damascus and was to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Sheik Nasrallah.
Hezbollah officials in Beirut said they did not know whether Sheik Nasrallah had gone to Damascus.
Asked about the reports of Sheik Nasrallah in Syria, a U.S. official said they are unconfirmed, but noted that because of the proximity, it is easy to travel between Lebanon and Damascus.
U.S. officials confirmed the existence of intelligence reports about Sheik Nasrallah hiding in a Beirut embassy after Israel's Ma'ariv newspaper reported Wednesday that the Hezbollah leader was thought to be in the Iranian Embassy. The newspaper, quoting intelligence officials, said Sheik Nasrallah has set up an operations center in an embassy basement that is coordinating Hezbollah attacks.
However, the U.S. officials said the intelligence reports have not confirmed Sheik Nasrallah's precise location.
Iran's embassy in Beirut is located in the Shi'ite stronghold known as the Bir Hasan section, in the western part of the city.
The embassy also is a major base for Iranian intelligence and is used by large numbers of Ministry of Intelligence and Security agents, as well as by senior members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's shock troops that are linked to international terrorist activities.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Iranian Justice
This is how justice is handed out in Iran, for more on the Country that spawned hezbollah, and this incident click here.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Recent Events
The recent events that are now making the news bring to mind Yogi Berra's famous quote" It's deja vu all over again!" In 1982 the same criminal terrorists, backed by the same criminal terrorist regime, that kidnapped Americans in Tehran, started to stir up the hornets nest of Israel.
The Israelis, like today, needed to defend themselves from unwanted aggression against their people. Israel decided that if Lebanon would not, or could not, get these radical Islamists out of Lebanon, then Israel would have to do it.
The PLO , Hezbollah, and others, backed by the Iranians, Syrians, and others, rocketed the Israeli border towns on a daily basis. The tanks rolled, the warplanes flew, and the next thing the World knew was, Israel was taking over Lebanon.
The hand wringing began. "Oh my God, how could they? The Jews are expanding their empire!" the Worlds Press spoke, demanding Israel stop and withdraw from Southern Lebanon. Enter the United States.
Poor Arafat was trapped in Beirut and about to be taken by the Israelis. "Save Him!" the World cried. "Don't let him fall into the evil hands of the Israelis" The pressure mounted what would the U.S. do?
Ronald Reagan sent in the Marines. In August the Marines escorted the criminal Arafat out of Lebanon. Case closed. Marines, pack up .
Hold it, calm down, I hear something in Southern Lebanon, what's that?
Some Christian Militia have slaughtered some Shia's? Say it aint so! We can't have that, send in the Marines! Well, the rest is history, but does history record the thanks the Marines got for saving the criminal Arafat? No. The thanks we received was the largest non nuclear explosion to date. A truck loaded with explosives driven by a madman, trained and financed by the Shia Hezbollah regime of Iran. The truck was gladly donated by Syria.
Now some 23 years later the same thing is happening. Hezbollah has become a parasite on Lebanon, sucking the blood of the Country as they struggle to regain the Lebanon of old. Just as Lebanon was coming out of it's coma, the parasite Hezbollah, strikes it down.
The U.S. has been here before. Now, it will be different. Now, we have seen the fanatic as what he really is. September 11th will not be forgotten. Unfortunately, the 23rd of October 1983 was, and we did not learn from it.
This time around lets wake up and realize that we can't save Lebanon from itself. The only people that can save Lebanon are the true Lebanese and they are in short supply
The Israelis, like today, needed to defend themselves from unwanted aggression against their people. Israel decided that if Lebanon would not, or could not, get these radical Islamists out of Lebanon, then Israel would have to do it.
The PLO , Hezbollah, and others, backed by the Iranians, Syrians, and others, rocketed the Israeli border towns on a daily basis. The tanks rolled, the warplanes flew, and the next thing the World knew was, Israel was taking over Lebanon.
The hand wringing began. "Oh my God, how could they? The Jews are expanding their empire!" the Worlds Press spoke, demanding Israel stop and withdraw from Southern Lebanon. Enter the United States.
Poor Arafat was trapped in Beirut and about to be taken by the Israelis. "Save Him!" the World cried. "Don't let him fall into the evil hands of the Israelis" The pressure mounted what would the U.S. do?
Ronald Reagan sent in the Marines. In August the Marines escorted the criminal Arafat out of Lebanon. Case closed. Marines, pack up .
Hold it, calm down, I hear something in Southern Lebanon, what's that?
Some Christian Militia have slaughtered some Shia's? Say it aint so! We can't have that, send in the Marines! Well, the rest is history, but does history record the thanks the Marines got for saving the criminal Arafat? No. The thanks we received was the largest non nuclear explosion to date. A truck loaded with explosives driven by a madman, trained and financed by the Shia Hezbollah regime of Iran. The truck was gladly donated by Syria.
Now some 23 years later the same thing is happening. Hezbollah has become a parasite on Lebanon, sucking the blood of the Country as they struggle to regain the Lebanon of old. Just as Lebanon was coming out of it's coma, the parasite Hezbollah, strikes it down.
The U.S. has been here before. Now, it will be different. Now, we have seen the fanatic as what he really is. September 11th will not be forgotten. Unfortunately, the 23rd of October 1983 was, and we did not learn from it.
This time around lets wake up and realize that we can't save Lebanon from itself. The only people that can save Lebanon are the true Lebanese and they are in short supply
Monday, June 26, 2006
6/25/96 KHOBAR TOWERS we will not forget!!!!!!
KHOBAR TOWERS: 10 YEARS LATER
By Michelle Malkin ·
Louis Freeh, writing in the WSJ earlier this week, looks back:
On June 25, 1996, Iran again attacked America at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, exploding a huge truck bomb that devastated Khobar Towers and murdered 19 U.S. airmen as they rested in their dormitory. These young heroes spent every day risking their lives enforcing the no-fly zone over southern Iraq; that is, protecting Iraqi Shiites from their own murderous tyrant. When I visited this horrific scene soon after the attack, I watched dozens of dedicated FBI agents combing through the wreckage in 120-degree heat, reverently handling the human remains of our brave young men. More than 400 of our Air Force men and women were wounded in this well-planned attack, and I was humbled by their courage and spirit. I later met with the families of our lost Khobar heroes and promised that we would do whatever was necessary to bring these terrorists to American justice. The courage and dignity these wonderful families have consistently exemplified has been one of the most powerful experiences of my 26 years of public service.
The FBI's investigation of the Khobar attack was extraordinarily persistent, indeed relentless. Our fallen heroes and their families deserve nothing less. Working in close cooperation with the White House, State Department, CIA and Department of Defense, I made a series of trips to Saudi Arabia beginning in 1996. FBI agents opened an office in Riyadh and aligned themselves closely with the Mabaheth, the kingdom's antiterrorist police. Over the course of our investigation the evidence became clear that while the attack was staged by Saudi Hezbollah members, the entire operation was planned, funded and coordinated by Iran's security services, the IRGC and MOIS, acting on orders from the highest levels of the regime in Tehran.
In order to return an indictment and bring these terrorists to American justice, it became essential that FBI agents be permitted to interview several of the participating Hezbollah terrorists who were detained in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the interviews was to confirm--with usable, co-conspirator testimonial evidence--the Iranian complicity that Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan and the Mabaheth had already relayed to us. (For the record, the FBI's investigation only succeeded because of the real cooperation provided by Prince Bandar and our colleagues in the Mabaheth.) FBI agents had never before been permitted to interview firsthand Saudis detained in the kingdom.
Unfortunately, the White House was unable or unwilling to help the FBI gain access to these critical witnesses. The only direction from the Clinton administration regarding Iran was to order the FBI to stop photographing and fingerprinting official Iranian delegations entering the U.S. because it was adversely impacting our "relationship" with Tehran. We had argued that the MOIS was using these groups to infiltrate its agents into the U.S.
After months of inaction, I finally turned to the former President Bush, who immediately interceded with Crown Prince Abdullah on the FBI's behalf. Mr. Bush personally asked the Saudis to let the FBI do one-on-one interviews of the detained Khobar bombers. The Saudis immediately acceded. After Mr. Bush's Saturday meeting with the Crown Prince in Washington, Ambassador Wyche Fowler, Dale Watson, the FBI's excellent counterterrorism chief, and I were summoned to a Monday meeting where the crown prince directed that the FBI be given direct access to the Saudi detainees. This was the investigative breakthrough for which we had been waiting for several years.
Mr. Bush typically disclaimed any credit for his critical intervention but he earned the gratitude of many FBI agents and the Khobar families. I quickly dispatched the FBI case agents back to Saudi Arabia, where they interviewed, one-on-one, six of the Hezbollah members who actually carried out the attack. All of them directly implicated the IRGC, MOIS and senior Iranian government officials in the planning and execution of this attack. Armed with this evidence, the FBI recommended a criminal indictment that would identify Iran as the sponsor of the Khobar bombing. Finding a problem for every solution, the Clinton administration refused to support a prosecution.
The prosecution and criminal indictment for these murders had to wait for a new administration. In February 2001, working with exactly the same evidence but with a talented new prosecutor, James B. Comey Jr. (now U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York), Attorney General John Ashcroft's personal intervention, and White House support, the case was presented to a grand jury. On June 21, 2001, only four days before some of the terrorist charges would have become barred by the five-year statute of limitations, the grand jury indicted 13 Hezbollah terrorists for the Khobar attack and identified Iran as the sponsor.
Nonetheless, the terrorists who murdered 19 U.S. airmen and wounded hundreds more have yet to be brought to American justice. Whenever U.S. diplomats hold talks with representatives of Iran's Islamic government, Khobar Towers should be the top item on their agenda. The arrest and turnover to U.S. authorities of Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Mughassil and Ali Saed bin Ali Al-Houri, two of the indicted Hezbollah leaders of the Khobar attack believed to be in Iran, should be part of any "normalization" discussion. Furthermore, access and accountability by IRGC, MOIS and other senior Iranian government leaders for their complicity in the attack should be nonnegotiable.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Hizbullah and the Iranian connection
John R. Cassady, LTC U.S.Army, Ret.
The Muslim extremist President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." More recently he said, "We say that this fake regime (Israel) cannot logically continue to live." His comments have drawn widespread condemnation from civilized nations in the world community. Increasing the level of alarm over his outrageous comments is the fact that his radical government is gaining speed in their pursuit of the capability to produce nuclear weapons. Clearly Iran under the radical Ahmadinejad rule fits the classic definition of a terrorist state. They extensively promote, export and support terrorism in the world. His comments about destroying Israel are, in fact, policy among many Mideastern terrorist organizations. They differ in approaches, but nearly all Muslim extremist terrorist organizations (including alQueda) agree that the removal of Israel is the first step in the global Jihad of Islamic Imperialism. Indeed, some international scholars have named Iran a key player in what they call the new "Axis of Islam" growing in the Middle East. They see a sinister force by the uniting of Hizbullah, Iran, Syria, Hammas, the Muslim Brotherhood, elements of Iraquis Shiites and others in an anti-Israel, anti-American alliance backed by Russia.
The Lebanon based terrorist organization known as Hizbullah is an Islamist Shiite group inspired by the Iranian revolution of 1979 and formed soon after. Hizbullah is Arabic for Party of God. It's also known as the Islamic Jihad, Revolutionary Justice Organization, Organization of the Oppressed on Earth and the Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine. Hizbullah's long range goal is the extension of radical Shiite Islamist ideologies worldwide. Their shorter range objectives are the expulsion of western and Israeli influence and the establishment of an Islamist state in Lebanon patterned after the Iranian Islamic Republic, the destruction of Israel, and the capture and rule of Jerusalem. Hizbullah leaders view the United States as their real enemy. A noteworthy aspect of their ideology is their openness to cooperation with Sunni and other Islamist groups. Study reveals their connections with other terrorist groups include; al-Queda, Hammas, the P.L.O., Fatah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, to name a few. Like al-Queda, Hizbullah's reach is worldwide, extending from the Mid-east to Central and Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. In North America Hizbullah operated and raised funds from Canada until 2002 when Canada finally outlawed them. In the same year two operatives were arrested in North Carolina and convicted of providing material support to a terrorist group. There have been unconfirmed reports of a Hizbullah sleeper cell in Texas preparing to target the U.S. oil industry. The Iranian connection to Hizbullah is especially important since Hizbullah is based in a country bordering Israel. Current estimates indicate Iran provides them more than $100 million annually underwriting social services and military equipment and supplies.
Of all Iranian attempts to export their Islamic revolution, Hizbullah is the most successful. This effectively gives Iran an operational arm bordering their declared enemy Israel. Many of Hizbullah's terrorist operations are conducted in close coordination with Tehran. Another terrorist supporting geographical partner with Hizbullah is Syria. Their relationship is complex and although officially secular, Syria helped the founding of Hizbullah. Syria's aim was to protect their control over Lebanon at that time. Syria supported Hizbullah's undertaking of international terrorist activities in its war against Israel. Massive shipments of weapons were transferred from Iran to Lebanon via Damascus, Syria. The current president of Syria is much closer to the leadership of Hizbullah than was his father.
Hizbullah pioneered many terrorist tactics, including suicide bombing and simultaneous truck or car bombings. They've also developed expertise in building effective explosive devices. Since Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, Hizbullah has received
enormous amounts of weaponry from Iran. Sophisticated antiaircraft and anti-tank missiles along with over 10,000 medium and long range rockets that place more than a third of Israel within their striking range, have been delivered. It's certainly not much of a stretch to believe that Iran's President Ahmadinejad would like to deliver nuclear weapons to his proxy on Israel's border.
An example of the danger presented by Hizbullah can be learned by looking at their terrorist activities over 20 years.
In the two decades between 1983 and 2003 approximately 64 incidents of terrorism were generated by that terrorist organization. These incidents included but were not limited to kidnappings, assassinations, torture, suicide bombings and other mayhem resulting in about 795 people killed and more than 1407 wounded, maimed or otherwise injured. The targets of the terrorists included both military and civilian personnel world wide. Many of the events were directed at Israel and their citizens, but other nationalities, including U.S. citizens, were also targeted. The most infamous terrorist attack directed at the United States by elements of Hizbullah was the suicide truck bombing of the U.S. Marine Headquarters and barracks of the Peacekeeping force in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983. That suicide attack resulted in the deaths of 241 young Marines and many others injured. A nearby French base was also attacked resulting in the deaths of at least 56 French soldiers, while the exact number of French injured is unknown. Like al-Queda and Hammas, Hizbullah is a radical and lethal terrorist organization based on its own despicable merits. However, when you combine them with the current Iranian government and others, their lethality and capability for mass murder and mayhem increases exponentially as the threat to western civilization increases.
The Muslim extremist President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." More recently he said, "We say that this fake regime (Israel) cannot logically continue to live." His comments have drawn widespread condemnation from civilized nations in the world community. Increasing the level of alarm over his outrageous comments is the fact that his radical government is gaining speed in their pursuit of the capability to produce nuclear weapons. Clearly Iran under the radical Ahmadinejad rule fits the classic definition of a terrorist state. They extensively promote, export and support terrorism in the world. His comments about destroying Israel are, in fact, policy among many Mideastern terrorist organizations. They differ in approaches, but nearly all Muslim extremist terrorist organizations (including alQueda) agree that the removal of Israel is the first step in the global Jihad of Islamic Imperialism. Indeed, some international scholars have named Iran a key player in what they call the new "Axis of Islam" growing in the Middle East. They see a sinister force by the uniting of Hizbullah, Iran, Syria, Hammas, the Muslim Brotherhood, elements of Iraquis Shiites and others in an anti-Israel, anti-American alliance backed by Russia.
The Lebanon based terrorist organization known as Hizbullah is an Islamist Shiite group inspired by the Iranian revolution of 1979 and formed soon after. Hizbullah is Arabic for Party of God. It's also known as the Islamic Jihad, Revolutionary Justice Organization, Organization of the Oppressed on Earth and the Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine. Hizbullah's long range goal is the extension of radical Shiite Islamist ideologies worldwide. Their shorter range objectives are the expulsion of western and Israeli influence and the establishment of an Islamist state in Lebanon patterned after the Iranian Islamic Republic, the destruction of Israel, and the capture and rule of Jerusalem. Hizbullah leaders view the United States as their real enemy. A noteworthy aspect of their ideology is their openness to cooperation with Sunni and other Islamist groups. Study reveals their connections with other terrorist groups include; al-Queda, Hammas, the P.L.O., Fatah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, to name a few. Like al-Queda, Hizbullah's reach is worldwide, extending from the Mid-east to Central and Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. In North America Hizbullah operated and raised funds from Canada until 2002 when Canada finally outlawed them. In the same year two operatives were arrested in North Carolina and convicted of providing material support to a terrorist group. There have been unconfirmed reports of a Hizbullah sleeper cell in Texas preparing to target the U.S. oil industry. The Iranian connection to Hizbullah is especially important since Hizbullah is based in a country bordering Israel. Current estimates indicate Iran provides them more than $100 million annually underwriting social services and military equipment and supplies.
Of all Iranian attempts to export their Islamic revolution, Hizbullah is the most successful. This effectively gives Iran an operational arm bordering their declared enemy Israel. Many of Hizbullah's terrorist operations are conducted in close coordination with Tehran. Another terrorist supporting geographical partner with Hizbullah is Syria. Their relationship is complex and although officially secular, Syria helped the founding of Hizbullah. Syria's aim was to protect their control over Lebanon at that time. Syria supported Hizbullah's undertaking of international terrorist activities in its war against Israel. Massive shipments of weapons were transferred from Iran to Lebanon via Damascus, Syria. The current president of Syria is much closer to the leadership of Hizbullah than was his father.
Hizbullah pioneered many terrorist tactics, including suicide bombing and simultaneous truck or car bombings. They've also developed expertise in building effective explosive devices. Since Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, Hizbullah has received
enormous amounts of weaponry from Iran. Sophisticated antiaircraft and anti-tank missiles along with over 10,000 medium and long range rockets that place more than a third of Israel within their striking range, have been delivered. It's certainly not much of a stretch to believe that Iran's President Ahmadinejad would like to deliver nuclear weapons to his proxy on Israel's border.
An example of the danger presented by Hizbullah can be learned by looking at their terrorist activities over 20 years.
In the two decades between 1983 and 2003 approximately 64 incidents of terrorism were generated by that terrorist organization. These incidents included but were not limited to kidnappings, assassinations, torture, suicide bombings and other mayhem resulting in about 795 people killed and more than 1407 wounded, maimed or otherwise injured. The targets of the terrorists included both military and civilian personnel world wide. Many of the events were directed at Israel and their citizens, but other nationalities, including U.S. citizens, were also targeted. The most infamous terrorist attack directed at the United States by elements of Hizbullah was the suicide truck bombing of the U.S. Marine Headquarters and barracks of the Peacekeeping force in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983. That suicide attack resulted in the deaths of 241 young Marines and many others injured. A nearby French base was also attacked resulting in the deaths of at least 56 French soldiers, while the exact number of French injured is unknown. Like al-Queda and Hammas, Hizbullah is a radical and lethal terrorist organization based on its own despicable merits. However, when you combine them with the current Iranian government and others, their lethality and capability for mass murder and mayhem increases exponentially as the threat to western civilization increases.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Beirut Vets Son continues the Proud Tradition
Darkhorse Marine Decorated for Valor
Marine Corps News | Mark Sixbey | May 22, 2006
Camp Fallujah, Iraq - A Darkhorse Marine was decorated with the nation�s fourth highest award for valor by the 1st Marine Division commanding general here, May 19.
Maj. Gen. Richard Natonski presented the Bronze Star Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device to 1st Lt. Alfred L. Butler IV, Weapons Company executive officer, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment outside the battalion�s command post.
�I knew his father, and I think he�s following in his footsteps,� Natonski said. �This is his third deployment to Iraq, and he�s done a marvelous job over here.�
The 27-year-old from Jacksonville, N.C., earned the award for his actions and leadership while commanding an 81mm Mortar Platoon on Dec. 23, 2004 during combat operations in Fallujah. He is currently on duty in Iraq with Regimental Combat Team 5.
�It was one of those days when everyone ran out of ammo,� said Butler, a graduate of Western Carolina University. �We even used AK-47�s.�
According to the award citation, as insurgents ambushed his platoon, Butler rushed to the attack where he found several men pinned under heavy automatic weapons fire on a stairwell. He evacuated them from the house and learned insurgents isolated additional men on the second floor. He quickly organized an assault force and raced to an adjacent house under constant small arms fire to recover the men.
Cpl. Justin Butler, a mortarman in the platoon, saw his platoon commander from across the street while laying suppressive fire.
�When we were on the roof, he was the first one I saw standing up to see the situation while everyone was getting shot at,� said the 21-year-old from Dyer, Ind. �It pumped everybody up that he would do that just to know everything that�s going on.�
The platoon commander led his team as they cleared two buildings, jumping from roof-to-roof to reach them. He shielded the bodies of the fallen Marines when a grenade landed nearby with complete disregard for his own safety, then threw two grenades into a room filled with insurgents.
While delivering cover fire, Butler moved the men across to an adjacent rooftop, personally evacuating a wounded Marine under constant small arms fire and grenade attacks. His actions preserved the lives of the men.
Butler credited the decoration to the Marines under his command.
�I owe those Marines my life,� he said. �The things they did that day are the sort of things you read about in books. What they do for each other and what they sacrifice for each other makes you not want to leave the Marine Corps. They hold up the tradition of 3/5 and live up to the legacy.�
Alfred Butler III, was a Marine major who was killed in Beirut when his son was only five-years-old. Butler said most of what he knows of his father he learned from Marines who served with him.
�It�s nice that he knew my father and served with him,� he said. �My knowledge of him as a person is through people like General Natonski and what they say about him and the man he was. From what I understand, he was a great man, great Marine, husband and father. If I can be half of that, I think I�ll be fine.�
Marine Corps News | Mark Sixbey | May 22, 2006
Camp Fallujah, Iraq - A Darkhorse Marine was decorated with the nation�s fourth highest award for valor by the 1st Marine Division commanding general here, May 19.
Maj. Gen. Richard Natonski presented the Bronze Star Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device to 1st Lt. Alfred L. Butler IV, Weapons Company executive officer, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment outside the battalion�s command post.
�I knew his father, and I think he�s following in his footsteps,� Natonski said. �This is his third deployment to Iraq, and he�s done a marvelous job over here.�
The 27-year-old from Jacksonville, N.C., earned the award for his actions and leadership while commanding an 81mm Mortar Platoon on Dec. 23, 2004 during combat operations in Fallujah. He is currently on duty in Iraq with Regimental Combat Team 5.
�It was one of those days when everyone ran out of ammo,� said Butler, a graduate of Western Carolina University. �We even used AK-47�s.�
According to the award citation, as insurgents ambushed his platoon, Butler rushed to the attack where he found several men pinned under heavy automatic weapons fire on a stairwell. He evacuated them from the house and learned insurgents isolated additional men on the second floor. He quickly organized an assault force and raced to an adjacent house under constant small arms fire to recover the men.
Cpl. Justin Butler, a mortarman in the platoon, saw his platoon commander from across the street while laying suppressive fire.
�When we were on the roof, he was the first one I saw standing up to see the situation while everyone was getting shot at,� said the 21-year-old from Dyer, Ind. �It pumped everybody up that he would do that just to know everything that�s going on.�
The platoon commander led his team as they cleared two buildings, jumping from roof-to-roof to reach them. He shielded the bodies of the fallen Marines when a grenade landed nearby with complete disregard for his own safety, then threw two grenades into a room filled with insurgents.
While delivering cover fire, Butler moved the men across to an adjacent rooftop, personally evacuating a wounded Marine under constant small arms fire and grenade attacks. His actions preserved the lives of the men.
Butler credited the decoration to the Marines under his command.
�I owe those Marines my life,� he said. �The things they did that day are the sort of things you read about in books. What they do for each other and what they sacrifice for each other makes you not want to leave the Marine Corps. They hold up the tradition of 3/5 and live up to the legacy.�
Alfred Butler III, was a Marine major who was killed in Beirut when his son was only five-years-old. Butler said most of what he knows of his father he learned from Marines who served with him.
�It�s nice that he knew my father and served with him,� he said. �My knowledge of him as a person is through people like General Natonski and what they say about him and the man he was. From what I understand, he was a great man, great Marine, husband and father. If I can be half of that, I think I�ll be fine.�
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
1957 Beirut Marine has a unique hobby
When he saw the first statue, the crusty old Marine had tears in his eyes.
He bought it right away, took it home and set it up in his front yard. Then Lloyd Seekamp told his wife, "I'm going to get them all."
And that's why you can find a line of five saluting, flag-holding statues in the Seekamp front yard in west Greeley. And that's why Eaton Grove Nursery north of Greeley is temporarily out of the military statues. Lloyd bought all they had.
The concrete military statues are about four feet tall, with a coating that makes them appear to be bronze. Represented are the Marines, Navy, Army, Air Force and a female Army officer.
For Lloyd and Zola Seekamp, they are more than just statues. Lloyd was a U.S. Marine for seven years beginning in 1950. He was just off the coast of Korea when the armistice that ended that war was signed.
In 1957, he was one of only 11 Marines in Beirut, Lebanon, guarding the U.S. Embassy, when he met an embassy secretary, Zola Estep. Three months later, they were married.
"We really don't talk about how quickly we got married," Zola said. "But we've been married 49 years, so I guess it worked."
Lloyd was the oldest of 14 kids in a dairy farm family in Wisconsin; Zola grew up in Lamar. He got to Lebanon after other assignments as a Marine. Zola joined the U.S. State Department in 1954 and went to London before Beirut.
"Beirut was beautiful in those days," Zola said. "That was before the problems in the Middle East, and it was very quiet."
After they married, the couple returned to the U.S., and Lloyd went into the agricultural feed business. He's been doing it now for 40 years.
In 1981, after living in Greeley seven years, the Seekamps started a seed business in their basement. It grew into a good living, and Lloyd retired a few years ago.
Now 74, Lloyd still goes to work each day, but this time he's working with his son-in-law's Peterson Pet Food business.
"I'm on the road a lot," Lloyd said, "doing what I do best -- selling."
And he comes home each evening, greeted by the five military statues in his front yard. "It still breaks me up a little when I see them," Lloyd said. "We need to show support for our military and remember what they've done for us."
They worry about vandals or thieves stealing the statues, so they keep a close eye on them. They don't want their address in the paper, fearing it will be an invitation for someone who doesn't like the military.
But they've been surprised, by the people who stop in front to view the statues or the people who come to the door to ask about their display.
"It's good to see so many people who care about the soldiers," Zola said.
It even makes the crusty old Marine smile.
Staff writer Mike Peters' column about Weld County people appears Mondays in the Tribune. His humor column, the Gnarly Trombone, appears Saturdays. Contact him by e-mail at mpeters@greeleytribune.com
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He bought it right away, took it home and set it up in his front yard. Then Lloyd Seekamp told his wife, "I'm going to get them all."
And that's why you can find a line of five saluting, flag-holding statues in the Seekamp front yard in west Greeley. And that's why Eaton Grove Nursery north of Greeley is temporarily out of the military statues. Lloyd bought all they had.
The concrete military statues are about four feet tall, with a coating that makes them appear to be bronze. Represented are the Marines, Navy, Army, Air Force and a female Army officer.
For Lloyd and Zola Seekamp, they are more than just statues. Lloyd was a U.S. Marine for seven years beginning in 1950. He was just off the coast of Korea when the armistice that ended that war was signed.
In 1957, he was one of only 11 Marines in Beirut, Lebanon, guarding the U.S. Embassy, when he met an embassy secretary, Zola Estep. Three months later, they were married.
"We really don't talk about how quickly we got married," Zola said. "But we've been married 49 years, so I guess it worked."
Lloyd was the oldest of 14 kids in a dairy farm family in Wisconsin; Zola grew up in Lamar. He got to Lebanon after other assignments as a Marine. Zola joined the U.S. State Department in 1954 and went to London before Beirut.
"Beirut was beautiful in those days," Zola said. "That was before the problems in the Middle East, and it was very quiet."
After they married, the couple returned to the U.S., and Lloyd went into the agricultural feed business. He's been doing it now for 40 years.
In 1981, after living in Greeley seven years, the Seekamps started a seed business in their basement. It grew into a good living, and Lloyd retired a few years ago.
Now 74, Lloyd still goes to work each day, but this time he's working with his son-in-law's Peterson Pet Food business.
"I'm on the road a lot," Lloyd said, "doing what I do best -- selling."
And he comes home each evening, greeted by the five military statues in his front yard. "It still breaks me up a little when I see them," Lloyd said. "We need to show support for our military and remember what they've done for us."
They worry about vandals or thieves stealing the statues, so they keep a close eye on them. They don't want their address in the paper, fearing it will be an invitation for someone who doesn't like the military.
But they've been surprised, by the people who stop in front to view the statues or the people who come to the door to ask about their display.
"It's good to see so many people who care about the soldiers," Zola said.
It even makes the crusty old Marine smile.
Staff writer Mike Peters' column about Weld County people appears Mondays in the Tribune. His humor column, the Gnarly Trombone, appears Saturdays. Contact him by e-mail at mpeters@greeleytribune.com
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Friday, March 24, 2006
Today's terrorist could be tomorrow's world leader
Hamas. with it's recent victory in the Gaza Strip, has taken hold of the "New" Palestinian State. Long a member of the Bush Administration's terrorist Watch list, it will be interesting to watch the events that follow in the long embattled Middle East. They, (Hamas) have yet to recognize Israel , nor are they willing to give up their terrorism in the Middle East, or elsewhere. Millions of US Dollars have been sent to the Palestinians over the years. These funds have been squandered for the lifestyle of the now deceased Arafat. Now, the money flow will be stopped or will it?
There are some in the Bush Administration who want to find peace in the Middle east at any cost. Getting much needed funds to the Hamas would be a great way to gain intelligence and stabilize the area. I have to say, this has been tried by Israel's Prime Minister Sharon by giving the Gaza Strip back to the Palestinians. The effect of which is continued warfare against Israel. It didn't work and I don't think it ever will.
As long as the Palestinians align themselves with Moslem Extremists there is no chance for peace, as the quotes listed below attest to:
Israelis have no history in the Land - because they are "Khazars, who are not connected to the land but to the words of the Torah".
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 16, 2003]
This is the root cause of the violence in the Middle East. Each side has bloody hands, but Hamas has their entire organization committed to not only Israel's destruction but the West as well.
As Veterans of Beirut we all know the problems of the Middle East. It all seems so clear to us. Why not the rest of world?
There are some in the Bush Administration who want to find peace in the Middle east at any cost. Getting much needed funds to the Hamas would be a great way to gain intelligence and stabilize the area. I have to say, this has been tried by Israel's Prime Minister Sharon by giving the Gaza Strip back to the Palestinians. The effect of which is continued warfare against Israel. It didn't work and I don't think it ever will.
As long as the Palestinians align themselves with Moslem Extremists there is no chance for peace, as the quotes listed below attest to:
On the Jews 'raising the number' of Holocaust victims:
"Having more victims meant greater rights and stronger privilege to join the negotiation table for dividing the spoils of war once it was over. However, since Zionism was not a fighting partner - suffering victims in a battle - it had no escape but to offer up human beings, under any name, to raise the number of victims, which they could then boast of at the moment of accounting."
"It seems that the interest of the Zionist movement ... is to inflate this figure so that their gains will be greater. This led them to emphasize this figure in order to gain the solidarity of international public opinion with Zionism. Many scholars have debated the figure of six million and reached stunning conclusions - fixing the number of Jewish victims at only a few hundred thousand."
[The Other Side: The secret relations between Nazism and the leadership of the Zionist movement, Mahmoud Abbas, 1983, Translation by Simon Wiesenthal Center.]
Israelis have no history in the Land - because they are "Khazars, who are not connected to the land but to the words of the Torah".
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 16, 2003]
Half a month after its electoral victory, a Hamas website presented the parting video messages of two Hamas suicide terrorists. One message was for Jews, whose blood Hamas promises to drink until Jews "leave the Muslim countries," and the second to a mother, as she helps dress her son for battle prior to his suicide terror mission.
"My message to the loathed Jews is that there is no god but Allah, we will chase you everywhere! We are a nation that drinks blood, and we know that there is no blood better than the blood of Jews. We will not leave you alone until we have quenched our thirst with your blood, and our children's thirst with your blood. We will not leave until you leave the Muslim countries.""In the name of Allah, we will destroy you, blow you up, take revenge against you, purify the land of you, pigs that have defiled our country... This operation is revenge against the sons of monkeys and pigs."
"I dedicate this wedding [i.e. death for Allah] to all of those who have chosen Allah as their goal, the Quran as their constitution and the Prophet [Muhammad] as their role model. Jihad is the only way to liberate Palestine - all of Palestine - from the impurity of the Jews...
"My dear mother, you who have cared for me, today I sacrifice my life to be your intercessor [on Judgment Day]. O my love and soul, wipe your tears, don't be saddened. In the name of Allah, I've achieve all that I've aspired. Don't let me see you sad on my wedding day with the Maidens of Paradise. So be happy and not sad, because in the name of Allah, after death is merciful Allah's paradise."
"My dear mother, don't cry over us
We have to seek, my mother, the help of Allah
My dear mother, don't cry over us
We have to seek, my mother, the help of Allah"
[Hamas website, February 12, 2006]
This is the root cause of the violence in the Middle East. Each side has bloody hands, but Hamas has their entire organization committed to not only Israel's destruction but the West as well.
As Veterans of Beirut we all know the problems of the Middle East. It all seems so clear to us. Why not the rest of world?
Friday, March 17, 2006
MAJ GENERAL SMITH TO SPEAK
NEWS RELEASE
PUBLIC INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
PO Box 567, Buies Creek, NC 27506
Tel: (910) 893-1224 w Fax: (910) 893-1922
Marine Corps general and author to be Barden lecturer
Maj.Gen.Ray L. Smith, USMC (Ret.) will be the featured speaker at Campbell University’s Barden Forum, Monday, Mar. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Hartness Lecture Hall of the Science building. Smith is the author of “The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division.” Free and open to the public, the lecture is sponsored by Campbell’s Department of Government, History and Justice.
A native of Oklahoma, Smith enlisted in the Marine Corps in Dec. 1965 and graduated as the Platoon and Series Honorman at San Diego in 1966. He graduated from Officers Candidate School in 1967. He was also selected to participate in the Bootstrap Program in 1978. Smith earned his bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies in 1980 and his master’s degree in Military Science from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I. He also received a master’s degree in International Relations.
A decorated war veteran, Smith’s duty assignments included two tours in Vietnam. He also led troops into Grenada and Beirut as the commander of 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. In addition, his assignments included Japan and Korea. Smith ended his military career as commanding general of the Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune N.C. He retired from the Marines in 1999. On his last day of active duty, Smith was a convocation speaker and received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Campbell University.
Smith currently serves as president of the board of directors of the Marine Corps Museum of the Carolinas and as a member of the board of Caring Communities. He has also served on the Jacksonville USO Executive Council and the board of directors of the Jacksonville-Onslow Area Chamber of Commerce. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame and received the Mack McKinney Award. In addition, he is a member of the North Carolina Advisory Commission on Military Affairs.
For more information about the General Smith lecture, contact Vicki Crowell (910) 893-1480 or (800) 334-4111, ext.1480.
Monday, March 06, 2006
MARINE VET PART OF BEIRUT HONOR GUARD
Duty still calls for former Marine at PTI
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GREENSBORO — Despite the planning, cutting through red tape and security clearances, Jim Carter encounters what the military calls the SNAFUs.
Recently, at Piedmont Triad International Airport, Carter arranged for the mother of a female Marine to get around the security screening and be poised at the gate to embrace her daughter, who was arriving for a break from Iraq.
Carter and the mother were supposed to meet at a certain place. They missed connections. Once they linked, the daughter had already reached the baggage carousel.
The emotional moment had been missed.
But that hasn't happened often, says Carter, who runs a virtual USO at PTI, although it's not in his mission statement as director of security, chief of communications and airport police reserve officer.
He tries to make reunions joyous for troops returning for brief breaks from the war. He seeks to dignify sad occasions for families whose loved ones arrive in caskets.
"Picture a former Marine carrying an Army captain's duffle bag to the car," Bettie Stocks Rhodes, of Reidsville, says in an e-mail to the News & Record after her son-in-law, Capt. Ben Shepherd, arrived from Iraq recently for a two-week stay.
"Efficiently, quietly and humbly, Jim Carter honors and assists soldiers arriving ...
"My deepest gratitude goes to Jim Carter, who continues to serve his country."
Carter was a sergeant and later a warrant officer in the Marines.
In helping military people and parents, he wants them to avoid what he encountered upon returning from a second tour in Vietnam in 1969.
At the airport in Los Angeles, a "flower child," he says, tried to cram a flower into the medals and ribbons on his uniform.
"Don't touch me or the uniform, and don't spit on me, and we'll get along fine," he recalled saying.
She uttered something about him being a baby killer.
Thousands of returning Vietnam veterans experienced similar hostility. Or they felt ignored.
Even though the war in Iraq may be as unpopular to some people as Vietnam, Carter hasn't witnessed the same hostility toward those fighting it.
He felt goose bumps when he watched a uniformed Marine lieutenant, his ankle broken from a chopper crash, refuse a wheelchair. He hobbled on crutches the length of the concourse. Travelers at gates arose in applause.
"I am glad people finally woke up," Carter says. "The troops out there are not the enemy."
He says his eyes welled when an airline pilot delayed departure until Marines in dress blues finished lifting a casket covered with an American flag and carried it to a hearse.
Carter always arranges for grieving families to be near the plane.
One woman, he says, ran "and kissed her son's casket."
The father of another dead Marine kept repeating: "I should have never let him out of my sight."
Later, Carter says, the man conceded that his son, who had re-enlisted, "died doing what he wanted to do."
Carter gave the Marines 27 years.
"I miss the heck out of the Corps," he says.
That's obvious from his office decor -- outfitted in Marine red and gold. It beats any Marine recruiting station. It's jammed with Marine plaques, figurines, models of the Iwo Jima statue, photos of his old units, recruiting posters, one of his former uniform jackets in a frame and posters bearing gung-ho slogans.
"It's God's job to judge the terrorists. It's our mission to arrange the meeting," a sticker on a desk drawer says.
He gets irritated at the geographical illiteracy of young Marines. They land at PTI and seek a cab to Camp Lejeune. They think the base is nearby, not 200 miles away.
"Do you have $300 for a cab to Lejeune," Carter asks them.
A dozen times he has driven Marines to the bus station and bought them a ticket to Lejeune. He warns they'd better repay him next payday. Only two have stiffed him.
The Alabama native quit high school to join the Marines in 1960, rose to sergeant and became a warrant officer in 1969. Later, he spent five years on the inspector and instructor staff with the Greensboro Marine Corps Reserve unit. The I&I staff are regular Marines who assist reservists.
During that time, 241 Marines were killed in 1983 during a terrorist attack on a barracks in Beirut, He and the I&I staff knocked on doors to tell two Greensboro-area parents their sons were dead. The staff served as honor guards at the casket arrivals and at the burials.
Parental reactions, he says, range from emotional outbreaks and anger to quiet acceptance. In the Beirut bombing, one woman believed that because her son's finger had been found, the rest of him was in a hospital recovering.
When Carter retired from the Marines in 1988, he returned to the area to a house he bought while on I&I duty and went to work for the airport police.
Homecomings on furloughs and leaves from Iraq are happy times, though the returns two weeks afterward aren't. When Shepherd, the captain whose duffel bag Carter had carried to the car when he arrived, had to return to the war, Carter was there. He says the captain slid a letter into the stroller of the baby he had seen for the first time when he came home.
Carter says he couldn't do what he does without the cooperation of airport manager Ted Johnson and others. He wishes he could do more -- and wishes some parents would, too.
"I'll see a soldier up there," he says, "and no one is with him. Someone should be there to see that person off."
Contact Jim Schlosser at 373-7081 or jschlosser@new-record.com
Print this Article Print this article Email this Article Email this Article
GREENSBORO — Despite the planning, cutting through red tape and security clearances, Jim Carter encounters what the military calls the SNAFUs.
Recently, at Piedmont Triad International Airport, Carter arranged for the mother of a female Marine to get around the security screening and be poised at the gate to embrace her daughter, who was arriving for a break from Iraq.
Carter and the mother were supposed to meet at a certain place. They missed connections. Once they linked, the daughter had already reached the baggage carousel.
The emotional moment had been missed.
But that hasn't happened often, says Carter, who runs a virtual USO at PTI, although it's not in his mission statement as director of security, chief of communications and airport police reserve officer.
He tries to make reunions joyous for troops returning for brief breaks from the war. He seeks to dignify sad occasions for families whose loved ones arrive in caskets.
"Picture a former Marine carrying an Army captain's duffle bag to the car," Bettie Stocks Rhodes, of Reidsville, says in an e-mail to the News & Record after her son-in-law, Capt. Ben Shepherd, arrived from Iraq recently for a two-week stay.
"Efficiently, quietly and humbly, Jim Carter honors and assists soldiers arriving ...
"My deepest gratitude goes to Jim Carter, who continues to serve his country."
Carter was a sergeant and later a warrant officer in the Marines.
In helping military people and parents, he wants them to avoid what he encountered upon returning from a second tour in Vietnam in 1969.
At the airport in Los Angeles, a "flower child," he says, tried to cram a flower into the medals and ribbons on his uniform.
"Don't touch me or the uniform, and don't spit on me, and we'll get along fine," he recalled saying.
She uttered something about him being a baby killer.
Thousands of returning Vietnam veterans experienced similar hostility. Or they felt ignored.
Even though the war in Iraq may be as unpopular to some people as Vietnam, Carter hasn't witnessed the same hostility toward those fighting it.
He felt goose bumps when he watched a uniformed Marine lieutenant, his ankle broken from a chopper crash, refuse a wheelchair. He hobbled on crutches the length of the concourse. Travelers at gates arose in applause.
"I am glad people finally woke up," Carter says. "The troops out there are not the enemy."
He says his eyes welled when an airline pilot delayed departure until Marines in dress blues finished lifting a casket covered with an American flag and carried it to a hearse.
Carter always arranges for grieving families to be near the plane.
One woman, he says, ran "and kissed her son's casket."
The father of another dead Marine kept repeating: "I should have never let him out of my sight."
Later, Carter says, the man conceded that his son, who had re-enlisted, "died doing what he wanted to do."
Carter gave the Marines 27 years.
"I miss the heck out of the Corps," he says.
That's obvious from his office decor -- outfitted in Marine red and gold. It beats any Marine recruiting station. It's jammed with Marine plaques, figurines, models of the Iwo Jima statue, photos of his old units, recruiting posters, one of his former uniform jackets in a frame and posters bearing gung-ho slogans.
"It's God's job to judge the terrorists. It's our mission to arrange the meeting," a sticker on a desk drawer says.
He gets irritated at the geographical illiteracy of young Marines. They land at PTI and seek a cab to Camp Lejeune. They think the base is nearby, not 200 miles away.
"Do you have $300 for a cab to Lejeune," Carter asks them.
A dozen times he has driven Marines to the bus station and bought them a ticket to Lejeune. He warns they'd better repay him next payday. Only two have stiffed him.
The Alabama native quit high school to join the Marines in 1960, rose to sergeant and became a warrant officer in 1969. Later, he spent five years on the inspector and instructor staff with the Greensboro Marine Corps Reserve unit. The I&I staff are regular Marines who assist reservists.
During that time, 241 Marines were killed in 1983 during a terrorist attack on a barracks in Beirut, He and the I&I staff knocked on doors to tell two Greensboro-area parents their sons were dead. The staff served as honor guards at the casket arrivals and at the burials.
Parental reactions, he says, range from emotional outbreaks and anger to quiet acceptance. In the Beirut bombing, one woman believed that because her son's finger had been found, the rest of him was in a hospital recovering.
When Carter retired from the Marines in 1988, he returned to the area to a house he bought while on I&I duty and went to work for the airport police.
Homecomings on furloughs and leaves from Iraq are happy times, though the returns two weeks afterward aren't. When Shepherd, the captain whose duffel bag Carter had carried to the car when he arrived, had to return to the war, Carter was there. He says the captain slid a letter into the stroller of the baby he had seen for the first time when he came home.
Carter says he couldn't do what he does without the cooperation of airport manager Ted Johnson and others. He wishes he could do more -- and wishes some parents would, too.
"I'll see a soldier up there," he says, "and no one is with him. Someone should be there to see that person off."
Contact Jim Schlosser at 373-7081 or jschlosser@new-record.com
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