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Military dogs serve as highly versatile soldiers
The dog days of summer are here, but the dogs -- and their handlers -- are taking it in stride. Together, military working dog handlers of every branch of service stand alongside their K-9 companions to make sure no insurgent can disrupt the mission.
"I'm not about to (let) a vehicle get on this base and (have) something happen," said Staff Sgt. Sean Neisen, a military working dog handler with the 407th Provost Marshal Office, who is deployed from Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Sergeant Neisen and his 8-year-old military working dog, Goro E114, work in cooperation with two Navy dog handlers to search vehicles that drive onto Contingency Operations Base Adder and Ali Base every day.
Their specialty is detecting explosives.
"If you can build a bomb with it, our dogs can find it," said Tech. Sgt. Terry Gilbert, a dog handler here who's finishing his deployment and will soon return to Kadena Air Base, Japan.
Under sweltering heat that can reach almost of 130 degrees, the Airmen, Sailors and their K-9s can be found searching the vehicles. Working side-by-side is natural for Air Force and Navy dog handlers, who train in the same K-9 school, Sergeant Gilbert said.
"We learn the same stuff, so all our jobs are pretty much the same, especially in Iraq," he said.
The military working dog community is by nature combined, Sergeant Gilbert said. The kennels at his home station are a joint operation, with the Air Force and the Marine Corps each operating half of the kennels. Whether at home or in a deployed environment, the Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers and Marines put their joint training and culture to use every day.
"It's a wonderful experience, teaming up and working with the other branches," said Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Ivan Winder, the kennel master. "It's an equal match."
Each of the services varies slightly in terms of its expertise, said Petty Officer Winder, who is deployed from Commander Navy Region Southwest in San Diego.
"The Army is great at pounding the ground, while the Air Force is great with force protection such as flightlines," he said. "The Navy's specialty is buildings, open areas and vehicles. Each (service) learns something from the others, and all entities working together creates a stronger, more cohesive unit."
The Air Force and Navy dog handling team here isn't the only joint team in Iraq. Air Force and Navy dog handlers across Iraq work along side Army units searching for weapons and high-value targets.
"The Army doesn't have enough people or dogs to take care of their mission, so they need us," Sergeant Gilbert said. "The K-9 community is already short-manned, but the Army is extremely short" because of mission requirements.
The manning may lead to long days and nights, demonstrating that some joint missions are just for the dogs. The dog days of summer are here, but the dogs -- and their handlers -- are taking it in stride. Together, military working dog handler... more -
B-52 Crashes Off Guam
Rescue crews were searching a vast area of floating debris and a sheen of oil Monday for crew members of an Air Force B-52 bomber that crashed off the island of Guam, officials said. Rescue crews were searching a vast area of floating debris and a sheen of oil Monday for crew members of an Air Force B-52 bomber that... more
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US Not leaving Iraq:No Deal
U.S negotiators have abandoned efforts to conclude a comprehensive agreement governing the long-term status of U.S troops in Iraq before the end of the Bush presidency, according to senior U.S. officials, effectively leaving talks over an extended U.S. military presence there to the next administration.
The failure of months of negotiations over the more detailed accord -- blamed on both the Iraqi refusal to accept U.S. terms and the complexity of the task.
The Us administration wants to secure permanent military bases in the region and have control over the government.
Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the presumptive Democratic nominee, has said he would immediately begin withdrawing combat troops at a rate of one or two brigades a month, a pledge he has softened recently by saying he would consult with U.S. commanders on the ground. But he has said that after 16 months in office, the U.S. presence in Iraq would be far smaller than the 144,000 troops there now, with only a "residual" number remaining.
The status-of-forces negotiations have been sharply criticized by Democrats, and some Republicans, as an attempt to tie Bush's successor to the president's policy in Iraq. Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, supports the administration position. He has said he hopes to bring U.S. combat troops home by 2013 but has insisted that any timeline or lessening of U.S. control over its own operations would undercut recent military gains and aid U.S. enemies. U.S negotiators have abandoned efforts to conclude a comprehensive agreement governing the long-term status of U.S troops in Iraq befo... more -
Royal Air Force celebrates 90 years - photos
The Royal Air Force (of the United Kingdom) celebrated its 90th anniversary on Friday, July 11, 2008. Check out these photos.
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UFOs Captured on Video by Mexican Air Force
Mexico City, Jul 5 : Mexican Air Force pilots filmed 11 unidentified flying objects in the skies over southern Campeche state, a Defense Department spokesman confirmed Tuesday. A videotape made widely available to the news media on Tuesday shows the bright objects, some sharp points of light and others like large headlights, moving rapidly in what appears to be a late-evening sky. The lights were filmed on March 5 by pilots using infrared equipment.
They appeared to be flying at an altitude of about 3,500 meters (11,480 feet), and allegedly surrounded the Air Force jet as it conducted routine anti-drug trafficking vigilance in Campeche. Only three of the objects showed up on the plane’s radar. ‘Was I afraid? Yes. A little afraid because we were facing something that had never happened before,’ said radar operator Lt. German Marin in a taped interview made public Tuesday. Mexico City, Jul 5 : Mexican Air Force pilots filmed 11 unidentified flying objects in the skies over southern Campeche state, a Defen... more -
Dangerous Coming Out
Most consider coming out a challenge in and of itself, but what if you could be court marshaled or even arrested for being gay? Reichen Lehmkuhl shares his story.
Reichen.us Most consider coming out a challenge in and of itself, but what if you could be court marshaled or even arrested for being gay? Reich... more -
Religion and Its Role Are in Dispute at the Service Academies
Three years after a scandal at the Air Force Academy over the evangelizing of cadets by Christian staff and faculty members, students and staff at West Point and the Naval Academy are complaining that their schools, too, have pushed religion on cadets and midshipmen.
The controversy led the Air Force to adopt guidelines that discourage public prayers at official events or meetings. And while those rules do not apply to other branches of the service, critics say the new complaints raise questions about the military’s commitment to policies against imposing religion on its members.
Religion in the military has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, especially because the close confines of military life often put two larger societal trends — the rise of evangelicals and the rise of people of no organized faith — onto a collision course.
At the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., nine midshipmen recently asked the American Civil Liberties Union to petition the school to abolish daily prayer at weekday lunch, where attendance is mandatory. The midshipmen and the A.C.L.U. assert that the practice is unconstitutional, based in large part on a 2004 appellate court ruling against a similar prayer at the Virginia Military Institute. The civil liberties group has threatened legal action if the policy is not changed.
But the academy is not persuaded.
“The academy does not intend to change its practice of offering midshipmen an opportunity for prayer or devotional thought during noon meal announcements,” Cmdr. Ed Austin, an academy spokesman, said in an e-mail message. Three years after a scandal at the Air Force Academy over the evangelizing of cadets by Christian staff and faculty members, students ... more -
Secretly Gay
The actor, model, gay rights activist and winner of "The Amazing Race" has written a book on being secretly gay in the Air Force Academy. Here he shares his opinion on the Air Force's policies on gays in the military. The actor, model, gay rights activist and winner of "The Amazing Race" has written a book on being secretly gay in the Air Force Acade... more
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Gett'n hosed by the Air Force in Nor Cal
It went from a clear sunny day to being sprayed like bugs. Not a cloud or plane in the sky till 2:00 in the afternoon. Then they started spraying Chaff every where for six or seven hours. This is unusual for the Sierra Nevadas. Thur. June 19th
"It has been documented in the past, particularly in western states, that NWS NEXRAD radar can detect chaff. What is that you ask? Chaff is a radar countermeasure used by military aircraft consisting of very small pieces of metal such as aluminum and barium. It can appear as narrow bands of reflectivity on the radar since they are dispersed by planes flying at high speeds along a path."
It went from a clear sunny day to being sprayed like bugs. Not a cloud or plane in the sky till 2:00 in the afternoon. Then they start... more -
Bush demands a stronger dollar
“We want the dollar to strengthen,” he said on Air Force One as it crossed the Atlantic bound for the summit. His remarks clearly reflected the concern in Washington at the dollar’s decline, which accelerated last week amid news of a further weakening in the US economy.
“We are a robust, flexible economy. No question we’re having a tough time, as are other nations,” he said.
“We want the dollar to strengthen,” he said on Air Force One as it crossed the Atlantic bound for the summit. His remarks clearly refl... more -
UFOs: Mexican Air Force (CNN & FOX News)
Mexican Air Force pilots filmed 11 unidentified flying objects in the skies over southern Campeche state, a Defense Department spokesman confirmed Tuesday. Mexican Air Force pilots filmed 11 unidentified flying objects in the skies over southern Campeche state, a Defense Department spokesm... more
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Air Force Sued for Religious Intolerance
A New Mexico man sued the Air Force on Thursday, claiming Air Force Academy senior officers and cadets illegally imposed Christianity on others at the school.
The suit was filed in federal court by Mikey Weinstein, an academy graduate and outspoken critic of the school's handling of religion.
Weinstein claims that evangelical Christians at the school have coerced attendance at religious services and prayers at official events, among other things.
There have been complaints at the academy that a Jewish cadet was told the Holocaust was revenge for the death of Jesus and that another Jew was called a Christ killer by a fellow cadet. A banner in the football team's locker room read: "I am a Christian first and last ... I am a member of Team Jesus Christ." A New Mexico man sued the Air Force on Thursday, claiming Air Force Academy senior officers and cadets illegally imposed Christianity ... more -
Attack wing: real tech that would make 007 jealous
It weighs only 30 pounds and can be fully weaponized for assault and rescue. It has a 6-foot jet-wing that is steered with handheld rotary controls connected to its rudder. And it can hide more than 100 pounds of combat gear in a built-in compartment. It weighs only 30 pounds and can be fully weaponized for assault and rescue. It has a 6-foot jet-wing that is steered with handheld r... more
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Birds bomb F-22s
Free-falling clams dropped by in-flight birds are regular air threats to the F-22 as gulls drop fist-sized mollusks on the Langley Air Force Base runway to break open the shell-fish appetizer.
The birds' shelling device just happens to be a convenient launch pad for the F-22. Although the gulls remove half their mess -- slurping up tender meat from the runway -- they leave behind hard, brittle sea shells for an F-22 to suck up through its engine intake that can cause severe damage. Free-falling clams dropped by in-flight birds are regular air threats to the F-22 as gulls drop fist-sized mollusks on the Langley Air... more -
Okinawa, Japan 12: U.S. Military and Central Okinawa
James Knott visits the central part of Okinawa's main island. This area has the highest concentration of U.S. Military bases in Japan and is a great place to see the influence of American culture on Japanese Society. There are also some great resorts and some deliciously cheap sushi to enjoy. James Knott visits the central part of Okinawa's main island. This area has the highest concentration of U.S. Military bases in Japan ... more
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Indigenously made UAV makes successful test flight
Pakistan on Thursday successfully conducted a final test flight of its indigenously developed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) "Uqaab".
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JF-17 Thunder - A Warrior in the Sky
What a beauty...
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Pakistan Air Force - past, present & future
A clip about PAF's journey from its early days up until now. PAF's future aircraft are also shown.
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Stealth Bomber crashes on Guam. No injuries.
B-2 Stealth Bomber: $1.2 Billion, weapons payload: umpteen hundred million dollars, surviving to endure a lifetime of scorn, ridicule, and ball-busting: priceless B-2 Stealth Bomber: $1.2 Billion, weapons payload: umpteen hundred million dollars, surviving to endure a lifetime of scorn, ridicule,... more
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Military Tribute
I originally created this as a Memorial Day Tribute last year (2007), however it is always appropriate to celebrate the service of American service members.
The first 2:22 minutes is me giving some backround on Memorial Day and talking about my service and that of my fellow soliders. You can skip it, but I think I am kind of interesting.
Anyway, the video is one of my most viewed YouTube posts. Enjoy and let me know what you think. I originally created this as a Memorial Day Tribute last year (2007), however it is always appropriate to celebrate the service of Ame... more
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