The waistlines of America's youth are expanding, shrinking the pool of those eligible to join the US military. But an Army program is giving overweight enlistees a second chance – and helping the military with its own expansion. The recently-introduced waiver program allows enlistees who don't qualify for the military because of their weight a chance to shape up after joining. So far, the program has helped the Army make its recruiting goals in what remains a tight recruiting market. If the economic recession worsens, it could help the military's recruiting efforts as people seek stable employment. That could reduce the need for waiver programs. However, nutritionists don't see the trend of overweight Americans disappearing any time soon, ensuring the continuance of such programs in recruiting an all-volunteer force.

A soldier once said, "There are no fat soldiers in Iraq". Many may go but after a couple of months in the desert, the weight literally melts away. Maybe this is the weight loss program that the article is referring to. Many have the perception that overweight people are sloppy in their work and their habits and as such are overweight. But if they are willing to give 110%, lose the weight, and rise up to Army standards, why not give them a chance?

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Some holidays, when observed in proper fashion, may require celebrants to spend the following day paying for their indulgence. New Year’s Day may be one such occasion. But there is, regrettably, no straightforward cure for the day that follows an appropriately corrupt New Year’s Eve. Science has yet to crack the hangover, but there is no shortage of homespun advice on how one might try.

Of course the best way to cure a hangover is to not get one, and the best way to do that is to not drink. That would not be near as much fun though. Some time honored traditions include The morning after Bloody Mary (or Hair of the Dog), the wake up drink a half gallon of water and 2 aspirin, or the stick to a single beverage all night. What are your hangover cures or preventions?

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Taliban militants are beheading and burning their way through Pakistan’s picturesque Swat Valley, and residents say the insurgents now control most of the mountainous region far from the lawless tribal areas where jihadists thrive. The deteriorating situation in the former tourist haven comes despite an army offensive that began in 2007 and an attempted peace deal. It is especially worrisome to Pakistani officials because the valley lies outside the areas where al-Qaida and Taliban militants have traditionally operated and where the military is staging a separate offensive. “You can’t imagine how bad it is,” said Muzaffar ul-Mulk, a federal lawmaker whose home in Swat was attacked by bomb-toting assailants in mid-December, weeks after he left. “It’s worse day by day.”

Somewhere along the route to a kinder gentler military we have lost the concept of total war. Mind you our enemy in this country has not forgotten how to wage war as they rape pillage and plunder there way through Pakistan, but we have. Instead of killing on site or completely obliterating the mindless minions of the Taliban, we are trying to convert them into nicer neighbors. Most of these goons would go out of their way just to get a shot at one of our troops but we are restricted in how we are allowed to conduct war with them. Does this remind anyone of Vietnam? Politicians making military decisions with no knowledge of how their decisions affect the man on the ground, is just stupid. If the US wants to win then they may need to rethink their concept of war and total war. Should we leave total war on the table as an option to deal with the Taliban?

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The United States military has declared war on giant, shape-shifting alien robots. Amid blinding platinum dunes baking in the 105-degree sun, scores of elite servicemen and women cluster in and around real tanks, rocket launchers and personnel carriers as they unleash a machine-gun barrage at an invisible (and entirely fictional) enemy: Transformers. These troops, many of them recently returned from the actual life-and-death realities of Iraq and Afghanistan, aren't professional actors. But for the moment, they are the stars and this is the climactic battle of next summer's sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Sweeeeeet. Not only are the U.S. military going to be represented by their own in this movie, but they get some great PR at the same time. Transformers II is going to be just as big, loud, and awesome as the first. As soon as it comes out on DVD buy a copy and send it to a soldier overseas. How do you feel about the military participation in this film?

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Soldiers who deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan must be trained to engage in combat using the latest in lethal-weapons technology. But for soldiers preparing to deploy on a peacekeeping mission, nonlethal weapons instruction is an important part of their deployment training. Rather than full-metal-jacketed ammunition and other deadly weaponry, soldiers in nonlethal weapons training learn about pepper spray, rubber bullets, tear-gas grenades, stun guns and batons.

Why are we training our troops to be non lethal? Are they military fighting men or just a police force? Should our men be armed with rubber bullets and batons when the people they are try to subdue are armed with AK-47s? What is wrong with this picture?

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Five Muslim immigrants were convicted Monday of plotting to massacre U.S. soldiers at Fort Dix in a case that tested the FBI's post-Sept. 11 strategy of infiltrating and breaking up terrorist conspiracies in their earliest stages. The men could get life in prison when they are sentenced in April. The five, who lived in and around Philadelphia for years, were found guilty of conspiring to kill U.S. military personnel. But they were acquitted of attempted murder, after prosecutors acknowledged the men were probably months away from an attack and did not necessarily have a specific plan. Four defendants were also convicted of weapons charges.

At the very least these vermin will be caged for a while. What drives these maniacs may never be known but the fact remains that they were stopped before they could commit the atrocities that they were contemplating. Unfortunately there is not a hole deep enough to bury this type of garbage in. While they will get long prison sentences (hopefully), unfortunately they will be released one day. If they are not American citizens, then immediately upon their release they should be turned over to ICE and deported to their own countries. How would you have voted on the verdict?

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Every branch of the military, and every division, platoon, and on down the line have their own traditions for deployment, returning home, new personell joinging and of course Christmas. In many units on Christmas day the officers will serve the enlisted their Christmas dinner. What are your units Christmas traditions? What are your services Christmas traditions?

The jailed journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush has asked for a pardon, a spokesman for Iraq's prime minister said Thursday. In a letter delivered to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the journalist described his behavior as "an ugly act" and asked to be pardoned, spokesman Yassin Majid told The Associated Press. Majid confirmed to FOX News that Muntadhar al-Zeidi has asked the Iraqi president for a pardon, and expressed "regret and sorrow" for his behavior. "It is too late to now to regret the big and ugly act that I perpetrated," al-Zeidi wrote, according to Majid.

Hmmmm. You threw a shoe at the most powerful leader in the world and now you don't want to face the consequences of your actions. Let him sit in a cell for the next 20 years for insulting a world leader. The journalist is lucky that he didn't get shot in his head. Should this dog (to use his words) be pardoned?

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The War Resisters Support Campaign says a former U.S. soldier living in Nanaimo, B.C., has been told he must leave Canada by Dec. 24 or face removal by force. Cliff Cornell, originally from Arkansas, arrived in Canada in January 2005 after refusing to deploy to Iraq, and he now works as an assistant manager of a retail store. Cornell’s deportation order follows similar orders for war resisters Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman and his family, Patrick Hart and his family, Matt Lowell and Dean Walcott.

Considering that the United States has an all volunteer military, there is no reason to have sympathy for these cowards. Many have said that it takes bravery to desert from the military. This is inherently untrue. How much courage dos it take to run to another country and then cry because a job that you volunteered for has gotten too hard. Bravery is the young men and women that despite their own personal views still proudly wear their uniform and show up to do their duty every day. Bravery is going back to war for the 3rd or 4th time. Some of these soldiers may be going back for the 3rd or 4th time because of the deserters who have worked so hard to damage morale. Should these cowards be allowed to stay in Canada?

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A new Army policy will allow all Army Soldiers killed in action who are being laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery to receive full military funeral honors, which include a caisson, band, colors team, and an escort platoon. "Arlington National Cemetery is an expression of our nation's reverence for those who served her in uniform, many making the ultimate sacrifice," said Secretary of the Army Pete Geren. "Arlington and those honored there are part of our national heritage. This new policy provides a common standard for honoring all Soldiers killed in action."

There should be no question that all soldiers killed in action receive full military honors. This is an honor that should be extended to any service member killed in action. Thank god that the few are still willing to put their lives on the line for the many. Is the country doing all it should to honor those who have fallen in action?

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It's no secret many companies are struggling to make it, but one industry is winning the economic war. The army says more people are signing up, lured by big dollar bonuses. More people are walking into army recruiting centers in Northwest Louisiana and across the nation. "As the economy declines, we traditionally see a rise in enlistments," Captain Shelvie Booth said.

When all of the different factors are laid out on the table it makes sense. Why struggle working for an auto maker or real estate company with an uncertain future? The U.S. military can provide training and a stable job with job security. In the world we live in today there will always be a need for the military but now more and more people are recognizing it as a legitimate career path. Is the military right for you?

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The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.


The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.


The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.


Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.


"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..


To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.


No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.


I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.


I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."


Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Citing the most difficult fiscal environment he's seen in 30 years, the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee Jack Murtha (D - Pa.) said make no mistake about it, "there is going to be less defense spending." As for the emergency wartime supplemental appropriation bills, Murtha said: they "gotta go." Murtha said the military's personnel costs, running at $153 billion this year, are getting out of control. The Pentagon cannot increase both the end strength of the ground forces and procurement spending at the same time. "We've got to slow down the personnel increases,"

Once again Jack Murtha is showing his..... lack of intelligence. Why doesn't the government slow their spending on wooden arrows and bailouts for auto-makers and banks? What is more important? Really?

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Fort Bragg will host a televised charity mixed martial arts card this week to help raise money for a planned $70 million research center for traumatic brain injuries, one of the most common combat injuries suffered by troops in Iraq. Wednesday's Ultimate Fighting Championship event, billed as "Fight For The Troops," will be carried live on cable station Spike from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville. It is the second sanctioned UFC fight at a U.S. military base, and tickets for the mixed martial arts event are available only to Fort Bragg soldiers. The fight card features five military veterans turned UFC fighters. Luigi Fioravanti, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, said he wants to put on a good show for his former comrades.

Warriors fighting to help warriors. This is a great tribute to the courage that it takes to be a service member in this day and age. With wars all over the world and plenty of Americans willing to bash the military at home it certainly takes it's toll. So for a group of guys that fight for a living (The UFC fighters not the soldiers) it speaks highly of them to go out and fight to raise money for the other group of professional fighters (our military). Is having this event on a military base good for morale or bad publicity?

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Coalition forces apprehended three alleged Kataib Hezbollah terrorists in two operations early today in Baghdad's Rusafa district, military officials reported. Kataib Hezbollah is believed to be a surrogate group operating in Iraq on behalf of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, coalition officials said. During the first operation, coalition forces acted on intelligence information to captured three suspected Kataib Hezbollah members believed to be responsible for recent attacks against Iraqi civilians and Iraqi and coalition forces. In a separate operation in Rusafa today, forces targeted a suspected militant believed to be responsible for collecting intelligence information on Iraqi and coalition forces. The wanted man also is believed to be involved in attacks against coalition forces. He identified himself to forces and was apprehended without incident.

Absolutely no connection between Iran and the terrorists in Iraqi is there?

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