Thank You to the Troops: Fightin’ Farmers

In October 1864, a 38-year old farmer from Story County, Iowa enlisted with Company I of the 8th Iowa Volunteer Infantry. With a wife and five young kids to feed, and with no certainty of return, it must have been a difficult choice. The unit he was joining had already sustained heavy casualties at Shiloh and Vicksburg, and many had died in Andersonville prison. But he also a patriot and a Christian abolitionist, and so felt it his obligation to join the cause of the Union. With the harvest over and his eldest boy old enough to take over the chores, he marched south, seeing action at Spanish Fort the following spring. In Fall, following Lee’s surrender, he returned home and kept on farming until he died in 1908.

That farmer was my great-great-Grandfather. The bible he carried off to war now resides at my parent’s house, and I have had occasion to carefully turn its pages, looking for clues to what drove him. Other than his name and a few notes on the inside cover, he left the answer to posterity. I imagine, though, the answer wouldn’t be much different than some of the other Iowa farmers I’ve known who’ve answered the call. Farmers like my great-great-uncle Billy Stebner, who as an old man used to thrill my brother and me with his tales of pursuing Pancho Villa into Mexico with General Black Jack Pershing. (more…)

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Tags: Baghdad, Bible, Farmers, Pershing, Troopathon
Posted Jun 29th 2009 at 5:03 am in Military | 171502One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dburge/2009/06/29/thank-you-to-the-troops-fightin-farmers/Thank+You+to+the+Troops%3A+Fightin%27+Farmers2009-06-29+12%3A03%3A34Iowahawk

Debbie Lee: Americans Celebrate Michael Jackson, Ignore Troops

I’m sitting at the desk in my hotel room after just completing our eight hour Troopathon at the Reagan Library. I’ve gone over and over in my head trying to figure out why this year, even though we had a better set, added celebrities to our line-up, and had better media coverage, our final funds raised to support the troops were half of last year’s.

I turned on the TV and clicked through the channels trying to find coverage of our event. I had heard earlier in the day that Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett both had died. As I clicked through the channels, I found every single channel had coverage of Michael Jackson’s death, even Fox News.

As I am not an “Idol” worshipper, it always amazes me how engulfed people can get in the lives of celebrities. I had an “ah hah” moment and realized that could be part of the reason our event was not as successful as we had hoped. We had lost viewers to the “Breaking News.” (more…)

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Tags: America's Mighty Warriors, Farrah Fawcett, Fox News, gold star mothers, Marc Alan Lee
Posted Jun 26th 2009 at 3:58 pm in Celebrity News, Media Criticism, Military | 1722586 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/gsmothers/2009/06/26/debbie-lee-americans-celebrate-michael-jackson-ignore-troops/Debbie+Lee%3A+Americans+Celebrate+Michael+Jackson%2C+Ignore+Troops+2009-06-26+22%3A58%3A42Gold+Star+Mothers

Troopathon 2009: Our Boys Are Not Expendable

Troopathon 2009 is shaping up to be far more than a marvelous day of thanks offered to our brightest, bravest, and best. It’s also turning into a grand culmination of sorts for the first six months of Big Hollywood’s existence.

Click over to our Contributor List, and marvel at how many people from all walks of life have stepped up and made themselves heard in the half-year since Andrew Breitbart unleashed his newest brainchild on a somnolent Hollywood elite. Actors, directors, producers, screenwriters, artists, cartoonists, critics, talk show hosts, documentarians, newspaper columnists, comedians, bloggers, congressmen, authors, military personnel — together they have written thousands of posts thunderously proclaiming the return of a popular culture that unabashedly respects our history and our heritage, our traditions and our troops. Whether it’s the Road to Recovery, the Wounded Warrior Project, the G. I. Film Festival, or today’s magnificent Troopathon, no web site has done more to create a powerful nexus between conservatives of all stripes and the Tinseltown mandarins that for too long have mocked everything good and noble about the country we call home. (more…)

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Tags: big hollywood, hollywood, Perez Hilton, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 8:26 pm in Entertainment, Military | 171030No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/lgrin/2009/06/25/troopathon-2009-our-boys-are-not-expendable/Troopathon+2009%3A+Our+Boys+Are+Not+Expendable2009-06-26+03%3A26%3A28Leo+Grin

Troopathon 2009: Why I Love the Military

Certain phrases come to mind when I think about the military: Our boys, our men and women in uniform, our guys. The key being the word “our.” They represent us in uniform, or to be more specific, they represent me.

I can’t fight because I have a different job to do as an American citizen. But my rights, my personal property, my family and my life are all fought for by proxy… our guys.

When I see any military person of any age I tell them, “Thank you for your service.” Recently, I’ve had a few ex-military friends try to dismiss my gratitude by expressing their own regret for having joined, “Don’t thank me. I’m not for these wars. I just joined to get a free ride to college.” I still thank them, because they did their time. That’s their neck on the line, riding in a helicopter in Afghanistan in my place. (more…)

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Tags: military tribute, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 8:16 pm in Military | 170998No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dtennapel/2009/06/25/why-i-love-the-military/Troopathon+2009%3A+Why+I+Love+the+Military2009-06-26+03%3A16%3A41Doug+TenNapel

Gold Star Mother: Debbie Lee

A Mighty Warrior Willingly Sacrifices His Life

Aug 2, 2006, would be a day that would completely change my life forever. On that dreadful day I heard the disparaging words, “We’re sorry to inform you that your son Marc Alan Lee was killed in action in Iraq.”  Just typing those words now brings me to tears. I would learn in the hours that followed of the heroic actions of my son and that he chose to sacrifice his life so that others could live.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc A. Lee

Marc was the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq. As a mother you would love for your child to aspire to many firsts. The first man on the moon, the first doctor to transplant a heart, the first man to fly, but not the first SEAL to give his life defending his buddies in Iraq. Yet I am just as proud of him as I would be for any other first he may have accomplished. I miss him very deeply, but it gives me great comfort knowing he gave his life because he valued others lives as more important than his own.  (more…)

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Tags: Debbie Lee, John 15:13, Marc Lee, Mighty Warrior, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 8:03 pm in Featured Story, Military | 168810No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/gsmothers/2009/06/25/gold-star-mom-mother-of-marc-alan-lee/Gold+Star+Mother%3A+Debbie+Lee2009-06-26+03%3A03%3A43Gold+Star+Mothers

Troopathon 2009: A Truth About Our Troops

I’m a pansy when compared to the men and women of the United States military. I know it, you know it and most likely they know it. Yet, surprisingly, the majority of encouraging letters I receive on a daily basis come straight from the members of America’s armed forces. Their letters are consistently uplifting, conveying to me that what I do is “just as brave as fighting for our country in a foxhole,” Or that, “I use a gun, you use a microphone.” 

The truth is that these people should be emailing me with slurs like, “Until you’ve been shot at, you should shut your mouth and let the real soldiers do the fighting,” or “Come out to Iraq smart-ass, and bring a change of pants with you”… Yet you never run into that kind of vitriol spewing from these commendable folks. Contrary to what most of Hollywood will tell you, the men and women of our armed forces are the best among us. Not only because of how they serve, but because they are able to find the best in each other… And they are able to encapsulate the best in all of us. (more…)

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Tags: Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 7:29 pm in Military | 170302No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/scrowder/2009/06/25/the-truth-about-our-troops/Troopathon+2009%3A+A+Truth+About+Our+Troops2009-06-26+02%3A29%3A17Steven+Crowder

Troopathon 2009: Heirs to the Real and Great America

When my son was in high school he was a member of the Air Force ROTC.  As the young men and women drilled around the campus, leftist teachers would slam the doors on them in hate and anger, thus putting the lie to the oft-stated canard, “We support the troops but not the war in Iraq.” 

When we hear about “the culture war” this is the war that we’re in at home, it’s between those who believe in things bigger than themselves and those who fear things bigger than themselves.  Why do they fear patriotic children?  Because patriotism is, to the Modern Liberal, an act of bigotry.  As you watch America’s new Commander-in-Chief running around the world belittle America, apologizing for “wrongs” that weren’t even committed by us (such as “colonialism” which was the Europeans) and literally bowing down before the “Keeper of the Holy places,” the Saudi King, you must recognize that he does so because he believes that love for America is bigotry and if there’s one thing a Leftist is not (in his own mind) it’s a bigot.  (more…)

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Tags: Carter, Obama, ROTC, Troopathon, Vietnam
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 6:33 pm in Military | 170714One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/esayet/2009/06/25/troopathon-2009-heirs-to-the-real-and-great-america/Troopathon+2009%3A+Heirs+to+the+Real+and+Great+America2009-06-26+01%3A33%3A38Evan+Sayet

Troopathon 2009: We Really Do Love Care Packages

I got a phone call yesterday from my buddy who is currently commanding a combat arms battalion in Iraq.  Things are calm – at least, they were yesterday.  He’ll be coming home in the next few months just as a bunch of other folks I know will be going over themselves.  And I know there’s another ungodly hot and shooty place in my future too. 

Just because our fighting men and women disappeared from the nightly news and off the front pages does not mean that the war is over.  Far from it – there are hundreds of thousands of Americans out there right now, and that’s easy to forget when all the media is talking about are cheating governors and Perez Hilton beatdowns. 

That’s why supporting Troopathon 2009 is key.  Every package is a loud and clear message to our people that we remember them, we honor them, and that we will not forget them.  (more…)

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Tags: Care Packages, Iraqi Children, Military, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 5:22 pm in Military | 1702303 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kschlichter/2009/06/25/troopathon-2009-make-it-happen/Troopathon+2009%3A+We+Really+Do+Love+Care+Packages2009-06-26+00%3A22%3A12Kurt+Schlichter

Troopathon 2009: Letters Like Clockwork

Not long after our present wars began in Afghanistan and Iraq the letters started to arrive.  One a month, two, sometimes more… We received one just last week. They come from most every military organization you can imagine. Some are about care packages, others are about air conditioners, and a few have to do with adopting a soldier to share correspondence with. None ask for money. They’re thank you notes, thanking “Mr. and Mrs. John Nolte for your generosity.”

Only through these letters do I ever learn of my generosity. This is my wife’s doing.

Since the arrival of the first letter we’ve had some lean years and some flush, but still they come. Only the amount we’re being thanked for ever changes. Frequently, during those leanest of times, my wife would get angry because what she could afford to donate barely covered the costs involved in the sending of the thank you.  So she’d scrape up another donation and send it along with an attached note politely advising: “To Whom It May Concern: No reply is necessary. Please use the money for the troops.” (more…)

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Tags: letters, Military, Troopathon, Vietnam
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 5:14 pm in Military | 171086No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/06/25/troopathon-2009-letters-like-clockwork/Troopathon+2009%3A+Letters+Like+Clockwork2009-06-26+00%3A14%3A31John+Nolte

Troopathon 2009: The Most Important Job There Is

I’ve never robbed a house.  Nor trashed one.  And I don’t plan to take up breaking and entering as a second career.  But as a screenwriter, with an active imagination, I always have an excuse to do a “what if…” 

So, what if there are two houses next to each other.  Fairly similar in size.  In the first driveway is a Prius with a bumper sticker “War is not the answer.”  In the second is a Ford Explorer SUV with a gun rack and a bumper sticker “Proud Member NRA.”  

Which house would I rob, pillage and trash? 

Duh.  (more…)

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Tags: Bob Gale, france, NRA, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 4:01 pm in Military | 168054No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bgale/2009/06/25/thursday-5/Troopathon+2009%3A+The+Most+Important+Job+There+Is2009-06-25+23%3A01%3A36Bob+Gale

Troopathon 2009: A Friend in Hollywood

I just wanted to drop a quick note to all members of the extended military family: active duty personnel, veterans and those who stay behind to keep the home fires warm.

Thank you.

To those on active duty, I say thank you for your continued service. Many of you signed up knowing full well that there are two shooting wars going on. That takes a special kind of guts. Your performance in defense of freedom continues to be an inspiration to me, personally. Thank you.

To all the veterans, I remind you that your service and sacrifice have not gone forgotten. Whether you served in war or in peace, you had a hand in keeping America safe from some of largest threats in history. You also, by your very existence, kept other dangers from materializing. Thank you. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, courage, Iraq War, military families, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 3:27 pm in Military | 169270No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jrhead/2009/06/25/troopathon-just-a-little-note/Troopathon+2009%3A+A+Friend+in+Hollywood2009-06-25+22%3A27%3A18J.R.+Head

Troopathon 2009: My Chaplain

My father is the child in the back row with eyes closed. Next to him, right, is Miriam, my grandmother. Poland, 1921.

My father, Rabbi Abraham Avrech, reached his 90th year two weeks ago. Born in Poland, he came to America with his mother and older brother Chaim, when he was 4-years old. My grandfather, Rabbi Shmuel Avrech was a shochet, ritual slaughterer and mohel, specialist in ritual circumcisions.

I come from countless generations of scholarly and pious Rabbis, thus my screenwriting career represents something of a rupture in a noble family tradition.

Sigh. (more…)

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Tags: 42nd Division, Chaplain, Greatest Generation, mitzvah, Rabbi Abraham Avrech
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 2:05 pm in Military | 1681504 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/06/25/my-chaplain/Troopathon+2009%3A+My+Chaplain2009-06-25+21%3A05%3A58Robert+J.+Avrech

Troopathon 2009: If Our Politicians Had Half Your Courage

[click to enlarge]

For more on my work, please visit my blog

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Tags: American Soldier, heroism, Military, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 1:37 pm in Art, Military | 169514No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bfawstin/2009/06/25/troopathon-2009-if-our-politicians-had-half-your-courage/Troopathon+2009%3A+If+Our+Politicians+Had+Half+Your+Courage2009-06-25+20%3A37%3A29Bosch+Fawstin

Troopathon 2009: Beyond My Comprehension

I lost the biggest job I ever had as talk show host on KFI in Los Angeles largely because I called out another host on the station for flip flopping on the Iraq war in a move that I was sure was designed to pander to the audience who at the time had been duped by the media into thinking the effort was a failure.

While I have suffered greatly because of this stance I took, I have tried hard to not complain too much about what happened because I know to do so would be embarrassingly selfish and shortsighted. After all, the tiny risk I took and the price I paid is absolutely nothing in comparison the risk that every single member of our military takes on a regular basis and the real price that far too many are forced to pay every single day. (more…)

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Tags: chicken hawks, Iraq War, KFI, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 12:35 pm in Media Criticism, Military | 168022One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jziegler/2009/06/25/thursday-3/Troopathon+2009%3A+Beyond+My+Comprehension2009-06-25+19%3A35%3A48John+Ziegler

Troopathon 2009: ‘I was just doing my job.’

Thank you.

My buddy Dave came back from Iraq without his leg. He was willing to die to keep my family and the rest of America safe. I can never thank him enough for his sacrifice. All he ever says is: “I was just doing my job.”

Just doing my job? My kids sleep safely every night because hundreds of thousands of  men and women like Dave stand watch for us every night. 

Last week a bunch of us helped out at “Operation Gratitude.” Operation Gratitude puts together care packages for the troops. They are approaching the 500,000 package mark. They aren’t just sending gifts. They are sending their love and appreciation to those who would protect us. It was an honor to be a part of their project. I wish that I could bottle the emotion and love that was in that building and share it with every serviceman, women and veteran in America. To you guys over there, we love and appreciate what you are doing for us, to our core. To us at home, if you love our troops, please let them know.  (more…)

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Tags: Care Packages, Operation Gratitude, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 12:12 pm in Military | 168006No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cburgard/2009/06/25/thursday-2/Troopathon+2009%3A+%27I+was+just+doing+my+job.%272009-06-25+19%3A12%3A00Chris+Burgard

Troopathon 2009: Because They Serve

Her thumbs danced over the tiny keyboard of her cell phone, glumly texting a friend.  I reached over and, uncharacteristically, snapped it shut.  Gently, but firm.

“Not today, hon.”

With a loud sigh of disgust she slammed the phone back into her purse and sat there in the fold-out chair and sulked. My wife’s look to me of indignant expectation (You going to put up with that?) was met by my practiced calm of everything-will-be-fine (She’s a teenager, that’s what they do). 

Hoping against hope that my doubting Thomas wife was wrong and that I was right, I settled in to listen to the Memorial Day program at the Los Angeles National Cemetery.  It was May 30, 2009, and as we sat there on the lawn that cloudy morning, our little family was a whirl of dysfunction.  It had been building for some time; petty problems had ruined our peace, and small arguments and squabbling set my wife and my 16-yr-old daughter at mutual odds.  I sat there amidst the several thousand gathered feeling alone, distant, isolated.  And completely alienated from my family.  How could three so close seem suddenly so distant?  (more…)

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Tags: Jon Voight, Memorial Day, Robert Davi, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 11:33 am in Military | 16886210 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggraham/2009/06/25/thursday-9/Troopathon+2009%3A+Because+They+Serve2009-06-25+18%3A33%3A12Gary+Graham

Troopathon 2009: An All-Volunteer Military

Last year, an acquaintance named Dave, a television writer who had fallen on hard times, decided to make an economy move to South Carolina.  An indicator of his sour mood is that he now includes “The Swamp” in his e-mail address.  I have every reason to believe that this Hollywood transplant isn’t referring to the physical landscape, but to the folks who live there.  Over the past several months, he has made it perfectly clear that he feels as if he has awakened to find himself dwelling in Dogpatch. 

As we all know, a certain amount of trauma takes place anytime we pack up.  But that’s especially the case when we set down 3,000 miles away.  No longer do we know where the barbershop is or the dry cleaner or the coffee shop where they remember to drain the tuna before making your sandwich.  If you add to the mix the fact that the man is middle-aged and, thus, regarded as over-the-hill in a business that confuses youth with ability, one can readily understand a certain amount of bitterness.  (more…)

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Tags: all-volunteer military, Iraq, militants, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 10:47 am in Military | 168078No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bprelutsky/2009/06/25/168078/Troopathon+2009%3A+An+All-Volunteer+Military2009-06-25+17%3A47%3A40Burt+Prelutsky

Gold Star Mother: Debbie Lee

Hollywood Use Your Influence, Show Your Gratitude

Hollywood wake up! In case you hadn’t noticed or forgot, we have noble, courageous, brave, and selfless men and women serving heroically in Iraq and Afghanistan. My son Marc Alan Lee was one of those heroes. He was the first Navy SEAL to give his life fighting the war on terror in Iraq. His SEAL task-unit is the most highly decorated special-ops unit since Vietnam.

On Aug 2, 2006, he made the choice in an intense firefight to stand out in the direct line of fire three times to defend his buddies and the freedoms that he so loved and believed in. He did that for you and for every American so that you could continue to live in the “land of the free.” He was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his selfless and courageous actions that day. He was also posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with valor for his similar courageous actions on July 17-18, 2006. They’ve also named the base where he was in Ramadi ”Camp Marc Lee” in his honor.

I visited Camp Marc Lee in Iraq in December of 2008 when I spent Christmas thanking and honoring our heroes. I was embedded with the 1-4 Cav and went out on patrol several times in the Doura Neighborhood in Baghdad. I saw first hand the professionalism with which our heroes carry out their jobs. I saw their respect for the local Iraqis. I saw pictures of that neighborhood just the year before that resembled a ghost town. No children or people in the streets, no shops open, no cooperation from the locals with the US troops because Al Qaeda would kill them if they saw them talking to the troops.

When I walked on those same streets I couldn’t believe the difference. Children were playing in the streets and on the new playgrounds, 150 shops were open, the locals would come up and thank the troops for the changes they had made and the freedoms they had given them. I saw first hand the successes of our troops. (more…)

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Tags: Debbie Lee, hollywood, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 9:45 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Media Criticism, Military | 168798No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/gsmothers/2009/06/25/gold-star-mom-debbie-lee/Gold+Star+Mother%3A+Debbie+Lee2009-06-25+16%3A45%3A14Gold+Star+Mothers

Troopathon 2009: It Means, ‘I Love You’

The Military
by Victoria Jackson

Thank you for being so unselfish to fight for freedom for me.

I admire your devotion and bravery.

I think of you often and every time I see a flag

I ask God to protect you and then I brag,

“THE U.S.A. HAS THE BEST MILITARY IN THE WORLD!”

Thank you.

Dad on his car (1950).

My Dad was in the army at the end of WWII.  He didn’t have to fight.  He was lucky, the war was just ending.  He was stationed in Japan.  He worked on his handstands.  He could hand-walk up and down stairs!  He must have had a lot of Japanese girlfriends because the only words he remembers are “Watta-kushi-wa Ana-tyo Aishimasu.” (spelled phonetically). It means, “I love you!”

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Tags: "The Military", japan, Troopathon, WWII
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 9:23 am in Military | 168878No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/vjackson/2009/06/25/thursday-10/Troopathon+2009%3A+It+Means%2C+%27I+Love+You%272009-06-25+16%3A23%3A51Victoria+Jackson

Troopathon 2009 eBay Auction Item: Fill ‘er up 4 the Troops

“Sam For The Troops” now on auction at eBay! 

Sam of www.daybydaycartoon.com does a pinup for the troops! 8.5″x11″, printed full color on heavy matte stock, and signed by Chris Muir. (1) only, all bid proceeds go to the ‘Honor the Troops’ event! If unit is damaged at all during shipping, simply send back the poster and I will send another to replace it.

Click right here to make a bid for the troops.

(Curvatures may be enhanced mostly to irritate wussy lib beta males and feminists)

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Tags: Chris Muir, eBay, Honor Their Service, Sam For the Troops, Troopathon
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 8:49 am in Art, Military | 169838One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cmuir/2009/06/25/fill-er-up-4-the-troops/Troopathon+2009+eBay+Auction+Item%3A+Fill+%27er+up+4+the+Troops2009-06-25+15%3A49%3A54Chris+Muir

Troopathon 2009: Gratitude from a ‘Dandy Lad’

I’m one of the few men in my family not to serve in the military.  I am proud to say that I am not proud of this distinction.  I regret not showing the valor of my Uncle Walter, who was captured by Germans, escaped, then allowed himself to be recaptured in order to spring some high level Resistance fighters from a concentration camp.

I feel less of a man because I did not lead my platoon through a leech infested swamp in the Pacific as my Uncle Lawrence did.  I feel like a wuss because I did not, as my Uncle Zig did, capture an entire division of German soldiers.

My father was an Army sniper, his father was a member of the last active Cavalry unit, my other grandfather developed missile guidance systems.  Cousins, uncles, great uncles, great-great uncles all served our country or currently serve.

Yet, despite this amazing bravery, this amazing willingness to self-sacrifice, the men in my family rarely talk about it.  No bragging.  No boasting.  No condescension to the other “dandy lads” in the family like myself who have never had the honor of wearing our nation’s uniform. (more…)

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Tags: "dandy lad" Germany, japan, Troopathon, WWII
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 8:23 am in Military | 169578One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/lscott/2009/06/25/troopathon-2009-gratitude-to-our-military-from-a-dandy-lad/Troopathon+2009%3A++Gratitude+from+a+%27Dandy+Lad%272009-06-25+15%3A23%3A32Leigh+Scott

Troopathon 2009: A Precious Few

Winston Churchill once said, “Never was so much owed by so many to so few.”  During WW ll the American population was nearly 130 million, from which 17 million men and women in uniform fought for world freedom. Today we are a country of over 300 million people, yet less than 1.5 million Americans, a precious few, volunteer to defend western values from the kind of chaos which leads to the fall of civilizations. Churchill’s words are even more apt than in 1940, and were he alive, he would be moved  by the courage, deep conviction  and disarming humility displayed by the incredible men and women of the United States Military.

Dwight Schultz

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Tags: Churchill, Troopathon, United States Military
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 7:53 am in Military | 168550One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dschultz/2009/06/25/thursday-6/Troopathon+2009%3A+A+Precious+Few2009-06-25+14%3A53%3A42Dwight+Schultz

Troopathon 2009: The Only Soldier I Ever Met

I never met a real soldier.  My family didn’t know much about the military.  We fancied ourselves more artistic and sophisticated than that.  As a boy, I lived in terror of the draft, afraid of my 18th birthday, when I would have to register with the Selective Service (or they’d come and get me).  And all I ever heard at home was how the Vietnam War was maiming and disfiguring our beautiful young men – all for nothing.

World War II was different.  Even my family remembered it almost fondly.  Soldiers back then seemed like the real thing, thanks largely to the patriotic black-and-white movies of the 1940s – still played repeatedly on our rabbit ear TV.  Hard to believe, but once upon a time, Hollywood actually pitched in to the war effort – stars like Bette Davis, John Garfield, Carole Lombard, Betty Grable, even Marlene Dietrich, all went out of their way to boost the national morale. (more…)

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Tags: 9/11, Gulf War, Iraq, Troopathon, Vietnam
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 7:22 am in Military | 1677262 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cwinecoff/2009/06/25/the-only-soldier-i-ever-met/Troopathon+2009%3A+The+Only+Soldier+I+Ever+Met2009-06-25+14%3A22%3A56Charles+Winecoff

Troopathon 2009: Gratitude

Thank God for America’s Armed Forces and Her courageous men and women in uniform who selflessly stand for us “between our beloved home and the desolation of war.”

Such brave and heroic souls, with their families’ steadfast love of country and sacrifices in support of their mission – to secure the Blessings of Liberty to our selves and our posterity – provide for us all the sacred opportunity to pursue our own happiness, hopes and dreams.

For that, we fellow Americans must pledge our humble and eternal gratitude to all those in service to our nation, past, present and future. (more…)

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Tags: Adam Baldwin, airmen, Coast Guard, law enforcement, Marines
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 6:34 am in Military | 1697785 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/abaldwin/2009/06/25/troopathon-2009-gratitude/Troopathon+2009%3A+Gratitude2009-06-25+13%3A34%3A20Adam+Baldwin

Troopathon 2009: Support Those Who Support You

As someone who spent 24 years in the uniform of the U.S. Army, I can say without hesitation that every soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine greatly appreciates the support of Hollywood.  Military personnel, often deployed far from home for the first time in their young lives, yearn for bits of American familiarity – for recognition from their fellow Americans of a job well done. 

The Second Annual Troop-a-thon is a wonderful chance for an entire industry to raise money online to send needed care packages to those Americans overseas who are defending our Constitution and our way of life.  Any deployment can be an intense and lonely experience.  Mail can be scarce.  Contact with home is sporadic.  Receiving a package from a stranger who cared enough about your mission can be a big boost in morale – literally, a life-saver.   (more…)

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Tags: California State Assemblyman, Chuck Devore, Lieutenant Colonel, Troopathon, U.S. Army retired Reserve
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 5:57 am in Military | 167706No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cdevore/2009/06/25/thursday/Troopathon+2009%3A+Support+Those+Who+Support+You2009-06-25+12%3A57%3A33Chuck+DeVore

Troopathon 2009: Heroism Was Expected

I did my teen-age years in World War II. War news was a constant. We kept the radio on in our house to hear Edward R. Murrow broadcasting from the rooftops of London, describing the blitz. Newsreel photographers, flying with Allied bombers over Europe, delivered raw footage to waiting planes at Heathrow Airport. The planes, flying dark rooms, would take off for America and fly overnight to New York. Technicians would edit and develop the film during the trans-Atlantic flight and Movietone News would have the footage ready for showing in movie theaters within hours. “Imagine,” we’d marvel. “These pictures were taken only two days ago!”

My high school pal Parker Swan and I would go to the Translux Theater in Boston which featured non-stop newsreel coverage of the war. When bombings of German cities were shown, we’d cheer. After V-E day, when the battle moved to the Pacific, newsreels featured G.I.s using flame throwers to dig Japanese soldiers out of their caves on Iwo Jima and Wake Island. When the enemy came screaming from his dugout, Parker and I would cheer. I sold newspapers, The Globe and Herald, in Harvard Square by the entrance to the subway station. When the A-bomb, about which we had been told nothing, was dropped on Hiroshima, the headline read New Kind of Bomb Devastates Japanese City. Everyone was elated. (more…)

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Tags: Alley Mills, germany, japan, Troopathon, WWII
Posted Jun 25th 2009 at 5:21 am in Military | 1680345 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/obean/2009/06/25/thursday-4/Troopathon+2009%3A+Heroism+Was+Expected2009-06-25+12%3A21%3A26Orson+Bean

Daily Gut: Troopathon

As a middle-aged pudgy schlub, I am eternally in awe of those who serve in our armed forces. But my awe is always fueled by a little anger – primarily driven by our pop culture-driven media, and what they consider cool in this world.

In our current culture, here’s what we consider “daring:” barbed wire tattoos around the biceps of scrawny witless musicians, well-abbed unemployed drifters found on various reality shows, pierced, preeny “in your face” dip-wads from pranky stunt shows, spoken word cretins fueled by rage and poor hygiene, performance artists who use their own bodily fluids as both canvas and paint, brain-dead hard-partying actresses with assorted infections, extreme adventurers who require public-funded rescues, animal rights activists with more tics than friends, creepy new age healers who drink their own urine – and of course, Adrian Grenier. (more…)

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Tags: Adrian Grenier, barbed wire tattoos, Green Day, Hulk Hogan, piercings
Posted Jun 24th 2009 at 1:04 pm in Daily Gut, Military | 1682785 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggutfeld/2009/06/24/daily-gut-troopathon/Daily+Gut%3A+Troopathon2009-06-24+20%3A04%3A47Greg+Gutfeld