20061115 Carrie Knauer and Mission to Baghdad.

Carrie Knauer and Mission to Baghdad.

November 15^th, 2006

Westminster – November 15^th, 2006. We can now put aside all the rumors that have been circulating in the greater Carroll County community as to the locational whereabouts of one of the Carroll County Times' star reporters, Carrie Ann Knauer.

Those of us who are used to all the wild conspiracy theories that circulate in the community knew to be suspicious when it was whispered that the real reason Ms. Knauer had not written any articles in the Carroll County Times recently was that she was “sequestered” with Vice-President Dick Chaney in an undisclosed location for national security purposes.

Many were curious when the accompanying photo surfaced depicting Ms. Knauer with the vice-president.

Then there was the trial balloon floated to put us off the track that she was really attending the 16^th Annual Conference of Environmental Journalists in Burlington, Vermont. We were not deterred.

As you are aware, Ms. Knauer took the local journalists’ scene by storm when she first appeared at the Carroll County Times in “February, 2002, after receiving a BA in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park, in December, 2001,” according to her publicist.

Since then, it has been noticed by those of us who devour all the local newspapers that not only is she prolific, but she has the uncanny knack of getting it right, a refreshing approach for those of us who actually know the local news scene.

Then at the recent Carroll County 4-H FFA Fair, she was awarded, “Best Shoes in Show – as worn by a journalist.”

Well, since “Soundtrack Division” has no interest in mimicking the New York Times approach to recklessly endangering national security and the lives of those in harm’s way, we can now reveal, now that Ms. Knauer has re-surfaced in the Carroll County community, that she was indeed with Dick Chaney on a secret fact-finding mission to Iraq, “Mission to Baghdad.”

When contacted for comment about this fast-breaking news story, Ms. Knauer was unavailable for comment. As this intriguing story unfolds, please keep checking “Soundtrack” for up-to-the-minute reports, which will continue until Ms. Knauer breaks her silence and writes for all of us a column on her experiences at the SEJ Conference, because many of us are so jealous.

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Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org http://www.thetentacle.com/ Westminster Eagle Opinion and Winchester Report http://www.thewestminstereagle.com/ www.kevindayhoff.com has moved to http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

20061115 Current state of discussion and dialogue in Carroll County

Current state of discussion and dialogue in Carroll County

November 15th, 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

A recent letter to the editor of the Carroll County Times by Carroll County Commissioner Dean Minnich might mark a chance of Carroll County to start putting the past 18 months to bed and begin the productive process of moving the ball forward.

The current state of discussion and dialogue by responsible members of the community – especially the leadership community, is currently dead in the water.

The best description of problem identification and resolution in Carroll County is that it is at an intellectual level rivaled only by garden tools.

Considering the events of the last year-and-a-half: Who, pray tell, in their right mind, would ever want to wade into this morass?

We should all be thankful for one small blessing – that we are all in Carroll County 2006 and “not Salem 1692. In Salem, they hanged you or crushed you under stone. Here they just humiliate you and raise doubts about your integrity.” (I got the idea for this explanation from an old Dan Rodrick’s column about another matter… It just fits Carroll County November 2006, so well…)

No responsible person, who loves their pride, dignity and family would ever venture to express their opinion in Carroll County these days as immediately the morally superior among us will question your integrity; suggest that you are doing so for your own personal gain; or for the benefit of your profession; or as a part of the wildest, most bizarre and convoluted conspiracy theory imaginable.

What ever happened to the idea that some folks actually disagree about ways to move the ball forward and they disagree based upon a different assessment of the merits of a given approach…

Read the preceding two paragraphs very carefully, because I am not just referring to the negative campaigning by the right-wing conservatives of Carroll County, I am also referring to the folks who wanted a different district map for the “Five Commissioner initiative,” than the one chosen by the Carroll County Delegation to Annapolis… Or the toxic campaign waged against folks who disagreed with the proposed transfer tax…

If I read one more account about how the folks who voted against Code Home Rule were uninformed Neanderthals who were just voting in “their own short-term interests,” …

On a personal level, many folks, some who have supported me in the past and amazingly, some who haven’t supported me in the past - - were in touch when one opinion writer wrote a column expressing outrage and moral indignation at the negative campaigning of the last election; when he was the fulcrum of negative campaigning in my last election.

To the initiated observer of the current zeitgeist of Carroll County politics, one could easily assume that no one has all their Cornflakes in one box.

One of the best ways to explain the current state of affairs was written by the Washington Post in a discussion about the political rancor and unpleasantness that pervades the current environment in our country: “The numbing repetition of uncorrected falsehoods creates a phony atmosphere of uncertainty around key questions which in fact have already been resolved. Eventually voters throw up their hands and accept the fact that they’ll never know for sure what the truth is, and confusion ensues.”

A recent letter to the editor of the Carroll County Times by Carroll County Commissioner Dean Minnich might mark a chance of Carroll County to start putting the past 18 months to bed and begin the productive process of moving the ball forward.

Yes, please stifle your itching blazing fingers at the keyboard, I am well aware of the argument by many folks that Commissioner Minnich “started it” after the 2002 election. Yet the folks who take Commissioner Minnich’s side explain that he was only reacting.

Okay, everyone sit down and shut-up. Most of us don’t care anymore who started it and who didn’t… And the local newspapers could do us all a favor by banning three-quarters of the folks who have been writing opinion columns and letters to the editor in the last 18 months. Many folks I have heard from, simply do not read that drivel anymore anyway.

Whether Commissioner Minnich started it or didn’t start it – I don’t care anymore. Everyone’s reaction has been well beyond prudence.

But credit belongs where credit is due and Commissioner Minnich wrote a stand-up letter to the editor and I think that folks ought to do something productive with this opportunity and read the “olive branch” carefully and do something productive with it instead of jamming it up his nose.

Commissioner Minnich wrote in a letter to the editor which appeared in the November 14th, 2006 edition of the Carroll County Times, “Carroll government will move forward.”

“Carroll government will move forward”

Editor:

In a little more than three weeks, the dynamics of local government with change with the departure of Commissioner Perry Jones and the arrival of Michael Zimmer to join incumbents Julia Gouge and myself.

How is that going to work? It's a good question, and one that has already been asked, and will continue to be scrutinized in the weeks and months to come. As one of the incumbents, and a survivor of a rancorous election campaign, I would like to give my take on how it can and should play out.

First of all, we have an obligation to put any personal differences aside as we consider the work of governing. Election campaigns are full of rhetoric and emotional display; governance should be about dialog, thoughtful consideration of the complexities of issues and meetings of the minds.

There may be principles that cannot be compromised, and that may lead to conflicts. But differences do not have to be personal, and one disagreement cannot be transferred into every subsequent consideration. We need to get over the past and look to the county's future.

We all must remember that it is the future of the county that constitutes our reason for meeting as a board of commissioners. We are not there to further personal careers or carry the ideological flag for any political faction. Partisanship or personal politics may serve as a platform and provide a base for candidacy to public office, but once elected, we serve the population at large.

Over time, I believe we can build on the will of the people to develop respect, honest communication, constructive debate and cooperation.

I remain committed to managed growth (including attention to water and environmental concerns), progress in education, building on our initiatives for economic development and responsible fiscal policy.

My expectation is that we will find that we will share more in common than election rhetoric might suggest. The citizens of the county deserve a good faith effort to put politics and personalities aside and get to work - together.

Dean Minnich

Westminster

The writer is a member of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners.

_____

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Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org www.thetentacle.com Westminster Eagle Opinion and Winchester Report www.thewestminstereagle.com www.kevindayhoff.com has moved to http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

20061115 There is always plenty to laugh about

There is always plenty to laugh about

November 15^th, 2006

The only alternative is to cry…

Hat Tip: Mrs. Owl

No matter Republican or Democrat, now that elections are over, the late night talk show hosts can always find humor in politics.

From Daniel Kurtzman,

Your Guide to Political Humor.

"This week, on Tuesday night, in an ironic turnaround, Iraq brought regime change to the U.S." --Amy Poehler

"President Bush held a news conference where he vowed to work with the new Democratic majority, which, if true, can mean only one thing: the Democrats have a nuclear bomb." --Amy Poehler

"What a day for the Democrats. They've won the House of Representatives, they are poised to take the Senate as well, Donald Rumsfeld has resigned, and this just in, Dick Cheney came out as gay." --Jon Stewart

"Even though the Republican lost big on Tuesday, they've been busy all day in Washington. They’ve been spending all day packing up their bribe money." –David Letterman

"Dennis Hastert is no longer Speaker of the House. Don't worry about Dennis. He's going to be the new before-guy for Jenny Craig." –David Letterman

"The new Speaker of the House is Nancy Pelosi. She had lunch today with President Bush, but the lunch honestly did not go well. She would not pass him anything he asked for." –David Letterman

"It's ironic because Republicans always wanted to appeal to minorities. Now they are one." --Jay Leno

"It has not been a good week for the Republicans. This election was kind of like a bad divorce –- they got rejected, insulted, and lost the House." –Jay Leno

"Here in California, the voters overwhelmingly decided they do not want Arnold Schwarzenegger to ever make another movie." --Jay Leno

"The only Republican now with a mandate is Congressman Mark Foley." --Jay Leno

"There were many reports of problems with the voting machines yesterday, especially with touch-screen voting machines. In fact, in Congressman Mark Foley's district, some of the machines were touched inappropriately." --Conan O'Brien

"Big, big win for the Democrats. Senator Hillary Clinton's overwhelming victory has fueled speculation that she will run for president in 2008. In other words, there was some good news for Republicans." --Conan O'Brien

"Today in Florida, on the last day of campaigning, a Republican politician refused to appear in public with President Bush because the president is so unpopular. And it's worse than it sounds, because the politician was former Congressman Mark Foley." --Conan O'Brien

"They say they don't need to rely on any last minute surprises, since their Republican base is still very strong, very active, and they still have all the voting machines rigged." --Jimmy Kimmel

"Democrats are favored to win most races. As a matter of fact, the only Republican in Washington whose seat is safe is Lincoln." --David Letterman

"During the election, do you know what Vice President Dick Cheney will be doing? He's going spend the day hunting at his lodge in South Dakota. That's the one place you want to be if the Republicans lose -- Cheney with a gun." --Jay Leno

"President Bush warned Democrats not to celebrate too early. This is from the guy who put up the 'Mission Accomplished' sign three years ago." --Jay Leno

"How about this John Kerry controversy? So he's out there in California, tells some kind of joke and it backfires. He's saying he botched the joke. ... This guy can lose elections he's not even in." --David Letterman

"Senator John Kerry gave his opponents in the struggling Republican Party a much needed distraction when he told a college audience on Monday that if you don't do well in school, you might get stuck in Iraq. Some people are taking that as a slam against our troops. Kerry says it was a botched joke about the president being dumb. It doesn't bode well when you try to make a joke about someone being dumb and you wind up looking even dumber." --Jimmy Kimmel

"It's interesting. The president's approval rating is at an all-time low, North Korea's setting off bombs, Iraq is a mess, the Foley scandal keeps getting worst. Even the Democrats might not be able to blow this election." --Jay Leno

"The election is three weeks away and there are rumors the Republicans are getting ready for an election night disaster, which would be a first -- a disaster they were actually prepared for." --Bill Maher

"Tuesday is Election Day. ... In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is so confident of being re-elected that he's groping women again." --David Letterman

"This is a bleak time for the Republican Party. You know you have trouble when the least embarrassing guy in your group is Arnold Schwarzenegger." --Jimmy Kimmel

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20061115 Scott Ott weighs in on Representative Murtha

Scott Ott weighs in on Representative Murtha

Priceless

Pelosi Backs Murtha, Cites Ethics Experience

by Scott Ott

(2006-11-15) — House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi today defended her decision to back Rep. Jack Murtha, D-PA, as the next House Majority Leader, citing his extensive ethics experience as crucial to her efforts to “clean up the House.”

“Jack Murtha knows corruption inside and out,” said Rep. Pelosi, D-CA. “If we’re going to purge misconduct from our midst, we need someone intimately familiar with it.”

Read the rest here. Yes, it gets even better…

Be sure to click on the “knows corruption” link…



Oh and remember, here’s how “How Dems Store Their Bribes” and “Temper Fi


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20061115 Becoming Illegal

Becoming Illegal

November 15th, 2006

Hat Tip: Grammy

I received this by e-mail and I assume that it is making the e-mail rounds… I have no idea if it is a “real” letter or not, however, it certainly puts the some of the issues of illegal aliens into a different perspective.

Although I have written a good bit about diversity and multiculturalism, I have not written much about the challenges of illegal immigration, except: May 31, 2006, in The Tentacle, “The Great Mexican Maginot Line:” “Last Thursday, the United States Senate passed the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006" by a vote of 62 to 36. The legislation has sparked rigorous and rancorous debate as it supports a bi-partisan, multi-disciplinary approach to the challenges of immigration reform embraced by President George W. Bush…”

The following may give some pause for thought…

(From a Maryland resident to his senator)

The Honorable Paul S. Sarbanes
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC , 20510

Dear Senator Sarbanes,

As a native Marylander and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance. I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen to illegal alien stem from the bill which was recently passed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years. I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.

Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year.

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as "in-state" tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.

Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent,
Pete -----------

Get your Forms (NOW)!! Call your Internal Revenue Service

Please pass this onto your friends so they can save on this great offer!!!!

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20061114 The Problem with Iran

The Problem with Iran

Reformed Chicks Blabbing – a wonderful web site - if you have not had a chance to visit, use this as an opportunity…

Anyway, the Reformed Chicks Blabbing kinda, well, lay it on the line with a recent post titled: “It might be time for Israel to bomb Iran.”

Remember when the Israelis bombed the French built Iraqi nuclear reactor on June 7^th, 1981? Yes, you read that correctly, the “French” manufactured nuclear reactor.

Remember when President George W. Bush tried to gather some consensus before the United States invaded Iraq and the French, Germans and Soviets wouldn’t go along with the program. Seems many folks have forgotten that President Bush tried – and folks have forgotten that the French, Germans and Russians would not cooperate because they were making too much money off Iraq…

Please read: “23 February 1998 Iraq: the French connection.”

Anyway – remember:

1981: Israel bombs Baghdad nuclear reactor

And be sure to watch the video of “Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin tells the world's media: "We decided to act now before it is too late"

From June 7th, 1981, BBC:

The Israelis have bombed a French-built nuclear plant near Iraq's capital, Baghdad, saying they believed it was designed to make nuclear weapons to destroy Israel.

It is the world's first air strike against a nuclear plant.

An undisclosed number of F-15 interceptors and F-16 fighter bombers destroyed the Osirak reactor 18 miles south of Baghdad, on the orders of Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

The army command said all the Israeli planes returned safely.

The 70-megawatt uranium-powered reactor was near completion but had not been stocked with nuclear fuel so there was no danger of a leak, according to sources in the French atomic industry.

Mortal danger

The Israeli Government explained its reasons for the attack in a statement saying: "The atomic bombs which that reactor was capable of producing whether from enriched uranium or from plutonium, would be of the Hiroshima size. Thus a mortal danger to the people of Israel progressively arose."

It acted now because it believed the reactor would be completed shortly - either at the beginning of July or the beginning of September 1981.

The Israelis criticised the French and Italians for supplying Iraq with nuclear materials and plegded to defend their territory at all costs.

The statement said: "We again call upon them to desist from this horrifying, inhuman deed. Under no circumstances will we allow an enemy to develop weapons of mass destruction against our people."

The attack took place on a Sunday, they said, to prevent harming the French workers at the site who would have taken the day off.

There have been no reported casualties.

The Osirak reactor is part of a complex that includes a second, smaller reactor - also French-built - and a Soviet-made test reactor already in use.

Iraq denies the reactor was destined to produce nuclear weapons.

For more information read: “Making mischief in the middle east.”

And oh!, for the potential of having another point of view available on this and other Middle East matters in the future…, please do not read the Little Green Footballs post: “JihadTV Comes to the United States,” if you have a heart condition.

And for the love of Pete, please do not tell Maryland Blogger Alliance member, Soccer Dad, about “The Nobel Prize Is Racist and Stems from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” unless all sharp objects have been removed from the immediate area… Un-freaking-believable.

Oh my... this won’t do… We already have the New York Times, for pity sake… “Near-Silent Start in U.S. for Al-Jazeera.” And how about this? The Los Angeles Times is fine with al Qaeda: “Al Jazeera, wide angle.” Well duh, isn’t the Los Angeles Times a branch office of Aljazeera?

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20061114 The Night Train Foundation Muffler Drive

The Night Train Foundation Muffler Drive

Now through December 5^th, 2006

Muffler (muf’ler)n. 1. A scarf, shawl, etc. worn around the throat for warmth. 2. What Harleys do not have.

The Night Train Foundation

Muffler Drive

Now through December 5^th

We are collecting Mufflers, Gloves, Hats, and Mittens, anything to keep children warm. They will be given as gifts to the children who attend the “Shop with a Cop” Program organized by the Westminster Police Department.

There is a drop off box at:

Dutterer’s Florist

114 Pennsylvania Avenue

Westminster, MD 21157

If you would like to make a donation for us to purchase them, send your checks to the above address made payable to “The Night Train Foundation.” For more information call Lori at 410.848.9350 or e-mail loriwg@carr.org

20061114 PNC Watch

PNC Watch

November 14^th, 2006

PNC Posts Record Earnings of $5.01 Per Share

The Path to Redeption April 2006 By John Engen in USBanker:

Four years ago, PNC Financial Services was on the regulatory ropes. Overcoming those troubles wasn't easy for chairman and CEO James Rohr, who instilled con1/2dence-and, some say, a bit of a swagger-in a company searching for an identity. Today PNC seems able to do no wrong. Can its run of success continue?

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20061113 Carroll County and the Spanish American War

Carroll County and the Spanish-American War

November 13^th, 2006

My Westminster Eagle column this week (See “Opinion”) touches upon some history of the Spanish-American War and some Carroll Countians who participated in the war…

Portions of the column will read (something to the affect of – from the rough draft…):

Carroll County has a role in Marine Corps history. It was on June 11, 1898, according to local historian Jay Graybeal, that United States Marine Sgt. Charles Hampton. Smith from Smallwood was killed during the capture of Guantánamo Bay in the Spanish-American War.

And…

Dr. Milton D. Norris, who maintained a medical practice in Eldersburg for so many years, also served as “Acting Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Volunteers, during the Spanish-American War. Another “Acting Assistant Surgeon,” John Blair Gibbs was killed on June 11, the same night that Sgt. Smith was killed. Marine Privates William Dumphy and James McColgan, along with Sgt. Smith were the some of the first U. S. casualties of the war.

And…

The Marines refer to a portion of the military actions to capture Guantánamo Bay as the “Battle for Cuzco Well,” and the battle is commemorated every year to this day at the sprawling American Guantánamo Bay military base in Cuba

On the base at McCalla Hill, there is a monument dedicated to the Marines that died, including Carroll Countian Sgt. Smith. The accompanying picture was taken from the June 16, 2006 Guantánamo Bay Gazette which covered this year’s observances. Mr. Graybeal has reported that the “monument consists of a captured bronze cannon and a bronze plaque bearing the names of the five Marines and the Navy surgeon killed in action.”

The accompanying picture was taken from the June 16, 2006 Guantánamo Bay Gazette which covered this year’s commemoration observances.

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Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org http://www.thetentacle.com/ Westminster Eagle Opinion and Winchester Report http://www.thewestminstereagle.com/ www.kevindayhoff.com has moved to http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

20061113 USS New York

From the ashes of the World Trade Center – the USS New York

Hat Tip: Grammy

My Tentacle column this Wednesday will mention the USS New York. The column is a discussion of the merits of expanding the United States Marine Corps by one infantry regiment…

The column will begin:

The United States Marine Corps has had significant participation in every American armed conflict since November 10, 1775 and it’s role as a rapid deployment force to fully defend our nation against terrorist threats and effectuate foreign policy has never been more important than today.

And then later in the column I will bring up the USS New York:

Meanwhile, what will work against the terrorists are initiatives like the construction of the USS New York, which is built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center, and about 45 percent complete. It is the fifth of a new class of warship designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists.

This 684-foot vessel is just the stuff needed to rapidly deploy and “compel an enemy to surrender to your will.” It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft and she should be ready for launch in mid-2007.

It is precisely the kind of thinking that has brought forth this new class of warship to which the USS New York is an example that is in the best interests of our national defense in the future.

I got most of the information from an e-mail that Grammy had forwarded to me… I fact checked the e-mail here on Snopes.com. Snopes said the e-mail contained factual information and said: “The quotes from Navy personnel and shipyard workers included in the e-mailed version reproduced above were taken from an Associated Press article about the ship.”

For other posts about the Navy, please see:

20060831 USS Reagan Passing The Arizona Memorial

20060701 USS Wizbang Monitor Class Destroyer

20030113 Catch and Release

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20061112 America needs to wake up

“America needs to wake up”

In case you missed it, Maryland Blogger Alliance member The Baltimore Reporter has an excellent post on November 12^th, 2006, calling to our attention “When WWIII Started****1979.”

It is a speech titled, “America needs to wake up,” by: US Navy Captain Ouimette… the Executive Officer at Naval Air Station, Pensacola , Florida . Here is a copy of the speech he gave last month. It is an accurate account of why we are in so much trouble today and why this action is so necessary.

Read the entire post here.

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20061111 1959 1975 Women Who Died in the Viet Nam War

Women Who Died in the Viet Nam War

For this Veterans Day it is also important to remember the woman who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. All too often folks think of the men who died… Here is a list I came across sometime ago, while I was doing some research on the Vietnam War…

UPDATE:

Operation Babylift – April 1975

Feb 22, 2007 4:17 PM

Subject: [Kevin Dayhoff - Soundtrack Division of Old Silent Movies] New comment on 20061111 1959 1975 Women Who Died in the Viet Nam ....

Lana has left a new comment on your post "20061111 1959 1975 Women Who Died in the Viet Nam ...":

Please visit my website at:

www.Vietnambabylift.org

for information and details re: "Operation Babylift".

Excerpted from www.Vietnambabylift.org:

On April 3, 1975, United States President Gerald R. Ford announced that "Operation Babylift" would fly from Vietnam to safety in America some of the estimated 70,000 Vietnamese babies and children who were left orphaned by the Vietnam War. Thirty flights, combining private and military planes, transported at least 2,000 children to the United States and another 1,300 children to Canada, Europe and Australia. These children, born in a war-torn land, grew up as members of international, adoptive families. These adoptees and their families acknowledge President Ford, himself an adoptee, for the important role he played in ensuring them a new life. Many will be on hand on Saturday to share in a ceremony honoring President Ford and in the presentation of this recently released film about their story.

Read the rest here.

Thank you “Lana.”

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American and Australian Civilian and Military Women Who Died in the Viet Nam War (1959-1975)

http://grunt.space.swri.edu/womenkil.htm

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Military

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U.S. Army

2nd Lt. Carol Ann Elizabeth Drazba

2nd Lt. Elizabeth Ann Jones

Lt. Drazba and Lt. Jones were assigned to the 3rd Field Hospital in Saigon. They died in a helicopter crash near Saigon, February 18, 1966. Drazba was from Dunmore, PA, Jones from Allendale, SC. Both were 22 years old.

Capt. Eleanor Grace Alexander

1st Lt. Hedwig Diane Orlowski

Capt. Alexander of Westwood, NJ, and Lt. Orlowski of Detroit, MI, died November 30, 1967. Alexander, stationed at the 85th Evac., and Orlowski, stationed at the 67th Evac. in Qui Nhon, had been sent to a hospital in Pleiku to help out during a push. With them when their plane crashed on the return trip to Qui Nhon were two other nurses, Jerome E. Olmstead of Clintonville, WI, and Kenneth R. Shoemaker, Jr. of Owensboro, KY. Alexander was 27, Orlowski 23. Both were posthumously awarded Bronze Stars.

2nd Lt. Pamela Dorothy Donovan

Lt. Donovan, from Allston, MA, became seriously ill and died on July 8, 1968, in Gia Dinh Province, South Vietnam, at the age of 26. She was assigned to the 85th Evac. in Qui Nhon. Lt. Donovan was born in Wirral, Merseyside (in England), UK, March 25, 1942, to Irish parents. The family returned to Dublin, Ireland; and Pam was raised and educated there before the family came to Brighton, Massachusetts.

1st Lt. Sharon Ann Lane

Lt. Lane died from shrapnel wounds when the 312th Evac. at Chu Lai was hit by rockets on June 8, 1969. From Canton, OH, she was a month short of her 26th birthday. She was posthumously awarded the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm and the Bronze Star for Heroism. In 1970, the recovery room at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Denver, where Lt. Lane had been assigned before going to Viet Nam, was dedicated in her honor. In 1973, Aultman Hospital in Canton, OH, where Lane had attended nursing school, erected a bronze statue of Lane. The names of 110 local servicemen killed in Vietnam are on the base of the statue.

Lt. Col. Annie Ruth Graham, Chief Nurse at 91st Evac. Hospital, Tuy Hoa

Lt. Col. Graham, Chief Nurse, 91st Evacuation Hospital, 43rd Medical Group, 44th Medical Brigade, Tuy Hoa, from Efland, NC, suffered a stroke and was evacuated to Japan where she died four days later on August 14, 1968. A veteran of both World War II and Korea, she was 52.

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U.S. Air Force

Capt. Mary Therese Klinker

Capt. Klinker, a flight nurse with the 10th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, temporarily assigned to Clark Air Base in the Philippines, was on the C-5A Galaxy which crashed on April 4, 1975, outside Saigon while evacuating Vietnamese orphans. This is known as the Operation Babylift crash. From Lafayette, IN, she was 27. She was posthumously awarded the Airman's Medal for Heroism and the Meritorious Service Medal.

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Australian Nurse Corps

Barbara Black

Barbara died at Vung Tau, Vietnam in 1971.

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Civilian

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American Red Cross

Hannah E. Crews

Died in a jeep accident, Bien Hoa, October 2, 1969.

Virginia E. Kirsch

Murdered by U.S. soldier in Cu Chi, August 16, 1970.

Lucinda J. Richter

Died of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Cam Ranh Bay, February 9, 1971.

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Army Special Services

Rosalyn Muskat

Died in a jeep accident, Long Binh, October 26, 1968.

Dorothy Phillips

Died in a plane crash, Qui Nhon, 1967.

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U.S. Department of the Navy OICC (Officer in Charge of Construction)

Regina "Reggie" Williams

Died of a heart attack in Saigon, 1964.

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Catholic Relief Services

Gloria Redlin

Shot to death in Pleiku, 1969.

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Central Intelligence Agency

Barbara Robbins

Died when a car bomb exploded outside the American Embassy, Saigon, March 30, 1965.

Betty Gebhardt

Died in Saigon, 1971.

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United States Agency for International Development

Marilyn L. Allan

Murdered by a U.S. soldier in Nha Trang, August 16, 1967.

Dr. Breen Ratterman (American Medical Association)

Died from injuries suffered in a fall from her apartment balcony in Saigon, October 2, 1969

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Journalists

Georgette "Dickey" Chapelle

Killed by a mine on patrol with Marines outside Chu Lai, 1965.

Philippa Schuyler

Killed in a helicopter crash into the ocean near Da Nang, May 9, 1967.

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Missionaries

Carolyn Griswald

Killed in raid on leprosarium in Ban Me Thuot during Tet 1968.

Janie A. Makil

Shot to death in an ambush, Dalat, March 4, 1963. Janie was five months old.

Ruth Thompson

Killed in raid on leprosarium in Ban Me Thuot during Tet, February 1, 1968.

Ruth Wilting

Killed in raid on leprosarium in Ban Me Thuot during Tet, February 1, 1968.

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POW/MIA

Evelyn Anderson

Captured and burned to death in Kengkok, Laos, 1972. Remains recovered and returned to U.S.

Beatrice Kosin

Captured and burned to death in Kengkok, Laos, 1972. Remains recovered and returned to U.S.

Betty Ann Olsen

Captured during raid on leprosarium in Ban Me Thuot during Tet 1968. Died in 1968 and was buried somewhere along Ho Chi Minh Trail by fellow POW, Michael Benge. Remains not recovered.

Eleanor Ardel Vietti

Captured at leprosarium in Ban Me Thuot, May 30, 1962. Still listed as POW.

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Operation Babylift

The following women were killed in the crash, outside Saigon, of the C5-A Galaxy transporting Vietnamese children out of the country on April 4, 1975.

All of the women were working for various U.S. government agencies in Saigon at the time of their deaths with the exception of Theresa Drye (a child) and Laurie Stark (a teacher). Sharon Wesley had previously worked for both the American Red Cross and Army Special Services. She chose to stay on in Vietnam after the pullout of U.S. military forces in 1973.

Barbara Adams; Clara Bayot; Nova Bell; Arleta Bertwell; Helen Blackburn; Ann Bottorff; Celeste Brown; Vivienne Clark; Juanita Creel; Mary Ann Crouch; Dorothy Curtiss; Twila Donelson; Helen Drye; Theresa Drye; Mary Lyn Eichen; Elizabeth Fugino; Ruthanne Gasper; Beverly Herbert; Penelope Hindman; Vera Hollibaugh; Dorothy Howard; Barbara Kauvulia; Barbara Maier; Rebecca Martin; Sara Martini; Martha Middlebrook; Katherine Moore; Marta Moschkin; Marion Polgrean; June Poulton; Joan Pray; Sayonna Randall; Anne Reynolds; Marjorie Snow; Laurie Stark; Barbara Stout; Doris Jean Watkins; Sharon Wesley

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59 civilians
9 military
--
68 total

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Sources

Vietnam Women's Memorial Project (Military) and A Circle of Sisters/A Circle of Friends (Civilian):

Vietnam Women's Memorial Project

2001 S Street NW, Suite 302

Washington, D.C. 20009

Phone: 202-328-7253

A Circle of Sisters/A Circle of Friends

1015 South Gaylord, Suite 190

Denver, CO 80209

Phone: 303-575-1311

20061111 For Veterans Day Lest we forget the Brits

For Veterans Day, Lest we forget our British brothers and sisters in arms.

November 11th, 2006

Remembering the British armed forces in the other sandbox in the Middle East, Afghanistan.

LEST WE FORGET - British Armed Forces In Afghan Remembered

####

20061111 Veterans Day

Veterans Day – November 11^th, 2006

Today is Veterans Day. With respect to current discussions on the War in Iraq, and in a time of contentious political change:

“With the great traditions of the past and with an eye for the future, one thing we can all hopefully agree upon is that today is a time to pause to remember and celebrate all of our nation's men and woman in uniform. We all appreciate their past and present sacrifices for our great nation.

One thing to be sure is that the only thing consistent in our world is constant change. Over the last 100 years, we have witnessed tumultuous elections, pestilence and plague, and many social, political, government and economic upheavals and changes.

One thing that has not changed is that it is a man or woman in uniform that has steadfastly stood guard so that our nation and our community may have the security and comfort to address the changes and challenges of our times.

The above is taken from my Tentacle column for Veterans Day 2006. The rest of the column can be found here: “Veteran's Day” Saturday, November 11, 2006 by Kevin E. Dayhoff…

Last year’s 2005 Tentacle column can be found here: November 11, 2005

“Veterans Day” by Kevin E. Dayhoff. It begins:

“My family is going to go to Gettysburg on Veterans Day. What’s Veterans Day?” The words come from a little sandy-haired child as I was leaving an elementary school in Westminster after giving a talk to two third grade classes on “Living in Carroll County.”

Last Wednesday’s Westminster Eagle column was titled, “Era that created 'Veterans Day' also produced societal change ,” It begins:

This Saturday is Veterans Day, a day originally set aside to pay our respects to the veterans who fought in World War I.

Veterans Day commemorates "the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918, when the guns of World War I went silent, ending the horrors of the first modern war-making ... [Read full story]

President George W. Bush’s Veterans Day proclamation is pasted below…

Veterans Day, 2006

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

In Focus: Veterans

Through the generations, America's men and women in uniform have defeated tyrants, liberated continents, and set a standard of courage and idealism for the entire world. On Veterans Day, our Nation pays tribute to those who have proudly served in our Armed Forces.

To protect the Nation they love, our veterans stepped forward when America needed them most. In conflicts around the world, their sacrifice and resolve helped destroy the enemies of freedom and saved millions from oppression. In answering history's call with honor, decency, and resolve, our veterans have shown the power of liberty and earned the respect and admiration of a grateful Nation.

All of America's veterans have placed our Nation's security before their own lives, creating a debt that we can never fully repay. Our veterans represent the best of America, and they deserve the best America can give them.

As we recall the service of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen, we are reminded that the defense of freedom comes with great loss and sacrifice. This Veterans Day, we give thanks to those who have served freedom's cause; we salute the members of our Armed Forces who are confronting our adversaries abroad; and we honor the men and women who left America's shores but did not live to be thanked as veterans. They will always be remembered by our country.

With respect for and in recognition of the contributions our service men and women have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor veterans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2006, as Veterans Day and urge all Americans to observe November 5 through November 11, 2006, as National Veterans Awareness Week. I encourage all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through ceremonies and prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States and to support and participate in patriotic activities in their communities. I invite civic and fraternal organizations, places of worship, schools, businesses, unions, and the media to support this national observance with commemorative expressions and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

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