The Saudi Blockade

Is there a blockade around Yemen? Who is blockading whom? Where will it lead? -- Helene Cooper of the New York Times says the administration is claiming credit for turning back a flotilla of Iranian ships which may have been carrying arms for Tehran-backed rebels. “Pentagon officials on Friday credited the deployment of an American aircraft carrier group in waters off the coast of Yemen for a decision by Iran to turn back a naval convoy suspected of carrying weapons bound for Shiite rebels.” From this one might get the impression it is the Obama administration that is preventing the Iranians from using the sea to resupply its allies. ✧ But a closer reading of the story suggests that USN’s true purpose was to keep the Iranians from challenging the Saudi blockade, which was already in place.

Read more at Richard Fernandez, Belmont Club (PJ Media) Read More......

Navy Flight Team Brings Hope To Oil-fouled Beach

WKRG.com, 7/8/2010 - Pensacola Beach, Florida (AP): Six U.S. Navy Blue Angels aviators hope to cheer up Panhandle residents dealing with the massive BP oil spill. ∴ The Blue Angels annual Pensacola Beach Air Show starts Friday with formal practice. The main event is Saturday. The team held an informal practice Thursday. ∴ The men who fly he six F/A-18 Super Hornets said they understand how concerned area residents area about the oil and tar that has reached the area's once pristine white beaches because they also live in the community. ∴ The pilots said they hope he show will raise spirits and provide a much-needed boost to beach businesses.

Gotta love those Naval aviators! :-) --bc Read More......

Pacific Fleet Helping American Samoa, Indonesia, Philippines

NAVY.MIL, From Pacific Fleet Public Affairs, Story Number: NNS091003-12, Release Date: 10/3/2009 - PEARL HARBOR (NNS): The U.S. Pacific Fleet is deploying personnel and units to provide humanitarian aid in the wake of natural disasters that have stricken the Philippines, American Samoa and Indonesia. ∴ The United States extends its sincere condolences to the people of these areas in the wake of the recent natural disasters. ∴ The United States has military capabilities positioned in the affected regions that are ready to support emergency relief efforts and minimize human suffering. Read more at Navy.mil...

Boston Globe photos of Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) in the Philippines

Prayers for those so tragically effected. Read More......

Medal of Honor awarded one year ago

April 2008, MA2 Michael A. Monsoor, USN was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor


Video posted by SEAL Brotherhood

On 29 September 2006, 25-year old Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor (MA2) was killed during operations in enemy-held territory at Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when he threw himself on top of a grenade in order to save the lives of his fellow SEALs. As described in the final two paragraphs of a Summary of Action (SOA) regarding the circumstances of his death:

While vigilantly watching for enemy activity, an enemy fighter hurled a hand grenade onto the roof from an unseen location. The grenade hit him in the chest and bounced onto the deck. He immediately leapt to his feet and yelled “grenade” to alert is teammates of impending danger, but they could not evacuate the sniper hide-sight in time to escape harm. Without hesitation and showing no regard for his own life, he threw himself onto the grenade, smothering it to protect his teammates who were lying in close proximity. The grenade detonated as he came down on top of it, mortally wounding him.

Petty Officer Monsoor’s action could not have been more selfless or clearly intentional. Of the three SEALSs on that rooftop corner, he had the only avenue of escape away from the blast, and if he had so chosen, he could have easily escaped. Instead, Monsoor chose to protect his comrades by the sacrifice of his own life. By his courageous and selfless action, he save the lives of his two fellow SEALs and he is the most deserving of the special recognition afforded by awarding the Medal of Honor.

On 8 April 2008, Michael Monsoor (who had already been posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions in a 9 May 2006 incident, when he and another SEAL pulled a wounded team member to safety amidst gunfire) was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His funeral, attended (in the words of President Bush) by “nearly every SEAL on the West Coast,” was held on 12 October 2006 at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. As shown at the end of the tribute video (above), during Monsoor’s funeral service, as the casket was taken from the hearse to the gravesite, fellow SEALs lined up in two columns to slap and embed the gold Tridents (a pin awarded for successful completion of Seal Qualification Training) from their uniforms onto the top of Monsoor’s coffin. As President George W. Bush said of the event during the Medal of Honor ceremony, “The procession went on nearly half an hour, and when it was over, the simple wooden coffin had become a gold-plated memorial to a hero who will never be forgotten.”

Michael A. Monsoor, Navy SEAL
Rest in peace young warrior

Trident

For lack of a photograph of the Trident studded casket of Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor, the studded casket shown is that of another fallen SEAL, Petty Officer James E. Suh.

Sources: U.S. Navy/MOH
Snopes
Full White House Video of Medal of Honor Ceremony
(H/t: Linda Weimer) Read More......

U.S. Navy Rescues Cargo Ship Captain

WSJ ONLINE, 4/12/2009 - The kidnapped captain of the Maersk Alabama has been rescued and was safe aboard a Navy ship, U.S. officials said. One pirate was captured, and three others were killed. Read more at the Wall Street Journal...

BREITBART NEWS, 4/12 - Obama twice approved force to rescue hostage

Happy Easter, Capt. Richard Phillips and family. Thank you Navy Seals. God Bless.
Pictured: Cmdr. Frank Castellano (USS Bainbridge) and Capt. Phillips Read More......

US admiral: Iran has enough material to make nuclear bomb

BEEITBART NEWS, 3/1/2009 - The United States believes Iran has enough fissile material to build a nuclear bomb, top military officer Admiral Mike Mullen said, marking the first time Washington has made such an assessment. --"We think they do, quite frankly," Mullen told CNN when asked if Iran had enough nuclear material to manufacture an atomic bomb. --"And Iran having a nuclear weapon, I've believed for a long time, is a very, very bad outcome for the region and for the world," said Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. Read more at breitbart.com... Read More......