One of the major surprises for me after returning from twelve months in Iraq was the anti-Moslem bias in my country. Now, five years later, I suppose that is to be expected. Very few Americans know any Moslems. And, of course, we are all very faimiliar with the eighteen murderous Moslems that attacked us on
San Antonio Airman Dies in Iraq
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
San Antonio Airman Corey C. Owens died in a non-combat related incident in Iraq. He was assigned to Laughlin AFB in Texas and listed San Antonio as his home town. See news report.
Remember the Victims of the Two Wars
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
I live in San Antonio. My home is perhaps 5 miles from the military’s premier burn center at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. And, as most readers know, I am an Iraq vet. So, the article by Scott Stroud regarding the burn unit resonates with me. See San Antonio Express News story. It is a…
36th Division Deploys to Iraq
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
In a historic deployment, the Texas National Guard 36th Infantry Division headquarters is deploying to southern Iraq. See San Antonio Express News report. This will be one of the very few times since World War II that a Guard headquarters has commanded active duty troops. The first time since WWII occurred when when the…
Give Thanks for our Service Members
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
On this day of thanks, I ask that we think about 150,000 Americans serving in Afghanistan and 50,000 serving in Iraq. They work everyday. They risk their lives everyday for us. Some of us may question the value of the two wars. Some soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors might agree. But, they serve all the…
SSGT Giunta Accepts the Award on Behalf of All Service Members
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
SSGT Giunta is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. See news report. He teared up when he described his receipt of the award. He said he did not deserve it and that he was only a "mediocre" soldier. I am sure that he does deserve it. But, it is true that he did what…
Free Speech Case A Difficult One for the US Supreme Court
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
I served in Iraq for a year and devoted 28 years of my life (mostly part-time as a Reservist) to the military. So, seeing signs like "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" at a funeral for a dead soldier angers me beyond belief. See news report. I cannot understand a church that openly, proudly protests…
Texas Education Board Passes Anti-Islam Resolution
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in Discrimination
I try to talk on this forum about employment issues and discrimination in general. Since I am an Iraq veteran, I also discuss the war from time to time, typically simply to note the death of a local soldier killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. So, when a local governmental entity itself expresses some form of…
Another Church Near Ground Zero
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
I do not understand. I read polls saying Americans disfavor a mosque near Ground Zero and many Americans prefer not to have any mosque near their homes. And, yet, I do understand. If I had not spent 12 months in Iraq serving in the Army and working closely with several Iraqi, Moslem interpreters, I might…
Iraqi Interpreter Killed by his Family
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
In Iraq and Afghanistan, Moslem interpreters help us everyday with the war effort. Interpreters assume a special risk. They are targeted whenever possible. See report of an Iraqi interpreter who was killed in Samarra by his son and nephew. His son and nephew are said to be members of Al-Qaeda. Samarra is heavily Sunni, so…