While the Traditional Media explores and debates the important question of who played the "race card" and/or whether Paris Hilton’s mother disapproves of the egregiously disgusting ad put out by McBush last week, our military (and the innocent citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan) continue to die. And today, although I have seen nothing about this here, the Pentagon announced that many of our Marines serving in Afghanistan will have their tours of duty extended.
Approximately 1,200 Marines serving in southwestern Afghanistan will have their tours of duty extended by 30 days, Pentagon and Marine officials said.
(snip)
Also, 200 additional support troops and several helicopters will be sent to southwestern Afghanistan to help with route clearance, engineering and additional aviation elements, officials said, citing orders that were signed last week.
The Marines have been serving in Farah province as trainers for the Afghan army. They have been repeatedly attacked by insurgents and have been seeking additional firepower.
(snip)
U.S. military commanders say that until more troops are freed up from Iraq, such minor extensions are the only steps they can take to bolster their combat capability in Afghanistan.
Source ~ CNN
A "minor extension" ~ unless, of course, you happen to get killed or seriously wounded while serving during it.
And once again, we are back to extended tours of duty for our exhausted and overstrained military, with no end in sight.
President Bush, on his way to the Olympic Games being hosted by the second largest holder of our multi-billion-dollar debt -- much of which, of course, has resulted from the horrifying and unnecessary war and occupation in Iraq and this Administrations’s no-bid contracts to such great corporate citizens as Halliburton and its subsidiary KBR therein -- was nice enough to stop (during a refueling) to address the troops in Alaska:
Air Force One landed at Eielson Air Force Base, where Bush addressed airmen as well as soldiers from Fort Wainwright.
He told the troops that in the fight against terror, the United States "must stay on the offense," adding: "We've got no greater asset than the United States military."
Source ~ AP
This is what I want to know: did President Bush, during his trip to the Olympics or his refueling exercise in Alaska, bother to call the families of any of these patriots, whose deaths were announced this evening by the Department of Defense:
Killed in Iraq, August 2, 2008:
Spc. Kevin R. Dickson, 21, of Steelville, Missouri
Killed in Afghanistan, August 1, 2008:
Pfc. David J. Badie, 23, of Rockford, Illinois
2nd Lt. Michael R. Girdano, 23, of Pennsylvania
Spc. William J. Mulvihill, 20, of Leavenworth, Kansas
Pvt. Jair De Jesus Garcia, 29, of Chatsworth, California
Killed in Iraq, July 31, 2008:
Spc. Andre D. Mitchell, 25, of Elmont, New York
Killed in Iraq, August 2, 2008:
Pfc. Jennifer L. Cole, 34, of American Canyon, California
Killed in Afghanistan, August 1, 2008:
Sgt. Ryan P. Baumann, 24, of Great Mills, Maryland
Well, probably not.