24 posts tagged “us soldier”

Hello,
My name is Angelia Phillips and it is my son who Andrew Rice refuses to remove from his website. My husband and I believe strongly that if you do not support the troops AND their mission then any "tribute" you might make on their behalf is hollow and nothing more than a scoreboard.

After having read and viewed Mr. Rice's comments regarding our troops in Iraq and the job they have done there we asked that he not use our son on his campaign website. Legally I know thre is no way I can prevent him from doing this. I had hoped he would respect my wishes though. I was mistaken. I have called 4 times and been assured his campaign manager would call me back. After the first call his staff removed the page on his website regarding the Iraq war views he has. This page included statement s such as Iraq was a waste of time, rubber stamped, nothing more than a civil war and that no Al Qaeda had ever been present in Iraq.

Another issue I would like to point out is when I lost my son 8 months ago I received letters of condolence from many Senators, Congressmen, State representatives and Governors from across the country. Every single letter we received was from republicans. Not a single democrat sent condolences. Including Mr. Rice who is a representative in my on home state. And I know he was aware of my son's death because Gov. Henry ordered all state flags be lowered in honor of my son on Mar. 4th. No one involved in our state government could not know. If he could not honor him then then he can not truly honor  him now.

Thank you for your time

Angelia Phillips
Gold Star Mom of
SPC Micheal "Pokey" Phillips
KIA 24 Feb 08
Baghdad Iraq

http://knottiesniche.blogspot.com/

I originally posted this in Sept 2007. I just updated the date

so we could see and appreciate this truth again.

 This boy knows who will not kill him

and who will save him

Look at the US Soldier standing upright and

alert while everyone else runs!

Picture2 iraq boy

A picture of the scene after a bombing in

Picture1 Iraq boy

3 comments

Blackanthem Military News

An Iraqi baby boy, nicknamed "Alex Callahan," after the Soldier who found him and the base that he was left at, sleeps on a bed at Forward Operating Base Callahan in Baghdad April 5. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Zach Mott, 3rd BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)

Soldiers recently watched as a car pulled up to an entry control point at Forward Operating Base Callahan in northern Baghdad. They continued to watch as a woman stepped out of the car holding a bag. Once the woman dropped the bag near the gate, internal alarms were ringing and a careful search was called for and conducted.

That search yielded a newborn baby wrapped tightly in several cloths. Soldiers raced to the bag, retrieved the child and brought him to the aid station to be examined.

"We unwrapped it to make sure he was alive - and he wasn't sick, he wasn't dead, he wasn't injured," said Staff Sgt. Paul Briscoe, the Aid Station NCOIC at FOB Callahan. "He was a perfectly healthy baby. I'm guessing three to seven days old. He was in perfect health. There wasn't a scratch on him."

This unlikely sight brought images of the Las Vegas native's two children to mind.

"It was like my kids were newborns again," said Briscoe, who serves with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad.

After the medics were satisfied the baby, who by this time had drawn the nickname "Alex Callahan" after the Soldier who found him and the name of the base, was in no need of immediate medical attention, the focus shifted to what they would do with the child.

An interpreter working at the base volunteered to go to a nearby store to buy diapers and formula while another interpreter took care of Alex. Briscoe said the aid station became a hub of activity as word spread throughout the small base of the new arrival.

"I've fed him twice, just holding him, watching him, making sure that he's alright," said Doreen Haddad, an interpreter with 1-68 AR, who helped care for Alex. "I've changed his diapers twice. I wanted to give him a bath, but I wasn't able to."

While a forward operating base isn't the ideal location for a baby, Soldiers and those working at FOB Callahan ensured that Alex's stay there was as comfortable as possible.

The baby is to be adopted by the brother of a local national, who works at the base. The brother, and his wife, have been married five years and have been unable to have a baby of their own. The interpreters at FOB Callahan have taken a collection to donate to the family to help care for the baby.

Despite the thousands of miles that separates the Soldiers from their Families in Colorado, one constant remains with this baby and those they left behind.

"He's sleeping and pooping - just like a regular baby," Briscoe said.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

After being dropped off in a plastic bag near Forward Operating Base Callahan in Baghdad, a baby boy sleeps soundly. The boy, nicknamed "Alex Callahan," after the Soldier who found him and the nearby base where he was left, was treated by medics from the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, and given a clean bill of health. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Zach Mott, 3rd BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)

"Alex Callahan," the nickname for a baby boy left in a plastic bag near Forward Operating Base Callahan, sleeps soundly at the Coalition Forces base in northern Baghdad. The baby was thoroughly checked out by medics from 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, and given a clean bill of health. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Zach Mott, 3rd BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)

By metal mommy marianne
January 26, 2008 

Not In My Town

As the protesters ran to their car, they frantically called back to their "church" and declared, "The Reno mission is a complete failure!"  Only 15 minutes into their 45 minute protest, three members of the hategroup, Westboro Baptist Church, gave up their "mission" in the face of nearly 200 Patriot Guard members and citizens of northern Nevada.

If you're not familar with the Westboro Baptist Church, google them, and you'll learn everything you need to know.  They pervert the Constitution (many of the members are lawyers) and the pervert the Bible.  They are not affliated with any Baptist organization, but are essentailly a "church" consisting of only family members.  The WBC has taken up protesting the funerals of service personnel who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan with their hateful signs declaring, "Thank God of IEDs," "Semper Fi Faggot," and others.  Their justification is that  "God" is punishing America by killing service men and women, having devastating hurricanes ruin entire cities, and yes, even the events of September 11, for America's embrace of the homosexual lifestyle.  Believe or not, this is what they espouse, and it's disgusting. 

So, I have dreamed and prayed for the day when I could confort the WBC, and would frequently check their website.  Due to the unfortuante loss of a soldier in Iraq, I saw that they were coming to Reno to protest his funeral.  My sweet Eric said that he would not bail me out of jail if I "confronted" them, and we agreed that we would follow the lead of the Patriot Guard, a motorcycle group, who by invitation, protects and shields the family of the fallen soldier from the WBC group.  Fortunately, I was able to make contact with the local chapter of the Patriot Guard.

Eric joining the group.

So, this morning, we joined the group.  The intent was the surround the WBC and hide their signs with American flags.  This picture does not even capture half the group.

This is where you can see just barely a part of the WBC's sign.  The Patriot Guard use their American flags to obscure the signs.

After 15 minutes, and a lot of verbal harrassement, the WBC left for their car.  The entire group, peacefully and non-violently, followed them to make sure they left.  Thereafter, the Patriot Guard lined both sides of the street, to the honking support of many cars.  Yet, there was one car, a rental, that dared to drive up and down a couple of times, giving us the finger...it was the WBC.  Too cowardly to truly stand-up for their sick beliefs, yet piggish enough to taunt the group as they zoomed past at 45 mph.

I am very proud of my family, Eric, Alex, and our good friend, Adam, who stood up for what is right.  I know that others wanted to join us, and were prevented due to circumstances, but they were there with us in spirit.

Past veterans and a future one.

The Patriot Guard, and us, too, stayed until the end of the service, creating a huge honor guard in front of the church.  The strains of the bagpipes signaled the conclusion of the service, and the grieving family came out to thank the Patriot Guards.  Even in their moment of grief, the family moved down the flag line, personally thanking each person and shaking their hand.

I love the Constitution of the United States of America, and I will defend a person's right to take full advantage of all the freedoms therein.  And if the WBC want to protest in front of a federal building, or their own church, go right ahead.  But a family's private grief is not to be appropriated to further their sick agenda.  I'm proud how we "ran them out of town," and I hope that we never have another occassion to have to address them again.