Spec Ops Angels Blog

Outta here for a bit :)

Hello All

Sorry that I haven’t been keeping up with the site in the last few weeks.

As some of you already know DH finishedf the Pararescue Pipeline on Dec 5th 2006. The graduation was really great and Thanks Dougie for the wonderful Team Video. I wasn’t able to take any pictures due to the fact that the Twins were present too. Needless to say my hands were full. It was wonderful to see all the families that have supported theses men in pursuing their dream. Even though its sad to see everyone go their diffrent ways it won’t be for long before our roads will cross again. Those that are left behind here at the school house continue to keep your eye on your dream before you know it you to will be there.

Well the house is almost complete just getting a few things finished and we’ll be leaving later on today. Since I will not have a computer I won’t be able to make any post but if I get the chance I’ll definantly leave a quick note. Wish me luck driving cross country with 1 teenager, 2 babies , 3 dogs and a DH in a full moving truck to Georgia!!!!! He Hee couldn’t help myself.

God bless all of you Wishing those that are with us and those who won’t be home Prosperity, Peace and Love.

Will talk to you soon!!!! Denise

Remember Tarin Kowat. The battle that defeated the Taliban 5 yrs ago

PBS’s Frontline 

“Initially, the plan that we came up with was to close off all the major mountain passes leading into Tarin Kowt, then lay siege to the town with a large force. Hamid anticipated that the village itself would essentially surrender to us. But at the same time, we had to make sure that we could protect that whole valley that Tarin Kowt was located in from any counterattack from the Taliban, particularly from Kandahar. …”

stated by Capt. Jason Amerine

Look up in the sky! Is it a HH-60 no…… Its…..

Santa. Yeah!!!

Just visited Blackfive and found this great post about NORAD tracks Santa.

I remember as a child that I would place a bowl of water with carrots and celery for the deers and Santa would get a large cup of Hot Chocolate and a snack to tie him over during his trip. Later I would be escorted to bed. Of course I would untuck myself & go to the window. I would look for Rudolph’s red nose up in the sky. Once I would see it. I would watch it for a little while and hurry off back to bed because Santa doesn’t arrive to your home until you are fast a sleep.

Isn’t it great to be young….to see the magic that surrounds us.

NORAD (North America Aerospace Defense Command) has been doing this project since 1955 when Colonel Harry Shoup received a wrong # from a child asking “where’s Santa”

On Saturday, your kids can call Cheyenne at 1-888-HI-NORAD, email NORAD at tracking@noradsanta.org, or email Santa at northpole@officialsantamail.com.

Join in on the fun and share a little magic with others

Where’s the honor in abandonment?

by Jules Crittenden

Sen. Chuck Hagel, C&R-Neb., offers up a novel idea: abandonment with honor. Well, it’s an old idea, but it’s shiny and new again. This particular item can always be brought off the back shelf, polished, marked up and put in the front window when people who were previously enthusiastic about a war discover it is hard, it costs lives and money, and it can be unpopular.

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Learning a new language

Being in a military community you’ll realize real quick that they have their own language.

For example

a “CRO” is not a black bird but a Combat Rescue Officer.

a “ATL” is a Assistant Team Leader

a “pipeline” Has nothing to do with surfin’ but with personnel flow from sources of procurement to their point of use.

a “pillbox” is not what your grandmother keeps her meds in but a small, low fortification that houses weapons.

a “run” is not a cardio activity but a flight of one photographic reconnaissance aircraft during which photographs are taken.

What’s amazing is after a while of being in the military world you will start talking in their language too.

For now while you are learning here is the DOD Dictionary of Military Terms.

Have fun learning~ Denise

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is a psychological condition where the mind and body are reacting to specific stressors experienced in combat. Rates for PTSD were highest among units that served deployments of 12 months or more and had more exposure to combat. And while rates were much lower for troops returning from Afghanistan than Iraq — with 6 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom veterans surveyed PTSD symptoms — PTSD remains prevalent in these units as well. If you or someone you know is exhibiting post-deployment readjustment or PTSD symptoms — sleeplessness, nightmares, excessive startle and hyperactivity, anxiety, mood and anger swings, significant behavioral changes — help is available. Contact 911 if the behavior becomes reckless or dangerous — or — call 1-800-827-1000 for the nearest VA, Vet Center, VA Hospital Post-Deployment Clinic or state-funded contracted providers in your area

The War in Iraq- 

Below is a list of information currently available from the National Center for PTSD on war. For more information, click on the related links and/or search the PILOTS database for a more complete listing of articles available on this topic.

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Help USO Support Our Troops this Season

The holiday season is upon us and while many Americans will be enjoying the company of friends and family, more than 160,000 service men and women serving overseas will not. Instead of sharing in the laughter and smiles the holidays bring — especially for the children in their lives — they will be defending us at lonely outposts around the world.

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Operation: Dancin’ Dogg Taggs Launched!

This holiday season U.S. Military personnel who can’t be home for the holidays will be able to work on their slice, draw, course management and ball striking skills. From Kabul they’ll be playing Bethpage Black. In Baghdad they’ll be playing Sawgrass and in Afghanistan, Pebble Beach. Also, golfers back home will be able to play with them and help support families of those who’ve fallen in service to their country.

Dancin’ Dogg Golf out of Traverse City, Michigan has donated and shipped Dancin’ Dogg Shot Making Simulators to U.S. Military Bases around the world as a part of OPERATION: DANCIN’ DOGG TAGGS.

Every Dancin’ Dogg Golf Shot Making Simulator sold between now and December 21, 2006 will include a Dancin’ Dogg Tagg. Virtual Dancin’ Dogg Taggs are also available at http://www.dancindogg.com/taggs with no purchase required. Each ‘tagg’ has a number that provides users with access to the Dancin’ Dogg Taggs Online Communications Center where they can communicate with U.S. Service personnel serving overseas. Additionally, Dancin’ Dogg Tagg numbers can be used to get a $50 rebate from the purchase of a Shot Making Simulator. For every rebate redeemed, Dancin’ Dogg will donate $25 to America Supports You team member, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides college educations to the children of special operations personnel killed in combat or during a training mission. Visitors to the website can also make direct contributions to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation on that page, without having to purchase the product.

Dancin’ Dogg President Russell Edens said, “Men and women serving overseas have precious little time for recreation. A deck of cards, dart board and if they’re lucky, video games. Now those serving who also love golf have something they’ll really enjoy during those moments when they can relax.”

The Dancin’ Dogg Simulator is the world’s first golf simulator created to focus on the art of shot making. Users ’set up’ any kind of shot they want on a PC screen. Then, they select a real iron and hit an indoor-safe ball off of a durable high-tech mat. The shape and flight path of the shot appears on the screen along with information on the distance the ball traveled and how close it came to the intended target. The system also provides a pinpoint accurate report on swing speed, club face angle at impact and more. Using this analysis, golfers make adjustments and keep working on the shot until they’ve nailed it.

Dancin’ Dogg Shot Making Simulator now supports EA Sports(TM) Tiger Woods PGA Tour© ‘07 and ships with ‘06, along with a one year membership to GolfSpan.com, the Internet’s leading golf instructional website. “The inclusion of the Tiger Woods game makes it possible for stateside golfers to play golf in real-time, online, on many of the world’s finest courses with fellow golfers serving overseas,” explains Edens. “The GolfSpan affiliation gives our customers access to video lessons from the finest teaching pros in the world.”

PGA Professional Gary Parker of City Golf Boston, Boston’s Premier Indoor Golf Practice and Training Center, is a believer in the Dancin’ Dogg Shot Making Simulator. “We’ve used a Dancin’ Dogg unit in here that’s been beat on for weeks, almost 60 hours a week and the product holds up and helps my clients become better shot makers. What Dancin’ Dogg is doing for military overseas is admirable — the simulators will definitely hold up to their usage.”

“Ours is the first simulator to combine the pro-level pinpoint accurate technology and durability of simulators costing tens of thousands of dollars, lessons from some of the world’s finest instructors, and the most exciting virtual golf game into one affordable package,” Edens concludes.

For information please visit www.dancindogg.com

Reading List

The books and articles cited here represent some

of the many guides to military living and military etiquette,

as well as a selection of military family histories and memoirs.

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Materials and Publications.