The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
In 1982, trichloroethylene and benzene were leaked into the water tap in the area of the Marine Corp Base Camp of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. What’s important to understand about this leak, however, is that it did not happen due to one mistake. These chemicals were leaked into the drinking water of that Marine base on purpose over a long period of time.
There are currently around 1.3 million people enlisted and serving in the US army and since the US army began there have been up to 60 million soldiers that have served. That makes for a lot of veterans. If you are a veteran or know someone that is then there are some benefits that you are entitled to.
Continue reading What You Should Know About VA Disability Benefits
The subject person lived in Glen Rock, NJ and Ridgewood, NJ from about 1917 to 1928
by Stanley A. Kober
For the last 14 years I have been assisting a WWII, VFW comrade (now over 95+ years old) in trying, in addition to putting together some facts about the life of my VFW comrade’s Dad, to get the remains of his father [CPT Warren C.M. Lessing (O-916 612)], also a WWII soldier, found and extricated from an Excalibur plane crash site in Botwood Bay, Newfoundland, Canada, in October 1942. CPT Lessing was a close friend of General Doolittle and apparently on his way to a meeting with Gen. Doolittle in Foynes, Ireland when his plane crashed, but neither he nor the documents he was allegedly carrying, allegedly have been recovered. There’s a great deal more, including some intriguing events to this story/account that cannot be detailed here.
Continue reading IS OUR MILITARY AXIOM OF “NOT LEAVING ANY OF OUR FALLEN COMRADES BEHIND” REALLY BEING FOLLOWED?
December 7,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
The Ridgewood blog wishes to commemorate the attack on Peal Harbor , on December 7, 1941 Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and six other military bases on the Hawaiian island of Oahu precipitated America’s entry into World War II.
Pearl Harbor endures as a symbol of American resilience and resolve, and the annual commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor fosters reflection, remembrance, and understanding.
This year is the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and is an opportunity to honor the sacrifice and dedication of our “Greatest Generation” both civilian and military.
From the Library of Congress :
On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor External, Hawaii Territory, killing more than 2,300 Americans. The U.S.S. Arizona was completely destroyed and the U.S.S. Oklahoma capsized. A total of twelve ships sank or were beached in the attack and nine additional vessels were damaged. More than 160 aircraft were destroyed and more than 150 others damaged.
A hurried dispatch from the ranking United States naval officer in Pearl Harbor, Admiral Husband Edward Kimmel, Commander in Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet, to all major navy commands and fleet units provided the first official word of the attack at the ill-prepared Pearl Harbor base. It said simply: AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT DRILL.
The following day, in an address to a joint session of Congress, President Franklin Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 “a date which will live in infamy.” Congress then declared War on Japan, abandoning the nation’s isolationism policy and ushering the United States into World War II. Within days, Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy, declared war on the United States, and the country began a rapid transition to a wartime economy by building up armaments in support of military campaigns in the Pacific, North Africa, and Europe.
Gregg Zoroya and Liz Szabo, USA TODAY
At least 11 U.S. troops have been infected with the Zika virus since January, nearly all of whom traveled to countries where the mosquito-born illness is prevalent, a Pentagon health report published Friday disclosed.
In addition, four dependents of servicemembers — which can include spouses and children — and two military retirees contracted the illness, according to the report. It underscored the risks to military personnel of child-bearing age exposed to the virus during deployments.
A fetus infected with the Zika virus during the first three months of pregnancy has about a 1% to 13% chance of developing microcephaly, an abnormally small head usually caused by incomplete brain development, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
April 18,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, May is National Military Appreciation Month, making it a great time to show appreciation to active duty military members and veterans. There are over 2 million active duty members of the military and reserves, and according to the U.S. Census Bureau there are over 19 million veterans in the country. There are millions of those who have served our nation, deserving the appreciation this May, and numerous ways to show it.
“The strength of our great nation comes from our military strength and the dedication of the men and women that serve, making it crucial that we do everything we can to show our support and gratitude,” explains Nicole Motsek, executive director of the EOD Warrior Foundation. “We should show our gratitude everyday and May is a great month to make added efforts to support our active duty personnel and our veterans.”
Some of the recognition days this month include:
May 1, 2016 – Loyalty Day (affirming loyalty to the country)
May 6, 2016 – Military Spouse Appreciation Day
May 13, 2016 — Children of Fallen Patriots Day
May 21, 2016 – Armed Forces Day
Here are 7 ways to show appreciation to active duty military members and veterans this May:
“There are many things that we can do to help show our appreciation and support to those who help keep our country safe and free,” added Motsek. “If everyone just does one thing this month to help active duty members or veterans it would add up and make a big difference.”
The EOD Warrior Foundation is a nonprofit organization that helps military EOD personnel and veterans and their families. There are around 7,000 EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) technicians on active duty, performing the most dangerous job in the military as they disarm explosive devices on the battlefields. Many EOD personnel come home with debilitating injuries, including lost limbs, blindness, paralysis, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), burns, and the invisible wounds of war, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
For more information about the EOD Warrior Foundation or to host a fundraiser or learn about volunteer opportunities in support of their mission, visit the site at: https://www.
Bowe Bergdahl, once-missing U.S. soldier, charged with desertion
By Dan Lamothe March 25 at 2:03 PM
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier who slipped away from his patrol base in Afghanistan in 2009 and was held in captivity for five years, has been charged with desertion and misbehaving before the enemy, Army officials said Wednesday, setting the stage for emotionally charged court proceedings in coming months.
The charges were announced by the service at Fort Bragg, N.C., hours after the 28-year-old was handed a charge sheet, according to one of his attorneys. Bergdahl will next face a preliminary Article 32 hearing, which is frequently compared to a grand jury proceeding in civilian court.
DoD Training Manual: ‘Extremist’ Founding Fathers ‘Would Not Be Welcome In Today’s Military’
Manual lists people concerned with “individual liberties, states’ rights, and how to make the world a better place” as potential extremists
Adan Salazar
Infowars.com
August 24, 2013
Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch recently obtained a Department of Defense training manual which lists people who embrace “individual liberties” and honor “states’ rights,” among other characteristics, as potential “extremists” who are likely to be members of “hate groups.”
Marked “for training purposes only,” the documents, obtained Thursday through a Freedom of Information Act request submitted in April, include PowerPoint slides and lesson plans, among which is a January 2013 Air Force “student guide” distributed by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute simply entitled “Extremism.”
Judicial Watch’s FOIA request asked for “Any and all records concerning, regarding, or related to the preparation and presentation of training materials on hate groups or hate crimes distributed or used by the Air Force.”
As the group notes, “The document defines extremists as ‘a person who advocates the use of force or violence; advocates supremacist causes based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or national origin; or otherwise engages to illegally deprive individuals or groups of their civil rights.’”
The manual goes on to bar military personnel from “active participation” in such extremist organization activities as “publicly demonstrating,” “rallying,” “fundraising” and “organizing,” basically denying active-duty military from exercising the rights they so ardently fight to defend.
It begins its introduction of a section titled, “Extremist ideologies,” by describing the American colonists who sought independence from British rule as a historical example of extremism.
“In U.S. history, there are many examples of extremist ideologies and movements. The colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule and the Confederate states who sought to secede from the Northern states are just two examples,” according to the training guide.
In a section drawing inspiration from a 1992 book titled “Nazis, Communists, Klansmen, and Others on the Fringe: Political Extremism in America,” the manual also lists “Doomsday thinking” under “traits or behaviors that tend to represent the extremist style.”
https://www.infowars.com/dod-training-manual-suggests-extremist-founding-fathers-would-not-be-welcome-in-todays-military/