Topic: Military

License plates to honor 101st Airborne

April 23, 2008 |

Following approval by the State of Tennessee last summer and special action by the Association Board of Governors in November, vehicle owners/lessees in the Volunteer state may soon have the opportunity to acquire a specialty license plate honoring the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

Before Tennessee begins production of the plates, the 101st Airborne Division Association, with its headquarters located on the Tennessee side of Fort Campbell, must pre-sell 1,000 of them at $35 each (additional registration fees apply). If the Association fails to reach the 1,000 pre-sale minimum requirement, all purchase amounts will be returned.

L-R Representative Curtis Johnson, 101^st Airborne Division Association Secretary/Treasurer Sam Bass and Representative Rosalind Kurita stand outside the Clarksville, TN Courthouse with the newly designed 101^st license plate. Photo by 101^st Association Graphic Designer, Catie Rodriquez

Net proceeds from the sale of the plates will be allocated 50% to the 101st Airborne Association; 40% to the Tennessee Arts Commission; and 10% to the State Highway Fund. Sales are restricted by the legislation to registered vehicle owners of Tennessee. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: News | No Comments

Unlit Eternal Flame dishonors all veterans

By Bill Larson | March 16, 2008 |

Saturday was the fifth anniversary of the launch of the invasion of Iraq. Since the 2003 invasion America has suffered the grievous loss of some of it’s best, brightest, and most patriotic citizens. As I noted just a few days ago, the casualties of this war had reached 3987; 84 of those were from Tennessee, 4 from Clarksville.

As many of you know, I have in the past written articles strongly disagreeing with the Iraq war. I still oppose it and will continue to protest until it is finally ended, and the last American soldier has safely returned home. Now that we have made that clear, I must make something else clear.

 I have nothing but the highest respect for the dedication and the totality of the sacrifices that the soldiers serving our country make. As someone who has served in the military I understand that those who serve in our military are not granted the privilege of being able to cast a moral judgment about the legitimacy of the wars they are ordered to fight, and they share none of the blame so richly deserved by those who intentionally lied us into this conflict.

So on Saturday around dusk I went to Public Square in downtown Clarksville Tennessee in order to conduct what amounted to a one person vigil honoring those lives which have been lost in this unjust and immoral war in Iraq. I said my silent prayers for the souls of those no longer with us, and my continuing prayer for the safe return of those who are still in harms way.

After I was finished, I went for my camera. It is frequently said that a picture speaks a thousand words, so I will let the picture I took speak loud and clear, “Someone has a lot to answer for!” Fuel the flame; honor our soldiers.

Sections: Issues, Opinion, Politics | 1 Comment »

Peace Coalition to mark 5th anniversary of war

By Chris Lugo | March 15, 2008 |

Editor’s Note: American casulities in Iraq have reached 3987; 84 of those were from Tennessee, 4 from Clarksville. We are rapidly coming up on the fifth anniversity of the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

On March 15, 2008, the sacrifices of those affected by the conflict in Iraq during the past five years will be honored. Support and sympathy will be expressed for the members of the U.S. armed forces, their families and the people of Iraq.

Citizens will gather at noon Saturday, March 15 at the Amphitheater at the Bicentennial Mall at 600 James Robertson Parkway in downtown Nashville. There will be speakers - most of them veterans and their families, and music - all expressing hope for peace in the future. The program will end on an upbeat note, with a performance by the men’s choral group “Nashville in Harmony”.

At 3PM, veterans, military family members and others will carry a large canvas, bearing the names of Tennesseans killed in Iraq, up the hill to the War Memorial Plaza. The 93 names will be symbolically added to the names of those Tennesseans who have died in previous conflicts. This event, titled “Steps to Peace”, will express the hope that there will be no further casualties to memorialize.

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Events, Issues, Politics | No Comments

House GOP Review for 03/06/2008

By Tennessee Republicans | March 7, 2008 |

The House GOP Review is a weekly feature that gives Tennesseans an in-depth look at what our Republican state legislators have been working on this week, and a glimpse into what’s planned for the coming week at our state house. 

A commonsense DUI measure appeared again this week before a House subcommittee after questions and concerns were raised two weeks ago. The “Pass the Bottle” legislation, which would ban open containers in vehicles, was one of several DUI bills rolled out by Republicans as a comprehensive effort to combat drunk driving. Currently, no driver may consume an alcoholic beverage or possess an open container of such while operating a motor vehicle, but passengers may consume alcohol. The bill sponsor, in his opening remarks, said this policy invites drivers to drink as long as there is a passenger to which they can “pass the bottle.”

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Politics | No Comments

“Disgusted” army wife speaks out on Army’s response to soldier suicide surge

By Debbie Boen | February 4, 2008 |

Editor’s Note: Even as Ms. Boen was preparing this article, the issue of soldier suicide exploded on the news front again with these statistics:

Last fall, there was an article in the Leaf Chronicle [10.12.07] titled, Fort Campbell General stresses suicide prevention. It reported that with nine suicides for the year, and 16 deaths pending investigation, and with three suicides in the last two weeks, the general said:

“This is unacceptable and it must stop. I want everyone associated with Fort Campbell to take pause, and to focus on what we can do as a community to reverse this trend.”

According to the Fort Campbell Courier, [12.20.07 vol. 43, no. 51], Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, Commanding General at Fort Campbell, made suicide prevention his priority since he took command in 2006. He expanded the “buddy care” program, which has soldiers watching out for each other, to “unit watch,” a program used by commanders when a soldier has suicidal thoughts. Now he is training families to recognize signs through “Building Family Resiliency” programs. He was quoted as saying:

“The individual has got to take personal responsibility. They have got to take responsibility for themselves and realize that they can save their own lives. It comes back to the individual.”

An army wife spoke out about these articles and about what was going on at the base because of the suicide scares. This is her view, in her words:

I only became aware of these “programs” when there was apparently an increase in suicides in the November/December time frame.

At first I thought they had to be kidding.

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, Opinion | 2 Comments

Major Gen. Gration on campaign trail in Clarksville for Obama ‘08 rally

By Terry McMoore | February 3, 2008 |

With Super Tuesday just two days away, the race for both Democratic and Republican nominations escalates. No race is heating more than that of Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

On Monday, February 4, the eve of dozens of state primaries, a rally for Presidential Candidate Barack Obama will be held at the Tropicana Mexican Restaurant, 233A Tiny Town Road in Clarksville at 1:00 p.m.

Retired Major General Scott Gration, Obama’s top military advisor, will be present to speak on behalf of Obama, according to Terry McMoore, Director of the Urban Resource Center. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Politics | No Comments

Omnibus Spending: Senate missed the mark

By Chris Lugo | December 26, 2007 |

Last week the United States Senate passed the Omnibus Spending Bill, which included an appropriation of $70 billion for Iraq, showing that the Senate is once again out of touch with the basic values of the American people. According to a December 13th Gallup survey, Americans say that the war in Iraq is their number one concern, yet this past week the US Senate voted to “stay the course” and handed the President everything he wanted with respect to the war in Iraq.

American’s are highly skeptical about the notion of progress in Iraq, with only 11% polling responding that they are “pleased” with the results of the war. Yet Americans seem resigned to the fact that US troops are going to remain in Iraq. The simple fact is that the United States cannot afford to continue this war. In addition to the complete lack of international support for Bush’s folly, the middle class can no longer afford to pay for the war. The national debt is at an all time high of $9.1 trillion dollars and Congress has appropriated another $580 billion dollars in military spending, far in excess of the actual amount of appropriations needed to defend the national security . «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion | 1 Comment »

Fuel the flame; honor our soldiers

By Christine Anne Piesyk | November 13, 2007 |

World war I officially ended on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The actual fighting between the Allies and Germany, however, had ended seven months earlier with the Armistice, which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Armistice Day, as November 11 became known, officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926, and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans.

Saturday, November 10, was a day of parades, ceremonies, and memorials, flags, uniforms and speeches honoring the veterans of American wars, including the current conflict in Iraq. Sunday, November 11, was the actual holiday, the Holy Day of Days for veterans across the country. So what happened in Clarksville on this Veteran’s Day?

The light went out. An unheralded extinguishing of eternal flame in downtown Clarksville, a flame that is supposed to be a blaze of flame in the night sky over the city. This darkening should be considered an insult to every person serving in the military today, and to every citizen of this country. The darkening of the flame (which has happened before with no fanfare) is also a slap in the face to the vets of Vietnam, Korea, both world wars, and every other war in our history. The fact that it happened on Veteran’s Day and as Christmas lights are being illuminated citywide just magnifies the force of that slap. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, News, Politics | 1 Comment »