Stephen Colbert to visit the troops in Iraq - updated with proud slogan

Stephen Colbert will broadcast four shows next week from Baghdad, where he says he'll be "Bob Hoping" it for the troops. [...]

Both the character Colbert (silent "t") and the real Colbert (pronounced "t"), a Catholic family man, are ardent supporters of the troops. He has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Yellow Ribbon Fund (a charity that assists injured service members and their families), and he's a board member of DonorsChoose.org, which benefits the schools of military kids.

"Sometimes my character and I agree," Colbert said in an interview at his Manhattan office before leaving for Baghdad. "My character and I both know the Apostles' Creed and my character and I both think it's a shame that we're not talking about the troops anymore."

--lifted from BarbinMD

As y'all may well imagine, I am a fan of Stephen. I love his humor and the crazy persona he assumes in his show. I think his trashing of the previous administration with Bush sitting just feet away was one of the most heroic acts of satire+prophetic speech ever. He's also one helluva decent guy and I delight that he is going.

"I don't want to forget that people are struggling through the things that I sometimes make jokes about," he said.

The 45-year-old comedian says he's not afraid of the danger of visiting Iraq ("I'm not a high value target"). Instead, he said he's only nervous about doing a good show for the troops.

"The show is always about me, it's always about the character," said Colbert. "What's different about this is, it's really about them. If they laugh, I'll be completely satisfied." (link)

I also fully agree that "it's a shame that we're not talking about the troops anymore."

If you'd like to do something for our troops, here are some links:

DonorsChoose.org - the one Colbert works with

If you want to do something to assist our military and their families, please visit anysoldier.com or Fisher House. If you have frequent flyer miles you would like to donate to hospitalized veterans or their families, see Fisher House's Hero Miles program. If you would like to assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available here. Sending a care package to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan is; read how at anysoldier.com. Other ways to support the troops are in this diary. And don't forget them when they get home. Visit welcomebackveterans.org and Hire Heroes USA to learn what you can do.

From IGTNT

I just ordered two hygiene kits (1 female, 1 male) for a couple of random troops through TreatAnySoldier.com. Not very glamorous but I pray it means some comfort for folks in an inhospitable situation. (Last time I did this it was cookies.)


--the BB

This is why I remember the fallen

And this is why I pray for our troops.



This is why I consistently vote for veteran's benefits and anything that supports these men and women.

This is why I get rather soppy around Decoration Day and Armistice Day (that's Memorial Day and Veteran's Day to you youngsters). I cry when I watch videos like this or read war poems or recite the pledge of allegiance, sometimes when reading the Preamble to the Constitution, and always when reading The New Colossus. I am very sentimental about my country.


I may criticize my government, its actions and decisions, but I do so because it is MY government, my nation, the land of my birth, the land of my citizenship and I want to hold us to high standards and call myself and all of us to live into the dream that is the United States of America.

I may call into question our military actions as a nation - their practicality, their legality, or their morality.

But I never call into question the bravery, dedication, and sacrifices of our fighting men and women. I try to say "thank you" face to face when I see our women and men in uniform.

I grieve for those injured or killed, though they are strangers to me. We may have never met, yet they are my brothers and sisters, my fellow Americans, placing their lives on the line for the nation we love.

Visitors come to this blog having searched for the names of the fallen. I hope they find their loved ones honored and respected, though if they glance at other items on this blog they must wonder how that squares with my political opinions. For me there is no conflict.

Whatever may have happened back in the days of the Vietnam War, I have yet to hear any of my liberal acquaintances speak ill of our troops, or fail to uphold them politically (we are not the ones trying to cut benefits for the troops). In fact, back during the Vietnam War, the war of my generation, I vehemently opposed it, but did not bear ill will toward those who were fighting it. My quarrel was with national policy, not with our soldiers, sailors, pilots, and marines.


Here is more from today's IGTNT post:

To date, 4296 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Iraq. The death toll thus far in 2009 is already 76. More than 31,000 members of the military have been wounded, many grievously. The Department of Defense Press Releases, from which the information at the start of each entry in this diary was drawn, can be seen here. The death toll among Iraqis is unknown, but is at least 200,000 and quite probably many times that number.

To date, 683 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Afghanistan. The death toll thus far for 2009 is 53. 467 members of the military from other countries have also lost their lives.

Slide Show ~ The Final Salute

Other sites have stories, video, pictures and remembrances, including: Honor the Fallen.

Assisting our military: Supporting our troops is the RIGHT THING to do.

You can send a care package. Please consider brightening the day of a soldier with a care package.

You can write letters.

You can send a cup of organic coffee.

You can find other ways to give at anysoldier.com or Fisher House. If you have frequent flyer miles you would like to donate to hospitalized veterans or their families, please see Fisher House’s Hero Miles program.

You can help the left-behind animal companions of our troops. See how here.

And don’t forget them when they get home! Read welcomebackveterans.org to learn what you can do. Visit VoteVets and IAVA. IAVA’s newest project, Support Your Vet, was launched earlier this month.

To all who serve I say, "Thank you!"

--the BB

Pass the Hubbard Act

This is about a homeboy from Clovis, California. My sister lives in Clovis, a city adjacent to Fresno. Jason Hubbard's brothers are buried in the same cemetery as my parents, my brother-in-law, and an aunt and uncle of mine.

From the Los Angeles Times yesterday:

WASHINGTON — Nearly eight months ago, Iraq veteran and Fresno County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Hubbard lost the second of his two brothers in Iraq, leaving him as a "sole survivor" under military guidelines and requiring that he leave combat operations.

But after he returned home to Clovis, Calif., Hubbard, 33, was dealt another loss when the Army stripped him of his healthcare, took away GI Bill education benefits worth as much as $40,000 and demanded he repay his $6,000 enlistment bonus.

That is how the United States government under George W. Bush supports its troops.

Jason Hubbard saw his brother's body removed after a helicopter crash in Iraq. He had already lost a brother there. He had to come home. His wife is pregnant. And this is how his nation shows its gratitude.

The Hubbard Act would sort out the shit so this man and other men and women in similar situations are taken care of as they should be, not shafted in the midst of their families' grief. It has bipartisan support and should pass.

This sort of thing, I submit, has much more to do with patriotism than damned lapel pins (which are supposed to be considered as living things according to the current protocol, thereby elevating them to the level of the bodies we shatter and minds we traumatize sending them into needless war).

Don't. Get. Me. Started.
--the BB

It's we DFH who support the troops!

Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars reports on how we are treating our troops. From NPR's Morning Edition:

A document from the Department of Veterans Affairs contradicts an assertion made by the Army surgeon general that his office did not tell VA officials to stop helping injured soldiers with their military disability paperwork at a New York Army post.

The paperwork can help determine health care and disability benefits for wounded soldiers.

Nicole also notes that, while in his SOTU speech Bush called for allowing troops to transfer unused education benefits to family members, the budget he submitted makes no provision for this. As usual. Big words + No action = Big Lies.
--theBB

Happy Wyldday!

Bloggers welcome one of their own back home. Wyldth1ng, our blogging Marine, is back stateside and we are celebrating. Send him some love, Americans!

You can love the troops and hate war. This site honors those who serve our country in the military.

Welcome back, Wyld! All the best to you.

Diane and Scout welcome him back here. Fran does here. Diane has links to others who join in the welcome party.
--the BB

What can we do to really say we support our troops?

“Veteran” by Tom Chelston. Available at Tomsongs.org

Photo via Tomsongs.org
h/t to Nicolle Belle at Crooks and Liars
--the BB