National Recruiters Day May 19th

Eric Cooper is leading that effort through Gathering of Eagles. He is also involved with Soldiers’ Angels.

Eric has asked Soldiers Angels to assist getting the word out-thus far there has been commitments from the following states:

AZ CA CO FL GA IA IN KY MD MI MN MO NC ND NJ NV NY OH OK PA SD TX VA VT

You may reach Eric Cooper through e-mail.

You may also reach him at the GOE site.

To get involved- please contact Eric and ask if a leader is set in place yet– and if not- sign up!! and if there is a leader- contact them to assist with a game plan for the state.

Greetings! As announced by the Gathering of Eagles.

Chairman on 6 Apr, GOE is planning to recognize the critical contributions of America’s military
recruiters.

Larry Bailey’s directive follows:

“Our first nationwide project will be “Operation Recruiter Appreciation (ORA).” On May 19th, Armed Forces Day, Eagles will independently set up appreciation demonstrations outside undreds of military recruiting offices across the country. each effort will be planned and coordinated by local Eagles, and each effort will, accordingly, have its own “hometown” flavor.”

So what do you need to do to take part in GOE Recruiter Appreciation Day? Use your imagination!

Below I have listed some suggestions, but that’s all they are. I hope to see this thread become quite active as people come up with their own ideas of how to honor and thank our military recruiters.

Suggestions for ORA:

• Deliver a pizza and some sodas to the recruiter’s office around lunchtime.

• Drop off some VIP movie passes you picked up from a nearby theater.
• Set up a table outside the office (after receiving permission) with some signs/banners advertising GOE and, more importantly, your efforts to honor the recruiters’ service and sacrifice. Perhaps have some goodies and a card for passersby to sign, contributing their appreciation.
• Have your kids help you whip up some homemade cookies and/or brownies, and have the kids deliver them. Once the ice is broken, the kids and recruiters will definitely enjoy the visit. Trust me!
• Invite one or more of the recruiters to your home for dinner later in the week.
• Please don’t let a limited budget prevent you from participating. A simple hand-made card from a child, or even a smile and a warm handshake won’t cost anything but will lift some spirits and let our troops know you care.
• During your visit, get some of the recruiters to pose with you for a few photos, so that we can share in your visit here on the forum. (Please remember to get permission to use their mages/names)
• Take a homemade sign saying “Thank you!” or “God bless our military” along with a few friends and stand outside a local recruiter’s office

You get the idea. We’ll leave times flexible, but I would recommend around lunchtime in your areas. Not only is it easy to tie in with food and beverages, but hopefully the recruiters won’t have to work too late on a Saturday. (I said “hopefully”.)

We do ask that all participants try to connect their shows of support with Gathering of Eagles. It’s a nice way for your particular recruiters to find out about our mission, and it will be the perfect excuse for you to share with them that others across our nation are conducting similar shows of support and appreciation.

If you can’t afford to purchase a large GOE banner, consider buying and/or wearing a GOE armband instead. Or simply have a homemade sign and/or business cards with our name and website.

How do I locate a recruiter?

Find information on local U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard recruiters by entering your zip code here.

For an Army recruiter specifically, you may need to go to this location instead.

As always if you do not want to recieve these emails and want off of SA lists please send an
email with full name, email address, and State to help us know where to look and please send them to Soldiers’ Angels alert team.

Part 1 is here. This is part 2. Please try to do whatever you can. It will be greatly appreciated.

Detainee Denies Running Al Qaeda Training Camps in Afghanistan

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2007 – An alleged terrorist being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, denied U.S. government accusations that he managed al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan or facilitated a failed terrorist attack on Los Angeles in 1999, according to a transcript released today from his March 27 tribunal hearing.

The detainee, Abu Zubaydah, told the tribunal through an interpreter that he didn’t support Osama bin Laden’s philosophy of targeting innocent civilians as part of waging jihad, or holy war. He was captured during a raid at a safe house in Pakistan on March 28, 2002.

The tribunal was held to determine if Zubaydah, 36, could be designated as an enemy combatant.

A U.S. government witness, Ahmed Ressam, who is also being held at Guantanamo, told officials at the hearing that Zubaydah was a staunch bin Laden supporter, had run at least two terrorist training camps for al Qaeda in Afghanistan and had also helped him, Ressam, gain access into the U.S. to conduct terrorism before the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.

Ressam was arrested after crossing the U.S.-Canadian border at Port Angeles, Wash., Dec. 14, 1999. A Los Angeles federal court found him guilty on several counts of terrorism and other felony charges on April 6, 2001. Federal prosecutors alleged Ressam’s car contained bomb-making materials and that the Algerian was planning to bomb New Year’s celebrations in the United States.

Ressam, who told U.S. officials that he’d planned to place a bomb at Los Angeles International Airport, stated that he studied for the mission in April 1998 at a terrorist training camp near Khwost, Afghanistan, a facility that Zubaydah had overseen.

A Federal Bureau of Investigation source said Zubaydah, who was born in Saudi Arabia, had traveled to Saudi Arabia in 1996 and delivered $600,000 to al Qaeda kingpin Osama bin Laden.

Zubaydah told officials at the tribunal that he never visited bin Laden at that time or had transported money to the al Qaeda chieftain.

“I only met him in the year 2000,” Zubaydah said. “I’m not his (bin Laden’s) partner and I’m not a member of al Qaeda.”

Regarding Ressam’s accusations, Zubaydah acknowledged he had assisted in the obtaining of passports, but “not fake ones.” He did not dispatch Ressam to perform mayhem in the United States, he said.

“I wanted five real Canadian (only) passports to be used for personal matters, not terrorist-related activities,” Zubaydah said.

The government said Zubaydah had expressed his desire to wage holy war on the United States through some entries in his personal diary, in which the detainee stated he would instigate racial riots and set off timed explosives targeting gas stations, fuel trucks and forests. Zubaydah responded that his writings “were strictly hypothetical – they were not plans that I intended to execute against non-military targets in America or anywhere else.”

Zubaydah also told tribunal officials that he’d never visited or managed the Khalden training camp in Afghanistan that was cited by Ressam. Instead, Zubaydah said he’d worked out of Pakistan to help facilitate logistics for people en route to the camp.

“But, I knew nothing about the details of the actual training at the (Khalden) camp,” Zubaydah said, noting that he “was not the head of the training camp.”

Zubaydah also told the tribunal that he didn’t support al Qaeda’s philosophy of conducting total war against enemies of Islam, including the killing of civilians.

“I disagreed with the al Qaeda philosophy of targeting innocent civilians like those at the World Trade Center,” Zubaydah asserted.

“I never believed in killing civilians,” he added.

Bush Thanks Military Families, Urges Congress to Pass War Spending

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2007 – President Bush thanked families of troops serving overseas for their sacrifices and praised organizations that support veterans and military families today at the White House. He also urged Congress to quickly pass an emergency war spending bill so that the troops can get the funding they need to accomplish their mission.
“I appreciate very much to be in the presence of moms and dads, husbands and wives, sons and daughters of some of the finest citizens our nation has ever produced,” Bush told military family members in the audience.

The president noted the challenges faced by military families during war.

“A time of war is a time of sacrifice for our nation, but especially for our military families. Being left behind when a loved one goes to war is one of the hardest jobs in our military,” Bush said. “The families here today inspire our nation — inspire them with their sense of duty and with their deep devotion to our country.”

Bush also expressed his gratitude to representatives of troop-support organizations in the audience.

“I want to thank the leaders of organizations that support our military families. I appreciate your tireless work to send a clear signal that many in the United States of America support our troops,” Bush said. “Each of you knows what is stake — what is at stake in this war on terror. And I appreciate your efforts to rally our nation to support our troops, and to support the mission for which they have risked and, in some cases, have given their lives.”

Bush said the troops must be given “the tools and resources they need to prevail,” and he is looking forward to meeting with members of Congress April 18 to iron out differences between the administration and Congress.

The disagreement is over the fiscal 2007 Emergency Supplemental Request. The $93.4 billion request will fund operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other operations in the war on terror. Both the Senate and House versions of the supplemental have a timetable for the exit of U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush said he will not sign any legislation with a withdrawal date.

“I think it is wrong for Congress to restrict our military commanders,” Bush said. “I can understand having a difference of opinion about Iraq, but our commanders need the flexibility necessary to meet the mission. We should not be substituting political judgment for the judgment of those in our military.”

Bush said honest differences over the best course in Iraq should be debated. “That’s healthy,” he said. “That’s normal. … But our troops should not be caught in the middle.”

Bush said failure to fund the supplemental quickly will impact military readiness, and that “will mean that the readiness of our forces will suffer. This is unacceptable to me; it’s unacceptable to you, and it’s unacceptable to the vast majority of the American people.”

The U.S. must provide its troops with the support they need to accomplish their mission, Bush said.

“We owe it to every sailor, soldier, airman, Marine in harm’s way to give them the tools they need to prevail,” Bush said. “That’s what we owe them.”

The president said he is open to trying to settle political differences in order to provide the military with the funding it needs.

“I am willing to discuss any way forward that does not hamstring our troops, set an artificial timetable for withdrawal and spend billions on projects not related to the war,” he said.

Bush said the American people expect the White House and Congress to work together.

“Congress needs to put the partisanship on hold; it needs to get rid of all the politics right now and send me an emergency war spending bill that I can sign that gets our troops the support they need and gives our commanders the flexibility they need to complete this mission,” he said.