Cheney to welcome home battered Marine battalion at Camp Lejeune

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-19/112831404244210.xml&storylist=cleveland

10/3/2005, 12:17 a.m. ET
The Associated Press

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — ...

Cheney is scheduled to address more than 4,500 Marines on Monday morning, including members of the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines. The battalion, based in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park, lost 48 Marines in Iraq and had more than 150 wounded. The deaths included 14 Marines killed in back-to-back attacks within one week this summer...

After his address, Cheney will be honored with a 19-gun cannon salute. Some of the weekend arrangements preparing for the vice president's visit included checking that cars near the location of Cheney's address were both swept for bombs and kept unlocked, Jackson said.

"When you do a 19-gun salute, the reverberations will set off car alarms," Jackson said. "We have to keep cars unlocked. If the car alarms go off, the Secret Service has to turn off the alarms."

If the doors are locked, they will use any means necessary to stop the alarm, she said...

ole Ali Baba hisself. He'll even steal your firstborn and send him to Iraq to get killed. I bet they will make sure the Marines don't have any ammo either.

Showing up?

Let's hope none of those cannon balls goes off course.
WHAT are they shooting at? This is just vile.

When guns are fired in a salute, they're not loaded with live rounds, just powder.

Seems kind of disrespectful to the troops that Cheney's there, IMHO.

Then I don't object. They can give him a powder salute all day long. Big boom.

The MARINES should be the ones honored. This is horrid.

that pushed this War On Iraq based on his Lies, too.

Being "honored" for getting these Soldiers Maimed and Killed.

Why? The * administration is becoming too arrogant that *all* the combat military likes "Empire Building" at the expense of the lives of their "Brothers in Arms."

Methinks that, the group that Cheney Addresses will be composed of mostly Field Grade Officers (Majors Thur LTCs), with a few Master Sergeants and Sergeant Majors thrown in to represent the Non-COMMs. That is, those senior troops who *rarely* or do NOT have to serve as cannon fodder AND will reap the most benefits given "perpetual war for perpetual peace."

I'll be looking for the rank designations on their uniforms REAL CLOSE! ;)

On Edit: If Cheney does go through with addressing all 4500, those media camera whores best be briefed to do only "tight shots" because not everyone will be behaving as good Right Winger War-Mongers.

This has got to be the STUPIDEST idea that this Administration has come up with ... for their own image. It will not be all sweetness and light if my past experience counseling combat troops holds true, i.e., mixed and conflicting emotions about killing and potentially dying for one's country.

I'm a Major. Been in combat twice. Just got called back for overseas duty. Probably gonna see it again.

Sorry to break your mold, but a lot of officers face danger every day.

A lot of officers really hate Bush too. I was enlisted and commissioned and my observation is that the assholes are not concentrated at any particular pay grade (with the possible exception of LTCs but that is based on only two asshole commanders). :)

It really makes me sick to see these cowards use the military for a backdrop. :puke: Freepers claim that the military is in full support of Bush but that could not be farther from the truth. Military people are prevented by law from speaking out against the President and VP. That certainly does not equal support.

to defend the Constitution and against all enemies, both foriegn and domestic? Chain of command... I know. But if you're enemy is the Chain, then what?

I admire the honest officers, not the ones with brown noses who constantly play politics. I'm a former Intelligence Officer but I'm comfortable enough with myself that I feel no need to "throw around" ranks (mine, my father's and my retired USMC husband's)

I hate to break your mold, but being an individual who is knowledgeable about combat intelligence - percentage wise, very few field grade officers face danger.

If you're an honest grunt, my hat's off to you - Salute. However, by percentages (I also worked in Protocol), there's not many field grades getting wasted. Now that fact I know you can not dispute.

Again percentage wise, I'd much rather share a foxhole with an E-8 than an Major or LTC any day of the week. That's meant as no disrespect to field grades, just a "reality check" to the competence of NCOs. :hi:

but I'm sure it's brilliant. :hi:

The sound of 4500 soldiers yelling 'Go fuck yourself, Dick Cheney!" all at once would be worth recording.

Just wondering...as the law for reimbursement went into efefct OVER ONE YEAR AGO and yet troops STILL aren't being reimbursed.

(Visions of the SS shooting unarmed hatchbacks)

is destroyed by cheney's ss.

He should never be allowed to be seen in public.

Ummm, why is Cheney getting a 19-gun salute? What did he do that deserves that? :wtf:

Chimpy gets 21 guns, Biggus Dickus gets 19, and down it goes according to the pecking order.

especially Lima Company, they should not have to listen to DC Dick. They were under fire and losing their comrades while he and the Imperial Chimpiness were on vacation. Why they should be giving any salute to Cheney other than the hand signal for go Cheney yourself is beyond me.

honored by Cheney? Conservatives, of the five deferment kind, are something else.

Marines to being in the presence of that odious man?
Couldn't they think of something better for them to see upon returning to the good ol' US of A... like the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, for goodness sake..... (just kidding)

but seriously folks... his mug is scarier than.... well...just plain scary!

The White House is counting on Cheney's visage frightening all those Marines back onto the plane for another tour.

After losing so many of their fellow Marines, why inflict Cheney, of all people, on them? I'm sure they would prefer that he keep his sneering self well away from them. Incredible.

Cheney has the blood of their comrades on his hands.

....After his address, Cheney will be honored with a 19-gun cannon salute. Some of the weekend arrangements preparing for the vice president's visit included checking that cars near the location of Cheney's address were both swept for bombs and kept unlocked, Jackson said.

That will certainly be uplifting.

:sarcasm:

You can't make this stuff up - Dick "I had other priorities" Cheney has the gall to show his evil face among the marines and be "honored" with a 19-gun cannon salute!

see the humiliating experience here
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4962768

Here's hoping it's a less-than-successful propaganda ploy.

(They should by all rights ARREST that motherfucker!)

He was in the Brookpark battalion that lost 14 men in a period of 72 hours. He's also HATES the clowns currently holding office and campaigned for Kerry with his brother in September.

If he met Gunga Dick, classic Jeff would be him saying something like "You aren't, like, going to have a heart attack and DIE on me, are you? Cause I wouldn't count on any of these guys to save you. Then after that, you'll be getting a nice glimpse of where we were for 7 months."

If I know military politics - other than those who were being honored with Purple Hearts and bravery "above and beyond" the call of duty type medals, few Junior Enlisted (E1-E6) nor Company Grade officers (2LT-CPT) would be trusted with a seemingly blood oath not to misbehave in front of the HORRID individuals within the Executive Branch.

Unless Jeff was one of the senior NCOs (E7 and above) who happened to drink the Neo-Con Kool-aid, OR a Field Grade officer of "high ambition", I don't think he was in the audience.

I would love to be a "fly on the wall" of the Protocol Section entrusted to work with the Secret Service to screen the Marines and Soldier PERMITTED to interact with these ghouls.

All is not right in paradise. And although I love the military and the VEAP benefits basically paid for my Masters Degree, I must convey the knowledge I've gleaned - that even Junior Enlisted men and women (Those said to have been in the Army all day!)KNOW when they are being used and sometimes sacrificed for political purposes.

Nope, if you think civilian audiences are screened, I'd bet you've never seen the gyrations "potential military audience members" are put through to make it safe for "Dear Leaders."

Bizzare :P

Lance Corporal = beginning of Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) ranks, i.e., he leads people, probably a fire team (3-5 individuals).
Semper Fi! --> to your bud from the wife of a retired Marine,
Best Regards,
EP

Having lost 48 men from his batallion and several close calls. He does lead fire teams now (he didn't on his first tour) and has seen some horrible deaths from both sides. This is why he's not being given a party right away (as won't the wife's cousin, who's Jeff's Sgt) . . . he wants to have time to get back to a normal life as a husband again. And he deserves it.

I'm sorry to ressurect a 4 day old thread, but CNN Headline news was just reporting the homecoming for the 3/25, and they said the 900 member battalion (I checked, and that's an accurate figure) suffered 48 dead and 150 wounded. In a RESERVE outfit.

That's a TWENTY TWO PERCENT casualty rate!

WTF? Is this WWI.... Verdun or Ypres?

I know that the 3/25 was a hard luck outfit, but this shit has GOT to stop!

like they're pretending war's over or what?it seems like a propaganda thing going on.they'll probably send em all back in a few weeks.

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/5067938/detail.html#

Marines From Brook Park Battalion Come Home
Thousands Line Streets To Greet Servicemen

POSTED: 6:14 pm EDT October 6, 2005

BROOK PARK, Ohio -- After months of waiting, the families of the Brook Park-based 3rd Battalion 25th Marines got to see their loved ones once again.

About 160 members of the 3/25 arrived at Cleveland-Hopkins airport shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday.

The plane received a "washdown" by firefighters as it arrived, an honor rarely bestowed. During a washdown, the plane is taxied through arcs of water from fire hoses.

From the airport, the Marines made their way along a parade route, where between 4,000 and 5,000 well-wishers gathered to greet and welcome home the hard-hit battalion, which lost 48 members since it was deployed in January...

http://www.newsnet5.com/slideshow/news/5067595/detail.html?qs=;s=1;p=/news/;dm=ss;w=400